Here's a fun way to get involved with, and support the Ann Arbor Skatepark. The
Ann Arbor News is having a Peeps Contest! They are encouraging folks to create
dioramas using Peeps. See the News' announcement here:

http://tinyurl.com/dy5dzo

We thought we'd sweeten the deal. If you enter a diorama in the Ann Arbor News'
contest that has an Ann Arbor Skatepark theme, we'll put your name in a drawing
for an Ann Arbor Skatepark prize pack. The prize pack will have a skatepark
shirt, stickers, and other goodies, including items from Acme Mercantile and the
Vault of Midnight.

Once you've entered the Ann Arbor News' contest, send us a picture of your
diorama along with your name, age, shirt size and contact information. Entries
must be received by Monday, April 13. Once the entries are received, we'll put
the names in a hat and draw a winner at random. After we have a winner, we'll
post pics of ALL entries on a2skatepark.org!

Good luck, and get Peepin'!

Need something to do this weekend? Got extra Peeps lying around? Just a reminder
that our Peeps contest deadline is Monday! Follow the link below for the
details:

http://www.a2skatepark.org/articles/attention-all-a2-skatepark-peeps

The Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee (AASAC) and Vault of Midnight are proud
to host the 2009 Ann Arbor Skatepark Art Show on May 15 from 7:00-10:00 pm.

For this free, public event, fifty artists will be custom designing and painting
skate decks to be judged by a panel of judges.  Artists include Jim Mahfood,
Triston Eaton, BLOKT, AZK One, Corryn Jackson, Jeremy Bastian, Jay Brant and
many more! The winners will be selected from within youth and adult categories
and the winning decks will be placed up for silent auction. Runner's up will
also be available for sale. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the AASAC.

Free food will be provided by Trader Joes and live music will be played
throughout the evening by Mogi Grumbles, Charles Trees, and DJ Ornate.

All of the decks will be displayed at Vault of Midnight for two weeks before
touring the city as a traveling exhibit. The Art Show will be part of a weekend
of free events aimed at raising awareness about the AASAC and the construction
of a free, public skatepark in Ann Arbor for the use of its residents.

For more information about this event, contact Curtis Sullivan, owner of Vault
of Midnight at 734-998-1413

Hey if you guys have anything printed up on this, I will be going to Danforth's Bowl contest tomorrow at Modern in royal Oak and I can hand stuff out about it!

Let me know!
"let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children" - Chief Sitting Bull

Todd L. Harder
Native Skates
120 E. Maumee St.
Adrian, MI 49221
www.nativeskates.com
Myspace.com /75005914
517-605-9319

---

To: a2skatepark@yahoogroups.com
From: trevor@yerboy.com
Date: Fri, 8 May 2009 00:00:36 +0000
Subject: [a2skatepark] Skatepark Benefit Art Show May 15!

The Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee (AASAC) and Vault of Midnight are proud to host the 2009 Ann Arbor Skatepark Art Show on May 15 from 7:00-10:00 pm.

For this free, public event, fifty artists will be custom designing and painting skate decks to be judged by a panel of judges. Artists include Jim Mahfood, Triston Eaton, BLOKT, AZK One, Corryn Jackson, Jeremy Bastian, Jay Brant and many more! The winners will be selected from within youth and adult categories and the winning decks will be placed up for silent auction. Runner's up will also be available for sale. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the AASAC.

Free food will be provided by Trader Joes and live music will be played throughout the evening by Mogi Grumbles, Charles Trees, and DJ Ornate.

All of the decks will be displayed at Vault of Midnight for two weeks before touring the city as a traveling exhibit. The Art Show will be part of a weekend of free events aimed at raising awareness about the AASAC and the construction of a free, public skatepark in Ann Arbor for the use of its residents.

For more information about this event, contact Curtis Sullivan, owner of Vault of Midnight at 734-998-1413

---

Hotmail® has a new way to see what's up with your friends. Check it out.

Thanks, dude! How can I get them to you?

Have you seen Farmington Hills? Holy sh*t!

Trevor Staples

734-223-9837

Sent from my iDistraction

On May 8, 2009, at 11:24 AM, Todd Harder <nativeskates@hotmail.com> wrote:

Hey if you guys have anything printed up on this, I will be going to Danforth's Bowl contest tomorrow at Modern in royal Oak and I can hand stuff out about it!

