Nothing special to the hide here. I just happened to be driving by
and had an available cache in my car. The land is owned by the St.
Paul Port Authority.
Welcome to the former site of the Minnehaha Lanes. The Lanes
were founded in 1958 by William Manion, a St. Paul native and
well-known bowling advocate who died in 1997. The Lanes closed in
May 2008 when its owner filed for bankruptcy. The building was
demolished soon after, and the St. Paul Port Authority was awarded
$200,000 in stimulus money to clean up the site. (I don't really
understand why the Port Authority is involved, since there don't
appear to be any navigable waters nearby.)
I used to come here frequently during the middle part of the
last decade because they had a great karaoke show. The bar and
lanes were well into a state of decline, but it was always fun and
a diverse crowd showed up. Fights broke out only occasionally. And
the guy who ran the karaoke was the best I've ever seen. I had him
do the karaoke at my wedding reception. I was there the last night
the bar was open, and it was a bittersweet night. Driving by it
again today, I had to place a cache.
Thanks for all the memories, Minnehaha Lanes!