In Pittsburgh, you can bowl in the buff.
The city that blessed us with the P00P series and is currently hosting a furry convention has something else up their sleeves.. Oh wait!!! They are not wearing any sleeves.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A city that was built on history and legacy. You think about the 6-time Super Bowl champs Pittsburgh Steelers. I still remember living in Tempe, Arizona right across the Salt River bed (before it was filled with water) from Sun Devil Stadium during Super Bowl XXX where they were beaten by the Cowboys, 27-17. Somewhere in my collection, I still have a Terrible Towel. You may think of the Pirates, the legacy of Willie Stargell and “Stargell Stars”. I still can’t get the fight song of their AA affiliate out of my head. As a broadcast radio historian, I think about the heritage of what is now 1020 KDKA, one of America’s first radio stations that once had one of the best full-service radio jingle packages ever put out by JAM Creative Productions.
But this big city known for its past history of being a steel powerhouse and today is adored for its three rivers and nearby Allegheny Mountains also has it’s.. ummm.. strange side.
You have the turnpike rivalry between the Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies, which thanks to the design consequence of the score bugs formerly used by the NBC Regional Sports Networks across the country, had coined the phrase, the “P00P Series” for the games between the two teams.
The diversity of different in Pittsburgh goes beyond sports because, as this article is being written, the city is currently hosting Anthrocon, an annual convention of “artists, animators, writers, costumers, puppeteers and just everyday fans who enjoy cartoon animals and their kin” along with costumes that will give Philly’s Gritty a run for his money. In other words, it is a furry convention. For the record, I have no issues with furry conventions. I hear they are a very welcoming group of people and they give a lot of free hugs, and everyone can use a free hug from time to time.
After the furries, the artists and the vendors leave the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh is preparing for something much, much, stranger. We’re talking “hide the kids” kind of strange:
Nude bowling.
WTRF (CBS Wheeling, WV) is reporting that the Pittsburgh Area Naturalists are planning an event where you can bowl in the nude.
The event, called Balls Out will be held on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at the Crafton Ingram Lanes in Pittsburgh. This is not your ordinary night out with the boys or with the girls. While the guys have to wear nothing but a smile, women can still wear bottoms. Hanky-panky is not permitted and could get you kicked out (hopefully they will let you put your clothes back on first).
Now, I can finally understand why Brunswick designed the hand dryers on the ball returns the way they did.
Admission is $30 and must be purchased in advance, regardless of whether you bowl or not. Must be 18 or over (thank goodness!). And well, you won’t be totally nude as the $30 admission does include shoe rental.
More information about Balls Out can be found at the Naturalists Facebook Event Page.
That is not exactly my cup of tea where it comes to bowling.
The Michi misses her duckpins
Myself, I really miss duckpin bowling. I lived the first 5 years of my life in Timonium, Maryland and I have very vivid memories of going to the Fair Lanes, now known as Lucky Strike and bowling at the duckpin lanes. The last time I tried regular bowling a few years ago, my back was out of commission for a few days afterwards. Some causal duckpin bowling with the lighter weight smaller balls does sound like a lot of fun.
Myself, the next time I am on the western shore, I will need to check out White Oak Lanes in Silver Spring, MD, the only duckpin in MoCo. Duckpin was once very popular in Maryland back in the day. Very few bowling centers, such as White Oak still have true classic duckpin (without the strings).
This article is also being cross-posted to “Michi Bradley: Taking My Bonnet Off”.