Let me know!
"let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children" - Chief Sitting Bull

Todd L. Harder
Native Skates
120 E. Maumee St.
Adrian, MI 49221
www.nativeskates.com
Myspace.com /75005914
517-605-9319

---

To: a2skatepark@yahoogroups.com
From: trevor@yerboy.com
Date: Fri, 8 May 2009 00:00:36 +0000
Subject: [a2skatepark] Skatepark Benefit Art Show May 15!

The Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee (AASAC) and Vault of Midnight are proud to host the 2009 Ann Arbor Skatepark Art Show on May 15 from 7:00-10:00 pm.

For this free, public event, fifty artists will be custom designing and painting skate decks to be judged by a panel of judges. Artists include Jim Mahfood, Triston Eaton, BLOKT, AZK One, Corryn Jackson, Jeremy Bastian, Jay Brant and many more! The winners will be selected from within youth and adult categories and the winning decks will be placed up for silent auction. Runner's up will also be available for sale. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the AASAC.

Free food will be provided by Trader Joes and live music will be played throughout the evening by Mogi Grumbles, Charles Trees, and DJ Ornate.

All of the decks will be displayed at Vault of Midnight for two weeks before touring the city as a traveling exhibit. The Art Show will be part of a weekend of free events aimed at raising awareness about the AASAC and the construction of a free, public skatepark in Ann Arbor for the use of its residents.

For more information about this event, contact Curtis Sullivan, owner of Vault of Midnight at 734-998-1413

---

Hotmail® has a new way to see what's up with your friends. Check it out.

Just in case 50 skateboards designed by 50 local and national artists isn't
enough to get you down to the Vault this Friday, check THIS out
http://yerboy.com/images/signed_deck1.jpg . Our old buddy Andy Mac hooked us up
and got us this Tony Hawk deck signed by the man himself, along with 24 other
pro skaters. The signing was at the Clash at Clairmont, 2009.

We'll be auctioning this baby at a future fundraising event, but it'll be on
display for Friday's skate-art show. Come check it out!

Here are the signatures on the deck:

Lyndsey Adams
Jake Brown
Adrian Demain
Pat Duffy
Jason Ellis
Pierre Luc Gagnon
Rune Glifberg
Dave Hacket
Buster Halterman
Tony Hawk
Neil Hendricks
Darin Jenkins
Lester Kasai
Bucky Lasek
Holly Lyons
Andy Macdonald
Danny Mayer
Mike McGill
Zack Miller
Duane Peters
Austin Pointer
Jean Postec
Elliot Sloane
Josh Stafford
Steve Steadham

For those of you who attended the awesomely successful art show at the Vault of
Midnight, and for those who may have missed it, the 49 skateboard decks will be
moving to the Ann Arbor Art Center, 117 W. Liberty, where they will be on
display for two weeks.

The show will kick-off with a reception on Friday, June 19, from 6-8 p.m. Light
refreshments will be served.

Members of the Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee will be on hand at the
reception to answer questions and help educate the community about the campaign
to build a public skatepark in Ann Arbor.

The auction featured 49 original pieces of art, all on skateboard decks, and
included a live portion where, in a dramatic bidding war, a deck designed by New
York artist Tristan Eaton went for $2,000.

So come out, eat some food, mill about, and show your continued support for the
Ann Arbor Skatepark!

Hi I'm Mike, I'm a new comer to this group. At age 26 I've been skateboarding
for about 14 years now and live in Plymouth. So when I hear of any new skate
park going up I think that's awesome. However, one must take into consideration
that if a skate park is to be built out doors in Michigan, it is probably only
useful for about 3 or 4 months out of the entire year and only when it's not
raining, too hot, or too cold. (Considering about May through the end of August)

Surely right now its summer and Riley skate park just opened but if we look at
the surrounding cities in this area, there are a few skate parks but almost none
of them are indoor skate parks. Almost all of the indoor skate spots around this
area have closed down or moved away. With a good indoor skate park one can
skateboard all year long any day of the week and that wouldn't depend on the
weather.

Also skateboard ramps made from concrete have more disadvantages then other
types like wood, skatelite, metal and others. Many people may not realize this
but when you fall on to a concrete ramp you actually hit the surface harder then
you would a wood ramp. This is because when you fall on a wood ramp, that ramp
will actually absorb some of the impact.
Now I usually wear all my pads, but in skateboarding one can never be totally
exempt from injury. If you fall on concrete and your skin hits the surface your
skin is likely to be removed and you'll be bleeding. If you fall on a wood ramp
you can get your skin removed but you're more likely to only have you're skin
burned and that is better because you may not be bleeding like you would had it
been concrete you fell on. Of course this also depends on the type of wood and
how well it was taken care of. Yes it's true you can get splinters on old wood
ramps after they've been left out in the rain, but who would neglect their ramps
to where they have such poor shape?

