38,000 square-foot family entertainment center will include many
ammenities
Morgan Hill – For too many years hard-core bowlers have had to travel to San Jose and Gilroy – and even Salinas – to knock down pins.
Starting this Saturday they’ll get their fix in town.
After more than five years of dormancy, Morgan Hill Bowl’s 32 lanes – now equipped with high-technology laser lights and flat-screen scoring monitors – will come alive at Tennant Station for leagues, families and friends looking for some good clean fun.
“It’s about having something in the community that’s fun for kids and families,” said co-owner Bill George, adding the 38,000 square-foot family entertainment center would also be a boon to South County leagues who don’t have enough elbow room at Gilroy Bowl’s 10-lane concourse.
George said the new lanes are bright and cheery – not your granddad’s bowling alley and bar.
“It used to be the bowling alley was for hoodlums. Troubled kids shooting pool. Not anymore,” he laughed. “It’s shockingly high-end.”
All 32 lanes inside the center have been resurfaced and equipped with automatic Qubica scoring systems. New carpets, flooring and furniture also have been installed. And youngsters will have the option of using automatic bumpers on lanes to enhance their experience.
“The new owners have done a fantastic job refurbishing the lanes,” said Debbie Blanchard, a San Martin resident who’s volunteering to start a Saturday morning winter league this month for youth of all ages.
Sofa seating has been added to accommodate families, and the facility will bid for teenagers’ dollars with flashy light shows.
“For teens, when the lights are turned down, and the back lights are on, it almost looks like your bowling on water,” Blanchard said.
The new edition of Morgan Hill Bowl will also feature a 3,500 square-foot pool room with six tables and vintage pinball machines. A state-of-the-art arcade will soon be added, George said, along with a 1,500 square-foot bocci ball room that will be available for private rentals. In addition to those attractions, the sports lounge has been expanded with new big screen TVs. And Betsy’s restaurant, which has done business in Morgan Hill for more than 20 years, has been incorporated into the bowling alley to provide meals and finger foods.
Leisurely bowling continues to be a huge draw in America. In 2004, 69 million bowlers visited more than 5,700 U.S. bowling centers, according to an industry facts sheet supplied by the Professional Bowlers Association.
George was reluctant to say how much money he and his partners Troy Carson of Morgan Hill and Tom Barger of Fremont have invested in the project that’s been in the works since June 2005.
“It’s hundreds of thousands of dollars. I don’t want to give a ‘final’ number now, because it will probably double,” George joked.
Barger, who is the business’s general manager, previously ran the 59-lane center attached to Oakridge Mall in San Jose.
Tennant Station owner Mike LaBarbera said the old bowling alley – which closed shortly after he bought the shopping center in 2001 – was “a dump” that had been neglected for years. He considered converting the space to retail, but changed his mind when investors came forward.
“We’re excited about it. I think it’s going to have a positive impact on Morgan Hill as far as entertainment options go,” LaBarbera said, noting the CineLux movie theater plans to add three screens in the next year.
Tony Burchyns covers Morgan Hill for The Times. Reach him at (408) 7790-4106 ext. 201 or tb*******@*************es.com.
