Northshore Lanes Bowling Alley to Reopen in Cobourg

By Jeff Gard/Today’s Northumberland

For the first time since early 2020, bowling will resume at Northshore Lanes in Cobourg.

Bob Chatten, a former employee, is leasing the bowling alley located in the downstairs of Northumberland Mall.

Plans are for this Friday night at 6 p.m. to be the grand opening followed by Rock n’ Bowl at 7 p.m. Alcohol will not be served on Friday evenings as, while all ages are welcome, there are a lot of teenagers who turn out for rock n’ bowl, Chatten noted. Rock n’ Bowl will also be offered Saturday evenings and alcohol will be sold that night.

Northshore Lanes offers five-pin bowling while two pool tables remain as do arcade games. There is also space available to book parties.

Chatten said he got the keys this past Friday, four days earlier than expected which made opening this week a possibility. Along with his wife and friends, he’s been spending 12 to 14 hours a day getting the bowling alley ready.

There has been a lot of cleanup along with plumbing and electrical work to be completed. While there’s still more work to be done, the lanes have been oiled and Chatten can’t wait to open the doors.

Bowling is a great family activity, he said, and provides great exercise. When the mall owners decided to offer the opportunity to lease the venue, Chatten jumped at the opportunity to re-open Northshore Lanes.

“It gives everybody something to do in the wintertime,” he said, adding he’s hopeful it will be busy year-round.

Chatten is expecting leagues will return and former time slots will be offered.

Regular hours of operation are planned to be 12 to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 12 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, as long as they are busy enough to warrant being open.

“Just come on out and have some fun,” Chatten said. “That’s what it’s about.”