(There are also some tricks and landing of tricks that can be done on
non-concrete ramps like wood that pretty much couldn't be done on concrete
because concrete does not allow any minor bit of slipping or sliding wheels
sideways. But I'm sure some people may debit that point)

Another potential problem with concrete poured here in Michigan is that it is
susceptible to cracking and heaving during the freeze-and-thaw cycles. What
happens when you have a skate park with a concrete slab that doesn't fully
settle back down after a thaw cycle? You have two concrete surfaces at different
levels and an accident waiting to happen!

To tell the truth I'd rather pay a few bucks to get into a skate park then go to
a free skate park that has never had any maintenance since it first open. Most
free skate parks only put money into the park once ever, and then it just
deteriorates from there on.
(These last 2 things I mentioned is exactly what has happened at Belleville's
skate park. Which is currently one of the worst parks in my opinion)

I want to sign the petition for a new skate park. Ann Arbor is a great place.
But I'd like to have some place to skate in the winter! So I can't say that I
fully support 100% a free concrete skate park. What can we do here? Could part
of it be Indoor?

Hi Mike,

Thanks so much for your input on our efforts to get a skatepark built in Ann
Arbor. As we continue our dialogue with the community, it's refreshing to know
that there are passionate skaters and supporters who care about skateboarding
now, and for the future. People like you are the ones who made this kernel of an
idea explode into a reality.

You have some valid points regarding the positive attributes of an indoor skate
facility. However, in the past two years of working with the City of Ann Arbor
Parks Commission, City Council, skaters of all ages, business owners, parents,
skatepark builders, professional skateboarders, and non-skating citizens, we've
found that an outdoor, concrete, free-to-use skatepark is the way to go. Mostly,
what it all comes down to is money, but there are other factors to consider as
well.

Your first point, about the skatepark only being useful in the summer months, is
an interesting one. I suppose if you want to simply wear a t-shirt and shorts
when skating, then you may be right. But, living in Michigan, we all know we
can't even count on summer months being warm enough for t-shirts and shorts
(take last week for example). You're right, you can't usually skate outdoors in
Michigan in January. But, outdoor skateparks in Michigan are skateable nearly
3/4 of the year. Sure, it can be cool skating outside in the early spring or
late fall, but so can running, hiking, playing soccer/tennis/softball or riding
bikes. Living in a cool climate means dressing for the weather. We skate 'til
the snow falls, and get out there as soon as it melts. Indoor facilities are
nice, but not necessary to enjoy the sport. Having said that, there are
skateparks that have "indoor" aspects to them. See this one for an example:
http://concretedisciples.com/skateparksdb/skateparks_display.php?id=1300
However, building an indoor section of the skatepark will significantly add to
the costs of construction.

Your arguments for wood materials vs. concrete seem to be personal, rather than
practical. The main thing a skater wants in a skatepark is skateability.
Concrete is fast, smooth, and versatile. When built by a reputable, experienced
skatepark builder, a concrete skatepark will have trick-to-trick/turn-to-turn
lines that are easy to keep speed in, and allow the skater to link up
tricks/maneuvers in many different ways. I'm not sure what tricks can only be
done on wood, and not on concrete. Could you post some videos or pictures? To
most skaters, a stair set is a stair set, whether it is concrete or wood. But,
when you get to talking about ledges, ramps, bowls and banks, concrete is going
to offer a much smoother, durable riding surface. Wood is slicker, for sure,
allowing one to slide wheels more easily, but I've known skaters who have been
doing slides on concrete (even rough, street concrete) for decades. We're
looking to build a world-class facility that will have beginner, intermediate,
and expert areas. If a skater feels that one part of the skatepark is too
challenging, they'll be able to go over to another part of the park that will be
right for them to learn on. This is not unlike a runner who's not quite ready
for a marathon. They may try a 10k or 5k race first as a beginner.

The surface of a good concrete skatepark is not rough to the touch. I encourage
you to head out to Riley Skatepark in Farmington Hills and run your hand along
any of the surfaces. You'll find that they're almost as smooth as glass. If
you're skating a skatepark that is constantly tearing up your skin, here are
some things that may be factors: 1. The skatepark was not built by an
experienced, quality skatepark builder (go to the Niles, MI skatepark for an
example of a good skatepark with a poor surface). 2. You're not wearing your
safety equipment (I don't have an argument for making a safer skatepark for
those who do not want to wear safety equipment). 3. You're skating an area that
is above your skating ability (I recently skated Bob Burnquist's Mega Ramp. I
chose to do a kickturn on the 30' tall quarter pipe. I knew that hitting the
jump was not in my better interest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_1Y8UoLIu4 ).

