This Bowling Alley In York Maine Was Once My Ultimate Paradise

Long before I hit the legal age to gamble in Las Vegas, this candlepin bowling alley was my number one destination for a summer vacation. Thanks to YouTube, it will live forever!

Usually, the last week of July or the first week of August is when my family would hit Short Sands for a day back in the late 1970s. My entire summer I'd literally count the days until we'd head off on in the station wagon down Route 91.

We'd get there by 8 in the morning and spend a few hours on the beach at Long Sands and have a picnic lunch out of a cooler.

Then, it was off to Short Sands, an epicenter of thrills and excitement that my 5-year-old brain could barely handle!

We would bowl a couple of strings first and then check out the 'Fun-O-Rama' arcade next door, which was just prior to the video game boom that was on the horizon.

Some visits would include admission to the York's Wild Kingdom (I'm assuming if we were well behaved) but without fail, picking up saltwater taffy for both my Gramp and Aunt Beryl was ALWAYS part of the itinerary.

My cousin Jeremy and I bowled here in 2001 and were disappointed to see half of the lanes replaced by a mini golf course.

This footage from 2014 shows the condition of the pins and lanes in much better shape than I remember from that 2001 visit.

It's funny how your priorities change through life. My entire year used to revolve around bowling here, and now, the casino I stay at in Vegas has FIFTY TWO lanes at their alley and I've never even walked inside!