Miles Hayes picked up a seven-pound bowling ball on Monday afternoon. With brand new bowling shoes, red and black right down the middle, the eight-year-old gingerly stepped up to the center dot at the new Barn, Bowl and Bistro in Oak Bluffs.
“You’re doing great, just get used to swinging it,” house pro Jeff Corr told Miles.
Nearby, his mother looked on.
“He’s never done this before, it’s his first time,” Arielle Hayes said. “We’re so excited it’s opening, we wanted [a bowling alley] since we moved here.”
The Hayes family and others took to the lanes this week as the Vineyard’s new 10-pin bowling alley welcomed the first eager bowlers for soft opening events. A grand opening is planned for several weeks from now.
The 10-lane facility designed by Brunswick bowling company comes fully equipped with bowling essentials: shoes, scoring screens, food and drink, and barn owl logo balls.
“With big balls? Wowee!” said one patron walking in to survey the new locale.
After nearly two years of permitting and construction for the former laundromat space, the bowling alley was filled with new sounds this week: the thunk of balls hitting the alley, the fall of a cluster of pins collapsing, the dismay of a gutter ball, the celebratory “booyahs” of bowling a spare.
Not to worry, beginners, bumpers are being installed in the coming days.
“We want to take care of the Island community,” general manager Mike Sawyer said. “We anticipate a lot of serious bowlers.”
The Barn includes a restaurant and full bar (last call is set for 11:30 p.m.). The restaurant is partitioned off but windows can open up to the lanes “if it gets really exciting and the restaurant wants to participate,” Mr. Sawyer said. There’s also spectator seating with high-top bars for larger parties.
At the back of the lanes, above the pins, is a large screen known as a masking unit with a mural of the Gay Head cliffs by Dana Gaines. The mural can change to five other Vineyard scenes. Photographs of United States presidents bowling are on display on the left and right side of the lanes — Republicans on the right, Democrats on the left, of course.
Cameras have also been installed in the masking unit for teaching purposes. They capture the speed and angle of how the ball is released.
The second floor is still under construction but will have games for adults and children, Mr. Sawyer said, accommodating private parties or rainy day overflow.
But the serious business will come in October when league play begins, with bowling leagues anticipated for couples, men, women and youth. Bob Tankard has already been named the first bowling commissioner. Contractors who worked on the building already have their team shirts, Mr. Sawyer said.
Back on the lanes, Mr. Corr, the house pro, is enthusiastic and quick to dish out advice. “If you’re a righty, slide on your left foot and get your hips out of the way,” he said. “Speed does not give you strikes, accuracy gives you strikes.”
All advice will come free for young bowlers, said Mr. Corr, who plans to teach kids at no charge. In the fall, he also plans to start recruiting students for a high school team. The team would travel to regional competitions in the area.
Mr. Corr has given tours of the Vineyard since 1978, but his passion has always been bowling. He used to compete in tournaments and traveled on the pro-tour part time.
“It’s a great time with friends, especially in the winter time,” he said. “This place is done right.”
On lane 10, Judy and Ray Sylvia were enjoying a night out on the lanes. Mrs. Sylvia recalled the old bowling alley on Beach Road in Vineyard Haven that closed in the early 1980s, and the enthusiasm that formed around the leagues back then.
With the opening of the Barn, she said she was most looking forward to bringing her grandkids along, especially those with winter birthdays.
“What a great place for kids,” she said. “It’s exactly what the Island needed.”
Comments (4)
Comments
Comment policy »