Lawn bowling at Gyro Park in the 1940s was an active pastime for locals of all ages, so much so a club was formed for competition.
“Different than bocce, this sport was actually hugely popular in Trail, we even have some trophies from the sport in our museum collection,” says Addison Oberg, collections coordinator, Trail Museum and Archives.
“The early layout of Gyro Park maximized lawn bowling space with rolling green grass and an enclosed competition area.”
Bocce and lawn bowling are cousins but have some distinct differences. The bocce ball is round whereas the lawn bowl is round in only one direction and elliptical in the other, giving it a bias and causing it to curve. Second, the bocce ball is thrown under hand, like softball, and the lawn bowl is rolled.
In lawn bowling, the target is a small white ball, whose size is like a billiard ball and is known as “jack.” In bocce, the small white ball, or target, is called a “palina.”
Read more: #LocalHistory
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