They held a celebration earlier this month over the 4th of July holiday to mark the 90th birthday or anniversary of one of the most historic destinations in all of Michigan’s Great Southwest. The Ramona Roller Rink in Sister Lakes has been a hearty survivor. Now, however, with the dream of restoring some of the great old building’s former glory and bring the business into the current millennium, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched and we can all play a role in shining up a great Southwest Michigan gem.
Harold & Michele Schaus III are hopeful that the future for the oldest existing business in the Sister Lakes region will be as bright and colorful as its past. With a target of $150,000, the online fundraising campaign began late this afternoon and the couple is sharing great stories of the past in the hopes that the future can hold as much excitement or more.
The Ramona Roller Rink was originally built in 1928 as a dance hall, the Ramona Dance Pavilion. It was built by the first owners the Adams brothers, and all the big bands played there like George Jones and the nine Hawkeyes, Stan Norris and Orchestra, and Jack Windel and his famous orchestra. The average admission cost in the opening era ranged from a dime to quarter, and the dancing was amazing as Ramona became the hot spot of all of Sister Lakes.
In the 1950s Ramona had adopted roller skating alongside the dancing. As the storied history tells it, “the blue floors were a sea of inviting tides to skaters everywhere.” Roller skating was a way to fill the holes that dancing was not. The type of music that was played in the opening era of skating at Ramona was organ music. People were rolling in to try the new trend in entertainment which hit it’s stride in popularity in the 1970s. The average cost to get in then ran about a buck to a buck-and-a-quarter.
The 1960s were the start of a new age, and Ramona had a new owner by the name of Earl Partrage. As dancing was beginning to phase out as skating was on the rise, it turned out that eventually dancing was relegated to the history books and the original Ramona Dance Pavilion became the Ramona Roller Rink. Operators were also starting to play all kinds of music for skaters instead of just traditional organ music. The average cost to get in at Ramona Roller Rink rose slightly to about $1.50 – $2 per person.
Ramona Roller Rink in the 1980s underwent still further change. Not only were additions going on, growing the footprint larger, yet another owner took the reins and things were starting to look up when Ramona had a small resurgence in dancing. A dance floor was re-established and more live bands were hired to perform and it was still a strong draw for and hang out place of teens and young adults.
Couples that had met there and married when they were young still come back to check on Ramona as if she were a child to them, or like a visit to the Holy Grail of their memories. Although Ramona earned a bit of a makeover, comprising a little fresh paint and conversion to gold floors, the memories are still much like it was in days gone by. The average cost ranges from $2-to-$2.50 a head.
As the most recent buyer and current owners of the Ramona Roller Rink, Harold & Michele and their family of nine children came along when they purchased the rink in March of 2003 and they’ve owned it ever since.
Although you will still find an occasional dance, the primary function of the Ramona Rink is still roller skating. Harold and Michele along with their eight daughters and one son operate the rink daily. They offer skate lessons, guest DJs, games, all-night skates, roller hockey, and a lot of other things that cater to young children, teens, and families. Although Ramona is on her fourth owner she is still going strong and is one of Sister Lakes’ great attractions.
Having been a part of the Sister Lakes community since July 3rd, 1928, many patrons have graced the attraction over the past 90 years and left their memories embedded on her floors. Residents and summertime visitors were in for a real treat (from 1928 to 1967) when a little of Chicago came to the small world dance pavilion.
Flashing back to the pavilion’s early history, the Schaus family tells us that the first band to grace the floors of Ramona was the Iowa State University’s Crack Band – George Jones’ Nine HawkEyes. For the next 10 weeks they played every summer night ’til Labor Day, and the crowds packed the dance floor. Throughout the decades, many famous dance orchestras throughout the Midwest left their mark of music on the small lake community of Sister Lakes. Bands like the famous Wayne King and his famous Aragon Orchestra from the world famous Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.
Harold & Michele tell us in their GoFundMe bid, “We would like to keep Ramona Roller Rink, the oldest existing business in Sister Lakes, a vital part of the community. We have tried to keep the historic significance of Ramona Roller Rink for the past 15 years. We have not increased pricing, in order to attract everyone from the small lake community and the surrounding areas. With this in mind, Ramona Roller Rink, is hoping the local community is able to help with our dreams to restore some of the significant features, as well as upgrade the building into the current millennium.”
If you share in those fond memories or would like to recreate them or make new memories of your own in a stylish, refreshed pavilion, you are encouraged to consider a donation toward the effort to make the jewel of the lakes region shine like new again.
Click the link below for access to the GoFundMe page where you can make the decision yourself. Here’s the link:
https://www.gofundme.com/restoring-ramona-roller-rink
You’ll find the famous Ramona Roller Rink in person at 93103 CR 690, or Sister Lakes Road, in the Sister Lakes region of Dowagiac.
