A longtime bowling alley in Lehighton has gone high-tech.

Fritz’s Lanes & Pro Shop, 100 S. Second St., recently redid its bowling scoring system.

Owners Dennis and Beverly Fritzinger have added a Qubica/AMF system.

Other upgrades include colored lighting for the pins, cosmic bowling and different light shows, and automatic bumpers.

“We upgraded the old system, which was from 1993,” Dennis said. “It lived its course; no one was repairing the boards anymore.”

Easy-Touch screens are now at the consoles at the ball return, and several 55-inch overhead monitors.

There’s even a selfie-cam for bowlers to take pictures of themselves and put it on the screen as their image or background.

The work took about two weeks to complete, and was done by subcontractors from Texas, West Virginia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Lancaster.

Beverly said the equipment had become antiquated.

“It was time to step into the 21st century,” Beverly said. “Business has been better (since COVID-19).”

The couple said they paid for the improvements through a loan from Mauch Chunk Trust Company.

“Everybody loves it,” Beverly said. “The league bowlers’ mouths dropped (when they saw the upgrades).”

The couple said they took over the former Ashley Lanes bowling alley in 1996; then bought it in 1999.

Before that, it had been The Park movie theater, before it was converted into a bowling alley in 1961, when it was known as Park Lanes, then Scott Lanes, and then Ashley Lanes.

Beverly said they made the changes to bolster what is already a solid business.

“We love the sport, and want to keep it going for the community,” she said. “It’s not work if you’re doing what you love.”

In 2019, they put in 10 synthetic lanes, and seating has since been added from the former Haja Lanes in Palmerton after it closed.

Beverly said they’ve picked up bowlers from Palmerton and Slatington since the recent closures of several local bowling alleys.

Dennis said they offer cosmic bowling from 9-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, along with a light show.

He said they also host kids birthday parties on Fridays and Saturdays as well.

While leagues have been strong, they are looking for new league members.

For more information, call 610-377-5022, or follow them on Facebook.

Fritz’s Lanes & Pro Shop is open 1-10 p.m. Monday, 6-10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 6-11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 1-10 p.m. Sunday.