Fair Lanes

Fair Lanes Inc., the nation's biggest independent operator of bowling alleys, received court approval yesterday to emerge from bankruptcy proceedings with new owners, less debt and more money for renovations.U.S. Bankruptcy Judge James F. Schneider accepted a plan that gives all of Fair Lanes' stock to the company's creditors, wiping out the ownership stake of a leveraged buyout firm that bought the bowling concern in 1989.Balfour Investments Inc., a New York investment firm, and AMF, a Richmond, Va., bowling equipment maker and alley operator, will be Fair Lanes' major shareholders after the reorganization.

Wally Hall became involved with bowling nearly 50 years ago while living in the United Kingdom. The sport brought him and his family in 1967 to the United States, where Hall later became president and chief executive officer of Fair Lanes Inc. for about 10 years. Hall was getting ready to retire and relax when he stepped down at Fair Lanes and later left the company's board. He then became an entrepreneur who has served many bowling fans in Anne Arundel County. The Pasadena resident, 72, and his family have purchased three local bowling centers in the past 13 years and tried to improve them.

In a merger that creates the country's biggest bowling-alley company, the owners of AMF Bowling Centers Inc. have bought a controlling stake in Hunt Valley-based Fair Lanes Inc., officials said yesterday.The deal, which gives the investors management control, generates more uncertainty at Fair Lanes, which was founded in Baltimore in 1923. In the past five years the area's dominant bowling chain has been through a leveraged buyout, a bankruptcy and several presidents.It's unclear whether yesterday's news represents the 10th frame or the reset button for Fair Lanes' headquarters and identity.

A one-time bastion of duckpin bowling and birthplace of the Fair Lanes bowling chain is poised to become Baltimore's next loft housing development. The old Recreation Bowling Center, a four-story building at 602-610 N. Howard St. that became Fair Lanes' flagship, was acquired this month by a group that intends to convert it to approximately 50 residences. The building was constructed in 1922 as a multistory bowling and dancing emporium, with 100 bowling lanes and a top-level ballroom and roller rink where big-name bands performed in the 1920s and 1930s.

The new owners of Fair Lanes Inc.,the leading bowling-center operator in the Baltimore-Washington area, will close the company's Hunt Valley headquarters and move its administrative operations to Richmond, Va., Fair Lanes President R. Wayne Strausburg said yesterday.Thirty-nine jobs will disappear from Baltimore County as a result.Once the move is completed by mid-March, Fair Lanes, founded in Baltimore in 1923, will cease its status as a Maryland-based company.Its 106 centers will be operated from the headquarters of AMF Bowling Centers Inc. in Richmond.

Mac Clayton, chairman of Fair Lanes Inc., has taken over day-to-day management of the Hunt Valley-based bowling center chain following the resignation of Stephen E. Carley as president and chief executive officer.Mr. Clayton, who assumed Mr. Carley's former titles, said the two executives parted on "amicable terms."Yesterday's announcement came just two weeks after Fair Lanes announced a sweeping reorganization designed to put the company's focus squarely on customer service. The plan led to the termination of about 60 managers and assistant managers and the creation of 200 other jobs, many of them as "guest hosts" at Fair Lanes' 112 centers in 18 states.

After three days of qualifying, practice and pro-ams, 160 professional bowlers kick off the $135,000 Fair Lanes Open this morning at Fair Lanes Woodlawn.Bob Learn Jr. is here to defend his 1992 title. Recent former champions Danny Wiseman (1990), Pete Weber (1991) and Mark Williams (1988) also are competing. Walter Ray Williams (1986), last week's tour winner, is not entered because of a registration mix-up but will defend his King of the Hill title on Saturday's nationally televised broadcast (channels 13 and 7)

Fair Lanes Inc. said yesterday that it would file a bankruptcy reorganization plan after reaching a deal with its biggest creditors to fix the finances of the debt-ridden company.The Hunt Valley-based operator of 106 bowling and entertainment centers, including 33 in the Baltimore-Washington area, said its agreement with creditors would allow it to file a prepackaged plan, typically hastening approval by the court and forcing the deal on possibly recalcitrant minority bondholders.Both Fair Lanes Inc. and its parent, Fair Lanes Entertainment Inc., were expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today, said Mac Clayton, chief executive of the two companies.

The chairman of Fair Lanes Inc. said yesterday that the company is "not in trouble and not about to be in trouble," despite recent downgrades of its debt by two leading bond-rating agencies.Mac Clayton, who heads the Hunt Valley-based bowling center chain, described the downgradings as "a fairly garden-variety event" and noted that the company made an $8 million payment to its 35 or so bondholders last month. The next payment is due Aug. 31, giving the company time to cut costs.Last week Standard & Poor's announced that it had lowered its ratings from B to CCC+ on $138 million in Fair Lanes' senior secured notes yielding 11 7/8 percent.

Mac Clayton, who led Fair Lanes Inc. into and then out of bankruptcy proceedings, has resigned and been replaced as president by the bowling chain's vice president for real estate, the company said yesterday.In parting ways with Mr. Clayton, Fair Lanes is returning to its roots, taking on top managers and an organization structure that predate an unsuccessful 1989 leveraged buyout.Fair Lanes' new president is Wayne Strausburg, who has worked in operations, finance and real estate over a 22-year career with the Hunt Valley-based chain.

