So, sure, there’s the US Social Forum coming up that will be a big event in Detroit. The Electronic Music Festival is also approaching us, too. But, I gotta say, this one might just take the cake: Soul Skate 2010! Seriously. Cue the memories of awkwardly circling the rink, hands drenched in perspiration, trying to muster up the courage to ask a female counterpart to accompany me for the snowball skate portion of the evening. Or those days spent in the driveway skinning my knees trying to perfect my jack-knife trick to be shown off at the roller rink. Good lord. On Sunday, May 30 from 11pm to 4am, the Midwest’s Biggest Skate Party is happening at Northland Roller Skating Center (map) from 11pm to 4am. Free eats (soul food nonetheless) will be had. This roller skating phenomenon is no new thing to Detroit obviously, with the Motor City Skating Rink taking the cake in terms of popularity in the 60′s. I mean, these photos and captions, taken from the Macomb Daily in 1966, will blow you away: families performed tricks, couples took to the floor in skills competitions (“anything goes when there’s music playing”) and sometimes the unfortunate spill even made the newspaper. This stuff is GOLD. Instead of recording in detail all the historical eras of skating rink history in Detroit, I’ll just point you to this site. See you on the rink for Soul Skate 2010!