Reinvention is the name of the game when it comes to keeping up with trends in local recreation and entertainment.

Take miniature golf and bowling. Many courses and lanes have closed in the East Suburbs over the last few decades. Some that remain have put a different twist on the games.

Monster Mini Golf in Monroeville and local lanes with cosmic bowling have added black lights, glow-in-the-dark features and music.

"The more things change the more things remain the same," says Dan Miller, Penn Hills recreation director. "What we're trying to do in recreation is keep up with the trends and the time."

In Penn Hills, that means using land for new purposes.

Two years ago, the municipality opened a skateboard park on deteriorating tennis courts at Duff (Road) Park. Jefferson Road Park is being reopened as a dog park in August, Miller says.

Monroeville also has added a skate park and dog park over the last three years, says John Balicki, municipal recreation director. He says the dog park fills a need for social recreation.

As demographics change, so do recreational offerings. The numbers for men's senior softball have gone up as more of the population retires, Miller says.

Balicki says running events have been popular over the last two or three decades. But as baby boomers slow down, walking has been growing in popularity, he says -- a healthy change because walking puts less wear and tear on the joints than running.

The still-developing North Huntingdon Township in the Route 30 corridor is a prime place to locate a recreational facility. But new venues aren't knocking at the door.

"Drive-ins, miniature golf, swimming pools, driving ranges -- I haven't seen anything like that," says Andy Blenko, township planning director.

Last year, township officials dissuaded a man who was interested in putting a petting zoo in a commercial zone.

When Sally and Gary Lee decided to open Monster Mini Golf on Route 22 in Monroeville last year, they were driven by the fact there "really just wasn't anything" in the form of indoor family entertainment locally, other than the Chuck E. Cheese's across the highway.

"I think if we had more, we could all grow together," she says.

With fewer private recreation venues in operation -- and existing ones sometimes pricey -- municipalities are filling the void by watching trends and trying to meet public demand, for instance, providing movies in the park to offer a drive-in-type experience..

Lacrosse is popular on the West Coast and he's had some requests for cricket facilities from residents who are from India, Balicki says.

"The only downsides are their space needs are pretty significant," he says.

The disappearance of public pools and private neighborhood pools, like Eastmont Swim Club in Wilkins Township, has put a strain on the two remaining municipal public pools --Boyce Park Wave Pool and Monroeville Community Pool, Balicki says.

Monroeville is conducting a feasibility study to determine whether to build a new public pool at Monroeville Community Park or repair the existing one at Bel Aire Park. A new or renovated facility may not be a traditional lap pool, but a recreational pool with features like sprays and slides, Balicki says.

Government-owned community recreation centers are another trend. With indoor tracks, pools and gyms they offer "something for everybody," Balicki says.

"You won't find the Spandex crowd there."

While some concepts are affordable, others have a cost out of reach for municipal budgets.

"I would hope there's a community recreation center in Monroeville's future," Balicki says.

The East Suburbs still offers varied recreational opportunities in municipal parks close to home, including fishing, bocce, horseshoes, street hockey courts, disc golf, biking and walking trails. Boyce Park has a model airplane field and an archery range and Monroeville Community Park is debuting a new amphitheater and concert series this summer.

There are still a number of privately-owned bowling alleys, miniature golf and public golf courses throughout the east communities.

"I think people are going to be looking for their recreational opportunities close to home," Balicki says. "If we don't see a reversal in fuel costs, the community parks are going to play a more major role than the state parks will."