Comments from the
Ottawa Weekend
Over the weekend, we all had a blast sharing
stories, photos and memorabilia from the show! Everyone had
something special to contribute to this intimate gathering. It's
amazing how we all have a "good story" revolving around "Uncle
Bobby" (Turk)! What great memories. Our "Welcome Party" photos
and a story about the reunion was in the OTTAWA CITIZEN and was
mentioned on local T.V. news shows.
We were also honoured to have the son and grandson of PETER
TYRELL, one of the "Founding Fathers" of ICE CAPADES here in
Ottawa! Mr. Tyrell was an arena owner in Philadelphia and helped
create the original edition of ICE CAPADES which debuted in New
Orleans in 1940! He was a director of the show, until it was
sold to Metromedia in 1963 for $5 million. Peter Jr. brought a
huge silver engraved cup, commemorating the 25th Anniversary of
the show, to share with us, along with the original cast photo
from 1940! Wow, what an amazing start to a spectacular evolution
of this extravaganza on ice! Many of us also brought our cast
photos from our years in the show, reminding us all how lucky we
were to part of this company.
We wish you could have all been with us, here in Canada's
Capital for WINTERLUDE, to enjoy this unique experience.
Comments from the
Weekend
Just wanted
to tell you what a great job you did with the reunion. It was
way more fun than the others. It was the best being in Atlantic
City again, and really nice having a smaller group. All of your
hard work really showed. Again, thanks so much for your
efforts. It was great seeing you. Lauri (Goldsmith) Tepper
Forgive me for the mass e-mail but I wanted to get this off to
as many of you as possible, quickly. Roy and I had a WONDERFUL
time at the reunion. Thank you all for such fond memories. I was
very touched by your kindness and enthusiasm at seeing me.
Since this was my first
reunion with all of you in 35 years, I was taken back by the
"love and admiration" we all had for one another.
I also would like to
thank you all for your kindness towards Roy. You have no idea
how much it meant to me.
Write and keep in touch
when you get the time. You don't have to keep reading me out for
staying away so long...God knows you all gave me plenty of that
while we were there. I promise to do better in the future. My
love and best wishes to all of you.
Can't thank you enough
for making this all possible. And my thanks to Henry and Pinky
as well. Yes the whole event was magical for me. You are
absolutely right about our tour of "Convention Hall". We ARE
part of the history of that great landmark. I can remember back
then being so proud to be a part of the "tradition" of Ice
Capades all summer long.
Seeing old friends after
35 years certainly brought that "warm, fuzzy" feeling back to my
heart. Memories to share with others and new ones brought back
into focus. What a treat.
Hope to hear from you
soon... Thanks again. Roy and I both, had a great time. Ron(nie)
Burns P.S. don lowry...get a computer!!!
I'm safe
in saying that everyone had great admiration and appreciation
for your imagination and endurance to help all of us relive a
fantastic piece of our beautiful past. There aren't enough words
to express what you created for us.
A most humble thank you my dear. You actually recreated some
history for all of us. I LOVED IT!!!. I'll buy, steal whatever
to have all of the memory's from those 2 beautiful days.
While I
am completely exhausted, I still have the memories of those 2
days in my mind and the love we have for each other still
lingers in my heart. How blessed we are to be able to hold those
friends in our hearts for all of these years and still when
happening upon each other it becomes yesterday...
I hope you realize that the three of you were able to accomplish
this for all of us.
My
eternal thanks. Love, Bob (Turk)
My
name is Deborah Sooy, I am writing on behalf of my mother
Geraldine McCarthy Sooy. She read the article in the Atlantic
City Press this morning and had to call me because she had no
idea there was a reunion here in town. Please keep my mother's
name for any future lists. My mother was in the show in the
late 40's. She was in the show with her two sisters, Nona and
Lynette McCarthy. Her father was Red McCarthy who was in the
show in the early years of Ice Capades. My uncle, Michael
McCarthy was in the show in the 60's. My aunt Nona, and my
mother are all that is left of the family. Please any
information for any future reunions can be emailed to me. My
mother is living in Brigantine, and my Aunt Nona is living in
Orange County, Ca.
