revitalization

Once America’s favorite recreational activity, bowling has been in the gutter for decades. But some surviving alleys are resetting the pins. Zachary Crockett laces up.

• SOURCES:
  • Mike Leong, owner of Bel Mateo Bowl.
  • Devon Stewart, head coach of Florida State University bowling team, C.E.O. of Bowl Connect, and consultant with the Hansell Group.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Cornhole and Bowling Are the Sports Most Americans Played Last Year," by Mallory Newall, Johnny Sawyer, Charlie Rollason, and Tyler Ivey (Ipsos, 2023).
  • "Overview of the Bowling Industry," by The Hansell Group (2022).
  • "How Bowling Alleys Made a Comeback," by Justin Fox (Bloomberg, 2019).
  • "New Look Keeps Bel Mateo Bowl Thriving," by Curtis Driscoll (The Daily Journal, 2017).
  • "Inside the Ugly Road Bowlmor Took to Make Bowling Cool," by Gabrielle Fonrouge (New York Post, 2017).
  • "The (Short) History of the National Bowling League," by Bob Johnson (United States Bowling Congress News, 2015).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Is It Harder to Make Friends as an Adult?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).

Small towns in Kentucky were devastated by the opioid epidemic. Now several recovering addicts are returning home, starting businesses and driving the economic renaissance of the Bluegrass State. Writer Sam Quinones details Kentucky’s organic recovery story. Get the facts first on Morning Wire.

In the summer of 2018, Brent Underwood got a text in the middle of the night from a friend saying, "Look at this ghost town for sale!" Within a month, Brent had purchased Cerro Gordo, California, an abandoned silver mining town, with the help of friends and investors. He wants to revive the town for visitors while preserving its history. He's already faced some major setbacks -- from the lack of running water, to getting snowed in there during a global pandemic. But he calls Cerro Gordo his "life's work."

In the summer of 2018, Brent Underwood got a text in the middle of the night from a friend saying, "Look at this ghost town for sale!" Within a month, Brent had purchased Cerro Gordo, California, an abandoned silver mining town, with the help of friends and investors. He wants to revive the town for visitors while preserving its history. He's already faced some major setbacks -- from the lack of running water, to getting snowed in there during a global pandemic. But he calls Cerro Gordo his "life's work."