by Lynn Jones, Bedford Historical Society
Through the years, Bedford has hosted many bowling leagues. Bowling remains a popular pastime.
Some avid bowlers bowl every night of the week. Snacking, people watching and checking other bowlers' scores all add to the fun.
Here's a tale some retired firemen tell. It is from the days of full ash trays and skinny pin boys.
At Pawnee Bowling Lanes on the west side of Broadway Avenue in Bedford, the heavy ball's sound on maple wood lanes produced a rumble, rumble, crash sound.
The seated pin boy hoisted his feet up high after a bowling ball was launched and the wooden pins went flying.
Automatic pin setter machines have replaced pin boys of long ago.
Pawnee Bowling Lanes owned a cement walk-in safe.
One evening, a teenage baby-sitter was caring for several children while the adults bowled.
There was the safe with its door ajar. The mischievous kids tricked the girl into entering the vault and the door was slammed shut, locking it.
That day, no one at Pawnee Lanes knew the combination to the safe. Hearing the commotion, bowling was forgotten and the bowlers became spectators.
Members of the Bedford Fire Department arrived and the fellows surveyed the problem.
One firefighter mentioned that the Bedford Heights Fire Department owned a saw that could cut through the cement block safe.
Since it was a mutual aid emergency, the Bedford Heights Fire Department was summoned.
The son of the Pawnee Lanes' owner, driving by, noticed fire trucks from two different fire departments parked out front. He stormed inside and stopped the demolition.
"Hold off on that saw. There's a combination written down here -- somewhere," he said.
After a hasty search, the combination paper was found on a window frame and the safe was unlocked. The unruly kids were freed. The fire trucks returned to their home bases.
This was a good fire run. No fire, no smoky clothes, no hose to clean and hang up to dry.
Pawnee Lanes soon returned to normal. Rumble, rumble, crash.