Saco Valley Sports Center in Fryeburg, Maine Walkthrough

I absolutely love this place. The Saco Valley Sports Center is simply oozing with charm. Don't let the name fool you, "sports center" makes it sound like some sort of giant complex that would hold an indoor soccer arena. In this case the term "sports center" is used very loosely. The Saco Valley Sports Center is really a classic 50's candlepin bowling alley. You've got the baby blue and white coloring of the ball returns, you've got the old school snack counter, an upstairs area that looks like at one point might have been used for spectators, hell even the gate thingy that clears the pins is made of brown stained wood. The last update that pulls this out of the 50's, but still falls in the realm of retro are the computer inputs for scores. You still have to input the pins you knocked down yourself using a keypad keyboard. The computer adds up the total score and guides you through spares, strikes, etc.  Your score appears up on the monitors hanging from the ceiling so you can keep track. These monitors do not just display your score, they also show some classic late 80's computer animated bowling cartoons when you get a spare, strike, or split.

The only slight let down is the arcade. Everything works, it's just nothing super great. You have a couple of stapes and then a bunch of redemption games. There is a prize counter for the kids and an air hockey table which helps, but the only real stand out for me is Home Run Hitter. I loved this token rolling game as a kid.

So, if you're anywhere near Fryeburg, Maine, be sure to stop by for some classic candlepin bowling. You can even request to have your score printed out on a dot matrix printer!