Courtesy of Fun Zone Skate Center (Montgomery location design).
Courtesy of Google Map. Long after the clean up. Swimming pool is all alge filled now. You can see the rink and the floor clearly. The checkered off the rink is the linoleum flooring that still stick to the concrete. Carpet has been torn out and trashed. The rest may have been trashed and steel truss and beams were recycled. You may wonder where the 31 children and staff went in the basement? I tried to figure out where. I think I have an idea where. Its a dark square on the floor. You can find it for yourself. Hey, its fun to find it! This was the Fun Zone in Montgomery, Alabama.
Courtesy of National Weather Service Birmingham, Alabama. Wow! very destructive! The pick up truck tail light really was sucked out completely. That is how strong and dangerous a tornado can be! Nothing last, really.
Courtesy of Premier Entertainment Group, LLC. You noticed the floor was designed for Roller Derby, I believe. Skaters are dancing to Electric Slide line dance, a very popular dance since late 1990s. This is perhaps only view I can find of The Playground before it was sold and converted to Fun Zone Skate Center.
Courtesy of Premier Entertainment Group, LLC on YouTube.
Fun Zone 6820 Oaks Drive, Montgomery, AL (original)
The Playground 465 Westgate Parkway, Dothan, AL
Fun Zone Skate Center 465 Westgate Parkway, Dothan, AL (current operating)
The Playground 465 Westgate Parkway, Dothan, AL
Fun Zone Skate Center 465 Westgate Parkway, Dothan, AL (current operating)
The Playground was the name of a skating rink at 465 Westgate Pkwy, Dothan, Alabama before it became Fun Zone Skate Center. Fun Zone Skate Center is presently operating with beautiful modern trendy designed facility.
This facility had a beginning, was named The Playground but name changed due to a tornado struck in Montgomery. A devastating tornado destroyed their Montgomery, Alabama Fun Zone on Wednesday November 15, 2006 in a matter of seconds the building was completely gone. The 31 children and 11 staff members who were inside, miraculously survived. The couple worked to rebuild their business while communities from far and wide reached out to them...including the Wiregrass. The McIlwains were approached to purchase The Playground located off of Westgate Parkway. (Super Pages) (WSFA 12 c). The reason for this is because the insurance company was offering less than what the value to rebuilt. So, the owners tried to apply for SBA and was turned down! Turned down!? So, they have enough from insurance and bought The Playground and renamed it Fun Zone like they had in Montgomery. I felt bad for the children of Montgomery that they no longer could have fun there. I believe the owners also had other employment to pay for living expenses. Not sure.
Back to the tornado incident in 2006--
After the children and staff and manager all went to the basement, they hid and 30 seconds later, the tornado totaled the rink and then those who were outside or nearby when the tornado hit, they came out and they knew there were children there and quickly they went to work on the hot spot where the children were. The quickly pulled them out. The parents quickly arrived and watched and panicked and grief about this.
The name The Playground was noted because of an outdoor playground at the entertainment center with not just roller skating but also video games, bumper cars, rock-climbing, Jump Shot (basketball on trampolines) and a virtual roller coaster (Decatur Daily). The virtual roller caster is a rather an automobile size machine that moves up and down and swing or whatever according to the movement of the video of a extreme roller coaster that looks like they are in outer space or dives in to ocean or on another planet or something like that. Really does give that similar effect to the real thing except you do not feel any g-forces at all.
this is a blessing because of the director and staff were quite smart to make a quick move without thinking when the lights went out in the rink, quickly they moved real young children and toddlers down to the basement of the Montgomery location. Good thing it was not that many children or other skaters. 31 children were at the facility plus staff of the Learning Zone Day Care and ONE staff from the rink, the manager.
The rink both at the original and current location had day care like other rinks did including some Alabama and Georgia Rinks (2 to 3 of them). The tornado struck around 10:30 AM.
The building was built with concrete blocks, steel beams and masonry, but it was no match for a tornado with winds of between 120 mph and 150 mph (F2)
National Weather Service officials estimated the tornado cut a path nearly 6.8 miles long and 250 yards wide at its largest point.
The owners, Austin High School graduates Rocky and Lisa McIlwain were just at the rink an hour and half before they departed for Atlanta, GA for a trade show and they had to turn around when they received the call. It was total destruction of the Montgomery rink location.
Rocky McIlwain thinks that the Montgomery building which was well-built saved the lives of the 31 children, 5 day-care staff members and his office manager. Only two children went to the hospital. One was the day-care director's son. He said the boy got 15 stitches, but was OK.
