Museum section honors special groups, people

Some of bowling's most special organizations and competitors will be among the highlights of the final part of the modern era section at the new International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.

Called Bowling Reaches Out, the section includes four areas: Bowling Charities, Everyone Can Bowl Hometown Heroics and Route 66 mini-lanes.

"This area will show that everybody has the opportunity to bowl and that it doesn't matter if you are in a wheelchair or blind or physically challenged," said Ross Edwards, design director for Dallas' Museum Arts and the lead designer for the IBM/HF. "You don't have to be a pro or physically fit. Anyone who wants the challenge can bowl."

Bowling Charities will talk about the major causes bowling supports such as Susan G. Komen for the Cure that includes the United States Bowling Congress' Bowl for the Cure and the Bowlers to Veterans Link. The latter will feature carpet bowling lanes and plastic pins and balls like those provided to overseas troops.

The Everyone Can Bowl exhibit will include artifacts, memorabilia and graphics telling the story of wheelchair bowling, Special Olympics and blind bowling. This will give visitors a taste of the many special bowling programs available for the disabled.

Next is a more modern version of perhaps the most popular exhibits from the previous IBM/HF in St. Louis. In Hometown Heroics, people will again be able to look up 300 games and 800 series rolled by bowlers, family and friends. And they'll be able to look up anyone who is a member of a local and state association hall of fame.

"Hometown Heroics gives everyone the opportunity to find someone special in their family or among their friends who had great scores or groups of great scores plus those who have been elected to their local or state halls of fame," Edwards said.

The final part of this area will be two Route 66 mini-lanes available for visitor use. This will give people, especially youth, a chance for some fun rolling the small balls at the small pins. That may help them picture themselves as the hall of famers they are about to meet.