MINDEN, Iowa (KMTV) — Last week Minden Bowl and Cafe re-opened for the first time since the April tornado that devastated the town.
- Bob Plagman is a widower, who says he's not a good cook. He depends on Minden Bowl and Cafe for food and fellowship: "Life support you might say."
- "We need it. The town needs something like this," said co-owner Dylan Schneckloth.
- Schneckloth says fewer people bowl these days, but there's still a need for places like this: "We're trying to pivot and we're going to have entertainment."
- Minden Bowl will keep some vintage details, like the original floor, but Schneckloth says they're going to switch from bowling to other types of entertainment.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Dylan Schneckloth: "It's been a whirlwind of emotions and we're back open finally and it's been great."
The ability to just walk out your door and go get a bite to eat is something a lot of city dwellers take for granted. But in Minden, they don't.
I'm Southwest Iowa reporter Katrina Markel and I'm gonna go get lunch at Minden Bowl. It just reopened for the first time since the April tornadoes.
"There's three of my pictures right there," said Bob Plagman, a regular at Minden Bowl Cafe. He's 96.
"I'm not a good cook."
In the mornings, he gets a breakfast sandwich. They call it "Bob's sandwich" because he eats it every day. His son often joins him.
"His name's Bob, too."
Bob Senior is a widower. His only vehicle these days is a golf cart. So he depends on the cafe for food and friends.
"Life support you might say," Plagman said.
Plagman is delighted Minden Bowl re-opened last week. And so is co-owner Dylan Schneckloth.
"It's just relieving. It's just like a weight off my shoulders,” he said.
When I met Schneckloth in May, his house and business were severely damaged: "Pretty ruined, you know, had lots of repairs."
They made the setback into an opportunity to renovate and rethink the bowling alley.
"We need it. The town needs something like this," he said.
Schneckloth says fewer people bowl these days, but there's still a need for places like this.
"We're trying to pivot,” he said. “And we're going to have entertainment."
The new re-opening comes with an interior re-design.
"People are so excited, you know, that we're back. The town needed it. Some sort of positivity, you know," said Schneckloth.
A place for neighbors to get together as they build back stronger.
In case you're wondering, I got the hot beef sandwich. I'm Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel at Minden Bowl.
