Letter to the Editor
Roller rink
Published Sunday, June 8, 2008
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Stumble It!June 6, 2008
To the editor:
I am writing this to see how many people may remember a roller rink and the memories of such. To the young, to the seniors — mother, father, uncles, brothers, sisters, grandparents, clubs, organizations, that have skated, “tried” skating, have watched roller skating.
Since the closing of Polar Roller, there is no longer a roller rink in the Fairbanks area or Interior. I have seen letters to the editor and have talked to many people that have roller skated at the different rinks that have been opened here in Fairbanks throughout the years. I have also talked to newcomers to Fairbanks and area (Interior), who are surprised there is none.
Roller skating is a sport, started by someone that ice-skated during the winter, but could not during the summer (this was before indoor rinks were invented). He decided to put wheels on his ice skates. Roller skating is or can be good exercise, a place to meet old or new friends, a family or an organization get-together.
I, myself, have not been on skates for years, but would like to do so at least once in a while and would be more than glad to help in promoting a roller rink. If anyone is interested in getting one open, please write a letter to the editor or write me. If there is enough interests, let’s get a meeting together and discuss getting one open. I do have many years of experience in roller skating.
Floyd Terry, P.O. Box 73514, Fairbanks, AK 99707
Community Discussion
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WE HAVE 2 ICE RINKS IN FAIRBANKS. WHY NOT TRY THIS ICE RINK. BECAUSE ROLLER RINK IS GETTING HOT AND SWEATY WHILE U ARE SKATING . I LIKE THE ICE RINK. IT IS COLD. SO I CAN SKATE LONGER. WE DON'T NEED ROLLER RINK IN HERE. U CAN SKATE ON WALK WAY IT IS FREE. I SAW FEW PEOPLE SKATE ON BIKE ROAD
U NEED FIND CAPS BUTTON AND GRAMMER LESSON
Up until the early 70's what is now II Dice Pawnshop on the corner of Airport and Barnette was an indoor roller rink. It converted to a pizza place (good pizza, if I recall, and a place I often got my tail whipped playing air hockey) for a number of years.
The soda fountain at the corner drug store was nice too, but they are gone also. You will never cover the overhead for a roller rink, they take up way too much floor space, sorry, I enjoyed them too but they are dead..
Wow what a bunch of negative Nancy's. Think about this Fairbanks and North Pole have grown considerably in the past few years and there are alot of kids that would benefit from having a recreation that is wholesome and gets them out from behind a TV and video games. Maybe if ya'll started thinking outside the box a bit you could come up with something. Try to have that can do attitude this state is famous for and think about the good it could do for the kids!
why not use some building like the old kmart im sure its big enough to do the job. i would go i like rolling skateing . and sweating well its good for you/for a lot of reasons. if not that building maybe some thing esle.
The ice rinks in this town barely stay afloat. They are able to do this because they charge high rates for all the hockey played in this town. I can't envision a roller rink being able to sustain itself through open skates and private parties. Granted, ice rinks have higher overhead because of maintaining the temperature of the ice, but I imagine you might have a problem keeping the roller rinks warm in the winter. I agree, we need more things to do in this town, but unfortunately, I think this one is a losing cause.
I think it is a great idea and although I was not around when the Polar Roller was here I think Fairbanks needs another one. There are so many kids running around with nothing to do (but get in trouble) and there are so many overweight kids that could benefit from the exercise from skating, as well as their parents. When I was a child we had a rollerr rink and we were there constantly! We had birthday parties there, we had spendovers, and we just went for Saturday afternoon fun! I'd love to get on board! I'd love to see Fairbanks invest in the future of it's children and families and I believe this is a great way to start.
I agree with ak_nyhtwind, some of you need to get off the negative.
I also grew up here and my mom and I always roller skated every weekend at the old roller rink where the pawn shop is. It was great exercise and fun. Some of you mention the Ice Skating, but wouldn't it be great to have more than just one choice of something to do.
I personally like Roller skating alot better than Ice skating, and I was born and raised here. I would love to get on board helping with this, someone tried at the fair a few years ago and it didn't work out, maybe this time we can do it. There is alot of empty buildings in this town that would work.
Also for theburninator, are you kidding me, get a life.
I was born and raised here in Fairbanks and I really do miss the roller rink as well. I could tell you the stories of Northern Lights roller rink now Polar Roller as well as The Center that was here in the mid to late 80's as well as the 90's when it closed down. For those who don't remember the Center it is now Sears. I do agree that we do need some other choices in this town. When my husband and I left Fairbanks and moved to Las Vegas for awhile it was nice to see what other things were being offerred to the population down there I mean just to get a chance to go to Chuck E Cheese was nice, the kids got to run around and play games it was pretty cool. I remember when we did have a Chuck e Cheese here in Fairbanks and even had 2 of my birthday parties there(if you ar wondering where chuck e cheese used to be it was the building on the Old Steese highway where Genes Chrysler has a car lot there now. Knowing that we were comming back made it a little challenging but I realized that my children would have a better life up here than down there. I had asked one business man here in town about a roller rink 2 years ago. He stated that the insurance alone was a little on the high side. But, with Fairbanks growing it might be possible. And with the price of everything going up it might not be.
