It just keeps on rolling

By GAIL MAHOLICK

While the style of roller skating has changed over the years and the floor at LaRose Skating Rink isn't wood-colored any more, skating continues to be a fun place for many youngsters to be with their friends and get some exercise.

Roy and Brenda Artz, who own and operate the sprawling rink along Route 209 in Franklin Township, still remember the good old days, when skaters shuffle-danced and stepped up to the beat of the music or represented "their" rink on the speed racing team. After all, its where the Artzs met, fell in love and continue to work side by side.

Brenda is a fourth generation LaRose - the great-granddaughter of the original roller rink owners and founders John and Sallie LaRose. The skating rink will turn 75 years old this year on May 31.

You could say skating is in Brenda's blood, but then Roy, her husband, who competed on the Reading speed racing team, has skating in his heart.

"He actually spends more time in the place than I do," she acknowledged.

The couple met when he was 13 at a competition in Reading and the league was expanding. She was a year older. They saw each other at competitions on weekends and eventually became a couple 24 years ago. They recently celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary.

She said that many parts of the building are original, although many changes occurred over the years since 1924 when John and Sallie acquired the property.

At first John and Sallie LaRose operated a gas station, before adding a tourist home. As the roads improved and more motorists took to the highways, tourist homes, similar to today's bed and breakfast, were popular.

LaRose commissioned Victor Solt to build the rink in 1926, which was strictly for outdoor skating. John named his venture "Fun-on-the-Farm," and the improved area around the rink included pavilions, an outdoor fireplace, playground and hill climbing park. The outdoor activities fizzled when insurance became an issue and he chose to close down the hill climb rather than charge an admission.

The skaters had a hike to use the outdoor bathroom facilities, which were located a considerable distance from the rink, which wasn't a problem since clamp skates were easily removed by skate boys. Later large windows were added to allow for indoor skating during cold weather and indoor plumbing was added. A pot bellied stove, standing in a corner, heated up the building for the skaters. There was a bench around the stove where skaters warmed up in between skating sessions. Skaters were protected from the stove by a few boards to prevent accidental burns.

When business was slow, Sallie would host banquets and run bingo games to make some money for the fledgling business. They also added some neon stars and a moon to add atmosphere for the couples skating together. Admission was 10 cents when the rink opened and later was raised to a quarter. Sallie and John ran the rink until 1955.

When times were hard during the Depression, they often allowed people without money to skate for free.

Clamp skates with fiber wheels were going out and the new trend was shoe skates, with the skates attached to a plate mounted on a pair of walking shoes.

During the Depression, canvas shoe skates became popular because of the shortage of leather due to World War II. The popular color of choice for boys was navy, while the girls opted for white. Skaters waltzed to recordings of organ music.

John and Sallie's only child, a son, Morris, grew up in the rink. Morris married Grace Frable, and they also had several ventures going, all at the same time. The couple lived in Rickertsville and also ran a grocery store adjacent to their home. Morris also assisted his grandfather, who was a butcher and they ran the guest house. The rink was under the direction of Morris and Grace from 1955 to 1977.

As skating became more popular, Morris and Grace eventually gave up their farming activities and their grocery store in Rickertsville to devote their lives to the skating rink. They moved into an apartment adjacent to the skating rink and raised their family of four.

Morris really brought skating to the forefront of family entertainment. He loved to give the children a variety of games to play. He made wooden horses on wheels and should be credited with making the first wooden skateboards. He organized races and offered basketball and hockey on skates.

He hired a bus to pick up customers, who paid one price to ride the bus and for admission, because no one wanted to wait in line. It was during this era when figure skating was popular and the Swing Time Rollers, representing the rink, appeared in local parades. Speed skating was big and youngsters joined skating clubs. Music was provided by a record player playing 45s, with someone having to move the needle after each record played.

Morris also purchased a former ribbon factory in Catasauqua and was challenged by the Sunday blue laws for offering open skating on Sundays. He also bought the Cedar View Skating Rink, Boyertown, which included a hotel, outdoor pavilions, swimming area and offered goat and cart rides.

In 1977, Carolyn "Tootie," Koch, a granddaughter and third generation took a turn at running the rink. But the longing to stay in the forefront brought Morris and Grace out of retirement after three years of her running the rink and Morris again took over from 1980 to 1988.

Then for a year, various family members took turns running the place, with Carolyn again taking over from 1989 to 1992 when she relinquished ownership to one of her five daughters, Brenda and son-in-law Roy in 1992. Brenda is one of 16 great-grandchildren of John and Sallie. Following are 32 fifth generation and 14 members of the sixth generation.

While Carolyn ran the rink, she made an imprint. She made changes in the lighting, adding colored flashing lights and a disco ball, which still remains. She also added black lighting, which made white clothes glow eerily and false teeth appear green. She added booths for skaters to eat their food and moved the music system onward - from 45s to cassettes by purchasing a music system for a better sound. She sold pizza, Leiby's ice cream, Stewart sandwiches and milkshakes.

Over the years, Carolyn has seen skates go from the first offered fiber wheel clamp skates to open wheel ball bearing skates, which had to be oiled and cleaned to closed wheel precision skates, which offer a quieter, better skate to today's top choice - inline skates.

