Top 10 on Google. Number one in your heart.
'Save Jupiter Lanes' on Google.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
I Came. I Saw. I Bowled. But I didn't see Cotton.
I am happy to report that I have now gone bowling at the newly refurbished Jupiter Lanes, for one game.
And it was good.
Jupiter Lanes, I mean.
My bowling game? Not so much.
No word on whether or not you can still get Polo-like or Aramis-ish cologne in the restroom. And no, Virginia, Cotton was not present.
Quick question for the old Jupiter Lane habitues - Did the place always have a mural on the northeast (I think) wall of the guy with the mullet, the drunk woman smoking a cigarette, the elderly gay couple, etc.? I cannot recall if that was there before the refurbishment or not.
Whatever the case, new or old, that mural is still Awesome.
And when I say "awesome," what I mean is "Chainsmoke Kansas Flashdance Asspants!"
And it was good.
Jupiter Lanes, I mean.
My bowling game? Not so much.
No word on whether or not you can still get Polo-like or Aramis-ish cologne in the restroom. And no, Virginia, Cotton was not present.
Quick question for the old Jupiter Lane habitues - Did the place always have a mural on the northeast (I think) wall of the guy with the mullet, the drunk woman smoking a cigarette, the elderly gay couple, etc.? I cannot recall if that was there before the refurbishment or not.
Whatever the case, new or old, that mural is still Awesome.
And when I say "awesome," what I mean is "Chainsmoke Kansas Flashdance Asspants!"
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Monday, June 4, 2007
Famous like the Famous Amos
Check out this Dallas Morning News story from the Sunday just past:
09:29 PM CDT on Saturday, June 2, 2007
By KATIE MENZER / The Dallas Morning News
kmenzer@dallasnews.com
If your idea of paradise includes bowling among faux grass huts and tropical fish, then the remodeled Jupiter Bowl might be right up your alley.
The beloved White Rock-neighborhood bowling center, at Jupiter and Garland roads, reopened over Memorial Day weekend after it closed suddenly last year. Now with new owners and a million-dollar-plus renovation, it's not exactly your father's bowling alley – unless your father was a Hawaiian bowler.
The alley's old psychedelic lane backdrops, smoke-stained carpet on the walls and turn-dial televisions have been thrown to the gutter. In their place: high-tech projection screens, strobe lights and plasma TVs – all decorated with a neighborly, tropical twist.
Think Gilligan meets Bill Gates in the church bowling league.
"We're small enough that you don't have to worry about your kids getting out of your sight here. We're still a community bowling center," said Chuck Lande, Jupiter's majority owner. "But we've got every bell and whistle the big centers have. We really do."
Jupiter's doors first swung open in 1958, making it one of the area's oldest bowling alleys still operating.
It was the national birthplace of bumper bowling, popular with children because obstacles placed in the lanes prevent gutter balls.
It's held benefits for endangered rhinoceroses – Bowling for Rhinos – with the Dallas Zoo.
And it's where Aaron Brezik became the youngest bowler in Texas to score a perfect game in league play when he was 12 in 1993, according to records kept at that time.
"I remember just trying to be focused and concentrate on the game as much as I could," said Mr. Brezik, now 26 and a warehouse manager in Plano.
But Steve Brezik, Aaron's father, remembers that moment 13 years ago at Jupiter Lanes with exact detail.
"Everyone got real quiet. My heart was pounding. You just get so emotional," the Garland resident said proudly. "There weren't any cheap strikes. Each was solid in the pocket."
Phil Kinzer, who owned and operated Jupiter for decades, decided in the mid-1990s to lease the alley to bowling center chain AMF Bowling Worldwide, according to Mr. Lande.
Some longtime employees and customers said that's when the neighborhood gathering place lost its shine to corporate bureaucracy and larger, more modern bowling alleys that opened in the area.
"Before, everyone who worked at Jupiter knew your name, and they sort of lost that," said Wayne "Wamo" Matlock, who's been bowling at Jupiter since the 1950s.
When AMF didn't renew its lease last year, Mr. Lande said he and other investors decided to buy the place.
Mr. Lande, who also operates the Rowlett Bowl-A-Rama, worked at Jupiter when he was a teenager. He was the "shoe spray guy" – the employee who sprays antiseptic mist into rented bowling shoes between uses.
He said he wanted to restore the alley to its former glory – while adding new bowling gadgets and a tiki theme.
The charm stays
"What was of value and character, we tried to leave," said Mr. Lande, a professional bowler in the '80s. "What we needed to update, we updated."
