These stories can also be heard on Sunday mornings around 10 am on WILD 102’s “Look Back in Time” program. Each week’s radio story will be posted here on our website.
Weekly radio stories are researched, compiled, and read by Sheila Winstead, RCHS Board Member.
December 31, 2023
An Ice Carnival was scheduled as a Benefit at Wannaska in December of 1938 at the Grand Opening of their new skating rink. This column in the Roseau Times-Region told about it.
Wannaska folks can now go on a skate and still be perfectly sober. That progressive community has built their open-air rink, 80 x 160, and has built a warming house, 12 x 18 feet. They have christened it the “Slab Arena.” The location is across the street from the Wannaska Hall.
Back of the project is the Wannaska Skating Club. They have the place electrically lighted, and the whole works has been done by donated labor. The first thing that will happen is that a hockey team from Wannaska will come out of that community and proceed to clean up on every team in the league, and it is not impossible that the future Sonja Henie may be from there.
Initiating the rink will be a grand opening tomorrow evening, which will feature an ice carnival, skating and basket social. There will be skating for an hour. Then there will be several kinds of races including relay race in which two local skaters will choose teams with no limitations as to residence. Roseau and Wannaska will be matched in a broom ball game, and Jake and Lena, popular comedians, will be on the job. “Cap” Nelson will produce a well-known figure skater and there will be an exhibition hockey game between two Wannaska teams. The basket social will take place in the hall. Ladies are asked to bring baskets with lunch for two. Hot dog sandwiches and coffee will be served at the rink.
Fun starts at 7 o’clock and the program begins at 8:15.
The committee in charge of arrangements includes Roy Sjoquist, Leland Lee, Arthur Johnson, Elmer Benson and Lloyd Sorter.
A couple weeks later, a follow-up was published saying this:
Wannaska Carnival is Big Success
Better than $60 was received by the organization which has undertaken to keep Wannaska on the skate this winter, through the ice carnival and grand opening of their “Slab Arena” last Friday evening.
The event was a big success in every way. The weather was ideal and everybody had a good time. The races and hockey game between two teams of that community, and the broom ball contest came first on the program, and this was followed by a basket social in the Wannaska hall. The undertaking is a worthy one and deserves the support of that community.
The Wannaska news a couple weeks later told of some users of the rink.
Mrs. Gavelin and Mrs. Sam Palm spent Sunday afternoon and evening at the Gunder Edberg home while the children enjoyed skating at the rink.
Gilbert Loe, Jr., lit on the ice Saturday evening on his face and visited a doctor for a checkup. On Sunday Clarice Williamson had the misfortune to fall at the rink and break her left arm just above the wrist. Miss Williamson teaches in District 44 E and will enjoy (?) a little longer Christmas vacation.
The rink now sports a hot dog stand, where they have coffee, rolls and sandwiches on tap every evening, which isn’t bad on these cool nights.
So those were some of the ups and downs of rink life in the winter of 1938 and 1939 in Wannaska.
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