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Holland Sentinel: Robert Swierenga’s personal best score at the bowling alley is 219 points.

At Rec Night, however, he and his competitors are little more loose about keeping track of points.

“It’s just fun, and good exercise,” said Swierenga, 54. “Everyone gets to hang out with their friends.”

Nearly all the games at Recreation Night — better known as Rec Night to its participants — are played with that same casual approach. It’s more about sharing an experience than winning, Rec Night regulars say.

The Rec Night group, organized for adults with developmental disabilities, meets each Monday night in June and July at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds. There, they play kickball, shoot hoops, bowl and sometimes pelt each other with water balloons.

The volunteer-run program doesn’t have a budget — they borrow equipment from Park Township and pick up items at secondhand shops. They use the fairgrounds’ shuffleboards as bowling lanes.

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