Alley McBowl

Young? Trendy? Go bowling!

Budweiser is to amateur bowling what Gatorade is to soccer.

So it’s no surprise that this humble pastime has traditionally been considered the sport of the beerbellied.

But over the past decade, bowling’s been experiencing a rebirth of sorts. Bowling shirts have become a staple of vintage boutiques. The tenants just announced for Penn’s Landing include, in addition to such upscale names as FAO Schwarz and Pottery Barn, a bowling alley. And themed bowling nights are catching on in New York, L.A., on MTV and here in Philly, at South Philly’s Oregon Lanes.

Like horn-rimmed glasses, Tom Jones and maybe even Budweiser, bowling’s so unhip it’s hip.

This area’s main bowling party promoter is 28-year-old Dominic Fuscia, who’s been throwing together all manner of events in this city for as long as anyone can remember with his nightlife marketing company, Big Fat.

It’s as easy as this: Bring together local DJs, scenesters, anyone and everyone else you can lure with fliers and word of mouth, put bowling balls and beers in their hands and SCORE! — you have a perfect blend of club culture and middle-class Americana.

Dominic Fuscia

Bowling’s been around since Egyptian times, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that the sport gained widespread popularity in the United States. Technology helped: Automated pin spotters replaced the "pin boy," whose job was to run around setting up scattered pins. Soon television stations began telecasting tournaments and bowling game shows — Make That Spare, Celebrity Bowling and Bowling For Dollars.

Fuscia likes throwing his parties in South Philly — "cheap drinks, a laid-back atmosphere" — though he really doesn’t have much of a choice. There aren’t any bowling alleys in the center of town.

To be sure, the clamor of balls hitting pins is not the dominant sound at Fuscia’s parties, whose titles have included "Gutter Ball," "Thunder Ball" and "De La Bowl." Rather, it’s hip-hop, house, a little rock ’n’ roll and whatever else the DJ decides to spin.

Fuscia’s next event, the "Rock & Bowl," will be held Tuesday. The music: classic rock à la Led Zeppelin. Hmmm… "Spareway to Heaven"?

Rock & Bowl, Tue., Nov. 2, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., $10. For information, call Oregon Lanes, 24th St. and Oregon Ave., at 215-389-2200, or e-mail Dominic Fuscia at dfuscia@aol.com.