I too think it would be nice to have a family fun center. It doesn't just have to have a roller rink but a variety. In Kansas City we had one that included a roller rink, fooze ball (which is like polo only you ride on bumper cars) and also an indoor swap meet (a bunch of sole ownership shops).
Right now I believe the old Kmart is used as a garage. With the price of fuel it makes sense to have more choices under one roof.
We used to have a "family fun center." It was called The Center, ... we had the fooze ball as well, it was called Whirly Ball.
I don't think the population of Fairbanks has increased or changed so dramatically that building another "Center" could be justified. Granted, the main reason why The Center closed was because it was mismanaged and drew a bad crowd.
We've had 3 different roller rinks in this town, Northern Lights (a.k.a. Polar Roller), the old pawn shop, ... and, of course, one at The Center. Insurance does make it tough to operate a roller skating rink. The old K-Mart is out of the question. Most see that building and think "wasted space." Fountainhead Development continues to make a profit from that building by leasing it to deployed soldiers. Their cars are stored in that building until they return.
I know some enterprising ladies in this town are trying to establish a lady roller derby league, ... and wish them the best. I don't think anyone will consider building another roller rink.
Also:
I find it odd that many in this community say "there's nothing to do in the winter time."
let's see, ... 3 roller rinks, The Center, Chuck E. Cheese, etc. All of these operations are now the way of the dodo and all were centered around family fun entertainment. Point is, even when we've had the option, ... the community didn't frequent them enough for them to stay afloat.
I know Glow Putt is trying to sell, this is also family entertainment. They are selling not because it isn't making a profit. They are selling because they are tired and want to retire. I have heard that if they don't sell, they will simply close up shop. If the community wants to continue having places like this, ... I suggest someone approach them to purchase, or at the very least, thank them for offering this type of activity to the public. "Thanks for what you're doing" seems to go far...
I would be interested in a roller rink also. There are ways to make it feasible. Look at the movie theater, I am told they barely make a profit for the actual movie - it is the concessions where they profit.
When I was a kid we had a really nice roller rink in Wisconsin. It remains open to this day. They have a good schedule system and that is why they stay in business. They knew when kids would skate and when families would like to come in with toddlers and they scheduled it so it worked out accordingly.
I think that is why Polar Roller didn't make it..they were hardly ever open and when you wanted to go skate they had the times set up all wrong. They didn't play music that would appeal to the average teenage & that kept them out when it was their scheduled time to skate.
I am not sure how popular roller skating even is anymore, I rarely see anyone on skates. That there alone would cause me concern as to opening a rink. Maybe someone could figure out an outside place during the summer and just see how many people are willing to meet up and skate.
I have known Floyd for many years and this is his passion to make a better community for Fairbanks while promoting roller skating as he has numerous times paid out of pocket expenses and countless time to fulfill this dream of a permanent roller rink as he loves the sport so much - this man has struggled financially barely making a living for himself and has no gain other than seeing a fulfillment of a roller skating rink make a comeback to the Fairbanks area ....
Everyone has their bases covered upon all the replies on this topic , and although I even mentioned to Floyd about the insurance rates and liabilities which would kill a roller skating establishment's overhead alone , and my opinion is the only way of roller skating making a true comeback in this area is to have an established roller derby league like Non_Lemming just mentioned .....
What better facility to have one in occupying a roller skating rink on a part time basis like the Carlson Center - its centrally located at that and the rink would be already setup the day before and after the event(s) to take place while the public can skate on the same roller rink as their counterpart semi pro leagues do.... it would be nice to have some roller derby league with a bunch of thugs goin at it and yet its very entertaining.. (I seen the LA Thunderbirds pro team in their prime live at the Olympic Auditorium in 1974 and I was certainly hooked on roller derby)
The supplemental insurance rate will be obsorbed better as the promotional value would be priceless if the Carlson Center would have a part time public roller rink outing with an already established place with insurance coverage while admission prices would make it affordable ....
Although the old roller rink at Two Dice Pawn was a little before my time , I do remember eating at the Pizza Pub which had great pizza (although I thought Shakeys and Mafia Mikes was better)
Polar Roller lasted a long time which surprised me cuz of the location , my fondest memory of there was when I seen Blue Oyster Cult perform there (we made our way thru a buckled part of the fence and gotten in for free)
Chucky Cheese was a kewl place for the younger kids and it fit the attire for the family , unlike that crappy 'The Center' place ... the only thing I liked about The Center was their bowling alley as it wasnt a problem to open bowl anytime in the year as lanes were always available over 90 percent of the time .... Dennis Wise and his partners kinda had the idea right which was needed - on a all in one family orientated entertainment facility (although including a bar) , but the problem was the other facilities were rather small and congested and crammed together (arcade-rink-theatre-etc.) as the place never ever reinvented itself or promoted any special events (take a lesson from Las Vegas and they will show ya how its done) making it just a 'same ol hangout week after week that got boring real quick'.
