-
League bowlers delighting in a safe night of fun and bowling for a good cause at Thunderbird Lanes, located on 300 Jefferson Ave, Grants. Kylie Garcia - CC
GRANTS, N.M. - Thunderbird Lanes bowling alley has been providing a fun activity and service to the Grants community. Fidel Encino bought the building in 1976. Fidel and Sandra Encino were married in 1988 and Sandra has been a part of the business for 32 years. Fidel was owner of the bowling business for 42 years before he passed away in 2018.
“There is no place quite like a bowling center,” said Sandra. “You get to meet so many people and help them learn a sport that is fun and good exercise”
Unfortunately, the bowling center underwent a tough time and suffered a business drought during the past few months, as did many other small businesses around the nation.
“It nearly put me out of business,” said Encino about the effect COVID-19 had on the center. Before the restrictions started to loosen up a bit, Encino pleaded via social media for the community to call and make appointments or reservations for bowling times. Leagues were still not allowed at that point and the alley was going to need a lot of individual bowlers to survive. Fortunately, “This community stepped up and came bowling,” said the Thunderbird Lanes owner.
Furthermore, statewide numbers of COVID-19 started to flatten, and the restrictions were slightly loosened. Thunderbird Lanes was informed that they could open for league play, and Carolyn Newton and Diane Rowe jumped on the opportunity to support the bowling center by creating a Small Business League. The Small Business League had their first bowling night on September 15 at 6:30 p.m. The league has a total of 12 two-member teams, and Newton and Rowe decided to go ahead and open it up to not just small businesses but any willing two-member teams as well. Each team had to pay $30 to enter the league.
The first bowling night was a big success, Newton said, adding, “It was really nice to see so many people come together to support our local bowling alley… To see so many smiling faces and people having fun supporting local business is always a great thing.”
The league will continue meeting every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. for nine weeks. Regular open bowlers can continue calling in at 505-287-3394 to make an appointment for a bowling time.
Encino responded to the community’s response and said, “I honestly don’t think you will ever find a more caring or giving community than Grants. Hopefully, with their help and support, this bowling center will be here for a long time to come.”