28 replies to this topic

[Giraffe]

It has been decades since I've been inside Will Rogers and I've completely lost track of what the place is now used for.

That huge tower right next to it... What was the purpose of it? I've sometimes heard it described as "The World's Tallest Bird House" because there's enough bird cr*p in it to burn down a zoo. Is there anything in it?

As a kid in the '70s it was an annual pilgrimage for me and my family to go to the Shrine Circus held there, usually early November. They sold cotton candy, peanuts and other refreshments. I looked up with awe at how tall the ceiling was. Always technically minded, even at that young age, I couldn't help divert my attention away from the circus and examine instead the spotlights being operated manually up in the rafters. My dad still tells the story of when we all went to the Shrine Circus when I was still a toddler sucking a pacifier; during one particular part of the program (it may have been a lion tamer), one of the performers fired a shot from a pistol and the sudden noise made me spit out my pacifier and Dad says it bounced off the head of the stranger sitting in the next row beneath us! One year I went to the Shrine Circus twice; once with my family, and again with the family of one of my childhood friends... I knew when to cover my ears during the second show! They always opened the circus with some local Shriners wearing those fezzes and doing some sort of "Owaatagoosiam" chant. I recall motorcyclists riding inside a wire sphere; human cannonballs; elephant parades (complete with Tail-End Charlie walking behind with a shovel); and the "Living Statues," acrobats wearing silver tights and silver paint all over themselves and moved slower than sloths on downers in January (which really impressed me... just try holding the same position for only three minutes!).

I've never been an ice-skater. Once in elementary school we took a field trip down to the ice rink. We rented skates and I spent about an hour glued to the handrail! I remember hearing about the Fort Worth Texans... weren't they a minor-league hockey team? When did they start and when did they disappear? Did they merge into another team or just go out of business? Never went to any of their games.

What memories does everyone else have?

[Saginaw]

OK. Where do I begin after all that?

Well, let's start with what I can remember. I also saw the Shrine Circus many times at Will Rogers, too, back in the '70s. What I noticed about it was that it looked "old", not "sophisticated" like the Tarrant County Convention Center. Today, I deeply appreciate and enjoy the art deco architecture of Will Rogers, and hopefully it'll be preserved and used for many, many more years to come.

The Fort Worth Texans did, in fact, play a portion of their home games at Will Rogers, with TCCC being their other home venue. They were a part of the first Central Hockey League (1963-84), and began play in 1967 as the Fort Worth Wings (which was a farm club of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings). In 1973, they changed their name to the Texans, and changed their logo and colors to reflect the team's new affiliation with their parent club, the NHL's New York Islanders. The Texans were league champions for the 1977-78 season, and played until they folded in the summer of 1982, which was two years before the entire league folded. I never attended any of the Texans' games, unnfortunately, but I did happen to see a Dallas Sidekicks indoor soccer exhibition game at Will Rogers sometime in the '80s. Also, some professional wrestling matches were held there in the '70s, splitting their time with the old Northside Coliseum (anyone remember 'Saturday Night Wrestling' on Channel 11?)

No idea what the tower was/is for, but it sure does make for a beautiful monument to it's namesake and the city, doesn't it? I dare say it wouldn't be Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum without it!


--Saginaw

[Ghost Writer in Disguise]

Long, long, long ago there was a pedestrian crossing out front that went under W. Lancaster. I remember being down there as a wee lad one time for some reason and passing through it. Later, on the other side of Camp Bowie, I got my first look at Tolson's Modelcraft. Didn't get to go in, though...

[Giraffe]

. Also, some professional wrestling matches were held there in the '70s, splitting their time with the old Northside Coliseum (anyone remember 'Saturday Night Wrestling' on Channel 11?)

--Saginaw

Lord, do I ever! Didn't they also hold some matches on Ch. 11 from the Sportatorium in Dallas? I remember Andre the Giant and the Von Erichs.

A friend of mine put it perfectly: "'Wrestling' is what they do in the Olympics. 'Wrasslin' is what you see Saturday night on Channel 11."

Where was/is the Northside Coliseum? (Probably the North Side, I guess. But WHERE, exactly?)

[cajunmike]

At various levels in the tower are some rooms for hosting parties etc. Their was a club at the top and seemed to be open during stock show time for invited guests. I took my son their when he turned 16 for his birthday. He wanted to see the "Rasslin Match" The Von Erich's.

When the Texans were playing hockey there, they had a chairty event that I was invited too and we played Broom Hockey with Playboy Playmates.

