Courtesy of someone (Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette did not say where they got it from!) Colorized version of a Black-and-White photo. The rink was in that White building on the right side of the swimming pool bathhouse. The Bathhouse on the left, the little house-like perhaps was a gatekeeper / offices. Then there was decks for canoes, boats, jon boats.. a popular fishing spot. You can also see teenagers on the other side of the lake hanging out (See bottom of that photo above). Those cars! Wow! I see TWO 1930s cars in the photo while everyone got new late 1940s / early 1950s automobiles and of course, a flatbed truck. Hey, its fun to see those vehicles and figure out what year and brand and model they were. Have fun!
Below photo courtesy of Rogers Historical Museum.
Below photo courtesy of Rogers Historical Museum.
Lakeside Rink Lake Atalanta Rogers, AR
Lakeside Rink at Lake Atalanta which was in Rogers, Arkansas. This was a combination of entertainment and recreation center. They had roller rink but also had miniature golf, swimming pool, canoeing, and picnic areas in a park-like setting. It was a popular destination for the local and a bit afar in the state to attend.
First of all, the name Lake Atalanta was spelled correctly because it was named after the founder's wife's first name. Named after Atalanta Gregory, the wife of O.L. Gregory. O.L. owned this huge vinegar plant in Rogers where the lake is. The Gregorys first donated much of the land for the lake, and Earl Harris of the Harris Bakery oversaw the construction of the project. Sounds like the elites were kind to do this project. The lake is man-made.
You see, first they dam Prairie Creek to make a lake in 1936. For the first ten years, it was a favorite for fishermen fishing in the artificial lake. It was a park with the largest and perhaps only lake in the Northwest Arkansas. Much history is noted from Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
The beginning was when J.D. "Cactus" Clark, and his wife, Lavonne, opened their first restaurant, the Horseshoe Grill, about 1938 in Rogers. During World War II, Clark, while serving in the military, formed an idea to build a resort at Lake Atalanta, which was new and undeveloped. After the war, J.D. pitched his idea to the Rogers' city officials and received their approval. In 1947, the city granted a 25-year lease to both men, J.D. Clark and Ed M. Bautts to build the Lakeside resort. They proposed building a swimming pool, restaurant, skating rink and miniature golf course.
Clark and Bautts opened their famous Lakeside resort on July 4, 1948 -- American Independent Day, with a huge extravaganza including competitive diving, synchronized swimming, comedy acts, the Miss Lake Atalanta Beauty Contest and massive fireworks displays. Even the governor of Arkansas attended the event. The celebration was so popular that it was continued for the next three years. The annual 4th of July extravaganza ran for 4 years.
There are some reports from the Rogers Daily News explaining the extravaganza that day in 1950 at Lake Atalanta: "One of the most popular attractions was the beauty contest that featured 11 beauties from Rogers, with Charles Decker as master of ceremonies. The contestants marched around the pool led by Miss Venita Jo Woodruff, Miss Lake Atalanta of 1949. Shouts and cheers of encouragement came from the large crowd sitting on the natural amphitheater of the hill adjacent to the pool. The judges were prominent dignitaries from Bentonville, Eureka Springs and Springdale, and after much discussion, they chose Anita Jones (Buttram) as Miss Lake Atalanta of 1950."
After the beauty contest came the fancy diving act by Bob Bautts, the son of owner Ed Bautts. Every time Bob Bautts did a fancy dive, members of the Fayetteville burlesque troop (water clowns) tried it in their long G.I. underwear, skirts, ruffles and blue jeans and kept the crowd chuckling.
After the water show, the fireworks were launched by Bill Keltner, J.W. "Bode" Breeze, Jeff Winchester and Fred Winchester. "That was dangerous," Keltner said. "Our mortars were not the right size, and some of the fuses were too short." Some of the explosives went off the instant they were ignited, and the men were slightly powder burned.
The resort was instantly a great success and changed the lives of local residents forever. The pool was a big attraction and featured activities such as water ballet, competitive diving and Red Cross swimming lessons. Clark was the owner of the restaurant, swimming pool and boat house, and Ed Bautts owned and ran the skating rink and golf course.
The great food and personal service made the Lakeside Restaurant very successful and a favorite with the locals and new arrivals -- such as the executives and employees of the big companies that came to Rogers in the 1950s and 1960s. The Clarks worked in shifts, with Cactus cooking at night, while Lavonne operated the restaurant during the day.
Alpha and Ed Bautts owned the skating rink, and it was managed by Alpha and their son, Bob Bautts, while Ed continued his job as projectionist at the Victory Theater. Ed later became the mayor of Rogers.
"I helped my Dad build the rink in 1948," said Bob. "We laid that entire floor by hand, and it was a big job. We also built the miniature golf course, and we ran that along with the skating rink."
