Colonial Bowling Center on Mill St., the last candlepin bowling lanes in Worcester, is closing its doors.
According to a report from Spectrum News 1, Colonial’s General Manager Paul Wambach said the business owner, Nick Andreson, was considering closing the business before the pandemic. An unpredictable future helped him decide the time is now.
Andreson founded the Colonial Bowling Center which opened 1960.
According to Sports Illustrated, a Worcester billiards player invented candlepin bowling in 1881. The game never spread nationwide and remained unique to New England and Canadian Maritime Provinces.
Starting in 1958, the game aired on television in New England. The broadcast sometimes earned ratings competitive with the major sports. It was last broadcast on WCVB-TV in January 1996.
The nearest candlepin bowling to Worcester is Mohegan Bowl on Thompson Rd. in Webster and Bayberry Bowling Center on Main St. in Spencer.
