Things to Do in Henderson

The daughter of a retired administrator, Renee Rayles grew up learning the importance and pleasure of helping others learn. Harnessing her artistic bent, she decided to open a studio that would help anyone create handsome paintings regardless of previous experience. During evening lessons, private parties, and camps, Rayles and her cadre of helpful instructors guide students step by step as they copy a previously chosen work, adding personal touches to create take-home works of art that spruce up living rooms and distract guests from sentient houseplants.

In the summer of 1980, more than a foot of water flooded CJ's Willow Bowling Center, warping the floors and ruining the equipment. But faced with catastrophe, owners Charlie and Jean Rayburn used the incident as an opportunity to outfit the alley with 16 new lanes and revamped scoring systems. Today, a second generation of the family runs the business with the same resolve that has defined it since 1955. On weekends, bowlers pummel pins amid the fluorescence of cosmic bowling lights, or stop by the snack bar to fuel up with pizza. At the pro shop, patrons can renovate bowling balls with resurfacing, hole drilling, and initial engravings, saving them from the hassle of having to carve their faces into the sides.

Bright-colored balls have sent pins crashing at Franklin Lanes for years. Since then, the bowling center has seen several upgrades, including 20 Brunswick Pro Lanes, which replaced the originals. Optional bumpers pop into action to help young bowlers or adults who learned physics from Wile E. Coyote’s correspondence school.