It was a series of a dozen tornadoes. For this location, the town had two tornadoes and they were part of the strongest tornadoes.
Currently houses not just rink but also laser tag, arcade games, bumper cars, and snack bar. Also rock climb and virtual roller coaster I believe. But mainly its skating rink they focus according to their Facebook page.
The rink according to those photographs, and how they promote, looks very successful and I strongly encourage Alabamians to check it out. Also skaters around the country too! If there is a true best rink design of the year award for ALIVE Rinks, this is a sure winner. Well balanced design. Read them in the Dothan location description below.
Only twice this rink business closed seriously due to disasters. First in 2006 the tornado followed by 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. They were closed about 3 or 4 months due to the lockdown since mid-March 2020. This rink held strong like the Third Pig because of his faith. Enough said. This rink has faith. Definitely.
They decided against rebuilding the original rink and focus on the Dothan location instead.
The wreath above is dedicated to the survivors at the rink and for all victims who lost their homes and some lives in the 2006 Alabama tornado incidents. Therefore, this page is dedicated to everyone involved there. I call them, The Fun Zone Miracle. Truly God protected them and bless them.
Montgomery Alabama location--
The Interior.
N/A. However, thanks to Google Map, I can see the floor. The rink itself paled in size compared to the ground floor. It is Concrete after all. And yes, very similar checkered center of the rink as they do now at the Dothan's location. But the difference is it had Black Paint. There are checkered linoleum flooring for eating area, party rooms, and snack bar area. It is quite clear from the Google Map Satellite view. It must have been quite similar in design as in interior design with this rink for the Dothan location.
The Exterior.
It was a steel free-span Truss building that had two storys (2 floors) and the first floor had cinder-blocks but second story had poured concrete over the blocks. This design may have assisted not killing over 40 people in the basement during the tornado attack. Had there was no basement or ignore the idea of lights went out, that would have caused possibilities of deaths or at least more severe injuries. It was well designed. Good for those who built this one must have read the story of the Three Pigs when they were little. Read or listen to that story, everyone! By comparison, the Post Office Distributor Center next door really made the rink dwarf in size but also its structure quite strong compared to the Fun Zone. The PO really stood well and likely most mails were spared. I believe the Post Office does have a storm shelter by looking at their huge air conditioner in middle of their beautiful green side yard as seen on Google Map here..
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Black paint Polyurethane coated poured concrete. Floor Layout: Standard. with Roller Derby layout (see dashes in photo.)
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: November 15, 2006 due to a tornado (appx. at 10 AM)
Type of Building: N/A.
Roof: N/A.
Acres: N/A.
Current Dothan, Alabama location--
The Interior.
Truly updated and modern with the rink very similar to Stardust Skate Center in Sarasota, Florida. The name The Playground was noted because of an outdoor playground at the entertainment center with not just roller skating but also video games, bumper cars, rock-climbing, Jump Shot (basketball on trampolines) and a virtual roller coaster (Decatur Daily). The virtual roller caster is a rather an automobile size machine that moves up and down and swing or whatever according to the movement of the video of a extreme roller coaster that looks like they are in outer space or dives in to ocean or on another planet or something like that. Really does give that similar effect to the real thing except you do not feel any g-forces at all. (Side note: I rode in one of those machinery when my friends from Miami, FL when we were at this shopping mall and we enjoyed this. We choose 1 of 6 rides that has most extreme roller coaster that looks like it was outer space and some of the coaster has no bars to hold the train car. Looks as if it was flying from point A to point B.)
The lights in that rink is well balanced and not those brightly upside-down pyramid LED lights or the Loops lights that are found in other rinks And yes, disco ball is still hung there. They have a wall light really lit up bright which is their logo, Fun Zone similar you seen on Facebook page.
Likely that floor is concrete by the look of it unless I am mistaken. Observation with photos are hard to judge. Anyway, overall, it is well designed interior. Should last another 5 to 7 years before another renovations are necessary. They did however, update a little bit during the COVID lockdowns. Many rinks did the updates during lockdowns.
The Exterior.
Quite modern. Very playful design. And colorful. Quite a theme-park appearance. I could not describe because photos do explain a thousand words. Please review photos on top. And descriptions are quite clear.
This should be currently the best exterior design award for this rink this year after having Skate Daze closed up and lost that title of best design.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Black Paint Polyurethane coated (Concrete?). Floor Layout: Standard, with checkered-style center (similar to the Stardust Skate Center in Sarasota, Florida which is also closed.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: Still Standing. Still operational.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Cinder-block waled theme-park appearance Building.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: 2007 to present
The Playground- Fun Zone: (post Tornado) 2007 to N/A)
Fun Zone Skate Center: N/A to present (still operational)
.
