Columbus Skating Rink

[richard]

Post your memories of the Columbus Skating Rink here.

[richard]

Posted by RER today. This is a copy.

Re: Trivia About Columbus Indiana
« Reply #26 on Today at 7:16pm »

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Columbus Roller Rink 1950 and 1951:

Mr. Paul Morris owned the Garden City Airport and also owned and operated the Columbus Roller Rink on 4th and Jackson Street. My brother worked at the roller rink nightly on Friday/Saturday and Sunday afternoon. He selected the music and dances during his on-duty periods at the Rink. The music was from size 78 records only. He issued and took in shoe skates and skated with a whistle to warn speeders or problem kids. My brothers favorite dance record was "turkey in the straw". He said he would two step skate with his girl friend Mary Jane "Punky" Durham (both were in about the 7th and 8th grade then). He said that "Punky" was the best skater on the floor all the time. I too skated at the Columbus Roller Rink starting around 1951 when my brother was on duty. What a great place it was and fun but long gone to only talk about now.

Bob

[Margo CHS Class of 55]

Oh I have many memories of this place !
My Mom would never let me go by myself as it was in a not so desirable neighborhood. So a group from First Baptist Church would all go together.
Also a group of girls from the 50's ERA of CHS would be skating either on Friday night or Saturday night each week !
I think one of the better skaters was possibly Donna Sue Burton. Her pair of skates and case are now on display at Sadie's Restaurant in Clover Center. Anybody remember doing the limbo on skates ? I never did win it but had lots of fun !!

[nancs]

Oh, yes, Margo, I remember the skating rink, and my folks always took me AND picked me up from an evening of skating. AND it seems to me that my folks would spend 'some quality time' in that open area for 'the watchers.' Perhaps monitoring the 'rink activities.' ;D Before David got the message boards so very organized, I did write about my 'skating rink memories.' Perhaps I put that post in the 40s thread. Found it!!!! Reply # 42 in the 40s thread, page 3.

Do you remember doing 'the two step?' I always loved that. Just an 'interesting little postscript' to that skating step------would stand to reason that going to a skating rink in CA after our move, would be as much fun as I had in Columbus------NOT!!!! Add to that, these kids had 'not a single clue' about 'the two step.' They just looked at me with really 'questioning eyes.' Pretty much hung my skates up after that.

Nanc

[Babs]

I think quite a few "moms" spent some quality time, checking the skating rink out. I've had many friends say to me "oh my parents wouldn't let me go to the skating rink, too much rough housing, etc." but I can tell you no one's parents were any stricter than mine. My mother went a few times to make sure it was "safe" to leave us and then she would go shopping or visiting and return to take us home. When we got older we were sometimes "allowed" to stay till the rink closed for maybe a special occasion...like New Year's Eve...and then we had to find our own way home. Most of the time the bus would've already stopped running at 11 so it was "hoof it". Which we would do gladly, just so happy we had been allowed to stay longer and enjoy skating. I remember the "two step" and a lot of couples also waltzed; you had to be able to skate backwards then. I really enjoyed watching this. A few times I was asked to waltz (this was always a couples skate) and even though I was never a particularly good skater, I did enjoy it a lot. The secret to doing this well was having a partner who was a great skater. I remember a boy by the name of "Red"; I don't remember his last name and he was a little older than me. I did skate with him quite a few times and he was a great skater and made his partner look good also. :-)

The skating rink remains one of my fondest memories of growing up in Columbus and to all those who say it was not a safe place, I say "it was great fun and I never saw anything any rougher than say a few boys who wanted to skate really fast going round and round till your head was spinning." Admitedly the location wasn't the best but it was where the rink was located and it was a well run establishment and safe I can assure you. My parents would never have allowed me to go there in the first place if it had not been so.

[RER]

Roller Rink 4th and Brown Street
Long gone but not forgotten for many

As my brother told me today: " Well, it may look bad, but the inside floor was hardwood and they sanded them often to keep it in tip top shape. Much later the floors were a composite material and at that time they had to use rubber like wheels."

He said the first skates with the wooden floors were wooden wheels. The wheels had to be placed on a grinder weekly to make them smooth as glass. The skating rink had a grinding service.



Note: This picture was transferred from David's other Columbus Historical Web Site. I thought it would be nice to relate a picture to what has been written about this place.

Bob

[Babs]

Bob,
You are right, the outside of the roller rink didn't look too great, but you have to remember back in those days a lot of buildings weren't top notch. We sure did have loads of fun skating though and there wasn't much nonsense allowed. My folks would never have permitted me to go there if there was any fighting or drinking or such going on. Whoever owned and/or ran the rink did a fine job and my hat is off to them for providing the youth of Columbus with a fine place to go.

[mfaure]

In looking at the map, and reading some comments about the skating rink. I have no idea about the rink on the map but the one we all frequented was between jackson and brown on 4th street. There were portable rinks and my knees can attest to that. I learned to do that flip to skate backwards at a portable rink that was set up on tenth street. I'm thinking it was in there some place about where that church is now. Just east of the Saddle Club grounds was. I know it was there for two or three summers and have the scars to prove it.

also I know I used to take our horses down on the west end of 4th st. to be shod sometimes. Seems it was very close to the river.

PLEASE HAVE SOME COPIES OF THAT MAP MADE. I know we could sell them. I want one. I know several of you would probably like to have one to frame as well.

margie

[RER]

Outdoor Roller Skating Rink Columbus/Bartholomew County Indiana
The year was probably 1940

This may be before the Paul Morris Rink was opened on 4th and Brown Street area. The photo was developed from an old negative that was found among pictures from my deceased parents collection. The individuals in the pictures are not known. Notice the cars parked near the tent covering. The actual location of the erected portable skating rink is unknown, but in the Columbus area.



Bob