CALLICOON — Big Shot Bowling Lounge has brought bowling back to its familiar home along Route 97. Now its owners are looking for local bowlers to help build the next part of the business.
The recently reopened 10-lane bowling alley is organizing a slate of men’s, women’s, mixed and afternoon leagues for the fall, with organizational meetings scheduled for Sept. 8 through Sept. 10.
Owner Tom Palmeri said the meetings are intended not only to register bowlers, but to hear what people in the community want from the new leagues.
“I want to get their input,” Palmeri said. “We want to hear what the community has to say and what they’re looking for.”
Big Shot is planning a Monday night men’s league at 7 p.m., a Tuesday mixed league at 7 p.m., a Tuesday afternoon league, a Wednesday men’s league at 7 p.m. and a Thursday women’s league at 7 p.m.
The organizational meeting for the Tuesday afternoon league will be held Sept. 8 at 2 p.m., when bowlers will determine a regular league time. Meetings for the Monday men’s and Tuesday mixed leagues will both be held Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.
The Wednesday men’s league will meet Sept. 9 at 7 p.m., followed by the women’s league meeting Sept. 10 at 7 p.m.
Palmeri said the bowling alley is also gauging interest in a Sunday morning youth league and has been speaking with Sullivan West about possible after-school bowling opportunities.
Prospective bowlers do not need to arrive with a full team already assembled.
“If you don’t have a team, we want you guys to come down as well,” Palmeri said.
Big Shot plans to collect the names of individual bowlers and help place them together on teams, giving people who may not already know other league bowlers a chance to participate.
“You can build a camaraderie once you have the team,” Palmeri said.
League play is expected to begin during the week of Sept. 14 and continue for approximately 31 or 32 weeks.
The new leagues will also be sanctioned through the United States Bowling Congress, or USBC. Palmeri said the organization inspected and measured the lanes as part of the certification process.
For league bowlers, that means scores and achievements can become part of an official bowling record rather than existing only within the local league. Palmeri said sanctioned bowlers can have their averages and handicaps recorded through the USBC, along with achievements such as a sanctioned 300 game.
The league push marks another step in Big Shot’s gradual rollout since opening its doors.
Palmeri said the bowling itself has been going well, but the business is not yet operating in its final form. The kitchen is still awaiting health department approval, and alcohol service is also expected to come later. Once both are in place, the owners plan a more formal grand opening and expanded hours.
For now, Palmeri said the response from bowlers and other visitors has been encouraging.
Many customers have memories of bowling in the same building under its previous operators, when it was known at different times as Callicoon Lanes and Callicoon Kristal Bowl.
“A good amount” of visitors have come in with stories from those earlier years, Palmeri said.
He recalled one recent family group of about a dozen people who came in for a teenager’s birthday and stayed for several hours. Palmeri said longtime visitors frequently comment on the renovations and how different the building looks today.
That connection to the alley’s past is part of what Palmeri hopes can carry over into the new leagues. Rather than simply offering lanes for recreational bowling, he wants Big Shot to become a place where regular groups form and people return week after week.
Big Shot Bowling Lounge is located at 9202 State Route 97 in Callicoon. Those interested in the leagues, including the proposed Sunday morning youth league, can contact Big Shot at 845-887-3017.