About West Park
Fifty years of family fun
Since 1976, West Park Skate Center has been where Huntington learns to skate, celebrates birthdays, and (more than once) meets the love of their life.
Our story
How we got rolling
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1976
Ribbon cutting
West Park opened on October 1st, with State Senator Gene Snowden, Mayor Maurice Robbins, family, friends and community leaders. Richard & Maureen Ness and their five children (Kathy, Jeff, Gregg, Laurie and Tom), along with Richard's sister and brother-in-law Jane and Keith Steele and their five children (Janet, Gary, Cindy, Mary Ellen and Connie), ran the rink for its first 7 years.
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1977
The disco years
Saturday night "Disco Dances" became the highlight of the weekend, drawing young adults from Ball State, Taylor University, Kokomo, Marion, Wabash, Fort Wayne, Tri-State and even Ohio. Girls wore dresses, guys wore dress slacks and sparkly shirts, and the dances averaged over 650 people every Saturday. We all remember "Disco Harry"!
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Early days
Speed, figures & four-county school parties
Competition teams formed in speed, figures and artistic dance skating. The club grew to over 50 skaters and competed in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Schools from Huntington, Wabash, Whitley and Wells counties held skating parties all year, and skating down Jefferson Street in the Heritage Days Parade was a summer highlight.
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1986
The next generation
Kathy Elmore bought the rink from her father and quickly added air conditioning, birthday parties, roller hockey and group lessons. Crestview Middle School and every Huntington North freshman PE class came for two-week skating lessons, backward skating included. Kathy also had racks built and bought over 50 pairs of rental skates to haul from school to school, a program still taught in elementary schools today. Adult roller hockey leagues drew over 100 players from Huntington, Muncie, Wabash and Fort Wayne.
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2001
Sold, for a while
The skating center changed hands for 8½ years.
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2010
Back in the family
Richard Ness bought the rink back in June 2010 and named his daughter Kathy Elmore General Manager. The building was completely remodeled with a new concession stand, renewed restrooms, new paint and design, more lighting and 500 pairs of new rental skates.
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Today
Still rolling
Birthday party packages, private parties for schools, churches and groups, Learn to Skate, and special nights all year. West Park is also available for banquets, receptions and trade shows for up to 650 people.
Annual Reunion
Come home to West Park
Every year we invite back everyone who loved this place: past employees, hockey players, the speed team, the Disco Dance crowd, and anyone who met their spouse here.
Watch the events calendar for this year's date and times.
Proud member
Roller Skating Association International
