It’s that diverse portfolio – all of it made right here in Massachusetts – that’s helped keep the Parrella brothers in business as every other bowling ball manufacturer abandoned the candlepin game.

Rainy day: With two kinds of bowling, you can decide how you roll Candlepin is a New England tradition worth experiencing, but a resurgence in 10-pin bowling means more modern facilities and food.

Unlike 10-pin bowling, with its large, hefty balls, candlepin balls are much smaller, easier to handle, weighing just two pounds and with no finger holes. “It’s a great family activity ...

To get a taste of what good old-fashioned candlepin bowling is like, look no further than the Bowladrome in Wakefield, Mass. Operated since 1952 by the same family, this 20-lane house was a ...

The atmosphere at D'Amanda's may sound like regular bowling, but with one look, it's obvious this is not classic 10-pin big ball bowling. Eleven-year-old Lola Stratton holds a candlepin ball.

Ten-pin has big, 10-pound, 8.5-inch balls that are able to more easily strike more pins. Candlepin, with its 2.5-pound, 4.5-inch balls, requires precision, dexterity and a high tolerance for failure.

In between candlepin and standard 10-pin bowling is a variation known as duckpin, which has grown in popularity thanks to local spots like Pins Mechanical Co. and Hoppin' Vines.

TRESSA VERSTEEG, BYLINE: It's a Saturday afternoon at D'Amanda's, a candlepin bowling alley in Ellsworth, Maine. It may sound like classic tenpin, but it's not.