Members of the skatepark have been taking advantage of the park since its opening, making many friends along the way and venturing back into a hobby after a long break.
Members of the skatepark have been taking advantage of the park since its opening, making many friends along the way and venturing back into a hobby after a long break.
Members of the skatepark have been taking advantage of the park since its opening, making many friends along the way and venturing back into a hobby after a long break.
PORTSMOUTH—All hands are on deck for benefactors of the Portsmouth Skatepark, as they grind their way through the preparations and iron out the kinks for an event they hope to stick in order to gain air for the new park that would ramp exposure, invest in upgrades, and offer a free day of fun for casuals or thrashers looking for something to do.
The first Portsmouth Skatepark Jam is sure to entertain just about anyone with food trucks, live bands, contests, prizes, and time on the concrete for those on wheels.
The event is being geared as a way to get people more involved in the park while also raising funding for future improvements.
Even if you’re not a skater, there will be plenty to enjoy, with a concert featuring the talents of Nearly Mind, The Fliplighters, ALLT, Rockwell’s Ghost, and Skintt. The music will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There will also be vendors onsite, including The Landing, Fizzy’s, Kristin’s Corner, Texas Peach Grill, Flatboy Q, Flockdining, and Squeeze the Day Lemonade.
“The goal of this whole thing is to spark some awareness about the park,” co-organizer Noah Fannin said. “I talk to a lot of people, mainly youth, because I’m a teacher, and they don’t even know we have a skatepark. So, that’s part of this whole thing. We are also doing a little fundraising.”
Fannin is organizing the event alongside friend Dr. Lucas Lemons
According to Fannin, the desired improvements include shade structures, timed lights, and new park equipment. While they have a lead on a partner with funding for shade structures through Community Action Organization of Scioto County, the rest is up to the skaters.
“Right now, there’s just a streetlight that doesn’t do much, but we also would like invest more in expansion of more attractions,” Fannin said.
The skaters will have methods of donating at the event, but Fannin expressed the importance of not letting that become a barrier for guests.
“We are taking donations, but there are absolutely no obligations. All money goes into the Skatepark Improvement Fund at the Scioto Foundation. There was already a fund setup for maintenance, but this one is different and set up for immediate use,” Fannin explained. “So, if we raise money for lights, then we can use that money. So, we hope to do some good there, but there is no pressure on anyone to give. We will plan more fundraising-driven events in the future, and we just want people to get active and exposed to the park for now.”
Fannin said that skating was a major part of his youth, but adulthood brought distractions. He says this is common for a lot of people, but many are returning to the sport after the investments made by the city to create the skatepark.
“I used to skate in my youth, as many do, but, sometime along the way in my 20’s I quit and went off and did jobs after college. Life takes over. After a 15-20-year gap, they’ve built the park and I decided to go down and see what it was about,” Fannin recalled. “I ended up meeting a group of guys my age and a little older and we just really got along. It is my way of exercising, I guess.”
Fannin also says that the skatepark has also done a lot to improve that section of Portsmouth. While Boneyfiddle and Westend improvements have been ongoing for over a decade, that corner of the downtown had been ignored, due to proximity, despite it still being very close to the rest of the action. The park found a way to make a big splash in a previously trafficked part of town.
“That area of town was kind of going to waste there for a while,” Fannin said. “There was the former Lute’s Showroom across the street, which is now Deadbolt Escape Room. Plus, we have the addition of the skatepark. I think it brings a whole new aesthetic for Portsmouth; it looks nice. Market Street has also really grown, too. This side of town is really coming together.”
As a teacher, Fannin sees benefits in the park outside of community development.
“If these kids aren’t playing sports, they aren’t really active or have hobbies to get them moving,” Fannin said of the park’s benefits. “You can skate at the park, ride scooters, bikes; pretty much anything that has wheels can be had fun on.”
The Skatepark Jam will be held at the Portsmouth Skatepark, 337 Fourth Street, June 29, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.