Have been to many Shrine Circus events there. It is a great building with much history!

Northiside Coliseum is in the Stockyards and the Saturday night wrestling was held there for many years with old time annoncuers Dan Coats and then Bill Mercer.

[Recyclican]

Where was/is the Northside Coliseum? (Probably the North Side, I guess. But WHERE, exactly?)

Northside Coliseum = Cowtown Coliseum = in the Stockyards on E Exchange Avenue. http://www.fortworth...th/coliseum.htm

Turned 100 this year!

[Okie-JR]

My memories of the area are a lot more recent. Aside from a few gun shows or other things going on, one of the best memories I had was going to see Sheryl Crow in the Auditorium. She had just won best new artist about a month earlier and she didn't even sell it out. Made for great seats.

[bailey]

Growing up in the 50's and 60's, Will Rogers was the center piece of activity in Fort Worth. I still have a picture taken when I was about 3 years old of my dad carrying me in front of the center. Back then, photographers would take your picture whether you wanted them to or not and give you a card where you could order a copy of the photograph. My dad always purchased them and we got some real funny pictures. Activities I attended at Will Rogers were many. The rodeo, circus, Globetrotters, golden gloves, ice skating, and even opera when I was in elementary school. Of course, starting in 1967, I got hooked on hockey and never missed a game. All the games were played at Will Rogers in those first years and later they added one game at the convention center during the rodeo. There was nothing like a Saturday hockey game at Will Rogers against the hated Dallas Blackhawks and their coach Bobby Krum. He and the Fort Worth coach, Bob Lemieux were worth the price of a ticket by themselves. I still have a couple of pucks I caught with the Wings logo on them along with a broken stick. Will Rogers was always an awesome place to go for a young kid. I still think it is the closest thing I have seen to a perfect place to watch a hockey game. There isn't a bad seat in the house.

[cbellomy]

Lessee... I remember ice skating in the arena in the 70s. When the Tandy Center rink opened, that did Will Rogers' rink in. Sad, too, because the WR rink was bigger, and I liked the hockey markings under the ice.

I played the auditorium a few times in jazz band contests when I was at AHHS in the early 80s.

I remember the fights that used to break out at Texans - Blackhawks (Dallas) games... in the stands!

Though I didn't go, most of all I remember when I was in middle school (circa 1978) and the Rolling Stones decided at the eleventh hour to play a warmup show for their upcoming tour at Will Rogers Auditorium. The announcement happened and ticket sales started the day before the show, IIRC. Total madness. Truancy abounded. Imagine seeing 70s-era Stones in a room that small...

[Saginaw]

Didn't they also hold some matches on Ch. 11 from the Sportatorium in Dallas?

Without getting off topic, yes they did.

Northiside Coliseum is in the Stockyards and the Saturday night wrestling was held there for many years with old time annoncuers Dan Coats and then Bill Mercer.

And don't forget Marc Lowrance, who was SNW's final announcer before it was cancelled around 1990-91. I believe Mr. Lowrance became a minister or something like that.


--Saginaw

[travelbear]

And what about the great concerts at Will Rogers, both in the auditorium and in the old theater. I saw Jimmy Hendrix there in about 1969. Supposedly he broke all the mirrors out in the dressing room when he didn't the applause he thought he deserved. Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and Strawberry Alarm Clock was also another good show in the auditorium. In about 1970, Three Dog Night played in the theater that seemed to only have about 500 or 600 seats. There were many more there but my memory is slipping........

[Saginaw]

Gee whiz, travelbear! You saw some real rock history!

Sounds like everyone had a really groovy time (yeah, I used the term back in the day, too, even though I was a "pup").


--Saginaw

[gdvanc]

"In the red corner, ..."

I'd say the WRC was one of the buildings that sparked my interest in architecture. My step-dad was a boxing fan and if it was Golden Gloves night on a weekend I was at Mom's house, we were there. Over time I found the building more interesting than what was going on inside, so I would wander around th coliseum checking the place out.

I also remember that when the heavyweight fight started, it was time to head back to my seat so Mom wouldn't have to search for me when it was time to go. And if the Air Force's mighty Nick Wells was fighting, I needed to hurry because the ending might come quickly. That's the only name that has stuck with me all these years; his were the fights I usually tried to catch.

