Local man to bring back an iconic Bibb County skating rink

“You could put a skate key in my hand fifty years from now, in pitch dark, and I’d still know what it is.’’ – J.D. Salinger, “The Catcher in the Rye’’

A wise man once said nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.

But don’t try telling that to anyone who grew up watching cartoons on Saturday mornings and knows how to use a rotary dial phone.

And, if you grew up in Macon in the 1950s, ‘60s or ‘70s, you are probably plugged into exactly how Holden Caufield felt when he clutched that skate key in his hand. Your generation laced up their skates and circled the roller rink at the Bibb Skating Arena so many times the 45 rpm record could have been stuck on Tommy Roe singing “Dizzy.’’

Joel Shiver is a bright, polite and hard-working young man.

The last four months have been a little dizzying for him, too.

He is 30 years old, born the same year the Bibb Skating Arena, which opened in the mid-1950s, finally got air-conditioning. 

In a few weeks, Joel will breathe new life into the iconic skating rink. The last roller blades to take a lap around the hardwood floor was seven years ago.

“I think the coolest moment for me is going to be when I open those doors and people walk through the building,’’ Joel said. “I can’t tell you how many people have told me, ‘Thank you.’  And I tell them. ‘No … Thank you for the opportunity.’ For a small-town boy, it really is a dream.’’

He is calling it Level Up Family Entertainment Center, and it is raising the bar to include something for everyone and everything for some.There will be roller skating, an indoor playground, laser tag, an arcade, a small cafe and party rooms. He also hopes to bring back  programs with a long tradition at the rink, such as local roller derby and roller hockey leagues.

Joel brings youthful business experience and entrepreneurship to his bold adventure. After graduating from Jones County High School in 2012, he worked for an ambulance service, GEICO Insurance, drove a school bus and owned a thrift store.

It was at his thrift store eight years ago that his life took a twisting, pivoting, wheel spinning turn. Tammy Wells, who owned the Gray-8-Skate Family Entertainment Center on Gray Highway, pulled into the parking lot, opened her car door, leaned out and told him she was looking for a manager. He started running the rink and eventually bought the business from her.

Another “Godwink” came earlier this year when a customer at the Gray-8-Skate asked him if he knew that the old Bibb Skate Arena was for sale again.

“Ever since I fell in love with the roller rink industry, I have wanted to own more than one rink,’’ Joel said. “I would pick the brains of other rink owners. When that lady told me about Bibb Skate, I couldn’t NOT go see what it was all about. I believe things happen for a reason.’’

He had only been inside Bibb Skate one other time. As a youngster, he attended a birthday party there with his cousins.

He purchased the rink at the end of February, rolled up his sleeves and went to work. 

The first thing he did was to have it painted blue. Bright blue.

“My favorite color,’’ he said, laughing. “We started on the outside so people could tell something was being done on the inside. And several people have stopped by. They’re curious. They’re excited.’’

The rink had a cool beginning … literally. It was a short-lived ice skating arena in the mid-1950s, located across from the drive-in theater on Highway 247 south of town. When that didn’t quite work out, F.P. Davenport bought the building and sold the galvanized steel pipes beneath the rink for scrap metal.

At the time, there were two other roller rinks in Macon – at Ragan’s Park and Durr’s Lake. There was also a smaller rink in Warner Robins. 

Davenport was a country boy who couldn’t even skate. But he was a good businessman and not afraid to take risks.

He called it “The Barn’’ and eventually renamed it Bibb Skate Arena. In 1962, a 70×140 Canadian hard rock maple was installed. Davenport later handed over the skate keys to his nephew, Mike Skelly and his wife, Joyce, who spent the next 45 years repairing skates, selling popcorn and listening to more refrains of “YMCA” by The Village People than anyone this side of Seven Bridges.

Oh, the stories that tongue-and-groove floor can tell – generations who skated to Three Dog Night and bladed to Snoop Dogg.

There were sweethearts who met at the rink in high school and later married. A young Ted Turner, who ran his father’s billboard company in Macon, once had a Dr. Pepper sign at the arena. And former Mayor Ronnie “Machine Gun” Thompson wrote a gospel song while sitting on one of the benches.

The Skellys sold the arena to Leslie Johns, who ran it for three years before selling it to Monarca Ballroom. The ballroom owners did away with skating, painted the hardwood floor and constructed a stage in the center.

 Joel has had crews sanding the floor to restore it to its former glory. The skating surface will be the signature feature.

 “It’s a wooden, rotunda floor with curves,’’ he said. “There aren’t many in the country like it.’’

 The size of the rink has been reduced by 3,800 square feet and a new wall has been built. A number of structural parts of the interior were retained and several of the original benches were restored.

“It has been a little intimidating,’’ Joel said. “I know this place has a rich history, and it means a lot to people.  We’ve done some things to preserve its history. I didn’t want to come in here and wipe it clean. But I’ve been telling customers not to expect the old Bibb Skating rink.’’

 Joel said the grand opening is planned for late July or early August. It will be an oasis in the middle of a roller rink desert. There are two roller rinks in Warner Robins – Rigby’s and Olympia – and the Gray-08-Skate in Gray, but none in Macon.

He thrives on customer service and providing a safe, happy environment. He promises a quality product from the “roller skates all the way down to the cheese sticks.’’

Now, all it needs are people. If you rebuild it, will they come? Thousands of cars whiz past daily on the main artery between Macon and Warner Robins.

“It’s a little crazy, I guess,’’ Joel said. “ I feel like I was put here for a reason. I feel like this industry chose me. God was like … here you go. Owning a skating rink is different than any other business. I hope and pray I can use it for good and not let anybody down because I know there were a lot of memories made here. I also know there are a lot of kids in the community who need an outlet like this. 

“A lot of families need a place to go. I tell my staff we are not just running a skating rink. It’s a ministry.’’