The rollerskating rink is one of the places where african-americans have adapted bland American pastimes and to vital subcultures and enable people to express their individuality together Take escape people from all over the world enjoy what is called artistic roller skating but Baltimore sometimes called snap city has its own flair because of the personalities drawn to the center shakin bacon is more than just a roller skating rink after closing down for repairs in August of 2017 it
Recently reopened and continues to be a staple in Baltimore and the roller skating community beyond the way it’s been for decades we skate religiously we come here it’s like a big family everybody knows everyone’s name and when it closed down it was a sadness and now
That it’s open back up if you look out on the floor everyone’s happy smiling enjoying the music the music’s good so we love the big I appreciate it being open jaqen big family fun center sits on the historic Pennsylvania Avenue once known as a popular black entertainment hub where businesses drived and black
Performers could showcase their talent without Jim Crow segregation the sensor holds both rollerskating and a bowling alley in the front of the building is named after bacon baked was originally started by NFL star and Baltimore Colts wide receiver Glenn shake-and-bake dowdy in 1982 dowdy was a popular charismatic star who even penned
A song after himself using a band made up entirely of Baltimore Coast players the Family Fun Center was the first of its kind with over 70,000 square feet dowdy secured over 5.2 million dollars in funding at the recent reopening dowdy took shots at present-day athletes like Colin Kaepernick and their protests of
Police shooting unarmed black men saying that instead of protesting he opened the building for the community athletes who were protesting we wasn’t protesting in 1982 we were building this cause we didn’t just talk we got it done but when shaken big first opened world-famous boxing champion Muhammad Ali was there
At the same time he was the controversial athletic figure because of his stance against racism and the Vietnam War and his conversion to Islam but building for the community is hard especially to sustain only three years after opening shaken big doubt he struggled financially and had trouble
Making loan payments so he sold it to the city of Baltimore the city has owned the building since 1985 and installed Anthony Williams senior as its operator and manager where he remained for almost three decades until the recent closure forced him out when I shut it down you two thought I
Shut down heaven but all politics aside people from the community want this building to stay and thrive for many roller-skating is a therapeutic release a fun physical activity it is dancing on wheels but it is often a community a safe space a reunion in the 80s and 90s
When West Baltimore like many urban areas was facing the crack epidemic shake-and-bake was a place for young people to escape in 2015 it was near the heart of the uprising following the death of Freddie gray in 2016 when acclaimed Baltimore rapper lore scooter was murdered people young and old blocked off Pennsylvania
Avenue where he grew up to celebrate his life where did they gather you guessed it right in front of shakin big the city of Baltimore invested nearly three hundred thousand dollars and to reopening shaken be the brand-new floors lights roof kitchen and heating system were all essential renovations for many
Of the old-timers the new shaken bake is not perfect people complain about the branding of the bake but in a neighborhood and serious need of resources shake and bake represents the relationship that can exist between the community government and those who have a love for shaking baking and
Rollerskating for the real news network with will arenas uneasy Jackson
source
