30-Year-Old Bowling Alley Closes in June

Jerry Preston has been coming to the Aztec Bowl in Buena Park for 10 years. It’s hard for him to explain the attraction--the excitement of winning, the camaraderie he shares with his teammates, or the search for the elusive perfect game.

“There is just something about throwing a 16-pound ball and knocking down 10 pins,” he tried.

But for Preston and the hundreds of others who spend at least one night a week at the Aztec, the pleasure they find knocking down pins is about to end. A sign posted on the bowling alley announces, “We are sad to report that effective June 1, Active West will be closing the doors at the Aztec Bowl.”

“I just couldn’t believe it,” Preston said between turns. The Aztec, in the middle of the city’s entertainment corridor, will be torn down and replaced with a Western-style dinner theater as part of the city’s redevelopment plan to attract tourists.

“They just made an offer that couldn’t be refused,” said George Mathis, general manager at the Aztec for three years. Due to the increased cost of land, many bowling alleys that were built on prime property 20 years ago are being edged out. During the past few years, bowling alleys in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, La Mirada and La Habra have shut down. And more are slated to close.

For the hundreds of bowlers using the centers, the trend means they must shift from one alley to another to find available time. The members of the Five for Vegas league, which draws people from as far as Laguna Niguel and Alhambra, have been forced to leave La Habra, Santa Fe Springs and now Buena Park, said Secretary Bob Ferencik. Other teams are just folding.

The Aztec’s closing will affect several other groups that regularly use the facility, including seniors, local schools and community organizations.

For the 30 employees of the Aztec Bowl, finding other jobs might mean moving to Riverside or San Bernardino counties, where land is cheaper and new alleys are opening.

As for the paraphernalia from the 30-year-old bowling alley--the green-and-red-striped shoes, the pins and the stacks of bowling balls--a public sale might be held to appease those who want mementos, Mathis said.

But Mathis, who used to bowl at the alley as a boy, said he worries about the demise of places where people can enjoy a day of “sweetheart singles,” a meal for $3 or a good time for just $1.60--the price of one game.

“What is unfortunate is (that) the attachment to the people and the community is lost,” he said.