DESCRIPTION:
I have finally heard from the family that documented on 8mm film, their good times...and the last hours of the landmark, ROLLERCADE. Pretty impressive footage, surrounded by Organist, Bill Zopfi on the WURLITZER THEATER PIPE ORGAN. Any ROLLERCADE alumni will want to see this! When I received this footage, the sound was unusable, and the origin was unknown. I added Bill's soundtrack to match the action on the screen.
Footage and audio from the mid to late 1960's. The Family has contacted me in Oct. 2013..here is Regina Martin's recollection of this video footage.
(*Organist, Bill Zopfi passed away in March 2013 in Toledo, Ohio.)

* This is my childhood. From 1963 to its closing in 1968 the Rollercade was home for my three sisters and myself thanks to our loving parents Ray and Ruth. Our parents provided private lessons by Irene Graham. My parents worked the sessions at the Coat Check -Dad, or Mom-the Refreshment Stand (Pop Stand to us rink rats). Early 8am Saturday morning lesson with Irene then assisting Irene with her beginner class in the upstairs (yes it was upstairs) . The best tasting hot dog,cherry coke or a vanilla or strawberry shake for lunch, then it was time for the afternoon session. Supper at Grandma's and back to the rink for the night session. Sunday morning after church was the practice session, afternoon session and if no school on Monday the Sunday night session. After we became teenagers we added Friday night session to our schedule. My sisters and I would like to see... how many sessions we could skate in a row! Thursday night session was for Mom and Dad! If you ever saw how little footage is on a super 8mm roll of film you would know what painstakingly time consuming it was for my Dad to splice every roll together to make one big 45min reel tin. I can still see him sitting at the kitchen table with the splicer machine! Sid at the Rollercade made Dad a copy of the tape of Bill Zopfi's music which were used for Saturday morning sessions. When VHS came out Dad used this audio copy as the background for the video he compiled and gave one to each one of my sisters and me. Later, Dad gave a copy to our dear friend Roger Farrenholz (he is the rink guard skating backwards) where I suspect Johnny Sharp ultimately stumbled on it through a friend of a friend
. This footage of course, as Johnny notes, has been edited as the original entire footage is 45min long. But he did a very good job of capturing the memory and especially matching the music to the action (with today's technology) especially at the sad ending! This is the legacy of the childhood given by Ray and Ruth Hontert,and we are the unknown family for whom it was made Rene,Regina,Rachel and Rita.