The "Airway Email mess" is no closer to being resolved. After re-entering almost 2000 names, by hand, into the address book provided by Network Solutions, I find that we are AGAIN losing about 80% of the contacts. After a lengthy phone call, tonight, with their tech support - they don't have a clue as to why this is happening - they promised to kick the problem up to the next level. I have not been able to send out any coupons since May, when AOL go itself into a tizzy because I would dare to send all of you a coupon and cut off my service, other than to notify you of the new Airway email address. since then, ya'll just keep disappearing. If this keeps up, I will have to leave Network Solutions and take my web site somewhere else.
Here I sit, on the anniversary of my birth, striving to inform you, the friends, family and patrons of Airway Lanes of the latest and greatest. All I can tell you right now is that my email issues are not quite resolved. And , the birthday card problem is untennable right now. I am doing birthday cards through Facebook. If you are not a member of Facebook, please get in to the site and sign up. As for Airway, we are doing fix up and paint this year. i have installed some motion detectors is some of the bathrooms, and have been installing power efficient lighting and pinsetter power savers (8 are done now) trying to use less energy. I have also ordered the southern dome wall, on the roof, to be insulated with cellular foam, like the rest of the roof. Hopefully, this green initative will help a bit. Again, with the website, this new, improved, version is still in the learning process, so bear with me. Most of my study timeis being hogged by dolf Brouwer and John Spina, but I will eventually learn it.
Please note: The new, "improved", website pages do not show each of the sub-catagories like they used to. Now, you need to put your mouse on the buttons to the left, then each of the sub-catagories are shown.
I have tried to let everyone know about the new email address, via me sending everyone an update. After Amanda, Sheila & Vickie spent HOURS hand entering my AOL address book in to the new service, the new service accidently erased HUNDREDS (probably 80%) of entries. They have assured me that they can put them back before June 1st. It never ends, does it? And now, to make matters worse, Network solutions - my web host - has told me that there is nothing to replace. It is just gone. Please bear with me as I try to solve this dilemma. Still working on it -- that is why there haven't been any coupons or birthday cards.
Airway is staying put!
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.
MAJOR PROBLEM: After almost 16 years with AOL, my account has been closed by their "Community Action Team". I send out too many emails to you, my bowlers, volleyball players, darters, bar people and much more - so many that I must be spamming! That is irregardless of the fact that almost all of you have sent me your email address - mostly to get the coupons - and that anyone that wants to be taken off the list, is taken off of the list. I am just livid that, with a 45% return rate on my coupons, AOL deems it spam. I am in the process of getting another email site set up. Than I have to hand type each and every name in to the new address book. Once I get the new email, I would appreciate it if each of you would email me with your first and last name so I can just capture it. Thanks. By the way, the old airwaylanes@aol.com no longer works -- please email me at bowlingisbest@airwaylanes.com. I am asking everyone that reads this to click on that, as requested just above, so I can capture your info. Thanks Gary
There has been talk about Airway Lanes being sold. While we did get a really incredible offer, Sheryle and I decided to turn it down. We started announcing it to our leagues and friends on Tuesday, the 21st of April. We also put it up on our road sign. We are here to stay, and will keep it in the family. They will bury my ashes under lane 32 when the time comes. (THAT statement grossed out Phyliss Walker, who does cleaning @ Airway two days a week. Phyliss told me that after I go to that "bowling alley in the sky" (where there are NO 10 pins OR lane oil complaints), that she would not clean that end of the bowling alley anymore!) I have worked at Airway since 1961, Sheryle since 1970. We have a lot of 3rd & 4th generation bowlers here. 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.
I would like to use this space to thank everyone that signed the contracts for next bowling season, thank everyone for their trust in me and my staff. Doing the contracts this season became quite a humbling experience for me and I feel quite honored. What really awed me was that every team in every league (except 2) signed up to come back. Thank you! Gary (Note: Now it is every team in every league except ONE)
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.
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.
