Drome gets its due: Mitchell’s Roller Drome gets honored today
By Candy DenOuden, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
What eventually became host to some of the biggest bands in the region and locals' favorite place to roller skate,
When
But, the summer had its hazards, too. One of the first years after Ray and his wife, Ruth, became sole owners of the portable rink, high winds blew in on opening night. A
"Dad got everybody out of there, and he was the last one going out and he said he felt a board hit him on the arm as he was exiting, and the tent went down,"
But it was the beginning of the Roller Drome.
After that, Jack said his parents decided to build a permanent roller skating rink in
The Roller Drome is one of three venues being inducted into the
Formed in 2008, the
"We just do this because we love music," he said.
Each year, Fritz said the board of directors encourages nominations, which help board members compile the list of inductees. He said each year the board selects two to three ballrooms or dance halls from across the state, noting that without the venue, rock 'n' roll musicians would have had no place to play.
"Every town had some venue, whether it was a ballroom or dance hall," Fritz said. "They're just as important as any other aspect of music."
The other venues being inducted this year include
"The Roller Drome was one of the more popular places," Fritz said of its selection.
Despite the close proximity of other popular locales like
'Whole different world'
One of those names was Myron Lee, whose band -- Myron Lee and The Caddies -- drew strong crowds. Lee was part of the inaugural class of
Now retired from music and still living in his hometown of
"Somebody started calling me that, so if that's what they think, I appreciate it very much," he said.
Lee said he got started with rock 'n' roll much the same as any other teen in the 1950s -- listening to the radio. He credits a 1955 movie, "Blackboard Jungle," as really kicking off the genre. As the likes of Little Richard and
"It was as easy as that," he said.
According to his website, Lee and The Caddies had their first out-of-town date in 1958 at the
"We were the first band to really get started and play all over the Midwest. We were just fortunate," he said. "There weren't any other rock and roll bands around at that time, at least not around here."
And he credits that fortune, in part, to venues like
"This five-state area was dotted with ballrooms all over. That's what made things go in those days," he said. "We would not be able to start out and do what we did these days. There's just no places like that. It's a whole different world, now."
He estimates he first played the
"The place was packed every time," he said.
Lee said he lost track of the venue over time, but remembers the nice floor at the Roller Drome, and remembers it doubled as a roller skating rink.
He also remembers the venue fondly, citing several things that made it unique: no alcohol, no permanent stage and poor acoustics. The low ceiling, wooden floors, and a low-to-the-ground stage made sounds echo, Gillis said.
"It was like playing into a tube with wood all around it," he said. "The sound came right back at you."
But, a positive tradeoff was the stage, which had to be built for each show, and made it easy for audience members to nearly rub elbows with the band -- something Gillis loved.
"It was probably the most audience-friendly place around," he said. "It was fun for a band, because everyone was on top of you."
'It was a big success'
The
"It was a big success," Jack said.
Jack said the
"Roller skating, of course, is like anything else, it has its cycles," Jack said. "Dad saw the bands playing, and the places that could accommodate a dance were doing well, and he said, 'Well, we might as well get in on it.' "
Saturday nights were typically reserved for bands, Jack said, and
"It was very successful; he got some pretty good bands that they just jammed in there," Jack said. "Even on a night with the local talent, the people really enjoyed having a place in
Jack described his dad as a disciplinarian, who maintained high standards for his establishment and expected his patrons to do the same.
"If you wanted to drink, it was best done elsewhere," Jack said. "I said I never worked for a tougher boss than my dad, even in the service. But it sure was a good time."
Those same standards applied to the youth who frequented the roller skating rink, Jack said -- and
But he was also a forgiving man, Jack said, and if youth offered a sincere apology, they could regain admittance.
"He enjoyed kids and young people, especially those who showed any sign of respect to peers and elders," Jack said. "Dad's goal was to provide a safe place for young people to have fun."
And they did. Jack said he jokingly referred to his father as the town babysitter on Friday nights, the week's most popular night for youth, while Saturday was typically dance night and Sundays were often when the adults came out to skate. Gillis added that
"The '60s were the days of the dance hall," he said. "The place got crowded."
"It was fun. We had some pretty good skaters," he said.
Jack said when he went to college in 1959, that was his exit from the Roller Drome. He's not sure when his dad, who died in 2006, sold the business -- sometime in the early to mid-'60s.
A 1976 advertisement in
"We've had a problem, too, as far as getting information," Fritz said.
A file at the
According to a
What is certain, however, is the popularity of the Roller Drome as a roller skating rink and as a ballroom during the height of rock 'n' roll music's popularity. Fritz said the Upper Midwest was peppered with ballrooms and dance halls during the 1950s and '60s.
"
The
Jack and his mom now live in
"I think Dad would be extremely grateful and proud of what he did in
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