The Key Roller Rink 2399 MN-19, Marshall, MN The exterior that was both The Keys Roller Rink and Bowling. Source: Lyons County Museum.
The Key Roller Rink 2399 MN-19, Marshall, MN The exterior that was both The Keys Roller Rink and Bowling. The bottom shows how quickly it deteriorated in about 25 years. Source: Lyons County Museum.
The Key Roller Rink 2399 MN-19, Marshall, MN Taken by a skater who send me these photos Source: TJ.
The Key Roller Rink 2399 MN-19, Marshall, MN Taken by a skater who send me these photos Source: TJ.
The Key Roller Rink 2399 MN-19, Marshall, MN Taken by a skater who send me these photos Source: TJ.
The Key Roller Rink 2399 MN-19, Marshall, MN Taken by a skater who send me these photos Source: TJ.
The Key Roller Rink 2399 MN-19, Marshall, MN Taken by a skater who send me these photos Source: TJ.
The Key Roller Rink 2399 MN-19, Marshall, MN
The Key Roller Rink and Bowling Alley were at 2399 MN-19 in Marshall, MN. It was owned by Ewald and Ruth Pagel.
They decided to leave farming full-time and build The Key Roller Rink in the summer of 1975. In 1977 Ewald and Ruth expanded The Key by adding a bowling alley, and their family ran the business together for 20 years. They closed in 1995.
The building is still standing, but will likely be demolished soon.
UPDATE --
Today on 11 August 2021, I received an email from a skater who skated there. This is her words explaining to me about this beloved rink.
I remember the roller rink in Marshall very fondly - Mr and Mrs Pagel were the nicest people you could meet. I do have tons of pictures and videos of time there and would love to share them with you next time I back up in MN and get to my photos.
He had once started to sell it to a guy but the guy and his sons were not taking care of it and so Mr Pagel took back ownership of it and re-opened it. The last time I skated there was in 2006 when he opened it for the afternoon for my kids and me.
The rink floor was some kind of cement. The two back corners had black light posters in them. He had black lights he would turn on and he would turn the main light off to highlight the posters. There was a smoke machine he would use also when the black lights were on. There was a disco ball in the center of the rink. Mr Pagel built the "Wedding Aisle" (the white structure in the center of the floor) for special occasions. He kept it there because it made him happy to look at it.
The bowling alley closed back in the late 1990's for good. Mr Pagel tried to get it going again but the revenue bought in by that time wasn't enough to warrant getting it working again so he kept that area closed off for the most part.
The roller rink closed to the public in the early 2000's but he would open it for certain occasions and people - just so he could see the roller rink come alive again. His eyes would shine when people were there to skate and laugh.
I have so many fond memories of that place as do my kids and my sister and her kids.
The Key and Mr Pagel will forever hold a place in my heart and it is so sad to see it being tore down.
--TJS.
Thank you TJ. Wow, interesting history and about the place. That is sad that someone else he was selling to was not going to keep good care of it. Good he got it back but.. sadly the place may have already been demolished. You saw that picture. Sad. Someone from the museum said that it would be demolishing as she said that in January 2021.
The Interior.
The interior where the rink was I do not know what floor material they had but the picture are showing concrete floor. It is some kind of Concrete according to TJ. That is interesting. What substitute for Concrete out there? The walls were Sky Blue with Red stripe and Navy Blue Stripe. The interior was modern opposed to the exterior. I am referring to the theme. Rustic appearance of the 1970s would have been interesting to see. But that time it was Colonialism and Old Spanish style décor for indoors. A rink had that in Florida.
The reason I said about rustic because it would have been a match made with exterior. In 2010, the Rustic theme was back for first time in more than a century since the American Pioneers traveled to the Wild West. Or you could say a Western theme of the 1950s thanks to the likes of the TV show and movies, The Ballard of Davey Crockett.
Never mind but the translation from Rustic outside to 1970s Modern was the norm for its time because rinks were truly updating their décor to the 70s and 80s as Disco was tops.
This is what TJ told me in email--
The rink floor was some kind of cement. The two back corners had black light posters in them. He had black lights he would turn on and he would turn the main light off to highlight the posters. There was a smoke machine he would use also when the black lights were on. There was a disco ball in the center of the rink. Mr Pagel built the "Wedding Aisle" (the white structure in the center of the floor) for special occasions. He kept it there because it made him happy to look at it.
Haha, posters with lights pointed toward those posters. Interesting. Must be advertisement or announcements of future skating sessions.
The "Wedding Aisle!?" Very interesting. Kept that in the middle of the rink! I am sure weddings occurred there. Cute! "Chapel of Roller Skating Love" is just a nickname and put it nicely way to explain about this place. Hey Vegas, you need one? Great idea, Vegas! Haha. Again, trying to say nice clean tease.
The Exterior.
It was a red barn converted inside into a roller rink. It had Red wood studs around like a real Gable roofed barn. It was airtight inside for the skating rink. They later added the bowling alley and they build that more modern building immediately next to the barn where the rink was. When they closed in 1995, the shape of those interior completely compromised but the exterior looks slower to decay than the interior.