[austlar]

Well, I was at the rodeo every year and the Shrine Circus too. This is circa 1955 or so. Lots of kids from my school took ice skating lessons on Saturdays and then skated the afternoon away. Once a year there was a big ice pageant put on by the skating school. I remember my little Alpine costume. I remember being at ice skating one Saturday morning when word reached us that Pete the Python had escaped from the zoo. I was worried about my dog Butch because we lived right above the zoo in Park Hill.

There were also the interminable opera and symphony concerts that for some reason a lot of us kids had to go to from time to time. WW Auditorium was a real barn with terrible acoustics. That was obvious even to a kid. Everything sounded either like an echo or like nothing most of the time. The FW Symphony and Opera were not exactly world class back in those days. Yawn! I never dreamed that one day I would love hearing serious music in a good concert hall, and I never thought I'd see the day that the FW Symphony would dare make a trip to Carnegie Hall!

I especially remember the two nights of dance school recitals held every year in the auditorium by Buster Somebody's School of Dance. My sister and her cronies all took tap, jazz, and ballet dance classes at this school for at least 8 or 9 years running. I always loved going to these events because for some reason my parents were so enthralled at the sight of my sister and cousins up on the stage that they would let me pretty much run wild. My cousin Mike and I would explore every nook and cranny of the WW complex, and as we got older we would sneak outside to smoke cigarettes and pretend like we were BAD. I also remember enduring my first hangover at one of these recitals. It was a doozy that followed on the heels of a previous evening of experimental drinking with that same Cousin Mike. My parents pretended like the didn't know what was going on. I guess I was about 10 or 11 year old.

Oh, I almost forgot the acid trip from Hell during the Emerson Lake and Palmer concert back in 1972. I've never set foot in the place since that time, and I never dropped another hit of acid!

BTW, I am on the wagon now, which is no surprise probably.

[empty]

I remember the circus at the auditorium as well, and I also spent a lot of time studying the structure overhead instead of paying attention to the acts. (I also spent a lot of time studying the ceiling and the catwalks in Casa Manana back in those days but I guess that's another topic.)

My clearest memory of the Will Rogers Complex is of the auditorium. Back in the late sixties, a girlfriend and I went down there to see the movie Hamlet, starring Lawrence Oliver. Yes, that’s right—the printed tickets read, “Lawrence Oliver”. We had a good laugh about that (and probably made some rude remarks about our hometown--but we were 17 years old! We were supposed to be stupid!).

Another memory—my mother was a painter. She participated in art shows all over the area including at least one at the Will Rogers Coliseum. At that particular show, in the mid-seventies, you got a ticket when you entered—they had hourly drawings for prizes. Some of the artists would donate one painting for the drawings. This marked the only time I ever won anything—I’d gone to the show with a friend; he heard the announcement of the winning number, checked his ticket and observed he was only one digit off. I checked my ticket and discovered it was the winning number. I went to retrieve my prize—it was a small oil painting of an outhouse.

I hung it, appropriately, in the bathroom of my apartment—and forgot it when I moved. No, really, I really did forget. Really.

One other memory, regarding post #11 from travelbear:
I didn’t make the Jimi Hendrix show but I knew a guy who did. The act before Hendrix was Soft Machine, an odd jazz-rock band that consisted of keyboards, bass and drums—no guitar. Oh, and no singing, either. The guy who attended the show came to school the next day and said something to the effect of, “Man, what a weird show! When that weirdo organ band came on, I woulda sworn the drummer was naked! It wasn’t until the end of the show when he stood up that we saw he was wearing swim trunks!”

I joined with the others who moved away slowly—I was not about to enter that minefield of potentially impolite puns.

*
My first post--I've been reading for several years and finally decided to break down and join.

Thanks to all of you for all of the interesting history.

[Birdland in Handley]

Oh this Topic --what bait to a middle aged FTWorther!
Much wrestling was at North Side Auditorium and I was enraged that my brother got to go to Channel 11's live Saturday Night Wrestling in the early 60's -- the heyday of Fritz Von Erich's villany (Master of the Iron Claw). I was about 4 or 5 and I had a tantrum about family sexism--"little girls don't attend wrestling."
In Jr. Hi a friend had a crush on one of the hockey players--Bart Crashley. Was there ever a player with such an appropriate name? This would be 1970 or so.
I remember the school field trips to see opera, and though I still don't like opera, I really like some classical music, thanks to the fwisd having music appreciation in Elementary Ed. (and me going to NTSU). Aeida's (sp?) fate was pretty harrowing when I saw it as a kid at the Auditorium.
Big early 70' stuff in the Coliseum-- I was at the Jimi Hendrix concert. Also lucked out at an excellent Sly And The Family Stone concert--at the time I was unaware that he was an infamous no-show and just took it as my due that I attended a great concert.
And when more eclectic acts were booked at the Auditorium, I had front row center seats for the Kinks in about 1977. What a great venue! I sang along with every lyric. Fans formed a receiving line at the departing limos, after the concert, and Ray Davis shook my hand and said "Thank You, Darling."
Who remembers sitting on the floor of Daniel Meyer Coliseum for an early 70's Joe Cocker concert?

