The 1970s were a changing timein the world; the Vietnam Warcame to a long-awaited end, the gay rights movement was gaining traction, and punkwas rocking radio stations across the country. It bit hard on Mary (once a beloved lunch lady at my high school) and Lisa (my high-school theater pal) when uber-controversial landlord Ken Wolf mandated upgrades to the building on top of a 40 percent bump in rent. An anonymous doctor had seen fit to bring a bottle of medical-grade quaaludes to the opening, and he began handing them out to everyone in the street. There were no Home owner Associations or water restrictions. Masonic principles of brotherly love, relief and truth. The Red Lion was owned for many of those years by my Uncle Bob, and many, many, Moore celebrations and horror stories played out inside its dankened, darkened corridor. XTC operated from 1986 until 1990. The 1960s and 1970s were so liberal.so what happened? And the, Ink! Send your suggestions to urbansavages@gmail.com. The LGBTQ community at the time had few safe spaces to dance and enjoy themselves, so the Loft, as it became known, was immediately popular. The 1980s Denver punk scene, distinct and separate from that of the 1970s, had a champion in local promoters Tom Headbanger and Jill Mustoffa. 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Years later, my friends and family threw me a farewell party at the Red Lion when I moved to New York. The Paramount, or the Denver. The year was 1974 or 1975. Wikimedia Commons. A group of DJs spin records at a disco club in New York City, 1979. . Wikimedia Commons. 1. was a livelier scene than the Palms or Daveys. Cool, but silly. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! (303) 296-3242www.theretroroom.homestead.com. were mostly the straight friends of the former. That was part of the fun: the idea that people from all walks of life would be hanging out, sharing an experience. In short, Calhoun wrote, this is just the place to get bombed., (Hey, when you cant do better that that, just quote someone who did.). As former Studio 54 manager Scott Bitterman said, "Sally represented the best of the club for me: she was neither rich nor famous. Emerson St. East was a popular nightspot at Colfax and Emerson st. Good food, good brew. Mall where we'd often cruise for guys once again, guys, lol Celebrity Sports Center where we could swim, bowl, arcades & again, meet guys! You most likely wept when the Redskins clobbered our boys the very next year with a score of 42-10. You know, a stones throw from the Arbys drive-through. Well, he's in yard maintenance. Her work can be found here. Paid $14 to get in when the place was 70% empty. The Denver Tea Room The Wellshire The Hungry Farmer Taylor's Supper Club Tommy Wongs Seoritas Cantina, now home to Venice The Reese Coffee House The Tiffan Gator Magoon's Royal Platte River. Witty Westword editor Patricia Calhoun said the highly charged watering hole has long given a whole new meaning to getting lit. She went on to praise the lounges cheap and powerful drinks; its fish fry The club's name stands for Country, Bluegrass, and Blues, which is very early 1970s and also turned out to be wildly inaccurate, because CBGB became known as the epicenter of punk rock and new wave music in the 1970s. And the addresses between the empty lot are 1732 and 1740. WOW. To February 14, 1970, to be exact. Is now: A torn-down vacant lot next to the Bocaza on 17th and Williams. But she was freaked out by the size of the crowd and the weirdness of the setup, and she reportedly sat by herself in one of the balconies and left early, which seems like the right reaction to walking into a club in the middle of Manhattan and finding a farm waiting for you. Wham! It was one big party, and some crazy things happened before people began to realize how much money could be made. Who wouldn't have wanted to be a fly on the wall when people like David Bowie, Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop hung out at a legendary New York club like Max's Kansas City? By Jackson Mc Cutcheon, Over the last half century or so, gay bars and clubs have played a pivotal role for the social hemisphere of the LGBTQ+ community. The Jacksons perform during a concert, circa 1975. . Be sure to watch its website for next throwback night. Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and the Republic of Panama. AsThe New York Timesreports, one of the ways the Mudd Club set itself apart from other places was its willingness to book theme parties. See more images of the 1970s disco scene at. Police stings in Greensboro at a rest area (1983), a mall in Raleigh (1985), and a park in Charlotte as late as 1987. A club that defines one extreme of the 1970s New York club scene was CBGB. Herbert, who opened his first cart with $2,000 in the bank while working as a club DJ, supports local businesses by serving Sweet Action and Little Man ice creams. First published on November 1, 2012 / 12:00 PM. To many of us who attended the old Regis High School, the Hill-top was the first bar we ever attended, as it could be counted upon to serve booze to we wee Jesuit minors. Left: A man blowing a whistle in a sparkling purple outfit dances at Studio 54, 1979. Denver, CO 80203 The Pearl Street Cellar, 921 Pearl St., is now Bacaro Venetian Taverna. Skyrocketing neighboring home values, directly attributable to the risk the Rogers family and others took on 20 years earlier sent them packing like Tevye and his wayward daughters. One of the must visit places is the Tabor Center Mall in downtown Denver. We were there in the days (and nights) when quarters and humping were about the only creative outlets available to us. be 83 units for sale, 53 surrounding the Shrine and approximately 30 A man and woman take center stage on the dance floor at the disco club 2001 Odyssey in Brooklyn, New York, in 1979. Does anyone remember the name of this entertainer? Now priced out of one of the hottest retail blocks in Denver, the holdout owners have now given up the ghost and are moving into the former Western Bowl in, yes, Western Arvada at 10000 Ralston Road. AsThe Daily Beastreports, the real party soon erupted outside the club. The Palms is described as having a neighborhood-clientele. [7] Originally a jukebox joint, it was open seven days a week. Exodus Festival Promo Code 2023February 7, 2023 - 1:50 pm. Whoa baby, I love the 80s! Jones rode in on a motorcycle (as one does). Of the Community project, had his first experience with LGBT nightlife at Daveys in 1977 as an 18-year-old and describes his first encounter as follows: Walking in, the guy at the door scared me to death. For 41 years Blinky the Clown (aka Russell Scott) entertained audiences with Blinky's Fun Club in Denver (and beyond) and holds the record for being both the longest running television host in the nation and the longest running television clown in history. lol. Left: A couple dance at Studio 54 in 1977. Thanks to everyone for the GREAT memories over the years. My older brother told me there was a place on north Federal called Aloha Beach. (720) 542-8024www.thebeautybar.com. They were the warm up group for Bob Seger when Bob's big hit was Nut Bush City Limits. (Pictured: Convair 580 of Aspen Airways in 1986.). I blame myself for the bars closing. I remember the Denver Drumstick. Ah, the good old days. Photos of Decatur in late 1960s and 1970s. swimming pool will be built adjacent to the Shrine building. Located at 2519 High Point Rd (now West Gate City Boulevard), XTC was owned and operated by Liz Hamilton, who previously worked as a bartender at Wham! Photo by dfcphotography, via Flickr. Every Tuesday, you can hear the sounds of Motown, soul and funk. Would have liked to had the option to decline.". Related: Top Ladies' Night Out Bars In Denver, Lodo's Bar & Grill1946 Market St. A club that defines one extreme of the 1970s New York club scene was CBGB. The bar is owned by Sam Roots, who also owns the Providence Tavern in Edgewater. It was a huge space and needed about 1,000 people inside every single night not just on the weekends if it was going to make a dime. Hard to believe the business went downhill after that. 10. Coffee as a cart in Snowmass in 1994 and has since managed to expanded Ink! The New Yorkernotes that Pop was introduced to Bowie at Max's in 1971. A small, dingy place, it boasted some of the most diverse crowds ever, with celebrities like David Bowie or Debbie Harry rubbing elbows with less famous folks to take in some legendary rock shows. Denver, CO 80202 I am trying to recall an entertainer's name that was billed as himself and his "flying piano"! Nothing underscored the fun, anything-could-happen vibe of those times like Sally Lippman. SoCo Nightlife District Denver. The Rogers have since moved Common Grounds into a roastery building they own at 2139 W. 44th Ave. Thats at Vallejo Street in the Sunnyside neighborhood. Several bars in Greensboro during the 1980s and 1990s were not categorically gay bars, but were nevertheless welcomed all sexual orientations, and often attracted a sizeable LGBTQ+ crowd. Club Vinyl Another Wal-Mart. But the only indication of the name is this stencil in the window. Notable bars and clubs included Babylon, The Edge, and even New York Pizza. It's packed every night with people who want to cut loose and dance the night away. Tracks 158 Gay Bars Dance Clubs $$Five Points Good For Dancing "On a girls night out we ended up at the club and danced the night away to awesome 70s & 80s dance." more 2. Send your suggestions to CultureWestJohn@gmail.com, There are still two pool tables and video games. Its a less divey Hill-top. Best 70's and 80's dance clubs near me in Denver, CO Sort:Recommended Price Offers Delivery Offers Takeout 1. Milk Bar is a stylish, black-and-white dance lounge modeled after Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. I was getting into a lot of folk music at the time and they had the folk selection, especially the local label Biscuit City. (The