By Ken Schmith - Oelwein Register News Editor - Thursday, July 12, 1973

An era that had it's beginning in 1928 will come to an end in Oelwein this weekend at the Coliseum Ballroom, when the final dance is held there Saturday night, July 14.

The Coliseum, located at 101 1st St. S.W. Oelwien is a 100 by 80 foot brick building - but the memories of more than two generations of Oelwein residents could not be crowded into the space enclosed by the four walls of the impressive structure.

Countless thousands of people have passed through the double doors of it's main entrance on dance night. People arrived at such a pace in an earlier day that the ticket window was built in the center of the entry way so that people could pass by on either side.

From there, people eager and ready to dance to the music of their generation passed through another double door onto a carpeted area with a wall blocking the view of the stage across the mammoth dance floor.

To the left of the entry are the coat check rooms where dancers could check hat, coat, purse, etc., for small change so they didn't have to constantly worry about misplacing it. To the right of the entry is the main bar with "liquid refreshment" including beer and liquor, available to thirsty dancers.

A double line of wooden booths line the walls the full length of the dance floor - from the entry way to the stage. A balcony sits atop the entrance to the dance floor area. The balcony is filled with booths where people could sip, visit, and watch the dancing or orchestra below. A second smaller bar is located in the balcony area to save steps - and food items such as hamburgers, pizza, etc., are available here.

Heavy curtains block the tall windows on the sidewalls and the only light in the ballroom comes from globe type lights suspended from picturesque dull red metal ceiling.

In it's heyday, the Coliseum echoed the sounds of such well known music makers as Lawrence Welk and his Champagne Music, Tex Ritter, Grand Ol' Opry Star Vovvy Harden, Tiny Little, Don Glasser Orchestra, Jack Morgan who provided Music in the Morgan Manner, the Jan Garber Orchestra, the Bobby Hankin Show, Bob and Bobby Thomas of the WGN TV Barn Dance - and many others.

That was an earlier day, though.

As the generation that grew up with "the big bands" grew older, they didn't come out to dance as often. Andy Doll, present owner of the Coliseum, says a try was made at holding "teen dances" to keep the Coliseum alive.

It didn't work, mainly, Doll says, because of the problem of discipline, and it became obvious that the Coliseum, along with other well-known and memory filled ballrooms across the country, was on the sick list and slipping.

Doll says he has had the Coliseum for sale "for a couple of years" but the declining ballroom business, coupled with the money needed to purchase such an establishment resulted in few offers.

Saturday night's dance will be the final for the only ballroom in Oelwein. The sounds of the orchestras, dancing feet, clinking glasses and people having a good time will no longer echo from the walls.

Silence and memories will linger - and there will be many memories.

Mrs Doll says many times, as she cleans the huge hall following a dance, people will wander in and just stand and slowly look around. When she asks if they wanted to see someone, they usually replied "No, I've lived in Philadelphia (or Chicago or some other city) for 20 years and I just wanted to see if the Coliseum was still here." This especially happend many times during the recent Centennial celebration in Oelwein as people who were "home" here for the weekend event had to stop and see the place where they had such good times in their younger days.

Parts of the building "died" earlier - a second story apartment now unused and a complete six-lane bowling alley in the basement. For years, the bowling alley, which provided many growing boys the opportunity to earn some extra pocket money as pin setters, provided the only bowling spot in the area.

It was around 1960 as Doll recalls, that the lanes were shut down for good - the 16 steps leading from the main floor to the basement bowling alley no longer carry the footsteps of happy, eager bowlers.

The unused parts of the building merely sat in the darkness awaiting the inevitable.

It was in 1928 that the Richard Brothers, who began construction a year earlier, opened the doors for the first time with Paul Tremaine of New York providing music for the first dance, which drew a capacity crowd. Prior to the Coliseum, the site was occupied by the Park Hotel which burned down.

Apparently the Coliseum was also used for other events in its early days. "Gentleman Joe" Thomas, visiting the Coliseum in February of this year, recalled having wan the Iowa Middleweight boxing crown there in 1928.

It was in the Mid-30s that the Coliseum moved into its era. Verl Sissel purchased the business about this time and the big name bands like Sammy Kaye, Dorsey Brothers, Tiny Hill, Les Brown, Guy Lombardo and many others were common attractions at the dances.

Ray Stoddard, retired Oelwein police chief, recalls that admission to the Champagne Music of Lawrence Welk on a Saturday night in Oelwein was 50 cents per couple, during this time. Stoddard, who often also policed dances at the Coliseum, says that when Sammy Kay performed here in 1945 or 1946, he drew 4.100 paid admissions at $2.50 per person. Packed crowds were common on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights and many people of that generation still remember the Coliseum as their "home away from home" because almost half the the nights in a week were spent there. When Orrin Tucker, appeared there with Wee Bonnie Baker, a major attraction of the day, those who could not squeeze into the ballroom danced in the street to music from speakers set up outside.

Doll bought the building in December, 1962. Doll, himself, is a musician and the same year he purchased the Coliseum he had a hit record "Wild Desire" in the national charts and won the second best country and western dance band award in the nation from the National Ballroom Operators Association (now NBEA), finishing behind Texan Hank Thompson.

Although he discontinued salaried band operations in 1969 due to the general ballroom decline, he continues to play at area dances with a five-piece group, getting other musicians to fill in. Doll plans to stay in Oelwein and continue to work at Speedy Manufacturing, where he began about three months ago.

The final dance at the ballroom July 14 will be played by Dave Dighton, one of the top area bands. The event is a free wedding dance, and the playing of "Auld Lang Syne" at 1 a.m. will close the book on the story of the Coliseum Ballroom.

Owner Doll says he plans to accompany the band in the final number, playing the big concert Grand piano that one of the Lombardo's once wanted to purchace, because of its tone and volume.

On Tuesday, July 24 the contents of the building - from the six-lane bowling alley to the drinking glasses will be sold at a public auction at 1:30 p.m. in what is billed as a "wall to wall" quitting business sale.

The building has been purchased by Richard Kempker of Oelwein, who operates Kempker Furniture on West Charles. Kempker has indicated that his plans for the building are not definite at this time.