The K-State Student Union Bowling Center has rebranded to The Wabash as part of a larger renovation of the Student Union basement over the summer. The renovations updated much of the area around the bowling alley and allowed Union Engraving Services and the K-State Bowling Club to expand into larger spaces.
New vinyl flooring, wall paint and signs above the bowling alley are among the renovations already complete, with new pool tables and an arcade to be installed in the near future.
Austin Donovan, general manager of The Wabash, said the changes are part of an effort to give the Union basement its own identity and to attract more foot traffic.
“You’d be shocked how many alumni [and] students come through, and they’re like, ‘We had a bowling center?’” Donovan said. “So, it was just time to rebrand, give a new facelift and just try to build something that people are wanting to come back and see time and time again.”
Donovan said the bowling center is known by several different names on campus, something he hopes the new name will clear up.
“You had the K-State Student Union Bowling Center, you had it called the Wabash Cannon Bowl, you had the Jack Connaughton Lanes down here, and it was just too many different names, so I wanted to build a brand,” Donovan said. “We went with The Wabash because … [we] still want to hold roots, still be within the K-State community and build something new and different.”
In addition to the renovations already finished, Donovan said three new pool tables are set to be installed by Labor Day, with a new arcade to open at a currently unknown date later in the semester.
The renovations have also allowed Union Engraving Services to move into what was formerly The Wabash’s party room, increasing space to house equipment and display products. Jeff White, assistant director of creative services at the Student Union, said that, along with expanding, Union Engraving Services has purchased a laser engraver and sublimation engraver, which will enable them to offer a larger selection of products.
“We’ll have a catalog from one of our suppliers where we can order just about anything under the sun so people can come in, buy them what they want, like awards, plaques, different things like that,” White said.
The new laser engraver is also more efficient and can produce more polished versions of what Union Engraving Services was already creating with a rotary engraver, John Garetson, engraving assistant at Union Engraving Services, said.
“It should help shorten production times for some certain logos that are very intricate,” Garetson said. “The K-State seal in the old rotary engraver, it could take up to 10 minutes. … [in the laser engraver] it took less than four.”
K-State Bowling Club is also housed in the basement of the Student Union, and previously stored its equipment in a small space connected to The Wabash’s former party room. Now, as a result of the renovations, the club has moved into the room Union Engraving Services previously occupied — a space double in size, Ethan Diehl, junior in criminology and coach of the K-State Bowling Club, said.
“The old room, it was really hard to move around in,” Diehl said. “Now it feels like we can fit 20 people in the room and still have all of our equipment going at the same time. … It just allows us to better our team, basically. We’re allowed to have better equipment to service it, so our bowling equipment lasts longer, and it just overall helps the team.”
Now that much of the renovations are complete and K-State’s first week of classes is underway, Donovan said he’s seen a sharp increase in interest at The Wabash.
“We’ve seen a huge boost in our numbers,” Donovan said. “More traffic, more group event booking and it’s just gonna solidify the reason why to come down and use The Wabash as your location to hang out with your friends, have your group events, have your club meetings or club parties down here.”
