Government Overreach No Stranger to Waterville ---The Swing Bowl Story
Mary Black and Opel Witte
Even well-intended laws are sometimes misconstrued or narrowly interpreted by overzealous government officials. Such was the case in Waterville May of 1944 and led one young Waterville man to write a letter to the President of the United States. As noted in the article below, the Witte Hardware Store was unable to obtain many hardware items during W.W. II so they converted half of their floor space to a soda and lunch counter, catering especially to teen-age kids. They installed a juke box so the kids would have music to dance to. They called their establishment “The Swing Bowl” and it was a very popular hang-out for the young crowd as well as an uptown lunch counter for Watervillians, known for soup, sandwiches and of course pie.
Wars are very expensive so in 1944 the government passed a 30% cabaret tax. This was supposed to be a “sin tax” on establishments where drinking, partying and dancing were done. April 1st of 1944, however, the local tax officials ruled that the Witte’s Swing Bowl was a “cabaret” and must charge the extra 30% tax even though no alcohol was ever served. The Wittes had to shut down their jukebox and put up a “no dancing” sign if they were continue in business. The kids were disappointed and angry of course which prompted one young man, sixteen year old Louis Augustine, a Waterville High School student, to write a letter of complaint to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He pointed out that the “Swing Bowl was the village’s main source of entertainment for teens on nights that are as dull as only nights in a small town can be. Nothing in our record indicates that the letter did anything to resolve the issue. Mr. and Mrs. Witte decided to close the “cabaret” that they had run for four years already later that summer. The issue apparently was eventually resolved because Harry Witte sold the Swing Bowl and the hardware business in 1945 and this popular teen hangout continued in business for another four or five years. Some of our readers undoubtedly have some fond memories of this establishment.
For those that don’t remember the Swing Bowl, here is a little history of the place: Harry and Opel Witte owned the Waterville Hardware and Supply Company at 30 North Third Street for about 40 years. It was a large two-story building built in 1880 that burned down in 1955. The main floor was a large open room. During World War II the heavy implements the Wittes had sold there were converted to the war effort and unavailable. Opel had an idea to put in a partition and have a place to sell ice cream and have music that kids could dance to. "Swing" was the type of dance popular at the time so Opel named it the "Swing Bowl." In a 1987 interview she said, "It was like a little hangout for kids and it was fun for them. Friday nights and Saturday nights it was crowded." It became popular with all ages because hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, homemade noodle soup and pies were also offered. Note the signs in the photo advertising sundaes for 15 cents and sodas for 12 cents!