This Day in Norwood History- September 14, 1946-All Sunday Bowling Now Outlawed

Selectmen Refuse To Continue Granting ‘Amusement Park’ Permits

September 14, 1946 – the Norwood Messenger

The Board of Selectmen; last night refused to renew the permit of a local establishment which- has been operating for. the past six months under the provisions of-an amusement/park license which, permits Sunday bowling.

The proprietor of the park appeared before the Board last night requesting that he be permitted to continue Sunday bowling at his establishment. He stated that the action of the citizens in turning down Sunday bowling was not aimed at his place, which has been doing a Sunday .business right along, but according to the wording of the town warrant articles was a refusal of the town to accept the provisions of the new Sunday bowling law.

“There may be a legal angle there,” replied Chairman Harry Butters, ‘‘but the vote as I saw it was unqualified and referred to Sunday bowling in general.”

Butters asserted that in view of last Week’s town meeting vote on the matter the citizens of Norwood would very rightly feel that the Board was assuming a great deal of authority if they permitted Sunday bowling, even at the amusement park, a type of establishment accepted by the State for Sunday bowling.

Sunday bowling has been allowed here for the past several months. The Cloverleaf Alleys on state highway were granted Sunday permits upon fulfilling certain requirements of the state law which classified that establishment as an amusement park.

An attorney for the Cloverleaf establishment stated last night that his client had made expensive changes in the set up there in anticipation of continuing to operate under the Sunday Amusement Park permit.

“The citizens were not voting on that permit, which is an accepted institution,” he declared. “They were voting upon the acceptance of a certain act. There has been no complaint, no trouble, or criticism. The town meeting issue did not apply, to my client’s establishment.

“Most people did not realize that there was and had been Sunday bowling in Norwood”, said Selectman Charles Holman “But I have no question that the emphatic town meeting action was intended to apply to all bowling on the Lord’s Day in general,”, he asserted.

The attitude of a majority of the Board was that Sunday bowling in Norwood is out, whether it takes place.in an amusement perk or not.