It’s time to get rolling!
Skate Moab invites people of all ages and abilities to attend Community Skate Night to “glide, dance and scoot around the open-air rink.”
The skating is from 6 to 9 p.m. on the “final Friday” of every month through October at the Old Spanish Trail Pavilion, 3641 S. U.S. Highway 191, about 10 minutes south of Moab.
This month’s skate night is taking place on Friday, April 26.
While it is free to participate if you bring your own skates, rental skates and rollerblades are available to rent for $5. Skate-mate walkers and instructions are available on site for people who want to learn.
Skate Moab and Community Skate Night event founder and organizer Erin Trim said this is the second year for final Friday skate nights following a highly successful first year.
Skate Moab is a volunteer-led skate cooperative that encourages a happy and healthy community through the joy of skating.
“The (2018) turnout was crazy,” Trim said.
Skate Moab estimates that over 700 people attended Community Skate Night events between April and October of 2018.
Trim said she loves seeing the same people and new faces at each Community Skate Night and the diversity in who attends.
“It’s really cool to see toddlers skating alongside folks in their 70s,” she said.
Moab resident Kari Han said she enjoyed the Community Skate Night events in 2018.
“It is so nice to see a community event put on by a great leading team,” Han said. “The music brings it all together.”
A live DJ will be spinning tunes. Trim said there are “tiny toddler skates all the way up to the larger men’s sizes” available to rent. The event features rotating local concessionaires and community groups to provide simple snack foods and beverages.
Trim said she has a “deep love of skating” going back to her childhood and she founded Community Skate Night because she wanted to share a similar experience with others.
“It’s a joyful thing for me,” she said, adding that the fun of skating can make a person forget it is also a good exercise. “It’s hard not to smile and be really present when you’re skating.”
The location of the event is another highlight for Trim.
“The venue has beautiful views of the La Sals,” she said. The covered pavilion has a smooth surface for skating and stays cooler in the summer heat.
The next Community Skate Night events are scheduled for May 24, June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27 and October 25.
Trim said that other event organizers and helpers include Jessica Dye, Jazmine Duncan, Xandra Odland, Kya Marienfeld, Dick Toll and a host of other volunteers.
“You can go with a group but also just go by yourself. It is a place for everybody,” she said.
Skate Moab served an additional 65 people in 2018 through programs like a youth skate camp, a high school field trip, a Grand Area Mentoring mentor and mentee skate party and the Skate Club at the BEACON Afterschool Program.
“We are looking to grow and offer more skate nights and offerings in 2019,” Trim said.
All ages skate at the Old Spanish Trail Pavilion
“It’s hard not to smile and be really present when you’re skating.”
When: 6 p.m. on the last Friday of the month through October
Where: Old Spanish Trail Pavilion, 3641 S. Highway 191
Cost: Free; Skate rentals free for locals, $5 for visitors
Information: Visit facebook.com/skatemoab or email skatemoab@gmail.com
