History of Kegler's Pub & Pin

Located at 412 N River Street (Hwy 63) in Spooner, Wisconsin, Kegler's Pub & Pin is housed in a building with a history all its own. Some old timers in Spooner say that Al Capone once hid his car in the lower level during the Prohibition Era. Others say it was a parking ramp of sorts for local residents who paid for the privilege of parking there, especially in the winter when the first Model T's didn't start in cold weather.

Previous owner Craig Solum, however, says the building's history is more mundane than that. It was built by Peterson Brothers Construction Company in the first part of the 20th Century, and it contains the same architectural features as several other Peterson buildings in Spooner, including vehicle-sized loading ramps that go below grade and graceful pillars that hold amazing spans of concrete.

"Originally the building was the Allen Gas & Oil Shell Station," explains Solum, a respected real estate appraiser who still lives and works in Spooner. "Then Hedlunds bought it and it became Hedlund Gas. In old pictures, you can see where cars pulled in to fill up, and if they needed repairs, they were driven down the ramp in front to the repair shop." The photo below shows the building as it was then. Notice the garage doors and ramp declining below grade. Today, the grass in the foreground is the municipal parking lot on Oak Street.

Currently the lower level is fully enclosed and houses business offices, a chiropractic office, and a custom frame shop and art gallery, also owned by the current owners of Kegler's Pub & Pin.

Not until 1975 did the building have a true "main" level. When the ground floor was built, the bowling lanes and AMF Pin-Spotter machines were installed.

"That's when [local real estate broker] Nick Masterjohn owned the building and John and Joy Newman established Northern Lites Lanes on the upper [main] floor. John loved to bowl, and he and Joy already owned Paradise Lanes in Racine, Wisconsin. Whenever they visited their second home on Big McKenzie Lake, they had nowhere to bowl. There were only two lanes in Spooner back then--under the old liquor store downtown. So he and Joy opened Northern Lites Lanes," tells Solum.

"When John and Joy decided to build a bowling center," continues Solum,"they bought used pinspotter machines and used lanes from a bowling alley in Japan. In 1975, those machines were already 2 years old. At the time they were state-of-the-art. Today, because the machines are mechanical and not electrical, parts can still be replaced. Those machines are still setting pins today."

The business remained with John and Joy Newman until first John and then Joy passed away. She willed the bowling center to two friends, one of whom was Craig Solum. In 1996 Solum sold Northern Lites Lanes to its then-manager.

Over the next 10 years, the scoring was updated from manual to automatic, the bar area was remodeled, and new ball returns were installed. In 2006, the center was sold to current owners Andrew Licata and JoAnn Martin, a local husband-and-wife team who have devoted their careers to the profession of bowling.

In 2007, Andrew and JoAnn renamed the lanes, after sponsoring a public naming contest, to Kegler's Pub & Pin.

"'Kegler' is a German word," says Andrew, "and it means 'bowler.' It's a word found throughout the industry, so we thought it was a great choice for our new name."

"We love everything about bowling," says Andrew, who is a league bowler, a mechanic, a pro shop operator, and a USBC certified coach. "I bowl in two to four leagues a week," he continues, "and my wife bowls at least once a week. We love the sport and enjoy being a part of the local business community."

To reach Andrew or JoAnn, please call 715-635-8706 or e-mail us.

See you on the lanes!

Andrew and JoAnn, owners
Kegler's Pub & Pin
412 North River Street
Spooner, WI  54801
715-635-8706