LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) - The Connection is closing its doors for good after nearly 30 years. The nightclub hosted what it called "The Last Dance" one final time Saturday night.
The nightclub opened in 1988 and quickly became one of Louisville's biggest and most popular gay clubs.
The team at The Connection said this is a very bittersweet time, but it also wanted to focus on Saturday night being one last celebration.
For the last 28 years, the club has helped closed the gap between the gay community and the one that didn't always accept it. It's built bridges where there were once barriers and torn down the walls of hate and misunderstanding.
"I always believed that in order to be accepted in their home, a straight man's home, or a straight person's home, I'd first have to invite them into my own and let them see how I live and how we live and once they saw that, it just fostered a new kind of acceptance in that community," General Manager Jason Westbay said. “I think it’s meant a lot to the community. It’s set a standard for entertainment that will shape the views of this city for decades to come.”
Westbay came to The Connection 26 years ago. He never left.
"It's home, it's the mothership It's home it'll always be home," Westbay said.
Nightclubs are a place to have fun and forget about the world, but The Connection brought so many from outside its doors in. It welcomed everyone with open arms and even cards to show they belonged.
"If you kept your membership up, they finally just said you could keep your card forever," longtime patron Jerry Taylor said.
Taylor has and used it along the way for so many memories.
"So many birthdays, so many celebrations, so many good times, bad times, I mean it's just been unbelievable. When it opened, it was like the biggest thing to ever hit Louisville," Taylor said.
The owners of the Connection are building a new hotel and event space in Smoketown. There's no set schedule yet for when it will open, but they said they're very much looking forward to the next chapter.