CHICAGO — It's time for bowlers in Chicago and around the country to polish their balls and get their lanes oiled. Registration is now open for the 2016 Second City Open Tournament Chicago, which welcomes LGBTQ bowlers to Chicago to compete for fun and prizes.

The third annual event is March 5-6 at the 40-lane Waveland Bowl, the largest bowling alley in Chicago.

Last year's tournament drew 140 bowlers ( including 19 women ) from Illinois and 10 other states. This year, organizers hope to increase participation to the maximum capacity of 144 bowlers. Both veteran bowlers and newcomers are invited to participate. Whole teams are welcome as well as partial teams and individuals, which can be matched up with others.

"We're building on the tremendous response we had last year," said Jason Kallen, co-director of SCOTCH 2016, "We were so close to selling out." Co-director Scott Marz, added: "The tournament is a great way for bowlers of all skill levels to shake off the winter cold, make some new friends and win some prizes."

Participants and raffle entrants could win a variety of prizes, including cash awards, a new STORM bowling ball or a STORM bowling bag.

The SCOTCH earlybird registration fee is $99 until Feb. 6, after which the fee increases to $109. Feb. 20 is the final day to register.

The complete SCOTCH 2016 rules and details can be found at Article Link Here . Or Like and follow the latest SCOTCH news on Facebook at Website Link Here .