With the Timmins Rock playing their next two home games at the Archie Dillon Sportsplex comes the opportunity for our history feature to talk about that arena.
It opened in 1976. Local historian Karen Bachmann grew up in the neighbourhood. She remembers the site on Thériault Boulevard being chosen.
“Which was devastating to me, because that used to be where we all hung out in the bush in that area,” she recalls. “So when we heard that that was no longer going to be the case, it was kind of a sad day. But it was also a happy day, because we actually participated in a lot of the skating that went on in the arena for many, many years.”
Archie Dillon was the city’s parks and recreation supervisor for many years. His daughter is Clarice Dillon Power. Bachmann says she had a colourful pro skating career, including a stint with the Ice Capades.
“So there was a lot of connections within the skating community at that time; his desire to see another rink opened and then commemorating him and his long history with the city by naming the arena after him.”
Next week, we relive the official opening of the Sportsplex and a local athlete who was a special guest at the ceremony.
