Re:Take: Bowling - Beer = ?
Re:Take is a weekly look at the Emerald City now and in days of yore through photos dug out of the city archives. Pull out your fedoras and your panama hats! It's time for some lawn bowling.
Seattle opened its first lawn bowling green in Woodland Park in 1932. That was followed by another next door in 1962, as well as the green on Beacon Hill in Jefferson Park.
If your image of lawn bowling involves a bunch of old white guys hanging out in the sun, this 1935 city archives picture must be very comforting to you. Photos that ran in the paper show it wasn't an aberration -- a 1934 regional tournament was 100% crusty, sunburned, sober bowlers.
The biggest problem with lawn bowling in a public park is the inability to drink alcohol. Most of the fun of backyard bocce ball, after all, is that it fills the time between drinks without having to talk to that annoying guy.
If that doesn't cramp your style -- or you're good with a Camelbak -- drop by Woodland Park on a weekday evening (details here). Or if you're down south, check out the Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club, which looks like a whole lot of fun.
Bigger photo over on Flickr.
(Discussed crusty photo ran in Seattle Times on May 27, 1934 page 56. This photo courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, 1935.)
