Fulton County Ohio Media

While it may not be on par with the legend of the Phoenix, the mythical bird that rose from the ashes of its predecessor to be reborn, the story behind Swanton Sports Center and Banquet Hall does have its similarities.  It began as a banquet hall and skating rink built by the Knights of Columbus in 1948 then added eight bowling lanes in the 1950’s and was known as KC Lanes.  Richard (Dick) and Norma (Nordie) Slawinski, along with their eight children, ran the vibrant and enormously popular business with league and open bowling seven days a week.  Thousands of people from the area either held their wedding reception, or attended their prom or enjoyed some other major event in the banquet hall over the many years the Slawinskis and their employees ran the operation. 

In 1959 the labor-intensive manual pinsetters were replaced by Brunswick automatic pin setters and in the mid 1970’s the bowling area was expanded to bring in 12 more lanes, making a total of 20 that are still there today.  When high school bowling came into existence, the Swanton Bulldogs, Delta Panthers and Evergreen Vikings bowling teams chose KC Lanes as their home.

Eventually, after years of hard work and dedication to the community, Dick and Nordie sold the business and retired.  Unfortunately, the individuals who purchased the business and the facility, did not have the same commitment or share the same passion for the business as the Slawinski family.  To be fair, bowling as a pastime in America had significantly dropped off and the new owners, who had changed the name to the Swanton Sports Center, stopped reinvesting in the business and the facility itself.  The building soon fell into disrepair, many customers stopped bowling or took their business and their game to other bowling centers, and in early 2011, the Swanton Sports Center was put up for sale.  It continued to deteriorate, had no offers to buy and there was even talk of having the long-time Swanton institution demolished.

The building sat empty for approximately 18 months until Toledo businessman and former Swanton resident Tracy Ratliff purchased the structure with the plan to consolidate his two Toledo-based auto body and engine repair shops (Import Automotive) into a new Swanton location.  Relying primarily on his son Boyd, daughter Charlene O’Connell, grandson Kevin Ford and several other family members, work began on renovations to turn the dilapidated facility into an automotive repair business.  However, soon after the work had begun, many members of the Swanton community began stopping by and asking when the bowling alley would reopen.  A month later, after hearing that question over and over again, Mr. Ratliff gave in to the will of the people and decided to bring the Swanton Sports Center back to life.

With everyone in the family already holding down full-time jobs, the work, none of which was contracted out, included cleaning, electrical, plumbing, roofing, painting, reflooring and much more, and took just over a year.  During that renovation period, the new Swanton Sports Center made the very smart move of hiring their first employee, Mary Slawinski Stine, Dick and Nordie’s daughter. 

Mary had grown up in that building along with the rest of her seven siblings.  She worked the business for 40 years, beginning when she was just 14 years old.  Mary not only knew KC Lanes/ Swanton Sports Center inside and out, she also knew the bowling industry and the bowling community of Northwest Ohio just as well.  Her experience and guidance in bringing back the business was invaluable to the new owners.  Mary’s knowledge of league bowling and the rules and regulations of the United States Bowling Congress (USBC), helped bring back bowling not just to Swanton, but to Fulton County as well, given that all other county bowling centers had closed.  “It just warms my heart to see it come back to life,” she said.  Many in the community have expressed the same sentiment.

In September of 2013, the Swanton Sports Center, or KC Lanes if you prefer, reopened its doors to the Swanton area community.  Over the past ten years, the Ratliff family has continued to make major improvements to the facility and the business.  Anyone who saw the place just prior to the doors being shuttered would not recognize it today.  Just like in the days under the Slawinski family, it is a safe, warm and welcoming place for everyone and their families.

Photo from 2013 Ribbon Cutting (L to R):  Ted Haselman (Swanton Middle School Principal), Jeff Schlade (Swanton Schools Superintendent), Ann Roth (Swanton Mayor), Charlene O’Connell, Bill O’Connell, Kevin Ford, Boyd Ratliff, Hal Stine, Mary Slawinski-Stine, Neil Toeppe (Executive Director Swanton Chamber of Commerce)

Photo Credit: Drew Stambaugh – Swanton Enterprise