The exhibition "Skate Of The Art" was held at the Bearded Barista @the__bearded_barista in San Angelo, Texas. The event was organized by Skate Angelo @skateangelotx and all proceeds generated from the sale of the artwork were allocated for repairs of Riverside Skatepark, which was partially destroyed by a fire last year.
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The city council of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada approved two grants ($38,000 in total) for the Medicine Hat Skateboard Association @medhatskate to fund the organization's Beat the Heat festival for the next two years. "Association secretary Davie James said it was important for the skateboarders to see they impact can have in the community. 'To take them to something like this, where they could see council acknowledge all the hard work that’s been put into these festivals,' James said."
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The Paterson Healing Collective @patersonhealingcollective is receiving nearly $1.6 million worth of grants from the New Jersey Attorney General to fund violence intervention programs, including programs organized by the SOLID Foundation @solid.nj SOLID will get $500,000 to support its Pushing for Peace program, which offers workshop and other skate-related community events for youths age 11 to 25.
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A free city-owned skatepark will be built in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - the first of its kind. Supported by former skater and Common Council President Jose Pérez, the $1 million park will be constructed at 507 W. Rogers St. The funding came from property tax revenue generated by the River One development in the Harbor District. Stephanie Mercado, Dylan Shanahan, and Travis Hope with Safe & Sound @safesoundinc contributed vital input on the project:
Mercado told committee members she earned her master's degree in public health from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a capstone project on the need for a free public skate park in the city.
"Frankly, it's long overdue," she said.
The benefits include improved health through a safe activity; encouraging an environmentally-friendly transportation option; revitalizing a blighted site; generating community pride, and a re-evaluation of skateboarding public policies, Mercado said.
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A new skatepark will be built in Caledon, Ontario to accommodate skateboarding and other wheeled activities. It will be located on the property of the Southfields Community Centre. Construction is planned to start in the spring of this year.
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The artist Mark Rivard @rivardart brought his Skatepark Art program to the Clearwater Public Library in Minnesota. Young folks were able to create original art on skateboard decks. Rivard also runs Do Rad Things @doradthingsco , a skate art education program that has held programs at approximately 60 libraries in Minnesota.
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Morgan Junction Park in Seattle, Washington is planning to create an "all wheels" skatepark with the help of the Morgan Junction All-Wheels Association and members of Seattle Parks. A DIY park was built by skaters at the location in 2023, which was the impetus for the new park plan. Matt Johnson of Seattle Parks said, "'The positive thing that came out of that was overwhelming community support for that kind of use of the space … an overwhelming message from the community that we wanted some kind of activation.'" The 1500 sq. ft. skatepark will be constructed as an overall Morgan Junction Park expansion project, and $44,000 has been granted for the all wheels facility.
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Woodsmith Magazine @woodsmithmagazine featured what they called a "Skateboard Helper," a short block of wood with a groove in the middle that can be used to easily roll large sheets of plywood around.
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Ball State University @ballstateuniversity in Muncie, Indiana is conducting a study on the "misconceptions about traumatic brain injury and its relationship with skateboarding identity as well as continued pursuits of skateboarding after acquiring a traumatic brain injury."
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Thin Air Magazine @thinairmagazine published a poem by Jim Tilley @jimtilleyny called "Skateboarding."
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Skateboard artists Josinah Makotoko @josinah and Ricardo Rodriguez were selected as artists-in-residence at Artcite @artciteinc in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
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Ramps have been delivered to Skate Space @skatespacejsy in the country of Jersey, marking the next step in the creation of an indoor skatepark at St Ouen's Methodist Church. "Much of the motivation behind the project comes from Natalie Mayer, who is determined to create more facilities for Jersey's young people."
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A new skatepark is in the works for San Juan Capistrano, California. The park will be built on approximately two acres on Kinoshita Farm. It will accommodate wheeled riders of all kinds, cost roughly $3.5 million, and be completed in 2025.
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The Town of Caledon in Ontario, Canada is preparing to build Southfields Skate Park at the Southfields Community Centre.