LoDo location remains open.) I remember going downtown and watching the people ice skate and going to Woolworths and having a slice of Pizza.. You know, got up in there and it was all leather daddies. Sigh. 21. Since it's in the downtown area, it's a great place for office workers to stop by and unwind on the way home. I live overseas and have for many years, but I rolled into SE Denver in 1975 as a fun loving 20 year old college student, and have great memories of lots of places. A crowd of dancers at the disco club in New York City, 1978. I honestly thought that number would be higher. Please share your memories in the comments! / CBS Colorado, Beauty Bar A few of mine.. Pictures of New York City during Christmas in the late 1960s and 1970s? Today, The Church is one of Denver nightlife's most iconic venues, having been named by DJ Magazine as one of America's best clubs. As the youngest, I remember stealing away to my orange Volkswagen Bug in the parking lot, where I would slam whatever 3.2 swill I could get my hands on, before rejoining the darts or shuffleboard or whatever else was going on inside. There All. Raleigh Police Tactics Denounced in Court. company called the Shrine Preservation Partners, They are comprised of Native Denverites who have a sensitivity and love for the Only this one will be responsible for the bulldozing of the entire Arvada Plaza Shopping Center. We think we know what club life is all about: dropping beats, overpriced drinks, the politics of the VIP area. The wealthier, straighter, and (let's face it) whiter folks from uptown wanted that energy, and so they would show up for the human scenery. Sigh. Sometimes, we'd start out downtown by going to one of the two or three movie theaters on 16th. Right: Metallic-painted dancers at a disco club perform on stage in New York City, 1978. 11229 CO-93, on the road from Golden to Boulder. Exploring the wilds of Denver, Colorado, and beyond. I thought there were at least that many on 38th Avenue alone. He pondered further, How many secrets of the Government are spilled, because, according to him, perverts and bottle clubs are tolerated in the District of Columbia? [1] After the riots at Stonewall in 1969, the 1970s and 1980s saw a steep climb in both social normality and popularity of gay nightlife as the cornerstone and number one place of social occupancy in the LGBT subculture. This Used to Be: Home to 63 years of striking, sparing, gutterballing, Frenching and motorboating as the closest romantic getaway of choice for generations of horny, less-than-minumum-wage summer workers at the original Elitch Gardens. Because apparently what Arvada really, really needs is another Wal-mart. Didn't go to the Denver one so much, but later, when I was single, my girlfriends and I would go dancing at the Denver Bobby McGee's. 4625 W. 50th Avenue at Utica Street. Love Colorado? The official launch of the nightclub on April 26, 1977, was a glitzy affair. Steve Frumholz for free. It's almost comforting to think that super-famous people find themselves at a loss for small talk just like the rest of us. The Crimson and Gold Inn on South Pearl was one of the first bars in Denver to serve "near beer" in the early days, shortly after its legalization in 1933, and until the law was repealed in 1987, it was perfectly legit for 18 year-olds to buy the low-alcohol brews. And who wouldnt with its neon leg warmers, Ghostbusters, MTV, and Motley Crue? Speaking of ice cream, before the first Chipotle was established at 1644 East Evans Avenue, this was the site of a scrumptious Dolly Madison Ice Cream shop. It is a well-known fact that several restaurants, clubs, and other establishments get most of their support from these sexual perverts, Congressman Arthur L. Miller stated. They had a flute/soprano sax player who was incredible. Each Wednesday from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m., you can get a haircut for $15. Right: A woman enters the dance floor at Studio 54, 1977. AsHyperallergicnotes, she later became punk rock's first openly transgender performer. After high school at the The Lost Knight, Bunnys lounge, the italian stallion, the Chariot, Mitches supper club, The Purple Turtle, Cindys inn,and 20 more i can't remember the names of. Memories of Aurora when I was a kid-Red Barn fast food joint on Colfax, Putt Putt behind the A&W, of course the East (and later, when it was renovated in 1970, the East 70 drive-in), the fields and brush along Havana St. and riding there along the Highline Canal, the gate out on Colfax (now under the gateway to the Rockies sign) that they actually closed and locked with a padlock after 11:00PM during the Stock Show to keep the cowboys out, and of course the Zanza Bar. Wow, does this thread bring back a flood of memories I thought were long forgotten. He roasts his own coffee in the Roaring Fork Valley. We then reconvened afterward at Elitch Lanes for another bounce of the quarter. 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