Bowled over

Area bowling alleys absorb Kalispell bowlers

Accommodating Kalispell's bowling population since the demise of Skyline Bowl has not been an easy task, but it's manageable, area bowling alley managers say.

Skyline Bowl burned to the ground last August, leaving scores of regulars without a place to hone their skills. Die-hard league bowlers headed to lanes in Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Bigfork to find a new home to topple pins.

Pin & Cue bowling alley in Whitefish started last fall's league with 250 more bowlers than normal.

"It was a shock at the beginning of the year," Pin & Cue manager Bryan Anderson said. "The league base is a lot busier than before. It's busy, but it's good."

The 16-lane Whitefish bowling alley, which has historically had a "phenomenal" opening bowling clientele, Anderson said, was forced to trim back some open bowling sessions to accommodate the leagues.

Weekend daytime opening bowling is still available there, along with the extremely popular $1-per-game open bowling on Monday nights.

At Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls, co-owner Steve Ferkovich has likewise seen an upswing in activity, but not as much as Whitefish and Bigfork bowling alleys.

"The word is people went to Whitefish and Bigfork and filled up their leagues," Ferkovich said. "We're eight lanes, so it doesn't take much to fill us up.

Ferkovich, who owns Glacier Lanes along with Greg Bauska, said he's seeing time slots that were traditionally slow now filled with new bowlers. With open bowling all day Friday and on weekends, the Columbia Falls bowling alley gets some of the Whitefish open bowling overflow.

"I have time slots for leagues in the afternoons, late nights, lots of time zones," he said.

Glacier Lanes was upgraded last year with a $50,000 automatic scoring system.

Pin & Cue is planning an extensive remodeling this summer, Anderson said, including new floors, seating, computers, pin setters and other equipment. The bowling alley will shut down for renovation in mid-April once the league season is over.

The Whitefish bowling alley's restaurant and bar were enlarged and refurbished last summer, and the restaurant and game room became no-smoking zones. Smoking is still allowed in the bar and lanes area.

"We try to accommodate everyone," Anderson said.

In Bigfork, North Shore Bowling Center had an influx of about 75 new bowlers last fall, enough to add three new leagues.

"The open bowling is way up, too," said Dave Pickavance, who manages the bowling alley with his sister Diane Hayes.

"We run leagues six nights a week, so we don't have much opening bowling," he said, adding that Saturday nights and weekend days are good open-bowling slots unless there's a tournament under way at the 12-lane center.

There's no truth to the rumor, Pickavance said, that North Shore Bowling Center has been sold and condominiums will be built on the Holt Drive site.

"We are for sale, but there's no check in hand," he said.

A couple of prospective buyers have expressed interest in the Bigfork property. Pickavance's parents, Dennis and Lou Pickavance, have owned the Bigfork bowling alley for five years; it was started in 1980.

"We deal with a lot of great people, but it's more than we want," he said, saying the workload of the small business makes it seems like he's "married to the place."

Rumors of a new bowling alley in Kalispell have circulated in recent months, although there appears to be no project on the drawing board.

Rick Perry, who owned Skyline Bowl, said he doesn't plan to rebuild.

Kalispell Realtor Dick Dasen Jr. said he contemplated building a bowling center, but decided it wasn't feasible.

Ferkovich said bowling alleys are expensive to build. He estimated the land, building, equipment and liquor license would cost more than $1 million.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com