This photo of the Cotton Bowl Roller Rink was taken either by my father or my mother. The indentities of the people standing in front are unknown to me.

The Cotton Bowl Roller Rink was built to replace the Fair Park Roller Skating Rink, which was destroyed when the Autombile Building (in which it was housed) burned down on Tuesday, February 10, 1942 (DMN, February 10, 1942). Owned and operated by Samuel Bert, it was first opened for business at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 1, 1942 (DMN, August 1, 1942). Of all the places in Fair Park, both those that are gone and those that are still there, this one is especially near and dear to my heart because this venue is where my mother, who lived in South Dallas, and my father, who lived in East Dallas, often went to enjoy themselves when they were dating in 1948. This photo of my mother (below) shows the location of the rink, to her left (viewer's right). Below her is a photo of my father, taken on the Esplanade at Fair Park, with his roller skates beside him. These advertisements are from 1947 and 1948. The rink was torn down in 1974 to make way for three new Midway rides (DMN, July 23, 1974).