Alley cats

Author: By Jenifer McKim, Globe Correspondent

Date: SUNDAY, October 27, 1996

Page: M1

Section: Travel

Bowling? Now, I had not seen this friend since high school -- when we were giddy and restless 15-year-olds -- but I did not expect she would change so much that bowling would be a high point for a maiden visit to New Orleans.

But Rock 'n Bowl, or Mid City Lanes, is no normal bowling alley.

Far from the tourist-packed, music-saturated streets of the French Quarter, Rock 'n Bowl offers visitors a local's taste of fun with live zydeco and cajun music and room to dance in, alligator sandwiches, gumbo, $1 shots of schnapps and 18 bowling lanes for those who get the urge to bowl a few. And many do.

We drove into the large parking lot on South Carrollton Avenue, where Rock 'n Bowl is identified only by a large neon bowling sign next to a Chinese restaurant and a beauty supply store.

After paying $5, we headed up the steep staircase, underneath a small photo of the Virgin Mary, toward the sound of zydeco, the rhythmic mix of blues, French and Caribbean music -- combined with the sound of bowling balls hitting pins.

Inside, middle-aged couples in cowboy boots and tight pants were dancing the two step with skill, and Tulane students in khakis were enthusiastically spinning each other around, stopping only to drink cold Abita Amber from plastic cups. Down by the bowling lanes, women in evening gowns and men in T-shirts -- proudly sporting red, tan and black bowling shoes -- were dancing in between strings and cheering at strikes.

New Orleans seems to know something most of us don't: Booze, bowling and blues is an intoxicating blend.

``People think bowling and they think dullsville,'' said John Blancher, the 42-year-old owner of Mid City Lanes. ``Once they get here they realize they have had a great time.''

In fact, Blancher said Mid City Lanes was an answer to a prayer. Following some bad luck, Blancher said, he traveled to Medjugorje, Yugoslavia, in 1988 to see an apparition of the Virgin Mary. Missing her, the 42-year-old New Orleans native made a petition on a mountain top asking for something to bring his family together.

The following week the Knights of Columbus offered to sell him the failing bowling alley. And despite his families' doubts, Blancher bought the business on All Saints Day, Nov. 1, 1988.

Business was slow through the first year, except for Saturday nights, when a late-night, local theater crowd turned on the jukebox and danced in the bowling lanes, on the ball racks and in the bar. Their pleasure sparked the idea, and soon after Blancher brought in a live band Friday nights.

Within months, he said, Fridays became his busiest night. Soon after, he brought in a band Saturdays and attracted larger crowds, boosted by increased media attention, including an article in National Geographic last year. Now, most members of his family are involved in the business, including his mother, who does the books, and his wife, who helps manage.

Blancher said he wanted to create a place where people would feel at home. In 1991, he commissioned a mural on the far side wall of a neighborhood ballpark and jazz musicians playing outside, a salute to the old New Orleans where every neighborhood had a corner bar with dancing on Saturday night.

``It is definitely a locals' hangout, but we have a lot of curious tourists who want to come and see what locals do,'' he said.

Rock 'n Bowl now offers an array of live music, mostly local bands, Wednedays through Saturdays, including zydeco, cajun and blues. Admission is usually $5, except for special occasions, like Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras.

Sometimes, late at night, the gregarious brown-haired owner will get up on the small wooden stage to sing with the band. The business also plays host to three bowling leagues, one gay, one yuppie and one for the mentally handicapped, he said.

But most people head to Rock 'N Bowl to dance. Once they get there, however, many find they also want to bowl.

``I think people love to bowl; it is something they never think about,'' Blancher said.

Unlike most sports, he said, people can attain perfection with one strike.

``You will jump up and down and throw your hands in the air, and at that moment you have done one thing that nobody can do better.''

In fact, after I danced several sets, mesmerized by the music and the musician playing the washboard, I, too, felt the urge to bowl. And so I did.

For more information, write to Mid City Lanes, 4133 South Carrollton Ave., New Orleans, LA 70119; or phone (504) 482-3133