Friday, August 22, 2008

Funky Town - And Roller Skating At Spinning Wheels In PA

When I used to roller skate with my friend Craig in 9th grade - OK, it was 10th - only the classiest place would do. So instead of Caln Roller Rink, we'd head down Delaware way to the upscale "Spinning Wheels Roller Rink". It was similar to Studio 54 except there was no dancing, it had a snack bar and it was full of losers.

We were neither hard core skaters - with the satin jackets and stylish clothes nor the total amateurs. You might say -we were caught between two worlds. How did we survive this uphill battle? We survived with the help of a little song by the group Lipps, Inc. A song I like to call Funky Town. All Skate:

10 comments:

  1. Most weekends of my 9th grade year were spent skating. However, the songs of my skating days were more along the lines of Poison, Heart... late 80's crap.

    I loved..LOVED skating, though, and even now have secret dreams of being a roller derby girl.

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  2. hahaa, I didn't laugh until "All Skate." I totally remember that shit being said over the roller rink speakers.

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  3. My town was too small to have a roller rink; I guess you could say it was "rindy-dink." Or not. It sure wasn't as cool as Funky Town.

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  4. Ouch! The total amateurs made me cringe. I liked the stylish clothes though. HA HA! Too bad you didn't have some of those---they were quite sparkly! :D

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  5. When in my younger years (10-14) the skating rink was the place to go ... if you wanted a chance at smootchin` in the rest seating area. Snow ball?? Yahhh, that was like a dream come true.
    Funky Town was playing in the line waiting to get in one night. I told a cute girl that "I personaly could take her to funky town"

    She said, "I don't think you could" ... to the delight of all my friends watching. I think about that moment every time I hear of that song!!

    I do, however, use that line still on a daily basis :-)

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  6. we had a roller rink in town -- and only losers went

    so of course i went

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  7. Oh, honey. Now I have to comment. I've been lurking for a while because I used to live in Thorndale (moved three years ago) and your blog gives me funny pangs of transient homesickness. I learned to skate at Spinning Wheels, circa 1977. I was trying to figure out where it was, the best I can figure is that it was where Targetmaster/Goodwill is now. Spent a lot of Saturdays at that place; I still remember when they had an organist instead of a DJ.

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  8. Shieldmaiden: You are correct. It's a Goodwill now. We probably were there at one time as in 7th grade I used to go as well.

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  9. I was a Caln skater. No fancy stuff for me, haha. I once had an idea to open up a roller skate bar, until I realized there is no way in hell it would be allowed. In theory though, it sounds great.

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