Champlain Lanes, a community fixture in Shelburne, Vt., since 1964, is preparing for its final bowlers come May 12, this after the alley’s 55th annual Champlain International Championship Tournament.
The Burlington Free Press reported that Randy Longe, who owns the business with his brother Michael, was the alley’s first pin boy when he was just a kid – retrieving balls and replacing pins before the place had automation – and has been working in the business ever since. “It’s a totally different beast,” Randy said of today’s entertainment landscape. “You tell people now there’s a 20-minute wait for a lane and they take off.”
Randy and his son also own a modern bowling FEC in nearby Barre called Twin Cities Family Fun Center. Randy said he plans on handing that business off to his son after Champlain Lanes closes.