The lone bowling alley in Centralia, Wash., will not reopen after five months of being closed, according to a Fairway Lanes Facebook post yesterday, Aug. 20. The owners, who’ve operated the facility for 16 years, cited family health issues and the continuing Covid-19 shutdown as reasons for the closure. They’ll be placing the center up for sale.
“We want to thank all of our loyal bowlers for their support, this community, and the countless special events, special Olympics, churches and school events, and the many area businesses that we were able to host over the years, and our staff of loyal employees that loved bowling and have helped us all these years,” the owners wrote.
One upset commenter noted that between Centralia and nearby Chehalis, there used to be three bowling alleys and now there will be none. The nearest now is a 25-minute drive up the I-5 in Tumwater – just south of the capital Olympia.
The closure news comes a week after a couple dozen bowlers gathered at Fairway Lanes to protest with signs that read, “Safer than a retail store!” and “Safe business – Tell us why it’s closed!” According to the Centralia Chronicle, bowling alleys had been moved to the state’s fourth phase of reopening after originally being cleared to open in phase three.