FOLEY, Ala. — Before one can fully appreciate an enterprise like The Gulf Bowl celebrating 50 years in business, one probably needs to go back and consider the era in which the business originated.

In 1959, when The Gulf Bowl was opened by Hugh and Barbara Cole with 10 lanes, average yearly wages in the U.S. were $5,000. On average a house cost approximately $12,000 and a car $2,200. The gas that went into the car was 25 cents a gallon, a nickel less than a loaf of bread cost.

Eisenhower was in the White House and Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba. Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states, respectively.

Television was all about Westerns. “Gunsmoke,” Wagon Train” and “Have Gun, Will Travel” were all the rage, but a guy named Rod Serling was premiering a little show that year that was anything but a shoot ‘em up. It was called “The Twilight Zone.”

“Ben-Hur” was the movie of the year, and Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife” won the Grammy as Song of the Year.

Thus, when The Gulf Bowl observes its 50th Anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Foley business will have seen a lot of history and cultural changes. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is that The Gulf Bowl is still a family-owned business.

Today, Butch Cole, Hugh and Barbara’s son who came into the business in 1986, and his wife, Sonya, have not only kept The Gulf Bowl a landmark Foley business but have taken it to a new level. The Gulf Bowl Family Entertainment Center on Juniper Street behind Tanger Outlet is the culmination of years of planning and decision-making and, quite frankly, a huge financial investment during troubled economic times.

The Gulf Bowl Family Entertainment Center Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting will have Pro-Bowler Johnny Petraglia on hand along with Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Inc. Petraglia will participate in a bowling tournament with nine of The Gulf Bowl’s long-time bowlers. Petraglia will also perform some trick shots on the lanes.

Motorcycle daredevil Bubba Blackwell will also be appearing, and there will be refreshments, live music, door prizes and a special drawing sponsored by Brunswick.

“My husband was born in 1959, so he was raised in that first Gulf Bowl,” Sonya Cole said this week.

The Gulf Bowl that opened in 1959 was located on South McKenzie Street in the parking lot that is across from Visions Bank today. In 1960, Hugh and Barbara Cole added six more lanes to the existing 10 and added a lounge — Alley 17 — as well.

Around 1979 the Baldwin County Bowling Association was formed to service what was then a booming business in Baldwin and surrounding counties. Besides Foley, there were bowling centers in Fairhope, Bay Minette and Gulf Shores.

In 1982 Hugh and Barbara decided to build a new center on Michigan Avenue. That center had 16 lanes, a snack bar, small restaurant and some pool tables. In time, after Butch and Sonya came to manage the family business, Butch entered the airline industry in 1990 as a pilot and Sonya took over the business.

Over the next 20-plus years, Butch and Sonya constantly upgraded the equipment. They saw the advent of automatic scoring. In 2006 they were at the forefront of implementing a new city ordinance, and The Gulf Bowl went smoke-free on Aug. 20 of that year.

In 2003 the Coles’ son, Dusty, joined the family business. Dusty did in 2009 what his grandparents did in 1960 and his mother in 1986, namely, attended “Bowling Center Management” classes. The Coles also have a daughter, Amber.

It was in 2005 that the Coles began to think about expanding the bowling center or actually building a new one. In 2007 they broke ground on the new center. Hugh and Barbara Cole passed away before The Gulf Bowl Family Entertainment Center became a reality, but the second generation feels certain the first generation would approve of the result.

“It was a very big decision,” Sonya said of building the new bowling center.

“We’re not very wealthy people — we’re hardworking people, so we were faced with a decision of borrowing $300,000 to $400,000 to remodel or going into debt for the next 25 years and build a new center. We decided to build the new center and leave it to our children.”

Sonya said she and her family can’t believe how well the new Gulf Bowl Family Entertainment Center turned out.

The new center has Brunswick lanes and machines, snack bar, full service seafood sports bar and grill, arcade and adult pool table area. Family and employees painted the entire center, which opened in August 2008.

“We hope the community will enjoy what we have built,” Sonya said. “We wanted to make our community proud and proud of us.”