ON ICE: John Rimer of Bradford remembers ice skating in
Bradford: “I can’t believe nobody has mentioned Graham’s Pond when
talking about ice skating. It was a popular place behind the
Greenhouse on Seaward Avenue.”
“In the ’30s and ’40s there was a snack house where they served
hot chocolate and candy. They held barrel jumping contests in the
’30s and my brother Harold Rimer was the barrel-jumping champ.
“The bus was running in those days and stopped at Clark Street
and Seaward Avenue so it was easy to get to the pond. Malcolm, Don
or Bob Graham always put a light coat of water on the pond in the
morning. So the ice was always smooth.
“Larry Gustafson, Niel McMillen, Tom Burke, Larry Hogue, Jack
Blessing and others I can’t recall would always find room enough
for a hockey game.
“The Grahams always left the door to the boiler room unlocked so
we could go inside and put on our skates or just warm up. That was
back in the days when there was no TV or video games and people
actually had a great time outside exercising.”
We also heard from Tony Fensel: “A highlight of my childhood was
Hanley Park. In the winter they would flood the tennis courts for
ice skating.”
“Each winter night, people from all over Bradford would go to
the park and skate. Sometimes, a couple (I think their name was
Tierney) would bring a record player and speakers so that we had
music. Us kids didn’t care much about the music because we had too
much fun just racing around the ‘rink’ in a circle.
“I fondly remember ‘Pops’ Baily who would shovel the falling
snow off the ice while we skated around him. We would dodge the
holes he made in the ice with his tobacco spitting.
“Each morning, a man would come and spray a new layer of water
over the courts to make a smooth surface for the evening’s fun. Of
course, in the summer, those courts were the best clay tennis
courts in the area. I think they were maintained in the summer and
winter by Mr. Wells.
“Hanley Park is something that will remain a key memory for
me.”
While we’re on the subject of winter sports, maybe readers would
tell us about the best hills for sled riding.
