Fremont Roller Rink 16th and Bell Street, Fremont, NE. The Fremont Roller Rink one cold winter day back then. Hey fans of Dead-Rinks, noticed the photo was in COLOR! Yes, color! The building was demolished in around 1961! This was REAL color element to it. Source: Scott Cernik. Photo fixed from a photo taken of this photograph (angled, clean up). Copyrighted by Dead Rinks.
Skating in the late 1950s/1960. Final two photos demolished in 1961. All photos courtesy of the Cernik Family/Scott Cernik collection. All taken between 1955 and 1960. All in COLOR!
Harker’s Roller Rink 16th and Bell Street, Fremont, NE
Fremont Roller Rink 16th and Bell Street, Fremont, NE
Fremont Roller Rink 16th and Bell Street, Fremont, NE
I do not have specific address for the Harker's/Fremont Roller Rink but they were the big point of Frank Bernard Cernik (March 1, 1928 – February 26, 2020) after Frank had a Maple wood roller rink with a tent. It was a mobile roller rink. But someone flicked a cigarette and landed on a canvas tent that protected the rink burned and destroyed entirely. So, in 1950, at the age of 22, Frank bought Harker's that was up for sale. I do not have any further history for the Harker's before Frank bought it. Harker's may have been around since 1930s and 40s. Just bear with me on that for now.
Frank changed the name to Fremont to go with the name of the town. The rink was located on the corner of 16th and North Bell Street. I am trying to figure out which corner it was. I see all modern businesses, stores, and gas stations.
After purchase in 1950, Frank renamed it Fremont Roller Rink. He and his father converted the garage the back of the rink to become his home for his family. Frank was merely 22 years old when he bought Harker's. Frank was genius in marketing that he even had a spinning wheel and kids would spin to see if they win prizes especially free passes to the rink. He would do that at school carnivals. He was ahead of time to focus on children to come to skate which most rinks today do that. It was an era teenagers and adults roller skate to the organ music and had competitions as well as sessions. Frank was a pioneer in marketing and creative design to come.
I do not know when he closed Fremont because the next thing he did was to open in 1960 a new rink in Fremont called, Roller Village. I like that name! Roller Village! Nice name! Anyway, Perhaps Frank closed Fremont after he built in 1960 the Roller Village. I do not see information on that part. But that was the start of his franchising around the country with Skateland. But this is where Frank began all although he did had a mobile tent rink for a very brief time. Like Warren Buffet and Robert Wian of Big Boys Restaurants, all three were real young and very determined to be successful because they worked real hard. Roller Village became Roller City/Skateland. I think Roller City was a mistake by some medias out there. It was just Skateland.
Likely Roller Village was the replacement rink closing the Fremont Roller Rink that lasted just 10 years.
UPDATE -- 29 July 2021 email from Scott Cernik.
I received a surprise email which was really exciting! From Scott C. Here is what he has to say...
My name is Scott Cernik. Love your site and thank you for what you do.
Fremont Roller Rink was on 16th and Bell (Street) on the (Northeast) corner where the liquor store is now. At the end of the rink was the garage that was turned into a 1 bedroom house shared by my parents, sister and myself. For a couple years my dad built an outdoor trampoline center across the street from the rink also. Lived there till 1960 when Roller Village was built by my father Frank. I was 5 or 6yrs old then. I have more pictures I will find and send.
(Part of the email because rest was about SkateDaze)
The Interior.
I have no idea what it was like. No photo to show. It lasted ten years for Fremont and I have no idea what Harker's was like either. However, the description on Skate Daze's website said that the Harker's was in dire shape that troublemakers were at the rink. Back then, troublemakers were called Greasers because literally, they had greased hair which was popular back the day from 1920s to 1963. But it was more often those Greasers were teenage boys looking for trouble. See the movie Grease to see how they look or dressed. it was in bad shape in the rink and Frank fixed it up after he purchased it. That was first remodeling but unknown after that.
The Exterior.
Since I have no idea which corner was the rink and everything is all new in 2010s and 2020 on Google Map and no other photos found. The appearance was unknown.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A Floor: Likely Maple Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A Demolished: Likely yes. Date is unknown.
