Jeremy Ratliff
Reporter
Thursday afternoon, Les & Jim’s Lincoln Lanes ownership and graphic designers Eric Geiss and Jen Brilowski, celebrated the culmination of a 7-month remodeling project of the bowling alley with a ‘Grand Re-Opening’ Celebration.
Included in the project was the update and installation of a new state of the art Brunswick Scoring System as well as a complete overhaul of the lane masks, to include a mural depicting a collective summary of the city’s history. From one side of the bowling area to the other, a pictorial history of the city is depicted; from the days of “Jenny” to various historic structures and relics such as the trolley system, Scott Mansion and The original Badger Hotel; to ‘modern day’ Merrill.
Bares’ pride in the overhaul was evident as he explained the careful,, time consuming work and expertise Geiss and partner Brilowski invested in masterminding and spearheading the project, and in turn showcasing the scoring system which is one of just a few in the state.
According to Geiss, the project’s roots stem from a discussion of a new website for the bowling alley with Bares a few years ago. The conversation gradually led to the interior remodel project and the wheels began to turn with the early planning stages in November. Hands-on work of the mural consisting of scanned images began in late April and culminated in late-June.
In preparing for the project, Geiss and Brilowski sifted through over a thousand historical photos and depictions, to piece together the final masterpiece; unveiled during Thursday’s celebration.