Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

June 21, 2007 issue


Skate-A-Bration 2007

Appalachian Skatepark Celebrates First Anniversary, Hosts Skate Competition, Looks For Contributions

Story by Sam Calhoun

It’s hard to drive or walk by the Appalachian Skatepark, located off Hunting Hills Lane in Boone in the Watauga County Parks and Recreation Complex, without seeing dozens and dozens of youth and adults—both local and from out of town—enjoying the state-of-the-art facility that was built in June 2006. The activity—that didn’t dwindle throughout the winter—is a daily reminder that the Appalachian Skatepark Council—the organization that worked to create the skatepark in 2005 and 2006—gave the region a facility that was much needed, not only for fun but also for safety.

The Appalachian Skatepark is celebrating its first anniversary this Saturday, June 23, with the inaugural Skate-A-Bration Skateboard Competition and Anniversary Celebration. The event takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the skatepark and features a skateboard competition, live music and plenty of food and drinks.

Entry into the competition is $10 and the event is free to spectators. Registration is from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the skatepark, with the competition beginning immediately thereafter. 

Helmets are required for all riders in the competition.

The competition includes a beginner and an intermediate division, with prizes awarded for first through fourth place. The competition also features an advanced/sponsored division. First place in the advanced/sponsored division wins $200, second place receives $100 and third place gets $50. Lot Management Solutions and the Incredible Toy Company are providing some cash and gifts for the competition.

DJ Flo will provide music for the competition and an announcer will accentuate the action.

After the competition concludes in the afternoon, local bands D-Lam and The Karloffs will perform at the park. The concert is free.

Golden Corral will be out at the park all day serving home cooked food and cold drinks. All proceeds collected from food will go to support the Appalachian Skatepark and its efforts to pay off the park—phase 1 of the overall plan to bring a state-of-the-art pre-fabricated and concrete skatepark to the High Country.

The Appalachian Skatepark Council was formed in 2005 as an effort to build a skatepark in the High Country. The organization’s mission to create a safe place to skate is a reaction to the fact that, before the skatepark was built, there were no legal or safe places for High Country youth and adults to skateboard. The park was designed to meet the needs of the local community, as well as to attract visitors from surrounding towns to the area. The Appalachian Skatepark Council—namely four of its members who signed their name to a loan to pay for phase 1 of the skatepark—are currently looking for donations to pay off the existing skatepark.    

For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, call 828-268-9898 or email bzb@charterinternet.com.

Want To Go?

Date: Saturday, June 23
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Appalachian Skatepark, Boone
Cost: $10 competitors/Free for spectators

   A Community’s Vision For A Safe Place To Skate

Just a little more than a year ago, a group of parents, business owners, adults, and youth in our community set out on a mission. The mission was to provide a place for anyone in the area, resident or visitor, to safely participate in the recreational sport of skateboarding. The Appalachian Skatepark Council realized that participants of this sport didn’t have a place in our community where they could safely skateboard without violating a town ordinance and receiving a fine. We also needed to get the kids and young adults out of the parking lots, off the sidewalks and streets, and away from business and pedestrian traffic. The solution was one that is not uncommon in many communities throughout North America and even throughout our very own state of North Carolina. A public skatepark provided through town and/or county government has been a welcomed addition to numerous NC Parks and Recreation facilities such as: Marion, Lenoir, Hickory, Asheboro, Kernersville, Burnsville, Asheville, Greenville, Wilkesboro, North Wilkesboro, Nags Head, Currituck, Cary, Goldsboro, plus many more. The good news is that Watauga County can now boast that we provide a recreational facility that fills this need. The facility is known as the Appalachian Skatepark located in the Watauga County Recreation Complex. Since the park’s opening on June 18, 2006, and its grand opening celebration on July 8, 2006, the facility has been in non-stop usage, with exception to inclement weather. On any given day, weather permitting, you’ll see kids, teenagers, college students, and adults using the skatepark. You’ll see numerous parents watching from the bleachers while even the youngest and least experienced skaters are encouraged and taught by the more experienced skateboarders. This 110 feet by 90 feet slab of asphalt provides even more than healthy exercise; it’s a gathering place where kids who may not fit the mold of a baseball, basketball, or soccer player can still feel a sense of accomplishment and pride after working hard and practicing until they learn a new trick, skill or move.

The Appalachian Skatepark has been a very welcomed addition to the Watauga County Parks and Recreation offerings. However, it took four local residents to step up and risk their very own homes, businesses, and possessions in order to provide the facility for the county. Buzz Berry, Ken Gordon, Brian Mueller and Lynn Willis all cosigned for a loan to help pay for the skatepark. They believed then, as they do now, that this was something that was desperately needed in our community; and it was needed sooner rather than later. Some may say that it was impatient of the four to sign for a loan to provide the facility. Yet, these four, along with Appalachian Skatepark Council, knew that it was literally a matter of life and death. They didn’t want to wait until a car hit a child in order to make the need be clear, as was the case in nearby Kingsport, Tennessee. The need for a safe place to skate was here and now and it needed to be provided. Of the four that signed for the loan, not one regrets their signature for the sake of the kids and the community. However, there is concern of the consequences—the risk of loss of personal property. For this reason and for the youth of Watauga County, the Appalachian Skatepark Council asks you to consider a tax-deductible donation to assist in providing this much needed facility. Together, we can be committed to promoting confidence and respect in our youth, and to build their self-esteem through a healthy and positive environment. 

-Buzz Berry, Lynn Willis, Brian Mueller, Ken Gordon

 

For more information, contact Buzz Berry at 828-268-9898 or via email at bzb@charterinternet.com. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, please make checks payable to: WAMY-Appalachian Skatepark Council. Cash or checks may be mailed to:  245 Unit B Winklers Creek Road Boone, NC 28607.