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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nKeeping one eye on Southern that night was the rink\u2019s owner, Tim Mitchell, whose persistence when seeking a loan for the construction of the rink years earlier matched that of his young charge. A 13-month process for an SBA loan challenged Mitchell\u2019s vision of a safe place for Lincoln County\u2019s youth to spend time on the weekends but finally came through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thanks to the tenacity of Southern and Mitchell, countless rotations around the hickory floor fill the time and the memories of Lincoln County residents. Mitchell opened the doors at Star Wheels on Aug. 26, 1982. Forty-one years later, on Aug. 26, 2023, he skated onto the floor for the last time as owner and handed the keys to Southern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recalling that night, Mitchell said, \u201cI had mixed emotions. I knew it was time to pass the torch and let someone younger and ambitious pick it up. Summer is very smart, intelligent, and energetic, and I can\u2019t think of anybody I\u2019d rather have take over the rink than her. She\u2019s done a tremendous job remodeling the skating rink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mitchell operated Star Wheels for 41 years despite the challenges of a colon cancer diagnosis in 2000 and a successful racing career. He raced in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) series for about 15 years and worked four years as a driving instructor for Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure. Again and again, the grit and determination he poured into opening the rink enabled him to stay on the lead lap in the race of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI used to think that I made a lot of good decisions, but later in life, I realized God was with me, helping me make the decisions,\u201d reflected Mitchell. Again, Southern\u2019s story and Mitchell\u2019s parallelled, a thread of faith clearly visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Southern said, \u201cIt\u2019s like a dream come true. When I started skating again during COVID, I saw [Star Wheels] through different eyes. I saw that it needed some love and attention, and that\u2019s when it formulated in my head that if he was getting ready to sell it and didn\u2019t have someone in his family interested in taking it over, then I wanted to talk to him about it. While it wasn\u2019t a lifelong dream, it quickly turned into a dream. And it\u2019s one of those \u2018God dreams\u2019 where He gave me a better dream than I could ever dream for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The recent renovations include upgraded visual equipment and new restrooms, and upgraded audio equipment is coming soon. Southern hopes the community thinks outside the box when considering Star Wheels for their events. \u201cWe want to find ways for the whole community to use [the space] and have a good time. We\u2019re really focusing on finding ways to broaden its use, so not only kids and younger folks can enjoy it,\u201d Southern said optimistically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing will remain unchanged: the name of the rink. Southern said, \u201cI wanted to hang onto the name because nothing I could have called it would have made it any better. I couldn\u2019t do anything better than what it\u2019s always been. I feel like we bought a legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mitchell knows it\u2019s a legacy that wouldn\u2019t be possible without the community\u2019s support. \u201cI would just like for everyone who supported my business, showed me love, and shared my joy to know it\u2019s certainly appreciated. I couldn\u2019t have done it had they not supported me,\u201d said Mitchell. \u201c I\u2019m so thankful Summer didn\u2019t change the name. I\u2019m grateful that even when I\u2019m gone, I will still be remembered as the owner and builder of Star Wheels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, that persistent little all-night skater watches as another weekend comes to a close at the rink. Young people reluctantly remove their skates, in no hurry for the evening to end. They may think it\u2019s only over until next weekend, but it might have ended for good without the persistence of two kindred spirits. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" FOR HOURS, they circled the wood floor, their wheels a muffled whir, keeping pace with the spirited music and crescendos of laughter. Then came the call signaling the end of the evening for many: \u201cLast song before the all-night skate!\u201d Parents crowded at the entrance, waiting to take their children home. Wheels clunked on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":22341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/05\/Skates-3-1024x683.png\")
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