Page 16 - BCM May 2024

BUSINESS

for an eventual stab at the PBA Tour. Wiseman’s native Baltimore crossed other East Coast ports as each port’s
“Bowl America and Fairlanes had the Key Bridge — just a few years after capacity allows, and companies will
tons of centers in the area,” Wiseman it opened — to compete in the 1982 need to adjust. Wiseman, who could
recalled. “It was a blue-collar area and American Bowling Congress Tourna- safely be dubbed “Baltimore’s favorite
bowling was a blue-collar sport, so ment at the Baltimore Convention bowling son,” added that he wouldn’t
those centers were busy.” Wiseman, Center and to visit area attractions. be surprised if bowling balls were
a member of both the PBA and USBC And several bowling companies — discovered at the bottom of the harbor
Halls of Fame, made the trip over including bowling ball manufacturer during the ongoing debris-removal
the bridge to Glen Burnie to bowl in Faball — used the Port of Baltimore, process. In moments of anger, bowl-
tournaments and pot games at vari- which is now in recovery mode, to ers have been known to discard what
ous centers. Wiseman said that even ship and receive cargo. Faball was an they deemed to be under-performing
though the Baltimore Harbor and innovator not only in ball technology equipment in any number of creative
Fort McHenry tunnels also got drivers but also marketing, the rst to place a ways.
across Baltimore Harbor, they could logo — in this case, the Hammer logo
become extremely congested. at’s — on the “side” of the ball so televi- Long-time Bowling Executive
why many bowlers would “go the long sion cameras would beam it into mil- Prokopec Passes Away at 77
way around” and cross the Key Bridge lions of homes on “Pro Bowlers Tour” Ken Prokopec, a well-known
to get to their bowling destinations. telecasts. e ploy was the brainchild Midwest bowling personality, passed
“It was longer for a lot of people, but it of the late Dennis Baldwin, who away on March 15. He was 77. Over
took less time.” In later years, Wise- owned Faball plants rst in Baltimore the course of his 40-year career in
man would continue crossing the and then a larger location in Rose- bowling, Prokopec was a sales director
bridge, albeit less frequently, to help dale. Depending on how long it takes for Brunswick, a proprietor in Illinois
some of the youth bowlers he was to remove bridge debris from the and executive director of the Bowling
coaching. Many bowlers from outside harbor, many ships will be diverted to Centers Association of Michigan.

MORE BUSINESS DATES
(continued from page 8)
AUGUST
Aug. 10 (tent.) — National Bowling Day; stemarketing.com
Aug. 12-13 — Classic Products Trade Show, Circa Resort and Casino,
Las Vegas, Nevada; classicproducts.com
Aug. 13 — Junior Gold Championships U18 Division Finals Telecast;
CBS Sports Network
Aug. 13 — PWBA Tour Championship Telecast; CBS Sports Network
Aug. 13 — 98th Chicagoland BPA Golf Tournament, Silver Lake Country
Club, Orland Park, Illinois; keith@bowlillinois.com
Aug. 15 — DiLaura Brothers Bowling Supply Trade Show, Sterling Lanes,
Sterling Heights, Michigan; dilaurabrothers.com
Aug. 19-20 — Classic Products Trade Show, Raymond James Stadium,
Tampa, Florida; classicproducts.com
Aug. 24 — Washington State BPA Bowling Day at the Ball Park, T-Mobile
Park, Seattle, Washington; wsbpa.org
Aug. 25 — Chicagoland BPA Bowlers Day, Guaranteed Rate Field,
Chicago, Illinois; keith@bowlillinois.com
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 12 — Connecticut BPA Annual Meeting, Spare Time Vernon,
Vernon, Connecticut; robin@bpaa.com
Sept. 17-20 — AAMA Annual Meeting and Gala, Renaissance Chicago
Marriott Schaumburg, Schaumburg, Illinois; coin-op.org
Sept. 29-Oct. 1 — 19th annual Southwest Bowling Proprietors Trade
Show, Embassy Suites Convention Center, Denton, Texas; klmbowl@
sbcglobal.net
OCTOBER
Oct. 6-11 — BPAA School of Entertainment Center Management,
International Bowling Campus, Arlington, Texas; bowlinguniversity.net
Oct. 7 — BCA of Wisconsin Annual Meeting, Conference and Trade Show,
Wintergreen Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; bowlwi.com
Oct. 8-9 — Foundations University, site TBA; foundationsuniversity.com
Oct. 10-13 — Jayhawk Bowling Supply Pro Shop Training Class, Lawrence,
Kansas; 800-255-6436 or russw@jayhawkbowling.com

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