Reason for Closure: For The Playground, perhaps they wanted to bury the past and focus on present. Fun Zone is still operational.
Wanted: Information regarding photos of what the old rink was like. Exact dates of open of original and reopened date for the current rink. Sizes for both buildings and both rinks. Where was the original rink location? I could find the number 6280 on the front above the front doors. (doors appeared to be fine.)
Anyone has pictures and/or information please let me know at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Super Pages, Facebook, Decatur Daily, Alabama News, WSFA 12 A, WSFA 12 B, Weather.gov,
Google Map, WSFA 12 c, Trip Advisor,
© 2019-2020 Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. God Matters. Ps 86:10.
This facility had a beginning, was named The Playground but name changed due to a tornado struck in Montgomery. A devastating tornado destroyed their Montgomery, Alabama Fun Zone on Wednesday November 15, 2006 in a matter of seconds the building was completely gone. The 31 children and 11 staff members who were inside, miraculously survived. The couple worked to rebuild their business while communities from far and wide reached out to them...including the Wiregrass. The McIlwains were approached to purchase The Playground located off of Westgate Parkway. (Super Pages) (WSFA 12 c). The reason for this is because the insurance company was offering less than what the value to rebuilt. So, the owners tried to apply for SBA and was turned down! Turned down!? So, they have enough from insurance and bought The Playground and renamed it Fun Zone like they had in Montgomery. I felt bad for the children of Montgomery that they no longer could have fun there. I believe the owners also had other employment to pay for living expenses. Not sure.
Back to the tornado incident in 2006--
After the children and staff and manager all went to the basement, they hid and 30 seconds later, the tornado totaled the rink and then those who were outside or nearby when the tornado hit, they came out and they knew there were children there and quickly they went to work on the hot spot where the children were. The quickly pulled them out. The parents quickly arrived and watched and panicked and grief about this.
The name The Playground was noted because of an outdoor playground at the entertainment center with not just roller skating but also video games, bumper cars, rock-climbing, Jump Shot (basketball on trampolines) and a virtual roller coaster (Decatur Daily). The virtual roller caster is a rather an automobile size machine that moves up and down and swing or whatever according to the movement of the video of a extreme roller coaster that looks like they are in outer space or dives in to ocean or on another planet or something like that. Really does give that similar effect to the real thing except you do not feel any g-forces at all.
this is a blessing because of the director and staff were quite smart to make a quick move without thinking when the lights went out in the rink, quickly they moved real young children and toddlers down to the basement of the Montgomery location. Good thing it was not that many children or other skaters. 31 children were at the facility plus staff of the Learning Zone Day Care and ONE staff from the rink, the manager.
The rink both at the original and current location had day care like other rinks did including some Alabama and Georgia Rinks (2 to 3 of them). The tornado struck around 10:30 AM.
The building was built with concrete blocks, steel beams and masonry, but it was no match for a tornado with winds of between 120 mph and 150 mph (F2)
National Weather Service officials estimated the tornado cut a path nearly 6.8 miles long and 250 yards wide at its largest point.
The owners, Austin High School graduates Rocky and Lisa McIlwain were just at the rink an hour and half before they departed for Atlanta, GA for a trade show and they had to turn around when they received the call. It was total destruction of the Montgomery rink location.
Rocky McIlwain thinks that the Montgomery building which was well-built saved the lives of the 31 children, 5 day-care staff members and his office manager. Only two children went to the hospital. One was the day-care director's son. He said the boy got 15 stitches, but was OK.
It was a series of a dozen tornadoes. For this location, the town had two tornadoes and they were part of the strongest tornadoes.
Currently houses not just rink but also laser tag, arcade games, bumper cars, and snack bar. Also rock climb and virtual roller coaster I believe. But mainly its skating rink they focus according to their Facebook page.
The rink according to those photographs, and how they promote, looks very successful and I strongly encourage Alabamians to check it out. Also skaters around the country too! If there is a true best rink design of the year award for ALIVE Rinks, this is a sure winner. Well balanced design. Read them in the Dothan location description below.
Only twice this rink business closed seriously due to disasters. First in 2006 the tornado followed by 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. They were closed about 3 or 4 months due to the lockdown since mid-March 2020. This rink held strong like the Third Pig because of his faith. Enough said. This rink has faith. Definitely.
