It should be bustling with activity on a Friday night; instead, Lawrence’s bowling alley sits quiet.

“It’s hard, just coming in here and looking at it,” Royal Crest Lanes co-owner Wayne Martin said, as he surveyed the damage from an Aug. 4 electrical fire.

The ceiling of the business is ripped out, all of the monitors and chairs remain covered, and the lanes are empty following the two-alarm fire that sparked in an electrical panel at the rear of the business at 933 Iowa.

The fire caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in smoke damage, Martin said. But as bad as things look now, he knows it could have been much worse.

“Luckily, we did have people in here bowling and we caught it, because if this fire would’ve started when it was closed, it could’ve burned down the whole building,” Martin said.

The damage came after the owners of the bowling alley had just completed about a half-million dollars worth of renovations, and it hit right before the start of the fall bowling leagues, which typically bring in about 400 people a night.

“We’ll probably lose two weeks of our leagues, which is a lot of our business,” Martin said.

The bowling leagues that typically start in mid- to late-August will now be delayed until after Labor Day.

Owners have set up a temporary office so they can continue to field calls while repairs are being made.

Anyone interested in signing up for the leagues can call 842-1234.

Wayne and Larry’s Sports Bar and Grill, at the east end of the bowling alley, remains open.

The bowling alley is hoping to have all the lanes up and running again by Aug. 29. In the meantime, the owners are hoping local bowlers will roll with the changes.

“Just hang in there,” Martin said. “If you love bowling, we will be back open.”