Thousands of people turned out for the final day at Lloyd’s Rollersports Centre on Macleod Trail S,E., closing its doors after generations in the City of Calgary.

The rink has been a special place for people over the years, many of whom learned to skate for the very first time within those walls.

The line up on Sunday went all around the building, filled with eager people trying to get one last skate in before the building shuts down for good.

“Twice a week for about two years. This is the way I train for roller derby. I am a positive thinker and believe that something new is going to pop up. We all play roller derby so we skate every day anyways, but it’s a little iconic, it’s weird to see it go,” said Michelle Serpanchy.

Some people, like Dean Scott, grew up in the area and has been going there since he was eight years old.

“I’ve been coming here my whole life, so, I was hoping it wasn’t going to be the last day.”

Sam, his daughter, says it’s sad to see the building close.

“I know it’s really important to my dad, so I went on Friday night and then I texted him to ask if he wanted to come today.”

For others, Lloyd’s has been a place where they could do everything.

“This was kind of a home away from home for me. I used to figure skate here and session skate and everything so it’s nice to bring my kids for their first and last time,” said Karen Lobsinger.

She says that she first came for different events and soon got into competitive skating.

“I competed for a number of years, coached and judged. It’s been a big part of my life for 20 plus years.”

Lobsinger says that she’s disappointed that her kids won’t have the same experience.

“The memories will always stay. I’m just upset that my kids won’t be able to experience the same kind of things that I did. It’s been a great place to grow up and come as a teenager and be inside and hang out with friends.”

One man at the rink on Sunday says he’s been there nearly every day.

“I’ve been skating since day one until day close. I skated in the old rink which is where Parks Canada is now,” said Colin Branner.

He says the rink was a great place for youth in the community.

“The number of kids that have been saved from going into the legal system because they had a clean outlet; I just can’t imagine it not being here. “

The rink was established by Lloyd and Flo Cooper, a Calgary couple who wanted to have a place in the city for youth and families to gather and have fun.

The couple has since passed away and in their will, they wanted their estate, worth approximately $18M, to be donated to the Calgary Health Trust and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Austin Giles, a spokesperson for Lloyd’s, says the rink has been a special place for a very long time in Calgary.

“It’s special for staff, all the regulars who have come here for so many years and of course the public as well. We’ve seen literally thousands of people each week come down over the last few months.”

Giles says that it takes a lot to keep the rink open and he’s glad to see so many people come out to support it before it shuts down.

“It’s just amazing the turnout we’ve seen and it’s so special for so many people in the city.”

The rink has been at capacity each weekend in the lead up to its final closure. On Saturday alone, they had 2,700 people visit.

(With files from Ina Sidhu)