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Hopedale Bowl is having a delayed celebration for a special milestone; they have been presented with a series of certificates to commemorate their 60th anniversary of five-pin bowling in Oakville, just in time for their reopening this Friday, July 16.
The bowling alley under the South Oakville Centre (formerly known as Hopedale Mall) is the only bowling alley in the Town of Oakville, and they reached their 60th anniversary sometime last year.
Oakville News was invited to a closed event earlier this week on Monday, July 12 to celebrate on site at Hopedale Bowl for their diamond anniversary. (**A full video of the short event can be seen at lower in this story and at this link here.)
Before reopening later this week, several Oakville dignitaries representing all three levels of government (municipal, provincial and federal) came to offer their congratulations for the special occasion. Though strangely, nobody knows exactly when the exact anniversary is.
Ron and Linda Watson, owners of Hopedale Bowl, know that leagues officially began in September 1960, but some reports from previous staff and owners say the first customers were a year earlier in 1959.
"Unfortunately, there is nobody alive who knows the exact opening date," said Ron. "We have yet to find definitive proof anywhere." Linda adds that even records at Oakville's Town Hall "couldn't pinpoint an exact day."
In any case, they have been closed for most of the last 18 months due to COVID-19, and with their (hopefully) last reopening later this week, this was the perfect time to have a delayed celebration.
The July 12 private gathering at Hopedale Bowl featured the owners and several special guests:
- Oakville Mayor Rob Burton
- MP Anita Anand (for Oakville)
- MP Pam Damoff (for Oakville-North Burlington)
- MPP Stephen Crawford (for Oakville)
A full video of the event, including remarks from Ron, Linda and each of the named guests above is available here:
Our thanks to James Montague with Special Olympics Oakville for his videography of the event, filmed in conjecture with Oakville News reporter Tyler Collins.
During the presentations, remarks and certificates were presented by those in attendance, with a fifth certificate presented by MPs Damoff and Anand on behalf of Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, congratulating Hopedale Bowl on their anniversary.
Another special guest was also in attendance to share stories outside the filmed presentation: local resident Jim Hoare was invited to see the ceremony in-person, as Jim's father Al Hoare was one of Hopedale's opening day employees in 1960, later becoming the owner from 1978-1990.
"This was a really special thing to see," said Hoare. "I remember so much of what happened here, and it's great to see people still coming."
Hoare shared stories with other invited guests before and after the short ceremony, also sharing some pictures from the time when his father owned the bowling alley.
But the Watsons know that even with reopening in the next few days, the recovery for their business in the aftermath of COVID-19 is just starting. Summer is also a traditionally challenging month for bowling alleys, when most people spend more time outdoors before fall and winter.
Recognizing there are still challenges for Oakville small businesses in the months to come as recovery continues, Ron and Linda made a point of thanking all guests in attendance, saying "Without government support at all three levels, we wouldn't have survived the last 16 months."
Hopedale Bowl reopens to the public this Friday, July 16, 2021, with information and bowling availability here on their website.
As a final anecdote to this story, MP Damoff agreed to trying a frame of 5-pin bowling after the event, first throwing a gutter ball before scoring a strike. (While the video footage of the strike was lost, Oakville News did get a photo of her throwing the shot moments before. Trust us on this one - it was a great shot.)