Photos Provided The scene inside the Chestnut Lanes Bowling Alley in Barnesville after a fire ripped through the establishment on Nov. 16. The building has been deemed a total loss.

BARNESVILLE — It might be hard to believe when you consider what he, his family and ultimately, his business have been through during 2020, and specifically just 10 days ago, but A.J. Corder is counting his blessings this Thanksgiving.

The long-time owner of Chestnut Lanes in Barnesville stood outside of his business on Nov. 16 fighting back emotion as departments from four communities worked to put on a fire that devastated the building and led to a total loss.

“I left (the alley) Sunday night and my life was perfect,” Corder said. “I was headed home to my beautiful wife (Becky) and two beautiful daughters and expecting to go to work the next day. But, my life changed with one call.”

That call came from the Barnesville Police Chief Rocky Sirriani.

“My wife and oldest daughter had left and I was home when the chief, who is a buddy of mine, called me,” Corder said. “He heard the call (of the fire) come in, so I tried to rush to get my eight-year-old daughter to get down there, but I didn’t want to panic to freak her out.”

Corder made the half-mile drive from his home to the bowling alley in record time. He actually arrived on scene, basically at the same time as the first engine from the Barnesville Fire Department.

“As we were approaching downtown, the smoke was thick like a wall. You couldn’t see through it,” Corder recalled. “So, I knew it was going to be really bad.”

With smoke rolling and flames coming out of the roof, Corder simply could only shake his head.

“It was only within 10 or 15 minutes of being there that the walls started to collapse,” Corder said.

Crews were finally able to get onto the roof and, according to Corder, in essence, create a chimney to get some of the smoke out and begin pouring water onto the flame.

Several hours later, the flames were extinguished and the state fire marshal was on site. He determined it wasn’t arson and narrowed the area to close to the snack bar area. Since then, an insurance company has sent a cause of origin inspector, who determined the actual cause to be an electrical problem with a pop machine.

Since then, Corder has been meeting with his insurance company and adjustors as they begin the process of sifting through the remains.

“Some of the (bowling) machines and lanes didn’t really sustain fire damage, but they had water and smoke damage,” Corder said.

The bowling alley has been Corder’s life. And that’s quite literal, too. His father built the alley and after his death, in 1999, Corder bought the business from his mother and has been running the establishment ever since.

Taking it even farther, Chestnut Lanes wasn’t just part of the Corder Family. It’s been part of the fabric of the Barnesville community since it opened.

“It’s not just me and my family hurting, but it’s the entire community,” Corder said. “The people who come to the bowling alley aren’t customers. They’re like family and I can never repay those people enough for their support at the bowling alley and during the past year.”

Obviously, the trials and tribulations for Corder — and so many small business owners across the country — began in March when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Bowling alleys in Ohio were shutdown from March 15 until May 26. Corder, however, was able to keep his business open strictly because of its ability to serve food.

“I had a window that I could operate as a delivery and take-out restaurant, so we changed our hours, menu and even my truck insurance so I could deliver,” Corder said. “It really hurt because March and April are prime months in the bowling business.”

Operating from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. for lunch and 4:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. for dinner, Corder worked solo after he laid off his two employees. He cooked and delivered the food.

“The community rallied around us then, too,” Corder said. “From the businesses in town ordering lunch to the night dinner crowds, it allowed us to get through the shutdown.”

During that shutdown, Corder utilized his social media pages to advertise his specials and formed the hashtag #WeWillNotQuit as the mantra for Chestnut Lanes.

Since last week’s fire, many members of the Barnesville community have posted their own memories onto the alley’s Facebook page and are using that mantra again.

“Barnesville rallied during the shutdown and now, when this (fire) happened, the community has rallied around us again and they’ve shown they’re not quitting on us,” Corder explained.

Similar to how the community immediately sprung into action to support Chestnut Lanes in the spring, it did so again — even quicker — this time around.

“On (the day of the fire), I felt lost, broken, scared and worried about my family,” Corder admitted. “I honestly didn’t know what the future would hold, but as the week went on, the community of Barnesville gave me hope. The number of messages and people reaching out offering this or willing to do that was just overwhelming. Barnesville is truly an amazing little town.”

The community hasn’t let up in its support of Corder, his family and Chestnut Lanes since then either. Immediately, a GoFundMe account was established. It has raised more than $44,000 already. Several businesses and organizations have held or are planning fundraisers.

“My wife’s sister (Amy Merhige) set that up and the amount of money that flooded into it was amazing,” Corder said.

Some of those include the Barnesville Dairy Queen donated 50% of its profits last Sunday to the Corders. There’s a t-shirt sale ongoing, a gun raffle, which is being organized by Barnesville High School bowling coach Chad Hall, and Johnson Pottery in Barnesville is also planning a fundraiser.

“This town is just different,” Corder said. “When someone is down, they always rally around them.”

Along with the community support, the Barnesville Exempted Village School district has also lended its support. Chestnut Lanes normally serves as the home alley for the Shamrocks bowling team. They’ll practice and play this season at St. Clair Lanes.

First-year Director of Athletics Brad Hannahs — a Barnesville native — has been in touch with Corder numerous times over the course of the last few weeks.

“Chestnut Lanes is a staple in our community,” Hannahs said. “I remember being in grade school and bowling in the junior leagues and just how popular it was. It’s not just a bowling alley. It’s a place where friends can go and hang out. I can’t put into words what Chestnut Lanes and the Corders mean to this community.”

During the football season, Chestnut Lanes was a popular hangout for Shamrock Fans because Corder carried the livestream of the Shamrocks’ game in the alley. He also held a 50-50 raffle and donated the profits to the athletic department.

“The school district has been great,” Corder said. “I am good friends with many of the teachers and I’ve heard from Brad and (Superintendent) Angie Hannahs. It’s just a special place.”

As for the future, Corder has full intentions of re-opening the alley. When, however, is the unknown. It’s just too early to tell.

“I talked to another bowling alley owner who went through this, and it was 16 or 17 months for him, but I think he had some unforeseen things occur that cost him some (time),” Corder said.

In an ideal world, Corder believes fall of 2021 would “be great,” but he simply has “no definite timetable.”

“We don’t lose things in Barnesville,” Corder said. “We want to keep our community the way it is and build on it.”

Living by that theory, Corder has actually been thinking of ways to make the new Chestnut Lanes even better. He’s exploring a game room that could be used to host birthday parties and expanding the snack bar area, but maintaining the eight lanes.

The adjustment for the next year, possibly, is going to be tough on Corder.

“The last day off I had (before the fire) was Labor Day and now they’re telling me it might be 12 months off, so, naturally, that will drive me crazy,” Corder said.

To help pass the time and ease the process as they work their way back, Corder and his family will simply need to remember, “#WeWillNotQuit”