Paula Childs of Auburn was crowned "Queen" at the Tacoma Roller Bowl on June 24, 1963. A small tiara holds back Paula's wavy hair and a slender sash is draped over her skating dress. She is holding a beribboned bouquet of roses. Tacoma Roller Bowl was the site of the Northwest Roller Skating Championships where 500 skaters competed in 56 events. As Queen, Paula would represent the Northwest at nationals in Portland the following month. (TNT 6-26-63, A-18, TNT 6-23-63, B-10)

Childs, Paula; Skaters; Roller skating--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Dressed in a beaded skating dress, this young woman posed in her white skates at the Tacoma Roller Bowl on June 24, 1963. She is wearing a stylish bouffant hairdo.

Skaters; Roller skating--Tacoma--1960-1970;

This young man proudly displays his PNW regional challenge plaque awarded to the top junior boys singles skater in a June 26, 1963, photograph taken at the Tacoma Roller Bowl. He is Larry Lisk, representing Rollerland in Renton. Larry is wearing a dark competition outfit with sequin-like decorations. Even his skating boots are black. He edged out Garry and Larry LaPoint of Federal Way, who finished 2nd and 3rd, in the Northwest Roller Skating Championships. (TNT 6-27-63, B-8)

Lisk, Larry; Skaters; Roller skating--Tacoma--1960-1970;

A young skating pair posed at the Tacoma Roller Bowl on June 24, 1963. They are both dressed formally with white skates and competition-style attire.

Couples; Skaters; Roller skating--Tacoma--1960-1970;

In November of 1959, Mike Trader (left), Judy Rice and Gary Mriglot performed an apache dance - on roller skates - as part of the "Paris in Orbit" show at the Tacoma Roller Bowl, 7455 So. Tacoma Way. To raise money to pay for expenses to participate in the national roller skating competition, the Tacoma Dance & Figure Club staged a three-day show. About 70 young skaters, 6 to 19 years old, took part in the production.(TNT 11/22/1959, pg. D-11, 11/29/1959, pg. D-12) (Additional identification provided by a reader)

Roller skating--Tacoma--1950-1960; Skaters; Skating--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Roller Bowl (Tacoma); Trader, Mike; Rice, Judy; Mriglot, Gary; Tacoma Roller Skating Dance and Figure Club (Tacoma);

Scenes from a choreographed roller skating benefit show "Paris in Orbit," organized by the Tacoma Roller Skating Dance and Figure Club and presented at the Tacoma Roller Bowl at 7455 South Tacoma Way. Helen Lisk, dressed as a maid or housewife, injected a little comic relief into the program. The benefit was performed on three nights, 11/29 -12/1, to raise money to cover expenses for the upcoming national skating competitions. All seventy participating skaters were hoping to win a chance to enter the national events in Little Rock, Arkansas, in late July. Helen Lisk went on to become a skating instructor and coach at the Melody Skating Rink in Auburn and was the mother of two sons. (TNT 11-22-1959, pg. D-11; 11/29/1959, pg. D-12) (Additional information provided by a reader)

Roller skating--Tacoma--1950-1960; Skaters; Skating--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Roller Bowl (Tacoma);Tacoma Roller Skating Dance and Figure Club (Tacoma); Lisk, Helen;

Scenes from "Paris in Orbit," organized by the Tacoma Roller Skating Dance and Figure Club and presented at the Tacoma Roller Bowl at 7455 South Tacoma Way on November 29- December 1, 1959. In "The Gingham Kids", a quartet in gingham skates a fours routine. The four represented carefree youngsters cycling tandem bicycles in the park. They then parked the bikes and skated for the audience. The four are, left to right, Lanette Adams, Chuck Reece, Mark Johnson and Jean Reinhardt. (TNT 11/22/1959, pg. D-11; 11/29/1959, pg. D-12) TPL-9254

Roller skating--Tacoma--1950-1960; Skaters; Skating--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Roller Bowl (Tacoma); Adams, Lanette; Reinhardt, Jean; Reece, Chuck; Johnson, Mark; Tacoma Roller Skating Dance and Figure Club (Tacoma);

Scenes from "Paris in Orbit," a benefit roller skating show organized by the Tacoma Roller Skating Dance and Figure Club and performed at the Tacoma Roller Bowl at 7455 South Tacoma Way. This particular dance, "The Martians," involves space children from the planet Mars with their handy flying saucer in the background. The skaters on the back row are, left to right, Nancy Hartloff, Gloria Fisk, Renee Sahlberg, Ken Vincent, Lori Roberts, Ives McLean, Shannon Tyo, Ross Cox, Diana Shannon, Linda Betzler and Larry Lisk. Front row, left to right, Pauline Krakow, Vicky Baker, Connie Kontuski, Paul Krakow, Ricky Baker, Dennis Brouillard, Gale Sahlberg, Chuck Hartloff, Joanne Tyo, Roger Adams, Pat Shannon, Wayne Shannon, Richard Marryman and Tom Gendreau. (TNT 11/22/1959, pg. D-11; 11/29/1959, pg. D-12)

