Lacing up a pair of skates and rolling around the rink is a memory that many people in Central Georgia have.
“I’ve been coming here since I was probably 8 years old, and ever since, it’s been one of my favorite places to come and hangout,” Nathan Robinson said.
For the generations before, Robinson many enjoyed coming to the Bibb Skate Arena on Highway 247.
“I’ve heard my grandparents tell me stories about them coming here when they were kids,” Robinson said.
Now, future Central Georgians won't get to glide around on the old wooden floor.
“They want to play with their telephones or they want to sit at home and watch movies,” Jon Skelly said.
Skelly’s owned the arena for the past 45 years. He says it’s time to move on, and that’s why he decided to sell the rink.
“We've been told officially that they were going to keep it as a skating rink, but unofficially, since we closed, that they've changed their mind,” Skelly said. “They want to do a Hispanic cultural center.”
He says it'll be tough to walk out the door knowing it will be the last time, but most of all, he says he'll miss the people.
“I appreciate their business all the years and we hope we helped some of them grow up,” Skelly said.
Robinson is one of them that grew up at the arena. He says he can find a new place to skate and play hockey, but it won’t be the same.
“I look at them like family, you know, because over the years, we've built up this bond, and then to see it go, it’s a sad thing,” Robinson said.
The Middle Georgia Derby Demons call the Bibb Skate Arena home, but now they'll be forced to find a new place to practice.