Watrous man opens his bowling alley for stranded travellers

There could be much worse places to be stranded than a bowling alley during a winter storm.

Kelvin Fellner, who runs Jake’s Place in Watrous, opened up his building to anyone who needed in out of the storm on Tuesday night.

“Coming home, I knew it was getting ugly and after 10 p.m., there isn’t a whole lot in town that’s open,” he said. “That’s why I thought if people are stranded, can’t travel, are cold and want a safe place, give me a call and I will open my building, free of charge for anything.

Kelvin Fellner. (Submitted)

“Whatever was in the building was on the house.”

Fellner said one person heard about the offer and stopped in.

“I had a gentleman travelling from Melfort to Saskatoon,” Fellner said. “His wife’s friend heard about our offer on the radio and passed my information along.”

The traveller was able to stay at the bowling alley until his company found him a hotel room.

But who’s the better bowler between the two will have to be decided another time.

“We never did do any bowling,” Fellner said. “We just kind of sat around and visited and put the hockey game on.”

Fellner says the offer stands for all future snowstorms.

“I am one to always help somebody,” he said, “and I love meeting people and making new friends — and that I did!”