The exterior with the barn part makes it so cute with the exterior look. I wish the interior had that rustic look but it was not.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Concrete?. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1977? Demolished: Abandoned, Soon demolished in Spring 2021.
Type of Building: Free-Span Wood Truss, converted from an actual barn. Interior design only. For bowling, more modern looking simple building.
Acres: N/A.
Type of Bowling: Ten Pins?
Lanes: N/A.
Operated: Summer 1975 to 1995.
Reason for Closure: Likely retirement.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Lyons County Museum- Email; Ruth Pagel - Obituary;
Date of issue: 28 January 2021. Updated: 11 August 2021. Updated: 12 August 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.
They decided to leave farming full-time and build The Key Roller Rink in the summer of 1975. In 1977 Ewald and Ruth expanded The Key by adding a bowling alley, and their family ran the business together for 20 years. They closed in 1995.
The building is still standing, but will likely be demolished soon.
UPDATE --
Today on 11 August 2021, I received an email from a skater who skated there. This is her words explaining to me about this beloved rink.
I remember the roller rink in Marshall very fondly - Mr and Mrs Pagel were the nicest people you could meet. I do have tons of pictures and videos of time there and would love to share them with you next time I back up in MN and get to my photos.
He had once started to sell it to a guy but the guy and his sons were not taking care of it and so Mr Pagel took back ownership of it and re-opened it. The last time I skated there was in 2006 when he opened it for the afternoon for my kids and me.
The rink floor was some kind of cement. The two back corners had black light posters in them. He had black lights he would turn on and he would turn the main light off to highlight the posters. There was a smoke machine he would use also when the black lights were on. There was a disco ball in the center of the rink. Mr Pagel built the "Wedding Aisle" (the white structure in the center of the floor) for special occasions. He kept it there because it made him happy to look at it.
The bowling alley closed back in the late 1990's for good. Mr Pagel tried to get it going again but the revenue bought in by that time wasn't enough to warrant getting it working again so he kept that area closed off for the most part.
The roller rink closed to the public in the early 2000's but he would open it for certain occasions and people - just so he could see the roller rink come alive again. His eyes would shine when people were there to skate and laugh.
I have so many fond memories of that place as do my kids and my sister and her kids.
The Key and Mr Pagel will forever hold a place in my heart and it is so sad to see it being tore down.
--TJS.
Thank you TJ. Wow, interesting history and about the place. That is sad that someone else he was selling to was not going to keep good care of it. Good he got it back but.. sadly the place may have already been demolished. You saw that picture. Sad. Someone from the museum said that it would be demolishing as she said that in January 2021.
The Interior.
The interior where the rink was I do not know what floor material they had but the picture are showing concrete floor. It is some kind of Concrete according to TJ. That is interesting. What substitute for Concrete out there? The walls were Sky Blue with Red stripe and Navy Blue Stripe. The interior was modern opposed to the exterior. I am referring to the theme. Rustic appearance of the 1970s would have been interesting to see. But that time it was Colonialism and Old Spanish style décor for indoors. A rink had that in Florida.
The reason I said about rustic because it would have been a match made with exterior. In 2010, the Rustic theme was back for first time in more than a century since the American Pioneers traveled to the Wild West. Or you could say a Western theme of the 1950s thanks to the likes of the TV show and movies, The Ballard of Davey Crockett.
Never mind but the translation from Rustic outside to 1970s Modern was the norm for its time because rinks were truly updating their décor to the 70s and 80s as Disco was tops.
This is what TJ told me in email--
The rink floor was some kind of cement. The two back corners had black light posters in them. He had black lights he would turn on and he would turn the main light off to highlight the posters. There was a smoke machine he would use also when the black lights were on. There was a disco ball in the center of the rink. Mr Pagel built the "Wedding Aisle" (the white structure in the center of the floor) for special occasions. He kept it there because it made him happy to look at it.
Haha, posters with lights pointed toward those posters. Interesting. Must be advertisement or announcements of future skating sessions.
The "Wedding Aisle!?" Very interesting. Kept that in the middle of the rink! I am sure weddings occurred there. Cute! "Chapel of Roller Skating Love" is just a nickname and put it nicely way to explain about this place. Hey Vegas, you need one? Great idea, Vegas! Haha. Again, trying to say nice clean tease.
The Exterior.
It was a red barn converted inside into a roller rink. It had Red wood studs around like a real Gable roofed barn. It was airtight inside for the skating rink. They later added the bowling alley and they build that more modern building immediately next to the barn where the rink was. When they closed in 1995, the shape of those interior completely compromised but the exterior looks slower to decay than the interior.
The exterior with the barn part makes it so cute with the exterior look. I wish the interior had that rustic look but it was not.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Concrete?. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1977? Demolished: Abandoned, Soon demolished in Spring 2021.
Type of Building: Free-Span Wood Truss, converted from an actual barn. Interior design only. For bowling, more modern looking simple building.
Acres: N/A.
Type of Bowling: Ten Pins?
Lanes: N/A.
Operated: Summer 1975 to 1995.
Reason for Closure: Likely retirement.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Lyons County Museum- Email; Ruth Pagel - Obituary;
Date of issue: 28 January 2021. Updated: 11 August 2021. Updated: 12 August 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.