They've decreased the lanes from 24 to 20 – each new lane cost $40,000 – and used the extra space for an arcade room.
Bumper bowling, which originally took employees 30 minutes or so to manually place cardboard or foam tubes in the gutter, is now run by a computer that can lift and lower bumpers in seconds.
The kitschy, '70s-era intercom that lets pool players order beer remotely remains, but the bar now has three plasma televisions and is decorated to look like a grass hut.
The former Rock 'n Bowl – the night each week they'd dim the lights and hang a disco ball– has been reincarnated as Glow Bowl.
The alley now uses strobes, fog machines and black lights that reflect against pictures of glow-in-the dark tropical fish. Projection screens also descend from above the lanes to display music videos.
But the transformation to a techno bowling paradise hasn't been without its tribulations, Mr. Lande said.
Not all easy
City employees told him after he bought the building that it wasn't zoned for bowling or booze, even though the alley had been offering both for almost 50 years.
After that was straightened out, the electric company sent him a $815,000 bill for one month's power – before the alley was open. The following month's bill was $168,000.
Even while the alley is operating, the electricity bill usually hovers around $4,000 each month, Mr. Lande said.
He's still trying to work it out.
"They said they won't shut off our power for 30 days while they investigate it," he said.
But to Mr. Matlock, the alley is picture perfect now. He and three other longtime Jupiter bowlers have been memorialized on a mural near the bar.
He's the guy on the right with the black tank top, gold chain and beer.
"I had to slip the guy 20 bucks to get rid of some of my gray," Mr. Matlock said jokingly.
And returning to Jupiter's front desk is Richard "Cotton" Schwab, the alley's daytime manager and a customer favorite. He's worked at Jupiter since 1999, and he's known for sending taunting messages to bowlers through the scoring monitors at each lane.
"In the bowling business, you have to love what you do," said Mr. Schwab, who worked at Bowl-A-Rama while Jupiter was closed for renovation. "There's sure no money in it."
Neighborhood hangout
White Rock neighborhood resident Harley Jebens said he can't wait to see Mr. Schwab again and down a few of his favorite bowling libations, White Russians, at the alley's bar.
When Jupiter closed without notice last year, Mr. Jebens created a tongue-in-cheek blog to "gather a group of like-minded individuals, to create a consortium, if you will, that will purchase the historic Jupiter Lanes bowling alley ... and open it as the bowling alley to beat all bowling alleys."
He wanted to initiate a "Wednesday Night Amateur Ventriloquist Show-Down," make every hour happy hour and hire his uncle as the house pro.
Even though his dreams were dashed by Jupiter's new owners, Mr. Jebens said he's pleased Jupiter's on a roll again.
"I'm hoping that it retains its charm," he said, "but I'm thrilled to death that it's reopening."
-30-
Well, despite being mis-quoted and libelled by the Liberal Media (I am quite sure I said that I was hoping it retains its charm AND was thrilled to death and etc.), it's good to see Jupiter Lanes getting the attention it deserves.
Good times roll again at Jupiter Bowl
New and improved bowling alley a trip down memory lanes
09:29 PM CDT on Saturday, June 2, 2007
By KATIE MENZER / The Dallas Morning News
kmenzer@dallasnews.com
If your idea of paradise includes bowling among faux grass huts and tropical fish, then the remodeled Jupiter Bowl might be right up your alley.
The beloved White Rock-neighborhood bowling center, at Jupiter and Garland roads, reopened over Memorial Day weekend after it closed suddenly last year. Now with new owners and a million-dollar-plus renovation, it's not exactly your father's bowling alley – unless your father was a Hawaiian bowler.
The alley's old psychedelic lane backdrops, smoke-stained carpet on the walls and turn-dial televisions have been thrown to the gutter. In their place: high-tech projection screens, strobe lights and plasma TVs – all decorated with a neighborly, tropical twist.
Think Gilligan meets Bill Gates in the church bowling league.
"We're small enough that you don't have to worry about your kids getting out of your sight here. We're still a community bowling center," said Chuck Lande, Jupiter's majority owner. "But we've got every bell and whistle the big centers have. We really do."
Jupiter's doors first swung open in 1958, making it one of the area's oldest bowling alleys still operating.
It was the national birthplace of bumper bowling, popular with children because obstacles placed in the lanes prevent gutter balls.
It's held benefits for endangered rhinoceroses – Bowling for Rhinos – with the Dallas Zoo.