The rink was not only a place to roller skate, but the most popular place in Rogers for budding romances. Bob was working as a skate boy (a floor manager who kept the flow of skaters smooth) when he met Wanda Hunt from Ava, Mo., while she was visiting here in Rogers. They married at the former Central United Methodist Church (at Third and Elm streets) in 1950.
Many other romantic tales involved the resort. Joan Scott White remembered, "Only big fans to cool the skating rink. I loved it when the door on the south side was open, and the breeze helped cool the summer heat. I loved the way the miniature golf course with the many lights lit the starry night. Needless to say, there were many flirtations that occurred at the open door and many stolen kisses in the corner where the pinball machines were located."
Linda Summerville remembers the pool, "I met my husband at the pool. He was a lifeguard for several years in the 1960s. The pool was spring fed and very cold, and the restaurant was the best."
In 1962, Alpha and Ed Bautts sold the rink and golf course to Jo and Buddy McGregor.
"Cactus Clark told me that the skating rink might be for sale. Cactus more or less talked me into buying the skating rink at Lake Atalanta. At the time, if you had your own skates, you could skate for about three hours for 65 cents, or rent skates and skate for about a dollar," said Buddy.
"When we bought the rink, all of the rental skates were the old clamp-on type, but we eventually changed over to shoe skates," Jo added.
Operating the rink was a family affair with Buddy, Jo and their daughters, Ronna and Christa, who all helped run the business. "Dyer Carithers also was a big help, and he would run the rink when we needed a break," Buddy said.
The McGregors improved the rink, and it became the place for young adults to meet and socialize. It was packed every night.
Gary Townzen was a regular at the rink in his early teens. "I would say, Buddy, can I put on a stack of records? The music system was a record player that only played 45-rpm records, and he would let me load the records. If you stacked your own, you would know when a slow song was coming, so you could ask your favorite girl to skate with you. Any boy could ask a girl to couple-skate to a tune, but they would not necessarily accept," he said and laughed.
Bill Schopp also hung out at the Lakeside Rink and added, "Many kids brought their own records, and Buddy would let us play them. I left many records there and wonder what happened to them." (Ah, could have been worth something! Too bad must be at the dump).
Several kids became really talented skaters, including Gary Rounds, who was a skate boy for both the Bauttses and McGregors. Gary Rounds explained his how he got paid, "You got a candy bar, popcorn and Coke, and you got to skate for free. It was the most fun job that I ever had."
In 1978, Jo and Buddy McGregor wanted to retire from the skating business, so they sold the Lakeside skating rink to Rounds. The business continued to operate until 1992.
In the 1960s, the Lake Atalanta area was the center of outdoor activity in Rogers. Everybody went to Lake Atalanta to enjoy the restaurant, pool, golf, picnicking, fishing, boating and just to hang out. It was a mandatory destination for the young people to drive through to see who was there. There was an overlook above the lake on the west side that was a favorite place to park (like a lover's lane) at night.
Today, the Lakeside restaurant and pool, the skating rink, tennis courts, miniature golf and lover's lane are gone, demolished by the City of Rogers in 2012. The buildings and pool had deteriorated and were mostly vacant and unused. However, the area has been reborn into a fabulous park. The City of Rogers and the Walton Family Foundation invested $17.5 million dollars for land and amenities in the new Lake Atalanta Park, which opened in October 2016.
The 236-acre park includes Lake Atalanta, 10 miles of hiking and biking trails, 3 miles of paved trails, 2,000 linear feet of boardwalk around the lake, a state-of-the-art bike park, dog parks, creeks, playgrounds, pavilions, nature observation areas and much more.
This above are excerpts from Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. With a little revisions to shorten some.
According to their Facebook page, the rink was actually opened first before anything else in 1948. Before the swimming pool, Mini-golf, and resort itself. It was opened in Spring 1948 as a soft opening before grand opening on July 4, 1948 for the entire resort with the extravaganza.
The Mini golf was opened in 1949 making one of the last part opened.
Sad it was all demolished in 2012 because of declining popularity, and most of all, buildings were in disrepair and damaged.
The Interior.
Likely it had Maple wood floor. The floor lived in its entire life from 1948 to its closure in 1992.
The Exterior.
It is a gable building with Cinder-block built. It looked like a facility building with small windows wrap around the building. To see what I mean, go back up and see the photos that it showed the big building on the right as the swimming pool and bathhouse on the left. Likely the wall color was white. It sat right by the creek just above the bridge access by the lake. It was very standard. The resort had several entertainment. In those photos, I could not see the mini golf. Boating docks are noted.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Most likely Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1948. Demolished: 2012 to make way for new park-like setting. Abandoned for 20 years.
Type of Building: ? Truss Cinder-block built facility - like Building.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: 236 Acres. Yes, the largest of all rinks unless any were bigger than that.
