Bowling alley prepares for move to Highway 82

By ALEX STRICKLANDBigfork Eagle

The crash of bowling pins will soon be gone from downtown Bigfork, and in its place, well, that's anyone's guess.North Shore Lanes bowling center will close its lanes on April 15 and its doors not long after. The lanes will reopen with a different name and expanded offerings on Highway 82 on July 15.Lou Pickavance, who owns North Shore Lanes with her family, said the move should be done by July's halfway point and that the new facility will have 20 brand new lanes, up from 12 at the current location."We'll have a full arcade and it will be non-smoking," Pickavance said. "It will be good for young people."In fact, building a more family-friendly facility is a main goal in the move she said, adding that the larger building will be able to host corporate parties and birthday parties.Bigfork's bowling alley serves a large portion of the valley, as the next closest lanes are in Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Polson. The two-month closure will be tough on local bowlers, especially those ramping up for the state competition this spring."It's going to be tough on us bowlers," Pickavance said of the closure. "We need a fix sometimes."While the new facility won't boast a cafe like the current location, Pickavance said it will have a large snack bar serving pizzas and sandwiches."We'll have a great food service," she said.The new facility is already under construction a few hundred yards west of the intersection of Highways 82 and 35. Pickavance and her son, David, said the name will likely be Pick's Place or something close to it, after Pickavance's husband's nickname.The current home of the bowling alley has been sold, Pickavance said, though she declined to tell the Eagle who the buyer was. She and David said they couldn't speculate on what would become of the site.David said the new location has already piqued interest in south Kalispell and the Lakeside area, though it's less than three miles from the current spot."It makes it closer to the distance to Whitefish (from Kalispell)," he said.And for those who enjoyed North Shore Lanes more for it's social aspect than to roll a 12 pound ball down a wooden floor, the new facility will feature a sports bar."We wanted to go for something we don't have in Bigfork," David said.But the new bar won't have a million dollar view of Flathead Lake. "We will miss that," he said.