VIDEO: Hundreds attend H.G. Roosters grand re-opening party in West Palm Beach

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H.G. ROOSTERS OPENED its doors again tonight, exactly five years after a fire nearly destroyed the popular West Palm Beach gay bar.

Watch the speeches, ribbon cutting and scenes from the grand reopening ceremony in the video above.

The bar underwent a $2.5 million reconstruction, with help from donors across the community. Click here to read a Stet News story about the renovation.

In 2021, a year after the fire, Roosters owner A.J. Wasson (raising his arms in the photo above) explained why he felt it his duty to do whatever it took to rebuild the bar: Crowing for Roosters — How a Devastating Fire Illuminated a Community’s Love for a Neighborhood Bar.

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About the author

Joe Capozzi is an award-winning reporter based in Lake Worth Beach. He spent more than 30 years writing for newspapers, mostly at The Palm Beach Post, where he wrote about the opioid scourge, invasive pythons, the birth of the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and Palm Beach County government. For 15 years, he covered the Miami Marlins baseball team. Joe left The Post in December 2020. View all posts by Joe Capozzi.