[801hme]

Where to begin...

I mostly remember all the Rodeos and Shrine Circus performances. I bought my first can of Copenhagen there ( a habit I'm still trying to break ). I remember the featured musical act one year came riding out and waving to the crowd on a horse. I don't think it was his horse, and I don't think he had ridden much, or maybe he just hadn't put his own saddle on, because about 15 seconds into his entrance the front saddle cinch came loose and he toppled off of his moving horse onto the dirt arena floor. I was about 10 & laughed my you-know-what off. I also remember a female featured artist ( I want to think it was Barbara Mandrell before she really got popular ) who had lost her voice from the flu, and her band performed without her. The drummer played "Wipe-out" standing on his throne...

I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan there twice- once in the auditorium, but the first time was in the coliseum, in Aug. or Sept. 0f '84. What a show!! Van Wilkes from Austin opened, & both Stevie & Van Wilkes ended their shows with Hendrix's "Third Stone From The Sun". Stevie was still doing all his pre-sobriety tricks then; playing behind his back, behind his head, off his shoulder like a violin, standing on his '59 strat and yanking on the tremelo arm thru feedback...He had family from Dallas there as this was the final show from his first tour in support of "Couldn't Stand the Weather", & kept talking about the wild acoustics in ( his words ) "the rodeo hall". Before the show, they announced that this was the first concert in the coliseum since Santana in '75. Good times...

I went to the "Wrasslin" matches more times than I care to remember. I had an Uncle who was addicted to "Saturday Night Wrestling", and he was always dragging me & my brother down there. I remember after David Von Erich died, some guy wrote a tribute song called "That's Wrasslin", and performed it in the ring. The crowd was pretty gracious the first go 'round, but a technical glitch with the TV feed made him sing it again. I'm sure they had to edit out all the boo's the crowd was giving this poor guy...Their attention span wasn't real long...

My dad had season tickets (if they sold them, maybe we just went alot) to the Wings and later the Texans games. I knew what a Zamboni machine was before Zamboni machines were cool...and I remember "Crash Crashley", Birdland. I had a puck with the Wings logo on it for years. Wish I still had it. Usually we sat up in the nose-bleed section, but sometimes we'd get to sit right on the glass (er, plexiglass). That was fun. Nothing like watching violent, under-paid minor league hockey players killing each other...

Great topic. I've heard rumors that the Coliseum and Auditorium may be endangered of demolition. I hope not.

[Giraffe]

Where was/is the Northside Coliseum? (Probably the North Side, I guess. But WHERE, exactly?)

Northside Coliseum = Cowtown Coliseum = in the Stockyards on E Exchange Avenue. http://www.fortworth...th/coliseum.htm

Turned 100 this year!

Ah! Now I remember! I was in there once, many years ago. As you may guess, I'm not an expert on where everything is on the North Side. I did go to the Stockyards with some out-of-town friends a couple of times and we had a great time there.

The one time I was inside the Cowtown Coliseum was over 10 years ago. I'm a ham radio operator and a bunch of us had volunteered to help with communications for the Cowtown Marathon that year. I had a portable packet radio station (exchanging digital data instead of talking) and I remember setting that up on the dirt floor inside the Coliseum. (At least, I *think* it was the Coliseum. The dirt floor was likely the result of a rodeo. I remembered how strange that was, high-tech electronics on dirt!

[LocalYokel]

Will Rogers' Coliseum is a fascinating place. I am a Shriner and have been privileged to work at the circus there for a good many years. The architecture of the place is fascinating, and it was an engineering marvel when it was originally built. Every time I'm there I find another detail I haven't noticed before - the art deco decorations, the truss structures, etc.

I have never been up in the tower, you can only get to a couple of floors up with the elevator that's just off the lobby. During the circus, there are several rooms up there on the 2nd floor that are occupied by different Shriner groups. If you are in the stands, and look toward the north end of the arena you will see an area up above the stands with glass windows. That's where the various hospitality rooms are set up. People who work the circus for their different groups (doing things like ushering, manning concession booths etc) can go up to the rooms and they have food and snacks, a place to change clothes, etc.

