Eagle bowling alley opens this afternoon

For the first time in over 20 years, the sound of bowling balls rolling down parquet and pins crashing will be heard in Eagle County.The long-awaited Back Bowl bowling alley and family entertainment center in Eagle will host a grand opening on today. The doors will open at 2 p.m. The grand opening events begin at 5:30 p.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony and an official ‘first ball’ being rolled to commemorate the opening. There will also be door prizes with free hot dogs and soft drinks and half-price appetizers between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.The new, non-smoking entertainment center will feature 20 bowling lanes, complete with fully-automatic, computerized scoring systems, valet ball and shoe service.

The alley’s full-service restaurant, the BOWLMOR Cafe and Sports Lounge, will have lunch and dinner menus in addition to a quick-service menu for bowlers. Chef Thomas Salamunovich of Larkspur Restaurant in Vail acted as consultant in development of the restaurant. The BOWLMOR will have five large-screen, high-definition plasma televisions for sporting events. People from throughout the county have been calling for weeks seeking information about leagues and parties, says Doug Cahill, general manager for the center. “Response has been unbelievable, and we haven’t even opened our doors yet! Wait until people see what’s inside. It will, literally, bowl them over,” Cahill says.

The facility can also be used for special events and parties with multiple rooms that can be linked or sectioned off for privacy.”The bowling experience has come a long way from what most of us remember,” Cahill says. Bowling begins

The Back Bowl Family Entertainment Center will be open seven days a week: Monday through Thursday, 2 p.m. to midnight; Friday, 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to midnight. For more information call the Back Bowl at 328-BOWL.