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Wow. I just received an e-mail that had me seriously worried, for about a minute.
A message was sent out this afternoon by members of the Scattered Arts Collective stating that their event on October 27 at Rock Island would be the very last party of any kind at the downtown club. Say WHAT? Rock Island is an institution, and the single longest-running dance club in Lodo. It was there, providing the dance soundtrack to booty-shaking teens and twenty-somethings well before “Lodo” existed, and it still provides the same, albeit updated, soundtrack today. I’m dating myself here, but when I was a teenager, there was Rock Island, Muddy’s, Paris on the Platte, the Merc, the Market, City Spirit, the pool hall on 15th & Market — what was that called? Calvin’s? — and a couple of warehouse dance clubs (Gate 12, Thirsty’s). Aside from a handful of low-key bars, that was pretty much the entire nightlife scene for club kids in Lodo. And of course, through all the changes downtown, Rock Island has remained largely the same as it has always been.
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Needless to say, I was shocked. Appalled. And rather offended that such a declaration would be made so casually, via e-mail, and on such short notice. Not to mention that the weekend of October 27 — Halloween weekend — is already overbooked with club events, and not fitting for the proper sendoff of an oldie-but-goodie like Rock Island.
The good news? Seems that the entire thing was a false alarm. The e-mail was retracted and the story has been set straight. As of now, Rock Island is NOT closing up shop. Still. I wonder if this is a sign of things to come. All good things must end, right? Except Rock Island. That’s one that I’d personally like to see continue for many more years.