If you get in the stands and climb the stairs in any of the sections, you will notice that near the top there is a wider space between one row of seats. This makes a complete circuit around the arena, and those of us who work as ushers can walk around and keep an eye on stuff without being in the way. That's also where the ladders drop for access to the spotlight mezzanines.

When you are in the main aisle outside the arena, before you walk up the stairs to get to your section notice that there are small doors in the walls. The areas between the stairs are actually small storage rooms, and several of them are also used as hospitality rooms by Shriner groups.

Putting on the Circus is a huge job, and there is one specific group known as the Directors who manage the efforts and keep everything on track. Most of the other groups do ushering or sales. The Clown unit actually performs in the Circus, as do the motorized groups (motorcycles, Corvette go-carts, etc) and the Mounties (horse riding unit).

The group I belong to had an interesting task for several years - guarding the tigers. As it turns out, people really ARE stupid enough to walk up to the tiger's cage and try to pet the "nice kitty". I learned the hard way that a tiger can spray the same way as a house cat, but to much greater distances and with excellent accuracy. I have also seen one of those big cats come unglued in its tiny little cage, whirling around in a ball of teeth and claws in response to a trainer's poke, so fast that the eye couldn't follow its motion. They are amazing beasts.

When you are at the Circus, you will doubtless notice the animals coming out for the parade from the entryway at the end of the arena. That portion of the structure is basically a large barn packed with stalls and small arenas. Before the Circus begins, the performers are readying their animals and it is a delightful scene of organized chaos with all the glitter, sound, and pageantry you see in the arena, but with the performers interacting like regular old folks, laughing, joking, getting psyched up for difficult stunts. Always something different. Of course, when the Circus is underway and the lights are down, and you are sitting back there on your little metal chair with the tigers suddenly looking at you like a large and succulent hamburger, it's not quite so cheerful

In recent years we have gone back to ushering, apparently due to liability concerns.

PS - In a previous post, the Von Erichs of wrestling fame were mentioned. Few people today remember that Kerry Von Erich, real name Kerry Adkisson as I recall, was one of the best discus throwers in the USA and would have been a probable winner at the 1980 Summer Olympics had it not been for the boycott. The Von Erichs went to school at Lake Dallas, and as luck would have it our schools competed in a few track meets and I had the privilege of seeing him throw and of seeing his father and family. Fritz was a remarkably tough-looking guy in real life, but one of the best discus coaches around. When Kerry threw, his Dad was there helping him and critiquing his form. "Threw" is a misnomer - "rocket launched" is more accurate. He was a tremendous athlete. It's a shame that his family has been so wracked by the pain of early and tragic deaths.

PPS - Out of all the performances and rodeos I've seen at the Coliseum, the one that still cracks me up is the memory of the trained monkey in cowboy duds who rode the dog around the arena - absolutely classic.

PPPS - Many of you have mentioned the guilty pleasure of wrasslin' and the legendary activity at Northside Coliseum. But what about the ROLLER DERBY? Now that's entertainment! Wrasslin', roller derby, donkey basketball... good times!

[sonny 2]

Will Rogers' Coliseum is a fascinating place. I am a Shriner and have been privileged to work at the circus there for a good many years. The architecture of the place is fascinating, and it was an engineering marvel when it was originally built. Every time I'm there I find another detail I haven't noticed before - the art deco decorations, the truss structures, etc.

I have never been up in the tower, you can only get to a couple of floors up with the elevator that's just off the lobby. During the circus, there are several rooms up there on the 2nd floor that are occupied by different Shriner groups. If you are in the stands, and look toward the north end of the arena you will see an area up above the stands with glass windows. That's where the various hospitality rooms are set up. People who work the circus for their different groups (doing things like ushering, manning concession booths etc) can go up to the rooms and they have food and snacks, a place to change clothes, etc.

If you get in the stands and climb the stairs in any of the sections, you will notice that near the top there is a wider space between one row of seats. This makes a complete circuit around the arena, and those of us who work as ushers can walk around and keep an eye on stuff without being in the way. That's also where the ladders drop for access to the spotlight mezzanines.

When you are in the main aisle outside the arena, before you walk up the stairs to get to your section notice that there are small doors in the walls. The areas between the stairs are actually small storage rooms, and several of them are also used as hospitality rooms by Shriner groups.

