After 47 years, roller skating fans say goodbye to Golden Skate in San Ramon – UK Time News

SAN RAMON – One of the last remaining roller skating rinks in the Bay Area is about to close its doors for good. After 47 years in business, Golden Skate in San Ramon will close at the end of July.

“What makes it so beautiful is just the freedom. You know, you just do what you do, you feel what you feel, and you just go for it,” said Richard Humphrey.

He started roller skating as a child in the 1950s and discovered Golden Skate in the 1990s, where he earned the nickname “Roller Dance Man”.

Since then, the music hasn’t changed much with popular 90s hip-hop and R&B songs blasting through the speakers.

Some people, like Richard, do roller dancing, others cruise, and a handful cling to the wall for life.

For the seasoned rollers, Golden Skate feels like home.

“The moment I’m on the floor to roll over, you forget everything that’s going on and everything that’s bothering you just comes into place,” Ginger Mathews told KPIX 5.

Mathews travels the world checking out roller skating rinks as a hobby, but says her home track has been Golden Skate since the 1970s.

Hassan Sharifi, the owner, said the decision to close had to do with finances. The ice rink was forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely damaged the company. Once they were able to reopen, they’ve seen fewer people come back to skate.

The country where the ice rink is is being redeveloped into a home.

“This is the last official roller skating rink in the entire Bay Area. That’s kind of sad because it brings us all together,” Humphrey said.

“It’s hard, so I’ll be cool tonight, but I’ll be sad later,” Mathews said.

There is still time for one last roll on the ice rink. There will be another adult skate night next Wednesday, July 27, before the lights go out for good on Sunday, July 31.

The last remaining ice rink in the area is Paradise Skate in Antioch.