Pinedale Ice Skating Rink

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Re: Pinedale Ice Skating Rink

by Chris L » Tue Nov 14, 2017 8:59 pm

Wow great memories here! The folks took my older brother and sister to see Ice Capades back in the 60’s 67ish? Then we started going to hockey games at selland.. By then, we had found Iceland in Pinedale! Took lessons from Mr Barrett. Cant remember how many lessons but soon, I was a little missle on my rented figure skates! I could cover a person head to toe with snow doing the “hockey stop”! Bill frowned on this behavior as well as “quarter hockey”
I remember the rink “stud” was Gilly Nichols?
All skaters would line the walls as he dazzled us with impossible feats of grace..
Too many great memories of “my” rink!
Today, Nearly 60yrs young, I graduated to hockey skates 30 yrs ago and just love blowing the kids minds as I weave in, around, through, forward, backward with correct crossovers as the kids stay weary of my snow covering hockey stops!!

Re: Pinedale Ice Skating Rink

by Big J » Thu Mar 20, 2014 1:57 pm

That old-west wooden facade on the building now...was that there when it was the rink?

Re: Pinedale Ice Skating Rink

by SharAnn1 » Sun Mar 02, 2014 11:38 am

Does anyone have a old picture of the Pinedale Ice Skating Rink they can send me? This was a big part of my high school years. From 1970-1974 my brother, his friends, my friends and I, skated their on the weekends. We had so much fun. . . I would love to put a picture of the rink in my memory book for generations after me. If you do please send to sharann1@aol.com

Thank you

Re: Pinedale Ice Skating Rink

by Ajay » Mon May 27, 2013 8:42 am

I can add a few details about the skating rink in Pinedale, since my mother, Vera Jones, along with Cliff Paige, was one of the owners. They were members of the Fresno Skating Club, and when the Fresno Ice Arena closed around 1958, she and Cliff salvaged the refrigeration equipment from the Ice Arena and reinstalled it in the smaller location at Pinedale. During one of my Christmas breaks from Stanford, I remember working with an oxy-acetylene torch cutting the refrigeration pipes to remove them from the Ice Arena. Cliff was the guy who built it and kept things going mechanically. After a few years, I don't recall exactly when, the ice rink was sold to Bill and Julie Barrett.

Re: Pinedale Ice Skating Rink

by TimBarrett59 » Fri Oct 22, 2010 9:49 pm

Vera Jones and Cliff Paige then sold the Pinedale rink in 1960 to Bill and Julie Barrett (who were also Robin and Carol's coaches)

Re: Pinedale Ice Skating Rink -Correction

by DS30's » Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:55 pm

As I wasn't sure of my dates and a couple of facts, I was able to find out that the Fresno Ice Arena was built in Feb of 1942 (well, hey, it was more than a few years ago!), closed in 1943 to be used as a Lockheed plant, then re-opened after the war.
It was torn down in 1956, and the old Camp Pinedale Theater was leased by Bev Jones, husband of Vera Jones, who I mentioned in my previous post.

This and more info is from a book, "Fresno County in the 20th Century From 1900's to the 1980's Volume 2." by Charles W. Clough with several co-authors..." which I found with a search.

Re: Pinedale Ice Skating Rink

by DS30's » Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:35 pm

Nobody's mentioned the earlier Fresno Ice Arena, which was on Olive at Fresno St. And this is where the Fresno Falcons played in the 50s. I ushered for the hockey games at that time, and most of the players then were from Canada, in the Niagara Falls area, some from Toronto, where the team coach was from. I can't recall his name at the moment, but I think his first name was Joe.

I first skated at the Fresno Arena in 1940, then the rink closed during the war, when it was used to manufacture airplane parts. It re-opened after the war, probably in 1946 or 47, and I continued skating there regularly, belonged to the Figure Skating Club, and taught the Saturday morning Penguin Club kids. When I was at Fresno State, I also took ice skating as my PE course, which is when Robin Greiner and Carol Ormaca were training for the national figure skating championships.
I also ushered at the ice shows at the Fresno rink.

I skated at the Pinedale rink only once or twice as I recall, and I think it was owned by Vera Jones, who was also a member of the skating club.

Re: Pinedale Ice Skating Rink

by TmBarrett59 » Fri Aug 20, 2010 11:30 pm

Well the guys used to come skate there. Iceland was too small for real hockey games(Like 50'W by 100'L). Plus they all came and got their skates sharpened there. There was a small league out there for a few years, but nothing like it was when everything transfered over to Icelandia in 76. Back in those days, most of the Falcon's were local guys who had grown up playing hockey elsewhere. They would have practices the morning of, or day before actual games down at the Selland, Several of them played in adult league down in visalia once a week and then when Icelandia opened in 76, they would play in the Adult leagues there and occasionally buy practice ice too.

Re: Pinedale Ice Skating Rink

by Big J » Fri Aug 20, 2010 1:38 pm

Would Iceland have been where the Fresno Falcons played prior to Selland Arena opening - does anyone know?

Re: Pinedale Ice Skating Rink

by TmBarrett59 » Thu Aug 19, 2010 4:08 pm

Sharlsie: Odds are if you and your family were regulars between 1960 & 1976 there, then I might remember you. if you took lessons then the odds would be greater.

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