GREENFIELD — Don’t be surprised if you’ve heard a New York accent or a southern drawl around town this week.
Young bowlers from across the country have descended upon Strike Force Lanes for a national youth bowling tourney, bringing a slew out-of-state guests with them.
The parking lot at the bowling center, 1539 W. Main St. in Greenfield, has been packed daily with vehicles bearing license plates from across the country.
Minnesota, Montana, Massachusetts, Missouri and more have been represented, ever since the 2021 Junior Gold Championships kicked off with practice last week.
An estimated 3,700 bowlers from across the country are participating in the national tournament, spread out across six bowling centers — five in Indianapolis, plus Strike Force Lanes in Greenfield, which is accommodating about 1,200 bowlers.
It’s been a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd at the local alley, as bowlers take to the lanes in waves throughout the day.
Rob Barnhart, general manager at Strike Force Lanes, said he’s proud to show off the local 32-lane center to a national audience.
“We’ve got a good, clean center that’s big enough to host something like this, but not too big to be overwhelming to people,” he said.
He and his wife, Linda, have been working up to 19 hours a day this week. They even parked their camper on the property to grab a little rest between sets.
“Hosting a national tournament here is good for our business, and hopefully all the businesses in Greenfield,” said Barnhart.
“I know bowlers and their families have been eating and shopping in town, and some have been staying in local hotels and campgrounds. It’s good for the whole county.”
Tenelle Milligan, who traveled from her home in Texas to direct this week’s tournament, said Strike Force Lanes has been the ideal place to accommodate bowlers and their families.
“This center was chosen because the owners and everyone here has just been phenomenal and shown really great hospitality. It’s been a wonderful, beautiful experience,” she said.
“This is a family-owned business, and the moment I walked in I felt comfortable. It’s bright and airy and welcoming, and I can say the same thing of everybody we’ve encountered in town,” said Milligan, whose main role is director of operations for the Professional Women’s Bowling Association.
While bigger cities like Indianapolis are typically chosen to host national playoffs, Milligan said the cleanliness and spaciousness of the Greenfield facility made it a perfect location to help host this year’s tourney.
“The wonderful staff has just really great hospitality, and has been directing bowlers and their families to the local businesses. I know the people who are staying here in town want to see and experience what’s local,” she said.
Brigette Jones, director of Hancock County Tourism & Visitors Bureau, hopes more event organizers catch wind of what a welcoming place Hancock County can be.
“Any event where we can bring people here from out of state is a great asset to our community. Every person who comes in is spending out-of-county dollars in our restaurants and hotels and retail shops, so it is very much an economic driver,” she said.
While Jones said she hadn’t heard from this week’s bowling tourney organizers, she encourages other organizations hosting big events to reach out to the local tourism office for support.
“We would like to be able to partner with any organization that brings people into the county. We can help not only promote their event but also provide information they might need, like information on local restaurants and hotels,” said Jones, who has been promoting local businesses through the upcoming Youth Sheep Show, which will bring guests throughout the state to the Hancock County fairgrounds later this month.
“We want to share with them all the great things the county has to offer,” she said.
Travis McMichael, a county tourism board member and manager at the Holiday Inn in Greenfield, is among the local hoteliers benefiting from the influx of thousands of tournament guests this week.
He thinks Greenfield and the county as a whole have a lot to offer to large groups of visitors.
“It’s a great area on the outside of Indianapolis, so you’re still close to everything, but still far enough away where it’s nice and safe and clean, with plenty of hotels to house as many people as you need,” he said.
Greenfield hotels often attract visitors from big-city events like the Final Four and Big 10 football events, who want a quieter place to stay than Indianapolis.
“They like to stay on the outskirts of town. That way they feel a little bit safer,” McMichael said.
Kellie Crenshaw-Sawyer, manager at Super 8 by Wyndham in Greenfield, has also been hosting a number of guests from this week’s bowling tourney.
“Business has been great,” said the manager, who said the hotel has been close to sold out for several months.
“We had a good COVID year too. We were pretty blessed with that,” said Crenshaw-Sawyer, who dropped prices to draw in a number of Amazon employees who spent seven or eight months living in town last year.
Ongoing construction along I-70 has also helped business, she said. “People get tired of sitting on the interstate, so they come here and get a room.”
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Greenfield standout bowler Tandess O’Neal is at home in the Junior Gold Championship. Sports, Page A8
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