Bowling and family fun center boasts a very modern facility.For a video walk-through of the facility, click here.

Since June of 2006 when long-time owners Dawn and Doug McCaskill decided to retire and close down the valley’s lone alley, the bowlers of Star Valley have been without a local place in which to compete.
During that time, the bowling enthusiasts, along with casual users of the old bowling alley, either didn’t bowl at all, or rather found solace in other communities like some ten-pin refugee.

With the completion of Skyview Lanes and Family Fun Center, not only is the wait for a new Star Valley facility over, it should be well worth it.  The new business is located in Afton, but with modern amenities should attract a wide variety of people across the area looking for entertainment.

Skyview boasts a state-of-the-art bowling area with eight lanes, a game area which will feature the latest in video game technology and equipment as well as a restaurant which can seat up to 60 people.
The new business will likely be a welcome addition to an area that has been starved for such a venue and comes out of a somewhat unlikely scenario.  Gale Haderlie and Kris Simkins have worked hard in conjuction with other members of their family to completely transform the building that once housed Agri-Star Auto Parts for upwards of 30 years.  Although the thought of turning the existing building into a bowling center began as an innocent and simple notion, Kris laughs when thinking back over the past 10 months and the obstacles that have peppered the process.

“I didn’t have any idea what it would take to make this happen,” she said.  “With the current state of the economy and the difficulties we encountered securing funding for this project we are grateful that it is finally complete.”

A big part of that final step now comes in the form of Travis Simkins, Kris’ son and managing partner.  Remodeling a building that was originally built for another purpose took a great deal of work and effort.
“We ended up entirely gutting the inside of the building and starting from scratch,” he replied.  “To convert the building was a lot bigger than we thought.  It was just a steel building and we had to clean out over 30 years of auto parts and items and it took nearly 10 months.

Now that the fun center is a reality, work with the bowling enthusiasts has also commenced.

“As the proprietor, we facilitate the leagues, but it’s the organizers who have put together the leagues,” Simkins replied.  “We’ll be working close with them, and we want to do the best we can to move forward; especially with the junior leagues.

Simkins went on to speak about avenues to education through bowling.

“There are scholarships available and we want to bring a focus on bowling to Western Wyoming,” he added. “We met with a lot of the other facility owners around the state and they have big tournaments in Cheyenne and Gillette.  To be able to bring a tournament like that to Star Valley would be beneficial to the town and the entire area as those people are willing to come and spend money in your town as they compete.”

The business is currently exploring avenues with state firemen, police and search & rescue organizations.

“We’re also looking at creating a lot of times for open bowling as well as a variety of leagues and work with the people and provide them with the option of participating in multiple leagues if they choose, he said.”

The bowling area utilizes automatic scoring and animated segments for bowlers as well as convenient features such as automatic bumpers.  And for those who don’t care what time it is, cosmic bowling with the aid of black lights promises to be an area favorite.

Although Simkins is working closely with the bowling community and the new eight lanes feature the latest technology in the industry, Sky View Lanes is far from your standard bowling alley.

“When people come through the door, they’re going to have the option of using the big screens to watch sporting events, or play on the Wii or X-Bos systems with games like Rock Band or Guitar Hero,” he added.  “There will also be things like pool tables, pinball machines and other games that will be rotated regularly.”

And after spending some time getting acquainted with the new entertainment hub of the valley?
A guy’s gotta eat doesn’t he?

The Strike Zone Cafe will feature favorites that have been researched and will be operated by Tiffani Lloyd.

In all, Skyview Lanes and Family Fun Center may prove to be more than just an option for valley residents, it promises to become the location for many happy outings.

The Strike Zone Cafe will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.  Bowling hours are tentatively scheduled to extend from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to midnight on weekends, although hours may be expanded based upon public interest.