Your point regarding upkeep and maintenance is one we've been discussing since
the idea of an Ann Arbor Skatepark came about. As you've mentioned, we would not
want to have a wooden skatepark that is run-down, with splintered surfaces. My
friends and I have been building wooden ramps for years. We still have a wooden
half-pipe. With daily usage, the surfaces need to be replaced quite often. A
sheet of plywood or Skatelite is going to cost from $30 to $100. Multiply that
by how many sheets needed and how many times a year they need to be replaced,
and you're looking at massive annual maintenance costs (on our 24' wide, 6' tall
halfpipe, roughly 700 square feet of surface, it costs about $500 to replace the
surface. For a 30,000 square foot park it would run into the tens of thousands).
Also, decks, lips, corners and edges of ramps need to be kept up. Daily
inspections of the surfaces, including looking for screws that have popped up,
require a paid employee to be on hand, adding to the annual costs. Sure, a
wooden skatepark is cheaper up front, but over the decades that we hope to use
this public skatepark, the maintenance costs would be phenomenal. A concrete
park, on the other hand, will be a larger price up front, but the annual
maintenance costs will be around $5,000.

How long will an outdoor, concrete skatepark last in Michigan? Well, it's hard
to tell, as most Michigan concrete skateparks have not been around for more than
a decade. Let's take a look at one that's in our climate, but not in Michigan.
Sarnia, Ontario has had a skatepark in one of it's public parks for nearly 30
years. I stopped by a few years ago to check it out. It's still there, in great
shape. Sure, it's not the kind of facility we're looking to build, but just like
any other concrete structure, if it's built right, it's going to last. Many
skaters still make a point of visiting this classic skatepark every once in a
while: http://staplesworks.com/skaterpics/sarnia/

The final, and probably most important reason for having an outdoor, public,
FREE skatepark is to make it accessible to everyone. Skateboarding is a very
inexpensive sport to get started in. All you need is a board, wheels and trucks.
Most anyone can afford to participate in this healthy, active pastime. If one
has to pay to skate every time, the sport suddenly becomes restrictive and
exclusive. Using a couple great indoor, pay skateparks as examples, you can see
that skating on a regular basis could break most budgets. Modern Skatepark in
Royal Oak has a top-notch facility. They have a bowl, ramps and street area. We
go there once or twice a year: in the winter when it's too snowy to skate
outside. The cost to skate? $15 for a three-hour session. The K-Zoo Skate Zoo is
another great indoor pay park. There it costs $10 to skate. This is doable for
someone who lives nearby and has a nice, steady income. But, if you consider the
kid (or adult) who doesn't have $50 a week to spend on skating, you understand
how we start to exclude people from the sport. My buddies and I have decent
jobs, and transportation. We could probably afford to go to pay skateparks on a
regular basis, if we wanted to budget for that. But we, like many other
community members we talk to, believe that skateboarding should be no different
than playing basketball, tennis or riding bikes; if you want to do it, you
simply go to the park and play.

Many communities across Michigan have decided that a free, public, concrete
skatepark is the way to go. Here's a list of some of them:

Bay City
Belleville
East Lansing
Farmington Hills
Grand Haven
Howell
Huntington Woods
Ludington
Mason
Midland
Niles
Portage
Traverse City
Westland

Some of these parks are not the perfect, all-around parks that are ideal, but
the fact is that these cities have stepped up to make sure that their citizens
have options when it comes to outdoor activities.

So, thanks again for your email, Mike. And thanks for offering to sign the
online petition, but we're past the petition point now. What we need from people
is help in fundraising. Every dollar counts, as we work to raise nearly
$1,000,000 to build our skatepark.

Oh, and before you write-off all free, public, concrete skateparks, PLEASE go
skate Riley Skatepark in Farmington Hills. It's the best skatepark in Michigan,
and very close to you as well.

