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Sport of bowling on its way out in Nelson

The Nelson Daily Sports
By The Nelson Daily Sports
March 9th, 2016

It’s a sport that once thrived in the Heritage City.

But recent news that the Savoy Lanes is closing operations appears to be the end of the line of bowling in Nelson.

“The Bowling Alley has not been able to make their financial commitments due to low usage,” said Kootenay Christian Fellowship Pastor Jim Reimer.

“Cleerly Hand Made the present operators of the bowling alley, are having to terminate their lease with us as of April 30.”

Reimer is Pastor of the Kootenay Christian Fellowship, owners of the building that houses Savoy Lanes.

The church, which also operates Our Daily Bread and SHARE Nelson, purchased the building in 2012.

The current location of the bowling alley at 500 Kootenay Street was built in the 1980s when the former facility on 500 Block of Vernon Street was gutted by fire.

The fire ripped through the lanes in 1982.

The new Savoy Lanes picked up where the old facility left off, but interest has dwindled over the past decade.

In June of 2013, when it appeared the bowling alley would be lost, Nelson Sports Council stepped up to the plate to save the sport with the purchase of the Savoy Bowling Lanes.

However, the Nelson Sports Council ended its ownership of the Savoy Lanes April 1, 2015 citing lack of interest as the reason for the failed venture.

Cleerly Hand Made picked up the business from the Nelson Sports Council.

However, that venture now appears to have ended.

“We have tried to accommodate and support three separate operators of the Bowling alley since we purchased this building,” Reimer explained.

“Since we own the equipment, we are offering it to anyone free of charge to anyone who would like to start up a new bowling alley in a different location.”

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