The Babb Skating Rink Renovation Project

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On Friday October 31, 2003, Citizens Restoring Congamond (CRC) signed a 20-year lease with the Town of Suffield for use of the Babb's Skating Rink. We have a big refurbishing job ahead of us! Babb's Beach - The Babb family operated a summer lake resort on the shores of the Congamond Lake starting in the late 1890s.  The current roller skating rink was built circa 1930 as a dance hall.  The facility hosted well-known musicians during the Big Band era.  The Babb family donated the approximately 7 acre property to the Town in 1977 and Nelson Babb had a life-use of a house and continued to operate the skating rink until 1996.  The 11,000 s.f. building was falling into disrepair and on October 31, 2003, the Town entered into a four-year lease with four extension periods with Citizens Restoring Congamond (CRC).  CRC agreed to utilize its non-profit status to conduct fundraising and restore the building as a rollerskating rink.  The Town recieved a $100,000 Small Town Economic Assistance Progam (STEAP) grant from the State of Connecticut to help with the restoration.  Babb's Beach was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 21, 2006.  Once the rollerskating rink is restored, CRC plans to sublease the building to a rink operator and any profits realized from the sublease will be used for CRC's mission of the protection and preservation of the Congamond Lakes.  Future plans for the town-owned property, pending available funding, include reutilizing the beach area, constructing a bathhouse, and building a pavillion overlooking the lake.
433 Babbs Rd
West Suffield, CT 06093

Babbs is located:


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Please consider contributing towards the restoration. Click here for more information.

FREE CONCERT!

Sunday, August 8
2 – 6 p.m.

Come by Boat or by Land to SEE this great band

The full Changes In Latitudes band will perform overlooking Babb’s beach.
Bring your lawn or deck chairs, sit back and
enjoy Jimmy Buffet-style music!

433 Babb’s Road, West Suffield, CT on Lake Congamond
 
All Donations will go towards re-opening Babb’s Park

Press Release

 

Babb's stage needs a cover

I am writing this in the hope of getting some help with building the performance stage at Babb’s Park. Last year we started what we hope will become an ongoing event…. Summer concerts! We are in the process of auditioning local performers and working with booking agents to bring in some well known bands. We are doubling the size of the outdoor stage and erecting a cover. This is where you come in. Leisure Time Canvas in West Springfield is offering a very nice discount on the actual vinyl, but we need to install four corner poles to support it. If anyone out there has access to used telephone poles or timbers of substantial size please contact us thru this email. We will need four posts of 18-20 feet in length to be set at each corner of the stage. Also, if you have the means of setting them, that would be a great help. Without the stage cover we are at a disadvantage in booking better known artists… We need your help!

If you haven’t seen the stage, please stop by and take a look. It is set on the hill overlooking the beach and water so concert goers can watch from the upper field or the waterfront. We have great expectations that this will be a nice fund raiser for the rink and afford people a place to enjoy all sorts of music.

Thanks for your consideration,
Jerry Crane
Babb’s Restoration Committee

 

CRC News
By Linda M. Champagney
August 2010

August sometimes feels rather tropical in these parts, but on August 8th we’re bringing you a slice of paradise at Babb’s! Bring your lawn chairs, your beach blanket, whatever you want to sit on because “Changes In Latitude” will be performing on our outdoor stage overlooking the lake from 2-6 pm on August 8th! You don’t want to miss it! Come by boat or by car, but come join in the fun! This concert is to raise funds for the Babb’s Restoration Project, so all donations will be gratefully accepted. We intend to have more concerts to raise more funds for Babb’s, and if you’d like to perform, please contact us at the website below.

Cruise Congamond was a success again this year, with 182 cars. It made just under $6,000 for the Lake Treatment Fund and a little over $1,000 for the Babb’s Restoration Project.

Claudia (Babb) Reich sent the Babb’s Restoration Project a donation for $5,000 recently. We’re so grateful for her continued support of this project.

Babb’s Beach is getting spiffed up along with the rink. The concrete walls are now green, thanks to paint donated by Sherwin Williams and the work of Susan Swor, Chris Swor and BJ Getsky. In the rink itself, some of our younger volunteers have jack-hammered out 16” thick concrete and wheel-barrowed in a lot of sand to raise the floor level, in preparation for the new plumbing to be installed. We’re making progress, and we want to remind you that this project is funded by your donations, and the work is done entirely by volunteers. If you don’t help, it doesn’t get done.