Eisner Communications Inc. said yesterday that it has been named advertising agency of record for the $10 million AMF Bowling Inc. account. That business, which had been with the Richards Group in Dallas since June 1998, marks Eisner's first significant new account since the summer, when the agency garnered Vital- spring.com, a medical information network, and the Century Council, a not-for-profit organization aimed at responsible drinking. Those two accounts were valued at a total of $10 million.

The Crunchers, a team in the Pee Wee Division coached by Allean Summerville, traveled from Reisterstown to Linthicum to compete in the 22nd annual National Duckpin Youth Association Maryland State Tournament at Fair Lanes Southwest last month.The team -- Diana Woodard, Ashley Cohen, Alieita Johnson, Kristen Logan and Matthew Stein -- toppled 907 pins. With an additional 504 handicap pins, the Crunchers won first place.Woodard recorded 198 series to win the trophy for girls individual high set. Logan had the individual high game with a 103.In the Prep Division, Sean Dunkley of Fair Lanes Pikesville recorded the boys high individual set with a 347.Tara Cohen and Ross Pearlman of Fair Lanes Pikesville won the girls and boys high games with 123 and 125, respectively.

You think you had some bad breaks in the duckpin bowling season that just finished? How about finishing with a 146 for your low average, pounding out three fantastic series and missing picking up $900 by a total of six pins?Jon Owens has been bowling since he was a pre-teen. This year he's holding a 146 average in the Monday league at Middlesex, 153 in the Sunday Doubles league at Westview (his partner is his wife, Carla) and has 155 in the Wednesday 89er Athletic Club league at Westview.

Anita Manger started bowling duckpins at Fair Lanes Middlesex when she was 5 years old.The Arnold resident switched to tenpins, fell in love with the game, and has never left it.Active in two leagues, the Thursday Challengers at Fair Lanes Southdale and the Tuesday Budweiser at Greenway Bowl Odenton, she currently is averaging 188."I think that my average will start to go up," Manger said. "When I changed to the Beast [bowling ball] a lot of good things started to happen."Until the past few months, she had been using a 12-pound Rhino; now the left-hander is throwing a 13-pound Beast.

The Young American Bowling Alliance conducted the 11th annual Maryland Top Ten Invitational state finals at County Lanes Westminster on April 2."This is a very exciting tournament which showcases the best scratch youth bowlers in the state," said Mari Mallette, tournament director. "These young people had to have one of the top 10 averages in their region and then win a regional roll-off."When the 36 contestants (18 girls, 18 boys) were finished, Danielle Johnson of Baltimore and Bryan Spies of Aberdeen were crowned the winners.

Mike Steinert is on a roll and seems determined to top all of his previous exploits on the local and national scene.The Baltimore Duckpin Bowlers Association's top-ranked male bowler for the past two seasons, the Baltimore native seems destined to top the list again.Bowling in two leagues, he's averaging in the high 150s and the low 160s, both figures above his top-ranked 1994 average of 152.884 (and more than two pins over his closest rival).In the Duckpin Bowlers Tour Super Bowl at Fair Lanes Westview, he started at the bottom of the stepladder finals and shot 660-plus for the four games to win the $3,000 first prize.

Fair Lanes Inc., a Hunt Valley-based bowling center operator, said yesterday that a corporate reorganization has left about 60 managers and assistant managers without jobs, but created hiring opportunities for about 200 others.The company, which runs 112 centers in 18 states and Puerto Rico, said the reorganization would improve customer service by creating five "guest host" positions at each location, responsible for managing various aspects of the operations.Those guest hosts would report to the 32 new "managing partners," each responsible for three centers rather than the current one location per manager, according to Stephen E. Carley, president and chief executive of the company.

The $45,000 Lady Fair Lanes Open will get under way today at Fair Lanes University in Adelphi with an autograph and professionals practice session at 10 a.m. Pro-am tournaments will begin at noon.Qualifying will begin tomorrow at 9 a.m. and continue until Tuesday, when match play will begin at 6:30 p.m. Match play will continue Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.The finals, to be televised nationally by ESPN, will be held Thursday beginning at 7:30 p.m.Michelle Mullen is the defending Lady Fair Lanes Open champion.

It was nervous time at Fair Lanes Middlesex on Sunday, Feb. 26 for Rocky Landers of Essex.Charles McElhose of the Duckpin Bowlers Tour was presenting a duckpin singles event with a first-place prize of $800. It was the first singles tournament for the 16-year-old Landers and there some butterflies.Landers has a career high game and set of 189 and 476, respectively, but the DBT is an pins-over-average format so every bowler has a chance to win the event; a high average doesn't give an advantage.

Roger Barnes of Edgewood won't be 21 until June, but he's already posted tenpin scores that bowlers double his agehaven't attained.The Edgewood High School graduate began his tenpin career when he was 3."If I could find someone to sponsor me I'd be on tour in a minute," Barnes said. "I think I'm ready."He's averaging 206 in the Sunday Gutterbusters, 208 in the Thursday Major Men's at Fair Lanes Edgewood and 209 at Brunswick Crown lanes in Middle River in the Friday Industrial league.He's shot two 800 sets and recently added a seventh perfect game to his string of 300s.