Thunderbird roller rink3/16/2023 ![]() He said the roller skating community is still quite active, just not in the Hamilton area.īack in the day Hamilton had its own rinks, such as Roller World and Roller Gardens, but for the last 15 years or so, local skaters have had to head to Scooter’s Roller Palace in Mississauga. He travels all over Canada and the United States for roller skating events. “But I never outgrew it, here I am at 47.” “I started skating in the late ’70s, early ’80s,” Bush said. These are put on by local skaters Greg Bush and Blair O’Rourke, in co-operation with the Hamilton Waterfront Trust. And more and more people are showing up for the All School Saturday Skate night each week. The Friday night Rolling in the Park events – put on by Alfred St-Aubin, the reunion organizer – consistently draw hundreds of people. Reunion aside, the rink is open every day throughout the summer - but Friday and Saturday nights are the real party. Skates are available to rent for five dollars, but skaters who bring their own skate free. The second annual reunion for former and current skaters from Roller World, Roundabout, Thunderbird, Saints and Roller Gardens is on Saturday, July 7, from noon to 11 p.m. “But the skates are much easier to stand on, to do the tricks.” “With ice skates, I’m with my knees like this,” she said, wobbling her legs. She didn’t have any skates in time for last year’s roller skaters’ reunion - which drew more than 500 former skaters from as far back as the 1950s - but she’s taken a few lessons over the past months so she’ll be ready for this year’s festivities. PHOTO GALLERY: Roller skating comeback in Hamilton ![]() Bikes and blades prevail on Hamilton streets. It was the thing to do back in the late 1970s and early ’80s. Still, she flew around as though she was still a teenager. I’m a little older than I was, now,” Johnston laughed. “I used to do it at 14, 15, back in the Roller World days. Roller skaters of all ages came of the woodwork for a spin on the clunky four wheelers.įor many, like Lisa Johnston, it had been decades. Otherwise, it was a scene straight out of Roller Boogie. ![]() In addition to continual upkeep of the original wood rink floor, improvements, such as new paint, lighting and a music system, have also been made.A disco ball was just about the only thing missing at the outdoor harbourfront roller rink Saturday night. Music spanning hits from the 1970s to current tunes play while multicolored lights and strobes create a festive atmosphere. Just as in years past, a DJ announces skating activities, such as the limbo, dice games, fast skate and opposite direction skate. And when they say the carpet looks the same as from 20 years ago, Monjure says, “It is.” They walk by the party room and say, “I had my ninth birthday here,” or, “I used to go in the money machine,” he said. Monjure said those customers take their loved ones on a trip down memory lane pointing out highlights from their youth. Now, they’re bringing their kids grandkids,” Manager and Operator Anthony “A.J.” Monjure said. “We get a lot of people who come in saying they used to skate here when they were little. When customers walk through the doors of Thunderbird Roller Rink, established in 1972, many whirl into a wave of nostalgia.
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