HALLOWELL, Maine — A group of friends from the Lewiston bowling alley where a shooter opened fire in 2023 have been able to continue their weekly league at a sister location in Hallowell.
After the mass shootings at Just-In-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant in Lewiston in October, the owners of Just-In-Time temporarily closed to renovate the space in hopes of removing the pain and trauma, while restoring the joy of the bowling alley. That closure meant bowling leagues, groups of friends who played at the alley every night of the week, had nowhere to play. They were apart when they needed each other.
Then, in December, the owners of Sparetime Recreation in Hallowell offered the Lewiston bowlers to come play at their location. On Friday nights, a growing group of bowlers gather at the alley in Hallowell to get back to the sport that forged so many friendships.
"I've already got some who say, 'How can you go back in a bowling alley already?' I'm like, 'We've got to move forward. We can't let evil win and we've got to do what we've got to do,'" Steve Dubuc, one of the bowlers, said.
Dubuc was not at Just-In-Time on Oct. 25. He was at work, but some of his closest friends were killed that night.
"The night everything happened it was kind of just a blur. You start going through your Rolodex in your mind of, 'Who do I know who's there on Wednesday nights?'" Dubuc said. "Just thinking about what those poor people went through. Not called for."
Dubuc was close with Tricia Asselin, who worked at Just-In-Time, as well as Bob Violette, a youth bowling coach, and Bob's wife, Lucy, who worked for the Lewiston Public Schools. He also lost close friends at Schemengees, including childhood friend Ron Morin.
"I feel survivor's guilt in a way, because, I just feel like, if I would have been there, not saying I would have done anything, but could I have helped? Could I have done this? Could I have shielded somebody?" Dubuc said. "Any time I touch a bowling ball, it's there."
And returning to Just-In-Time has been difficult for Dubuc, who is friends with the owners, Justin and Samantha Juray.
"It's just mind-numbing, really. I had a hard time. I've been trying to go back to the bowling alley. It took me four tries. The first time I walked up and touched the door handle it's like, 'He touched this door handle.' Then you walked down the little hallway and you're like, 'He was in this hallway,'" Dubuc said. "I know it's going to be tough for a lot of people to walk back into that bowling alley. As soon as she reopens we're going to be there ten-fold trying to make sure people feel comfortable and relaxed."
Fellow bowler Lexy Barcelou knew all eight people who died in the bowling alley shooting. Police said seven people died on the scene, and another later died at the hospital.
Returning to bowling, even in a different location, was hard for her. Bob Violette was her bowling coach. She worked with Tricia Asselin.
"It took me 15 minutes to walk through the door here the first time back," Barcelou said. "I don't know if I would be able to bowl again without them."
Barcelou is working on a fundraiser for the victims by selling "Lewiston Strong" water bottles. There's also a Bob and Lucy Violette Bowling Foundation raising money to help youth bowlers.
"Everybody knows each other and we all look out for each other," Mark Fortier, manager of the Maine State U.S. Bowling Congress, said. Fortier organizes the bowling leagues in the area, including this one.
"It's kind of one big family. We all succeed together. We all fail together," Dubuc said. "There's great people behind me who will do whatever they can to help you get back into bowling."
Even Just-In-Time's owner made an appearance at this league in Hallowell, as did shooting survivor Tom Giberti, who was shot seven times in the legs ushering children to safety that night.
"Everybody was kind of shocked to see him walk through the door. We were all like, 'Oh my god,' and everyone was hugging him and taking selfies," Dubuc said.
They may not have been in the Lewiston bowling alley that night, but their losses carry their own struggles.
"They'll always be in our hearts. They'll always be in our souls and in our minds. We love them and we miss them," Dubuc said.