Mar 7

Mar 7 Ojai at the Roller Disco

Photos by Marc Alt

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Ojai has skating fever.

And why not? Those of us of a certain age are nostalgic for the magical skate parties of our youth. Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” blaring. The speed, the lights, the boys, the pizza.

When we were shooting Biodome Ojai, Joel Fox mentioned that he wanted to visit Skating Plus, Ventura County’s last remaining roller rink, which he had not been to since he was a kid. The universe answered (it always answers people from Ojai) and the next day private chef Chase Elder announced her next Roller Disco Ojai party: March third. Skating Plus. Intergalactic theme. $20 includes rentals and DJ tip.

That’s some solid manifesting, Joel.

I wandered over, a little late, but still somehow way early (the party went to 11 PM), paid up, and went in. The first person I see is designer Johanna Björk, wife of Ojai photographer Marc Alt. She is wearing sparkly leggings and a super high-cut leotard. I’m wearing an oversized men’s sweatshirt and Carol Shaw Sutton’s old khakis. I realize, fuck, I’m underdressed. I’m also extremely nervous, having abandoned skating early in the pandemic, worried I would break my coccyx and catch COVID in the hospital. You remember that feeling. We’ve come a long way, guys.

Joel said he was coming. Is Jennifer Jordan Day coming? Can she skate? Can I skate? I have never met Chase, but I hear she might like cats more than I do, so I’m already feeling territorial. I’m there sans husband. Nicholas Weissman may be a brilliant filmmaker, talented surfer, and badass skier, but you can’t put him on wheels. He falls right down.

Look 👀

They made it!

And boy, can these guys skate…

FAMOUS OJAI SKATERS

Next time you see Joel, ask him about Tarra the Rollerskating Elephant. This wild-caught Burmese elephant resided in Ojai for a spell in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s with her trainer, Carol. It sounds cruel by today’s standards, but by all accounts, Tarra enjoyed skating. Read more about Tarra on OjaiHistory.com.

And then there’s Earth Friend Gen, who terrorized and/or titillated Ojai in the noughties (depends on who you ask), riding her rollerblades up and down Ojai Avenue often in nothing but a g-string and pasties. I hear she’s up in Oregon now.

Jennifer Moss, if you’re reading this, reach out!

OJAI’S TARRA, THE ROLLERSKATING ELEPHANT, CIRCA

The crowd starts filling in, everyone is wearing costumes; doing tricks. I kick myself for not taking advantage of Ojai Skate Club’s monthly meet-ups. I’m rusty and my right hip feels about seventy-five years old. Jennifer’s arms float like a ballerina. Joel is taking video, squatting his lanky frame to catch a wheel-eye view, a human dolly. Marc Alt snaps my photo on each revolution. No, you cannot see them.

Finally, Chase shows up. We exchange a few words about cats and our mutual friend Fran Gealer. I clock the giant, bejeweled scorpion on her belt, but don’t acknowledge what I assume is our astrological kinship. She is all sparkles, serving Queen of the Night. She points out a middle-aged man who is looping around and around, backward the entire way. His name is something like “backward Jimmy.” I request some tricks, but she says her wheels are new and she has to warm up. It’s too bad I have to leave early because the crowd is still pouring in, the DJ is hot, and I bet she broke in those wheels by eleven.

WANT TO JOIN IN THE FUN?

Whether you’re an old pro or just skate-curious, there is a place for you in Ojai’s rollerskating community. You know how we roll. Grab your pasties and join the fun.