They decided against rebuilding the original rink and focus on the Dothan location instead.
The wreath above is dedicated to the survivors at the rink and for all victims who lost their homes and some lives in the 2006 Alabama tornado incidents. Therefore, this page is dedicated to everyone involved there. I call them, The Fun Zone Miracle. Truly God protected them and bless them.
Montgomery Alabama location--
The Interior.
N/A. However, thanks to Google Map, I can see the floor. The rink itself paled in size compared to the ground floor. It is Concrete after all. And yes, very similar checkered center of the rink as they do now at the Dothan's location. But the difference is it had Black Paint. There are checkered linoleum flooring for eating area, party rooms, and snack bar area. It is quite clear from the Google Map Satellite view. It must have been quite similar in design as in interior design with this rink for the Dothan location.
The Exterior.
It was a steel free-span Truss building that had two storys (2 floors) and the first floor had cinder-blocks but second story had poured concrete over the blocks. This design may have assisted not killing over 40 people in the basement during the tornado attack. Had there was no basement or ignore the idea of lights went out, that would have caused possibilities of deaths or at least more severe injuries. It was well designed. Good for those who built this one must have read the story of the Three Pigs when they were little. Read or listen to that story, everyone! By comparison, the Post Office Distributor Center next door really made the rink dwarf in size but also its structure quite strong compared to the Fun Zone. The PO really stood well and likely most mails were spared. I believe the Post Office does have a storm shelter by looking at their huge air conditioner in middle of their beautiful green side yard as seen on Google Map here..
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Black paint Polyurethane coated poured concrete. Floor Layout: Standard. with Roller Derby layout (see dashes in photo.)
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: November 15, 2006 due to a tornado (appx. at 10 AM)
Type of Building: N/A.
Roof: N/A.
Acres: N/A.
Current Dothan, Alabama location--
The Interior.
Truly updated and modern with the rink very similar to Stardust Skate Center in Sarasota, Florida. The name The Playground was noted because of an outdoor playground at the entertainment center with not just roller skating but also video games, bumper cars, rock-climbing, Jump Shot (basketball on trampolines) and a virtual roller coaster (Decatur Daily). The virtual roller caster is a rather an automobile size machine that moves up and down and swing or whatever according to the movement of the video of a extreme roller coaster that looks like they are in outer space or dives in to ocean or on another planet or something like that. Really does give that similar effect to the real thing except you do not feel any g-forces at all. (Side note: I rode in one of those machinery when my friends from Miami, FL when we were at this shopping mall and we enjoyed this. We choose 1 of 6 rides that has most extreme roller coaster that looks like it was outer space and some of the coaster has no bars to hold the train car. Looks as if it was flying from point A to point B.)
The lights in that rink is well balanced and not those brightly upside-down pyramid LED lights or the Loops lights that are found in other rinks And yes, disco ball is still hung there. They have a wall light really lit up bright which is their logo, Fun Zone similar you seen on Facebook page.
Likely that floor is concrete by the look of it unless I am mistaken. Observation with photos are hard to judge. Anyway, overall, it is well designed interior. Should last another 5 to 7 years before another renovations are necessary. They did however, update a little bit during the COVID lockdowns. Many rinks did the updates during lockdowns.
The Exterior.
Quite modern. Very playful design. And colorful. Quite a theme-park appearance. I could not describe because photos do explain a thousand words. Please review photos on top. And descriptions are quite clear.
This should be currently the best exterior design award for this rink this year after having Skate Daze closed up and lost that title of best design.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Black Paint Polyurethane coated (Concrete?). Floor Layout: Standard, with checkered-style center (similar to the Stardust Skate Center in Sarasota, Florida which is also closed.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: Still Standing. Still operational.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Cinder-block waled theme-park appearance Building.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: 2007 to present
The Playground- Fun Zone: (post Tornado) 2007 to N/A)
Fun Zone Skate Center: N/A to present (still operational)
.
Reason for Closure: For The Playground, perhaps they wanted to bury the past and focus on present. Fun Zone is still operational.
Wanted: Information regarding photos of what the old rink was like. Exact dates of open of original and reopened date for the current rink. Sizes for both buildings and both rinks. Where was the original rink location? I could find the number 6280 on the front above the front doors. (doors appeared to be fine.)
Anyone has pictures and/or information please let me know at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Super Pages, Facebook, Decatur Daily, Alabama News, WSFA 12 A, WSFA 12 B, Weather.gov,
Google Map, WSFA 12 c, Trip Advisor,
© 2019-2020 Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. God Matters. Ps 86:10.