There have been big changes this month at Family Bowling Center, 3599 Fifth Ave. S., as owner Rick Harrington has transformed his establishment to make it fully state-of-the-art.

“Almost all of your modern bowling centers today have synthetic lane overlays,” Harrington said. “Family Bowling Center is trying to bring local bowling into the 21st century with some innovative remodeling and installation of new synthetic lanes.”

He said the conversion of wood lanes to synthetic will make his bowling alley the first one in Fort Dodge to offer that enhancement.

Additionally, the number of lanes has been reduced from 24 to 16. The area at the west end of the complex that long has housed eight of the center’s 24 bowling lanes is being converted into 10,600 square feet of commercial space. The bowling lanes there are being removed. Harrington said he plans to market that area to one or more tenants. He also said the pine and maple wood sections from the removed lanes are available for purchase.

According to Harrington, the eight lanes that are being eliminated usually have not been needed to serve the center’s customers. Consequently, he plans to put the space to more profitable use. Doing so will benefit both the business and its clients because having underutilized areas is inefficient, he said, adding that having excess overhead makes it harder to keep prices down.

“We’re trying to provide affordable entertainment for the community,” Harrington said. “Without us getting more revenue over there than we do right now from bowling, we can’t do that.”

Harrington said this change will allow him “to offer more reasonable rates for bowlers and continue to keep pace with all the new technology in the sport of bowling.”

Synthetic lanes are the industry standard in 21st-century bowling facilities, he said, noting that having them now available in Fort Dodge should appeal to all bowlers, but will be especially attractive to people engaged in competitions.

“Iowa Central Community College and the high school really need them to practice on and stay competitive for tournaments and matches,” Harrington said. “They are practicing for tournaments that they bowl at other places. They are all synthetic lanes anymore. For the competitive bowler, the biggest difference is synthetic lanes are more consistent, doesn’t break down as fast. … Wood is slow. Synthetic is a lot faster. They score better. The league bowlers will enjoy and appreciate them for both the better scoring and consistency in their play.”

The new lanes also have the economic advantage of requiring less maintenance than wood lanes. Harrington said that unlike wood lanes there is no need for annual resurfacing and the durability of the surfaces gives synthetic lanes a long lifespan.

Not the first innovation

Harrington, who has been at the helm for just short of two decades, has a longtime commitment to keeping Family Bowling Center fully in sync with the latest industry trends.

In 1997, he took ownership of what had been the home of Dodger Lanes. He said that by then the earlier operation had fallen on hard times and had been closed. The name was changed and he set about transforming the center’s look and offerings. Automatic scoring was added, as were a snack bar and game room. A diversion called “Cosmic Bowling” – essentially a light and music show coupled with bowling – was gaining popularity in many communities. Bringing it to the Family Bowling Center required a substantial investment in equipment and extensive structural and electronic renovations. Harrington said he concluded it could be a draw that would set his center apart from the competition.

Cosmic Bowling has remained a popular dimension to the experience Family Bowling Center offers on Friday and Saturday evenings. The synthetic lanes will make this popular feature even more visually pleasing, Harrington said.

“It’s a glow finish,” he said. “The entire lane glows. The open bowlers will just plain love them for that ultimate glow during Cosmic Bowling.”

Diverse clientele

Harrington said Family Bowling Center appeals to a broad spectrum of customers that include participants in leagues, family groups and assorted celebratory gatherings.

“The primary things out here have been the Cosmic Bowling, birthday parties, corporate parties and what we call ‘Quarter Mania.'” He said. “Quarter Mania we’ve done for the last 18 years. It’s 25 cents a game. We do that every Sunday night.”

Harrington said open bowling is almost always an option.

“We’ve been open-bowling oriented,” he said.

Harrington said providing a venue where families can engage in an entertainment that has appeal to people of all ages is a significant part of the mission of Family Bowling Center.

“I enjoy seeing people have fun,” he said. “The big thing is the family bonding. It’s affordable entertainment for the whole family.”

Harrington said people also shouldn’t overlook the health benefits of bowling in a society that is becoming increasingly sedentary.

“Bowling three games is like walking a mile, so we try to emphasize the health benefits,” he said.

Meet Rick Harrington

“I grew up as a kid in a bowling center,” Harrington said. “I grew up in Independence over by Waterloo. My folks owned bowling centers.”

After graduating from Independence High School in 1969, Harrington spent time in the military and studied business at the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, graduating in 1974. Then it was on to graduate study at Oregon State University, Corvallis, followed by several years of employment at the Oregon Department of Revenue. In 1989, Harrington returned to Iowa to manage a bowling center in Storm Lake owned by his family. He relocated to Fort Dodge in 1997 to launch Family Bowling Center.

In addition to Family Bowling Center, Harrington operates two additional business ventures at his commercial complex on Fifth Avenue South. He sells Old Hickory buildings and sheds. According to the company website, products offered in Fort Dodge include storage barns, sheds, portable buildings, mini barns, metal sheds, cabins, playhouses, garages and more. Harrington also has had the Fort Dodge U-Haul franchise for about three years.

Family Bowling Center opens every day at 11 a.m. Sunday through Thursday it closes at 10 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays it remains open until 11 p.m.