Roller Skating in Seward, Nebraska

This picture was taken last month showing the demolition of the old "Rol Mor" roller skating rink in conjunction with the remodeling of the Jones National Bank & Trust. The "demise" of the old skating rink building prompted me to do a bit of "research" on the history of skating facilities  here in Seward. We, like most communities, have not had a skating facility for a number of years. (I'm working on when this one shut down).  During my late teens and early 20's, roller skating was one of the most important social activities. I had learned to ice skate as a youngster but never roller skated until early 1941 when Rolfsmeier's opened a rink on the second floor of their building. The space was available after Company M of the Nebraska National Guard had been "called up". 

There was skating during the winter in the '46-'47 time frame at the Dance Pavilion in the Seward Moffitt Park. By 1947, Bud and Bubbles Anderson opened their skating rink in their area of the Park. Budd Davisson opened his Bowling Alley in September 1952 and in 1954 added an adjoining skating rink building. The local ASCS Office moved to the space in 1961.  In his "Seward 1974" publication,  Davisson included a picture of the "Rol Mor" rink and wrote, "After operating a skating rink for Davisson for several years, Homer Houdersheldt went out on his own, building a fine rink...". We had little reason to patronize the rink after our moving back to Seward in 1980; however, we did participate in a Church Skating Party there in May of 1987. Our old skates went to the Et-Cetera store a few years ago; but when Carolyn found out, she went down to buy them back. Mine were already sold, but she got Elaine's white one's to add to her memorabilia.