Hidden at the end of a narrow alleyway in the quaint town of Shelburne Falls – most recently featured in The Holdovers starring Paul Giamatti – lies an unusual business that’s barely changed since its opening in 1906. Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley is a beloved neighborhood gem, housed by two small rooms giving a look into a sport your New England raised grandparents are most likely more familiar with. It has become a mecca for candlepin bowling, a challenging miniaturized form of the sport that is popular almost exclusively in New England.

“There was one in almost every town … like a Dunkin Donuts … it was the thing to do,” Mike Walker, President of the Maine State Candlepin Bowling Association, said in an interview with WBUR.

Candlepin is a less common form of bowling invented in Worcester, Massachusetts in the 1880’s by Justin White that never quite seemed to flourish outside of New England; mainly due to its lack of commercial and market success. Unlike traditional 10 pin (~8.5” balls) this game uses much smaller balls (~4.5”) and thinner pins that resemble candles, adding a higher level of difficulty. What initially piqued my interest in candlepin bowling were the memories I had of playing it as a kid. Candlepin is an incredibly fun game but what caught my attention more specifically is the fact that nobody in history has ever bowled a perfect game.

A perfect game in bowling occurs when a player scores 300 by knocking down all 10 pins in all 10 rounds, better known as “frames” in bowling terms. To achieve the score you need to bowl 12 strikes in a row. The perfect game is one of the most sought-after achievements for a bowler and also incredibly difficult. For the average bowler, the odds are 11,500 to one. For a professional bowler, a 300 game occurs around every one in 4,096 games making the odds 450 to one. Although a 300 game in 10 pin is difficult, it’s not impossible. In candlepin, it has never been done.

The highest score recorded in candlepin bowling is 245, done by Ralph Semb of Erving, MA in 1985 during the Western New England Pro Tour and then tied by Chris Sargent of Haverhill, MA in 2011. These two are the closest anybody has ever gotten to that long sought-after perfect score. Semb is currently the owner and president of the French Kings Bowling Center in Erving that holds both ten pin and candlepin lanes.

“Candlepin Bowling is not as strong as it once was,” record scorer Semb told MassLive. “People don’t bowl like they used to.”

The sound of pins being knocked down is matched by cheers of enjoyment by the end of the alleyway approaching the wooden building that looks just like an ordinary house. On the other side of the entrance door, owner and operator Tony Hanna is seen singlehandedly tending the bar while moving back and forth from the lanes and shoe rentals. Hanna is like a skinnier version of Santa Claus but for Candlepin Bowling, keeping the place in tip top shape and greeting with a smile. “Thanks Tony” a man said while giving him a pat on the back as he was leaving for the night. The place was packed wall to wall and almost immediately a strong feeling of community was felt by the simple interaction alone. On the walls themselves were a vast array of Star Wars and Boston sports memorabilia (a scene straight out of a Massachusetts man cave) along with pictures of the players who have frequented the alley. “Some of [the alley regulars] have relatives that bowled here in the 50’s and earlier,” Hanna said.

Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley is the second oldest continuously running bowling alley in the United States. The building was originally two lanes but extended further to four downstairs with a more technological pin resetting system in the 1950’s. The scoring, however, is still completely manual with pencil and paper.

“A lot of people know 10 pin bowling and people who know 10 pin have never seen candlepin,” Hanna said. “They come in and say ‘wow, what kind of bowling is this?’ I say to them, ‘this is real bowling,’ this comes first.”

Hanna owns the building, while the lanes are run by the Western New England Candlepin Association (WNECA), an organization that owns nine alleys across Western New England and promotes and organizes the sport for league play.

While talking, Hanna walked and weaved between the crowd, back and forth between the bar and the lanes to keep the flow of business steady. “It’s not usually like this but I wish it was, I wish it was like this all the time,” Hanna said.

Candlepin bowling has a long history and many have a strong affection towards the game. However, over the past couple of decades, the industry has seen a significant downfall in players and alleys themselves.

In the state of Massachusetts, there are around 50 alleys where candlepin bowling is available. In the past 10-15 years, over eight alleys have closed, including Ficco’s Bowladrome in Franklin, MA, my childhood alley that occupied the space for over 75 years. Back in 2020 in an ironic twist of fate, the final bowling alley closed in the city it was invented in, Worcester.

Maine in specific has seen a significant decline in candlepin bowling alleys and lost two longtime establishments in back-to-back years. Colonial Bowling Center in Westbrook, ME closed after 77 years of business in 2016 and Saco’s Vacationland Bowling and Recreation Center for 34 years in 2017. Although once incredibly popular in the mid 20th century, the candlepin’s wick seemingly burnt out, leaving pain-staking building expenses and not enough business to keep it burning.

What keeps the Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley thriving is the love people in the area have for the game, which is something many alleys across New England haven’t been graciously gifted with. Hanna runs bowling leagues nearly every night of the week and has seen copious amounts of success from doing so. “League bowlers are the lifeblood of this business, without league bowlers we would not be able to exist,” Hanna said.

Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley keeps the love for the game alive and well. “It’s a great way for a night out,” Hanna says. Candlepin bowling proves you don’t have to be necessarily good at something to enjoy doing it.

“Every score sheet says, ‘bowling is fun,’” points out Hanna, which is much harder to miss than the pins themselves. “That’s what we’re about.”

Peter Tuohy can be reached at [email protected].