Season fifty, same maple floor
We laid sixteen hundred maple boards in the spring of 1976 and opened on the first warm Friday in May.
The mirror ball went up three years later. Since then the floor has been sanded forty-nine times, the snack bar has changed its fryer twice, and Friday nights have never once been called off for lack of skaters. This summer the doors open for the fiftieth time.
Five sessions a week
Skate rental is in every ticket. Bring your own quads and we will check the wheels and toe stops for free at the counter.
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Tuesday
Adults Only
Eighteen and over. Soul, funk and slow laps with the lights half down.
8–11 pm
$14
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Wednesday
Learn to Skate
Coaches on the floor, cones out, nobody rushing you.
5–7 pm
$12
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Friday
Disco Night
Mirror ball on, couples’ skate at ten, records all evening.
8 pm–midnight
$16
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Saturday
Matinee
All ages and the busiest floor of the week. Come early for rental sizes.
1–4 pm
$12
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Sunday
Family Skate
Under-sevens skate free with a paying adult. Walkers for first laps.
11 am–2 pm
$10
Tickets at the door, cash or card. Last entry an hour before close.
Plan your visit
Sixteen hundred boards of hard maple
The floor is the rink. Ours is northern hard maple, tongue and groove, laid over a sprung timber frame so your knees forgive the falls.
Sprung, not slab
Timber joists under every board give a softer landing than concrete.
Sealed every August
We close from 4 to 18 August, sand it back and lay seven coats.
Skates only past the rail
No street shoes on the maple, ever. Socks are fine for birthday photos.
Learn to skate in eight Wednesdays
Groups of eight, ages six and up, $96 for the course with rental included. Every course climbs the same four steps.
- 1
Stand, then fall
We teach the safe fall first, so the floor stops being scary.
Weeks 1–2
- 2
Glide
Push, roll, recover. Long strides down the straight.
Weeks 3–4
- 3
Stop
The toe stop, then the T-stop. Brakes before speed.
Weeks 5–6
- 4
Turn and cross over
Lean into the curve and step over. That is a full lap.
Weeks 7–8
Next course starts Wednesday 3 June. Coaches answer questions at every session.
Two hundred and forty pairs on the wall
Rental quads in every size from kids’ 10 to adult 14, re-laced every week and re-wheeled every spring. The wheel colour tells the size at a glance.
Yellow wheels
Kids 10–13
Orange wheels
Adult 1–5
Red wheels
Adult 6–10
Teal wheels
Adult 11–14
From the pro shop
- Outdoor wheels, set of eight$64
- Toe stops, pair$18
- Bearings, set of sixteen$38
- Laces, 72 inch$6
- Wheel and bearing checkFree
Fifty seasons on the same floor
A roof, two fryers, one rescue and a lot of records. The boards never changed.
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1976
Doors open
The first Friday in May: four hundred skaters, an organ player and a floor that still smelled of sealant.
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1979
The mirror ball goes up
Bought second-hand from a hotel ballroom. It still turns on its original motor.
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1984
Neon over the snack bar
Pink and teal tubes, a new fryer and the rule about no skates on the carpet.
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1993
The inline summer
Everyone bought blades. By autumn half of them were back on quads.
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2008
A new roof, the same floor
Three weeks closed, every board under tarpaulin, not one replaced.
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2014
The rink is saved
The lease ran out. Six hundred regulars bought the building back, one share each.
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2020
A quiet season
Closed from March to September. We sanded the floor twice out of boredom.
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2026
Season fifty
Opening night on 1 May with the 1976 setlist and admission at 1976 prices.
Your party, our floor
Birthdays, office nights and the odd wedding. Every package comes with skates, a host and the floor swept before you arrive.
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The Lap
- Up to 10 skaters
- Two hours on a public session
- Party table, rental and a slice each
$180
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The Disco
- Up to 20 skaters
- Two and a half hours, lights down
- A shout-out and one request from the booth
$320
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The Whole Floor
- Private hire for up to 250
- Three hours, your playlist, our DJ
- Snack bar open just for you
from $1,400
Weekend dates go about six weeks ahead. A $50 deposit holds the date.
Records from the booth
Friday nights are vinyl only. Dee Marlowe has run the booth since 1988 and keeps four crates under the counter, one for each era of the rink.
Crate one: 1976 to 1983
Disco, Philly soul and roller boogie. The couples’ skate always comes from this crate.
Crate two: the eighties
Electro, freestyle and synth-pop. It plays when the lights go pink.
Crate three: the nineties
House and hip-hop for the inline summer and every summer after.
Crate four: requests
Anything you ask for, as long as it is on vinyl. Leave a card at the booth or send it from here.
Before your first lap
Still wondering? Call the counter during any session and someone will pick up between songs.
Do I need my own skates?
No. Rental quads are included in every ticket. Your own quads or inline skates are welcome if the wheels are clean and the toe stops are not metal.
Is there a minimum age?
Children of any age can skate with an adult on the floor. Lessons start at six, and Tuesday nights are eighteen and over.
Do I have to wear a helmet?
Helmets are required for under-twelves and lent free at the counter. Wrist guards are a good idea for anyone on their first few sessions.
Can I just watch?
Yes, the benches along the rail are free for anyone with a skater in the family. The snack bar is open to everyone.
Can I pay at the door?
Always. Cash or card, no booking needed for public sessions. Courses and parties are booked ahead.
Find the rink
Two blocks south of the 14 bus stop at Larkspur and Third. Free parking behind the building after six.
Address
100 Example Avenue
Bellmont, OR 97000
Sessions
- Tue
- 8–11 pm
- Wed
- 5–7 pm
- Fri
- 8 pm–midnight
- Sat
- 1–4 pm
- Sun
- 11 am–2 pm
Box office
Opens thirty minutes before each session. Closed Mondays and from 4 to 18 August.