POCATELLO — The roaring sounds of bowling balls hitting pins have gone silent at Pine Bowl.
After being in business for over 50 years, the Pocatello-based bowling alley has closed its doors. According to assistant manager Darren Owen, the longtime owner of the 16-lane Pine Bowl, Mel Manning, has decided to retire.
Pine Bowl ceased operations at the end of business hours Sunday. The decision to ultimately close down the business was made late last week.
There is no word yet on what will happen to the building itself, which is located at 200 E Pine Street, or if new owners would be interested in buying the business and reopening at a later date.
The bowling alley was established around 1958. Manning served as the manager for two years in the mid-1960s before taking over as the owner.
“We’ve had some pretty big games here over the years,” said Owen, who has worked at Pine Bowl for 17 years.
In 1970, Pocatello resident Jeanine Painter became the first woman in Idaho history to bowl a perfect 300 game, a feat accomplished at Pine Bowl. More recently, on March 8, 2013, Jeremy Phillips, of Pocatello, set a national record at the bowling alley by scoring an 896 in a three-game series. It was the highest three-game score without rolling a 300 in any of the games.
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“Our biggest thing here is the people,” Owen said. “The regulars aren’t customers, they’re family."
News of Pine Bowl’s closure has affected many of its long-time bowlers, who feel a Southeast Idaho institution is being lost.
“It’s the end of an era,” Jim Fitzgerald, of Pocatello, said as he got in a last few games on Sunday afternoon. “This place is very family-friendly, everybody knows everybody else.”
Fitzgerald said he has been bowling the lanes at Pine Bowl since 1970 and has been active in league play.
“It’s bad for bowling,” long-time customer Don McKay of Pocatello said. “There will be a lot of people quitting bowling with this place closing down.”
Even though the bowling alley and accompanying lounge will be the closed, Hoskins Pro Shop will continue to remain in business at another location. The pro shop can be reached at (208) 251-8798.
With Pine Bowl’s closure, the two remaining bowling alleys open in Pocatello are Tough Guy Lanes and the Bowling Center at ISU’s Student Union Building.