A final goodbye to Fairway Lanes in Natick, MA

Eric and I pay our tribute to the bowling center that we can pretty much say we grew up in in a way, watching channel 5 every week when I was very young until they stopped airing Candlepin Bowling in 1996. It's really a shame that it's going to be turned into a showcase room for a rug company, but that's how business works sometimes.

I personally will never forget watching Paul Berger's 500 triple on TV back in 1992, and also Tom Olszta's 22 win streak from 1993-1994 on the show. I loved Candlepin Bowling and I don't think a center like this could ever be replaced.

R.I.P. Fairway Lanes, 1955-2011. :(

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• fairway
• lanes
• natick
• ma
• bowling
• candlepin
• strike
• spare
• split
• bowler4ever
• wolfman

[mbrand19971]

Being a outsider I wish I would've known about Candlepin bowling years previous and it was quite a exciting sport back in the day. I need to watch these classic bowling matches from the 80's & nineties. Do you also got stuff from the seventies too?

[MrBowling63]

hey woah,woah, my birthday is on May 20, and i like bowling! Bad luck? maybe

[apodino]

This breaks my heart. I remember all the great matches bowled in this center on Channel 5. At least other centers seem to still be going strong.

[omnidrums]

So saddened by this. I grew up in Wellesley, the next down east off route 9. I remember seeing Tom Olszta hit 3 strikes in a row during a filming for channel 5 live when I was like 6 years old. Memories of 3rd-5th grade bowling league. Paul Berger and his 500 series on TV. I will always remember The Fairway.

[pats14fann01]

It's a sad day today.... the last day for Fairway Lanes (5/20/2011). My fav memory from the Channel 5 show when in Fairway was the amazing finish of Tom Olszta getting 3 strikes to beat Craig Holbrook (1993, July). My 1st 100+ game came from Fairway when I was 6 years old. Can't believe that was 35 years ago. Went back 2 weeks ago and did a 138 game :)

Fairway will be sadly missed!!! Long Live Fairway Sports World!!!

[josda1000]

Metro Bowl is still alive and kicking in Peabody, my home territory. Thanks for the good video man.

[themrfreeze07]

That sucks dude. At least you got to say goodbye to the place.

[patsfan072]

I cannot believe that the Fairway is closing. And for an f-ing rug place, to boot. You have got to be kidding me.

I fear that we will soon be saying RIP to the sport of candlepin bowling. With all these alleys closing down, It looks like it is on its last legs. And that really sucks.

BTW, great videos in your library. They bring back a lot of good memories. Keep them coming.

[flames24lightning]

:'(



[gamemeister27]

@thunderfan77 Yeah, the tenpin center I had my youth league in when I was in 6th and 7th grade got shut down and put up for sale a couple of years ago. Good thing there are a large number of successful centers nearby.