A Comment from Evelyn

I learned how to roller skate on the block (Ocean Parkway between Church and Beverly) when I was very young. We wore the metal clamp-on skates which you tightened with a key worn on a lanyard around your neck so it didn't get lost. I had a dedicated pair of saddle shoes just for skating. We would skate on Ocean Parkway and then around the block on East 5th street. This street was a rocky road as the tree roots had lifted up the blocks of pavement in many places.

My friends and I discovered the Park Circle Roller Rink which, compared to street skating, was a little bit of heaven. Imagine smooth, shiny wooden boards and "indoor" skates which you could rent each time for a very small fee. None of us owned our own skates (just like none of us owned our own bowling shoes), we were too poor to buy them.

You could spend the entire afternoon on Saturday at the rink, hanging with friends and skating as much as you wanted. There were special skating designations which were shown on a board as you went around, such as couples, males only, females only, reverse direction and such. There were no light shows or disco songs as this was the late '50's and early '60's when I was in junior high and high school. When I went to the rink, I would dream of becoming a roller-derby skater one day. This didn't work out for me; but I still dream about it!

Thanks for the comment Evelyn!