Roller skating--Tacoma--1950-1960; Skaters; Skating--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Roller Bowl (Tacoma); Tacoma Roller Skating Dance and Figure Club (Tacoma);

The "Can Can Cuties" (l to r) Lanette Adams, Jean Reinhardt, Bertha Riley, Linda Sather and Rose Freeny, were just one of the acts in the "Paris in Orbit" roller skating show presented by the Tacoma Dance and Figure Club from November 29 through December 1, 1959 at the Tacoma Roller Bowl, 7455 South Tacoma Way. Almost 70 skaters, aged 6 to 19, took part in the skating extravaganza, put on to raise money for expenses in roller skating competition. All the skaters were amateurs, and all hoped to win a chance to enter the national competitive events held in Little Rock, Arkansas in late July that year. (TNT 11/22/1959, pg. D-11;11/29/1959, pg. D-12) TPL-9255

Roller skating--Tacoma--1950-1960; Skaters; Skating--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Roller Bowl (Tacoma); Adams, Lanette; Reinhardt, Jean; Tacoma Roller Skating Dance and Figure Club (Tacoma); Riley, Bertha; Sather, Linda; Freeny, Rose;

Interior of roller rink. The smooth glossy floor of the Tacoma Roller Bowl is empty for the moment of customers in this May 18, 1960, photograph. There are paintings on the walls of the rink of skaters gliding, spinning and jumping. Tacoma Roller Bowl was located at 7455 South Tacoma Way and according to the 1960 City Directory, owned by Roger W. Adams. TPL-9256

Tacoma Roller Bowl (Tacoma); Skating rinks--Tacoma;

When Jack Bernstein, 28, and Jeannette McLean, 22, were married at the Tacoma Roller Bowl, 7455 South Tacoma Way, in September of 1959 the entire wedding party, including Rev. George Martin, skated through the ceremony. The bride wore a full length gown and skates, while the members of her bridal party wore 3/4 length gowns - and white shoe skates. Bridal party members Bertha Riley and Linda Sather lit banks of 28 candles before the ceremony. The romance between the bride and groom began when Miss Mclean, an American roller skating champion, taught Mr. Bernstein how to skate. The couple opened the reception following the service by skating a waltz to "I Love You Truly," played on the rink's pipe organ by Frank Chidester, for their 350 guests. (TNT 9/8/1959, pg. 3) TPL-9253

Roller skating--Tacoma--1950-1960; Skaters--1950-1960; Skating rinks--Tacoma; Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; McLean, Jeannette; Bernstein, Jack; Tacoma Roller Bowl (Tacoma);

In September of 1952, Roger W. Adams' new Roller Bowl skating rink was nearing completion. The ultra-modern facility at 7455 South Tacoma Way was built to replace the rink owned by Mr. Adams that had burned down the previous winter. The new Roller Bowl offered many new features including music from the largest pipe organ in the Northwest, built by Balcom & Vaughn of Seattle, and an eastern maple floor which offered more skating room then any other rink in Washington. Many national roller skating events were held in the old rink and Mr. Adams looked forward to holding some in the new building. The Grand Opening for Tacoma's new rink was on October 25, 1952. The rink officially closed on January 1, 1985, and the building was remodeled to become an automobile showroom. (Ordered by Holroyd Company.) (TNT, 10/25/1952, p.23)

Tacoma Roller Bowl (Tacoma); Skating rinks--Tacoma; Cement industries--Tacoma; Holroyd Co. (Tacoma);

In October of 1952, workers from Hull Floor Company were busy sanding the new eastern maple floor at Adams Roller Bowl, 7455 South Tacoma Way. Roger Adams had announced the October 25th Grand Opening of his new, ultra-modern skating rink. Skaters at the Roller Bowl glided to the strains of the largest pipe organ in the Northwest, built by Balcom & Vaughn of Seattle, on the largest roller skating floor in Washington. The new rink replaced Berg's Roller Bowl Skating Rink at 8006 South Tacoma Way that burned late in December of 1951. The Roller Bowl, a Tacoma landmark, closed in December of 1984. (TNT, 10/24/1952, p.23) TPL-9252

Tacoma Roller Bowl (Tacoma); Skating rinks--Tacoma; Floors--Tacoma;

Exterior of Tacoma Roller Bowl building, a concrete block structure, absent of windows, with barrel vault roof at center flowing into flat roof wings.

Tacoma Roller Bowl (Tacoma); Skating rinks--Tacoma;