BRUNSWICK — The Brunswick Downtown Association hopes to put the “fun” back in fundraiser with its first-ever “BDA Bowl.”

The organization is inviting people to don their beads and bowling shoes Thursday, Feb. 28, for a Mardi Gras party at Bolos Kitchen Cantina & Candlepin. The renovated 7 Dunlap St. venue, formerly the Bowling Bowl, re-opened last month as a Tex-Mex restaurant and bowling alley.

The BDA is seeking teams of two to six people to enter the 4-11 p.m. event. The registration cost of $105 per team includes a free margarita, glass of wine or craft beer for each member, and prizes will be available.

“We were so impressed by the confidence that two young guys who own Portland Pie would want to make further investment in downtown Brunswick,” BDA Executive Director Deb King said Feb. 6, referring to owners Joe O’Neil and Michael Jerome.

Having attended Bolos’ soft opening in late December, “we were totally blown away by the vibe and the fun,” King said, “so we thought, ‘hey, we’ve got to do something here.'”

February and March tend to be slow days downtown, and “everybody’s got cabin fever, so they want to be doing something,” King continued. “And we felt, why not tie (the fundraiser) in with Mardi Gras?

“You throw a mask on, and a few strings of beads,” she said,”and just have fun with it.”

Registration is available at brunswickdowntown.org, and King can be reached for further details at director@brunswickdowntown.org. She said she hopes the event will raise between $2,000 and $5,000, a conservative range since it’s the first BDA Bowl. 

“I see this as an annual thing, perhaps,” she said.

BDA holds a variety of events each year, many of them free to the public, so the nonprofit organization depends heavily on sponsorships. A major fundraiser for the BDA is its October live and silent auction, which helps underwrite downtown holiday lighting.

There’s also the Brunswick Outdoor Arts Festival, to be held for the 13th time this August. It’s New England’s largest juried outdoor arts show, King said.

Four or five teams have already signed up for the BDA Bowl, and the BDA looks to have a total of 24. King has no doubt all the lanes will be filled.

“This is going to be successful, so we’re very excited about that,” she said.

King is also enthusiastic about dressing the part.

“I’m looking online for my costume,” she said, turning from the phone to her computer. “God knows I’m going to have to be decked out.”

Alex Lear can be reached at 780-9085 or alear@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @learics.