Thank you from my mother for not forgetting the lovely people
that so enjoyed performing for everyone in the show.
thank you, Deborah Sooy [bearysweet33@msn.com]
Good Morning Gloria
.......feel like the wind has been taken out of my sails today
,,,the blues have come to get me ..........
Gloria ,,,I for one
..enjoyed this special mini reunion .....which turned out to be
the One with a lot of Heart ........I actually feel sorry for
those who missed it ,,,,,,This one really was the one to touch
your soul ..................thank you so very much
.................we did have a ball didn't we............ ,,,did
not want to get up this morning ,,,and now I know why ,,,,,I
feel so let down ......wish we were all back in A.C. together
....
Love ya ,,,Henry (Seguin)
Thank
you so much for all your hard work
but you are right about something happening at Convention Hall -
I will always try my hardest to keep it touch with everyone
forever. We did share lives and my love goes out to everyone.
Take care and I shall see you soon! Love Liz (Taylor)
XO
THANKS AGAIN FOR
ALL YOUR HARD WORK. IT WAS A SUCCESS AND A WONDERFUL TIME. THE
MEMORIES ALL CAME RUSHING BACK. TWO OF MY FRIENDS I HAD NOT
SEEN IN 26 YEARS. WE PICKED UP OUR FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE FOR EACH
OTHER LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY...THAT IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE
WAY AND SPIRIT OF THE ICE CAPADES FAMILY !
Janina D’Abate
Although I did not
perform at Convention Hall, I spent every summer of my childhood
at Ice Capades rehearsals, shows, cast parties and the Church.
I learned the choreography, memorized the music and fantasized
about wearing the magnificent costumes. When I was old enough,
I got a job as an usher so that I could be at the show every
night. And always, I dreamed about being one of the beautiful
people gliding so gracefully and bringing so much joy to the
audience.
Walking into
Convention Hall with the reunion attendees brought back my
childhood memories and I could remember every detail of the way
it looked and felt when The Show was in town. Even the smell of
Convention Hall and the underground parking garage brought back
memories of my youth and Ice Capades. (As you may know, I
finally realized my fantasy and had the honor of being an Ice
Capette for 3 tours, albeit not in time to be able to perform in
my hometown of Atlantic City.)
For me, the reunion
was magical. Although few of my contemporaries were in
attendance, others, the skates of whom I daydreamed about
filling some day, were there to share their stories and
experiences. When I signed up to attend the reunion I believed
that I would be attending to “catch up” and reminisce with the
Ice Capades family that existed during my tenure, but I received
a much greater gift—I became part of a larger Ice Capades family
that began in the 1940s and lives on today. It was not just a
reunion—it was a union.
To my new family, I
will forever cherish your memories as well as my own. And may I
point out from my eavesdropping on conversations; not much
really changed between the 1940s and the 1990s. Rehearsals,
costume drama, travel days, weigh-ins, pranks, complaints,
laughter, tears, friendships and love and loss thereof, it seems
to me that no matter when you toured or what position you held,
although the details may vary we all experienced the same. Ice
Capades. – Nanette (Horner)
Hearing
from so many people since I've returned...it comes with the
knowledge that everyone had such a wonderful time, Glo !
You did an
amazing job - certainly a time I will never forget.
May the
next 4 years pass by swiftly and safely for everyone.
Thanks
again for all you did !
I think of
you so often - and my thoughts are filled with smiling faces and a wealth
of love from people who mean so much to each other.
It was
incredible - Love, Steve (Williams)
I can't begin to tell you how
overwhelmed I was with the turn out. And oh my God it was so
nice to see everyone who was there again. Even talking to Randa,
George Foster and Auntie Emm (Dan Eastburn, oops sorry Eastman!)
on the phone was a high point....
