A Skating We Go! Part 2: Sleuthing

 This is what I have been able to find out about the history of the "St. Anthony "ice rink.  I'm calling it that, because I have no idea what it was called back in the day.  Hopefully someone who reads this will chime in. " Allouez" rink doesn't fit if the Franklin rink also existed at that time. 

In 1957 St. Anthony church relocated across the street, to its current spot in the Allouez neighborhood of Superior, Wisconsin.  It is the large building on the left-hand side of the picture in my previous blog.  According to several sources, up until that time there was an ice rink located on that property during the winter months. One neighbor from back in the day recalled that firetrucks were used to fill the rink, so at that time, in that location, the rink was a city endeavor. 

My Grandparents lived down the block, and the rink re-located next door to them.  The land was privately owned by the DeMol family. My first source could not remember how that rink was flooded.  So maybe when the church relocated, the original city run rink closed and moved five blocks down to what became known as the Franklin rink.  That would mean the St. Anthony rink became a private neighborhood venture. 

I spoke with another family friend, who still lives in the neighborhood, and it was confirmed that Dad did play music for the skaters, at least during the holidays. She also said that he did a really nice job decorating the outside of the house. (Something he never did in my day.) Talking with my Aunt Pat, we had a good laugh about the "guys putting speakers on their house". That would have happened before she met Uncle Bill, but she remembered skating at the rink with him when they were "going together" in 1960.  She didn't remember any music playing while they skated. More than likely my dad was working for the railroad by then, and didn't have the time to do that anymore, or the harsh winters took a toll on the speakers.

I've had fun picking the brains of friends and family, and while no one remembers much, I don't really think there was much to remember, as far as rinks go.  There was no warming shack, just a flooded spot on the ground, and a lot of fun!

I know that the rink was still in existence in 1968.  That's when my best friend's family moved into the neighborhood, although she hadn't arrived yet.  Her older sister saw my previous post, and commented on Facebook that she remembered the rink, and how exciting it was to walk down (in her skates) to skate at a rink that was close by!  She confirmed there was no shack to warm up in, but "we didn't care, it was just two blocks back home". In her memory, "someone from the neighborhood" took care of the rink. That's as close as I've gotten to figuring out if Grandpa ran it.

I know that by winter 1973-1974 the rink was no longer there.  I would have been four years old, and I have memories from that time. I don't think I was allowed run of the neighborhood yet, but soon.  Heck, I walked six blocks to kindergarten with my friends that following fall. If I had known it was there, I definitely would have schemed to go to the rink. At the very least I would have watched it from my fenced in back yard, or bedroom window! I would remember that.

My Grandpa passed away in October 1972, shortly after I turned three.  Maybe that's when the rink ended, because there was no one local who wanted to look after it? I wonder if it was, in fact, on this rink where I learned to skate when I was two. Grandpa might have even been there to watch my dad teach me.  I have heard that we were great pals, but I was young, and I only have a very vague memory of him laughing. 

So that's what I know.  I'll continue the story of how this all weaves its way through my own life, but I do intend to visit the historical society at some point to see what information they might have. I should also probably throw a few questions out to the Facebook neighborhood group where I originally saw information years ago. Engaging with strangers isn't super comfortable for me, so...... yeah, I'll get there. Nothing ventured, and all that jazz. I'm nosy, so that will eventually be my motivation. :) 

Thanks to the neighbors who have helped me this far!  J

A Skating We Go Part1: The Begining

 I have been attempting to write the story of New Years ice skating in the Meys household, and the can of worms it has opened in my memory, and my general psyche is astounding. I think about it constantly, and I've written a huge blog. I feel this tale has turned into more of a short story, or a book chapter, but after consulting with my editor (Preston) I've decided to bust it up into a few shorter blogs.  

The best part about this journey has been talking over these times with family and close friends, to see what they remember.  As good as my memory is, I have the gaps that come with age and time, and there's part of the story that I flat out don't know, so I will go to the last standing matriarch of the family, my late Uncle Bill's wife, Aunt Pat, to see what she knows on the subject of ice rinks and our family.   

What I already know, is that ice skating was a big deal in our family.  My Grandpa (Dad's dad) was the first ice rink attendant for the city of Superior, Wisconsin. He worked many jobs for the city, and was also instrumental in forming a union, but at some point, this happened. Now, in my mind this rink that he managed was the one I grew up skating on, located about five blocks away from our family home. My grandpa built that house in 1957, then my dad later bought it, and my brother currently owns it. It is possible, however, that the rink he worked at was right next to the house, because it turns out that in the late fifties, and/or early sixties, there was a rink right there. 

I was reading a post on a neighborhood Facebook group a few years back, and they were talking about the local rink from back in the day.  I just assumed it was in the current spot, where it has been since the 1970's, until someone who lived across the street from our family home chimed in with an anecdote about "the guys who lived next to the rink hooked up speakers on the outside of their house and played music for us to skate to". Well, even if I hadn't known that her family owned the house across the street from my family, I would have known who did that!  My Uncle Bill was a radio man from the get-go. I don't believe he was ever a DJ, but he physically set up and worked for most of the stations in the area throughout his career.  My dad loved music almost as much, and we donated his giant collection of albums to a local radio station when he passed away in 1992.  We lost my uncle just this past year, he for sure had all the answers I'm looking for.  Isn't that the way of it?  

The arrow in this picture shows our family home, and the circle is where the rink would have been located.  My folks bought the house in 1968, and Grandpa and Grandma built a smaller one right next door. Maybe that's when the rink moved to its current location? Maybe there were two? Doesn't matter, just one of those things you wonder about. Did Grandpa work that rink as a paid job?  Or did the three of them create this rink for the neighborhood? Aunt Pat and I have a lot to talk about at coffee tomorrow!