Capital Region Living intern Bevin Dean met her boyfriend at Skidmore. But had she been born in, say, 1933 instead of 2003, Skidmore would have been an all-girls school, and she would’ve had to go further afield in search of love. Back then, there’s a pretty good chance she would’ve wound up at Guptill’s.
Opened on Valentine’s Day 1951, Guptill’s Roller Skating Arena in Cohoes has been a Capital Region institution for 75 years, not just for its Guinness Book of World Records–sized skating rink, but for its arcade, ice cream stand, and outsized role in setting up dozens—hundreds?—of Capital Region couples. (C’mon—what’s more romantic than meeting under the disco ball on roller skates?) So, ahead of Guptill’s diamond anniversary, we sent Bevin to chat with 84-year-old Skip Guptill, who was there when his father, Charles, opened the rink on V-Day 1951. His son, Wes, joined in on the conversation, too.
Read the interview on CRL IRL.