Glenda, Faye and Louise and everyone
else who didn't come for one reason or another sure missed the
best damn reunion ever. I even enjoyed the history lesson I
received from David Sadleir about the Arab people and the war
and was sorry we were interrupted for picture taking. (I'm
serious, I did enjoy it!!, he was always interesting to talk to
and nothing has changed there!!) Seeing Ronnie Burns again after
all those years was wonderful too, it just melted my heart to
see how wonderfully happy he looks....Isn't it funny how after
all the years everyone pretty much just goes on from where they
left off, like there was no time interruption between visits.
I had a fabulous time, (am I repeating
myself?) my heart is welling, seeing everyone again after all
these years of putting the past behind me sure gave a lift to my
spirits. From meeting the gals who skated in the 40's & 50's,
the tour of Convention Hall, the talk, the laughter, to just
plan seeing Turk and his contagious smile and laughter, I have
no words to explain what I felt, maybe warm all over would do
it. For me talking to Pete Tyrell Jr. was a highlight too, we
talked about all the old timers who use to skate at the Arena,
and had lots of laughs. What a wealth of information he is....He
should write a book!! Maybe call it "Rink Rat" haha!
I thank you from the bottom of my heart
for all your hard, hard work, you deserve every pat on the back
you got and then some.....The web page is a thing of beauty.
Everything was fabulous and I love you....ps: I stole the
"Welcome Ice Capades" sign on my way out the door.....I think I
was tipsy from washing my mouth out with wine!! I'm sure the
Atlantic City Cuba Libre Police are after me!!
And to those who didn't make it, well,
they just picked the wrong reunion to miss, to bad so
sad....their loss. It was the best time
EVER and I
don't think it can be topped, that is unless
YOU
do the next one!
Even though the tail lights have moved
away from the field it is a time that will be remembered always
as the BEST!! You should be very, very proud of yourself and
satisfied with all of it!! You are aren't you??
Pinky (Pat)
Forbes
When the idea came up to put a reunion together in Atlantic
City, Pinky came up with a new nickname for me – Kevin, as in
Costner as I told her that what we were going to do was to set a
date, find a hotel and keep our fingers crossed that ‘they would
come’, as in the movie, Field of Dreams. It took awhile, but
we finally started to see the headlights of the cars heading
into Atlantic City for our amazing but memorable weekend. I
can’t begin to explain how we felt and how we feel now that it’s
over. You had to be there. When we walked into Convention
Hall, we were a group of people who had worked together,
spanning from the 1940’s to the 1990’s who were seeing where we
had worked together years before, but when we left the building,
we realized that we had been a part of something bigger than the
Hall itself, our memories came flooding back and when we left,
we became a ‘family’ again and that’s how the rest of the
weekend went – great love and admiration for everyone who was
there. Taking a walk around the city, having a ‘to die for’
Cheesesteak Sub from the Whitehouse , or eating a still greasy
but delicious pizza from the Baltimore Grill, to seeing where we
lived on No. Florida Avenue with the Ford’s, brought back so
many memories of our time in AC. I am grateful for everyone
one who took the time out of their busy schedule to be with us.
With each reunion, no matter where we have it, we manage to
‘find’ a few more – Danielle, Ronnie, Janette – now added to our
list of ‘found’ and happily will certainly join us again. Thank
you from the bottom of my heart for making this happen. Until
the next one…..and there will always be a next one.
Love,
Gloria (Lor) Spoden
Gloria, I just wanted you to know
how much we appreciated all the up-dates, the returned e-mails,
and the endless hours you spent putting all the paper work
together. Thank you Pinky & Henry for making this
reunion fun. Gloria for all the past photos & the show music
as we entered your room to pick up our packets.
Atlantic City was the perfect place to host
a reunion like this. It was more than anyone could imagine,
especially the trip to Convention Hall (it will always be
Convention Hall). I will always use the parking garage at the
Hall just so I can tell who ever is with me that I know that
girl in the ceiling (Pinky). This was my first reunion
and definitely not my last. I so enjoyed meeting Henry &
Skip. (I’m so in Like with you two.) Turk, you were
so funny, can’t stop laughing at your stories. (I have more
Holiday On Ice/Ice Follies stories the next time I see you.)
