Webster bowling alley to be sold to Ryan Family Amusements
Photo | Courtesy of Google Maps
Mohegan Bowl in Webster
Mohegan Bowl, a bowling center with 14 candlepin lanes and six ten-pin lanes in Webster, is set to be sold to Ryan Family Amusements, a Bourne-based firm with 11 bowling centers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.
The sale will mark the end of the center’s ownership by Kelli and Ed Kinsley, who have operated Mohegan Bowl since 2012. Ryan Family Amusements will also take over North Bowl Lanes, a 40-lane ten-pin bowling center in North Attleborough, according to a Wednesday Facebook post from Ed Kinsley.
“We expect that this deal will close in mid-October, possibly sooner,” the post reads. “It has been a wonderful experience for our entire family, and we will miss the bowling alleys and the many great people we have met over the years.”
First opened in 1958, Mohegan Bowl has undergone significant renovations since being taken over by the Kinsleys in 2012, including the additions of the ten-pin lanes, an arcade, and a 5,000-square-foot laser tag facility, according to the center’s website.
“I don't believe we could find a better buyer to carry on the long-standing traditions of both facilities,” the post reads. “They have both candlepin and ten-pin centers and 65 years of experience in this industry.”
Current staff members will retain their jobs, no lanes will be removed, and Ryan Family Amusements will not be switching the ten-pin lanes to string pinsetters, according to the Facebook post.
String pinsetters are machines using strings connected to the pins to reset after each frame. Seen as a simpler and more affordable option than conventional mechanical pinsetters by some bowling center owners, string-based systems have received mixed reviews from longtime bowlers, with some feeling the strings have a negative impact on gameplay, according to the Los Angeles Times.
String-based machines have not been implemented in candlepin bowling, as the game’s rules allow for knocked-down pins to stay on the lane until the frame is over, meaning strings would interfere with gameplay.
Invented in Worcester in 1880, candlepin has seen some resurgence after a few decades of contraction. American Flatbread opened a new bowling center and restaurant in May, ending a five-year hiatus of the sport in the city.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
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