Bad Axe Roller Rink 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, MI. Beautiful large rink floor. Appeared to be Maple in Fan Format layout. Courtesy of Google Maps.
Bad Axe Roller Rink 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, MI. Beautiful large rink floor. Appeared to be Maple in Fan Format layout. Courtesy of Huron County View.
Bad Axe Roller Rink 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, MI. Looked like it is a reproduction. Too perfect and too new looking. Has to be reproduction! Courtesy of Wayfair (among many websites showing same thing).
Bad Axe Roller Rink 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, MI. Arlen Bannick showed a gentleman a nice pair of mens skate. Wheels appear smaller as it was not yet Polyurethane. It was Wood. I noticed the nice jacket in background. Courtesy of Huron County View.
Bad Axe Roller Rink 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, MI. The three daughters of the Late Arlen Bannick, the founder and operator of Bad Axe Roller Rink. Courtesy of Huron Daily Tribune.
Bad Axe Roller Rink 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, MI. Being demolished in April 2023. Courtesy of Huron Daily Tribune.
Bad Axe Roller Rink 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, MI. Being demolished in April 2023. Courtesy of Huron Daily Tribune.
Bad Axe Roller Rink 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, MI. Being demolished in April 2023. Photograph was too bleachy so I attempted to adjust a little. Courtesy of Huron County View.
Bad Axe Roller Rink 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, Michigan. The demolish began. Courtesy of Thumbnet /YouTube.
Bad Axe Roller Rink 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, Michigan
Bannick Music & Games 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, Michigan (Non-roller rink)
Bannick Music & Games 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, Michigan (Non-roller rink)
Bad Axe Roller Rink 915 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, Michigan was a rink for a time during the 20th Century finally had the building being demolished 24 April 2023. It was torn down per request in the will by the Late Arlen Bannick who was the founder of this beloved rink.
It began when the Late Arlen Bannick (11 April 1922 - 13 February 2023), had tje rink built in 1940 just off East Huron Avenue on the east side of Bad Axe with help from Bannick’s father Howard, brothers Ron and Tim, and Arlen’s best friend Dick Jarvis. Sept. 1941 was the month the rink opened for business in time for another school year and operated until its closure in 1974. This rink provided great memories to people across the state and beyond.
At times, it had as many as 500 patrons skating at this rink. Arlen would host concerts and dances at the rink, as well as comedy and movie nights. Even this is the rink where the then young Little Jimmy Dickens had his start. His music there got picked up by a radio and that is how you got discovered. Today, too many wannabes do that with social media such as YouTube and other media.
Arlen Bannick also owned a rink in Port Austin, called the Lakeside Port Austin Roller Rink, until it burned down sometime in the 1970s. The Bad Axe rink was the place to be, while in the summer, people would flock to Port Austin to skate.
I have no idea why Arlen closed the rink in the 1970s. Arlen Bannick went on to operate Bannick Music & Games. It was a business supplying music equipment and arcade games to area business. He ran that business from the location until around 2018, when he sold it. After that, he eventually came to the decision that the structure should be taken down. He never got to tear it down and he died in February 2023 never got to see the building torn down. That was 5 years he had his chance to tear down. Perhaps the Great Virus Lockdown delayed things. And consider Arlen's age when he died, he was 100 years old!
The Interior.
It was very basic looking interior with Flat ceiling with Wood Trusses support easily seen. It was long and narrow as I can see on Google Map. However, I do not know how long and wide this rink was. But it was Maple wood for sure.
As the music and arcade business, clearly the place looked the same inside but loaded with many games and equipment.
The Exterior.
Free-Span Wood CrossBow Arch Trusses Cinderblock - Walled Storefront - like Building. White walls with Gray Siding at the base part of walls. The front and rear had Step Walls that is, fake roofline to hide the arch roof design. It even had curved 1930s Art Deco Glass Blocks as a frame for the front door.
There were windows equally spaced on the sides of the rink.
The Stats:
Rink Size: 52' x 82' (educated guess). Floor: Non-painted, Hardwood Maple Floor Layout: Fan
Building Size: 54.6' x 109' (google map measurement estimated). Built: 1940. Renovations: N/A. Demolished: April 2023.
Type of Building: Free-Span Wood CrossBow Arch Trusses Cinderblock - Walled Storefront - like Building.
Roof: Crossbow Arch.
Acres: N/A.
Architect: N/A.
Contractor: N/A.
Interior Designer: N/A.
Organ: N/A.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Air Hockey Tables: N/A.
Foosball Table: N/A.
Basketball Speed: N/A.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: N/A.
Fascination: None.
Restaurant: None.
Cocktail lounge: None.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Theater (movie/stage): Only on movie nights on the rink as well as concert nights and comedy nights.
Operated: (Overall)-- September 1941 to 1974.
Bad Axe Roller Rink: September 1941 to 1974.
Bannick Music & Games: 1974 to 2018.
Reason for Closure:
Bad Axe Roller Rink: N/A.
Bannick Music & Games: Retirement when he was 95 years old!
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Also send me any updates such as reopening, sold, name changes, or whatsoever occurred with this rink or any rinks. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at Rink-History©. Before you email, please state this rink name AND THE CITY AND STATE (or COUNTRY) so I can know where or what rink you are talking about. Thank you. We welcome both active and defunct rinks.
Sources:
Huron County View - Rink being demolished.
Arlen Bannick - Obituary.
Wayfair - one of many websites with same perfectly new looking decal. (likely a reproduction).
Rawson Library - 2 page PDF about roller skating in Michigan and mentioned Bad Axe Rink.
Huron Daily Tribune - About the rink being torn down.
WFMK - History of roller rinks in Michigan including Bad Axe rink. (This website is one badass because it gave me a bunch of rinks listed and photographs and postcards but not much information on each though but it was a start. I have to finish Pennsylvania first then on to Michigan ok? That would be in around August 2023!)
Date of issue:
16 June 2023.
For office use only:
8/1.
Worth to visit:
None. Demolished.
DISCLAIMER:
International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© (formerly known as Dead-Rinks) and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Dead Rinks is now International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© because many former names have become new names at the same rinks that are still active and due to much confusion, We have decided that International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© fits better for all rinks including defunct, closed, inactive, rebooted, and rinks that are still active today. For short on this site, it is International Roller Skating Rinks History© Bear with us as we change the entire site page by page each day. Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former. Since we are rebooted to allow alive rinks, active rinks, we welcome those active rinks as well. It will be described.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© are not the property of International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group and/or International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Disclaimer.
© Copyrighted by International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 17. Deut. 32:7.
It began when the Late Arlen Bannick (11 April 1922 - 13 February 2023), had tje rink built in 1940 just off East Huron Avenue on the east side of Bad Axe with help from Bannick’s father Howard, brothers Ron and Tim, and Arlen’s best friend Dick Jarvis. Sept. 1941 was the month the rink opened for business in time for another school year and operated until its closure in 1974. This rink provided great memories to people across the state and beyond.
At times, it had as many as 500 patrons skating at this rink. Arlen would host concerts and dances at the rink, as well as comedy and movie nights. Even this is the rink where the then young Little Jimmy Dickens had his start. His music there got picked up by a radio and that is how you got discovered. Today, too many wannabes do that with social media such as YouTube and other media.
Arlen Bannick also owned a rink in Port Austin, called the Lakeside Port Austin Roller Rink, until it burned down sometime in the 1970s. The Bad Axe rink was the place to be, while in the summer, people would flock to Port Austin to skate.
I have no idea why Arlen closed the rink in the 1970s. Arlen Bannick went on to operate Bannick Music & Games. It was a business supplying music equipment and arcade games to area business. He ran that business from the location until around 2018, when he sold it. After that, he eventually came to the decision that the structure should be taken down. He never got to tear it down and he died in February 2023 never got to see the building torn down. That was 5 years he had his chance to tear down. Perhaps the Great Virus Lockdown delayed things. And consider Arlen's age when he died, he was 100 years old!
The Interior.
It was very basic looking interior with Flat ceiling with Wood Trusses support easily seen. It was long and narrow as I can see on Google Map. However, I do not know how long and wide this rink was. But it was Maple wood for sure.
As the music and arcade business, clearly the place looked the same inside but loaded with many games and equipment.
The Exterior.
Free-Span Wood CrossBow Arch Trusses Cinderblock - Walled Storefront - like Building. White walls with Gray Siding at the base part of walls. The front and rear had Step Walls that is, fake roofline to hide the arch roof design. It even had curved 1930s Art Deco Glass Blocks as a frame for the front door.
There were windows equally spaced on the sides of the rink.
The Stats:
Rink Size: 52' x 82' (educated guess). Floor: Non-painted, Hardwood Maple Floor Layout: Fan
Building Size: 54.6' x 109' (google map measurement estimated). Built: 1940. Renovations: N/A. Demolished: April 2023.
Type of Building: Free-Span Wood CrossBow Arch Trusses Cinderblock - Walled Storefront - like Building.
Roof: Crossbow Arch.
Acres: N/A.
Architect: N/A.
Contractor: N/A.
Interior Designer: N/A.
Organ: N/A.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Air Hockey Tables: N/A.
Foosball Table: N/A.
Basketball Speed: N/A.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: N/A.
Fascination: None.
Restaurant: None.
Cocktail lounge: None.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Theater (movie/stage): Only on movie nights on the rink as well as concert nights and comedy nights.
Operated: (Overall)-- September 1941 to 1974.
Bad Axe Roller Rink: September 1941 to 1974.
Bannick Music & Games: 1974 to 2018.
Reason for Closure:
Bad Axe Roller Rink: N/A.
Bannick Music & Games: Retirement when he was 95 years old!
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Also send me any updates such as reopening, sold, name changes, or whatsoever occurred with this rink or any rinks. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at Rink-History©. Before you email, please state this rink name AND THE CITY AND STATE (or COUNTRY) so I can know where or what rink you are talking about. Thank you. We welcome both active and defunct rinks.
Sources:
Huron County View - Rink being demolished.
Arlen Bannick - Obituary.
Wayfair - one of many websites with same perfectly new looking decal. (likely a reproduction).
Rawson Library - 2 page PDF about roller skating in Michigan and mentioned Bad Axe Rink.
Huron Daily Tribune - About the rink being torn down.
WFMK - History of roller rinks in Michigan including Bad Axe rink. (This website is one badass because it gave me a bunch of rinks listed and photographs and postcards but not much information on each though but it was a start. I have to finish Pennsylvania first then on to Michigan ok? That would be in around August 2023!)
Date of issue:
16 June 2023.
For office use only:
8/1.
Worth to visit:
None. Demolished.
DISCLAIMER:
International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© (formerly known as Dead-Rinks) and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Dead Rinks is now International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© because many former names have become new names at the same rinks that are still active and due to much confusion, We have decided that International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© fits better for all rinks including defunct, closed, inactive, rebooted, and rinks that are still active today. For short on this site, it is International Roller Skating Rinks History© Bear with us as we change the entire site page by page each day. Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former. Since we are rebooted to allow alive rinks, active rinks, we welcome those active rinks as well. It will be described.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© are not the property of International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group and/or International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Disclaimer.
© Copyrighted by International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 17. Deut. 32:7.