Putting on the Circus is a huge job, and there is one specific group known as the Directors who manage the efforts and keep everything on track. Most of the other groups do ushering or sales. The Clown unit actually performs in the Circus, as do the motorized groups (motorcycles, Corvette go-carts, etc) and the Mounties (horse riding unit).

The group I belong to had an interesting task for several years - guarding the tigers. As it turns out, people really ARE stupid enough to walk up to the tiger's cage and try to pet the "nice kitty". I learned the hard way that a tiger can spray the same way as a house cat, but to much greater distances and with excellent accuracy. I have also seen one of those big cats come unglued in its tiny little cage, whirling around in a ball of teeth and claws in response to a trainer's poke, so fast that the eye couldn't follow its motion. They are amazing beasts.

When you are at the Circus, you will doubtless notice the animals coming out for the parade from the entryway at the end of the arena. That portion of the structure is basically a large barn packed with stalls and small arenas. Before the Circus begins, the performers are readying their animals and it is a delightful scene of organized chaos with all the glitter, sound, and pageantry you see in the arena, but with the performers interacting like regular old folks, laughing, joking, getting psyched up for difficult stunts. Always something different. Of course, when the Circus is underway and the lights are down, and you are sitting back there on your little metal chair with the tigers suddenly looking at you like a large and succulent hamburger, it's not quite so cheerful

In recent years we have gone back to ushering, apparently due to liability concerns.

PS - In a previous post, the Von Erichs of wrestling fame were mentioned. Few people today remember that Kerry Von Erich, real name Kerry Adkisson as I recall, was one of the best discus throwers in the USA and would have been a probable winner at the 1980 Summer Olympics had it not been for the boycott. The Von Erichs went to school at Lake Dallas, and as luck would have it our schools competed in a few track meets and I had the privilege of seeing him throw and of seeing his father and family. Fritz was a remarkably tough-looking guy in real life, but one of the best discus coaches around. When Kerry threw, his Dad was there helping him and critiquing his form. "Threw" is a misnomer - "rocket launched" is more accurate. He was a tremendous athlete. It's a shame that his family has been so wracked by the pain of early and tragic deaths.

PPS - Out of all the performances and rodeos I've seen at the Coliseum, the one that still cracks me up is the memory of the trained monkey in cowboy duds who rode the dog around the arena - absolutely classic.

PPPS - Many of you have mentioned the guilty pleasure of wrasslin' and the legendary activity at Northside Coliseum. But what about the ROLLER DERBY? Now that's entertainment! Wrasslin', roller derby, donkey basketball... good times!

Wow, how many times I have been to Will Rogers; Many Saturdays learning to ice-skate, many rodeo's during the 'Fat Stock Show', Many Shrine Circuses, Boy Scout 'Rodeos', Golden Gloves, concerts in the auditorium, and, oh yes, the Cassius Clay-Floyd Patterson fight in about '61 or '62 on giant screen. We bought our tickets (expensive) found our seats, and before we could sit down, the fight was over. Ali (Clay) came right out of his corner and knocked Patterson out cold. We did not even get to sit down. Many patrons lined up to get their money back, but I don't think that happened. Arthur Rubenstein in the auditorium in about '62......But best of ALL.....The first rock and roll reviews in '55 or '56! Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, The Coasters, The Penguins, The Crows, Carl Perkins, The Platters, and many more than I can remember...all on the same venue! Man, the joint was jumpin'. Absolute chaos...the stage was at the west end of the arena and no one stayed in their seats. Everyone was down on the floor around the bandstand. Never, ever forget that. Promoters learned their lesson....smaller venues....tickeded seats in the auditorium...but everyone still boogied in the aisles.

[lcbrownz]

My parents took my brothers and I to the Shine Circus at Will Rogers on the night Lee Harvey Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby. There was a newpaper boy, just outside the coliseum, selling the "extra" edition of the Fort Star-Telegram. That was the only time I have ever been inside of it.

It has been decades since I've been inside Will Rogers and I've completely lost track of what the place is now used for.

That huge tower right next to it... What was the purpose of it? I've sometimes heard it described as "The World's Tallest Bird House" because there's enough bird cr*p in it to burn down a zoo. Is there anything in it?

