Roller Rink

ROLLER RINK MANAGERS - Steve & Holly Webster

Phone: (920) 469-7914

St. Mary of the Angels Roller Rink opened in January of 1959. Skating took place on Sunday afternoons, limited to parents and grade school children. Adults and high school students were allowed to skate on Wednesday and Friday.

In 1972 the concession area was added and carpeting was installed in the concession area and the front hall to assure greater safety. In 1979 a new sound system was installed.

In May of 2004 open skating sessions were discontinued at the directive of the Green Bay diocese. In September of 2009 open skating was resumed with family skating sessions held one or two times per month.

2009/2010 Family Skating sessions are open to the public and are held on Sunday from noon until 3:30 p.m. on the dates listed below. The cost is $4.00/person with a maximum of $20.00/family. Children under the age of 5 skate free. Children 14 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult. No "special" parties or carry-ins are allowed at open family skating sessions.

2009/2010 Family Skating Schedule

November 1, 2009 March 14, 2010

December 6, 2009 March 28, 2010

January 17, 2010 April 11, 2010

January 31, 2010 April 25, 2010

February 14, 2010 May 9, 2010

February 28, 2010 May 23, 2010

In addition to open family skating, private skating parties can also be scheduled. Private skating parties can accomodate small or large groups. and are a great way to celebrate birthdays, holidays, family gatherings, and almost any occasion.

The cost of a private skating party is $100.00 for a two-hour session for up to 50 participants, with a $2.00 charge for each additional person. The use of skates is included and the concession area is alwsys open. For private parties, participants can bring in food. Frozen pizzas can be brought in and the Roller Rink volunteers will be happy to bake them for you. Drinks are to be purchased from the rink.

St. Mary of the Angels Roller Rink is located at 1265 Cass St. and is within the St. Thomas More School building. Come spend an afternoon or evening of fun and exercise. Contact Steve or Holly Webster to make arrangement to host a private skating party. Come skate with us!

Following is an article that was recently printed in the diocesan newspaper, The Compass.

Church-run skating rink keeps rolling after 50 years

Written by Sam Lucero | The Compass

Wednesday, 16 December 2009 09:18

St. Mary of the Angels Roller Rink invites parishes, families to skate

GREEN BAY - Few recreational activities have survived the test of time like roller skating. For generations, the roller rink has been a place to hang out, meet new friends and show off skating skills. The emergence of inline skating and the 2009 release of "Whip It," a movie about a teenage girl who joins a roller derby team, have re-ignited the roller skating craze.

In Green Bay, skating memories have been rolling along for 50 years at a church-sponsored rink. While no official record exists, St. Mary of the Angels Roller Rink is possibly the only Catholic roller skating rink in the country.

Children enjoy an afternoon of skating at St. Mary of the Angels Roller Rink in Green Bay. The rink is located at St. Thomas More School. (Sam Lucero | The Compass)

Located inside St. Thomas More School, across the street from St. Mary of the Angels Church, the skating rink is open on weekends for private parties and on every other Sunday for family skating sessions. The rink doubles as the school's gymnasium, with hardwood floors, six basketball hoops and fold-up bleachers. A carpeted concession area, a $3,500 sound system installed in 1979 and a signature disco ball in the center of the ceiling give the gymnasium its skating rink atmosphere.

View audio slide show

Go to this link to view an audio slide show of St. Mary of the Angels Roller Rink.

Steve and Holly Webster, members of St. Mary of the Angels Parish, have been rink managers since 2004. The rink has special memories for the Websters. It's where they first met as teenagers and it's where they held their wedding reception on March 13, 1993. Holly's parents, Jim and Kathy Lawniczak, volunteered at the rink when she was young. "I grew up here," said Holly. Now their son, 8-year-old Andrew, skates while his parents work. She marvels at her son's skating skills and his ability to do the limbo while skating backwards.

According to Steve Webster, managing the rink is a labor of love. It's a volunteer position, as are all the skating rink jobs. He sees the work as a ministry, helping the parish to raise money in an unusual way while offering families and children a safe and healthy way to spend an afternoon.

"We play Christian music, family-friendly music," said Webster. "We wanted somewhere for families to go and have a good time." He said that the rink "was a huge thing in the community" for many decades and attracted large crowds.

"We had a lot of people that skated here in the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s and even the early '90s," added Webster. "Now they bring their children here to skate. They say, 'I used to come here when I was a kid and we used to listen to this kind of music,' and 'Boy, this place looks a little different now.' It's a good way to bring families together and other parishes. It gives everybody some fun and quality time together."

In 2009, the skating rink celebrated its 50th anniversary. To mark the milestone, the Websters resumed family open skating on Sunday afternoons. Open skating ended in 2004 after problems with teens misbehaving. Between 2004 and 2009, only private skating parties were allowed.

The Websters want to take advantage of skating's resurgence and bring back church-sponsored skating events. They said the nominal fee of $4 per person (with a maximum of $20 per family), which includes skate rentals, makes it an affordable family activity. Private group parties for up to 50 people are $100 for two-hour sessions.

To promote the skating rink, the Websters created a brochure that offers historical highlights and trivia. Among the notable entries:

When the rink opened in January 1959, skating lessons were offered for 25 cents.
In August 1959, Channel 5 in Green Bay televised a 30-minute program from the roller rink.
In March 1964, the rink sponsored a "Beatles Night" for junior high school students. Beatles records were given as prizes and skaters were encouraged to wear Beatles wigs. The event attracted more than 500 teens.
In 1972, 39,475 people skated at the rink.
In April 1991, a "rollermania" was held as a school fund-raiser, with 17 schools participating. The event raised close to $4,000.

With about 250 pair of roller skates and roller blades available for rental, Webster does not worry about a shortage. The rink recently purchased 50 pair of skates from Wheels in Motion in Howard, which closed its doors last spring. Powerhouse Sports, which bought out Wheels in Motion, also donated 160 pair of roller skates and roller blades to St. Mary of the Angels.

The Websters have scheduled 10 family skating sessions between January and May 2010. The rink is also available for private parties. To learn more contact Webster at (920) 469-7914.

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