Community Commentary -- David James

Kudos to Editor Tony Dodero for his kind words in support of Kona

Lanes and the preservation of bowling in Costa Mesa (From the Newsroom,

“Knocking over a 7-10 split of memories,” Monday).

As a 32-year resident of the city, I’ve spent more than my fair share

of time at Kona Lanes, marking down X’s for strikes or O’s for gutter

balls (though more often a score in between). Bowling is an excellent way

to break the ice on a date, take out-of-town guests or simply unwind

after a hard day’s work.

I know the game doesn’t hold the status in society it once did, but

that’s no reason to chase the lanes out of town. Instead of demolishing

the alley for another stupid, unneeded strip mall, why not build around

it, leaving Kona Lanes as the focus point or a theme for a new batch of

shops? The Kona Lanes sign on Harbor Boulevard is one of the last

remaining hints of the old tiki culture that once permeated the area, and

a shopping center with this type of theme could be very cool, as opposed

to another row of faceless coffee shops, cell phone stores and fast food

joints.

Just as a thought; why not a skate park in the old Ice Capades

location, and some shops between the two, with their commerce linked to

these anchor businesses?

(Something like a Sam’s Seafood with a Polynesian dance show, a

skate/surf shop, a shop that sells the hep merch of the lowbrow

tiki/hot-rod/underground culture, like, say, Wacko, up in LA, and maybe a

nice vintage clothing store so bowlers can pick up a shirt with their

name embroidered on the front and their favorite bowling alley on the

back?)

God knows we don’t need any more smoothie shops, chain coffee shops,

uninspired eateries or dry cleaners. Costa Mesa is saturated with rotten,

run-of-the-mill common conveniences and needs something to help the city

stand out like it used to (remember how cool it was knowing every tourist

rolling into Newport Beach was greeted by the giant Mesa sign of the long

gone and lamented Mesa Theater? Now they see Nike. Groan.).

Targets and Ikeas and Starbucks and additions to South Coast Plaza

are, I suppose, the best way to drain shoppers’ pockets and make our

government happy via the tax revenue, but there’s no reason a well-done

shopping/entertainment destination as I’ve described above wouldn’t

prosper. Plus building a skate park at the former ice rink would

certainly shut all the NIMBYs up.

I can only dream, and I’m sure my dream will turn into the nightmare

of a Best Buy or Wal-Mart “gracing” the corner of Harbor and Mesa Verde

Drive, now that Costa Mesa has used up all of its undeveloped land and

must turn to the wrecking ball for urban renewal.

Lastly, there is a wonderful book out by Sven A. Kirsten called “The

Book Of Tiki,” and there, with all of its fantastic pictures of old

tiki-themed restaurants, motels, clubs, bars, and other relics of a

better time and place, is a picture of something every Costa Mesan should

appreciate -- the sign for Kona Lanes, gracing Harbor Boulevard in all

its resplendent South Seas glory.

Save Kona Lanes.

* DAVID JAMES is a Costa Mesa resident.