Oak Forest Bowl Fire & Tadevich Family Support

Update 5/10/23

Thank you to everyone that has contributed to this GoFundMe. I am heartbroken for my Uncle, Aunt, cousins, and the Oak Forest Bowl Community. My family is extremely grateful for the outpouring of love and support we've received since May 6th - THANK YOU. It is a testament to the community and what Oak Forest Bowl meant to those who visited.

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In the early morning hours of Saturday, May 6, 2023, the iconic Oak Forest Bowl suffered a devastating fire, causing a 'total loss.' The bowling alley, along with many other locations, has been owned and operated by the beloved Tadevich family for decades (fourth generation). In addition to the bowling alley, it was also home to Jake's Pub and Grill as well as an outdoor area where sand volleyball games and bean bag leagues were played. Oak Forest Bowl is home to many in the Chicagoland area and provided an atmosphere fostering memories lasting a lifetime.

This GoFundMe page is specifically to help and aid Oak Forest Bowl recover and rebuild during this unimaginable loss - for the Tadevich family and the Oak Forest Bowl Community.

Chicago Tribune Article from 2020:



Keith Tadevich is now the sole owner, carrying on a tradition in its fourth generation.

The Tadevich history involving Chicagoland bowling is certainly an interesting one.

It started in the 1920s, when Joseph Tadevich owned Triangle Lanes, located on Halsted and Elston in Chicago. The family later opened an eight-lane center on the North Side named Tadevich’s Fullerton/Crawford Lanes.

Continuing on after his father, Ed Tadevich Sr. became a second-generation owner when he bought 16-lane Burr Oak Bowl in 1966. Soon, the Blue Island center became one of the most popular in the south suburbs.

Ed Tadevich Sr., left, was followed in the Chicagoland bowling business by his son, Ed Tadevich Jr.Ed Tadevich Sr., left, was followed in the Chicagoland bowling business by his son, Ed Tadevich Jr. (Photo provided by Tadevich family / Daily Southtown)

A few years back, Ed Tadevich Jr., told me about how Burr Oak was used as the backdrop for an Earl Anthony photo shoot and that Mark Roth once bowled in a tournament there.

Ed Tadevich Sr. was planning to expand Burr Oak Bowl when he died of a heart attack at age 60. His sons Ed and Darryl, however, kept his dream very much alive, adding 16 more lanes and an additional sit-in bar in 1978.

In 1991, the Tadevich brothers bought Welcome Lanes in DeKalb and renamed it Mardi Gras Lanes. Ed Tadevich Jr. bought Oak Forest Bowl in 1997. Ed stayed active in the bowling business until retiring in 2010 to Florida.

For most of the years I bowled at Burr Oak, from 1975 into the mid-1990s, business was nothing short of amazing. There were early evening and late leagues every night. Finding a lane for open bowling was not easy.

You can chalk that up to hard work Ed Tadevich Jr. put into making Burr Oak the bowling place to be. It was no different in the later years at Oak Forest, and I’m sure at Mardi Gras as well.

“He lived it, loved it,” Keith Tadevich said. “My dad could go into a group of strangers, strike up a conversation and make them comfortable. It was his life. He just enjoyed the game.”

And he played it pretty well, too.

“Oh, my dad was very good,” Keith Tadevich said, smiling. “He bowled pretty competitive when he was younger. I think he had four 300s in league, averaged 210 to 220 and bowled numerous tournaments.

“Obviously, when you get into the business and you’re here every day taking care of customers, you start having a different focus.”

On that score, Ed Tadevich Jr. always had a perfect game.