McHenry County businesses step up to preserve Just for Fun Roller Rink in McHenry

McHENRY – In an era when causes spread through online donations and hashtags, an old-fashioned, word-of-mouth campaign unfolded this summer inside a McHenry roller rink in disrepair and on the brink of closing.

When a GoFundMe page aimed at the community fell thousands short of its $100,000 target, Toby Tagliapietra and Lisa Duncan, owners of Just for Fun Roller Rink, looked at their balance sheet and knew they didn’t have enough extra money to upgrade the floors, lights, bathrooms and vestibule to their family entertainment business.

The aging building, which opened in 1935 as a dance hall and turned into roller rink by 1945, appeared destined for closure 14 years after Tagliapietra and Duncan first owned Just for Fun Roller Rink in McHenry.

But then, Scott Humphrey, owner of Audio Specialties in Cary, stopped to see the rink firsthand in early July after his nieces alerted his attention to stories on Facebook about Just for Fun’s online campaign.

“I saw where they were and literally just started calling some buddies in the trades. I got them involved. We started calling some of our referrals that we use in the business,” Humphrey said. “It trickled down to where it is today.”

Shortly after Humphrey’s visit, momentum started to build. Humphrey’s friends in the business world contacted their friends in the business world, as the grassroots campaign grew.

More than 20 businesses around McHenry County ultimately contributed money, equipment, manpower and supplies to help Tagliapietra and Duncan make the needed repairs and refurbish the look of Just for Fun Roller Rink.

Their contributions were invaluable, Tagliapietra said.

“There’s nothing we can do to repay what they’ve done,” he said.

Interested residents can see the new-look roller rink for the first time during a grand re-opening event starting at 6 p.m., Saturday. Just for Fun will offer free food, raffle prizes and $1 admission to kick start a new beginning.

At the ceremonious event, customers immediately should notice the changes, Duncan said. The redesigned vestibule features new, exposed woodwork and display cases that will house historical items related to the roller rink and building.

The old western-style saloon doors in the bathrooms are gone, as part of numerous interior upgrades. The seating area that lines the roller rink features new flooring and carpeting. The redesigned concession stand lined with new LED lighting also has new diamond-plate countertops.

A new HVAC system should adequately heat and cool the building. The 1940s scoreboard above the roller rink floor lights up for the first time in years, complementing enhanced audio and video equipment, Duncan said.

“People can come see how the community saved this place,” she said. “Let’s build more memories for the future, keep it alive.”

Michael Dougherty from MKD Contracting thought of his seven grandchildren who live in the McHenry area when he heard about Just for Fun’s needs from Humphrey.

Known as the architect behind the upgrades, Dougherty said he wanted to preserve the business for children who need a safe and fun recreational outlet.

Likewise, Jim M’Lady, who owns M’Lady Nissan in Crystal Lake, thought of his childhood when he read about Just for Fun’s situation in the newspaper earlier this summer.

A large contributor, M’Lady donated the money to cover the HVAC system and reached out to Black Diamond Plumbing and Mechanical Inc., in Crystal Lake to handle the installation, along with making other financial contributions.

“I belonged to a boys club when I was kid. ... It was instrumental in giving me structure in my life,” M’Lady said. “I was thinking about the same thing with this business. Without it, where else would kids go?”

OUTBOX

If you go:

• Public can attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Just for Fun Roller Rink at 11 a.m., Friday, Sept. 11 at the rink, 914 N. Front St., McHenry

• The grand re-opening event, featuring $1 admission and prizes, starts at 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 12 at Just for Fun Roller Rink.