80 years, five generations, two families, same recipes
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May 12, 2025
WITTENBERG – After hearing its previous owners were planning to close the doors of Wittenberg Lanes – a decades-old bowling alley, bar and restaurant located at 407 S. Howard St. – avid bowler Darcy Hille and her former high school teacher Kurt Zeinert said they decided to invest in the community staple.
A happenstance reconnection
Hille – a former medical professional turned food scientist – said she and Zeinert reconnected after her graduation through his wife and their shared love for bowling.
“Shortly after high school, I was at the bowling alley and (someone) needed a sub(stitute bowler),” she said. “It happened to be his wife.”
Drawing on her recent experience in the food industry, Hille said owning a restaurant or food-related business is a venture she’s “always wanted to” pursue, but knew she needed a partner.
“Kurt had the experience (I needed),” she said. “I have smaller children, so I (couldn’t) commit to it completely by myself, and to have Kurt’s experience (to) help me get started, that was the best part for me.”
Though new to the bowling alley management industry, Zeinert said business ownership isn’t new to him.
Prior to purchasing the bowling alley with Hille, and even before becoming a teacher, he said he owned a different business.
“(My experience goes) back to the ’90s, when I first bought my own bar in Wittenberg,” he said. “(I) sold that, became a teacher for 16 years and then did some other jobs right after that – mainly in bookkeeping.”
When his wife came home one night and informed him of Wittenberg Lanes’ imminent closing, Zeinert said she told him he “had to do something.”
“She told me I had to fix it – I had to do something – because this place could not close (and, if it did), it would not be good for the community,” he said. “She goes, ‘I don’t care what it is, but you have to do something.’ Well, the only thing I could think of is, ‘I guess Darcy and I are going to buy a bowling alley.’”
Events, food, fun
Since it first opened, Hille and Zeinert said Wittenberg Lanes has passed through the hands of four owners – them being the fifth.
In the bowling alley, Zeinert said he and Hille found the front page of a newspaper from 1948 when the bowling alley “first advertised their pinsetters.”
“So it’s been around for (nearly) 80 years,” he said.
Aside from offering bowling and a menu featuring traditional Wisconsin fare and other commonplace pub grub, Hille said Wittenberg Lanes also hosts a cornhole league and volleyball games.
However, the main event, Zeinert said, is the Wittenberg Lanes Grand 9-Pin tournament – which began a decade ago with its previous owners and was ongoing at the time of his interview with The Business News.
“We’re finishing up – we’ve got two weeks left – but we have had a blast getting to know
people from all over the state who come and partake in the tournament,” Hille said.
At that point, this year’s Grand 9-Pin, Zeinert said, had brought in “at, or around, 750 participants” to the Wittenberg community.
“But in the next two weeks, I think it’s going to be getting really close to 1,000 (participants),” he said.
The local Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg Casino, Zeinert said, was an event sponsor for the Grand 9-Pin tournament – which concluded May 9.
Community roots, philanthropy
Both being either a native or returning member of the Wittenberg/Birnamwood community, Zeinert and Hille said they prioritize “supporting local.”
“A lot of our supplies come from either local farmers, or we try and (buy) as much (from) local businesses as possible,” she said.
As the new owners of Wittenberg Lanes, Zeinert said he and Hille have also enjoyed supporting their community philanthropically.
“We do meat raffles (roughly) once a month that support specific community organizations,” he said. “It (could be) our high school baseball teams or softball teams, it could be the track teams, wrestling (or) the Lions Club. Then we just recently (supported) a church in town.”
Zeinert said for the meat raffles, the items up for bid are also locally sourced.
“We get items from Nueske’s (Applewood Smoked Meats) that we raffle off,” he said.
Their families, Hille and Zeinert said, have been just as supportive of them and their new-found business ownership as they have been of the community through their business.
“The best part has been that our families have been very supportive,” Hille said. “My kids have started waiting tables, doing dishes – helping when need be. Kurt’s wife has been very supportive and his sons help out when needed, too.”
Mastering the ins and outs of the technology behind the decals and signs at the end of each lane, Zeinert said, has been “a complete learning experience” – so he’s grateful for the support he receives from not only his family but other bowling professionals and establishments.
“Since we took over in August, until now, I’m constantly learning something different – as far as if something breaks, (figuring out) how am I going to fix it (or) who do I have to contact,” he said. “I always have the prior (Wittenberg) owners, and owners of other bowling centers not far from here, that if I need something, I call them, and they’re happy to give me information.”
For more on its events, menu and hours, find Wittenberg Lanes on Facebook.
