Stony's Offers Authentic Taste of Ohio

Oberlin students frequently complain of feeling as if they're trapped inside a bubble. Overwhelmingly, we dress hip, talk post-modern politics and walk with urbane swagger. For those seeking to experience a true taste of authentic Ohio, Stony's, on Oberlin-Elyria Road in Elyria, may abruptly end their search.

Stony's, now 50 years old, offers three pool tables and a bar, but its 30 bowling lanes unquestionably constitute the main attraction. For a mere $5.50, plus the small cost of a chic pair of multicolored rental shoes, one can bowl two frames, usually consuming approximately two hours. Joyce Vaker, a Stony's employee for 36 years, emphasized their credo of allowing people to enjoy themselves for a reasonable price. "I think we aim to keep it economical because we have to keep people interested," she said.

However, it seems difficult to imagine one losing interest during a visit to Stony's. A group of inexpert bowlers can add a riotously entertaining and equally intense dimension of competition to a customary weekend on campus. Moreover, bowling provides the opportunity for the unexpected emergence of athletic diamonds in the rough, as typified by senior Nat Howard, who electrified his party by bowling a stellar 195.

After experiencing the passionate strain of a few emotional frames, a game of billiards can alleviate frustration prompted by incompetence on the lanes. The dimly-lit, smoky room, complete with alternately blaring Guns N' Roses and Garth Brooks, would attract even the most urban of cowboys. Despite one patron's instructions to an Oberlin student that, "The object of the game is to keep the balls on the table," the Stony's billiard-room clientele seemed friendly and willing to share their chalk when necessary.

Vaker asserted that the mixing of locals with Oberlin students never becomes problematic. "It's really great to have different groups of people," she said, citing the high degree of interaction and mingling students often engage in with other parties at Stony's. Vaker said she could usually identify Oberlin student patrons with relative ease. "I can pretty much tell," she said. "The way they talk and act - they have fun. They always have a good time and don't give anyone any problems."

Although Stony's historically has not attracted a large amount of Oberlin students, Vaker said this could be changing, citing an increasingly growing weekend crowd. "They usually come once a week, but sometimes more often - and usually in big groups," she said.

An additional bounty to Stony's already standout repertoire are the pitchers of domestic beer, which flow as freely as your wallet allows. Still, another employee emphasized Stony's reputation as a business geared toward the family. "The idea is to bring younger kids in," she said. Vaker affirmed this, saying, "We consider ourselves a family center."

Despite Stony's aim to serve local families, each employee cordially invited Oberlin students to visit more often. "We definitely welcome them," Vaker said. For students seeking both a haven from the academic entrapment and hackneyed geographic confines of another weekend on campus, a test of fortitude and will of the non-academic sort seems well worth the 10 minute drive.