Page 74 - BCM July 2024
P. 74

One of Us





                               Rebirth in Artesia


                   How a small center in a small New Mexico town was brought back to life.


                                                     BY DENNIS BERGENDORF
                   rtesia Lanes is a                                                            esting story.  e kids
              A nice little center                                                              didn’t let a little thing
              in the nice little New                                                            like the center shutting
              Mexico town of Artesia.                                                           down stop them from
              First-time visitors no                                                            practicing.  ey came
              doubt have nary a clue                                                            in a couple of times a
              that it stood idle, gather-                                                       week, “oiling and  xing
              ing dust, for two and a                                                           the machines on their
              half years a decade ago.                                                          own.” It certainly paid
              Or that it was the private                                                        o , as teams have cap-
              practice facility for the                                                         tured nine state titles.
              powerful Bulldog bowl-                                                            Bowen gives credit to
              ing teams of nearby                                                               their long-time coach,
              Artesia High School.                                                              Ken Clayton, who
                 e 16-lane center                                                               started the program
              was rescued by Les    Artesia Lanes mechanic Ron Chenoweth (left) and owner Les Bowen talk   during the closure.
              Bowen, who had been   to bowlers who are members of the center’s PBA Experience league.  While reopening and
              looking for a place to                                                           reinventing a closed
              buy and run in northern Utah. But the   rough years for the operation to  nally   bowling center is not easy, Bowen says
              retired Air Force senior master sergeant   turn a pro t and enable Bowen to “put   it can be done. First o , he says, have
              settled on the community where his   money aside for expansion.” 2019 was   enough capital to bring it up to date.
              parents lived, a burg of maybe 13,000,   a particularly good year… and then   “If professionals come out and do it,
              surrounded by oil wells and green chili   COVID hit.                  it pays o  in the long run.  en you can
              pepper  elds, tucked away in the south-  “ e governor closed us down. She   focus your attention in other areas,”
              east corner of New Mexico, not far from   made it a mandatory closure, and we   he says. “You need to be proactive, not
              alien-centric Roswell.             had to close down for 10 months,” he   reactive.”
                In 2014, Bowen and his girlfriend   says. “I thought that was going to be the   And make sure that capital lets you
              Marnie Robinson made the 860-mile   end of it.”                       buy your own arcade games. Artesia
              trek, secured  nancing from car dealer   However, with help from a state    nally stopped leasing its 28 games
              Tate Branch, and began the Herculean   grant, Artesia Lanes reopened. For a   last year.
              task of reopening Artesia Lanes — a job   second time.                  “I wish I had done that years ago and
              that consumed the  rst four months.  “We were busier than right before we   taken a loan, because equipment was
                “It took that long to clean everything,   closed,” Bowen says. “It was awesome.   so much cheaper.”
              strip  oors and wax  oors,” he says.   People wanted to get out.”       As for building leagues, the personal
              “ ere was dust everywhere. We had to   Which they did. Open play boomed   touch is critical. Bowen’s mom, Dortha
              replace all the air conditioners.”  and leagues grew. Some  ll the house,   Melton, is a tireless caller. When a
                And, of course, there was the back   like the aptly named “Roadrunner”   bowler answers an ad on a  yer or
              end.                               league, a women’s doubles loop; the   social media, Dortha is on the phone
                “I got so lucky to  nd someone to   four-man Monday night Commercial   minutes after she sees it.
              work on the machines (Ron Che-     and even the summer PBA Experience   Summer in New Mexico brings
              nowith, who had been with the previ-  leagues. Artesia gets regulars from Ros-  triple-digit temperatures, which begs
              ous owner). “He went through them   well and Carlsbad, and one team from   the question: Do folks come into Artesia
              all and cleaned them out and changed   Hobbs drives some 80 miles each way.  Lanes for the air conditioning?
              parts.”                               e pizza, burgers and fries at Anna’s   “Actually, no,” says Bowen. “It’s the
                After four months and a ton of elbow   Café were a hit, as were the beer, wine   bowling, the food and the camaraderie.”
              grease, Artesia Lanes reopened to a very   and wine-based mixed drinks.  Just what a small desert town
              enthusiastic community. But it took  ve    e high school teams are an inter-  needed.



              72  •  BCM  •  JULY 2024                                                               www.bcmmag.com




         072_OneOfUs_0724.indd   72                                                                            6/13/24   11:24 AM
   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76