And not only is the program still running, it’s as active as it’s ever been.

“Our recreation director Mark Benton asked me to come down last week to make sure everything was running smoothly,” said Village Trustee Carol Sheibley. “And I was shocked to see that there were about 80 to 90 kids there skating.”

And no one would know the success of the program better than Sheibley, who has been involved with the program since she started her teaching career in the late 50s. At that point, the program took place in the second gym behind the elementary school, and featured two levels of skating, with kids in kindergarten through third grade skating in the lower gym, while kids in grades four through six were in the upper gym. While the layout of that building has changed, the location of the skating has not changed in the nearly 70 years it has been ongoing. And the recent spike in attendance has been intriguing for Sheibley.

For all of December, somewhere between 25 and 35 kids had been attending, but January featured much stronger attendance. While Sheibley doesn’t have an exact answer, her theory is that it’s simply something for younger kids to do.

Submitted Photos Pictured are children roller skating at the Healthy Community Alliance.

“Older children can join a sports team but the elementary aged children don’t have much to tie into,” said Sheibley. “And I think the parents appreciate that too. Lots of parents were there with their children.”

Gowanda Mayor Dave Smith said that he loves how the tradition has survived all these years and is excited to see how it continues to thrive as the years go on.

“The greatest thing about it is that it’s an old tradition that goes back almost 70 years,” said Smith. “Through the efforts of Mark, Carol, and others, this tradition has been kept alive. The community loves it, they look forward to it, and it’s a tradition we are proud to keep going to keep the community active.”

Sheibley said they try to have several different programs throughout the year, for kids of all ages, and while roller skating has ended for the year, there will be more opportunities for children in Gowanda to participate in as the year goes on.