So, our friends who own a bowling alley…

Cathy and I would frequently drop this tidbit in conversation. I thought it made us seem pretty cool. Come on, we have friends that own a bowling alley! This must be what it’s like knowing a celebrity.

oh you’re from Canada? so are we.

In 2016 we did a cruise on the Disney Magic and somewhere in the middle of the North Atlantic, another traveller introduced us to Ron and Linda. “Maybe you know them - you’re all from Canada”, someone probably said, trying to be helpful in that naive way that Americans assume everybody in Canada knows everybody else.

So we had the sort of conversation you might have had once where you gradually zoom in on exactly where someone lives.

You’re from Canada? So are we. Ontario? Sure, us too. From Toronto? Us too. Oakville? No kidding, we live in Oakville. Wait, you live where in Oakville? Did our kids go to school together? How do we not know you already? Wait, you own Hopedale Bowl?

And that began a great friendship.

We went to their daughter’s wedding, celebrated on a Disney ship. They came to our son’s wedding, and the stag-and-doe party was at Hopedale Bowl.

And we’ve enjoyed many more Disney adventures with them. I hope that continues!

It was all pre-ordained, somehow.

The bowling alley

16 Lanes of 5 Pin, the sign proudly proclaimed. Of course I always wondered if you couldn’t simplify that to 5 lanes of 16 pins, or one lane of 80 pins.

What a neat place to socialize. Not just for bowling, but as a gathering spot with, of course, a fully licensed snack bar.

Cathy, and two of our sons, even wound up working part time there. Sometimes I’d just go down for lunch and to watch other people bowl, all having the times of their lives. Individuals, families, tournaments, the Special Olympics – everyone was welcome.

I didn’t really bowl. But I really enjoyed watching it all. Wow, was it crowded with excitement when the Special Olympics tournaments were on.

how it works

I have to tell you, one of the highlights of my life was when Ron took us backstage where I finally got to see all the fascinating mechanical apparatus that makes a 5-pin bowling lane work. Ron had to work pretty hard to keep this all running! They had purchased a bowling alley that was already 40 years old.

There’s a lot to this, as it turns out.

The snack bar

I got an amazing behind-the-scenes look at everything involved in running a small restaurant, too.

The parties

People bowled, of course, but Hopedale Bowl is also the sort of community centre that’s the perfect spot for a kid’s birthday party - or in our case, a party to celebrate Tyler and Diana’s upcoming wedding, which Ron and Linda were delighted to host.

I can’t quite remember what the setup for this was, but you can see the groom here (on the left) clearly enjoying the outdoor component of the party.

The proprietors

Ron and Linda are, of course, well-loved and dazzling stewards of the 5-pin bowling community and after hosting dozens of tournaments over the years, we were delighted to be invited to a ceremony where they were both inducted into the Central Ontario 5-pin Bowler’s Association Hall of Fame - see, I told you we knew some celebrities!

wait, you said something about a car wash?

Y’know, when you’re as well-loved by the community as Hopedale Bowl is, anything is possible. Every year there’s something called Community Votes where people vote on their favourite Oakville establishments.

Hopedale Bowl routinely wins in the obvious categories - Best Bowling Alley, Best Kids Experience, Best Fries, Best Family Outing – and they certainly deserve those awards

Somehow – don’t ask me, I know NOTHING – it is apparently possible to nominate anybody for anything, and Hopedale Bowl was also nominated in 2023 in the category of Best Car Wash.

And it turns out, if you persuade enough of your friends to vote, good things will happen!

Behold, it’s official, Oakville’s Best Car Wash of 2023 …

Can I just say that I very much appreciate Ron and Linda’s sense of humour about this particular event.

the Third Place

Sociologists have coined the term The Third Place - social surroundings that aren’t your home (the first place) or your work (the second.)

They’ve recognized how valuable these are - the answer to loneliness, and political polarization, for instance.

Look at this characterization from the book The Great Good Place. A third place is -

• Open and inviting;
• Comfortable and informal;
• Convenient;
• Unpretentious;
• There are regulars (and often there’s a host who greets people as they arrive);
• Conversation is the main activity;
• Laughter is frequent.

That’s Hopedale Bowl.

I hope you have a place like that.

what now?

Ron and Linda have just sold Hopedale Bowl, after 18 years, and I am sure its new proprietors will carry on this tradition of excellence, of family service, of being a warm and welcoming spot whether you’re a bowler or not.

I wish you both the best in retirement. Some of us retire and then never hear from our employers again, but Ron, I suspect the new owners will need your advice on maintaining that equipment!

and I hope we’ll all enjoy many more shipboard rounds of Quirkle!

update

Here’s a great story from Oakville News about Hopedale Bowl and its legacy.