Historical Oddities
Adjacent to our neighborhood, I see multiple bowling alleys with signs looking something like this:
All these places are old as dirt, and their signs are odd. Who advertises beer and liquor on a bowling sign? Plus, every time I see a sign like this, the attached building is small, seemingly too small to even be a bowling alley.
The strange collection of signs made me wonder if all these bowling alleys were somehow skirting liquor license laws, and, as it turns out, they were.
Post-Prohibition, Michigan, like many states, had dry counties everywhere. Bars and restaurants couldn't serve alcohol. Bowling alleys, however, had a carve out as "recreational" facilities, and they could serve alcohol if they fulfilled certain minor conditions. It was basically a massive loophole which was exploited to the hilt.
A few of these dodgers are still open today, like this one. It's been remodeled and looks terrific inside (if the online pictures are accurate). I'll be heading there next week to check it out for myself.
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