One Minnesota town's twist on bowling may be right up your alley
LONG PRAIRIE, Minn. -- You could head to your local bowling alley for a few frames and some fun, but why do that when you can bowl on a frozen lake in the wind and snow?
In this week's Finding Minnesota, John Lauritsen shows us how ice bowling became a tradition in Todd County.
"I don't go anywhere in the wintertime. I just stick around here," Les said.
Long Prairie is just like any other place in Minnesota -- finding things to do here in the winter can be a bit of a challenge. But lucky for this town, they have Les Levin.
About 10 years ago, Les came upon ice bowling in another city and decided to bring it to Lake Charlotte in Long Prairie. He was the owner of the Thunder Lodge Sports Bar back then, and when he sold it to Anna Petron, she kept the tradition rolling.
"Sounded fun to me, I'm in," Petron said.
So, every winter, just above walleyes and northern, they plow 60-foot bowling lanes on the lake and build up the sides with snowbanks. Otherwise, your ball might keep rolling until springtime.
There's no such thing as a gutterball or a 7-10 split.
Instead of pins, Les and his crew drill three-inch holes into the ice. If you land in one of the holes, you get points. The first team to 15 wins.
Players use regular bowling balls, which is a much better option than they used to have.
"The first year we used turkeys -- frozen turkeys. But they don't slide very well on the ice," Les said.
As a former Lake Charlotte champion, Les takes pride in his complex bowling strategy.
"Just walk up there and throw the ball and hope for the best. Hope it goes to the right place," Les said.
It's the same approach everyone else seems to have.
Ice conditions also vary from slushy to sleek, which is why it's good to have a Zamboni nearby -- or at least the next best thing -- a shovel.
Because it is often too cold for bare hands participants usually launch their bowling balls with their gloves on.
As you might have guessed by now, winning isn't nearly as important as just being out there.
And for the good people of Long Prairie, it's a pastime that's right up their alley.
"It is a lot of fun. Everyone is out there having a good time. We have the fire pit out there. We have a little warming house. People just like to get together and have fun," Petron said.