Elections in October will be for President and Vice President. If you’re interested, please come to our next meeting and let us know.

Plans for the 2011 Winter Vacation are in progress. We’re looking at Mexico and Jamaica so far. If you have other suggestions, we’d like to hear them.

As we do each year, we’re selling raffle tickets for the LAPA West kayak raffle. Tickets are $5/ticket or a book of 5 for $20. The drawing is October 2. We are a member of LAPA West, which stands for Lakes and Ponds Association of Western Massachusetts. Tickets will be available at our meetings.

And speaking of meetings, our next one is on August 10th at Crabby Joe’s, at 7:30 pm. Everyone is welcome and we’ll be looking for you there!

Citizens Restoring Congamond is a duly authorized Non-Profit organization, dedicated to the protection and betterment of the Congamond Lakes. You may contact us at www.congamond.org or P.O. Box 117, West Suffield, CT 06093.

 
Yext Podiatrists'
Guide to Roller Skating

Re-printed with permission from http://www.yext.com/podiatrists/articles/guide-to-roller-skating.html

While the first invention of a roller skate that was attached to the feet dates back to the 18th Century, the first patent for a crude roller skate dates back to 1819. In the years since, the design of roller skates have changed drastically, but the enjoyment that people have gotten from roller skating has not.

In 1819, French inventor M. Petitblad created a very basic roller skate that is similar in concept to today’s inline skates. However, the design was very poor with skaters having great deal of trouble maneuvering the skates. But the idea for attaching wheels to people's feet was born.

In 1863, James Plimpton created the first quad skate, where two sets of wheels were on the skate, side-by-side. The design of the skate allowed skaters the ability to easily maneuver and turn. ;Because of the ease of use, the popularity of skates started to increase leading to the first roller skating rink appearing in 1866.

Over the course of the next hundred years, the quad skate continued to increase in popularity, with various improvements added over time. The popularity of the skate, made skating one of the fastest growing activities, with roller rinks opening all around the world. During the early to mid 20th century the roller rink became a center in towns and cities where people of all ages could meet and skate to the popular music of the time.

In the later part of the 20th century, inline skates, which have only one row of wheels in a line, became popular. The design of the inline skates where similar to ice skates, with skaters using the same motion to start and stop. Inline skates, also called rollerblades, started to become popular are skating rinks started to close and people began to skate outdoors for exercise.

However, during the development of the roller skate, they have been used for a variety of competitive events. Competitions started to develop in speed roller skating, roller dancing and even in the rough and tumble world of roller derby. The development of the inline skate has led to inline hockey games being played, not on ice, but on either indoor or outdoor paved rinks. The invention of the inline skate had allowed ice hockey players to play year round, either on or off the ice.

Roller skating and roller skates have seen tremendous changes during the past couple of centuries. From very basic skates to the elaborate, inline skates of today, roller skates are still a popular item for people looking for fun and exercise.

For more information on roller skates and roller skating, we have gathered a collection of resources:

For much more information on roller skates and roller skating, visit http://www.yext.com/podiatrists/articles/guide-to-roller-skating.html

 

Proudly protecting Babb's Historical Roller Skating Rink
What is the plan?
  • Restore building to roller skating rink and multifunction usage.
  • Sublease the building to a rink operator.
  • Any profits realized from the sublease will be utilized for CRC’s mission of the protection and preservation of the Congamond Lakes.

How can you help?

 

Babb's Roller Rink Collectible by Hometowne Collectibles

Click the picture for a larger picture you can print. 
Buy Now!!

The Babb's Rink Collectible is a beautifully detailed reproduction of the historic West Suffield, Connecticut roller skating rink.  Cut from ¾" wood, the replica measures approximately 9-½" long and 2-¼" high and contains a history of the rink printed on the back.  The Babb's Beach property, including the roller skating rink, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 12, 2006.
 

   

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Page last updated on December 11, 2009
Website donated by Chip & Donna Dyer of West Suffield, CT

Babb's Rink Renovation sponsored by
Citizens Restoring Congamond