Thursday, October 19, 2006
Things Change
I haven't been roller-skating in over a year, inside or out. I have a rather specialized set of skates called MicroStars; top of the line in 1978 when I got them. They had felt a little wobbly on my last outdoor outing so I took them apart to clean, oil, and adjust them, only to discover 3 of the 4 truck bolts were missing and only the side cushions were holding the axles in place. I stopped by Skate Ranch looking for replacement parts after a visit to relatives in my hometown last fall. The place was closed down, but the owners, Howard (my former employer) and his father were still around doing some maintenance for a planned transition -- the rink had closed it doors to the public after 45 years. I gave Howard some money for replacement trucks, which he promised to mail me when he found them, but they never came.
Chuck Sergeant got in touch with me out of the blue a couple of months ago, a fellow former Skate Ranch employee who had come across my blog by accident. A friend of his had purchased the rink and it had reopened to the public. Floyd, Howard's father had passed away -- at the ripe old age of 100.
I just emailed Chuck to touch bases yesterday, mostly to get a line on the replacement truck bolts. Chuck gave me the business number for the new owners. The place has evidently turned over ownership a couple of times in the last year and now only does a few private skate parties during the week. On weekends the old Skate Ranch is now serving alcohol and catering to a large Country line-dancing crowd.
I imagine most of the old light-show and center dance-floor are still in place. At least I should be able to show Nian an echo of my halcyon days of floor-guarding and DJing at a Disco Roller-Rink when she gets here next year -- if things don't change even more in the interleaving time...
