Yeah, we realize YOU're every bit as obsessed about this subject as WE are. Good thing Larry found a pic, huh? This is a Catholic Church in Peoria, Ill., and the bowling alley was a Men's Club project. Doesn't it look familiar?
We're so blessed to have Larry researching this stuff because he follows leads all over the internet. The WHY of church bowling alleys had to do with BLUE LAWS--those "closed on Sundays" laws that prohibited selling liquor on the day of rest...(btw, did you know blue laws extended to CAR sales, too? The idea there was so the car dealers could take at least one day off, knowing the competition was closed too...lol)
Anyway, blue laws were written with a loophole--
"When the original alley was installed in the early 20th century, there was a law in place stating that alcohol could not be sold to the public before noon on Sundays. The answer? The parish men's group decided to build a bowling alley as part of their "private" club, thus gaining the ability to serve beer no matter the day or hour".
(From an excellent website called STEEPLECHASE).
Ah-ha! This makes more sense than Buckmans' devotion to Turnverein, huh? And I do recall the St Michaels bowling alley smelled like beer when we'd go play down there during a funeral dinner. Yes, it was meant for recreation, but of a different kind than we were thinking....
THANK YOU, LARRY!!
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