Huy: roller skating honored this Tuesday

This Tuesday, Huy will be dedicated to roller skating. There will first be the inauguration of the exhibition but also the roller parade. THE RAIN had forced organizers to postpone the roller parade to this Tuesday, July 13. The wind tore off the banner dedicated to the Tour de France and hung on the fort. What else does the weather have in store for the Huy organizers? A heatwave that will melt the freshly applied tarmac at the roundabouts and force another postponement of the roller parade? At the City's Major Events department, Jean-Luc Braida admits to monitoring weather developments daily: it would be necessary to finally have decent weather this Tuesday. On Tuesday, in addition to the roller parade, there will also be the opening of the exhibition dedicated to John-Joseph Merlin. A Huy inventor who is credited with the invention of roller skates. This exhibition will be held in Place Verte, within the Juvénal gallery. An exhibition resulting from more than a year of work. An exhibition that also led a city delegation to London. It is there that a room in the Kenwood Museum is entirely dedicated to the Huy inventor. The visit there made it possible to obtain the loan of several original inventions and works by the artist. These will be exhibited in Huy alongside other pieces and documents loaned by the Science Museum in London. A loan surrounded by enormous precautions. The majority of the event's budget was allocated to the security measures surrounding this loan. “That’s what costs us the most,” confirms Jean-Luc Braida. They needed all the guarantees in terms of security and reception conditions. We received a 10-page specification. They wanted to know what the building was like, if we were going to smoke during the exhibition, what the walls were like...” To meet these specifications, the City was thus forced to equip the Juvénal gallery with an alarm system, a camera... The most spectacular pieces will come from London, but the City has also obtained the loan of several skates belonging to Sam Nieswiski, a French collector. “It’s a good extension to the exhibition dedicated to Merlin. It makes it more comprehensive.” A 60-page book As with every historical event, the City will associate the writing of a book with the event. To honor John Merlin, a book of about sixty pages has been written. It notably includes an article by Pierre Bauwens written several years earlier, highlighting the qualities of the inventor. This article had been published by the Huy history circle and has been updated for the occasion. “Sam Nieswiski also wrote about twenty pages (Editor's note: he had written a book dedicated to roller skates). Patrick Kinet, a journalist from Huy, also met with young roller enthusiasts.” This book was printed in 500 copies and will be sold at a price of 10€. This exhibition on roller skating will refer to John Merlin. A Huy inventor from the late 18th century to whom paternity is attributed. 328127 The exhibition will be accessible from Tuesday, July 13 to August 22 (except Mondays) at a price of 1€ from 2 PM to 6 PM. Roller parade this Tuesday. Registration at 7 PM. Departure at 8 PM (20 km through the streets of Huy)