"I've been playing hockey since I was sixteen - so for 21 years, and I score keep out of here! I have quite a bit of experience skating at this Arena over the years."

Frank Zappa played at Kerrisdale Arena on August 25, 1968. 
Gary shared his memories with us.

"It wasn't just a concert it was an event!"

Sandra and Keith all decked out and on their way to Kerrisdale Arena!

Sandra attended Bill Hailey & His Comets with her brother Keith on June 27th, 1956. Jack Cullen's  Music Store sponsored the event and Sandra remembers the store along East Hastings somewhere. It was where they bought the tickets! Sandra can't exactly remember if she bought the tickets or if her mother bought them but remembers liking the music and having a good time.

Below are her memorabilia she donated to the Kerrisdale archives. Some great stuff!

The original ticket stubs! And the envelope they came in. (Notice the 'good tasting' advertisement and the cost of the tickets!)

The concert program! Sandra says $1.00 was a lot of money at the time!

This was the album that Bill Haley would be pulling songs from at the concert!

Shake, Rattle and Roll!

When I was in high school, I remember going into the Arena when it was empty with my friends and we would skateboard in the hockey change rooms  because the benches were good for grinding and sliding.

We would get kicked out eventually....

Brian's sister Joanna and their award winning dog: Fancy

Brian wrote us an email about this memory:

I have memories of the dog shows at the Kerrisdale Arena!  Our dog, Fancy - a soft coated wheaten terrier -  won 'waggliest tail' and 'cutest face' one year!  They used to have lots of dog shows as I recall.

Joanna added more thoughts:

I went with Fancy several years in a row. She won several other awards like...

Best Trick Dog, Best Dressed (why she was in a costume in the photo), she excelled and won several times at the obstacle course, she even had the fastest time one year. She won for obedience as well. As Brian mentioned she also placed first for waggest tail and cutest face. Whenever she won we received a big brown shopping bag of gooddies, including; food, treats, leashes and toys. She was awarded ribbons as well. Everytime she won we got to go up on the big stage to receive the award. I remember feeling proud and think Fancy did too. 

I enjoyed participating in the event and Fancy seemed to have fun as well (my mom or dad would usually be there as well). We attended this SPCA sponsored event several years in a row. It was a great community event for kids, families and dog lovers. 

George Thorogood and the Destroyers album 'Bad to The Bone' was released less than a month before the epic Kerrisdale concert held on Sept 2, 1982

Ryan sent us this email:

"I was a teenager growing up in Powell River. I think it was a Labour Day Weekend show in the early 80's.

My older cousins and their friends in Burnaby took  me to the concert. I think I was easily one of the youngest people there -

I think I was going into grade 9 or 10. 

There were  a lot of bikers and to this day, I have not seen as much confiscated liquor as I saw that night for a venue that size. They had garbage cans by each door full of not just 12 ounce  mickeys  but 26ers ,  40's and 60 ounce bottles - you know the ones with handles.

We had our liquor in zip lock bags in our crotches so we got ours in fine.

I think No Particular Place to Go (Chuck Berry) was the last song of the third encore. Towards the end of the show (I was standing and  watching from the floor) ,  someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around expecting a biker telling me to move so his ol’ lady could see. Nope it was 3 older guys I knew from the area in Powell River where I lived.

They had been at Jacks Hanging Tree (now the Roxy) before heading to the concert.

One of the best shows I have ever seen."

A great article in the courier about the Arena Rock project  - Thanks to John Kurucz and Dan Toulgoet!