The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1938-11-23
ICE CLUB OPENS
WITH 500 GUESTS
IN ATTENDANCE
BY Lillian RIXEY

MUTE GIldl oUU guests, among
them the socialite members of
Washington'S newly formed Ice
Club, were to gather late this
afternoon for a gala preview of
the Chevy Chase Ice Palace on
Connecticut Avenue, which will be
opened to the public this evening
at $50 O'Clock.
On hand to cut figure on ice
at Washington's first indoor rink
will be Mr.. James Clement Dunn,
of the State Department, chair.
man Of the Ice Club, and Mrs.
Dunn; Mrs. Donald Hiss, secre-
tary Of the club, and her husband,
the assistant solicitor of the La
Dor Department; Mr.. John Bor-
ton, treasurer. and Mrs. Borton:
and most of the organizers of the
group: Mr.. and Mrs. Edward B.
Burking, jr. Mr.. and Mrs. William
Mckee Dunn, Mr.. and Mrs. Lu.
ciuS Wilmerding, Mr.. and Mrs. l..
Corrin Strong, Mr.. and Mrs. Rich.
ard Sanger and Mr.. and Mrs.
Arthur Clephane.
NOTED AMATEURS
Fanciest skaters of the lot are
Mr.. and Mrs. John Borton and
Mr.. Clephane. In addition to the
local enthusiasts who will skim
gracefully over the two-inch layer
OF natural ice, amateur figure
skaters from Baltimore, Boston,
New York and Philadelphia have
been invited to help the District
celebrate its indoor rink opening.
Miss Marcia Zieget, of Phila-
delphia, national novice champion
winter before last, is making a
special trip down for the occasion:
also Mrs. Daniel Secord, Mrs. L.
B. Sanderson and Mr.. Roland Jen-
sen of the New York Skating Club.
Mrs. Sanderson and Mr.. Jensen
formerly held the national pair
figure skating championship for
amateurs.
LOCAL STAR
Few will be able to top the
amateur performance, however,
given this afternoon by one of
Washington's own figure skaters
Miss Dorothy Smell of Mont
gomery,Blair High School. Only
l6 years old, pretty blonde Miss
Smell has made name for herself
in United States figure skating
competition. This year she was
runner-up in the national junior
championship and in 1897, run
ner-up in the national novice
class.
Miss Smell has been asked to
join the exclusive Ice Club, whose
membership is limited to $50
skaters, in all about 100 couples
and SO extras"
The Ice Club plans to take over
the Ice Palace Sunday mornings
from 8 a. m. to l p. m. and Wednes
days from 2::30 to 8 p. m. They
also hope to get in an evening
week If the management decides it
would be polite to break into its
regular open-to-the-public eve
ming sessions, a move which it is
loathe to make.
SKATING PRO
The Ice Palace will thus be open
to the general public every morn
ing, except Sunday, from 10 a. m.
to 1890 p. m; every afternoon,
except Wednesday, from 2::30 to
5 p. M; and every night from
$3.50 to II p. m. Between sessions,
the rink will be re-iced and
scraped. Attendants ride up and
down the hall in an old Ward
Bakery truck. electrically driven
Vintage, 1929, with a plane in
tow, to keep the ice at an even
Pinch level. To keep the surface
firm chilled brine is pumped
through the seven miles of sub
ice piping imbedded in the sand
foundation.
AS yet the Ice Palace has no
skating pro, but the management
is negotiating with oldtime figure
skater, Norval Baptie, who is now
at the Trocadero in Hollywood and
recently performed at the Hotel
New Yorker supper club in Man
haitian. He is one of the best in
structors in the country. If and
when Norval Baptie comes to
town, Washington ice-Skating en-
thusiaSts will learn in no time at
all how to skate on the inside and
outside edges of their blades with
out breaking their necks.