Paul ClintonFor little Gerardo Ramirez, bowling hasn’t...

Paul Clinton

For little Gerardo Ramirez, bowling hasn’t lost a bit of its luster.

He hasn’t dismissed it as the latest in a line of passe

entertainments from yesteryear such as vaudeville, love-ins or disco.

On Saturday, at the Orange County Fair, Ramirez was just having

fun, his face lighting up as he knocked down the pins at the fair’s

free bowling trailer.

The 11-year-old boy from San Juan Capistrano clapped and threw a

high-five at a friend, when he rolled a strike.

“I’ve never bowled, but I like it,” Ramirez said rather

sheepishly. “Knocking the pins down is fun.”

The Orange County Bowling Assn. is sponsoring a trailer at the

fair, where both children and adults can bowl for free.

The trailer has been well attended, said Bill Huntington, the

president of the Orange County Bowling Assn.

“The purpose of this trailer is to get you interested in bowling,”

Huntington said. “We give them a free game.”

Bowlers do, in fact, receive a free game at one of seven Orange

County bowling centers, including Fountain Bowl, Irvine Lanes and

Rossmoor Lanes.

The bowling trailer isn’t regulation. The lane is 25 feet, or more

than twice as small as the usual 60-foot lane.

“It’s been very popular,” Huntington said. “The trailer has been

her since the beginning of the fair.”

Each bowler at the trailer, which is located near the Kid’s Stage,

is given 55 seconds. At that pace, the trailer can accommodate as

many as 400 bowlers during a 12-hour day.

The poly-urethane balls have been painted to resemble billiard

balls, giving the exhibition a kitschy, fun flavor.

In fact, the bowling trailer has been such a success, Huntington

said, that fair officials have asked them back for next year’s fair.