September 15, 2008

MILWAUKEE -- The walls that line the pair of lanes in this tiny bowling alley seem close enough to make a bowler feel claustrophobic.

But at a 100th anniversary party Saturday, the walls of Holler House felt like the wide-open arms of family.

In a city synonymous with beer and bowling, Holler House tavern and bowling alley has been an enduring landmark.

It's the nation's oldest bowling establishment -- a claim confirmed by the U.S. Bowling Congress.

Milwaukee resident Matt Hersel, 49, came to the Holler House when he was 17 for his first beer and became a regular. It's where he met his wife, and he bowled there for 23 years, until a bad back forced him to quit.

He recalled old-timers who told stories of living through the Depression.

''Guys here were tough as nails,'' Hersel said. ''You didn't come here to party, you came to get to know guys like that.''

Tavern owner Marcy Skowronski, 82, says she has no intention of retiring. ''Nope, I'm going to die behind the bar,'' she said.