Nearly 70 years have gone by, yet club bowling teams at the Northampton Liederkranz are still gathering on Tuesday nights for in-house league competitions.

The Liederkranz, which got its start in 1911, has had in-house bowling leagues since the 1940s, forming them shortly after World War II.

The Tuesday night men's league has been a club staple since the early 1990s and currently has about 40 members who participate in the competitions.

"There are guys of all ages here," said Mike Stahl, vice president of the Liederkranz. "Our oldest league member is 81, and anyone over the age of 21 can join."

Beginning the first Tuesday after Labor Day and ending in April, the Tuesday night league members gather every week at the Liederkranz lanes around 6:30 p.m.

At the start of the season, teams of five are assembled and compete with one another for the duration of the season. Throughout the year, wins and losses are tallied as the teams compete for the top spot at the end of the season. Top-performing teams in the league sometimes move on to a statewide tournament that takes place in April.

During the summer interim, some league members continue to bowl recreationally one Tuesday a month.

In addition to the Tuesday night in-house league, other Liederkranz bowling leagues have emerged over the years. On Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., another in-house league of about 20 men bowl at the Liederkranz. Three traveling bowling leagues have also formed, two of which are for men, and the other for women.

On weekends, teams in the traveling leagues will compete with other bowlers at the Manticore, Saengerbund and the Fearless Fire Company, among others.

Even though there are already five different bowling leagues, Stahl said that the club is "looking for other leagues to come in and bowl on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays."

To start a league at the Liederkranz, the bowlers must also be or become members of the club.

There are no skill-level requirements for existing league members and none required for incoming leagues that would like to join the Liederkranz bowlers.

"People of all skill levels play here, with average scores ranging anywhere between 130 and 215," Stahl said.

The Liederkranz members, however, don't just stick to bowling.

"Many members participate in traveling and in-house dart leagues that have similar setups to the bowling leagues," said Stahl.

The members also enjoy celebrating the summer.

The club will host an outdoor summerfest celebration noon-9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at 402 E. Ninth St., Northampton. For a cost, attendees will receive unlimited draft beer and soda, and food will be available for purchase. Joe Weber will provide live entertainment noon-4 p.m. and Beats Workin' will take the stage 5-9 p.m. The event is open to all Liederkranz members and their guests.

Anyone interested in forming a league at the Liederkranz or becoming a member of the club can contact Stahl at 610-704-2390.