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.

Babb's Summer Concert Series
 Free Concert to to benefit the Babb’s Restoration Project

Sunday, Sep. 5, 2010
2 – 5 pm

We’re taking this Sunday off.
Have a safe Labor Day Weekend.

Here’s the lineup for September

Sept 12 – The Crustaceans
http://www.myspace.com/crustaceansrock

Sept 19 - Pruf & Guests
http://www.myspace.com/pruf0

Sept 26 - Bistro Boys
http://www.myspace.com/thebistroboys

Performances are on Babb’s Amusement Park's
outdoor stage overlooking the lake for all to enjoy.

Come by Boat or by Land!

Bring lawn chairs or a beach blanket to sit on.
Admission is free, donations are gratefully accepted.

Babb’s Amusement Park is located at 433 Babb’s Road, West Suffield, CT on Lake Congamond
Presented by Citizens Restoring Congamond
 All Donations will go towards re-opening Babb’s Park

 

CALLING ALL CRAFTERS!

There will be a Craft Fair at Babb’s Park on September 18, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All crafters are invited to display and sell their creations for only $10/space.

All donations will benefit the Babb’s Restoration Project. Spaces are 12’ x 12’ and include only the space. You must provide your own table, chairs, tent or whatever you need.

Print an Application (MsWord or PDF)

For more information, contact Linda by email at Linda.champagney@gmail.com .
 

CRC News
By Linda M. Champagney
September 2010

Our August meeting had Jeff Duquette explaining the makeup of the water in the lakes, and what was causing the algae problem. In limited space, I can only touch on it, but he says “Oxygen is the answer!” and he is advocating use of aerators to pump oxygen into the bottom (dead) layer of the lake to cause what’s lying there to decompose. One can buy such a thing, but it’s cheaper to make one. Please note that this is NOT the same thing as a bubbler, which thins the ice in the winter. Come to our next meeting and find out how to make one. Basically, it’s a compressor, a length of PVC pipe, and something at the end, such as a showerhead, to make the bubbles small.

The Town of Southwick approved a copper sulphate treatment, which was administered on August 9th in South and Middle Ponds. It isn’t a permanent fix, but it did improve the situation visibly. Of course, the answer is not to keep pouring chemicals into the lake, but to fix the underlying problem. Remember, algae are at the bottom of the food chain and it is a natural process. If we eliminate the algae by use of chemicals, we’re eliminating the food for the creatures that feed on it.

The Babb’s Concert Series continues. As of this writing, we’ve had three concerts with another one today. We had quite a crowd for the Changes In Latitudes concert, and it resulted in an outpouring of donations for the Babb’s Renovation Project. If you’ve driven by the rink lately, you will have noticed the architecturally significant upper windows have been going in and the siding has been painted around them. Progress continues to be made, and work days commence beginning September 11th weekend. Donations from the concerts fund materials for the rink, so we’ll be making more progress as the year progresses. Also, we’re having a Craft Fair on September 18th – Crafters Wanted! Contact me at by email at Linda.champagney@gmail.com .

We’d like to mention the passing of one of our Babb’s volunteers. Marilyn Johnson left us recently. She and her husband Roy (“Archie”) Johnson volunteered regularly on Babb’s work days. She will be missed.

We’d also like to thank Tim Tkacz and Chet’s Landscaping for cleaning up the beach in time for the concert series. It did my heart good to see people sitting on the beach again, enjoying the concert.

This year’s winter vacation is at the Rio Palace on the Riviera Maya, south of Cancun. $2,149 includes EVERYTHING for 9 nights and 10 days. The first deposit is due October 15th.

Our next meeting is September 14th at Crabby Joe’s and our speaker will be Mark Ballard from Aquatic Control Technologies, the company that treats the lake each year, with an update. Please join us at 7:30 pm.

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