They include:
• Super Sunday Deal: Bring the family out Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Bowling is $1.50 per game with 50-cent shoe rental fee. This represents a savings of $3.50 per person.
• Christmas Bowling Special: Each game is $1.50 Dec. 26-30 with 50-cent shoe rental fee all day. It’s an option for families on vacation who are looking for an inexpensive way to spend time together.
• Eighth annual New Year’s Eve Early Bird Special is 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. per lane for up to six people for $70. Included are a food buffet, bowling and shoe rental. It’s appropriate for families with smaller children who might need to be in bed earlier than midnight. The evening party is sold out.
For those who choose to visit Bldg. 1221, Kittyhawk Center, Area A, they’ll be greeted by a facility with an innovative appearance and a new look and feel.
“The Bowling Center’s three-month transformation has been very well received,” said Eric Mrenak, general manager. “People are really happy with the upgrades and say it’s the nicest bowling center they have ever visited. It’s getting a lot of good reviews.”
The scoring system’s technology is automated and tracks patrons’ strikes, spares, gutter balls, any bumpers needed and the like. It is more than a scoring system – it’s interactive and the only one of its kind within a 400-mile radius. The progressive system allows bowlers to enjoy different environments and themed backgrounds, with about 400,000 graphics and scoring grids with more than 1,000 animations.
Families particularly enjoy the “You Toons” game, which allows personalization of each bowler’s “avatar”-like character, Mrenak said.
The reconstruction and renovations have changed the center’s overall appearance. The center has been completely repainted, and all areas have been newly carpeted. The furniture has been replaced with new designs, with new couches and chairs for bowlers to have a more comfortable and relaxing experience.
Appropriate to Wright-Patterson AFB are the huge photos of the Wright brothers that decorate the wall above the bowling pins. They came from the national archives and were donated to the facility by Wright State University, Mrenak said.
The festive atmosphere has drawn more than 30 percent additional visitors, he said. Some come just for the snack bar, which offers hamburgers, grilled chicken, pizza and other “quality food at a decent price. Wings were just introduced and they have proved to be very popular.
“People like the relaxing atmosphere. We get folks waiting for their pharmacy prescriptions, and then they come back with their family to bowl,” Mrenak said.
Bowling is a healthy activity, he continued.
“If you bowl three games, it’s the equivalent of walking a mile and a half and burning 2,000 calories. It’s a good, energetic sport, and families of all ages can participate in it,” Mrenak said.
The bowling center is open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday through Saturday, 11 a.m. until 11 p.m.; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is closed on all federal holidays.
Plans are underway for a party celebrating Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3. Prices are to be announced, but will involve up to six people per lane, with food and more included.
For more information about the Kittyhawk Lanes Bowling Center, call 937-257-7796.
About the Author