Flyer courtesy of Fred and Debra Knepshield. Photo by Louis B. Ruediger Looks like a print out ad from 1949. It was in a newspaper at the time. Fred was holding up the ad for the article shown in Triblive.
Corutesy of Fred and Debra Knepshield. Photo taken in October 2001 as you can see in the photograph. Good old film you remember! Good pic with the film. This was likely the look when it was the Minik's, although alredy sold at the time.
Minik's Roller Rink and Danceland 320 18th Street, North Apollo, PA
VALarena 320 18th Street, North Apollo, PA (STILL OPERATIONAL)
VALarena Sk8 Land 320 18th Street, North Apollo, PA (STILL OPERATIONAL)
VALarena 320 18th Street, North Apollo, PA (STILL OPERATIONAL)
VALarena Sk8 Land 320 18th Street, North Apollo, PA (STILL OPERATIONAL)
Minik's Roller Rink and Danceland 320 18th Street, North Apollo, Pennsylvania. It was John S. Minik who started the rink in 1949 till his retirement along with his other business venue including used cars dealership in year 2000. He retired at 83 years old! He passed away 6 years later in 2006.
Originally, MInik's Roller Rink had both the rink and Danceland to split two venues in one. Many rinks in late 19th and early 20th Centuries had two separate venues in same building sharing the same floor. One night dancing, the skating the other or during the same day. Too rarely rinks had both dance halls and skating rinks. More common at Trolley Parks and early Amusement Parks.
But this was unique in a small town and the rink sat in the block corner with houses surrounded.
After John retired, he sold the rink to the couple, Fred and Debra Knepshield who renamed to the current rink, VALarena. VAL stands for Vandergrift, Apollo and Leechburg. Therefore, it is VALarena.
UPDATE! -- 22 September 2022.
VALarena is now VALarena Sk8 Land which IS OPERATIONAL since June 2022. New owners purchased the VALarena and the name only slightly changes. I strongly encourage you to go skating at this rink.
The new owners are keeping the VALarena name, which was a request from the Knepshields -the previous owners, and have added to it: VALarena Sk8Land.
Fans started two GoFundMe campaigns and raised more than $7,000. The VALarena reopened in February 2021 with a new roof.
The current owners of VALarena Sk8 Land are the Vaughns. Welcome to the Skating Rink Industry and I pray that you will have nothing but success with the rink for many years to come! Congratulations! This rink still alive, folks!
Having said, the reason this is still posted because of ORIGINAL name, Minik's Roller Rink and Danceland which qualified to be listed.
The Interior.
The original I do not know but has Navy Ship Gray Concrete floor, beautiful Red-Bricks brick half walls. Huge diamond ball hanging from White ceiling panels.
The Exterior.
Blue colored building low pitch Gable roof. Free-Span Steel Truss Cinderblock-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Navy Ship Gray Concrete. Floor Layout: Standard.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: N/A.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Cinderblock-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gable. Low Pitch
Acres: N/A.
Organ: N/A.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: None.
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.
Operated:
Minik's Roller Rink and Danceland: 1949 to 2000 (?).
VALarena: 2000 to June 2022 (name changed to...
VALarena Sk8 Land: June 2022 to PRESENT.
Reason for Closure:
Minik's Roller Rink and Danceland: Owner retirement.
VALarena: Owners retirement/COVID shut down temporarily.
VALarena Sk8 Land: STILL OPERATIONAL!
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 International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©. 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:
Triblive - Rink up for sale but still in business
Obituary- John Minik
Facebook - VALarena (Defunct)
Facebook - VALarena Sk8 Land (Current operating).
Triblive - Owners say good bye to rink, new owners.
Date of issue: 2020.
Updated: 22 September 2022.
For office use only:
Worth to visit:
YES! PLEASE DO VISIT THIS RINK AND SUPPORT THEM! Check their Facebook!
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 16. Deut. 32:7.
Originally, MInik's Roller Rink had both the rink and Danceland to split two venues in one. Many rinks in late 19th and early 20th Centuries had two separate venues in same building sharing the same floor. One night dancing, the skating the other or during the same day. Too rarely rinks had both dance halls and skating rinks. More common at Trolley Parks and early Amusement Parks.
But this was unique in a small town and the rink sat in the block corner with houses surrounded.
After John retired, he sold the rink to the couple, Fred and Debra Knepshield who renamed to the current rink, VALarena. VAL stands for Vandergrift, Apollo and Leechburg. Therefore, it is VALarena.
UPDATE! -- 22 September 2022.
VALarena is now VALarena Sk8 Land which IS OPERATIONAL since June 2022. New owners purchased the VALarena and the name only slightly changes. I strongly encourage you to go skating at this rink.
The new owners are keeping the VALarena name, which was a request from the Knepshields -the previous owners, and have added to it: VALarena Sk8Land.
Fans started two GoFundMe campaigns and raised more than $7,000. The VALarena reopened in February 2021 with a new roof.
The current owners of VALarena Sk8 Land are the Vaughns. Welcome to the Skating Rink Industry and I pray that you will have nothing but success with the rink for many years to come! Congratulations! This rink still alive, folks!
Having said, the reason this is still posted because of ORIGINAL name, Minik's Roller Rink and Danceland which qualified to be listed.
The Interior.
The original I do not know but has Navy Ship Gray Concrete floor, beautiful Red-Bricks brick half walls. Huge diamond ball hanging from White ceiling panels.
The Exterior.
Blue colored building low pitch Gable roof. Free-Span Steel Truss Cinderblock-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Navy Ship Gray Concrete. Floor Layout: Standard.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: N/A.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Cinderblock-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gable. Low Pitch
Acres: N/A.
Organ: N/A.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: None.
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.
Operated:
Minik's Roller Rink and Danceland: 1949 to 2000 (?).
VALarena: 2000 to June 2022 (name changed to...
VALarena Sk8 Land: June 2022 to PRESENT.
Reason for Closure:
Minik's Roller Rink and Danceland: Owner retirement.
VALarena: Owners retirement/COVID shut down temporarily.
VALarena Sk8 Land: STILL OPERATIONAL!
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 International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©. 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:
Triblive - Rink up for sale but still in business
Obituary- John Minik
Facebook - VALarena (Defunct)
Facebook - VALarena Sk8 Land (Current operating).
Triblive - Owners say good bye to rink, new owners.
Date of issue: 2020.
Updated: 22 September 2022.
For office use only:
Worth to visit:
YES! PLEASE DO VISIT THIS RINK AND SUPPORT THEM! Check their Facebook!
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 16. Deut. 32:7.