Type of Building: N/A
Roof: N/A
Acres: N/A
Operated:
Harker's: N/A to 1950
Fremont Roller Rink: 1950 to 1960?
Reason for Closure: N/A
Harker's: Frank B. Cernik purchased Harker's and renamed as Fremont.
Fremont Roller Rink: Was Frank replacing this rink with Roller Village in same town?
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of both rinks, how long Harker's were around. Why Fremont closed? Was it because of opening Roller Village in same town? Photographs?
Sources: Frank Bernard Cernik Obituary.
Skate Daze (Defunct).
Frank Cernik Genealogy site.
Scott Cernik email.
Date of Issue: Summer 2020. Updated: 29 July 2021.
For Office Only: 1.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved.
Frank changed the name to Fremont to go with the name of the town. The rink was located on the corner of 16th and North Bell Street. I am trying to figure out which corner it was. I see all modern businesses, stores, and gas stations.
After purchase in 1950, Frank renamed it Fremont Roller Rink. He and his father converted the garage the back of the rink to become his home for his family. Frank was merely 22 years old when he bought Harker's. Frank was genius in marketing that he even had a spinning wheel and kids would spin to see if they win prizes especially free passes to the rink. He would do that at school carnivals. He was ahead of time to focus on children to come to skate which most rinks today do that. It was an era teenagers and adults roller skate to the organ music and had competitions as well as sessions. Frank was a pioneer in marketing and creative design to come.
I do not know when he closed Fremont because the next thing he did was to open in 1960 a new rink in Fremont called, Roller Village. I like that name! Roller Village! Nice name! Anyway, Perhaps Frank closed Fremont after he built in 1960 the Roller Village. I do not see information on that part. But that was the start of his franchising around the country with Skateland. But this is where Frank began all although he did had a mobile tent rink for a very brief time. Like Warren Buffet and Robert Wian of Big Boys Restaurants, all three were real young and very determined to be successful because they worked real hard. Roller Village became Roller City/Skateland. I think Roller City was a mistake by some medias out there. It was just Skateland.
Likely Roller Village was the replacement rink closing the Fremont Roller Rink that lasted just 10 years.
UPDATE -- 29 July 2021 email from Scott Cernik.
I received a surprise email which was really exciting! From Scott C. Here is what he has to say...
My name is Scott Cernik. Love your site and thank you for what you do.
Fremont Roller Rink was on 16th and Bell (Street) on the (Northeast) corner where the liquor store is now. At the end of the rink was the garage that was turned into a 1 bedroom house shared by my parents, sister and myself. For a couple years my dad built an outdoor trampoline center across the street from the rink also. Lived there till 1960 when Roller Village was built by my father Frank. I was 5 or 6yrs old then. I have more pictures I will find and send.
(Part of the email because rest was about SkateDaze)
The Interior.
I have no idea what it was like. No photo to show. It lasted ten years for Fremont and I have no idea what Harker's was like either. However, the description on Skate Daze's website said that the Harker's was in dire shape that troublemakers were at the rink. Back then, troublemakers were called Greasers because literally, they had greased hair which was popular back the day from 1920s to 1963. But it was more often those Greasers were teenage boys looking for trouble. See the movie Grease to see how they look or dressed. it was in bad shape in the rink and Frank fixed it up after he purchased it. That was first remodeling but unknown after that.
The Exterior.
Since I have no idea which corner was the rink and everything is all new in 2010s and 2020 on Google Map and no other photos found. The appearance was unknown.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A Floor: Likely Maple Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A Demolished: Likely yes. Date is unknown.
Type of Building: N/A
Roof: N/A
Acres: N/A
Operated:
Harker's: N/A to 1950
Fremont Roller Rink: 1950 to 1960?
Reason for Closure: N/A
Harker's: Frank B. Cernik purchased Harker's and renamed as Fremont.
Fremont Roller Rink: Was Frank replacing this rink with Roller Village in same town?
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of both rinks, how long Harker's were around. Why Fremont closed? Was it because of opening Roller Village in same town? Photographs?
Sources: Frank Bernard Cernik Obituary.
Skate Daze (Defunct).
Frank Cernik Genealogy site.
Scott Cernik email.
Date of Issue: Summer 2020. Updated: 29 July 2021.
For Office Only: 1.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved.