Batavia Bowl was a hot spot in its heyday

It was my first week on the job as a sports editor in this area, more than 30 years ago, and a reader clued me in on a place I should visit - the Batavia Bowl.

I stopped by the popular Batavia bowling alley in the limestone building at 120 First St. The pool tables and bowling lanes made for a few pleasant hours of recreation, and it left a favorable impression. And it did that to a lot of people for many years.

Batavia Bowl shut down operations in April, and most attention centered on what would happen to the historic building.

Some nostalgic residents and city officials wanted to keep it intact somehow, but those who felt it was too costly to fix something more than 100 years old won the debate. The wrecking ball will eventually strike the building.

But what about Batavia Bowl as a business? Did it have a chance to survive, regardless of the building?

Dan Borgie of Geneva, a sales manager for Brunswick's bowling division, thinks Batavia's historic bowling venue was a victim of the sport's new marketing age.

"The market now is for bowling centers that are part of a family entertainment center," Borgie said. "Batavia Bowl had a lot of dedicated and committed customers, but it was a bowling center that couldn't be expanded to offer what people are looking for in an entertainment center."

Borgie said Batavia Bowl was an excellent venue in its time, but represented a throwback to "when there were 9 to 10 million league bowlers" and alleys would focus business on that sector.

"It's more difficult now," Borgie said. "You have to accommodate the league bowlers, the occasional bowler, and families.

"And food and beverages offered at the center play a bigger role now, too."

Inexpensive entertainment: Some of my recent ramblings about local theaters and restaurants teaming up to offer deals that entice us to stay in town caused promoters of the Rising Star Theaterworks to remind me about the affordable prices for the upcoming production of "42nd Street."

The show will be staged at the Arcada Theater this weekend, but cast and crew are offering a nice evening at 7 p.m. Thursday when individuals with special needs and their families can attend the final dress rehearsal at no cost. Those interested can contact Nancy Hansen at (630) 845-9165.

Waiting for a break: It's possible that St. Charles is as anxious as any city in the country to see the economy stabilize.

You don't have to travel far on either side of town to see numerous complexes with office space available.

Off Kirk Road, there are numerous office buildings for lease in the Legacy Business Center. Off Foxfield Drive, the same is true for Foxfield Square Executive Center. Around the corner on Dunham Road, you'll see office condos available at the Courtyards of St. Charles. And the list goes on.

I work in an office/warehouse in the St. Charles Commons complex along Illinois Avenue east of Kirk Road that also is for sale, as the owner of our business is looking for a smaller space.

dheun@sbcglobal.net