By J. Graber
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You know that sport you always see in the Olympics where people slide big ol’ rocks with handles on them across the ice toward a bullseye?

It’s called curling. It originated in Scotland and is played in northern places like Scandinavia and even Canada, but no in desert climes Scottsdale, right?

Wrong.

Lane Park, a bar that opened in May in Old Town, 232 E 1st St., offers the opportunity to savor a drink, nosh some food and play a round of curling.

Okay, so it’s not the exact game you see in the Olympics. They still use 42-pound rocks (yes, they are officially called rocks) but the track (called a sheet) is 50-feet long, instead of the regualation 150-feet. There is also a customized point system to make the game a little more approachable for inexperienced players.

“If you’ve ever done real ice curling, it tends to be extremely difficult and is a game of extreme skill,” said Lane Park co-owner Angelo DiNardo. “We felt that aspect would be too difficult to introduce to this hospitality and bar style concept so we customized it to be a little bit less difficult and bit more conducive to the size space you need and the skill level you need to introduce some folks to ice curling.”

They offer curling year ‘round (which seems odd in the desert, but ...) so they had to put the sheets in an enclosed, refrigerated room, which does get chilly so dress warm or think about buying a Lane Park sweatshirt.

But curling isn’t all Lane Park has to offer. It also has a customized version of duckpin bowling, with shorter than standard lanes. Duckpin bowling uses shorter and squatter than standard bowling pins and a smaller ball with no holes that usually weighs a little over three pounds.

And if that’s not enough, there’s axe-throwing, too - because mixing alcohol with axe-throwing seems like a reasonable match.

That’s four lanes of curling, six lanes of duckpin bowling and 10 axe throwing lanes. And if you like your games a little more sedentary, there are tables with game boards built in around the lounge.

The duckpin bowling is pretty intuitive, but if you don’t know how to curl or throw an axe (the right way), there are coaches to help you along.

Just showing up is fine, but reservations for the games is a smart choice. The bar can accommodate groups of up to 200 people and groups are always recommended.

“Anything above 24 people we highly encourage reservations,” DiNardo said.
And if all the games get you hungry, Lane Park also has a kitchen.

There are choices like the steak house pizza served Detroit style (certified angus beef filet, fresh arugula, fire roasted feta, caramelized onion, balsamic reduction) and the street corn ribs (locally sourced corn, fresh cotija, chipotle chili pepper, popcorn butter aioli).

But games and food are nice, but let’s face it: what’s a bar without cocktails?
Specialty cocktails include choices like the Oh, hey donkey (Dos Hombres mezcal, ancho reyes verde, pineapple, lime, tamarindo) and the #1 (Maker’s Mark bourbon, cointreau, valencia orange juice, lime, pineapple, coconut, nutmeg, bitters, organic agave nectar).

For more information, visit lanepark.games/.

J. Graber can be reached at jgraber@iniusa.org. We invite our readers to submit their civil comments pro or con on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.