Back to bowling: IV Super Bowl plans to open June 26

The new owners of the Illinois Valley Super Bowl were open for five days of business before COVID-19 forced them to close their doors to the public.

But the Peru business is planning to be open once again for bowling Friday, June 26.

They had been serving food and drinks outside since May 29, when Illinois started to allow bars and restaurants to serve outdoors.

New owners Joe Zokal and Eric Acuncius worked for years to own a bowling and entertainment center, and then the government shut down bowling alleys statewide less than a week after they completed their purchase of Illinois Valley Super Bowl.

The IV Super Bowl has 24 bowling lanes, an arcade room, food and appetizers, and a lounge and entertainment.

While being closed, Acuncius said he's had a lot of people ask him jokingly, "'Can I just come in and throw a game? It's been so long, I miss it.'”

He explained to the NewsTribune, "That's the one thing I miss, the customers and people I know."

Zokal and Acuncius both have been avid bowlers for many decades. Both have coached bowling teams and bowled professionally, and both have worked or simply helped out at the Super Bowl in Peru for many years.

Acuncius bowled professionally in regional tournaments and circuits for about seven years. His highest finish was 10th at a regional tournament in Madison, Wis., almost 20 years ago.

Zokal — who has rolled perfect 300 games 85 times — has served for several years as an assistant coach for the La Salle-Peru Township High School teams. He previously wrote a bowling column for the NewsTribune (where he’s employed full-time as pre-press manager) and bowled professionally for eight years, finishing 16th in points in the Midwest region one of those years.

Although being closed for so long has been hard, Acuncius explained the time has given them chance to remodel the bar, which is where the comedy lounge is located.

"People are going to be surprised when they come in and see the new bar," he said.

They haven't done structural work in the bar, but they have lots of cosmetic work to the bar area.

The old colors in the bar area were brass, pink and salmon with mirrors and rope lighting.

But they've worked to make it more contemporary and modern.

They changed the bar top, painted the cabinets, redid the dance floor, the floor in front of the bathrooms, painted the wood trim, added televisions.

While working on the bowling alley work, he and Zokal have continued to work full-time jobs, coming to work at the bowling alley on nights and weekends. (Acuncius works at Jeff Perry Buick GMC dealership in Peru).

"We've been putting in a lot of hours to make the place better when they come back," not just for the regular customers but for anyone that comes in, Acuncius said.

The bowling alley is located at 4242 Mahoney Drive, Peru and can be reached at (815) 223-5085. Visit them online at www.ivsuperbowl.com/