Water Cooler II

In this edition of the "Water Cooler", St. Vincent natives recall the simple pleasures of curling and ice skating.

I am younger than those in the conversation, but even I remember the curling rink when it *was* a curling rink (the building still exists), as well as the outdoor rink at Pembina. I even remember trying to go down those "creepy" steps once, as a 6-year old little girl. By then, the steps were getting a bit rickety, as well as being very steep; I chickened out! But I recall seeing others skating on it, especially at night with the string of bulbs that seemed to float above the ice. The rink was down a steep embankment, right alongside the Pembina River.

When the 1966 flood came, it was the end of the rink forever...

St. Vincent Curling Rink

Tess Dissmore THERE WAS A CURLING RINK IN ST.VINCENT ACROSS FROM THE GARDINERS. WE USED TO WATCH THEM PLAY , MY BROTHER -IN-LAW MANUEL GOOSELAW WAS PLAYING THERE ONE NITE AND THRU THE ROCK AND DIED OF A MASSIVE HEART ATTACK. , HE WAS MARRIED TO LEONA CAMPEAU. I BELIEVE IT WAS 1959 OR 60.

Ginny Grumbo-Mcallister Eva and Frank Gardiner were my aunt and uncle Dave Geddes In the late 1920.s when I learned to skate Pembina did not have a indoor rink.

Dorothy Barber Ted Ryan used to skate on a small rink that someone made sort of under - to the north - of the Pembina bridge.

Tess Dissmore WELL I WAS AROUND TILL 1957 AND WE ALWAYS WENT TO PEMBINA TO SKATE AND I DO REMEMBER TED RYAN.  SOMETIMES WE WALKED AND SOMETIME WE GOT A RIDE BUT IF WE HAD TO WALK HOME WE HAD A LONG TREK, IT SEEMED, BUT WAS SCARY TO GO OVER THE OLD BRIDGE. MANY GREAT MEMORIES SKATING ON OPEN RINK BY PEMBINA BRIDGE. TED RYAN, I REMEMBER HE WOULD THROW HIS HAT ON THE ICE AND HE HAD LONG BLADES ON HIS SKATES AND HE WAS A VERY GOOD SKATER AND WOULD COME AROUND FAST AND PICK UP HIS HAT W/ HIS SKATE. WE HAD A SHOW FOR US...ENJOYED HIM.

Cleo Bee Jones I loved going into Pembina to skate at the rink, the last time I skated there was 1958! Memories, la da da da da da da da da

Trish Short Lewis No one alive now has memories of the 1897 INDOOR skating rink in Pembina, but it evidently once existed...

Tess Dissmore THERE WAS A SKATING RINK IN ST. VINCENT RIGHT NEXT TO THE CURLING RINK, BUT I JUST DON'T REMEMBER SKATING THERE A LOT; JUST DON'T KNOW WHY NOT?

Donald Reese I remember the curling rinks, but not the Skating rink, the curling rink had wooden bleachers up on one end so you could watch them curl, and of course the brooms were different then. those old curlers could really make those old broom whisk. [Note:  In the early 1960s, I once sat on those bleachers myself.  It was towards the end of the building's use as a curling rink, and I was there to watch my grandfather play one of his last games...]

Delphine Mundorf yup those old brooms were like the old straw brooms we use to have. Watched grandpa use one in Bemidji in a tournament. He also threw the stone at different Times.

Betty Jeanne Short Thorsvig Sharon and I used to skate A LOT on the Pembina rink. She was a better skater than I. My memories of the Pembina Skating Rink are: how cool it was way below the city, made on an open plain above the river. When you entered to go down the creepy (steep) stairs off the main street, there was like a hundred wooden steps to even get down to it. They would play music. There was a wooden shack where you could borrow skates if you didn't have any. Wooden benches to sit and put on your skates and a stove to keep you warm. I also remember skating on Lake Stella and also Dad would clean off a spot for us on our land where was a pond. I LOVED winter as a kid!! Wish someone would have pictures far and near of that rink.

Tess Dissmore talked to my sis leona campeau gooselaw hemmis, and she remembered the rink in st. vincent but was shocked that i remembered it.. she said they skated there a lot also. and at lake stella , my uncle pete campeau lived on the lake and we went and skated there a lot. i guess when wallace cameron would open up the rink we could skate ??? hoping i am right on that ...

Trish Short Lewis Keep digging in your memory, Tess. Share with us about what you remember the st. vincent rink looking like from a kid's point of view - describe it, tell us who else skated with you. And on Lake Stella, was there a road that went down to the lake on?

Tess Dissmore THE RINK HAD A HIGH WOODEN FENCE AROUND IT AND TO ME THERE WAS SOME LIGHTING ?? AND I WOULD REMEMBER SKATING W/ JACKIE AND JUDY GOOSELAW, AND ROSEMARY GODON, PATSY BOUVETTE, MAYBE SOME CLEEMS AT THE RINK. NOW WE LIVED ON THE NO. SIDE OF THE NP. TRACKS AND MY UNCLE PETE CAMPEAU LIVED ON THE SOUTH SIDE AND THERE WAS A ROAD THROUGH THE WOODS DOWN TO THE LAKE . THEY HAD A LITTLE CABIN RIGHT CLOSE TO THE LAKE AND THERE WAS A FIRE PIT WHERE WE COULD HAVE A FIRE TO WARM UP. AT NITE IT WAS DARK AND AWESOME BUT BEAUTIFUL WHEN THE MOON SHINING . THERE I WOULD GO SKATING W/ MY BROS. FRANKIE, BOB, JOHN, COUSINS GAYLE AND ALICE PARENTEAU, DAUGHTERS OF ALFRED (PANTS) PARENTEAU AND OTHERS U COULD SKATE FROM ONE END PRETTY FAR SO. QUITE A WAYS. MY WE HAD FUN THEN. WHEN WE WERE TIRED WE HAD A LONG WALK HOME JUST LIKE SKATING IN PEMBINA A LONG WALK. IN SUMMER WE WALKED TO EMERSON MAN. TO SWIM , WHEN WE GOT THERE WE WOULD HAVE TO WALK THRU A SOLUTION OF SOMETHING (WHITE) TO KEEP THE WATER PURIFIED AND IF WE WERE LUCKY WE GOT TO STOP AT THE EMERSON DRUG STORE AND THEY GAVE A NICE BIG ICE CREAM CONE FOR A NICKEL, THEN WE HAD THE LONG WALK HOME. OH MY , I HAVEN'T THOUGHT OF THIS IN A LONG WHILE . MAKING MY MIND WORK . 

Betty Jeanne Short Thorsvig Enjoy you sharing Tess. I remember learning to drive with Dad on that black dirt road across from Wilbur Seed's in St. Vincent heading north into Canada. LOL, I loved that old road. Isn't something how we could walk into Canada? I loved that Drug Store - Sharon and I would always buy Mackintosh Toffee!

Tess Dissmore AND BETTY THAT ROAD IS WHERE MY GRANDPA FRANK PARENTEAU HAD HIS FARM AND IF U WENT SOUTH IT WENT IT WAS THE ROAD TO GO TO LAKE STELLA . OMG , IT'S FUN TO TALK AND REMEMBER ALL THE MEMORIES.