One of Chattanooga’s most distinctive summer community gatherings is the Summer Skate Night Series in the St. Elmo community, put on by the City of Chattanooga’s Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy Department in partnership with Dazey Skate Company and Food Trappers Union.
The Summer Skate Night Series will be hosting a special themed event on the evening of Friday, June 5th, entitled Summer Skate Night: Soul Roll, which is designed to celebrate Black Music Appreciation Month and to bring the community together for a night of family-friendly skating, coupled with incredible R&B and hip-hop classic hits, which is sure to bring folks out to the skating rink floor.
The event is set for a big, one-night-only celebration and skating experience, featuring four incredible food trucks, free rentals for the first 30 people, and a live DJ spinning soul, hip-hop, and R&B hits all night long.
Guests can expect a fun, inclusive, and community-oriented skate night under the St Elmo Pavilion in case of rain, one dedicated to celebrating movement, summer fun, and music during Black Music Appreciation Month. The Summer Skate Night series also offers other themed skating nights coming up, such as Y2K Rewind on July 10th and a Boogie Wonderland-themed event happening on August 1st.
There is no shortage of incredible programming that The Summer Skate Night Series puts on, and Soul Roll might just be one of the more enjoyable, unique, and celebratory events, taking place right in time for summer before the heat becomes too demanding.
In conversation with Randi Franklin, the owner of Dazey Skate Company, she highlighted the significance of the community-oriented Soul Roll skate night, attributing its success to its ability to bring folks together with others in an effort to honour Black Music Appreciation Month and celebrate Black culture.
“Although this is the first year for the Summer Skate series, it is actually the third year for Soul Roll. Soul Roll was created by Carmen Elliott with the City of Chattanooga’s Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy office as a way to celebrate Black Music Appreciation Month. There is a deep connection between roller skating and Black culture that we want to highlight and celebrate.
During the segregation of roller rinks in the early 20th century, Black skaters were only given one night a week to skate. These nights were often referred to as “Soul Night” and are the foundation for popularised modern skating. Black skaters revolutionised the skate world by combining disco dance styles with skating and pioneering “dance skating” as we know it today. It is so important that we recognise and honour the contributions Black communities and Black creatives made to roller skating as a whole.”
Originally titled African-American Music Appreciation Month and created by Jimmy Carter in 1979, the month is dedicated every year to the pioneering and groundbreaking musical works of Black musicians and singer-songwriters throughout the decades, honouring their massive contributions collectively to American and global cultures. At its heart, it honours the foundational genres shaped and created by the Black experience, spanning gospel, jazz, R&B, blues, rock and roll, and hip-hop.
In speaking with Randi about the response from the community, she mentioned that it has been phenomenal, and that one of the most rewarding parts about putting on the event is being able to see people reconnect with parts of themselves from their early days or childhood, that they hadn’t experienced in years.
“The response has been incredible. We have an insanely talented skate community that loves having a new place to groove and show off what they have been working on. From the college community, we have heard how refreshing it is to have something to do on a Friday night that isn’t centred around drinking. And that is actually one of the most rewarding parts, seeing people reconnect with a part of themselves that they hadn’t experienced in years.
We have had people show up saying they haven’t skated since their teen years, and by the end of the night they are laughing, dancing, and completely back in that feeling again. We hear it all the time: “I used to love skating back in the day, but I would break a leg now.” It’s always good to be cautious, but that is not true. We have skate helpers, protective gear, and people willing to help. We have had skaters in their late 60s and 70s moving and grooving at our events. You’re never too old to roll.”
When asked about the plans to expand the series and Soul Roll in the next few years, Randi mentioned that they are always looking for opportunities to grow the event, and that they have some exciting improvements happening at the Chatt Town Skate Park.
“We hope to continue the series as well as Soul Roll in future years, and of course we are always looking for opportunities to grow and expand our events. We are so grateful to have the incredible support from the City of Chattanooga and Outdoor Chattanooga for our small business as well as the skate community as a whole. We have some really exciting improvements happening at Chatt Town Skate Park, including a full concrete park and pavilion-style covering for the hockey rink.
We are so pumped to play a part in activating that space in the future. We are always welcome to new partnerships and opportunities. If you have an idea for a skate event or want to be a part of what we are doing, we would love to hear from you. But for now, be sure to come skate with us on June 5th for Soul Roll, as well as July 10th and August 7th for the final two dates of the Summer Skate series.”
Summer Skate Nights: Soul Roll is designed not to be a competition but is instead built as a reflection of the broader mission of the St. Elmo community, where the event is happening and where they are working hard to be as community-oriented as possible, with the skate night reflecting that mission perfectly, bringing folks together for a night of movement, socialising, incredible music, food, and vibes, all immersed in a celebration of Black culture and Black Music Appreciation Month. This is a night not to be missed, so lace up your roller skates and head down to the Calvary Pavilion in St. Elmo for an evening of free, community-oriented roller skating.
Summer Skate Nights: Soul Roll.
