Richie Halas is a familiar face on Newbury Street and in the Back Bay, having worked for Federal Express for the past 21 years.
He enjoys his job and residents have taken to his congenial nature as he delivers packages throughout the neighborhood. Some have even dubbed Halas, who goes by the nickname of “Hawk” as the “Mayor of Newbury Street.”
What many might not know is that Richie Halas is a professional candlepin bowler. And while he may not be as famous as Back Bay resident Tom Brady, the incomparable quarterback of the 16-0 New England Patriots, Halas will be getting plenty of exposure on television over the next few weeks.
Halas is the defending champion on the CN8 Candlepin Challenge bowling show and if you want to see the Hawk do his stuff, tune in to the show this Saturday at 11 a.m. or Sunday at 5 p.m. on CN8.
“I love seeing the people on Newbury Street and being a part of their neighborhood and daily lives,” said Halas, who lives in Revere. “The people are very friendly and nice and it’s a wonderful neighborhood.”
Halas has been an accomplished bowler since his childhood in Chelsea. First appearing on the old Channel 5 Junior Bowling show hosted by Jim Britt in 1965 and following with more than 75 appearances on television, Halas has been among bowling’s most consistent and enduring professionals for more than four decades.
And he is still rolling along as one of the game’s all-time greats. Halas, at the age of 55, with his wife of 25 years, Linda Anderson and their two beautiful daughters, Colby, 23, and Courtney, 19, by his side, is doing some of the best bowling of his long and illustrious career.
Without spoiling the fun and telling you the results of the television shows that were videotaped a few weeks ago, let’s just say Halas will deliver some impressive performances for his many fans. He receives $300 for each victory on television and bonus money for feats like three strikes in a row (to that, we say keep watching and you’ll soon see one).
In Chelsea, where he grew up and where his mother, Phyllis, 81, still lives, Richie “Hawk” Halas was revered as a candlepin whiz kid. After school and on weekends, he’d walk up the stairs to the Broadway Lanes atop Slaton’s Furniture Store in Chelsea where he would practice his game and bowl challenge matches mostly against adults - because no one his age could compete with him. By the age of 12, he had earned his first television appearance on Junior Bowling.
A three-sport athlete who went on to play football, basketball and baseball at Chelsea High School, Halas could throw a baseball in the mid-80s, “but I had no movement on my fastball, so a lot of time, they hit the ball back even faster.”
So bowling and fast pitch softball became his passion and there was no stopping his drive, determination, or talent on the alleys. He won numerous rolloffs and became a frequent guest on Don Gillis’s Candlepin Bowling Stars on Channel 5 and Bob Fouracre’s Bay State Bowling on Channel 27. Along the way, he’s won singles, doubles, and team titles and he continues to win today on the Candlepin Senior Tour for bowlers ages 50 and older.
But Halas is proving that he can still beat the best at any age. Last month, he prevailed over a bevy of younger bowlers by connecting for a 163 score in his final string and a 629 five-string total to earn his present spot on the Comcast Candlepin Challenge Show.
Halas says he keeps sharp by bowling regularly at his home base, Central Park Lanes in East Boston, a landmark establishment on Saratoga Street headed by fellow pro bowler Chucky Vozzella.
“I owe a lot to the Vozzella family because they run a great bowling house,” said Halas, who’s a member of the Central Park pro league team. “Chucky gives me the opportunity to bowl there and I’m grateful for that. Central Park Lanes are my home alleys and I practice there. The other thing is that Chucky’s a great bowler himself and you can learn a lot just by watching him bowl.”
Halas is eligible for selection for the next class of inductees for the Candlepin Hall of Fame. It’s the highest honor in the sport and only the true elite get elected, just as in any other sport. Halas understands the magnitude of such an award.
“It would be an overwhelming honor to be chosen for the Hall of Fame – it would be something special,” said Halas. “After bowling all these years, being recognized as one of tops in the game would mean a lot to me.”
Halas shows no signs of leaving the game he has enjoyed since he was a kid.
“I enjoy what I’m doing and I’m having fun doing it and I like the competition,” said Halas. “What I would say to the next generation of bowlers is that you have to stay with the game. The game is all about making spares. Anybody can throw a strike. But you have to make those spares. The second ball is the most important one. You have to make those hard shots, stay focused, and concentrate.”
Spoken like a true champion.

Berklee College of Music received approval Wednesday from the city licensing board to operate a coffee house and performance venue at 939 Boylston St.
“Café 939,” as it will be called, is scheduled to open after Berklee’s winter break, and will be open to the public. The café will serve coffee drinks, sandwiches, pastries, and light snacks, and will have a separate area for musical performance. The café will not serve alcoholic beverages.
The café will be open until 1 a.m. on performance nights, an hour which Senior Vice President David Hornfischer says is consistent with the neighborhood.
The café will seat 22 people, with additional seating for an audience in the performance area.
Back Bay Licensing and Building Use Committee chairman Tom High spoke in support of the license application, citing the café as a likely “enhancement to the neighborhood.”
Berklee hopes that musical performances at the café could range from local student talent to more established names, said Hornfischer. Entry to the music performances will require ticket purchase, with prices varying depending on the artist. Many student performances would be free, said Hornfischer.
In an agreement with the Licensing and Building Use Committee, Berklee has agreed to store garbage at the café inside, and to transfer it only to a locked, rodent proof dumpster behind 921 Boylston between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
In other licensing board news, Cafeteria, the new Newbury St. restaurant in the former INQ space, received approval to enter into a management services agreement with Bitton, LLC. The agreement will allow Cafeteria to use the Bitton, LLC all-alcohol liquor license until a formal sale and transfer is completed.
The restaurant, which serves classic Italian-American cuisine, will feature an outdoor patio that will close at 10 p.m., while indoor food service will run until 1 a.m. As a condition of supporting the license approval, the Back Bay Neighborhood association also stipulated that the restaurant’s deliveries should take place between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. to minimize noise disturbances, and that garbage should be stored on the property's fenced in rear patio. Live entertainment will not be permitted at the restaurant.

Workers from Boston Public Works' Street Lighting Department replace the red light fixture atop the fire alarm box at Commonwealth Avenue and Fairfield Street. In 1852 Boston became the first city to have a system of fire alarm boxes that citizens could use to notify officials of the location of a fire. This is one of approximately 1200 alarm boxes throughout the city.

This robin was singing away in front of 333 Commonwealth Ave. Ornithologists say that more and more robins are staying in the Northeast though the winter. Some say this change is due to global warming. Others point to the "suburbanization" of the region. Planting of ornamental trees and shrubs provides food for these birds who prefer to eat fruits and berries.