As a kid in the '70s it was an annual pilgrimage for me and my family to go to the Shrine Circus held there, usually early November. They sold cotton candy, peanuts and other refreshments. I looked up with awe at how tall the ceiling was. Always technically minded, even at that young age, I couldn't help divert my attention away from the circus and examine instead the spotlights being operated manually up in the rafters. My dad still tells the story of when we all went to the Shrine Circus when I was still a toddler sucking a pacifier; during one particular part of the program (it may have been a lion tamer), one of the performers fired a shot from a pistol and the sudden noise made me spit out my pacifier and Dad says it bounced off the head of the stranger sitting in the next row beneath us! One year I went to the Shrine Circus twice; once with my family, and again with the family of one of my childhood friends... I knew when to cover my ears during the second show! They always opened the circus with some local Shriners wearing those fezzes and doing some sort of "Owaatagoosiam" chant. I recall motorcyclists riding inside a wire sphere; human cannonballs; elephant parades (complete with Tail-End Charlie walking behind with a shovel); and the "Living Statues," acrobats wearing silver tights and silver paint all over themselves and moved slower than sloths on downers in January (which really impressed me... just try holding the same position for only three minutes!).

I've never been an ice-skater. Once in elementary school we took a field trip down to the ice rink. We rented skates and I spent about an hour glued to the handrail! I remember hearing about the Fort Worth Texans... weren't they a minor-league hockey team? When did they start and when did they disappear? Did they merge into another team or just go out of business? Never went to any of their games.

What memories does everyone else have?

[Owen]

I've been inside both the coliseum (for circuses, the Rodeo, and an ice-hockey game) amd tje auditorium (Dallas & Fort Worth Symphonies and my own high-school graduation).

[Willy1]

"In the red corner, ..."

I'd say the WRC was one of the buildings that sparked my interest in architecture. My step-dad was a boxing fan and if it was Golden Gloves night on a weekend I was at Mom's house, we were there. Over time I found the building more interesting than what was going on inside, so I would wander around th coliseum checking the place out.

I also remember that when the heavyweight fight started, it was time to head back to my seat so Mom wouldn't have to search for me when it was time to go. And if the Air Force's mighty Nick Wells was fighting, I needed to hurry because the ending might come quickly. That's the only name that has stuck with me all these years; his were the fights I usually tried to catch.

I never missed the Golden Gloves because my big brother was one of the more well known boxers in FW. I grew up going to GG's and hungout with my brother and all his boxing buds in the late 70's and early 80s... Donald Curry was my brother's biggest competition. They were best friends out of the ring and moral enemies in the ring. Golden Gloves boxing is one of my greatest childhood memories. It seems like I was always at WR... Golden Gloves, The Shrine Circus, and of course the Rodeo and Stock Show. You couldn't live on the West side without attending at least one of these annual events. Great, Great Memories!

[bailey]

Will Rogers is a part of the Fort Worth lore. If you've never been in it, you should see it because I've never seen another building quite like it. There is just something about that roof that always fascinated me.

I've been to 100's of events in both the Colliseum and Auditorium. I've seen everything from hockey games to opera to Lawrence Welk. Of all the events the one that stands out is a packed colliseum on a Saturday night for a hockey battle between the Fort Worth Wings and Dallas Black Hawks back in the late 60's. That place absolutely rocked and with Bob Lemieux, coach of Fort Worth, and Bobby Krum, coach of Dallas igniting the crowd, there was nothing like it. The noise that 7000 people could make was scary. I can still hear the fans chanting "Go Wings Go, Go Wings Go, Up the Ice, In the Net, Go Wings Go. There were some great players that later played in the NHL in those games. Those Saturday nights will never be forgotten.

[Cowtown Mike]

I agree that WRMC has much history. I have attended high school graduations, played ice hockey with the Playboy Bunnies when Texas Wings had a chairty event, saw Rock band Steppenwolf with Jon Kay in 1969, the circus, the rodeo, gun show, art show, little of everything.

[cincyvid]

Never saw a concert in Will Rogers, but I used to love the rodeos, because one of te Saturday Morning Western TV stars would make an appearance every year. I do remember Gail Davis, who starred in Annie Oakley, and actually could do some trick shots. We'd go to the circus every year too (and never miss a circus parade downtown) I used to want one of those red fezs. But one performance, they showcased the Flying Wallendas, and I remember seeing them do their famous pyramid on the high wire.

I screamed myself hoarse at the Wings' games. And I may still have some team autographs somewhere. Never caught a puck, though, so I am envious for that.

Great thread!

[bailey]

Never saw a concert in Will Rogers, but I used to love the rodeos, because one of te Saturday Morning Western TV stars would make an appearance every year. I do remember Gail Davis, who starred in Annie Oakley, and actually could do some trick shots. We'd go to the circus every year too (and never miss a circus parade downtown) I used to want one of those red fezs. But one performance, they showcased the Flying Wallendas, and I remember seeing them do their famous pyramid on the high wire.

