Former Hudson Valley ‘Roofathon’ Location to be Transformed

The site of those legendary Roofathon fundraisers from the 1990s is about to undergo a major transformation.

If you lived in the Hudson Valley thirty years ago, you probably remember the annual MDA fundraiser that would take place in Wappingers Falls. The WPDH airstaff would take over 7-Eleven at the corner of Route 9 and Old Hopewell Road, broadcasting from the store's roof and collecting donations from cars passing by.

Roofathon reached its peak in the late 90s before New York State authorities stopped the radio station from collecting on Route 9 due to an increase in traffic and the potential for injury.

Although Roofathon continued into the 2000s at other locations, the fundraiser was never able to live up to its former glory after being forced off of the 7-Eleven roof. As telethon fundraisers also began to decline, including the cancellation of the Jerry Lewis MDA show on Labor Day weekend, the Roofathon eventually faded away.

Original Roofathon Location in Wappingers to be Transformed

After 7-Eleven closed, the former Roofathon site was taken over by various gas stations including Gulf and, most recently, Citgo. Now, Citgo is planning to knock down its gas pumps, add new fueling stations, change its parking lot and completely redesign its storefront.

Paperwork filed with the Town of Wappingers is seeking permission from the owners for a structural remodel of the gas station that would include tearing down the existing gas pumps and relocating them with one extra pump and canopy. The existing traffic flow in and out of the lot would also be removed and replaced with new flow signals and pavement.

The look of the convenience store will also be drastically different, with the front doors relocated to the left side of the building.

It's unclear when the remodel of Citgo will take place once the plans are approved by the town.