Area couple takes over ownership of former Pancake Skate ’n’ Whirl
Pancake Skate 'n' Whirl in South Strabane Township, which closed earlier this summer, will be rechristened as Wired.
Julie and Clay Graham have bought and are remodeling the former Pancake Skate ‘n’ Whirl. They have renamed it Wired, and hope to open in early November.
Julie Graham loved roller skating as a child – and, by extension, Carla’s Skateland. She was a Claysville girl, all of 5, when she became enamored of the wheels on her feet and the rink where good times rolled three decades ago.
At some point, young Julie Hatfield had one of those inspirations that are so powerful, they leave an indelible memory. “My childhood dream,” she said, “was to own this skating rink.”
Now she does.
Graham and her husband, Clay, have purchased the South Strabane facility known, in its most recent incarnation, as Pancake Skate ‘n’ Whirl. They purchased the building for $175,000 from John and Pamela Startare, and have begun an overhaul of the place with an early November target for reopening.
The Grahams likewise are overhauling the name of the longtime roller rink that sits off Route 40 in the Pancake section of the township. They are rechristening it Wired, a rebranding that seems nebulous at first, but ultimately makes sense. It’s about youth, and for youth.
“I’ve worked with a lot of kids,” said Julie, mother of three, McGuffey youth cheerleading head and PTO president at McGuffey’s Joe Walker Elementary. “I believe they are all wired differently. I want them to have a place where they can hang out and be themselves. There aren’t a lot of places to go for kids in the Washington area.”
That place has 12,000 square feet at 10 McCoy Lane, and is being remodeled by a couple with formidable backgrounds in real estate. Julie is owner/operator of the Re/Max offices in Washington Crown Center, and has 22 years in the industry. Clay, who retired as a South Strabane police officer in April, is the office manager. They are among eight agents on staff.
These former McGuffey High sweethearts, spouses for 22 years, are employing a lot of TLC in this project without employing a work staff.
“Friends and family are volunteering their time,” she said, leaving it unsaid that she and Clay are throwing their backs into the renovation as well.
A friend, Matt Yonish, is handling much of the carpentry. His handiwork is on display at the Crown Center Re/Max, where he made the entrance look like a spiffy front of a modern home.
This will be a labor-intensive endeavor at a rink that has been closed since earlier this summer. “It’s in bad disrepair,” Julie said. “We are gutting and replacing equipment. It needs a new floor. We’ll have a Sport Court floor, which is good for any kind of skating except ice.”
The Grahams, who live in South Franklin, also plan to remodel the kitchen and serve pizza, sandwiches and wings among its fare. They are experienced at this, having once owned Lagonda Pizza in the township – a shop that has since closed.
Wired will have two party rooms for events, which will likely include rewards programs for academic achievers. Inline skating and lessons also will be part of the equation. Though New Year’s is four months distant, Julie is formulating plans for a holiday celebration.
Her musically inclined son Bryce, who will turn 13 next week, will be the disc jockey at Wired. He goes by the name Young B and is a member of the Pennsylvania Storm All-Stars, a hiphop competition team.
He is the middle of three Graham offspring – younger than brother Brent, 22, an agent at the Re/Max office, and older than sister Lexi, 10.
When completed, Wired will be but one of two roller rinks in Washington County. The other is Valley Skate Center in Donora. Greene County has one – Mon View Roller Rink in Greensboro.
The Pancake rink opened in 1959, in what had been Hazel Atlas Glass. Now it is getting another facelift, and more.
Work has begun, but a lot is ahead. Clay said the front sign is still being developed and Julie said days and hours of operation haven’t been determined.
Still, the Grahams are crackers about their rink.
“I was there pretty often as a kid and really enjoyed it,” Julie said. “We want kids to enjoy this too.”