Operated: Spring 1948 to 1992.
Reason for Closure: Likely decline and building needs repairs.
Wanted: Information regarding any photos possible (I know they are hard to find), exact date of closure in 1992. What was it between 1992 and demolishing in 2012, 20 years of "emptyness." What kind of truss was it? I assume maple floor. Anything more about the rink?
Anyone has pictures and/or information please let me know at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Facebook - Rogers Museum, Legacy - Ronald McGregor,
© 2019-2020 Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. God Matters. Jn 3:16.
First of all, the name Lake Atalanta was spelled correctly because it was named after the founder's wife's first name. Named after Atalanta Gregory, the wife of O.L. Gregory. O.L. owned this huge vinegar plant in Rogers where the lake is. The Gregorys first donated much of the land for the lake, and Earl Harris of the Harris Bakery oversaw the construction of the project. Sounds like the elites were kind to do this project. The lake is man-made.
You see, first they dam Prairie Creek to make a lake in 1936. For the first ten years, it was a favorite for fishermen fishing in the artificial lake. It was a park with the largest and perhaps only lake in the Northwest Arkansas. Much history is noted from Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
The beginning was when J.D. "Cactus" Clark, and his wife, Lavonne, opened their first restaurant, the Horseshoe Grill, about 1938 in Rogers. During World War II, Clark, while serving in the military, formed an idea to build a resort at Lake Atalanta, which was new and undeveloped. After the war, J.D. pitched his idea to the Rogers' city officials and received their approval. In 1947, the city granted a 25-year lease to both men, J.D. Clark and Ed M. Bautts to build the Lakeside resort. They proposed building a swimming pool, restaurant, skating rink and miniature golf course.
Clark and Bautts opened their famous Lakeside resort on July 4, 1948 -- American Independent Day, with a huge extravaganza including competitive diving, synchronized swimming, comedy acts, the Miss Lake Atalanta Beauty Contest and massive fireworks displays. Even the governor of Arkansas attended the event. The celebration was so popular that it was continued for the next three years. The annual 4th of July extravaganza ran for 4 years.
There are some reports from the Rogers Daily News explaining the extravaganza that day in 1950 at Lake Atalanta: "One of the most popular attractions was the beauty contest that featured 11 beauties from Rogers, with Charles Decker as master of ceremonies. The contestants marched around the pool led by Miss Venita Jo Woodruff, Miss Lake Atalanta of 1949. Shouts and cheers of encouragement came from the large crowd sitting on the natural amphitheater of the hill adjacent to the pool. The judges were prominent dignitaries from Bentonville, Eureka Springs and Springdale, and after much discussion, they chose Anita Jones (Buttram) as Miss Lake Atalanta of 1950."
After the beauty contest came the fancy diving act by Bob Bautts, the son of owner Ed Bautts. Every time Bob Bautts did a fancy dive, members of the Fayetteville burlesque troop (water clowns) tried it in their long G.I. underwear, skirts, ruffles and blue jeans and kept the crowd chuckling.
After the water show, the fireworks were launched by Bill Keltner, J.W. "Bode" Breeze, Jeff Winchester and Fred Winchester. "That was dangerous," Keltner said. "Our mortars were not the right size, and some of the fuses were too short." Some of the explosives went off the instant they were ignited, and the men were slightly powder burned.
The resort was instantly a great success and changed the lives of local residents forever. The pool was a big attraction and featured activities such as water ballet, competitive diving and Red Cross swimming lessons. Clark was the owner of the restaurant, swimming pool and boat house, and Ed Bautts owned and ran the skating rink and golf course.
The great food and personal service made the Lakeside Restaurant very successful and a favorite with the locals and new arrivals -- such as the executives and employees of the big companies that came to Rogers in the 1950s and 1960s. The Clarks worked in shifts, with Cactus cooking at night, while Lavonne operated the restaurant during the day.
Alpha and Ed Bautts owned the skating rink, and it was managed by Alpha and their son, Bob Bautts, while Ed continued his job as projectionist at the Victory Theater. Ed later became the mayor of Rogers.
"I helped my Dad build the rink in 1948," said Bob. "We laid that entire floor by hand, and it was a big job. We also built the miniature golf course, and we ran that along with the skating rink."
The rink was not only a place to roller skate, but the most popular place in Rogers for budding romances. Bob was working as a skate boy (a floor manager who kept the flow of skaters smooth) when he met Wanda Hunt from Ava, Mo., while she was visiting here in Rogers. They married at the former Central United Methodist Church (at Third and Elm streets) in 1950.
Many other romantic tales involved the resort. Joan Scott White remembered, "Only big fans to cool the skating rink. I loved it when the door on the south side was open, and the breeze helped cool the summer heat. I loved the way the miniature golf course with the many lights lit the starry night. Needless to say, there were many flirtations that occurred at the open door and many stolen kisses in the corner where the pinball machines were located."
