Longmont Roll-O-Rena owner remembered for legacy of entertainment

Oct. 28—Delmar Jones had many unique hobbies and interests, but if one stands out above the others, it's roller-skating.

"It just was in his blood to skate," said JoAnn Jones, Delmar's wife of 70 years.

Delmar Jones died earlier this month at 95, leaving behind a legacy of service to Longmont as the founder of roller-skating rinks that brought joy to families for decades. Together, he and his wife managed three rinks in the city from the early 1950s through the mid-1980s.

"We'd get skaters from Lafayette, from Louisville, from Frederick, from everywhere," JoAnn Jones said. "And we were proud of our business, that was for sure."

Delmar Jones was born in Longmont in 1927 and grew up in Niwot. After graduating from Longmont High School, he attended the University of Nebraska. There, he was introduced to roller-skating, and a lifelong passion for the sport began.

In 1950, Delmar Jones began putting on roller-skating events in the gym of the St. Vrain Memorial Building in Roosevelt Park. Those events proved to be popular among Longmont residents and paved the way for the first Roll-O-Rena, which opened on South Main Street in 1952.

Skating was a connecting thread between Delmar and JoAnn, who met each other at a rink in Boulder. JoAnn Jones' father built the original Roll-O-Rena and included an apartment above the rink for his daughter and Delmar to live in.

"The day we opened ... people were lined up to come in," JoAnn Jones said. "That was our first home, and that was the first Longmont skating rink."

After spending eight years in Colorado Springs — the home of the second Roll-O-Rena — JoAnn and Delmar Jones moved back to Longmont in 1968. They then opened two more skating rinks in Longmont: Al-Du-Rena in 1970 and the third and final Roll-O-Rena on Sunset Street in 1979.

The family kept their rinks kid-friendly, giving students free admission if they got an "A" on their report cards and hosting "thousands" of birthday parties, according to JoAnn Jones. The rinks were places where kids could hang out after school, and themed parties were big hits on holidays like Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve.

"We had 600 (skaters) almost every Friday night," said Delmar and JoAnn's son, Duane Jones.

JoAnn Jones said her husband prioritized letting people, especially kids, skate regardless of their skill level.

"He said, 'It's got to be for everybody,'" JoAnn Jones said. "You don't have to be a pro, you don't have to take lessons, (but) you have to be participating. And that's what he lived by."

For Delmar and JoAnn's three children, roller-skating has also been a big part of their lives, each learning to skate at a young age. Their daughter Doreen Schmidt remembers running the snack bar at the third Roll-O-Rena while her brothers repaired skates and played music.

"Basically, we learned to walk on skates," Schmidt said.

The Joneses sold the Roll-O-Rena in 1986. In their retirement, Delmar and JoAnn traveled frequently, driving around the country to visit every state in the U.S. Delmar Jones also picked up artistic projects including painting, woodcarving and building model planes.

In addition to his contributions to roller-skating in Longmont, Delmar Jones is also remembered for his military service and flying ability. At 17, he became the first flying student to perform a solo takeoff from the city's Vance Brand Municipal Airport. He would later serve in the U.S. Army from 1946 until 1948.

JoAnn Jones said people who grew up with the Roll-O-Rena will often tell her they wish their grandchildren had a similar place to skate in Longmont today. Looking back, she said running the rinks could be tough, but she and Delmar were both deeply satisfied with what they accomplished.

"We're proud of what we did, and serving the community," JoAnn Jones said. "We didn't do a lot of other stuff, but we did entertain their kids, that I know."