Reminisce About Empire’s Roller Disco Heyday at the Brooklyn Public Library
For a brief time, roller disco ruled and while the doors to the Empire closed in 2007, the stories of the community that formed there left an indelible mark.
It was a skating craze that had its roots in Brooklyn and the Empire. For a brief time, roller disco ruled and while the doors to the Empire closed in 2007, the stories of the community that formed there left an indelible mark.
Learn more about the history, places and culture that were part of the movement with community activist Reggie Brown and the Brooklyn Collection of the Brooklyn Public Library. Brown, a roller-skating ambassador and part of the HBO documentary “United Skates,” will share his knowledge of the movement and the ultimate disappearance of roller skating rinks from the Brooklyn landscape.
The talk is in conjunction with the exhibition “Empire Skate: The Birthplace of Roller Disco” organized by the City Reliquary Museum and on display at the Central Library through March 29. You can learn more about the exhibition here.
The conversation with Reggie Brown takes place on Wednesday, January 30 at the Central Library at 10 Grand Army Plaza. There will be a reception at 6:30 p.m. and then the talk kicks off at 7 p.m. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.
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- Past and Present: The Empire Rollerdrome
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