FLAGSTAFF, AZ (AZFamily) — The centennial of Route 66 is coming up this year. A lot has changed on the Mother Road over the last 100 years, but some things have also stayed the same.
Up in Flagstaff, one bowling alley that has been standing for almost 70 years is keeping the nostalgia and traditional bowling alive.
The number of bowling alleys across the U.S. has been dwindling over the past few decades, but in Flagstaff, sitting on Route 66, is the second-oldest bowling alley in Arizona: Starlite Lanes.
Stepping into Starlite Lanes feels like you’re stepping back in time, from the old neon signs to the Route 66 theme.
However, owner Ronald Getto said this atmosphere is getting harder and harder to find.
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“Bowling alleys have vanished around the nation,” Ghetto said. “There were once almost 12,000 today, there are 4,000.”
Getto never thought he’d be the owner of a bowling alley. He used to work on Wall Street, but after the financial crisis of 2008, he needed a change.
“After answering an ad in the newspaper, I found Starlite Lanes, and my wife and I came out visited Flagstaff, and a couple of months later in 2010 we owned the bowling alley,” he said.
The bowling alley was built in 1957. Getto has worked to keep it as nostalgic as possible with a 66 twist and modern bowling technology.
Today, it’s the second-oldest bowling alley in the state and a pillar in the Flagstaff community.
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“I think I was about five years old when we first came and I just remember having so much fun with my family,” Ashlee Graham said. “It was my first time ever bowling.”
Graham grew up in Flagstaff, bowling at Starlite Lanes. Now, she’s come full circle, bringing her kids to bowl here.
“It’s really interesting to see it through a different lens as a parent,” Graham said. “To watch them enjoy these experiences that I remember having as a kid.”
Getto said they’re excited for the centennial and are expecting an influx of visitors, celebrating the Mother Road and all the memories made on it, including at Starlite Lanes.
“We think as people come through the community, that they’ll really want to feel the nostalgia and coming in here that’s easy to get back to,” he said.
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