Bowling alley gets cleaned up and family friendly
Lou Marzeles
News Editor
For Holly Backes and her husband Dale, new owners of Golden Lanes, the bowling alley is once again a place where families can feel right at home.
"We're cleaning it up," Backes says. "We're doing a lot of painting and remodeling. We want it to be a pleasant experience for everyone."
The Backes took over the facility on July 1 this year and immediately set about transforming the lanes into something that could resonate with the community.
"We're also adding a lot of new programs," Backes says, "such as bowling leagues." The new men's league kicked off Monday evening at the lanes and was filled with men getting organized into their teams.
The interior of the bowling alley is flanked on one side by an array of video games, just to the right of the entrance, and a large-screen television area on the far left side. Monday evening saw a crowd watching the New England Patriots edge past the Buffalo Bills by one point on Monday Night Football.
"We want this to be a safe, happy place for families," Backes says.
Sunshine ordered for Festival of Wheels
About 100 cars-from daily drivers to elegant classics and classic muscle cars-will be parked on Main Street in Goldendale for the 2009 edition of Festival of Wheels on Saturday, Sept. 19. There is no admission charge for spectators.
Sponsored in large part by Puget Sound Energy, the official show begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 3 p.m., when the car show awards will be announced. Local businesses are sponsoring individual trophies.
Rock and roll classics will be provided from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. by a '50s and '60s tribute band, The Fabulous Farelanes (not to be confused with the less-than-classic and nearly forgotten Ford Motor Co. Fairlanes). The band has a long play list, ranging from the Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace" to the "Shoop-Shoop" song, officially, but lesser, known as "It's in His Kiss," first made famous by Betty Everett.
Also highlighting the Festival will be the Outlaw Lawn Dragsters out of Treasure Valley in Idaho. What began as a curiosity (and probably a testament to guys with too much time on their hands) when Terry Stowell dropped a 500 cc motorcycle engine in a riding Craftsman mower has become heated competition with hot rides.
Sixteen "mowers" are expected for the Festival of Wheels. Most are powered by snow machine engines. They can reach 60 miles per hour from a standing start in less than two seconds. The Outlaw Lawn Dragsters will stage their final heats from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Festival of Wheels "Show and Shine," organized by the Goldendale Motorsports Association, is open to all, with owners of all cars in many stages of perfection registered to appear. Spectators will see classic roadsters next to muscle cars, with a bit of everything else in between. Some autos will be works in progress. In the past, autos built in the 1920s have appeared.
Technology reaching even further back will be shown in the form of old farm tractors. In the past, exhibitors have shown steam-powered agricultural equipment.
Run with Respect, motorcycle poker run out of Pine Springs Resort on Satus Pass, will make a stop on Main Street as part of their itinerary.
Also, a Saturday Market will be held on Main Street for the Festival of Wheels. And automotive supply vendors will be on hand.
Bishops celebrate and reminisce on 50 years of marriage
Justin Garrigus
For The Sentinel
Blake and Claire Bishop celebrated their 50th anniversary on July 19, in Waikiki, Hawaii. The occasion marked their fifth visit to Hawaii, where their daughter and her family are living.
The Bishops also visited France three times to see Claire's family. They traveled to Mexico twice, and traversed the Northwest displaying Blake's antique cars.
Claire Bishop was born in France and moved to the United States at the age of 15, where she met Blake in Walla Walla, while Claire was attending school and Blake was working on construction on the Ice Harbor Dam. They wedded on July 19, 1959, and one year later moved to Goldendale when Blake was hired for help in the construction of the John Day Dam.
Claire worked as a substitute teacher in Goldendale for three years, while Blake continued to work on the dams across the Columbia Basin, but in 1962 they started Bishop Sanitation Services in Goldendale. "Blake always was looking to find new ways to make money," says Claire. They had this particular idea because at the time of the opening of their business, 14 dams were in construction and business was booming. In 1979 they sold the business to employee Ed Holbrook, who has expanded the company to cover all of the Columbia Gorge area.
While distributing and maintaining sanitation toilets for the Wells Dam in Chelan, Blake flew to and from Goldendale every week with his flight instructor on his small plane. The Bishops also decided to buy 70 acres of apple orchards in Chelan, which they still own today, but instead of apples, the property now grows cherries.
The Bishops say they enjoy Goldendale and have lived here for 49 years; they love the small town and the changing of the seasons. They have two children, Deborah and Jerry, who were born and raised in and graduated from Goldendale. Deborah now lives in Hawaii and Jerry in Kent, Wash.
Claire Bishop says the reason for being married so long is because "We love each other very much, and would do anything for each other." They say they are happy that they are retired and can spend all their time together talking and traveling around.
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