Before the pandemic there was a healthy bowling community in Centralia. While at one time there were three bowling alleys in Centralia and Chehalis, two went out of business, but there was still Fairway Lanes. Steve and Tim owned and ran Fairway Lanes for years. They even recovered from the flood and remained open. But during the second pandemic shutdown, mainly due to family health issues, they decided to sell the business and closed it.
Then there were none.
If you wanted to bowl you had to go to Tumwater or Olympia, and many people were not that dedicated. Unfortunately, the W.F. West High School women’s team, which is among the best in the state, didn’t have anywhere to bowl until the old lanes in Chehalis opened a couple of their lanes for their practice.
Just in the nick of time, Jeff and Julie Walker came to the rescue.
They purchased Fairway Lanes and cleaned it up, replacing some of the lanes and repairing the food area. They also cleaned up and spruced up the restrooms and the bar as well as replacing all of the seating in the bowling area.
Fairway Lanes is a really nice place now, thanks to Jeff’s and Julie’s efforts. This is now a place that I would take my family and friends to at any time. It’s a great place to go and bowl, have lunch and visit with friends.
The pandemic really knocked down the bowling clientele, and they’re slow to come back. There is a slow but steady increase in the bowling participation at Fairway, but it’s not enough. My Friday morning league is down to four bowlers, yet Jeff remains open for us. Jeff and Julie are doing everything they can to make Fairway successful, but they need our help. We need to rebuild our bowling community to help keep Fairway open for years to come. There are leagues going on right now, and most will allow people to join them even though it’s mid-season. Further, there are tournaments going on. I urge everyone who has any interest in bowling to go down to Fairway and check it out. Jeff, Julie and the staff will be happy to assist you in any way they can. And there’s a pro shop open there now to sell you any equipment you may need.
And, no, I don’t own or work at or for Fairway Lanes. I’m just a guy that enjoys bowling and wants to have the lanes in town open.
Hope to see you there.
Bruce Peterson
Centralia
