A sad turn for storied rink
Monday is final day of operation
LANCASTER » People from near and far are getting in their last skate at Roll On America before the iconic roller-skating rink closes its doors on Mon-day. "It's kind of surreal at this point still," said longtime Gen-eral Manager Jamie Cortes. "Roll On has been a part of my life since I was 11. I had my birthday party here, started taking skating lessons, was a competitive skater for years, worked here through high school and college and then stayed on to help out during busy seasons even when I had other full-time positions else-where." When Cortes took over as manager in 2013, the plan was for her and her husband to pur-chase the local landmark from the current owners, Don and Susan Perkins, when they re
tired. The Perkins family has owned and operated Roll On since they converted it from an ice-skating rink to a roller-skating rink in December 1979.
“Unfortunately, we decided with the future so unknown due to COVID and government mandates we can’t take on that risk,” Cortes said. “It was an extremely hard decision to make but is the right one for our family.”
Staff members at Roll On America, or Roll On as it’s called by loyal patrons and those in the know, have been saying goodbye to regulars, fellow employees and the business itself over the last couple weeks, each in their own way.
“Everyone is pretty much devastated,” Cortes said. “It’s been such a fixture in the community for so long and has been a part of peoples’ lives — birthday parties, school events, years of family memories. The number of customers reaching out to say goodbye has been overwhelming. We’ve loved being a part of this community and will miss our customers.”
According to Don Perkins, the March 18 announcement on social media that the business would be closing garnered over 120,000 hits.
“It has been a very difficult time for my wife Susan and I to make the decision to close the facility after 42 years of operation in the Central Massachusetts area,” he said. “We have spent many sleepless nights thinking about the children and the fun and friendships that were developed over the years.”
Over 1,200 reactions, 1,000 shares and 600 comments on the Facebook post cemented the fact that people are sad to see Roll On go. Many people who commented recounted spending time there growing up, birthday parties, even meeting their spouse there. Longtime Leominster residents Mark and Carla Turbide met at Roll On in 1980 and have been married for 37 years. They used to go roller-skating there together on Sunday nights as teenagers.
“It was a great opportunity to hang out and it was a safe place to be,” Carla Turbide said. “I have so many good memories from there. I think it is beyond
sad that we are seeing these businesses that we grew up with that are disappearing before our eyes, and the pandemic has a lot to do with that.”
Unfortunately, as much as staff tried to keep the business afloat over the last year, Roll On took a huge hit as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic. It closed for six months beginning last March and reopened Oct. 9, only to be forced to close again on Dec. 7 due to Lancaster being labeled high risk.
“We have worked tirelessly to offer a clean wholesome skating center for children of all ages, as
well as their parents,” Don Perkins said. “COVID-19 kept us closed for the most part of a year. We agonized over what we should do, even though we were closed we still had bills to pay.”
Finally, they were able to invite customers back in February to roller-skate and enjoy the arcade, laser tag, and restaurant, but at that point the business — and revenue — had suffered dramatically due to the pandemic.
“During our second extended closure we made a bittersweet decision, at our age we would close and retire,” Don Perkins said. “Not knowing if our business could rebound or what the future of skating or the economy will be, we decided we could not afford to risk our own future retirement.”
The 33,030-square-foot building and 9.65 acres of land it sits on was listed for sale in December for $2.5 million, which left many people wondering about the fate of the local landmark.
“We did put the property up for sale and are currently under an agreement with a buyer,” Don Perkins said. “Unfortunately, none of the interest we received on the property were from people looking to keep it a rink.”
The Perkins family, Cortes, and Roll On staff are saying their final goodbyes this week and weekend with extra skating sessions and a last hurrah final festivity on Monday, an 18plus evening event from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Skating is not required to attend.
“We’ve already sold a lot of tickets online for it,” Cortes said. “It is going to be a great event with a ton of past employees and regulars. I think it will be nice to see people I haven’t seen in a long time and will be great to have everyone together, but it’s definitely going to be a hard night.”
Don Perkins said he and Susan are glad to have the chance to say farewell to their patrons and a business that has been their livelihood and a source of joy for them for over four decades.
“Although we are sad that our beloved Roll On will be shutting its doors, we are excited to see all the familiar faces that have skated in our roller rink over the years,” he said. “The community has been so good to us and this night is the least we could do.”
They are bringing back one of their original DJs, Steve Early, to host the last skate party.
“Steve currently works with a chain of rinks in Colorado but wanted to be part of our final night,” Don Perkins said. “Quite a few of our employees and managers from throughout the years are planning to attend, some even coming in from around the country.”
They are asking people to send in song requests from 1979 to current and to message the Roll On Facebook page with photos to be included in a slideshow Early will be running throughout the last skate event — the older the better.
“Like so many people in the area, my life was profoundly influenced by skating and Roll On America,” Early said. “It’s a privilege to travel back to Massachusetts and be part of the final chapter to their story.”
Don Perkins said, “without a doubt this breaks Susan and my hearts. We loved our years enjoying the children, keeping them safe and watching them grow up. We have seen youngsters come back as parents with their own kids and even grandkids. Susan and I want to say thank you, we love you, and we will miss you.”
Cortes said she will “definitely” be there on Monday and plans to skate.
“I’m sure there will be tears,” she said. “I will miss all of our customers and staff members dearly. They’ve all made such an impact on me and I have countless memories to look back on fondly.”
For more information and to purchase tickets to the final skate visit https:// rollonamerica.com/.