Things may be a little different, but the consensus is that bowling’s still rolling

The sound of the ball as a bowler releases it ? the crash it makes into the pins (which, in Massachusetts, are traditionally candlepins) ? the clatter of the pins on the ground. These are the sounds of bowling on the North Shore, a sport that has resonated with residents throughout the region’s history.For many residents, the place to be to hear these sounds is at one of the local lanes: at Metro Bowl in Peabody or at two Lynn locales: the Lynnway Sportscenter and Lucky Strike on Buffum Street. The numbers may be down at times ? but optimism for bowling seems strong.One man who has seen it all when it comes to the local bowling scene is Lynn native and resident Joe Tavernese, manager of Metro Bowl, who has worked at the lanes for 33 years. The lanes have been owned by the Leo brothers for about 40 years.”It’s just different from what it used to be,” Tavernese said. “The leagues are popular, but not for pro bowling ? It’s not like back in the day. There’s no TV bowling once the Channel 5 show with Don Gillis ended. Once that was out of the picture, a lot of bowlers stopped.”Accounts of bowling’s history differ; Tavernese said that the sport began in ancient Egypt. More recently, he described the glory days of bowling in the Lynn area, when the city’s list of lanes was larger and included the Arco and Capitol lanes.”It was the city of all the pros,” he recalled.While some of the storied lanes may have closed, the bowling scene in Greater Lynn still seems vibrant. Tavernese was busy on a Tuesday night, two days before Thanksgiving.Leagues play at Metro Bowl every night, from Monday to Friday, and Tavernese said that “the place is pretty much full every night.””They’re nice, all nice, different ages,” Tavernese said, “from their 20s till 80 years old. They’re all nice people, like family.”League players have the opportunity to test their skill in tournaments; there is one each month for eight months a year.Metro Bowl aims to cultivate the next generation of bowlers by holding events for children during the week – including a school program on Fridays for youngsters in grades three through eight – and on weekends. And of course, there is the option of a bowling birthday party.Tavernese sounded a bit reflective on where bowling has come, and where it is headed, in the Greater Lynn area.”It’s all we ever did,” he said. “It was the thing to do. It’s changed. We have cosmic bowling with music and lights. It’s a little more entertainment to get people coming down.”