Following the closure of Family Bowl Lanes in December 2018, local bowlers had to wait until August of last year before they had a place to bowl.

Bowling alley owner Praveen Ravi sold the lanes and parking lot to nearby Northcrest Baptist Church, and brought Event Zona and Rebound Trampoline Park to Meridian last fall to offer the city family-oriented entertainment. For members of area bowling leagues, it meant waiting almost a year to resume league play, which began in September.

Now, league play is on hold once again. For three weeks, Event Zona and Rebound Trampoline Park has been closed, one of many businesses affected by the COIVD-19 pandemic. The last time the bowling leagues were able to get matches in was the first week of March, and bowling tournaments scheduled for last weekend and this weekend were postponed.

“We were right in the middle of our season,” said Jason Pierce, treasurer for the local bowling leagues. “It’s sort of hectic.”

MA Copeland, consultant for Event Zona, said the entertainment center in Meridian will be closed for the foreseeable future, as will its locations in Columbus and Tupelo.

“When you’re talking about an $8 million investment and all of a sudden you shut it down, it’s been tough,” Copeland said. “These are the only bowling centers in those three cities, so when they’re down, everybody is down. I don’t mind saying it’s been rough on me. I bowl twice a week, and everything was running well, but all of a sudden this locked us down.”

As frustrating as it is, Pierce said he understands the need to maintain social distancing protocols and eliminate gatherings of 10 or more people.

“People need to be safe in times like these,” Pierce said. “We err on the side of caution. We do have some younger bowlers, but most of our bowlers are like me, in their mid 40s and up, which seems to be the most affected group. With how contagious this is, we didn’t want to take any chances.”

The men’s state tournament in Columbus and women’s state tournament in Philadelphia scheduled for later this month have both been canceled. Pierce is supposed to play in a national tournament this summer in Reno, Nevada, but right now that trip is up in the air.

“I’m scheduled to go there in June but haven’t bought plane tickets,” Pierce said.

Pierce said he has a feeling the bowling leagues are likely done for the season. Going almost a year without league play and then having it suspended before its conclusion has felt like a rollercoaster, but Pierce said there’s no sense in getting angry about it.

“Some things are out of our control,” Pierce said. “We can’t control having to construct a new bowling alley, and we can’t control this virus. It is what it is. Our bowlers will deal with it and make it through this. We’re a tight-knit community.”

For now, Copeland said he’s using his free time doing whatever needs to be done around the house.

“My wife and I are more active than you usually see from 84- and 85-year-olds,” Copeland said. “It just shut us down, but I do have my garden partially planted, and I cut my yard three times already and will cut it again (Wednesday).”