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Dan Adams published a book about RAD (Read and Destroy) @readanddestroy - the skate magazine. The book includes written content, commentary, and photographs.
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A 22-year-old named Stephen Lawson saved an elderly woman's life by fighting off a dog who attacked her with a skateboard in Clackmannanshire, Scotland.
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Oscar-nominated film director Sean Wang @seanswang got into filmmaking through skateboarding. Check out an interview with him published by The Wrap.
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The skateboard community of Harrisonburg, Virginia is getting a new concrete skatepark designed by American Ramp Company @arcskateparks. The park is replacing the 20-year-old previous one, which was taken down in April 2023. It will be built with $475,000 allocated by the American Rescue Plan Act.
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Bryce Carey Noe wrote a master's thesis called "Freestyle Soundscapes: An Acoustemology of Freestyle Skateboarding Contests," for the University of Miami. The work explores the "sonic and corporeal practices" of freestyle skateboarding, as well as how the choreography and music of freestyle routines "resists the alternative masculinity established in dominant skateboarding culture."
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The Cities Reimagined podcast @citiesreimagined featured Christian Fischer @christian1fischer and Johannes Wimmeder @_johambi_ and their work in Peru with the Concrete Jungle Foundation @concretejunglefoundation. The podcast covers their collective endeavor to build a new skatepark in Cerrito de le Virgen, which was documented in Fischer's film El Cerrito.
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In Middletown, Rhode Island, the Deblois Gallery @debloisgallery and Rejects Beer Company @rejectsbeerco had a skateboard art fundraiser for the Friends of Newport Skatepark @friendsofnewportskatepark.
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In Sydney, Australia, four artists worked with the local community to paint the ramps at Mutch Park Skatepark as part of Bayside Council's program to cut down on "graffiti vandalism." This effort was supported by a Graffiti Management Grant and the NSW Department of Communities and Justice.
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A game of skate was held inside the New Día @newdiaco dispensary in Boston, which was hosted by Not Finna @notfinna.
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Pasay City in Manila, Philippines is getting its first skatepark. JCI Manila @jcimanila, One Manila, and the local government, including Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano, will build the skatepark at Barangay 143 Linear Ecopark. The JCI project chairman Den Reyes said, "'Skateboarders are often misconstrued as delinquent or rebellious because they practice their sport in an area where they are not welcome. Let us say the streets or other public parts where you cannot do your tricks. So now we have the park for them to practice. They will feel more comfortable and they will comply to the rules of the park.'"
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The Bakersfield Skateboard Company @bakoskateco in California hosted their annual Broken Deck Community Art Show, which showcased the work of various artists.
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Murfreesboro, Tennessee is planning to construct a skatepark in Old Fort Park. "The financial commitment to this endeavor is just shy of $900 thousand, a worthy investment in fostering a healthier atmosphere for the youth in the community. Skate parks are recognized for promoting an active lifestyle among teens and young adults, diverting them from sedentary indoor activities like video gaming. With an emphasis on outdoor recreation, the skate park aims to mitigate health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle."
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A Metro bus drove into a building in Seattle and destroyed an indoor skatepark. Allegedly, the bus was cut off by a vehicle, which caused the driver to crash into the structure.
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Harpenden, England will be building an all-wheel skatepark in Rothamsted Park, which will cost £250,000 - £100,000 will be covered by the town council, while the remainder is to be generated by fundraising handled by the Playground Action Rothamsted Committee (PARC).
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The Town of Okotoks in Alberta, Canada is designing the Southside All Wheel Skatepark, set to be built at Howard Park. Construction is scheduled to begin in June.
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The Sunday Observer profiled Sri Lankan skater Manu Dharmaraja @eyeofthedharma and Skate For Sri Lanka organization @skateforsrilanka.
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Ballaghaderreen in County Roscommon, Ireland will be getting a skatepark as part of a public amenity project that will be on a .75 acre piece of land at The Plots Town Park. Greg O'Donnell, Boyle Municipal District Manager and Acting Director of Services, said, "he hoped that the increase in activity when the park was complete would act as 'passive surveillance' and lead to less anti-social behaviour in the area."