Striking up conversation at Morgan Lanes

To the casual observer, bowling alleys are straightforward. The aroma of deep-fried food and oiled lanes, the clack of falling pins and the laughter of gathered friends are some common attributes of many bowling lanes around the country.

However, at Morgan Lanes, owner Tyson Groves sees his alley as something more.

“It was a huge surprise,” said Groves about the vitality of the alley in the Morgan County community. “We just thought ‘people just go in there because they’re bored,’ but it’s a lot more than that. It’s almost like a family.”

The importance of they alley came to Groves’s attention as soon as he and his brother, Kyle,  purchased the building in 2020 right before the pandemic made the world tumble like a perfectly struck bowling pin.

Groves said the alley stayed opened during the pandemic because bowlers in leagues wanted to continue to keep that normalcy as everything in the world seemed to change in a split-second.

“It was nerve-wracking but, in all honesty, it really didn’t hurt us, if anything, it helped us,” he said.

Since then, the alley has been a gathering spot for bowlers and people that simply want to have a cup of coffee at the alley located at 300 E. Railroad Avenue. Groves said he brews coffee every morning as he opens the alley at 10 a.m. He said there’s a coffee group that comes in to enjoy the complimentary coffee and chat the morning away.

The coffee group will have something to talk this week as their beloved bowling alley was named December Business of the Month.

“It feels good,” Groves said of the honor. “It’s cool. It is an honor to get it.”

Groves said he frequented the local café while he was growing up in Weldona, and he’s happy his business can provide that same small-town gathering spot for his bowling family.

Even though the equipment in the alley is from the 1960s, Morgan Lane’s front patio was recently revamped thanks to the HGTV show “Hometown Takeover.”  Groves said the patio has cornhole and other games for people to enjoy.

“They made it to where people in the community can come and just relax and play games for free and just kind of socialize; get off your phone for five minutes and enjoy personal company,” he said.

Along with providing a place for fun and socializing, Groves gives back to the community by holding bowling tournaments for veterans and having Special Olympics athletes bowl there every Thursday.

“We’re just very thankful for the community,” he said.