Family who owned Sunrise Rollerland for 50 years celebrates final day operating rink
Sunrise Rollerland saw one last skate Sunday before the business would change forever.
Located at 6001 Sunrise Vista Drive in Citrus Heights, Sunrise Rollerland has been owned and operated by the Neutz family for over 50 years. Now, the business is being sold.
While owners Ken and Kathy Neutz said the sale is still being finalized, Sunday was the business’s last day of skating. The planned new owner has experience running roller rinks and plans to keep the business open, Kathy Neutz said.
“It’s going to open again as a rink,” Kathy said. “That was our goal.”
The couple purchased the rink in 2000 from Ken’s parents, who had owned it since it was built in 1973. The Neutzes say they are ready for retirement, but it is hard to let go of the rink.
Ken said he has had tears in his eyes all day watching people come for the final skate. He said three generations of his family have worked at the rink, and it was “bittersweet” to see the family business come to an end.
Kathy said the most rewarding parts of running the rink were watching kids and families learn how to skate, as well as helping employees, many who were working for the first time, learn and grow. Old employees, including those who opened up the rink in 1973 with Ken’s parents, keep in touch often and planned to come visit for the last skate, the couple said.
The rink was a unique part of history, Kathy said, one of the world’s last remaining rotunda rinks, where the wooden planks on the ground are curved. Ken’s parents also influenced how rinks were ran in the area, the two said.
“We ran it how he ran it,” Ken said, saying the two followed his dad’s plan and echoed his sentiments of valuing and teaching employees.
The Neutzes estimated 400 people would skate Sunday. People waiting in line to enter the rink chatted about growing up in the area and spending weekends skating at Sunrise Rollerland.
One skater, Wren Rowinski, said there were too many birthdays spent here to count.
“It's a second home,” Rowinski, 30, said.
Rowinski’s sister Conna Moran, 34, said their mother lives out of state and was not able to travel to the rink for its closure, so the group was planning to take pictures and teach a toddler with the group to skate.
The toddler was the third generation in their family to skate at Sunrise Rollerland, echoing the three generations of Neutzes who worked at the rink.
