Once upon a time McKinney’s Pond was much more than just a restaurant. It also had a bowling alley, a swimming pool, covered shelters with picnic tables and a skating rink. By the time I came along the bowling alley had been closed down, but the pool and the skating rink were still in operation.
I became a regular there around 1980, which was the same year that Harry P. Kennedy, Jr, better known as “Mutt”, took over the operation. I have volumes of stories about Mutt, some of which, let me correct that, most of which cannot be shared with the general public.
Of all the things Mutt did, let me note the one thing he did was provide entertainment to a couple of generations of kids with myself included. Growing up, my whole life really, has revolved around McKinney’s Pond. It was in my backyard so to speak and I took full advantage of that fact.
The same year that Mutt started running Mckinney’s was about the time I started going to the skating rink on the weekends. It was just an old block building that sat back in the woods. It did not offer very many amenities, but what it did offer was hours upon hours of fun for a bunch of kids growing up in the middle of nowhere.
Mr. Franklin and Miss Dot Oglesby ran the skating rink, but it was so much more than just a skating rink. It was heaven on earth for a young boy from Midville looking for a diversion from our daily lives. Mr. Franklin and Miss Dot were absolutely wonderful people. They looked after all of us and were always kind and loving.
The memories from those days skating are ever present in my mind. There was obviously a cast of characters who came to skate there on the weekends. I was quite young, but the older boys could really skate and I was enamored watching them do their thing. I would go home covered in dust from falling down on that old floor.
In my mind’s eye I can still see the rows and rows of skates that were on shelves behind the counter. There were Cokes in small glass bottles in that old cooler and Lance crackers and peanuts sitting on the counter. For a young boy, I was living the dream! There was an old jukebox and I knew all the songs by heart.
Charles Wilcher, who was raised right down the road from the skating rink, was an exceptionally talented skater. He would fill that old jukebox with quarters and play the songs that he could flat wear out a pair of skates to. I tried to imitate him skating, but I never did get as good as him, not even close.
I skated, played pool on that old pool table and used up all my quarters feeding that old jukebox. I drank Cokes and ate cheese crackers. I wore holes in the knees of my pants from falling, but I had the best time. It was a glorious childhood! Thank you Mutt!
When I was about sixteen years old, Mutt repurposed the skating rink, the skates still sat on those old shelves, but they no longer rolled across the floor. The skating rink had become a dance hall featuring Beach Music and bands that played Soul Music. I was in heaven once again!
I cut my teeth on all that wonderful music and whatever I lacked doing with a pair of skates, I made up for it on the dance floor. I truly believe I was built for that music and to this day, I still think it’s the only music suitable for dancing, more accurately shagging.
I was in love with that music, truth be told, I still am. When I listen to that beach music it just puts me in a good mood and makes me feel good all over. Those were the glory days of my youth and I can’t imagine not having experienced all of those wonderful nights at McKinney’s Pond.
Mr. Jimmy and Miss Betty Hancock oversaw things during those years at the dances. They were not only truly wonderful people, they were also very special to me. Teenage boys, as they often do, get themselves in a little trouble from time to time. Mr. Jimmy was quite capable of “fixing” whatever problems we might have had.
That old skating rink got dubbed The Beach Music capital of the World and with good reason. The Swingin’ Medallions, The Tams, The Catalinas, Percy Sledge, Chairman of the Board and The Embers were just a few of the many bands who entertained us on a Saturday night at “The Pond”.
There were tables set up, in rows, from one end of the building to the other. Not everybody was aware, but it was like a road map inside. The Waynesboro crowd was by the back door, Millen as on the left, Louisville and Swainsboro made up the remaining sections with Wrightsville occupying a spot in the middle.
You had better not be where you didn’t belong…..I knew everybody and roamed freely amongst all the towns represented there. All those bands were known for putting a “floor show” during their performance and I loved every minute of it. There was a boy there, I think he grew up in Midville, that was also notorious for putting on a floor show of his own.
That old boy could really move, always had on a pair of shiny penny loafers and he really let them slide on that old floor. That same old boy got to know the members of all the bands really well and spent time on the bus with them as well. I think that old boy was doing some things in that old skating rink that he didn’t learn in Sunday School……
The memories are flooding in my mind as I write these words because it was such a glorious time in my life. There used to be a hand painted sign that hung over the front door. It very plainly read “NO ONE UNDER 18 ALLOWED”. (unless you had ten dollars to pay the lady at the door)
I was there at sixteen and most likely shouldn't have been, but Mutt always welcomed me and my money. I have a friend, Rusty Lane, that acquired that sign from Mutt years ago. I would have loved to have heard how that deal transpired. Rusty has that sign proudly displayed in his clubhouse these days and it is a great reminder of some wonderful days in our lives.
That old boy that loved to dance so good, well he grew up and shared a lifelong relationship with Mutt. They were the best of friends and spent several years side by side in the restaurant cooking. Ultimately, that same boy, well, he traded in his dancing shoes for a pen and does a lot of writing these days……Thank you for a lifetime of memories Mutt!
