Folks will be kicking it — and gliding it — old style from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, when Matthew Way and Andre Hodges take to their turntables and host a free-to-attend roller disco and dance party in downtown Elgin at Festival Park.
“I can’t emphasize the dance part enough,” said Way, who goes by DJ Way when working the wheels of steel.
Way, a Chicago-area native who now lives in Elgin, said he used to skate at roller rinks in his youth. His fascination with roller disco grew while attending The Juilliard School in New York City in the mid-1980s, where he learned about the Central Park Dance Skaters Association.
“They’ve been around since the 1970s, and they put on free, open-air, family-friendly roller skating parties in the park with live DJ music,” Way said.
While becoming a classically trained bass and double bass player, Way also developed a passion for Chicago house music and took to becoming a DJ, too.
Way wound up living in New York for 15 years, where he not only worked as a musician, but also as an extra in TV and movies, then as a fundraiser. He’s lived in Detroit, Beijing and Miami, too.
Way has called Elgin home for three years and is a development manager for the charitable foundation at Advocate Sherman Hospital.
After moving to Elgin, Way became friends with Hodges — aka DJ Dre — in part because of their shared interest in dance music and rollerskating.
“We both remember being dropped off as kids at roller rinks to go skating,” Way said.
“I was big into it. We went skating because that’s where the girls were — and I loved rolling on wheels, flying and gliding through the air,” Hodges said.
Hodges also developed a love of dance music and has been a DJ for 35 years. He has hosted September “We in the Basement” dance parties in Elgin’s Wing Park Bandshell since 2018. Those featured rap, reggae, soul and banda performers, along with DJs.
Delays with permits mean that event won’t happen this year, Hedges said, so he and Way are devoting their energy to the family-friendly Festival Park fling. The two are finding funding for the event themselves and are paying Elgin for use of the park and other services.
In addition to skating, Hedges said K’s Ultimate Vending will be at the event with a truck onsite selling food, candy and beverages. People are welcome to bring their own eats, too, Way said, along with blankets and chairs to enjoy the event.
A concrete pad near the Grand Victoria Casino that has been used for concerts will serve as the roller skating area, the men said, and up to 40 people will be allowed to skate at one time. A rain date of Saturday, Aug, 24 has been set.
However, those who want to skate will need to bring their own equipment. The first 50 guests will receive coupons to Xtreme Wheels in Crystal Lake.
The men also stressed that their event isn’t just for skaters, but will be a dancers paradise with them mixing house, soul and disco beats and tunes for all to enjoy.
“Our music is for everybody to skate, dance or to listen to. It will be a family affair,” Way said.
Past the Festival Park event, Hedges, who works by day as an electrical foreman at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, will be preparing for a big gig.
The details are being ironed out, and Hedges said he’ll be a DJ for at least one afterparty for those attending the Democratic National Convention in the Windy City.
