MILFORD –The new year is bringing good news to people who like to bowl. The owner of Nashua’s Leda Lanes took over the Milford bowling alley and planned to reopen it before Jan. 1.

Sean Howard’s father built the Nashua candlepin alley in 1959, and now his wife, Lynda Howard, will be in charge of Lucky’s Lanes, located on Elm Street, next door to the plaza that once housed Blake’s Restaurant.

The Souhegan Valley’s only bowling alley has been called Milford Lanes most recently, opened by Al Gangi in 2010 after extensive renovations. Gangi, the owner of candlepin alleys in Gloucester and Woburn, Mass., closed the business this fall, giving no explanation.

Howard said he wants Lucky’s Lanes to be “a bit more family-oriented,” with turn-key birthday parties – “all you do is bring the children,” – designated glo-bowling times, and after-school programs for kids.

“We hope to reach out to all the schools,” he said.

And Lucky’s Lanes will be open longer hours, 9 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.

Leda Lanes is a host for the Special Olympics, and the Milford bowling alley will be available for physically challenged children, said Howard, who hopes to have Special Olympics practice sessions here.

The new business owners are renting the building from the owner, and Sean said it almost became an indoor shooting range.

“Al (Gangi) put so much money into it, I couldn’t see that,” he said.

The Souhegan Valley’s only bowling alley has been here since 1961 when it was started as Bowlmor Lanes by Emma Kregos. Bowlmor shut down in 2006 after Kregos died in 2002 and then her daughter, Sandy Kennon, in 2004. After that it became the short-lived Tony’s Lanes.

Automatic scoring

Gangi renovated the interior after he bought it in 2010 and put in automatic scoring.

Lucky’s Lanes already has one guaranteed league playing on Wednesday evenings starting Jan. 9, said Howard, and they might be looking for new bowlers.

“People think that to be a league bowler you have to be a good bowler,” he said, but that’s not true. “It’s all about fun and exercise.”

The Howards, who live in Brookline, were in the building last week with their grown daughter, Alexis, the oldest of their six children.

They called it Lucky’s Lanes, said Lynda, “because we feel lucky to have this opportunity and we feel lucky in our lives.”

Candlepin bowling, which differs from 10-pin bowling by having smaller balls with no holes, came to Milford in 1883 when the Ponemah Hotel on Ponemah Hill Road installed alleys in its basement.

Lucky’s Lanes’ phone number is 554-8300.

Kathy Cleveland can be reached at 673-3100,
ext. 304, or kcleveland@cabinet.com.