The Golden Strike Bowling Alley opened at the Nome Recreation Center in 1985. Through changes in management, funding, and occasional closures, one constant has been Wally Johnson welcoming patrons with a smile. Born and raised in Nome, Johnson discovered bowling on a trip to Fairbanks after watching professional bowling on TV with his father. Bowling in Nome dates back to the early 1900s, from lanes in a military building to the Mini Convention Center, which was destroyed in the 1974 storm. “So we had a big storm in 1974 that flooded the Mini Convention Center… and it destroyed all of the machines and the lanes and everything and the shoes! I still have some shoes here from down there. Kind of cool,” Johnson said.
When the Rec Center built the current facility, Johnson became a mechanic and attendant, eventually earning certification. By the 1990s, he was running the alley largely alone. “The hard thing is probably trying to maintain the machines themselves. It takes a certified mechanic to actually keep the lanes running,” he explained. Through budget shutdowns and COVID 19, he has kept the lanes open. “It’s the people that make the bowling alley happen… You are what is called a public servant. So you’re working for the people,” Johnson said. The alley hosts leagues, birthday parties, and student sessions during fall and winter. “I love bowling… when people come up here and start bowling, I want to help them… so that they can understand that it’s actually not that hard to go bowling,” he said.
Johnson also teaches new bowlers, sizes shoes, and tries to pass on the mechanic role to others. “I call it the exciting part, when the children… there’s a spark that comes on after their shyness, and it’s like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know this is so fun!’” he said. He hopes someone will step in to continue the tradition. “That needs to happen because, I don’t think that the people of Nome should lose this, because it’s theirs,” he said. While he knows he cannot work forever, “my bones ache, and I know I am not going to be able to do it,” the bowling season is underway, and Johnson is behind the counter, ready to hand out shoes.
