West Lanes back in the family

At the time, people thought Tony and Nellie Pirruccello were a little nuts. You're going to build a bowling alley on a dirt road next to a cornfield? Who's going to go all the way out to 72nd and Dodge Streets to bowl?

Now, 56 years later, West Lanes bowling alley — named for its original, far west Omaha location — is near the northeast corner of one of the busiest intersections in town. More than 85,700 cars per day travel north-south on that once-dirt road.

That cornfield that became Crossroads Mall is now poised for reincarnation. And this Sunday, the bowling alley across the street reopens once again under Pirruccello family management.

"My grandparents were the ones who built it from scratch. It was their dream," said Mike Pirruccello, 44.

Along with his sisters and father, Pirruccello took over ownership and management of the building years ago. The alley was owned by others for 31 years who rented the building from the Pirruccellos. When the alley owners closed the business in May, the Pirruccellos decided to step back into running the alley and revitalize the place they remember so well.

"It fell into our laps," Mike said. "We decided we would make a go of it."

The history of West Lanes intertwines with the history of Omaha itself and with the lives of its many regulars.

In time, photographs showcasing the bowling alley's history will greet patrons on an entry wall. There's Tony and Nellie at the ribbon-cutting with the mayor. Children bowling during a muscular dystrophy telethon. The tornado of '75 that lifted the roof off of the building — and then using hair dryers to dry off the new electronic scoring systems after the tornado caused pipes to burst.

To prepare for this reopening, the family has done cosmetic work including adding more than $1,000 worth of lighting equipment for cosmic bowling and resurfacing of the 24 wooden lanes, among the last remaining in Omaha.

Among the grand reopening plans: Grandma Nellie, who turns 100 in November, will throw out the first ball. Although she walks well, it's likely she will sit in a wheelchair and push her ball down a ramp made of metal poles that will launch the ball straight toward the pins.

"I'm real proud, what more can I say," said Nellie, who says she was not a stellar bowler but always had fun. Her husband did, too.

Nellie said she's looking forward to the grand reopening and wishes only the best for her grandchildren as they embark on running the business.

"My only advice is you have to spend a little time at whatever you're doing and be very congenial with your customers," she said. "Your customer is always right, right or wrong."

While renovation continued at West Lanes on a recent afternoon, regulars Cody McCormick, his wife, Carrieanne, and their daughters, Hailee, 8, and Joslynn, 5, stopped by to check things out before their family move to Des Moines.

"The lanes look great," Cody said. This has been his stomping grounds three nights a week for 15 years as a league bowler. He worked there for 10 years, too. "It looks completely different."

The McCormicks' girls both bowled their first games at West Lanes. They played in junior and peewee leagues, respectively. Carrieanne also bowled in a league. The family plans to stop for a game or two whenever they're in town.

Mike and the rest of the Pirruccello clan want to be sure West Lanes remains a family place. Leagues will serve all ages. Already, 12 leagues are committed for fall, and play starts opening night. Mike said he wants other families to build memories there.

"I literally grew up in the bowling alley," he said, remembering learning to bowl, family gatherings in the basement party room and taking snacks from the kitchen. His late mother, Connie, was the youngest of Tony and Nellie's three children.

The family-run bowling alley will follow the example Tony Pirruccello set, Mike said. "My grandpa was a good teacher. He never had a 300 game, but ... as a proprietor, a people person, he always told me what was important was being gracious."

Tony Pirruccello came to America from Sicily alone when he was 17. Mike said his grandpa didn't know English when he arrived and became a successful small-business owner.

"This place is a realization of the American dream," Mike said. "We've got big shoes to fill."

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