Quinnz Pinz in the News

Our family has run the bowling alley on Railroad Avenue in downtown Middletown since 1974. It started as Middletown Lanes, and here is some of what's been written about us over the years.

Hudson Valley Magazine

Score Spares and Strikes at Hudson Valley Bowling Alleys

"Visit Quinnz for a fully renovated and modern bowling ambiance. Quinnz has been around for more than 50 years and continues to amaze first-timers."

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Vision Times | December 28, 2022

'Good Vibes': Middletown's Quinnz Pinz Offers Hours of Fun, Friends and Family

A sit-down with Jaime Quinn on the family's history, the renovation, and the fundraisers and community events that fill the lanes.

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Times Herald-Record | September 2016

Bowling Center Stays in the Fast Lane

For the alley's 75th anniversary: how Bob Quinn Sr. went from pin boy in the early 1950s to owner, and how Bob and Jaime turned a traditional bowling center into an entertainment experience.

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Westfair Business Journal | March 18, 2011

Middletown Bowling Alley Rejuvenates the Game

How Bob and Jaime Quinn took over Bob Quinn Sr.'s Middletown Lanes, rebuilt it from the lanes up, and reopened it as Quinnz Pinz.

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News 12 Hudson Valley | 2010

Middletown Bowling Alley Gets Ball Rolling for Renovations

The $1 million plan to turn Middletown Lanes into Quinnz Pinz: new synthetic lanes, an arcade, a new bar and kitchen, and flat-screen monitors.

Watch the story

Our Story: From Pin Boy to Owner

The whole story, from the newspapers and our own family records.

1941
The Middletown Recreation Centre opens on Railroad Avenue in October. The Middletown Times Herald calls it "ultra-modern."
Early 1950s
Bob Quinn Sr., who spent part of his childhood in a Newburgh orphanage, starts setting pins by hand at the alley when he's 12 or 13.
Late 1950s
After two years in the Army, Bob comes back as the mechanic who keeps the automatic pinsetters running.
1966
By now he is manager of Middletown Lanes, and the Times Herald-Record calls him that when he marries that fall.
1968 – 1972
While still running the lanes, Bob works his way into buying the business. Papers in 1968 already call him the owner. The Times Herald-Record later dated the purchase to 1972.
1973
On October 23, 1973, the deed to the building and land at 13–19 Railroad Avenue passes from Middletown Lanes, Inc. to Robert G. Quinn. The bowling alley and the building it sits in are now his. Source: the 1973 deed (PDF)
1974
"Owning bowling establishment a dream come true for Quinn." In January, the Times Herald-Record tells his story, and Bob calls the past year the best in Middletown Lanes history. That spring he wins the national Elks singles title. The family has run the alley ever since.
2010 – 2011
Bob Jr. and Jaime Quinn put $1 million into a top-to-bottom renovation, with synthetic lanes, an arcade, and a new bar and kitchen. The old wood lanes became bar tables and countertops. Middletown Lanes reopens as Quinnz Pinz.
2016
The alley turns 75.
Today
Quinnz Pinz is still family-owned, still on Railroad Avenue, and still bowling.

From the Archive: Middletown Lanes

Before it was Quinnz Pinz, it was Middletown Lanes, and the Times Herald-Record was there. Below are a few of the stories, with short quotes credited to the paper. The full pages can be read in the Times Herald-Record archive at Thrall Library in Middletown.

Times Herald-Record | December 22, 1966

Manager Bob Quinn Presents a 300 Trophy

A photo of Bob Quinn presenting a trophy for a perfect 300 game rolled in open bowling.

“Middletown Lanes manager Bob Quinn”

Times Herald-Record, Dec. 22, 1966, p. 91 (photo caption)

Times Herald-Record | January 27, 1974

Owning Bowling Establishment a Dream Come True for Quinn

Staff writer Al de Santis tells how Bob Quinn Sr., who spent part of his childhood in a Newburgh orphanage, went from setting pins at Middletown Lanes as a boy to running the pinsetters as the alley's mechanic, and then to buying the place.

“Quinn said the past year was the best in Middletown Lanes history.”

Al de Santis, Times Herald-Record, Jan. 27, 1974, p. 43

Times Herald-Record | May 12, 1974

Bob Quinn, 1974 National Elks Singles Champion

The owner of Middletown Lanes, bowling for Middletown Elks Lodge 1097, won the 1974 national Elks singles championship in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with a 733.

The tournament “is still in shock from the doings of a group from Middletown, N.Y.”

Times Herald-Record, May 12, 1974, p. 13

Times Herald-Record | July 9, 1976

Middletown Lanes Honors the Middletown High Baseball Team

Middletown Lanes hosted a banquet for Middletown High's varsity baseball team.

“Bob Quinn, proprietor of Middletown Lanes, has donated over $500 in trophies.”

Times Herald-Record, July 9, 1976, p. 96

Bowling in the Press

National stories from the 2000s about how bowling alleys reinvented themselves as entertainment centers, the same path we took. These are for reference and don't mention Quinnz Pinz.

The Associated Press | Nancy Armour | c. 2006

Bowling's Climb from Gutter

How bowling centers came back after two decades of decline with lounges, full menus, light shows and flat-screen TVs, growing into a $10 billion industry.

The Wall Street Journal | Charles Passy | c. 2007

Hip Bowling — Despite the Clown Shoes

The Cranky Consumer column visits bowling alleys rebuilt for both the cool crowd and families, from AMF and Brunswick to Lucky Strike and The Gutter in Brooklyn.

Media inquiries: Jaime Quinn, owner & event coordinator, jquinn@quinnzpinz.com or (845) 343-8121.