The History of Stoney Creek Roller Rink
In 1948 Gilbert & Vernie Kingree built the first original structure. The original structure that was located about 4 ½ miles west of Edinburg on Stoney Creek Road. The building originally was called Stoney Creek Grocery and items like, eggs, milk, bread, ice cream, canned goods, and soda pop were sold here. There were also a couple pool tables for those over 18 who wished to play pool. When televisions first became available one was added so patrons could watch the local broadcast out of Harrisonburg.
In the early 1950's a dance hall was added. The name was changed to Stoney Creek Park. Don Reno, Red Smiley, Eddie Arnold and others played music each Friday and Saturday night to crowds of 300 - 400 people. The floor was full of people who were square dancing, round dancing, doing the Paul Jones and Jitter Bug. These were just a few of the favorite dance styles. The crowds became very large and parking was bumper-to-bumper solid for a ½ mile in front of the building along the edges of the road on Stoney Creek Road (Rt. 675). In 1952 a family friend, Dwight Cook who was home from the military showed them a pair of roller skates. He put a pair of roller skates on and skated up and down the road in front of Stoney Creek Park. The Kingree’s having 5 children new the importance of family fun and when Gilbert saw roller skates he quickly added it to the building. Since most rinks used wooden floors the original tile floor was great for dancing, however slick for skating! So the new wooden skate floor was quickly added. Skating at that time was only on Friday’s and Sunday’s, however it quickly became the only activity thus Stoney Creek Roller Rink was born!
Allen Kingree took over the skating rink after the death of his father and continued the family business. In the 1980's Allen took skating to the local parades and held skate -a-thon’s for local charities. He expanded the rink by closing in the original front porch of the old country store this area held rental skates and provided additional seating. In 2000 his daughter and son in-law Michael & Debbie Warner became involved in the business. They introduced Cosmic skating and also added inline rental skates & expanded the birthday party business. In 2002 we turned back the clock and celebrated our 50th anniversary by renovating the snack bar area to resemble a 1950's diner with lots of memorabilia. (Which has been moved to this facility and is now displayed?) In 2002, it quickly became apparent that the size & location of the building was becoming a big issue, with crowds at the limit of capacity. We knew we had to make a change and we starting looking at other locations. It was an extremely difficult decision but one that we felt was necessary. At the same time some difficult changes were happening to a long time employer in Woodstock. VF Jeans Wear, also formally Wrangler & originally Blue Bell were deciding to close its Woodstock factory. Allen Kingree and son in-law Michael Warner toured the facility and were excited about the possibilities. In May of 2003 the property was purchased and renovations began. In Oct of that same year Stoney Creek Roller Rink & Fun Center opened. The Grand Opening night was free to all employees & family who had worked in the factory over the past 50 years. It was a great evening of fun filled with memories and time was spent catching up with old friends. A lot of changes have taken place in Stoney Creek since moving to Woodstock. One major change was a skate floor that is 3 times as large as the floor in the old facility. A much needed addition was a separate floor for beginners. Also several party rooms, more video games & ticket dispensing games, Laser Tag and an Indoor Tubes N Tunnel Playland for the little ones, there is something for everyone. In the fall of 2004 Indoor Miniature Golf was added it is a great source of fun for those nonskaters or those taking a pit stop from skating and more recently Bumper Cars.
With almost on acre under roof we knew we had to develop the rest of the building and we wanted to add something that would work well with Stoney Creek. In July of 2005 Woodstock Total Fitness opened on the west side of the building. It is a self use fitness center open 7 days a week. It has under gone several expansions and is now almost 5000 sq feet. The fitness center has one of the largest weight rooms in the area and also a full circuit system of strength training equipment. The cardio room has treadmills, ellipticals and stair machines and also a cardio theater system. Several tanning beds are also available. In February of 2007 the Cutting Edge Salon opened on the south side of the building providing patrons with some personal pampering.
We are always listening to our customers and trying to bring what they need to the building. Several businesses lease space in the building and offer other services. Woodstock Martial Arts Center holds Tae Kwon Do classes two times a week and Safety Concepts holds Driving Improvement classes in the Conference Room once a month. We are currently looking to offer more services in the building.
The skating rink has remained a family business for over 55 years, and now spans four generations. The Kingree’s & the Warner’s have added several other businesses to the Stoney Creek heritage, all under one roof with a little something for everyone. As we look toward the future as always we continue to look for ways to provide great family fun & activities of interest to all ages!!!
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