MUNCY CREEK TOWNSHIP -- A former bowling alley in Lycoming County will be torn down by the end of the month after nearly 50 years in business.
There has been no bowling at Cloverleaf Lanes near Muncy for about two months.
Work to salvage anything worth saving continues before the bowling alley is knocked down.
For just shy of 50 years, Sonny Hull ran Cloverleaf Lanes along Route 405. Last year, he sold the property to Muncy Valley Hospital and Susquehanna Health.
"The bad doesn't overshadow the good, it's been a lot better than it has been bad," said Hull who is now 81-years-old.
Hull said much of the original equipment will find a new home at Imperial Lanes in Milton.
Owner Andy Neuer said bowling alleys are a dying breed, mostly because industry has gone away.
"A lot of bowling centers were industrial leagues, blue collar people that worked in the industry spent the night together at the local bowling center," said Neuer.
After 50 years in business, the bowling alley has fallen silent. Sonny Hull said it has been a good run but over the years, the number of bowlers has fallen off.
"There's not enough people, young people coming along to replace the people who are leaving, they left a little bit at a time."
In its place, neighboring Muncy Valley Hospital plans to expand its emergency room and increase the number of parking spaces.
For Barbara Snyder, a long time bowling coach and employee at Cloverleaf Lanes, it will be hard to say goodbye to the bowling alley.
"It's really hard," said Snyder. "We're all like family here, it was a mom and pop operation. It was nice to socialize with the people when they came in, i'm going to miss a lot of faces that came in over the years."
Demolition is set for July 19th at Cloverleaf Lanes near Muncy.