photo by David E. Spitler
photo byThe Cardboard America Archives

In 1925, a 7,200-square-foot dance pavilion called “The Green Mill” opened near the dam at Riverside Park. In 1936, the space added roller skating. It also hosted concerts, including Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Conway Twitty, & Alice Cooper. One article we found mentioned Cooper was banned from town after the show! An archived article by R.L. Heminger goes into detail about the Green Mill’s history until a sale a few years before it was demolished in 1978.

We couldn’t find exact dates for Ohio Skate, but a Facebook group called Ohio Skate shares memories of it. It sounds like it opened around the time the Green Mill was torn down, possibly 1977. Ohio Skate’s Bright Road home was eventually town down, and they relocated to alongside I-75 off of County Road 99. Once that location closed, Findlay was rink-less. We could not find a closure date, but it seemed to be in the early 2000s.

Rolling Thunder Skating & Family Fun Center was custom built for the sport in 2010, bringing skating back to town. It’s interesting to note that their floor was the exact same size as the historic Green Mill’s: 7,200-square-feet. Sadly, Rolling Thunder closed their doors in Findlay in 2018. They will be relocating to Tiffin after renovations are completed.

We ran a contest asking readers to share their favorite skating memories. Our winner was Chris Howard Thomas. “My friends and I spent most of our weekends at the skating rink that used to be in Upper. Some weekends they had overnight skates/dances. We also would go to Ohio Skate or the rink in Kenton on occasion. We had a blast rollerskating! It was our favorite pasttime! Many great memories!”

Did you meet your significant other at a skating rink? Do you remember birthday parties with your school friends in the rink? Share your memories in the comments.
Rolling Thunder: photo by Randy Roberts
Green Mill (from ‘Findlay a Pictorial History Through Postcards’ Facebook page)

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