About Us
The mission of the Milwaukee Lawn Bowling Club is to preserve the heritage of lawn bowling and foster an inclusive community for players of all ages and skill levels. Through friendly competition, social events, and outreach programs, we aim to promote sportsmanship, wellness, and camaraderie while contributing to the vibrancy of lawn bowling in the greater Milwaukee area.
History
The game is known around the world as Bowls, Lawn Bowls, or Bowling on the Green. It dates back to colonial times in the United States and is speculated to have originated with the ancient Egyptians. Organized lawn bowling in the Milwaukee area started around 1913 at the Stickney Field Club in Wauwatosa, WI.
Greens and Clubhouse
According to the Milwaukee Board of Park Commission, in 1920 “a bowling on the green was built in Lake Park and is located westerly of the children’s playgrounds and the tennis courts.” It had four rinks. By 1932, the green was expanded to eight rinks and in 1937, a second green of eight rinks was completed. In 1961, the old greens were replaced with two new greens of eight rinks each on the west side of the Pavilion (now Lake Park Bistro). The clubhouse was erected in 1962, enlarged in 1980, and an addition was built in 1985. An outside porch roof was completed in 2024. Today, the Milwaukee Lake Park Lawn Bowling Association makes it home at these greens and clubhouse.
Name
The Milwaukee Lawn Bowling Association started as a mens-only organization in 1920. They renamed themselves Milwaukee Lawn Bowling Association, Incorporated in 1961. Women started playing at Lake Park in 1961, but it wasn’t until 1971 that they organized themselves as the Lake Park Ladies Auxiliary. The women’s club soon renamed themselves the Lake Park Lawn Bowling League in 1972. The men’s and women’s clubs merged in 1995 and became Milwaukee Lake Park Lawn Bowling Association, Incorporated.
Leadership
Dale Parsons: President
Dale works closely with the club board to develop strategies for growth, membership engagement, and maintaining a positive and inclusive environment for all members. Dale has served the club board for for the past three years. It is ironic that despite growing up in Australia and both his grandparents and father having played a lot of lawn bowls he never played an actual game until coming to Milwaukee. Dale loves living in the neighborhood around Lake Park and feels fortunate that our wonderful greens are within walking distance.
Scott Lehmann: Vice President
Scott is a club member since 2017 and has served the club board for 5 years and coordinates the club’s leagues and tournaments and co-directs the Wed night league. He also supports with the the club website and club app. He enjoys both the social and competitive aspects of lawn bowling and competed for the first time outside the club at the South Central Open in 2024. Scott is a certified Bowls USA instructor.
Barb Blaney: Treasurer
Barb manages the club’s annual budget and finances within our sports club nonprofit status. She is a club member since 2018 and on the board for the past 6 years, four as treasurer. She especially enjoys teaching new members how to bowl, growing new friendships, learning new skills to compete with more experienced players, and being actively involved in guiding our club into the future. Barb is a certified Bowls USA instructor and has competed nationally.
Dawn Majewski: Secretary
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Steve Hoelter: Director
My neighbor Dale Parsons (Board President) introduced me to lawn bowling in 2020. I quickly fell in love with the sport and the welcoming members of the club. A couple of years ago I was elected as a board director for a 3 year term. My area of responsibility is the Grounds Committee which entails organizing member volunteers to assist with tasks related to ensuring the Grounds (areas outside the club house not including the greens) are kept in a way that fits in with the beautiful Lake Park environment. Some of the tasks include mowing the grass between the greens and fences, maintaining the lawn tractor, trimming along the fence line, repairing and painting the benches and tables and participating in work days to help organize Ground’s tasks.
Nick Papadakis-Schneider: Director
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Levi Barnard: Director
Levi directs marketing and group events for our club. With over 15 years of experience operating adult sports leagues in Texas, he brings a wealth of expertise in event management and community engagement. His background in graphic design and apparel manufacturing adds a creative edge to his role in his effort to enhance the club’s branding and promotional efforts. Levi is currently working towards becoming a Bowls Umpire.
Standing and Special Committees
Audit
The audit Committee shall consist of two persons, excluding the President and Treasurer, to audit the financial records of the club for the preceding fiscal year and submit a written report to the Board of Directors.
Chairperson: Barb Blaney
Games
The Games Committee arranges the makeup of club leagues and tournaments and coordinates rink usage for all games in consultation with the Greens Committee. The Games Committee establishes fees for club tournaments and social events and provides transparency of league and tournament results.
Chairperson: Scott Lehmann
Greens
The Greens Committee shall supervise the maintenance and upkeep of the bowling greens and all related equipment; shall prepare the greens for play; and shall rule on playing conditions, such as use of sheets or temporary closure.
Chairperson: Nick Schneider
Grounds
The Grounds Committee shall be responsible for the maintenance of the grounds between the greens and perimeter fence including landscaping, shall be responsible for maintenance and repair of the benches, picnic tables, and exterior clubhouse; shall work with the Milwaukee County Parks Department to ensure the maintenance of the grounds surrounding the clubhouse and fence.
Chairperson: Steve Hoelter
House
The House Committee shall be responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the clubhouse and related furniture and equipment; shall keep an accurate inventory of physical property; and shall keep order by establishing and enforcing such rules as it may deem necessary, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.
Chairperson: Barb Blaney
Marketing and Promotion
The Marketing and Promotion Committee shall be responsible for the publicity and promotion of Club activities to the community and press; shall provide and update information about the Club to the Central Division and Bowls USA; shall work with the Games Committee to encourage participation in regular games and tournaments; shall work with the Membership Committee to actively recruit and retain members.
Chairperson: Dawn Majewski
Membership
The Membership Committee shall receive all applications for membership; shall make suitable recommendations of membership to the Board of Directors; shall turn over all collected dues and assessments to the Treasurer for deposit; shall provide the Secretary with the names and updated contact information of all members; shall assign new member to mentors; shall provide new members with a copy of the bylaws, rules of bowling, and a club name tag.
Chairperson: Mark Mathwig
Group Events
The Group Events Committee shall respond to event inquiries, book events, recruit club members to volunteer at events, collect the appropriate event fees and then turn over fees to the treasurer; communicate event bookings with the Greens Committee and website administrator; support efforts of the Membership Committee to convert event guests to members.
Chairperson: Dale Parsons
Sunshine
The Sunshine Committee shall support our members in times of need including bereavement, illness or injury; submit a $25 donation to the USLBA Memorial Fund in the event of a member’s death; send condolences in the event of tragedy involving others in the lawn bowling community.
Chairperson: Glorianne Mather