Ten-pin bowling is coming back to the capital region now that Gerry and Kristin St. Cyr are reopening Langford Lanes in mid-October.
The exact date has not been set, but excitement is already building.
Bowling leagues are making reservations, as are businesses booking Christmas parties, Gerry St. Cyr said Wednesday. “Our goal is to cater to everybody,” he said, noting that everyone from children to seniors enjoys bowling. He wants to ensure league bowlers times are slotted in.
Prices in both the restaurant and bowling facility will be reduced, St. Cyr said.
Langford Lanes marked its grand opening in 2011. The building is part of City Centre Park, which is owned by the municipality of Langford. It features a 400-seat arena, miniature golf, splash park and more. The St. Cyrs have been operating City Centre Park for nearly a decade.
When the 20-lane bowling centre opened, it offered the only 10-pin bowling in the region. Town and Country Lanes shut in 2007 and Mayfair Lanes closed in 2006.
Langford Lanes operators Planex Development Corp. and Langford Bowling and Entertainment Ltd. went into receivership this year. As a result, Langford Lanes has been shut for three months.
Miracle Lanes in Sidney offers five-pin bowling.
The St. Cyrs beat out other bidders to buy the business in an agreement approved in court on Sept. 15. No price was disclosed.
The couple will operate under the same terms as the previous owners, paying 14 per cent of Langford Lanes’ gross revenue or $200,000, whichever is greater, to the municipality annually. The agreement with Langford is for 16 years.
The St. Cyrs are evaluating the facility and making sure that all its equipment is operating properly, including 50 television screens, pin setters and hundreds of light bulbs.
The estimated cost of improvements is not being released, St. Cyr said.
Patrons have been making suggestions on future operations. “We have lots of great ideas,” St. Cyr said.
Customers will see a new look in the Galloping Goose Grille. It will have a new name and be more suited to families and sports teams, he said. A chef and cooking team have been hired.
“This restaurant is going to service the entire City Centre Park and the neighbourhood,” said St. Cyr.
An indoor concession, located between Langford Lanes and the ice arena, will be introduced for hockey players, figure skaters and their families, St. Cyr said. It will open at 5:15 a.m.
Another new feature will be a multi-purpose party room. About 700 square feet of office space is being converted into this new use.
“Kids love coming here and there was nowhere to put large groups,” said St. Cyr.
Some arcade games will be introduced as well, he said.
The main complaint he’s heard about past operations is that people would show up, but were not allowed to use an empty lane because of a prior booking an hour in advance. In the future, bowlers will be able to use those lanes until the next reservation starts.
“Our focus will be customer service,” St. Cyr said. “Our goal is to get people bowling and not standing around waiting.”
About 40 staff will be hired for the bowling alley. City Centre Park will have about 100 employees in all.
Langford Mayor Stew Young is eager to see bowling rolling again, saying that St. Cyr has done a great job of running City Centre Park. Under his watch, major events at the park have gone off without a hitch, Young said.
Another bonus is “we’ve got a local business running it,” Young said.
Talena Zander is particularly happy about the return of bowling.
She has worked at the front desk at Langford Lanes since December 2012 and lost that job when it closed. She was hired to work at Capital City Park and is now back at Langford Lanes, where she repeatedly said, “I’m so happy. I’m so happy.”
Zander made fast friends of customers at Langford Lanes, becoming especially close to many of the senior bowlers. They remain in contact. “We were all a big family,” she said..
