Let the good times roll

Let the good times roll this Friday, June 28, at Community Skate Night.

Community Skate Night is at the Old Spanish Trail Pavilion, 3641 S. U.S. Highway 191, between 6 and 9 p.m.

Happening on the final Friday of each month, skating enthusiasts have been growing in numbers as attendance for this event consecutively increases, Community Skate Night organizers said.

In April the attendance at Community Skate Night was around 55 people, but organizers said the May event drew 70 to the rink.

Organizers of Skate Moab hope attendance continues to increase as word gets out about how much fun people are having at Community Skate Night.  

Community Skate Night participants Harlan and Austen Keith said Community Skate Night is fun “because you can meet up with your friends and dance on skates.”

Skate Moab organizer Erin Trim said skaters should expect the same generous offerings from Community Skate Night and count on the continued family fun like free skating for Moab residents, free skate rentals for locals, free skate instruction, family-friendly music, concession stands and games like limbo, shoot the duck and hula hoops. Admission is a $5 donation for out-of-town visitors.

“There are some exciting things in the works,” said Erin Trim, one of the five organizers at Skate Moab.

Trim said Skate Moab is continuing to build its inventory of rental skates and the organizers are building a trailer to serve as Skate Moab’s rental kiosk. The new kiosk will help Skate Moab bring more pop-up roller rinks on the road. Trim said the community should expect other new offerings for later this year and rolling into 2020, like birthday parties.

If you have been on the fence about going to Community Skate Night because it’s been decades since you have last made your way around a rink, organizers have skating “walkers” available for your convenience.

Locals and visitors have made Community Skate Night one of the “to do” monthly events in Moab, but some, like Moab resident Chrissy Sloan, are looking forward to more skating events.

“Skate Night is a quintessential Moab community event — free stuff, music, and costumes,” she said. “I just wish it was more often than once a month. Skate Moab brings everything you need to have fun. I’ve rediscovered my old love of roller skating while teaching my girls.”

Organizers said beginners and those who enjoy a slower skating pace should skate in the outside lanes, while those who want to “kick it up” to a faster pace should stay close to the inside of the rink.

A mix of family-friendly funk, disco and rock music will keep skaters entertained as they glide or try new tricks on the rink.

Kya Marienfeld is a Skate Moab organizer and has volunteered as a DJ at Community Skate Night. She said she likes to see “people from all different corners of the community come out.”

“If you normally crush the Portal Trail on your bike, help run the city government, or guide high-water … but haven’t had skates on since you were 10, you’re all on the same unsteady footing at first,” she said. “I think that mutual humility brings everyone together in a really unique and goofy way.”

Attendance continues to grow at Community Skate Night

“I just wish it was more often than once a month!”

When: Friday, June 28, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Where: Old Spanish Trail Pavilion, 3641 S. U.S. Highway 191

Cost: Free for local residents, $5 donation for non-residents

Info:Visit www.facebook.com/skatemoab

Author: Shannan Butler

View all posts