Betty Gallo McIntyre
Many recall the Rockingham skating rink as memories were made while gliding freely around the rink — momentarily forgetting all the cares of the world. It was the hangout for enjoyment.
In the early 1900s, the youth skated on sidewalks and roads because, at that time, there was no rink.
Then on Labor Day in 1948, the first skating rink was opened in Rockingham by a Charlotte doctor —who also owned one in Kannapolis — called The Glass Roller Rink.
It was managed by Mr. and Mrs. Black. General admission was 40 cents for adults and 20 cents for children. There was a bowling alley underneath the rink which employed pin boys. Since there were no electronics associated with bowing at that time, the pin boy manually set the pins up and rolled the balls back to each player.
At a young age, Harold Hines began working there as a pin setter. Hines owned the rink for 63 years and was the last owner before it closed back in 2020.
Mary Kate Lambeth had a desire that quickly became reality, purchasing the rink in March.
“Call it crazy or call it led, that’s how this came about,” Lambeth said. “It was a very quick decision — we made the decision quick and started on it quick. I wanted to find a way to be creative and serve my community; a place for my kids to be involved and to create jobs for others.”
Lambeth is currently in the process of renovating the rink.
Being a dance teacher for over 20 years and also being creative, Lambeth wanted to give back to the community.
“This county needs something to do — not just for children, but also adults,” Lambeth said. “We plan to do a whole week of grand opening which will include lots of different events. Part of it will include the art show that’s going to happen with all the skates.”
On Friday April 11, old skates used in the rink before it closed were sold for $25 each. There were around 200 skates which will be used in a contest: each person will decorate or paint the skate and bring it back by May 16. Votes will be taken the week of the grand opening which is projected to be the second week of June. The winner will be announced at the beginning of the following week. The winning skate will be displayed in a special area of the rink in a locked cabinet. All the other skates will also be displayed throughout the building.
“I’ve really prayed for a long time about doing something creative,” Lambeth said about the decision to purchase the rink. “I feel really blessed and thankful right now; it’s a mixture of a lot of emotions.
“A lot of people have reached out in the age range from 30-70 who want skate opportunities because those are the ones who grew up skating,” she continued. “We had several boys out here a couple of weeks ago who helped me clean up. I have three boys and several of them were their friends. A lot of them didn’t know how to skate, and we taught them.”
Lambeth has had numerous people come up to her reminiscing of their past experiences at the skating rink; being a people-person, she loved hearing the stories.
“I know a lot of people in Richmond County, but now I’ve met even more,” she said. “That has fulfilled me in a way that I can’t explain.”
Lambeth said she has a vision for the entire building to be multi-purpose; one being to teach Dance Fit. She is also open for others to come in and teach a class.
“The options are endless here for ideas,” Lambeth said. “I have the energy and passion for this community. Just being a part of something to grow this back is amazing, because I love the previous family who owned it. I do all of this with respect to their family, because they owned it for 63 years which is incredible to me.”
When speaking to Hines’ daughter Luanne Diggs, she remembers the love her dad had for others.
“Money didn’t mean anything to him, he wanted every kid to be able to skate if they wanted to and he let many people skate free,” Diggs said. “He would open on holidays, especially on Christmas, so children would have somewhere to go. For years people would drop their children off knowing they were safe.
“Dad raised many children through the years,” Diggs added. “He loved them all, but his own children … were his heart…that was until his grandchildren came along. They were his pride and joy; his love for them knew no bounds … The skating rink was a place of joy for him while serving generations of families.”
At one point Hines’ grandson, Joel Layton, ran The Underground which was a teen club below the skating rink.
“It started with some friends that were in a band and needed a place to practice,” Layton recalled. “During practice they decided they wanted to build a stage and start doing shows. Matt Leviner did all the booking and promoting for the band which was called Twisted Motive.”
There were reportedly bands from more than 20 states to play at The Underground, including one from California. One of the bands reportedly was signed to a national record label.
“If it weren’t for Twisted Motive,” Layton said, “none of this would have happened. They helped with everything.”
Layton later began helping Hines with running the skating rink and soon after took over due to Hines’ wife being sick and needing him to take care of her.
In 2006, Layton made the decision to close The Underground in order to focus solely on running the skating rink. He ran the rink until around 2015, and that is when Diggs took it over. She kept the rink open until 2020 when the state forced her to close due to COVID.
Bill Bailey recalls the times he spent there.
“Me and all the boys in my neighborhood worked as pinsetters in the bowling alley; I was 11 years old. Most of us worked two alleys; they kept us jumping. We got a nickel a game and would spend all of our money on candy and Pepsi. When we weren’t working, we were skating; it was our favorite place to go.”
Bailey, now 85, continued reminiscing as he spoke about the skating rink.
“The skates back then didn’t have shoes attached — they were screw-on skates. You screwed them onto your shoes. “Bobby Perkins was the key man, the one who keyed the skates onto the shoes. I remember the next owner having a cookie business in Charlotte; he would give us all cookies.
“They had a spectator section down the left side where the bathrooms are; it ran the entire length of the rink. Carlton Dawkins and his wife were the next owners, and after that Harold Hines purchased the rink.
“During Hines’ ownership, he did away with the bowling alley and put a slot-car track in. After that it was a pool room,” Bailey continued. “I won several car races, one which made the newspaper. A couple of years ago, that slot car track was in possession of someone in Cordova.”
Sherry Edwards, whose parents owned the property before Hines, has fond memories of the rink.
“They had clamp skates for the younger skaters, and the boys working there would measure their feet and fit their shoes for the skates to be attached,” Edwards said. “Birthday parties were also very popular there and were booked way ahead of time. When I was young, we’d have after-school parties at the rink.
“There was no air conditioner, and it would get so hot in there that they would open the top screened sides to allow air to flow through,” Edwards recalled. “People from all over Richmond County would come together to skate; it was a really nice thing then.”
Many look back and remember the good times they had at the rink. After five years of being closed, there is much anticipation of the opening of the rink; reminiscing of past memories as well as the expectation of new ones being made with the next generations to come.
NOTE: Some photos by Betty McIntyre, others are contributed.