Bust out your roller skates, Cranbrook, because a new and exciting endeavour from a local D.J. is on the way. As of April, the Cranbrook Curling Centre will be transformed, every Saturday, into a roller skate club.
Keon Chung, owner of Just Music in Cranbrook, has been wanting to pursue this dream for several years. Owning a music store, Chung is also a D.J. for many local and regional events.
Since COVID-19 put a screeching halt to many events over the past few years, Chung decided to go ahead with Roller Skate Cranbrook and is set to have the first night on April 2, 2022.
“I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while now, the past several years anyway. I’ve been looking for the right facility, the right time,” Chung said. “Normally, it would be something I would do as a one-off, being a D.J. But with the curling rink having little to no events going on during the off-season, I thought it would be the perfect venue for a bi-weekly roller skating night.”
Saturdays from 5p.m. to 11p.m., on a bi-weekly basis, the curling rink will transform into a disco, 80’s night, or other themed skate. Chung says there will be dance-party lighting, a concession, and the potential for live bands and live D.J.’s.
General admission will be $10, and there will be limited rentals available for $15. As per provincial regulations, Chung says everyone must be double vaccinated and have the QR code vaccine card or government documents in order to participate.
“I think it will be a fun thing for the community. So far we’ve had great response on our Facebook group and people seem excited for something new and different,” Chung said.
He adds that the curling rink capacity is large, so it will most likely be a drop-in style for admission.
“Now that we know what events look like in terms of COVID-19, with vaccinations and vaccine passes, it’s a little easier to plan ahead,” Chung said.
“We’re also looking for local sponsors, contractors and volunteers,” Chung adds. “We’re hoping to have tiered sponsorships. One idea being that a sponsor covers admission charges so we can have free entry nights. We’re also looking for sponsors for door prizes, etc.
“Any local contractors that want to help out, we’ll be building ramps and rails, signage… And of course, volunteers. We’re looking to get a team of volunteers together, and they’ll be able to skate for free.”
Anyone interested can join the ‘Roller skate Cranbrook’ group on Facebook to follow along for updates. Chung also suggests that closer to, people check out the event pages for each night and RSVP, so they have a better idea of capacity limits and who will be attending.
corey.bullock@cranbrooktownsman.com
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