Shoreway Lanes Grand Opening – August 31, 1962

Bowling has been a regular topic on this blog, although it's been a while since I've been in a bowling alley myself.

I've posted the ad announcing the switchover to automatic pinsetters at Broadway Recreation (April 1956); a 1958 ad for Rebman's AMF Automatic Pinspotters; an ad for the grand opening ad for Lake Erie Lanes in Vermilion (August 1959); an article from 1963 about Sheffield Lake's Sully Bates, who invited some popular bowling grips; and an article about Frank H. "Hank" Andorka from 1964.

Well, add to all that the Grand Opening ad for Sheffield Lake's Shoreway Lanes, which appeared in the Journal back on August 29, 1962.

The new facility boasted 24 Brunswick Automatic Pinsetters; a billiards room; cocktail lounge; snack bar; kid's rumpus room; a meeting room; and free baby sitters!

I've mentioned before on this blog how my parents first met in a bowling alley in Avon Lake, and how they bowled in a BF Goodrich league (the Tuesday Twosomes). They also tried to make bowlers out of my siblings and me, signing us up for a Saturday morning league at Shoreway Lanes in the late 1960s. (It was another attempt (like Saturday morning art classes) to keep us away from the TV set.)

The best part of those Saturday mornings at Shoreway Lanes was the hot dog after bowling, with those good, toasted New England buns, washed down with a Coke. It's odd to still remember how good those hot dogs were, fifty years later.

Unfortunately, we weren't all that good bowlers as kids and I don't believe any of us turned into great bowlers as we got older – although we kept trying.

Willie Mosconi at Shoreway Lanes – 1963

Several weeks after the Shoreway Lanes ad featured on yesterday's blog post appeared in the Lorain Journal, another ad appeared on March 19, 1963 – promoting an appearance by Willie Mosconi.

What? You've never heard of Willie Mosconi?

Willie Mosconi was a professional pool player who won the World Straight Pool Championship fifteen times between 1941 and 1957 (according to this Wikipedia entry) and became known as "Mr. Pocket Billiards."

Apparently – judging by the Brunswick jacket that Mosconi was wearing (you can see it a little better in the photo at left) – his appearance was part of a promotion for that company.

Interestingly, Mosconi was the technical advisor for the 1961 film The Hustler starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. His job was to make a pool player out of Newman, who apparently had never played before.

Here's part of an early 1980s How-to Video featuring Willie Mosconi that gives you an idea of what his appearance at Shoreway Lanes might have been like.

Five years after his appearance at the Shoreway Lanes, Mosconi was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame.

Shoreway Lanes Ad - March 1963

Here's a little reminder of the good old days in Sheffield Lake when Shoreway Lanes bowling alley was open. The ad ran on March 1, 1963 in the Lorain Journal – fifty years ago this month.

I've mentioned before how my parents tried to make bowlers out of my siblings and me by signing us up for a Saturday morning league at Shoreway in the late 1960s. We all pretty much stunk at bowling, but we did look forward to the great hotdog (in a toasted New England Style bun) and Coke afterwards. I still think about those hotdogs!

It was sad when the bowling alley (by then known as North Coast Shoreway Lanes) closed in Sheffield Lake. The city briefly considered trying to keep it open in 2010, but it backed out of the deal.

Anyway, I never did become a very good bowler. I bowled all through high school with my friends, took Bowling as one of my physical education requirements at Ohio State, and bowl with the spouse every five years or so. But I still stink at it.

Here's the former Shoreway Lanes today, as it sadly sits facing the closed Sheffield Lake Post Office and the empty Shoreway Beverage building.

1960s Sheffield Lake Businesses Then & Now

Old high school yearbooks can be a nice source of vintage photos of local businesses.

Here's a few photos from mid-1960s Brookside High School Leader yearbooks. They show how things used to look in Sheffield Lake along Lake Road (U.S. 6) in those days.

Here's a view looking east at the sign for Shoreway Lanes, with its great lettering as well as bowling ball and pin graphics. My brothers and I used to bowl there in a Saturday morning league in the late 1960s for a while; for us, the best part was the bowling alley's hotdogs – served up in toasted New England style split-top buns!

In the background is the old Phillips 66 gas station.

And here's the view from today. (Hey, it looks like the same leaning telephone pole in both shots.) The sign for the now-closed bowling alley is less interesting.

Just a few doors down to the east is where Lawsons used to be (which I covered back here.)

And even further to the east is where Gang's Food Fair used to be at 4646 E. Lake Road. Here's a 1966 shot (below). I did a history of the place back here.

And here's the "now" shot.

As you can see, the internet café at this location didn't make it.