"I considered custom-built roller skates to be less expensive in the long run than cheap skates because they gave skaters a good skate, last longer and require less repairs and maintenance," said Carolyn.

The history of LaRose's Rink wouldn't be complete without mentioning Frank Zellers and Midgie. Frank has almost as much history as the rink itself. Frank weathered through four generations of LaRoses owning and operating the rink, while Midgie was a standard fixture as a rink floor guard. Midgie could fall backwards and land back on his feet in a fluid motion and often entertained the youngsters in the center of the floor with his trick skating.

"Frank and Plair (Carolyn Koch's husband), used to mount custom built skates for discerning customers. Their speciality was custom build dance skates," said Koch. Frank was sorely missed after his health failed.

"I remember my great-grandfather," said Brenda. "I was 8 years old when he died." By then Brenda was already a seasoned skater, having been on skates nearly as long as she could walk. She proved her skating started at an early age by producing a photograph of her wearing roller skates practically the size of her baby shoes. She still has a pair of the tiny skates on display along with a few other skating antiques.

LaRose Skating Rink is the oldest continuously family-owned and operated rink in the country.

The couple's decision to take over the rink coincided with Roy's planned separation from the Air Force after 11 years. Now that he was assured of a full-time job in one location, he decided to end his military career and devote more time to his family and be part of a family-owned and operated enterprise.

"We'll never be rich," he said, "but so far we're comfortable and its something we both enjoy."

Brenda admits that Roy is the nice guy at the rink, while she is the disciplinarian. It is she who demands good behavior from the youngsters and doles out the discipline.

She has a few simple rules: "If you don't want to skate, don't come here to hang out; no smoking is allowed on the property - especially underage; and no alcohol and no backpacks."

"We decided to buy the business because there was talk among the family of selling it," she said. "Several family members were taking turns running it for a time, but no one really wanted to take it over full time until we showed interest."

So, for a time the couple moved back into the area and lived in the small two-bedroom apartment adjacent to the rink until they built a home behind the rink.

"We were used to this big four-bedroom apartment while the rink apartment was too small," she said, quite satisfied now with her new quarters.

The couple then went on a remodeling kick, turning the former apartment area into additional lounge space and a sound room for the disc jockey. They upgraded the music to CDs. The added space gives youngsters a place to sit and eat the famous rink pizza, which she still assembles the same way her grandmother and mother did. The pizza is still delivered by the Possimato family business, Easton, and baked fresh on site.

"Its a full-time job," said Brenda. "The rink needs a lot of repairs because it's old."

The couple are kept busy because cleanliness is their goal.

"We clean it after every session," she said. This means wiping down everything and dusting the floor between sets, which gives them little time to rest on multiple session days.

"We know we're cleaner than most rinks and we really wouldn't have to do it," she said. "But as former skaters, we know a clean floor offers a better skating surface and it protects skates from picking up dirt."

The floor, a bright canary yellow, with a blue center, sparkles and shines. The floor itself is another of the couple's work of love. They applied the acrylic color on their knees, filling in the cracks to protect the original maple wood floor underneath and give their customers the smoothest skating surface possible.

Benches and tables were removed from a long straight section adjacent to the rink's main floor to give novice skaters a chance to practice before they enter the main floor.

As many as two-thirds of their skaters opt for the inline skates. The couple recently purchased 95 new pairs.

"We are focused on investing and upgrading," said Roy. "Our skates are a quality product."

Another of their improvements centered on the lighting. The new lighting heightens the atmosphere for games and couple's only skating.

"We know the rink is small, but we thought lighting would enhance it," he said. "We also only play the top 40s. We play the latest music as it's released, sometimes before the radio stations have it."

The couple know the types of songs which will fill the floor and when to start the games to mix up the time.

The bright colors, cleanliness and devotion to the business shows with the amount of parents allowing the children to come unattended.

"We wish more parents would stay," said Brenda. "Parents who want to stay to spectate are admitted free."

Brenda admits that skating has always been her passion. She produced a scrapbook that holds an essay she wrote in the ninth grade, where she detailed how she yearned to own the rink someday.

The cleaning and repairs keep the couple busy. Also, the skating rink is booked solid for the next two months without a day off.

The couple look forward to the summer months, when attendance is lighter and they can relax. This is also when major repairs are undertaken.

"Attendance is affected by all the kids' planned summer activities," said Brenda. "Summer is a good time to learn how to skate."

Brenda said she has been blessed with a good staff, some of whom she grew up skating with. Some of the children who skate are children of friends she had skated with as a youngster.

"We still have our Friday and Saturday sessions," she said. "Friday is devoted to public skating, while there is time for two other parties on Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. and another public session Saturday night. Private birthday parties are about 90 percent of the business. Other remaining week nights are taken over by Scout groups, churches and other organized youth group organizations. Groups should call 610-377-1859 for reservations."

What makes LaRose Skating Rink unique is that when its rented out for a party, only the party is admitted and no outside people are allowed.

"It's small enough to allow us to be a mom and pop operation," said Roy. "We know we're in the minor league, but for those who prefer a private party, it's perfect."

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