Bowling for dollars

Workers are installing the hardware for the 2009 U.S. Bowling Congress Open Championship at Cashman Center in downtown Las Vegas.

The event runs from Feb. 21 through July 24 and is expected to attract more than 17,000 teams. It should be the biggest event of its kind since more than 17,200 teams converged on Reno in 1995, the inaugural year for the National Bowling Stadium.

The last time the event was in Las Vegas was in 1986 and attracted about 10,000 teams. Approximately 85,000 bowlers will roll on 60 lanes that are under construction in Cashman.