Interior and exterior drawings of the dance pavilion at Ringing Rocks Park
By Beth Scherer
of the Lower Pottsgrove Historical Society,
for The Sanatoga Post
POTTSTOWN PA – The 12th season of ABC-TV’s “Dancing With The Stars” premiered its performances Monday (March 21, 2011), with what promoters called “opinionated judges, talented pro dancers, adventurous celebs, gobs of glitter, and oodles of spray tans.” And while there’s little doubt the hugely popular reality show has brought ballroom dancing back into the spotlight, it’s worth remembering where some of that glitz originated.
Right here, in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township.
Lower Pottsgrove also was a hugely popular place to kick up your heels. Most area residents are familiar with Sanatoga’s nationally known Sunnybrook Ballroom, where big bands and orchestras played every weekend during years gone by for the dancing pleasure and enjoyment of crowds from all over. However, Sunnybrook wasn’t the only dance hall in town.
Both Ringing Rocks Park and Sanatoga Park each provided dance halls for many to strut their stuff, so one can only imagine the night life of Lower Pottsgrove back in the early 1900s!
Records dating back to 1896 show there was a dancing pavilion in Ringing Rocks Park, at White Pine and Oak lanes. It was of Queen Anne-style architecture; had a great, beautiful balcony, and was in the shape of a Maltese cross. It made for one of the most attractive spots in Montgomery County. It now serves as the Ringing Rocks Roller Rink.
The auditorium at Sanatoga Park
Sanatoga Park on South Sanatoga Road also had a large dance hall and pavilion. There were dances every Saturday night during the summer, attracting as many as 1,000 people to gather and twirl their way around the dance floor. A quartet played for dancing nightly, and Saturday afternoons too, during summer months.
The dance pavilion was the last remaining building on the Sanatoga Park grounds after all other buildings there had been torn down. Like Ringing Rocks, it was turned into a roller rink in the later years and unfortunately was destroyed by fire in 1940.
Related:
Editor’s note: The Lower Pottsgrove Historical Society was formed in 1985 to share the heritage of Lower Pottsgrove Township with its residents. It meets on the second Wednesday of every month at its museum and offices in the former Sanatoga Chapel, 2341 E. High St., Sanatoga PA. The society’s monthly open house is scheduled to be held Sunday (March 27) from 1-4 p.m. at the chapel, and is open to the public. Author and society member Beth Scherer writes about Lower Pottsgrove history monthly for The Post.
Photos from Carol Isett of the historical society
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[...] Stars Danced In Lower Pottsgrove Long Before TV Show Sure, “Dancing With The Stars” newest cast includes actors, athletes, talk show hosts, and The Karate Kid. But it lacks the best venues: the former dance palaces (not just one, but three!) of Lower Pottsgrove. [...]