From the Wall Street Journal:
Louisville’s Secret Past: Disco-Ball-Building Boomtown
John Travolta was in fine form, still sharp in his legendary white suit, finger pointing skyward in a cardboard pose while speakers blared the pulsing rhythm of “Disco Inferno.”
There was a smoke machine. There were neon lights. Then, with a crowd of politicians and boosters watching, a cable lifted into place one of the city’s largest civic monuments, a glittering 11-foot wide, 2,300-pound disco ball.
The giant mirror ball, billed as Kentucky’s largest, was a testament to the city’s manufacturing heritage and history of craftsmanship, said Mayor Greg Fischer, while providing “a convenient excuse to party.” He declared April 1 Disco Ball Day.
To most people, Louisville’s manufacturing heritage extends to bourbon, baseball bats and, maybe, bluegrass music. But during the late 1970s, the local Omega National Products factory about cornered the market in disco balls, churning out 90% of the dance ornaments made in the U.S. The company shipped thousands a month to nightclubs, concert halls and roller rinks.
“That was the heyday, I’m telling you,” said Yolanda Baker, 69 years old, the last of the Omega crew still making the mirrored globes by hand. (See photos of Ms. Baker at work.)
At the height of the craze, about two dozen women joined Ms. Baker at the factory, often with the Bee Gees blaring from a tape player, as they turned Louisville into America’s disco-ball capital.
These days, production is down to about 15 or 20 a month, nearly all the work of Ms. Baker. “It’s definitely lonely,” she said.
It is competition from China - an 12" diameter Omega ball can cost $135 and the same size ball from China is $25. Omega's website is here: Omega National Products but whomever is hosting them is maxed out - try them in a day or two. 509 - Bandwidth Limit Exceeded
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