Lace Up, Bring Your Best Playlist Spirit and Roll Into a Sunday That Feels a Little Lighter
Sylvie Belmond 
Image Credit Tony Smith - Whether you’re steady on wheels or just learning, there’s a place for you at Lemon Park. Simi on Skates rolls every Sunday morning (except the third). Follow @simionskates on Instagram for updates.
From Venice Beach to Lemon Park, Simi finds its skating groove
(CLAIR | Simi Valley, CA) — Decades after four-wheel rollerskates and disco beats defined weekend fun, that same easy rhythm is gliding back into Simi Valley.
On the first, second and fourth Sunday of each month, a group of local residents meets at the Lemon Park basketball courts from 9 to 10:30 a.m. to roll, dance and reconnect through the simple joy of skating.
What began in June as a weekend project for Tony Smith and his wife has turned into a small but growing community of skaters rediscovering the fun of being on wheels. Smith said the idea came after they watched Roller Dreams, the documentary about Venice Beach’s roller-dance scene of the early 1980s. The film’s spirit of joy and motion inspired them to lace up and learn.
With no roller rink nearby, the couple decided to make the park their open-air rink. “While we were out there, it hit me — we couldn’t be the only ones who wanted this,” Smith said. They wanted to share that feeling, spreading the word through flyers and social media, and people started showing up.
“There are no expectations, just people coming together to skate, learn and have fun,” Smith said. The gatherings are informal — anyone can drop by, whether on classic quad rollerskates or modern inline blades.
Their young son now joins in, learning to balance and glide alongside adults who, like his parents, picked up skating for the first time. “We’ve had kids as young as four and skaters well into their 60s,” Smith said. “It connects people across generations and backgrounds.”
Music is at the heart of the scene. Smith brings a portable speaker and a playlist that bridges eras — “Boogie Shoes,” “Stayin’ Alive,” “Skate” by Bruno Mars, “Yeah!” by Usher. “The goal is simple,” he said. “Create a soundtrack that makes people smile, move and feel the groove.”
Skating comes in many forms — competitive roller hockey, artistic performance, and casual laps at local rinks. Ventura County once had several of those, including the Roller Dome in Thousand Oaks that closed in 2010.
The Tri-Valley Roller Hockey League, started by Simi brothers Walt, Ned and Ric Collins, operated youth and adult programs for nearly 30 years at outdoor rinks in Calabasas and Moorpark. A comment on the league’s 2022 Facebook retirement post also recalled early games in Simi Valley — a sign of how widely the Collins brothers’ program once reached across the region.
From organized roller-hockey leagues to informal Sunday skate sessions, Simi Valley’s connection to wheels has never really gone away — it just keeps evolving.
On Monday, Nov. 10, Smith said 13 people joined the most recent Simi on Skates gathering at Lemon Park — the biggest turnout yet. “Definitely good vibes all around,” he said.
That’s what Simi on Skates is all about: community, energy and the reminder that fun doesn’t have to be complicated. So lace up, bring your best playlist spirit and roll into a Sunday that feels a little lighter.
The group meets at the Lemon Park basketball courts on the first, second and fourth Sundays from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Follow @simionskates on Instagram for updates and photos.
I’m bummed for the rain this weekend! But see next time.