Von's "Symphony On Ice" at Midway Mall – June 1972

Back when Midway Mall was still fairly new and the place to shop, there was always something going on to attract visitors from Lorain and Elyria. 

Besides seasonal appearances by Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, there were sportsman shows, boat shows and camping shows; a traveling petting zoo; visits from celebrities like Channel 8's Franz the Toymaker; Eva Gabor; Les Barker, the "Creator" of Bugs Bunny; Lipko's Human Comedy Chimps; Snoopy and the Red Baron. 

Then there were the ice shows. I wrote about Leduc's Frosty Follies back here.

And here's another one: Von's "Symphony on Ice," starring Georg von Birgelen. This is the ad that ran in the Journal back on June 1, 1972. Note that von Birgelen is called "The Giant Of The Ice" – that's not only because of his talent; he was known for skating in two foot stilt skates!

At the time of Birgelen's passing in 1990, the Baltimore Sun noted, "Born and educated in Switzerland, Mr. von Birgelen won European championships in skating on stilts and jumping.

"Until 1984, he and his wife, the former Eileen Meade, produced their own ice show, "Symphony on Ice."

A very interesting blog entitled Skate Guard, which features 'the ultimate archive of figure skating's fascinating and fabulous history, includes a great, detailed biography of Mr. Birgelen.  Click here to visit the post devoted to him; it's the only place on the internet where you can learn about his life and career.

Courtesy skateguard1.blogspot.com