Palos Lanes manager Dave Knafl said he will never forget the day he returned to work this summer.

“The first day I was open I came out of the office and there was a police officer standing at the counter,” Knafl said. “I was like, ‘What are we doing wrong?’ I had the tables separated. We had the sanitizing stations. It scared me.

“He said, ‘Oh, no, there’s nothing wrong. It’s just good to see the people out.’ I was like, ‘OK, thanks.’”

Sunday night, it was business as usual. Well, almost.

Not all patrons were wearing masks when they were on the approaches or at their tables.

But according to guidelines, they had them on while waiting for drinks at the bar, walking around to greet friends and using the restrooms.

It’s the new normal for league bowling in 2020. And it’s more than enough to satisfy Sunday Night Villagers regular Dan Stulgis.

“It feels good to be back bowling,” Stulgis said. “Oh, man. You’re out with friends and it’s like you’re getting back to having fun again instead of sitting at home.

“I was thinking that we might never get back. With that capacity thing of 50 people, you’re not going to get a league in here.”

During phase four of the state’s reopening, bowling centers were initially granted 50 percent capacity but with a maximum of 50 people. It led to a lawsuit being filed by the Illinois State Bowling Proprietors Association.

The lawsuit never went to court. In August, bowling centers were recategorized and granted 50 percent capacity up to 200 people.

The decision brought a sigh of relief to Keith Tadevich, the owner of Burr Oak Bowl in Blue Island, Oak Forest Bowl and Mardi Gras Lanes in DeKalb.

“It opened us back up for business,” Tadevich said. “So many people are just happy to be out again. It feels like they’ve gotten a part of their life back.”

Tadevich closed down his centers at 5 p.m. March 16. For several weeks, he went to work to maintain and clean in silence.

“They were just big empty buildings,” he said. “I’ve never seen them like that. These buildings weren’t built to be empty.

“The sounds of the pins, with the music in the background, it’s like music to your ears. It’s great just to see people.”

Proprietors and center managers contacted said that 50% to 75% of their league clientele have returned.

“We’re down 170 to 200 bowlers a week,” Knafl said. “Possibly because of COVID, possibly because of loss of job or income, or they’re still afraid to go out in public.”

But it’s a brighter picture than in April.

“Isn’t that the truth?” Orland Bowl manager Terri Burns said. “It was horrible to walk in with no people, no machines running, just nothing. People want to socialize. They want to do the things they love.

“Now, we’re back and we’re practicing social distancing. What upsets me is that a lot of other types of businesses aren’t complying with the laws. If it continues, we’ll end up shutting down again.”

The shutdown in March put league seasons on hold. Sunday Night Villagers league president Kevin Juggan earned his salary by contacting league members with updates. By May, it was game over.

“It was rough,” Juggan said. “We had to figure out how we were going to make sure everybody got their money and how they got paid out.

“Once we got that all determined, we met with the captains in the parking lot at Palos Lanes and handed it out so they could distribute the money to their teams.”

The five-month layoff couldn’t end soon enough for Sunday Night Villagers bowler Leandra Gershon.

“I’ve never in my life not bowled for that long,” Gershon said, laughing. “I bowl constantly. Summer leagues, winter leagues, everything. When I came back from the city tournament, I knew I was walking into a shutdown. We were anxiously waiting to come back, but it never happened.

“It’s nice to be starting the 2020 season. It seems to be going pretty smooth. There is a lot of friendliness and a lot of cleanliness.

“I’m not worried during bowling season.”