Community Corner
Maryland DJ Throws Virtual Dance Parties During Coronavirus
DJ Chris Kopec mixes music in his basement and thousands of people tune in to his Facebook Live dance parties during the pandemic.
HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The new coronavirus outbreak has people anxiously penned up in their homes, so one Howard County disc jockey is trying to lighten the mood and help people forget their predicament, even if only for three fun-filled hours.
"As a family, we were very overwhelmed with stress and concern about the virus and just wanted to have some fun as a family. I decided to broadcast to share the fun with a few friends. We never imagined this," DJ Chris Kopec told Patch.
With his wife and kids by his side, Kopec mixed music for three hours on his DJ Facebook page. The first time he hosted a jam fest, more than one million people tuned in and shared his live broadcast 13,000 times.
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"We have been blown away by the amazing love our entire family has been shown. It has driven us to share that love with our local community and beyond," said Kopec.
The Baltimore native began mixing in sixth grade. He intended to deejay for just two hours, but when he saw how many people had tuned in and loved what he was doing, he kept playing music for another hour. Families even posted videos of themselves dancing in their homes. More than 7,000 people commented.
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"It has been incredible," said Kopec. "I was shocked."
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Kopec also used the wildly popular dance party to help drum up support for those on the front line during the new coronavirus pandemic. Virtual tips were collected during the first party, which were used to pay for and provide meals to firefighters at all 13 Howard County fire stations and the Howard County 911 dispatch center. Holly Poultry tuned in and ended up donating 60,000 pounds of chicken to the United Way of Central Maryland, a portion of which was given in honor of Kopec's wife's birthday.
The next DJ Kopec dance party will be Saturday, April 4, starting at 7 p.m. with a theme of School Spirit Night.
"Wear your favorite school attire," he said.
April 11's dance party will be dedicated to medical professionals and April 18 will be in honor of the Class of 2020 virtual prom.
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