SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – The second annual series of Rollin’ on the River roller skating events rocked and rolled every Saturday evening in September.
After a successful first year in 2023, SAPA TV and Springfield on the Move brought back this fun and healthy community event for children K-12. The upper parking garage area at 100 River Street was transformed into a popup roller skating rink pumping with music and full of smiles over four consecutive Saturdays.
In addition to skating to their hearts’ content, around 100 students in grades K-12 enjoyed playing the giant yard games provided by the Springfield School District’s afterschool program, All-4-One, who also sponsored the Sept. 7 event. SAPA TV and Markee Lawrence of “Word Time with Miss Markee” ran arts and crafts, literacy, and board game tables, with plenty of color and sparkle. The Edgar May Health and Recreation Center sponsored the Sept. 14 event, bringing an information table with free passes and gear to share the gift of healthy family activity. Letti’s Besitos served up delicious Mexican food and drinks for both of these events.
On Sept. 21, the Springfield Area Parent Child Center sponsored the event, and provided fun activities outside, including a delightful bubble machine. That evening, Twin State Roller Derby skaters also came out to pump up the energy on our skate track and demonstrate their amazing skating skills. By popular demand, we added a Grownups’ Skate Sesh this year, and saw some totally rad skaters. The Springfield High School Alumni Association sponsored our Cosmos Night event on Sept. 28, where we held an ‘80s and ‘90s costume contest, with a prize going to the skater with the best costume. Springfield on the Move provided free pizzas, snacks, and drinks on these two evenings.
We are grateful for the ability to access the parks and recreation department’s Cosmos Closet, as well as the generous donations to our Amazon wish list that made it possible for nine of our participants to get free roller skates and safety pads to keep. The Dance Factory and Uplift Acrobatics each donated gift certificates for raffle prizes, sharing the gift of artistic movement and camaraderie with our community. We thank our community partners: the 100 River Street owners and maintenance staff, the Town of Springfield, Springfield Public Safety, and the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce, as well as several volunteer parents, guardians, and community members, who all were so generous with their time and resources to make these safe and fun events for all.
This has truly been a team effort by a wide range of local stakeholders who want to provide opportunities for youth to have fun, healthy activities to choose from outside of school hours. We are already looking forward to skating with you all again next September.
You can help make this event accessible to more families next year. Donations can still be made to our Amazon wish list so even more skaters can participate in 2025, at www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/M2JUX1UE3OP?ref_=wl_share.