Beyond the Banks: Thrills and spills

Some say the hardest part about roller skating is the floor. Henderson County once hosted several options for skating — and spilling.

Early rinks

Research revealed Hendersonville’s earliest roller rinks. A Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from 1908 identified a rink in a wooden structure behind the rock Ripley building at West Chestnut (First Avenue West) and Main Street. A 1912 map listed the same building as the “Colored Amusement Academy.”

Ads in the French Broad Hustler in 1917 lauded a “masquerade skating carnival” and a “roller-skating goat” at the Laurel Park Casino. Another ad for the same venue claimed, “a real live baby to be given away!” (A baby goat?)

Garren’s Roller Rink

In the early 1950s Edgar A. “Eck” (1906–1973) and Addie Lee Corn “Nanny” Garren (1914–2008) opened a rink off Drake Street near Stanwood Lane. The shed-style building served for decades but stands forsaken today. Some still remember its highly varnished wooden floor, an annoying partition, and meeting friends after school to rent skates.

The Garrens also offered a putt-putt golf course and supplied trampolines and pony rides on their property, and the rink furnished a venue for square dances and birthday parties.

Casualties

About Garren’s rink, Harriet Sterling shared, “I fell on my fanny there ... lots!” Lisa Beddingfield added, “That was where Dolan first fell for me. Fell and broke his arm, too.”

Diane Tesnear mused, “I kept the floor and walls clean as I ran into them all the time.”

Vicky Dillon said, “I mopped its floor … really couldn’t skate that well.” Donna Stover preferred hardwood to concrete. “The hardwood floors at Garren’s were easier on the bottom after a spill. I had more than my share of falling while learning to skate.”

Terrace Hill

Vernon R. (1921–2006) and Faye Edney (1930– ) owned and managed the Terrace Hill Roller Rink at 801 Locust St. Faye learned with clamp-on roller skates on her family’s concrete barn floor in Mills River.

As a youngster, Vernon enjoyed skating in Hendersonville High’s gym — his inspiration for building his own rink. He bought a lot off Locust Street and orchestrated construction of an arch-roofed building. Vernon supplied much of the labor, including the laying of the floor, according to his widow Faye.

“We became so popular, we soon added on to the building,” Faye said.

Terrace Hill sported a revolving, mirror-tiled ball in its ceiling, a concession stand and Coca-Cola machine. Faye shared, “We could buy recorded organ music, but the kids preferred the popular tunes of the time to accompany their skating.” Terrace Hill sponsored its own skating team, the Rollerettes.

Faye said her husband was surprised she could skate, let alone waltz and jitterbug on wheels, which she learned from skating pros who came up from Spartanburg. “I found it easier than it had been learning to ride a bike,” she said.

Ronnie Barnett shared, “Terrace Hill stood across from the Coca-Cola plant. Kissed many a floorboard there. I didn’t like Garren’s for two reasons: too far out for this ol’ boy who rode his thumb to town; secondly, that cockeyed, off-set partition that split the rink floor.”

Shirley Scott said, Terrace Hill was my favorite. Garren’s was sort of a rough place.”

Susan Neal shared, “I was a Terrace Hill girl. I had plenty of adventure back then but those boys skated way too fast!”

Others said they preferred Garren’s to Terrace Hill because Vernon Edney was strict about his patrons’ conduct.

Terrace Hill opened in 1955 and closed in 1973. Keefer Painting Co. and Wilkie Specialty Woodworks currently occupy the building.

Connelly Skating

Cathy Nichols remembered a rink on Pennsylvania Road in Mills River operated by Bill and Reba Connelly. “This was Connelly Skating on Powder Creek, next-door to the Connellys’ home,” Nichols said. “Reba and her children ran it. Kids came from all around to skate there. Think she bought the Big Top rink in Fletcher after they decided to sell it. Reba was active at Fanning Chapel Church. Her husband Bill worked at GE. They had eight or nine kids and adopted several more.

“Reba volunteered at Mills River School and attended all the school and church functions. Any child who didn’t have a ride home could always ask Mrs. Connelly and she would make space in her Volkswagen van. She also drove a school bus for Mills River School.”

Big Top Roller Skating

The Big Top rink stood near the site of present-day Blue Sky Café in Fletcher. James D. “Buck” Scarborough (1913–1986) owned it.

Marylin Thomas reported, “It reminded me of a tent revival. Beat nothing, I reckon.”

Teresa Holcombe remembered it as “a tent with a wooden floor. My older sisters and I skated there frequently. We always called it Buck’s Skating Rink.”

Cathy Ware shared, “I skated there in the late 1960s, early ‘70s. Had a small screened porch on one end. Quite the hangout!”

Phil Wilson worked as a guard for Scarborough in the summer of 1967. Wilson spent nights at the rink for security reasons and to jack up the tent in the event of heavy rains, to prevent the canvas from caving or splitting. “It was a high school kid’s dream job. I met some lifetime friends working there,” Wilson added.

Phillip Pedersen shared, “I will never forget skating there in the summers. My buddies and I thumbed rides or walked the tracks from Brickton. The Big Top stood behind Spook’s gas station. Saw more than a couple of people go over the waist-high fence that ran around the place.”

Marie McMinn added, “the man that ran that station was Harold Robinson but everybody called him Spooks. He wore thick glasses. Spooks sold cheap gas.

“In 1965, Revco was where Dollar General is now and Big Giant was the grocery store where GO Grocery is now. That was formerly Bi Lo after Big Giant, and the Big Top Roller Skating tent was on the Revco side. It was always dark and spooky back by the rink.”

Harold “Spooks” Robinson owned and operated an Interstate station owned by Colonial Oil Co.

Happy days

All who shared memories of the county’s early rinks agreed that the venues supplied popular spots for fun, despite the risk of injury.

Donna Bain referred to her experiences as busting her tail. Connie Kuykendall said, “after skating a few times and almost breaking my neck, I never put on skates again.”

Rebecca McCall broke her arm, as did Elaine Morrison. Gail Keller broke both wrists. Keller said of the experience, “It wasn’t funny at the time. Playing Crack the Whip, I was on the tail-end with sweaty hands. Got slung across the danged rink and Charles was coming home on leave from Viet Nam.”

Kerry Blythe remembers: “splinters in my rear!” Steve Gardner was bruised, but he wouldn’t say where.

Others fared better, including Wilma Stensland, who skated at Garren’s every Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. She remembered leaving with black-and-blue knees after learning to skate with her brothers Perry and Oscar Steadman. “Great memories,” she said.

Rene Stepp frequently skated at Garren’s. “I wasn’t the best skater, she said, “so I usually played outside on the putt-putt course. But it was always great fun.”

End of an era

Hendersonville’s most recent rink, at 1705 Spartanburg Hwy., opened in 1978 and closed in 2018. Over the years, the venue sported several names, including Family Fun Center, Banks Recreation Center, Skate A Rama, JIM-N-EEES and Sk8t Depot.

Terry Ruscin is the author of several books on local and regional history, including his latest, “Images of America: Henderson County.” Reach Ruscin at truscin@earthlink.net.