Fun Park extends closing time for ‘Sk80s Night’
Dust off those old skates, pull on that spandex, shake out those leg warmers and don those crazy wigs because the Cache Valley Fun Park extended the hours of its weekly 80’s Disco Skate Night.
“It’s one of the most fun things to do on a Tuesday evening instead of sitting at home,” said Dean Trammel, an undeclared freshman.
Starting Tuesday, Sept. 29, 80’s Skate Night or “Sk80’s Night” extended closing time until midnight instead of 11 p.m. Starting at 9 p.m. at the Cache Valley Fun Park at 255 E 1770 N, this attraction makes Tuesdays one of the most popular nights at the park, said general manager Gary Wiser.
“We do it on our discount day,” Wiser said. “So it makes it an affordable activity for the students.”
Held on what the Fun Park calls $2.50 Tuesdays, general admission and roller skating is $2.50 per person instead of the normal $4.00. Renting skates costs another $2.50 instead of $3.00 on other days.
“Once people know about it, they’re excited to come,” Wiser said. “What’s really fun about it is when they dress up in the old 80’s disco style clothing. That just adds a whole different flavor to it, I guess, makes it a whole lot more fun.”
Attendance generally increases as the school year progresses, Wiser said. As the attendance increases, so does the number of students who come dressed up in 80’s attire.
“The popularity’s waned and come back,” Wiser said. “It’s depended on us to get the word out that it’s actually taking place.”
The Fun Park uses social media, flyers and word-of-mouth to attract students to the park’s attractions. Periodically, a few employees skate around campus dressed up in 80’s attire to advertise and pass out flyers.
“I looked it up,” Trammel said on how he found out about Sk80’s night. “I wasn’t going to go to a school without disco skating there. I used to go every Saturday night up in California.”
Other students go because they hear about Sk80’s from a friend or a roommate. Once they come, they often stick around, Wiser said.
“Once people come, then they are more likely to come on a regular basis,” Wiser said. “We have a fairly dedicated group of followers for the Sk80’s night.”
Other popular Fun Park attractions include country swing dancing on Wednesday and Friday nights, laser tag, arcade games, bowling and billiards tables. Which are usually full most nights, Wiser said.
“When there’s a crowd, it attracts more people,” Wiser said. “That and then when they come, they see, ‘Hey this is a fun place, I need to come go play a game of laser tag, come bowl or whatever.’ So [Sk80’s Night is] a good night for us to let the college kids know that we’re here and it’s a fun place to come.”
Someone coming to Sk80’s Night for the first time can expect to see students rollerblading or rollerskating around the indoor skating rink to music from the 1980s. They can come dressed up or in normal clothes, alone or with a group of friends.
“This is our first time here, but it’s like so much fun,” said Hannah Lewis, a freshman in communication disorders and deaf education. “In like five minutes it’s like stress free and you can relax and just have a good time.”
Compared to normal skating where a playlist runs throughout the day, Wiser said Sk80’s has a live DJ who takes requests from the crowd.
“It’s just fun,” Wiser said. “Kids having fun and meeting each other and finding a common ground. It’s fun to see.”
Legend has it, Wiser said, that the idea for Sk80’s Night came from employees inspired by episodes involving roller disco from the TV program “That 70’s Show.”
“That was started before I came on board and we just kept the tradition,” he said. “I love it because it’s a fun excuse to get together, for the kids to have fun and it’s not sitting on the couch, you know?”
— lormialor@gmail.com