And it's where Aaron Brezik became the youngest bowler in Texas to score a perfect game in league play when he was 12 in 1993, according to records kept at that time.
"I remember just trying to be focused and concentrate on the game as much as I could," said Mr. Brezik, now 26 and a warehouse manager in Plano.
But Steve Brezik, Aaron's father, remembers that moment 13 years ago at Jupiter Lanes with exact detail.
"Everyone got real quiet. My heart was pounding. You just get so emotional," the Garland resident said proudly. "There weren't any cheap strikes. Each was solid in the pocket."
Phil Kinzer, who owned and operated Jupiter for decades, decided in the mid-1990s to lease the alley to bowling center chain AMF Bowling Worldwide, according to Mr. Lande.
Some longtime employees and customers said that's when the neighborhood gathering place lost its shine to corporate bureaucracy and larger, more modern bowling alleys that opened in the area.
"Before, everyone who worked at Jupiter knew your name, and they sort of lost that," said Wayne "Wamo" Matlock, who's been bowling at Jupiter since the 1950s.
When AMF didn't renew its lease last year, Mr. Lande said he and other investors decided to buy the place.
Mr. Lande, who also operates the Rowlett Bowl-A-Rama, worked at Jupiter when he was a teenager. He was the "shoe spray guy" – the employee who sprays antiseptic mist into rented bowling shoes between uses.
He said he wanted to restore the alley to its former glory – while adding new bowling gadgets and a tiki theme.
The charm stays
"What was of value and character, we tried to leave," said Mr. Lande, a professional bowler in the '80s. "What we needed to update, we updated."
They've decreased the lanes from 24 to 20 – each new lane cost $40,000 – and used the extra space for an arcade room.
Bumper bowling, which originally took employees 30 minutes or so to manually place cardboard or foam tubes in the gutter, is now run by a computer that can lift and lower bumpers in seconds.
The kitschy, '70s-era intercom that lets pool players order beer remotely remains, but the bar now has three plasma televisions and is decorated to look like a grass hut.
The former Rock 'n Bowl – the night each week they'd dim the lights and hang a disco ball– has been reincarnated as Glow Bowl.
The alley now uses strobes, fog machines and black lights that reflect against pictures of glow-in-the dark tropical fish. Projection screens also descend from above the lanes to display music videos.
But the transformation to a techno bowling paradise hasn't been without its tribulations, Mr. Lande said.
Not all easy
City employees told him after he bought the building that it wasn't zoned for bowling or booze, even though the alley had been offering both for almost 50 years.
After that was straightened out, the electric company sent him a $815,000 bill for one month's power – before the alley was open. The following month's bill was $168,000.
Even while the alley is operating, the electricity bill usually hovers around $4,000 each month, Mr. Lande said.
He's still trying to work it out.
"They said they won't shut off our power for 30 days while they investigate it," he said.
But to Mr. Matlock, the alley is picture perfect now. He and three other longtime Jupiter bowlers have been memorialized on a mural near the bar.
He's the guy on the right with the black tank top, gold chain and beer.
"I had to slip the guy 20 bucks to get rid of some of my gray," Mr. Matlock said jokingly.
And returning to Jupiter's front desk is Richard "Cotton" Schwab, the alley's daytime manager and a customer favorite. He's worked at Jupiter since 1999, and he's known for sending taunting messages to bowlers through the scoring monitors at each lane.
"In the bowling business, you have to love what you do," said Mr. Schwab, who worked at Bowl-A-Rama while Jupiter was closed for renovation. "There's sure no money in it."
Neighborhood hangout
White Rock neighborhood resident Harley Jebens said he can't wait to see Mr. Schwab again and down a few of his favorite bowling libations, White Russians, at the alley's bar.
When Jupiter closed without notice last year, Mr. Jebens created a tongue-in-cheek blog to "gather a group of like-minded individuals, to create a consortium, if you will, that will purchase the historic Jupiter Lanes bowling alley ... and open it as the bowling alley to beat all bowling alleys."
He wanted to initiate a "Wednesday Night Amateur Ventriloquist Show-Down," make every hour happy hour and hire his uncle as the house pro.
Even though his dreams were dashed by Jupiter's new owners, Mr. Jebens said he's pleased Jupiter's on a roll again.
"I'm hoping that it retains its charm," he said, "but I'm thrilled to death that it's reopening."
-30-
Well, despite being mis-quoted and libelled by the Liberal Media (I am quite sure I said that I was hoping it retains its charm AND was thrilled to death and etc.), it's good to see Jupiter Lanes getting the attention it deserves.
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