Wow, I had forgotten about the Caesar head. I wonder what happened to that after the bowling alley closed?
For all the time I spent in the bowling alley (and the bar), I can't believe I don't have any photos of the place.
I used to bowl there occasionally and worked as a part time bartender with Terry DeYoung and Billy Nave (Jr.). Paul was the manager, but Bill Nave Sr. was still very much inlvolved, as were his brothers , to a lesser degree. It was still owned by the Naves. Pat Ma owned the restaurant.
-- Edited by BobP on Tuesday 28th of January 2014 12:34:01 PM
I think it was called Caeser's Den. I spent a lot of time in there as a kid, with my dad of course. He and Paul Panholzer would knock down a drink or two in the evening. I remember them talking one time about a guy who died in the parking lot, apparently a shooting or stabbing victim. There were rumors circulating after that about the "Nave Lanes mob hit", and that it was a bad idea to cross the Nave brothers. My dad said it was almost certainly not a mob hit, but as a kid, I thought for sure it was. That bar was a very interesting place, with very creative lighting. I wish I had taken a picture of it back in the day...
-- Edited by Bumbleberry on Saturday 11th of January 2014 07:22:26 PM
I used to bowl here throughout the 70s and early 80s. Paul Panholzer was the proprietor, and the building had a really interesting design (some said ugly; some said beautiful) reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright (and the Civic Center!). I've got some pictures of the place right before it was torn down (so sad), but I'd really love to get some pictures from when it was in operation, including the interior.
Some other names from that time that I remember are Barbara Bode, who ran the Saturday leagues; Neil Simpson, probably the best bowler at Nave; Flo Rogers, a bowling mom;
and Tom Stoddard who was usually on my team...
I remember eating at Wah Lew's restaurant every Saturday after league bowling during the school year. Every summer I'd bowl in the Thursday night league, after spending a small fortune on video games. Those lazy summer nights at Nave Lanes made for so many fond memories!
