Starlit Roller Rink was ‘the place to be’

WILLIAMSBURG — In 1950, one of the most popular attractions in Williamsburg’s history opened on the west end of Welsh Street.

  Buy Photo

Starlit Roller Rink was the brainchild of Anton Heitshusen and was managed by his daughter and son-in-law, Joann and Ray Martinson, throughout its heyday in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

The family

Ray Martinson served in the military in World War II. Before he went overseas, he and his wife, Esther (Heitshusen), devised a code in which keywords were used in Ray’s letters home to denote times and places that Ray would be serving.

They used girls’ names to denote countries and islands that he might be sent to. Therefore, she could track his location while he was gone.

Ray started out in the U.S. Cavalry (on horses) and then, due to an injury, was assigned to be a mess sergeant.

  Buy Photo

After returning from the war, Ray and Esther settled at 201 Court Street in Williamsburg where they raised their family. Four girls were born to this marriage: Joann, Diane, Marjorie and Jane.

Ray amazed his four daughters with his cooking skills. He could crack four eggs at once, two eggs in each hand, into the skillet for scrambled eggs, shell-free.

He also delighted in having a “secret” cake recipe that he would make for his family. He kept it in a notebook that was found only after his death.

During the day Ray was self-employed, shelling corn or hauling and spreading lime for local farmers.

Esther was known locally for her many talents, such as chair-caning and cake baking and decorating. It seemed that every weekend she was carefully transporting a wedding cake to its destination.

There were always extra cakes in the freezer in case of an emergency, cake tops, and extra frosting as needed.

Early in her marriage, Esther worked at the Shellady Grocery Store. She was a 4-H leader for 27 years, sharing her love for all types of crafts and hobbies with generations of young girls.

In retirement, Esther volunteered at the Iowa County Historical Society, where, once again, her skills were widely used in repairing and displaying clothing.

The birth of a business

In the late 1940s Anton Heitshusen, along with granddaughter Joann, gathered up blankets and quilts from residents. Traveling with the group “The Flying Famers,” Anton made a trip to a recovering Germany to deliver the blankets. He noted that the youth of Europe had nothing to do for fun.

When he returned, Anton launched his idea of building a skating rink. Skating rinks in earlier days were portable and moved like a circus from town to town.

On Nov. 15, 1950, the Starlit Roller Rink opened to a crowd of 250 people. The hard maple floor measured 60 by 120 feet and was underlaid with rubber tile.

The speakers were installed by Glandorf and Mayberry and the lights by Frank Papritz from the Maytag Store.

Music chosen from 135 records flowed throughout the rink. For years it was “the place to be” on Friday night.

The Nov. 16, 1950, Journal Tribune reported that caravans of cars could be seen turning into the parking court at an early hour. People coming from the north and south over Highway 149 could see the brilliantly lit building gleaming with shining windows.

Ray and Esther managed the Starlit Roller Rink with the help of their family and friends. They also operated the mobile home park north to the north.

The memories

The rink was open in the evenings and on weekends for public skating or private parties.

Patrons of the rink can remember the mirrored ball — the one Ray painstakingly made in his basement — hanging over the middle of the skating rink. The colorful pompons for skates that Esther would make and sell were worn proudly by many regular skaters.

Prizes, such as panda bears, were given away at weekly skate nights and on special occasions. Many couples met or wooed their spouses at the Starlit Roller Rink.

A line of kids would be waiting outside the door on Friday night, impatient enough to loudly kick the front door and yell for the door to be opened.

Many good people worked at the rink through the years. Duane Olson was the main floor manager. His wife, Shirley, and their two children, Deb and Duane Jr., were invaluable help.

Duane was always on top of things, making sure all the patrons were safe and well-behaved. Others that helped were Wilbur “Babe” Mumm and his wife LaVera, Gene “Hoot” Gibson and his wife Gertrude, Ron and Don Gehring and Delmar Lee Smith.

Ray died in 1968, and Esther continued management of the rink until 1974.

It was later sold and torn down.