Story by Jake Bourgeois at the Dyersville Commercial
January 14, 2026
In the basement of the Knights of Columbus Hall is a bowling alley that has quite a bit of history.
Though Manager Rod Friedlein doesn’t know exactly when the building was built, it’s apparently the former site of an old horse barn. The Knights of Columbus have used the hall since 1906 and the idea of a bowling alley first shows up in the organization’s minutes in 1934. By 1937, the lanes were installed.
The lanes host leagues three nights a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and alternating Fridays and Saturdays. Friedlein has been running things for the past 35 years and has seen the leagues nearly 100% turn over in that time.
“There’s just a couple people left out of the originals from when I started doing it,” he said, describing the vibe of the league play as more laid back and more about the social comradery.
“There’s not a lot of serious bowlers down here.”
The alley just got through their busy season for rentals (the space is available to rent by the hour) with people home for the holidays. Those looking to rent usually include various groups and families and the alley hosted a collection of Christmas parties.
Friedlein said that funds raised help generate enough revenue to keep the building maintained, while also allowing for some of the money to be used for their various charitable endeavors.
The lanes played host to a state tournament in 1946 and a KC team took home a state title in 2015.
Automatic pin setters were added in 1975, replacing the need to set pins by hand, but there hasn’t been much done to the lanes over the years. Synthetic overlays went in roughly 20 years ago, but, for the most part, the lanes remain remarkably old-fashioned.
The ball return still runs on top of the lanes — not underground —and it’s one of the rare alleys that doesn’t use a computer system, a rarity for the area.
“I don’t know of anywhere else,” Friedlein said.
^Ron Friedlein has served as manager of the lanes for the past 35 years.
