Pla Mor Skating Rink Then and Now

800 W Frontview Street – Dodge City, Kansas

Skating has been a popular pastime in Dodge City since the 1870s. The first ice skating contests were held on the frozen Arkansas River but residents quickly realized a year-round solution was in order. Indoor roller-skating rinks popped up in various buildings as early as 1884. Dr. Thomas McCarty announced plans to build his rink at Second Avenue and Spruce Street that December.

In the 1950s, Melvin Drake operated the Roller-Mor rink at what is now 1705 E Trail Street, where many of you will remember seeing Champ’s Auction Service. By 1959, real estate investors Philip and Nevilla Deines had a vision for a new skating rink on the north side of town. A site was selected on the former Soule College property just west of Sixth Avenue on the Highway 50 Bypass.

A new brick building was constructed for the rink with careful attention paid to the skating surface. The Deines’ granddaughter, Lori (Piper) Kepley, said Philip was especially concerned with making the wood floor as smooth as possible. According to my mother, it was perfect…a far cry from the abandoned dance hall at Beeson and Sunnyside where my grandmother and her friends skated.

I am told the Pla Mor Skating Rink opened in October of 1959.

Skating was very much a family activity. Lori is pictured here at 15 months of age.

Philip took care of the skate and floor maintenance. Daughter Diedra (Lori’s mom) sold tickets and ran the concession stand with her sister, Vicki. Lori’s dad, Roy Piper, drove a bus to shuttle kids back and forth from the rink.

Pla Mor was rented out for special events on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Thursdays were family nights. Open skating was held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Nevilla taught private beginner classes on Saturday mornings.

Pla Mor also supported competitive skating in the region.

They even had a speed skating club.

High school students were hired as floor guards to ensure safe skating. Games during the sessions included Low Bridge, Couples, Trios, Trains, Backwards, the Grand March, and Hokey Pokey. Pla Mor also hosted Halloween and New Year’s Eve skate parties with costume contests.

The family operated the rink until 1972, after which the Dodge City Knights of Columbus moved to the building from their previous location on Sunnyside. As you can see from the photo below, this was before the frontage road was completed.

The K of C still used the skating rink in those early days.

So many events have taken place in that building: Fundraising dinners, anniversary celebrations, blood drives, Oktoberfest, Mardi Gras, the toy show, Farm Bill meetings, the Miss Rodeo Kansas and Teen Pageant, and the Christmas bazaar. It was even used as a polling place when the Civic Center was being remodeled.

As the needs of the K of C council changed, a series of outbuildings was added to the property. Several openings were infilled with brick and an addition was constructed to the right of the front entrance.

The building was sold in 2020 and renamed Silver Star Hall. The brick was painted around that time and although no longer operated by the K of C, it has continued to be used for all types of public events. On October 30, Gunsmoke Sessions will host The Reaper’s Ball.

This is how the former Pla Mor Skating Rink looks today:

In my opinion, the exterior looks really weird now with the painted brick but it’s a great building. The last time I was inside, that original wood floor was still in place. Let’s hope it continues being maintained and enjoyed for years to come.

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