Linda Summerville remembers the pool, "I met my husband at the pool. He was a lifeguard for several years in the 1960s. The pool was spring fed and very cold, and the restaurant was the best."
In 1962, Alpha and Ed Bautts sold the rink and golf course to Jo and Buddy McGregor.
"Cactus Clark told me that the skating rink might be for sale. Cactus more or less talked me into buying the skating rink at Lake Atalanta. At the time, if you had your own skates, you could skate for about three hours for 65 cents, or rent skates and skate for about a dollar," said Buddy.
"When we bought the rink, all of the rental skates were the old clamp-on type, but we eventually changed over to shoe skates," Jo added.
Operating the rink was a family affair with Buddy, Jo and their daughters, Ronna and Christa, who all helped run the business. "Dyer Carithers also was a big help, and he would run the rink when we needed a break," Buddy said.
The McGregors improved the rink, and it became the place for young adults to meet and socialize. It was packed every night.
Gary Townzen was a regular at the rink in his early teens. "I would say, Buddy, can I put on a stack of records? The music system was a record player that only played 45-rpm records, and he would let me load the records. If you stacked your own, you would know when a slow song was coming, so you could ask your favorite girl to skate with you. Any boy could ask a girl to couple-skate to a tune, but they would not necessarily accept," he said and laughed.
Bill Schopp also hung out at the Lakeside Rink and added, "Many kids brought their own records, and Buddy would let us play them. I left many records there and wonder what happened to them." (Ah, could have been worth something! Too bad must be at the dump).
Several kids became really talented skaters, including Gary Rounds, who was a skate boy for both the Bauttses and McGregors. Gary Rounds explained his how he got paid, "You got a candy bar, popcorn and Coke, and you got to skate for free. It was the most fun job that I ever had."
In 1978, Jo and Buddy McGregor wanted to retire from the skating business, so they sold the Lakeside skating rink to Rounds. The business continued to operate until 1992.
In the 1960s, the Lake Atalanta area was the center of outdoor activity in Rogers. Everybody went to Lake Atalanta to enjoy the restaurant, pool, golf, picnicking, fishing, boating and just to hang out. It was a mandatory destination for the young people to drive through to see who was there. There was an overlook above the lake on the west side that was a favorite place to park (like a lover's lane) at night.
Today, the Lakeside restaurant and pool, the skating rink, tennis courts, miniature golf and lover's lane are gone, demolished by the City of Rogers in 2012. The buildings and pool had deteriorated and were mostly vacant and unused. However, the area has been reborn into a fabulous park. The City of Rogers and the Walton Family Foundation invested $17.5 million dollars for land and amenities in the new Lake Atalanta Park, which opened in October 2016.
The 236-acre park includes Lake Atalanta, 10 miles of hiking and biking trails, 3 miles of paved trails, 2,000 linear feet of boardwalk around the lake, a state-of-the-art bike park, dog parks, creeks, playgrounds, pavilions, nature observation areas and much more.
This above are excerpts from Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. With a little revisions to shorten some.
According to their Facebook page, the rink was actually opened first before anything else in 1948. Before the swimming pool, Mini-golf, and resort itself. It was opened in Spring 1948 as a soft opening before grand opening on July 4, 1948 for the entire resort with the extravaganza.
The Mini golf was opened in 1949 making one of the last part opened.
Sad it was all demolished in 2012 because of declining popularity, and most of all, buildings were in disrepair and damaged.
The Interior.
Likely it had Maple wood floor. The floor lived in its entire life from 1948 to its closure in 1992.
The Exterior.
It is a gable building with Cinder-block built. It looked like a facility building with small windows wrap around the building. To see what I mean, go back up and see the photos that it showed the big building on the right as the swimming pool and bathhouse on the left. Likely the wall color was white. It sat right by the creek just above the bridge access by the lake. It was very standard. The resort had several entertainment. In those photos, I could not see the mini golf. Boating docks are noted.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Most likely Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1948. Demolished: 2012 to make way for new park-like setting. Abandoned for 20 years.
Type of Building: ? Truss Cinder-block built facility - like Building.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: 236 Acres. Yes, the largest of all rinks unless any were bigger than that.
Operated: Spring 1948 to 1992.
Reason for Closure: Likely decline and building needs repairs.
Wanted: Information regarding any photos possible (I know they are hard to find), exact date of closure in 1992. What was it between 1992 and demolishing in 2012, 20 years of "emptyness." What kind of truss was it? I assume maple floor. Anything more about the rink?
Anyone has pictures and/or information please let me know at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Facebook - Rogers Museum, Legacy - Ronald McGregor,
© 2019-2020 Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. God Matters. Jn 3:16.