FRANKLIN
The senior bowling league at the Franklin Bowling Center is the highlight of the week for many of its members. Almost all of them said they consider it one of their social events and it’s the thing they look forward to most.

“We look forward to it every week, it gets in your blood,” said the Camp Boys team, Lloyd Carr Sr. and Bill Bailey. “We’ve been bowling in this league for two years, but we’ve been bowling at the Franklin Bowling Center ever since it opened.”

The Franklin Bowling Center opened 28 years ago, and the senior league started even before that — in the kitchen of Clarice Holland.

A few of the original bowlers still play each week in the league: Linwood Holland, Sonny Blizzard Jr., Josephine Jones, Olivia Williams and the Rev. Joseph Goode.

“We started many years ago and very few of the originals are still here,” Olivia Williams said. “It’s a lot different now, but we are happy and we have a good time.”

Some of the bowlers even travel from out of the area just to play with those in Franklin senior league.

“I enjoy my bowling here,” Jerry Spruill from Conway, North Carolina, said. “I wouldn’t come out every week if I didn’t love it.”

Daisie Ladson from Portsmouth said, “I’ve been bowling here for about seven years now. I love it, I love the people and my bowling is getting so much better. Alan, [the coach and the treasurer] is always giving me tips and Beth [the treasurer] is very pleasant. Everyone in the league is good to bowl with.”

Some of the members don’t just come for the bowling though.

“It’s good exercise and it’s good fun,” Bertie Scott said.

The two newest members of the league are James and Alberta Adams.

“We love it. It’s a blessing we got in this league,” James said. “We’ve done really well so far. In the fall we ended in second place and in the summer we ended in first place.”

Some of those who are unable to bowl in the league anymore still come out to socialize and watch their friends bowl.

“I had to stop bowling last year due to back surgery,” Bea Ross said. “I loved bowling. It’s the one thing I miss most, but I still like to come and root people on, especially my old partner Bobby Vann.”

The Franklin senior bowling league is for ages 55 and up, but quite a few of the bowlers are in their eighties and one of the bowlers is even in his nineties.

As of right now, there are 27 teams in the league made up of two members, but they have a few substitutes they always call if one of the members can’t make it. The teams bowl against each other and their names are put in the computer each week to produce random matches.

They bowl every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and they all seem to thoroughly enjoy the sport and each other’s company.