Buffalo’s boogie wonderland
Thousands of ’70s fans hustle downtown to get funky at the World’s Largest Disco
At age 51, Rose Faulhaber still remembers the days when disco music and dancing dominated Buffalo’s night life. She remembers when Mulligan’s Cafe on Hertel Avenue was the city’s hot spot, a place frequented by disco dancers and sports stars, including members of the Buffalo Sabres and a Buffalo Bills running back named O.J. Simpson.
Jason Estell, 39, was just a little kid when disco was popular in Buffalo. But, just like Faulhaber, he loves to shake his booty to disco music.
They are not alone. Faulhaber and Estell were joined Saturday night by about 7,000 other disco fans who jammed the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center for the World’s Largest Disco, which has grown into one of the region’s most anticipated annual party events.
Faulhaber, a massage therapist from West Seneca, danced the night away in a wig made of silver tinsel, a black sequined dress and knee-high white platform boots. A long feathered white boa swung around her neck.
“I’ve been to every one of these parties, and I look forward to it every year,” she said. “It’s the best party of the year in Buffalo.”
Estell, a convenience store manager from the Town of Tonawanda, was decked out in a garish orange velvet “pimp suit” with a matching wide-brimmed hat.
“It’s an awesome time,” he said, getting ready to hit the dance floor with his wife, Melissa. “Great music, great dancing, great people.”
That pretty much appeared to be the sentiment Saturday night at a party that has become so popular that scalpers could be seen selling tickets down the block.
Four guest stars from the “Brady Bunch” TV show joined the fun at this year’s dance fest, a fundraiser for Camp Good Days and Special Times, said organizer David Pietrowski of Cheektowaga.
Pietrowski, a partner in an insurance agency, said the parties have raised more than $1 million for Camp Good Days since he began promoting them in 1994.
“On the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 1993, I was driving through downtown Buffalo. At that time, one bar was open on Chippewa Street and Jim Kelly’s Network was closing,” he said. “I said, ‘We have to get something going downtown.’ ”
He decided to resurrect the World’s Largest Disco, which hadn’t been held since 1979, and the rest is history.
This year’s event — with ticket prices ranging from $35 to $50 — has been sold out since late August. Downtown hotels offered special rates for disco visitors, and on Saturday night, were packed.
With songs like “Brick House” and “Shake Your Groove Thing” blasting from the speakers, discomaniacs spent the night dancing, drinking, checking out each others’ bizarre outfits and trying to relive a relatively carefree era.
It was a night to forget about terrorists and sinking 401(k) reports, and to deck yourself out in polyester leisure suits and platform shoes.
“It’s the best party in Buffalo because every single person is in a fantastic mood from the moment they walk in the door,” said Alice Eoannou of North Buffalo, wearing gold platform shoes and a polyester jersey knit disco dress.
For actor Chris Knight — who played Peter on the “Brady Bunch” — it was his “sixth or seventh” visit to Buffalo for the event.
“I’ve struck up a friendship with Dave Pietrowski, and I really support the cause he’s helping,” Knight said. “I have fond recollections of the ’70s but not fond enough that I want to relive them. But this is fun. The people are great.”
Kathy Maiolo, 52, wearing a zebra-striped blazer, showed up with 10 co-workers from the Staples store in Amherst.
“The disco era was a happy atmosphere,” she said. “You’d go out and dance, dance, dance — no worries.”
“I’ve been coming to this party for 10 years,” said Denise Urbanski, 38, a respiratory therapist from West Seneca. “It’s for a good cause, and shopping for your outfit is part of the fun. I go out and buy as many sequins as I can possibly wear and still be allowed to cross the border.”
Buffalo Firefighter Tony Pulera, 38, wore a blazer decorated with dollar signs and gold lame lapels. He carried a walking cane with a big fake diamond on the top of it.
“The women are beautiful. Everybody is friendly,” he said. “You see people that you haven’t seen in years. It’s a great time.”
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