Monday, September 01, 2008
Vinton arcade was teen hangout
Tom Angleberger
The New River Valley-based reporter answers your questions Mondays in his column, What's on Your Mind?
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Calls and e-mails are still coming in as we continue our summer version of Ask the Readers.
I've heard from more folks who watched or were on the "Saturday Session" dance program. I'm really glad the column brought back so many good memories.
This week, we'll try to stir up some more with a trip to the Magic Ballroom.
That wasn't another dance show, it was the name of the arcade at the Lake Drive Plaza in Vinton. A reader recalled the place, but not the name. Perhaps they didn't spend as much time there as Cindy Cooper.
"Being the nerdy, geeky person that I was (and still am), I went there every chance I could get," recalled Cooper. "My sister, brother and I ... spent a great deal of time there during our junior and senior high school years." She recalled that Vinton's Magic Ballroom gave free games to kids with good grades, as did the Magic Ballroom in Salem.
"It was a great place for teenagers to hang out at during the early '80s," wrote Bryant Pohlman. "It used to be a court yard that went back and behind the Kroger and Super X drug store."
Pohlman recalls that not everyone was happy with teenagers hanging about. But he was.
"I was 16 at the time. I do remember a lot [of] good times with friends that I have not seen in that many years."
Cooper noted that video games have made a lot of progress since she played her favorite, Galaga, at the Magic Ballroom. "It's hard to believe how far we've come, but I still believe that there's nothing better than actually playing an arcade game versus the TV and handheld versions that we have today."
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I've answered a question about Archie's before, but this time someone wanted to know what Archie's businesses were at Dixie Caverns. Meanwhile, a friend of mine has been asking exactly where Archie's was.
Thankfully, Ernie Stalnaker, a former Archie's employee, wrote in to set the whole thing straight.
"Back in the late 1960s and earlier, Archie Parrish operated three restaurants in Roanoke.
"Archie's Lobster House at the intersection of Peters Creek Road and Williamson Road where Market Square North is now located. Archie's House of Beef at the old Holiday Inn on the corner of Orange Avenue and Williamson Road and Archie's Town House on Franklin Road. During Archie's business career, he also operated restaurants in Lynchburg and Baltimore.
"To address the reader's question, Archie's operated a catering facility at Dixie Caverns for special functions and parties."
That jibes with what Roanoke historian Twig Gravely told me. He had heard that the space that is now an antique store was Archie's dance hall.
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Remember that question about the name of the stream at Green Hill Park? Seems like there might be something fishy going on over there.
"Maybe it was in response to your question, or maybe not," wrote Jim Clifton, "but nonetheless someone has recently posted a small sign at the bridge on the greenway trail in Green Hill Park that crosses the creek you had a question about. It says Slater Creek."
Considering the name of the person who asked the question was Jim Slater, I'm wondering if someone is pulling someone's leg, possibly mine. Still, sometimes it's nice to get a simple answer. Not always easy, but nice.
Donald Mayberry wrote in with a very simple answer to a reader's question about how to get metal shavings off a magnet.
"Use the sticky side of masking tape," he advised. "Press it repeatedly onto the shavings and they will come off."
Well, now that he's said it, it seems obvious. But it sure didn't before.
Next week, we'll finish things up by answering questions about fatty food and booze -- two perennial reader favorites. After that, it'll be back to business as usual, so if you've got a question on your mind, now's the time to send it in.
Got a question? Got an answer? Call Tom Angleberger at 777-6476 or send an e-mail to tomangleberger@yahoo.com. Don't forget to provide your full name, its proper spelling and your hometown.
Look for Tom Angleberger's column on Mondays.
