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Fairwood Lanes figured prominently in a lawsuit filed against Governor Roy Cooper by the Bowling Proprietors Association of the Carolinas and Georgia, according to a copy of the document.

It was a lawsuit which Wake County Superior Court Judge James Gale supported the plaintiffs in the matter in a ruling made Tuesday.

It is also a decision the News and Observer of Raleigh reported the governor will immediately appeal.

Elizabeth Robinson, who with her husband Timothy owns the bowling alley, said this morning they received word from the association that the judge today overruled Cooper’s appeal.

In discussing the benefits bowling provides, attorneys Anthony J. Biller and Adam P. Banks noted the efforts the Robinsons made to bring Fairwood back to life.

The attorneys work for the Raleigh firm of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP and stated in the lawsuit against Cooper, “In addition to the services and benefits they provide for their patrons, bowling centers also provide important benefits for their communities. Bowling centers are local businesses that employ approximately 3,000 North Carolinians in their hometowns. Bowling centers work with charities, schools, and other community organizations to hold fundraisers and provide civic programs that benefit the local communities in which they serve.”

Said the lawsuit: “Each of the plaintiffs has become an important part of their communities and represents the type of spirit that makes American and North Carolinian small businesses so important in our communities.”

One example, the attorneys noted in the lawsuit, “is the work done by Fairwood Lanes Bowling Center in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. Fairwood Lanes Bowling Center started its life in March 2019 as a foreclosed and severely dilapidated bowling center in an economically depressed area of North Carolina.”

Described in the document as a labor of love, “The owners invested their retirement savings into renovating the center. They then set about to see how their bowling center could serve their community.”

As part of its efforts, Fairwood Lanes started a special needs bowling league, the Superheroes. “The league provided something the participants finally love and resulted in substantial improvements to their lives and interpersonal skills,” the lawsuit said. “Since the shut-down, the participants' caregivers have been contacting Fairwood Lanes begging for them to reopen, even if just for a half hour, one bowler at a time, because of the immense benefits bowling offers the Superheroes.”

One of the exhibits included in the lawsuit was a letter from Cheryl Dixon, owner and director of New Beginnings Day Treatment Center in Roanoke Rapids.

It is a center, the letter said, which serves physically and mentally challenged adults. “We have 15 to 20 adults every day that come to us for enrichment and to increase their quality of life. One of those enriching opportunities was participating in the local bowling league. The management/owners created a special league for area residents such as ours. We met weekly for friendly competition and fun. 

“Going to a local bowling alley was a new experience for many of us at the New Beginnings Center. The management made sure modifications were in place so that all of our members could participate. It was one of the highlights of their week. It has certainly been missed since its closure. We consider taking our members bowling as very important in building their interpersonal skills and being included in the community. We hope the bowling alley can reopen soon.”

Dixon wrote, “Our specific population needs to go back to their routines as much as is possible to continue to progress individually. Please keep the New Beginnings family in mind as new rules are being made concerning the opening of businesses in North Carolina.”

Another woman wrote of how bowling has helped her 22-year-old who has autism.

“I am from a small town in Eastern North Carolina that has limited resources,” the letter included as an exhibit said. “There are very few opportunities for anyone to have fun and safe entertainment. For people with disabilities, those opportunities are limited even more.”

The letter noted that last year  “our community was blessed to have our old bowling alley redone and opened by new owners. In January, they started a league for people with special needs, the Superheroes League.”

Her son has been part of the league. “Before bowling, he had no structured activities. He had no friends outside of our family. Bowling changed all of that. Through the bowling league, I have watched (him) blossom socially. He has looked forward to bowling each and every week. He talks to people, encourages his teammates, and smiles the whole time he is bowling.”

The letter continued, “This league has brought our community together through sponsors, organizations, and citizens who have been blessed to witness what it has done for everyone involved. I cannot begin to describe the smiles and cheers that go up on Superhero bowling days.”

The woman said in the exhibit no one could have predicted this pandemic. “I have tried to explain the virus to (her son). He understands the basics. From the time bowling closed, he has asked daily when it would return. We have been blessed by people in our community who have brought us bowling play sets for our yard. 

“I am so grateful but I cannot explain that to (her son) it just is not the same. (He) wants to bowl with his friends. He wants to see the bowling staff who encourage and support him. I understand that safety measures need to be followed. It seems that spacing could be allowed between lanes. Hand sanitizer stations are already in place.”

She ended the letter saying, “People could use one ball to avoid sharing. If not for everyone, at least let the Superheroes League bowl. Surely this is as safe, if not safer, than public swimming pools.”

Elizabeth said this morning she believed the letters which served as exhibits in the case “had a significant impact on the decision the court made. Their contribution played just as much of a role as everyone else. We have received inquiries from parents and friends of the Superheroes on what they could do, how we could allow a group of young men and women to bowl.”

She said, “To us it’s activities but to the Superheroes it’s helped them come out of their shells.”