David, what a great job of taking the pictures & maybe next
time we will have more time to talk about those other stories.
To all my old friends and new, you all look great and not a day
over 20. Ronnie & Roy, thanks for teaching me to be a
better Bitch yet still care. Can’t wait to get together.
Liz take care of your health. Danielle, get
e-mail. Nicole, I give you credit for holding out 13
years, you go girl. Pete, get married, enough with the
waiting. Lori, what a small world. Too bad we didn’t
figure out who we were sooner. Debbie, you’re still
funny. Can’t believe you stayed 18 years. Good for you. I
could go on but we may age by 1 year.
To all my new friends – family can’t wait
to see you. To all my new-old friends, like we never left. I
do need to mention the love of my life, STEVE, do I need
to say anything there. We were running around like old times,
finishing each others sentences, rooming together, I LOVE YOU.
Sandy, you are still as funny as
ever. I couldn’t wait to see you, now I can’t wait till we get
together again, we didn’t have enough time. Last thought, even
though Ice Capades does not physically exits, it’s still alive
in each and every one of us, it lives and breathes through us.
Write and don’t be strangers. I had the best time of my life.
Thank you for everything.
Love to all. Janette (Jane, Janet,
Janette Susanne, Jan Novak, Janette Lopez)
P.S The passport people did call and
wanted to know which name I would like to appear on my passport.
Dear Gloria, Pinky and Henry,
I wasn't sure at first if I wanted to go to Atlantic City for
an Ice Capades reunion. Part of me was curious to see the hotels
and casinos, but that was about it. It was the curious part of
me that made me decide to go. I will be forever grateful that I
made that decision.
First of all, Glo, Pinky and Henry, you did a wonderful job
in coordinating our reunion and it could not have gone smoother.
The Tropicana was a beautiful hotel and the service and
accommodations were great. I would go back there anytime.
Once I arrived in A.C., everyone I saw, whether we had seen each
other at previous reunions, or not at all, we all became silly,
crazy, teenagers once again, and our friendships seemed to start
where we last ended. What could be more comfortable than that???
When we all showed up at Convention Hall, even after being up
most of the night before, it was magical. I will always remember
us seeing the new, updated areas, but what will stand out in my
mind is walking out onto the stage, looking at where the ice
would have been, and the seats for the audience, there was a
"gasp" and a lot of silence from us (for once), it was like we
all went into shock and into our own memories. I know I got
chills throughout my body, and I wasn't alone. It was awesome,
and you had to be there to appreciate the magnitude of it. THEN,
when we went upstairs for lunch, overlooking the "ice area" and
audience, eating Whitehouse Subs, it was very quiet, like we
were all in a trance, deep in our own thoughts.
I never thought I would get so emotional, but I did, and I was
not alone.
It was also great to have time to visit with long, lost friends.
Because the group was smaller than in the past, we got to know
each other all over again, and in our present lives. It was very
special. I will treasure it forever.
To the people who did not attend, you missed a wonderful
weekend. To our 3 organizers, you cannot get enough credit for
this. I tip my hat to you all.
Love, Sandy Norwall Phillips
Hi Gloria,
Thank you for your kind words! We, too, had a wonderful time
with you and everyone else who took the time for an Atlantic
City visit. It was definitely one of more fun groups we've
welcomed into the Hall. It was so nice to read some of their
comments, too. This is group of folks who share a very dear
and cherished history. Please know we will always welcome
any of your Ice Capades alumni who may want to come for an
impromptu visit. It is our pleasure to reacquaint them with
their old, but beautifully renovated, home. And Atlantic
City, as you discovered, is better than ever! Please give
our regards to your gang.
Valarie McGonigal
Director of Marketing,
Atlantic City
Convention Center, Boardwalk Hall
2301 Boardwalk
Atlantic City,
NJ 08401
ph. 609-348-7072 fx. 609-348-7230
