Its always great to receive email from readers! As many of you may know, I handle the official Twitter account for the Candlepin Pro Series. One of the most important qualities of Twitter and other social media networking sites is the ability to to connect with others who share the same interests as you. A fine example of this is the following story.
I did a quick search one day for people who were tweeting about Candlepin bowling and came across user @TriciaCawley who tweeted: “Strongly considering a roadtrip to go candlepin bowling. I miss it so freaking much. I wish there was an alley it VT“. With my self-proclaimed Candlepin expertise, I tweeted her back with a list of the only four Candlepin lanes in Vermont. Thus, I’ve received photos and a brief report of Upper Valley Lanes and Games in White River Junction, VT from Tricia! 
Upper Valley Lanes and Games is a facility that features both Candlepin (8 lanes) and ten-pin bowling. We won’t speak of ten-pin, but when it comes to the Candlepin lanes, Tricia had quite a bit to say:
“The lanes themselves were rather dead, no good action,
but I had a blast.”
This had me thinking that Tricia must be a seasoned Candlepin bowler. I fired an email back to her with some pretty heavy questions to which she offered this information:
“I grew up at 21st Century lanes in West Roxbury, then bowled out of Ficco’s Bowladrome in Franklin. My state tournaments were out of Alley Kat in Kingston. My sisters and I had the MA state championship title in our names for about 8 years, and my mother is Cyndi Cawley – who is still very active on the Pro Tour.”
Tricia Cawley, an everythingcandlepin.com reader!
Very exciting! It turns out that Tricia moved up to the Burlington, VT area to work for an automotive group. Burlington, unfortunately, does not feature a Candlepin selection. Luckily, Tricia’s organization has an affiliate in White River Junction and she was able to this a 90 mile business trip…but more importantly, a Candlepin bowling trip. After speaking with the proprietor of the establishment, Tricia learned that Upper Valley Lanes and Games will soon be sanctioned to be able to host a Candlepin league (perhaps ICBA?).
From the looks of the photos that Tricia so graciously submitted, it appears as though the Candlepin lanes feature all wood approaches and lanes with converted ten-pin ball return racks. Scoring is presumed to be semi-automatic, but we can’t say that for sure. Rates are charged per-string (not hourly), and they charge $2.50/string, $3 for shoes. I pass through White River Junction about once a year myself, so I will certainly make it a point to make a stop at Upper Valley next time I’m in the area! Does it get any better than Green Mountains AND Candlepin Bowling? I don’t think so.
I’ll finish by stressing the importance of social media and the impact that his has on Candlepin Bowling. With sites like Twitter, I’m able to tweet to local news figures like Maria Stephanos of Fox25, she always gives us a shout out! Her followers see this, their followers see it, and so-on and so-on. Facebook enables me to spread the word of Pro Series events. And most importantly, YouTube, Candlepin’s greatest social media friend, is an archive for the old Channel 5 shows and Candlepin For Kids.
Be sure to follow the Candlepin Pro Series Twitter account by clicking the button below. If you visit any of the many not-so-common bowling alleys in New England or the Maritime Provinces, let us know and we’ll do our best to feature it!