Sep 5, 2010 By Gary George for The 5 min read

It was like a small piece of heaven for me. And that is a strange thing to say about a bowling alley. But that was exactly how it felt when I went out to Klondike Lanes to bowl in a new league last Wednesday night.

I had rolled at Klondike many, many years ago, but I have to be honest and say that the moment I opened the front door and stepped inside, it was like coming home — almost like I had never left. And, it made me feel even better when I stepped into the snack bar and saw proprietor, Joe Pascia, standing there. He and I were pretty darned close way back when.

We worked the All-Star Bowling TV show together, and it was Joe and Klondike that allowed me to organize and put into play the bowling team at Penn State Fayette. No Joe-no team. Since that time, some of those young college bowlers like Casey Duncan and Mikey Vinch went on to roll some big series and some perfect games.

Up until last Wednesday, there had been a lot of time between Joe and I, but within about 3 minutes, that gap was bridged and I felt as if I had never left.

Maybe, when you get right down to it, that is the mark of a great proprietor. He or she has that ability to make every bowler feel like they belong. Joe Pascia definitely has the knack.

I had some time to waste before the league started, so I sat in the snack bar and enjoyed a complementary cup of my favorite coffee courtesy of Joe and talked with Big Al D’Andrea. That gave me a chance to look over the menu and I noticed a very significant thing. Klondike is really not just a snack bar.

There are booths available and also a dinner menu, so even if you weren’t planning on bowling, there is absolutely nothing to preclude you from bringing some friends or family to Klondike and walking through the side door to the restaurant part of the snack bar and having a great meal.

Of course, as a bowler, none of that really matters if there is a bad shot on the lane. I mean, I went there to bowl, and I went there to bowl well. And, that all fit into place too. The lanes were spot perfect. The whole bowling area including the tables, chairs and front counter were spacious and comfortable.

I was as relaxed as I have ever been during a league, which makes it easy to concentrate on your game. The interplay with the other guys, including Joe and my teammates was hilarious, (Big Al is a character), and there was none of the intercom announcements that happen so often at other places in the area, that I have always felt are totally out of place in a sport that requires concentration on every shot.

So, it is all top notch and I see why some of the guys have been rolling there for over 20 years. And, it is easy for me to invite any bowler who likes the sport and has Wednesday nights at 7p.m. free to come and join me. Come alone or bring a team. Joe will make you welcome.

I just keep asking myself why I ever left in the first place.

How about this for fun!

Japan’s leading bowling center chain has opened its first bowling center in the United States, and its emergence into the U.S. market has impelled Brunswick Bowling to honor Round One Entertainment with the 2010 Brunswick Center of Excellence Award.

Each year, Brunswick singles out Center of Excellence award recipients among bowling-based entertainment centers that demonstrate an exemplary blend of cutting-edge planning and design, business-critical general management and operations, effective marketing and sales strategies, and superior customer service.

Located in City of Industry, Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles, this first American store was built in the Puente Hills Mall, and the 26-lane Brunswick-equipped family entertainment bowling center offers a boutique style of bowling, nine private Karaoke rooms, ping pong tables, billiards, darts, bar, snack bar, 15,000-square-foot game and prize redemption room with more than 200 interactive games, and large video screens.

The 70,000-square-foot facility was built within a shopping mall, where owners recognized the huge potential for high traffic volume.

Round One currently owns and operates 107 centers in Japan and hopes to continue to expand their concept across the United States.

I am hoping since Pennsylvania is still a hotbed of bowling, that we might get something like this close to us. You could easy spend an entire day in a facility like this and then come back for more tomorrow.

Bowling news

Uniontown resident Gary George writes a weekly bowling column for the Herald-Standard. If you have any bowling news, contact George, a member of the Professional Bowlers Association since 1997, via email at probowler48@aol.com or fax at 724-438-7290. Information is welcome from all area bowling establishments.