Ramsey County History – Summer 1999: “The St. Paul Figure Skating Club and Those Popular Summer Pop Concerts”

The St. Paul Figure Skating Club and Those Popular Summer Pop Concerts

Author: Kathleen C. Ridder

Minnesota’s long, cold winters have provided a climate that encouraged the development of amateur and professional ice skaters of all types beginning with St. Paul’s Eddie and Roy Shipstad and Eddie’s partner, Oscar Johnson, in the 1920s. Out of their skill at skating grew Shipstad and Johnson’s Ice Follies in the early 1930s. The St. Paul Figure Skating Club figured prominently in developing other skaters, men and women, who went on to achieve national competitive success on the ice. This article covers all the major skaters from St. Paul. In the early 1950s, the Skating Club turned its attention to developing skaters for the annual Summer Pop Concerts at the Auditorium. Changes in the greater availability of rinks and local demographics with increased emphasis on ice hockey and figure skating by the late 1960s brought on the demise of the Pop Concerts.

PDF of Ridder article