what do you remember sitting next to this?

1. I remember actually "stringing" the strikes together.

2. I remember 200 was a great game, and 190 was a good average.

3. I remember being told not to actually touch the new bulbs glass when replacing the old one, because the oil residue from your skin would cause the new bulb to burn out quickly.

4. I remember probably 90% of bowlers had a single ball bag.

5. I remember the first 300 game I ever saw.

6. I remember the first 300 game I ever bowled.

7. I remember when rubber was king.

8. I remember thinking it was odd when the guy behind the counter mentioned that I could actually buy my own bowling ball and shoes.

 9. I remember giving $60 for my "Top of the line" Columbia Yellow Dot.

10. I remember shooting 824 with a Manhattan Rubber ball for the back three of a four game set, then being told it didn't count because they used only the first three games.

 Lots of good memories associated with that thing, at least for me.

we have two places in Oshkosh WI that still have the sheets of paper instead of the overheads, as well as no hand driers just towels attached to the over the top return. kind of Nostalgic to bowl at those places

The vintage look

i think the place i used to be at used the wrong bulbs, cause you couldn't event think about touching the metal with your skin
had to have a towel to rest your hand just to attempt to write anything down

And i remember using the "marks" totaled up after every frame to gauge if you were in the match or not

I hated the first generation automatic scorers.  More trouble than they were worth. 

The first automatic scorer I remember seeing still used overhead projectors.

They had a score sheet it typed the score on. They sounded like thrashing machines.

There was a slide on the ball return with numbers 1 thru 5 for each lane. When you got up you had to put the slide by your number. If you messed up then your score got on the wrong line.

The pin setters stayed down until you moved the slide. And they came down after spares to sense what was left.

That is the first automatic scorer I remember seeing.  Believe it was a Brunswick scorer and it was at Hartfield Lanes (for those from Detroit area).

You also had to be careful when putting the paper in the scorer to align the holes properly or it would jam.

If the final score was close, everybody's score was double-checked to make sure the math was correct.

My first paying job as a kid was keeping score at those old time stations. It was 50 cents a man in the classic scratch leagues. Transparent reusable score sheets and yellow pencils were the tools. If I was lucky I got in 2 leagues in a row on a good night.
 
Nothing like the feel of the heat from the bulbs and the glare of the lights to bring back great memories.

This was me!

Going to the Early Birds league at the alley with my mother (her league started at 5pm), and keeping score for the ladies bowling. Was paid .50/game, which half went to college savings, the other to the video arcade. That quarter lasted me a good hour at either Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, or Joust.

Great times for me at the 'ol King Louie Rose Bowl. Miss it.

BL.