After shutting its doors for two weeks for renovations, Ottumwa’s only bowling center is set to show off its new look.
Champion Bowl, located at 2601 Roemer Avenue, is undergoing a facelift but owner Mark Frymoyer says his bowling alley will have a soft reopening at noon on Saturday, July 26th and a grand reopening on Saturday, August 2nd.
As for what the public can expect to see, Frymoyer says Champion Bowl will have brand new approaches, lanes, gutters, and more. One of the more prominent features is a 140-foot wall that will feature historical sites from around Wapello County’s past and present such as Ottuwma’s City Hall and Public Library, Mr. Quick Hamburgers, the American Gothic House, and other places of note.
Frymoyer says it’s been a while since Champion Bowl has seen an overhaul at this scale.
“The bowling alley was built in 1965 and the lanes have only been replaced once that we’re aware of in that time. We believe it was somewhere between [1990] and [1995].”
Frymoyer shared the updates weren’t just reserved for the lanes.
“We refreshed the bathrooms too. My wife worked really hard on remodeling the bathrooms and giving them a new look.”
Frymoyer says the public lent a hand in helping with the renovation. He estimates there were around 40 volunteers to lend their time and effort. Frymoyer noted bowlers from the Ottumwa and Davis County high school teams volunteered their time.
According to Frymoyer, Champion Bowl has the capability to hold bigger tournaments and in the coming years, the bowling center will host the State Women’s Tournament, Youth State Tournament, Knights of Columbus State Tournament, John Deere State Tournament, and the Iowa Open Tournament.