I screamed myself hoarse at the Wings' games. And I may still have some team autographs somewhere. Never caught a puck, though, so I am envious for that.

Great thread!

I am the proud owner of 2 Fort Worth Wings pucks, 1 Fort Worth Texans puck, and a broken hockey stick courtesy of Rick McCann. I actually caught the pucks sitting in the ice side seats or should I say they caught me.

[rollerdude]

I had one Ft. Worth Wings puck, though it was not one that had been in play. It was a free giveaway. It was also the only hockey game I had ever seen live and though I had never been a fan of the sport (football, baseball, and basketball were my games), I really enjoyed the game and became aware of what is lost in the experience when a game is televised. I also remember that a friend of my friend's older brother was one of three fans selected to go down onto the ice and attempt to win a sizeable cash prize by making a very difficult shot. As I remember it, he had to slap the puck through a slot in the lower part of a plastic, or perhaps wooden placard that was mounted at the front of the net. There was a small slot for the larger cash prize and a larger slot which would have yielded a smaller cash prize had he successfully gotten the puck through it. He went for the larger slot, figuring it was his best chance, and came very close-- but missed. Oh well, horseshoes and hand grenades!

I also remember going to the Shriners' Circus with my friend David Fuller who was the nephew of a famous Ft. Worth native who I don't believe has received recognition on this site, or perhaps I've just missed it. That gentleman's name is Jerry Fuller who wrote a number of hit songs in the '60s and '70s in addition to producing records for many other well known musicians, but I digress. The attraction I remember best about the circus were the motorcyclists in the spherical cage. That was both fascinating and terrifying to me, even more so than the trapeze act.

I never went to the Coliseum for wrestling, but in the mid '70s, I watched every Saturday night on Channel 11, or at least I believe it was Channel 11. It was one of my guilty pleasures. I claimed to watch for the humor value and that I knew it was fake, but in reality I watched and imagined it was real. The night that Rocky Johnson won over the Mongolian Stomper, the man that everyone loved to hate, my mother walked into the living room and caught me jumping for joy over the Soul Man's victory. It hadn't been a victory won in the way that I'd hoped to see it, but it was a victory nonetheless. The Stomper never seemed to lose. How could you really hate him if he did? Of course, this was Fritz Von Erich country. What wrestling fan of this era in this region could forget the many battles between the master of the "Iron Claw" and Terry Funk? Other wrestlers I recall are Dory Funk, Chief Peter Maivia, "Flying" Red Bastein, Jerry "Bruiser" Blackwell, "Bad Man" Stan Hansen, Rick Martel, and Number One (Paul Vachon in a mask). I'm sure there were many more I would remember if my memory were jogged, but those are the ones that come immediately to mind.

Lastly, I never knew what the tower was for either, but always liked it. Thankfully, it still stands today as a fine example of the grand decorative nature of Art Deco in Ft. Worth.

[Giraffe]

Well, folks, I finally completed a pilgrimage to Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum this afternoon. Today marked the beginning of the first annual Cowtown Celtic Festival, and it was held both outdoors in front of the complex, as well as inside both the coliseum and the auditorium. They had at least four different stages set up for musicians on the premises, and dozens of vendors. The weather was perfect and I had a great time.

Stepping inside the building was a journey back in time for me. I hadn't been inside Will Rogers in well over 20 years, and while the place is still in good shape, I was surprised by how little things had changed. The coliseum looks pretty much as it did when I watched the Shrine Circus in the 1970s. The catwalks and spotlights are still there. The seats look about the same. So do the stairs and handrails.

I feel embarrassed to confess that I had not remembered the auditorium in Will Rogers; but I think I recalled bits and pieces of hazy childhood memories coming back to me when I saw it this afternoon. I may have been in there for some sort of elementary school field trip long ago.

I can now appreciate the beauty of the place, because I am an adult. As a child I couldn't appreciate the art-deco architecture (which is quite impressive, even today) or the history of the place. (Heck, I didn't even know who Will Rogers was when I was a kid.) Inside the entrance beneath the huge tower are four large plaques on the walls, showing quotes from who appear to be governors of Texas from the past. Inside that foyer is a bust of Will Rogers, which was put up in the 1940s, and I think it must be considered good luck for passers-by to rub the nose because it is much more worn than any other part of that sculpture.

I look forward to visiting the complex again in the future. It's beautiful.