GoFundMe effort launched to help keep Nesbit's Lanes in Plum in business

Kirk Klasnick watched with pride as his son, Ken, bowled strikes in a Sportsmen’s Bowling League game at Nesbit’s Lanes on Friday night.

The Gilpin family has made the trek to the Plum bowling alley for many years.

“I have three generations here,” said Kirk Klasnick, 57. “My dad (Bob), myself and my son. I’ve been in the league 30 years. I was coming here when I was, probably, 10 years old, maybe even younger. It’s always been a great family atmosphere. Nesbit’s is top-notch. Every year, you see some type of improvement.”

Ken Klasnick, 18, a senior at Leechburg High School, is in his first year officially with the league.

“I enjoy it every time we come out here,” he said. “The staff here is amazing. Every time we come out here it’s a blast. It’s a very fun league.”

On this particular Friday the lanes are packed.

But that hasn’t always been the case this past year due to covid restrictions.

The pandemic hit Nesbit’s hard. Leagues have canceled and the family-owned business had a drop of a few hundred bowlers a week.

Verona bowler David Poremba learned about this and took to the internet to help out his longtime friend, owner Rich Nesbit.

Poremba launched a GoFundMe effort to raise $100,000 for the business that has given so much to the surrounding communities.

Nesbit’s is the home lanes for Penn Hills, Plum and Redeemer Lutheran high schools.

“Rich is one of the most generous people I know,” Poremba wrote on the fundraising site. “He never expects anything in return. I know that Rich is the kind of guy that’s not looking for a handout, but it would be a tragic loss to the Plum community — and surrounding communities — if this bowling alley would end up closing due to covid-19.”

More than half way to goal

As of Saturday morning, it had raised a little more than $60,000 of the $100,000 goal. Nearly 700 donors had chipped in.

The page features photos of various bowlers and comments from donors who have made contributions in memory of relatives who took them bowling frequently at Nesbit’s, such as the Klasnick family.

“I would like to have a place to bowl that has a friendly atmosphere with great people for me and all the junior bowlers and teens in the community who spend their time there,” Poremba wrote. “He never charges young kids because he loves the sport of bowling, and wants to see it grow. Let’s see if we can get Rich through August.”

Rich Nesbit, who was surprised to hear about the fundraising effort, said he was overwhelmed by the support.

“It’s heartfelt,” Nesbit said. “It was unexpected. I’m overwhelmed, and I love the people of Plum and the surrounding areas. I’m blessed, I really am blessed and extremely grateful.”

The GoFundMe post claims Nesbit borrowed about $200,000 to help keep the business going, and could lose another $100,000 in the next eight months unless there is more support.

Nesbit would not confirm those figures, but said he did take out loans through the federal Small Business Administration and the Paycheck Protection Program among other federal aid.

Bowling history

Nesbit’s Lanes was opened at 3501 Leechburg Road in 1946 by Rich Nesbit’s father, Russ, and uncles, Jim and Tom.

There were eight lanes with duckpins, which are shorter and wider than those used in modern 10-pin bowling.

Youths from Plum’s Renton and Logans Ferry neighborhoods worked as “pin boys” and would restack the pins after each frame.

The business added eight more lanes in both 1959 and 1960, and shifted to automatic pin setters around that time. Rich Nesbit took over the business in the 1990s.

Established leagues

The oldest active league at Nesbit’s is the Sportsmen’s Bowling League founded by the late William Patellos in 1954. It has still eight teams, with members ages 18 to the mid-80s.

The current league president is Mickey McKenna of Ross. He began bowling in the early 1960s and graduated from Penn Hills in 1967.

“They keep the place in nice shape,” McKenna said. “The lanes are always nice. They bend over backwards to help you in any way you need. I started bowling in a church league when I was a kid. When I graduated high school, I joined this league. Every time I ever came, they always had the lanes full.”

Sportsmen’s League member Steve Ward, 67, of Plum said when the pandemic first hit the area, a majority of leagues donated money to Nesbit’s so they could continue to operate. He said they plan on giving again through the GoFundMe page.

“They’re a family of bowlers,” Ward said about the Nesbits. “They think about the bowlers. Nesbit and the family’s terrific.”

New bowlers welcome

The lanes to the left of the front entrance are reserved on bowling league nights. The eight to the right are for open bowling.

Garrett Brothers, 10, of Apollo knocked down pins Friday night with his friends Luke Crider, 11, and Gavin Murphy, 10, also from Apollo, and several parents.

“There’s good food and they have nice balls,” Garrett said. “They run smooth.”

The other boys said they were having fun rolling the balls down the lanes with the bumpers up.

A woman in the lane next to the kids was briefly startled when one of the boys shouted with excitement after a successful toss. Her ball landed slightly behind her, much to the delight of her fellow bowlers.

Ken Klasnick encourages more teens to give Nesbit’s a try.

“You’re sitting in the house, you’re bored and got nothing to do right now,” he said. “Come out and bowl. Find new hobbies to do. Pick up something you’ve never done before and try it out. It doesn’t cost too much anymore. Give it a try.”