The last time I stepped foot in The Center was when Molly Hatchet performed there , and the sound system sucked while the atmosphere turned dismal - they couldnt wait to finish their gig...those guys put on a really great show too when they played elsewhere cuz I seen them perform live before.
Rollerblading is the closest craze now as roller skating isnt as popular anymore as Sherry29 mentioned.
Floyd is into getting roller skating back in Fairbanks like I am into getting more bowling alleys in Fairbanks - we dont have enough of them or any other family entertainment in this town other than a ice rink , billiard hall and a movie theatre .... pretty sad when the number one most established business of entertainment in town is going to some bar.
I knew Kmart building was being used for storing cars but was told it was for the owner of the building. Kansas City used the caves they have there for that and for emergency food in case of a disaster. I don't know if any of you remember the cheese fiasco the federal government did, but that's where it was kept.
Wonder where we would store something like that here. With the permanent frost around the area I bet that would make a good storage area for emergency supplies.
I think it would be great if one of the high schools would open their track to allow roller skaters while school is out. It's a nice flat safe surface where people could go and skate.
I wouldn't roller skate on any of the bike paths in Fairbanks due to all the rocks an pebbles on the train. Those can be pretty dangerous for a skater.
I always thought that the old Foodland building would make a good roller rink. It's already round and has been sitting empty for many years.
We don't have it because we didn't support it with our business. As a community our loss is because of us. Nothing comes without work, and don't expect things to improve without a sustained cooperative. That's what it takes to get what you want. And by the way, I'm in.
Why not make a place for skateboarders too?
I believe a new rollerrink in Fairbanks would be great. I too remember the Norther Lights rollerrink growing up and the Center. I really liked the idea with adding more to do than just a roller rink, how about adding laser tag or indoor paint ball too? Maybe some indoor rock climbing. I always believed Fairbanks could use a good indoor family oriented get-away. Even maybe adding an indoor pool and a volleyball court with sand. I'm dreaming and thinking big now....I could go on and on. Bottom line, "..if you build it they will come..." :o)
Would someone smarter than I am , please do the math on this subject and put it to rest. The old foodland building would be a good example. Find out the heating cost, taxes, electric bill, water and sewer bill, and the real deal killer insureance, sound system, lighting system, new floor, skates, just to name a few. NOw take the population of the area, about 2 to 3 percent will use it on a regular basis, now you have the numbers, how much would you have to charge to keep the doors open? My guess would be WAY more that people would be able to pay. BUT there is hope get the Borough and City to pay for it after all it would another "DEMAND" for services. Good luck...
The main problem with the Center was it had too many operations going..If they had stuck with just three or four of them..Bowling alley, roller rink..something upstairs for the adults..Plus maybe a food court, game room ect.. They might have had a better go at it..
The in house child care they had was ingenius. I loved that I could go see a stand up comedian at the night club and child care was right downstairs to take the little ones that was a fun place for them too. I didn't have to worry, I could go check on them any time.
That was an idea that was really good...more places should offer in house childcare. Would it be so hard for the movie theater to have a place like Fred Meyer's?
We have a lazer tag place in North Pole with pool tables, game room and batting cages. It's on Badger Road. Not too pricey a night out with the kids either.
The foodland building needs a new roof just for starters..The Salvation Army was looking at buying it for an indoor rec. area and found it would be cheaper to just build a new building.
Which they will be doing soon over by Denali Elementary!! All enclosed indoor recreation! Can't wait!
Also for a really fun time for kids who like to swim...North Pole's Wescott pool has 2 water slides now that my kids love! 2.50 each gets 2 hours in the pool.
The water slide info is here-
http://co.fairbanks.ak.us/ParksandRecrea...
Schedules for all pools in the area are here-
http://co.fairbanks.ak.us/ParksandRecrea...
When I was growing up it was the Northern lights roller rink and we kids packed the place for years! There wasn't a weekend that we didn't go and I have many fond memories from that time. I know times have changed but, I also know that it is a recreation that is still popular down in the lower 48 and I really think if you had a good plan in place maybe talk to some contractors that would donate to the community a little and a few good business minded people to get it started someone has to know someone that wants to see the kids have something more to do here and I bet alot of adults would go as well if it was available. Keep trying folks if you want it bad enough spread the word and someone may by word of mouth find the way to a solution. It is nice to see all the commentary good and bad both sides have good points and to every negative there is a solution! Just a thought here before I go and that is that nothing