I forgot all about putting this on the website, but after a 2 year absence, the Airway Traveling Bowling Tournament is being resurrected and we are bowling at Valley Plaza Lanes, in Midland. We bowl Feb. 6th, at 1:00pm. If you are interested, you have until Thursday to enter. It is a couples only tournament. You will bowl with your partner, but just before bowling, the women will draw names to see who they will match scores with. (This spreads the prize money around). Payoff is 1 out of 3 entries. Entry fee is $112 a couple, and that includes a ton of jack pot. Prize money is paid Saturday night. again, if you are interested - hurry, and contact me, because we bowl the 6th.
Here's a thought -- After hearing, over the years, from many bowlers, about what they get out of Airway - various jackpots, many tournaments, reduced rates for league bowlers, coupons, website, and a lot more things that are mentioned to me -- when you are deciding where to bowl in a league, or in open play, ask yourself "What does my bowling alley do for me?" After answering that question, you should make your choice. After thinking it over for a few days, I have decided to add a tab, entitled "What???" in the home section and list the things Airway does for its bowlers - just a few at a time though. Kind of like a tease!
For those of you that do not get my email coupons and mini-newsletters (Hey, email me at bowlingisbest@airwaylanes.com. Make sure you write your name, and also send your birth date along. I will add you to both coupon lists. If you didn't hear, Airway Lanes is now a "Favorite Google Place" because of all of the hits on my web site. They sent me a sticker for the front door. If your phone is able to scan it, you can do that and get a bowling coupon, good for 1 game for 4 people, put on your phone. Show that at the counter, or Lounge (there is a coupon for there, too) to redeem it. I didn't know much about that before, but all of the kids that I ask say it is a really big deal.
I would like to thank Oakland Press reporter, Carol Hopkins, for the great story, and photo (left) about Airway Lanes not being sold. The request came out of the blue and my family and I were thrilled that this happened. It was published on Wednesday, May 6th, and came hard on the heels of Mark Martin's bowling column, published on Friday, May 1st, stating the same thing. Carol's column is available at http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2009/05/06/business/doc4a015f89b4ab9349136086.txt for those of you that missed it and would like to see it. copied 9/9/09
While we did get a really incredible offer, Sheryle and I decided to turn it down. We are here to stay, and will keep it in the family. They will bury my ashes under lane 32 when the time comes. I have worked at Airway since 1961, Sheryle since 1970. We have a lot of 3rd & 4th generation bowlers here, and also 4th generation family. A lot of you have become family friends. To even consider it was one of the toughest things we have ever done. When I started making the announcements, it was like a ton of bricks was lifted from my shoulders. Stay with us, we are staying with you.
For those of you that have Youth bowlers, let it be known that Airway lanes is co-hosting the 2010 Michigan State Youth Bowling Tournament. This involves hundreds of youth bowlers from around the state. It starts in March and ends in May.
Going green -- what a concept for a business. When I came back to Airway after 4 years at Ferris State College, one of the first things I did was replace a bunch of 150 watt flood lights (above the bowlers area) with two 40 watt flourescent tubes. The original "bar service lights" were actually another row of 150 watt floodlights. Those floods were not needed when I put in the flourescent lights. I put in 25 watt lamps in that 2nd row, put pull strings on them and , viola, we had "bar service lights". For those of you that can remember back that far, they were not actually behind each pair of lanes. Some were off as much as a lane to the next pair. The row of flourescent lights down the center of the upper concourse was yet another row of 150 watt lamps. Yup, more flourescent fixtures. Another thing I did was to replace the 9 1000 watt mercury vapor parking lot lights with 400 watt high pressure sodiums. The sodiums actually put out more light. I also replaced incandescant lamps all over the building with flourescents. I have used more energy efficient motors where possible/practical. At one time I even had units on the pinsetters that would shut the motor off when the machine was inactive for over 45 seconds. Those all burned out and were not being remanufactured. I presently have 4 new style, electronic, ones, with plans to get more. Since the '70's, I have managed to keep my electric bills fairly level. Proof that I have cut consumption. Just recently, I have started replacing more incandescant lights with CFL's. The new concourse bathrooms have motion actvated toilets/urinals, faucets and hand driers. It all helps. The flourescent lights outside, under the carport and the sidewalk overhang, were originally incandescant lamps. I am stil looking to replace bulbs with CFL's. copied 9/9/09
Here is a link to a neat place: "How bowling pinsetters work". It talks about the Brunswick GS-10 (the latest, but not many out there) sequence of operations, but the theory is similar to the Brunswick A & A2, and the AMF series of units. Take a look at http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/pinsetter.htm. If you go to the sites home page, it will link you to sites that show how almost anything works. It is really neat. Another neat site is at the "Bowling Tracker". Here there is a ton of info regarding bowling. At this link, you can create a page to track your own bowling (with several profiles, even). Try this at http://bowlingtracker.no-ip.org:2222/personalstats/
If any of you have a favorite bowling web site, notify me and I will add it to my page; and, if I have a link that doesn’t work, let me know that, too, so I can remove it.
We are doing a booming business in birthday and corporate parties. The smaller kids, especially, love to bowl and the mess stays here. The older kids -- and adults -- like the comeraderie during their parties. And, for your company, it is an inexpensive way to reward you employees. Call us for more information, or to set up your party.
By the way, if anyone has pictures (digital only) of Airway events or people, upload them to me and I will publish them as much as possible. Also write a little story about the event. Follow the 5 W's -- Who, what, when, where, why, so people will know why the pictures are here. Also, if you have a web page link and it has something on it involving Airway, let me know the link.Click here to E-Mail Airway. Also, if you hit a web link that doesn't work, let me know. If you email me, make sure you put something in the subject line so I won't thinkl I am receiveing spam. If I think it's spam, I will just delete it w/o looking at it.
