It's the last skate for Palatine's Orbit Skate Center
The final Saturday afternoon at the Orbit Skate Center in Palatine was much like any other. Beneath neon lights, kids, teens, adults and seniors skated counterclockwise to Top 40 tunes. The more experienced wove effortlessly between their fellow skaters or claimed the center oval, which offered room to show off their moves.
The youngest patrons used triangular skate trainers to navigate the rink. Other neophytes shuffled tentatively along its perimeter, clutching the painted brick wall in an effort to remain upright. Employee guards, dressed in black-and-white-striped shirts, patrolled the rink assisting the fallen and ushering them off the rink.
In the concession area, families gathered for pizza and soft drinks. In a separate room, kids celebrated birthdays.
For A.J. Malpani, of Vernon Hills, Saturday was a typical weekend at the Orbit.
Except it wasn't. Saturday marked the end of Orbit's 46-year run as one of the suburbs popular gathering spots. Citing the high cost of running the facility, owner Sandra Levin announced earlier this month that the rink would close March 31.
Malpani doesn't skate but his children do. They frequented Orbit during the summers. Hearing it was closing, they had to visit "one last time," he said.
The Malpani family weren't the only ones eager for one last turn around the rink.
Michal Casement, 31, and her fellow high school dance team members skated there during the early 2000s. She returned Saturday with three Fremd High School graduates.
"We came to relive our glory," laughed Ann-Preston Bosher, 31, of Chicago.
"It brings back a flood of memories," said Casement, of Inverness. "Skating with your crushes ... It was the thing to do."
At the skate rental counter, 17-year-old Nick Rose rushed to fill requests.
Asked what he would do after Saturday's closing, he responded "probably take a nap."
It'll likely be a while before that's possible. Following an all ages skate from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Orbit intended to host an adults-only party from 10 p.m. until early Sunday morning for the old-timers and the loyalists.
"It's going to be busy," said Lee Ann Ladewig, a 13-year Orbit employee.
Since the closing announcement, "people have been coming from out of state to skate here for the last time," she said.
Prospect Height native Karl Morgenthaler, 31, and his girlfriend Claire Vartabedian were among them.
Orbit's closing marks the end of an era, he said.
"It's the nostalgic feel: the neon lights, the games, it's a legit roller jam. It doesn't matter what age you are," he said. "We loved it when we were kids and we love it now."