Sincerely,

Trevor Staples



Trevor Staples
Chair, The Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee
P.O. Box 3001
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48106
734-223-9837


Dream it. Build it. Skate it.
http://www.a2skatepark.org





--- In a2skatepark@yahoogroups.com, "Mike" <epoxamd2600@...> wrote:
>
> Hi I'm Mike, I'm a new comer to this group. At age 26 I've been skateboarding
for about 14 years now and live in Plymouth. So when I hear of any new skate
park going up I think that's awesome. However, one must take into consideration
that if a skate park is to be built out doors in Michigan, it is probably only
useful for about 3 or 4 months out of the entire year and only when it's not
raining, too hot, or too cold. (Considering about May through the end of August)
>
> Surely right now its summer and Riley skate park just opened but if we look at
the surrounding cities in this area, there are a few skate parks but almost none
of them are indoor skate parks. Almost all of the indoor skate spots around this
area have closed down or moved away. With a good indoor skate park one can
skateboard all year long any day of the week and that wouldn't depend on the
weather.
>
> Also skateboard ramps made from concrete have more disadvantages then other
types like wood, skatelite, metal and others. Many people may not realize this
but when you fall on to a concrete ramp you actually hit the surface harder then
you would a wood ramp. This is because when you fall on a wood ramp, that ramp
will actually absorb some of the impact.
> Now I usually wear all my pads, but in skateboarding one can never be totally
exempt from injury. If you fall on concrete and your skin hits the surface your
skin is likely to be removed and you'll be bleeding. If you fall on a wood ramp
you can get your skin removed but you're more likely to only have you're skin
burned and that is better because you may not be bleeding like you would had it
been concrete you fell on. Of course this also depends on the type of wood and
how well it was taken care of. Yes it's true you can get splinters on old wood
ramps after they've been left out in the rain, but who would neglect their ramps
to where they have such poor shape?
>
> (There are also some tricks and landing of tricks that can be done on
non-concrete ramps like wood that pretty much couldn't be done on concrete
because concrete does not allow any minor bit of slipping or sliding wheels
sideways. But I'm sure some people may debit that point)
>
> Another potential problem with concrete poured here in Michigan is that it is
susceptible to cracking and heaving during the freeze-and-thaw cycles. What
happens when you have a skate park with a concrete slab that doesn't fully
settle back down after a thaw cycle? You have two concrete surfaces at different
levels and an accident waiting to happen!
>
> To tell the truth I'd rather pay a few bucks to get into a skate park then go
to a free skate park that has never had any maintenance since it first open.
Most free skate parks only put money into the park once ever, and then it just
deteriorates from there on.
> (These last 2 things I mentioned is exactly what has happened at Belleville's
skate park. Which is currently one of the worst parks in my opinion)
>
> I want to sign the petition for a new skate park. Ann Arbor is a great place.
But I'd like to have some place to skate in the winter! So I can't say that I
fully support 100% a free concrete skate park. What can we do here? Could part
of it be Indoor?
>

Volunteers Needed for the Art Fair!

The Art Fair booth is a crucial fundraising opportunity for the Skatepark, and
we need your help to man (or woman) it!

The booth is in the non-profit area of the Ann Arbor Art Fair(in front of Seva).
We'll be open Wednesday through Saturday, 10am to 9pm on Wednesday-Friday and
10am to 6pm on Saturday.

Click on this link to sign up for as many or as few hours as you can do:
http://doodle.com/s8xgrca5r4um5px3

Sign up solo (we'll throw someone else in there with you), with a friend,
relative, significant other, colleague, acquaintance... Or how about a first
date? Running the Skatepark booth together would be both fun and romantic. Just
a thought.

Thanks again and again for all of your hard work and support!

Hi Ann Arbor Skatepark Supporters!

You're invited to an exciting FREE "field trip" that the Ann Arbor Skatepark
Action Committee has planned for October 3rd. We'll be taking a group trip to
the Riley Skatepark in Farmington Hills. We'd love to have you come along to see
what a world-class skatepark looks like, talk to people from the Farmington
Hills community and Government about what it's meant to their City, and skate
with us (if that's something you're interested in). If you'd like to join us,
let us know ASAP. The seats on the bus will fill up fast! Here are the details:

Who's invited?
Ann Arbor City Council members, PAC commissioners, members of other community
groups who have an interest in the skatepark, skaters, families and any other
community members.

What is this?
It's a trip to the Riley Skatepark in Farmington Hills. The skatepark opened
this past spring, and it's a great example of a public/private partnership, not
to mention the best skatepark in Michigan. Many of us skaters will be bringing
our equipment, as we plan to skate while we're there to show what we do when we
visit other cities like Farmington Hills.

When will it happen?
Saturday, October 3, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

Where will it happen?
We'll meet at Veterans Memorial Park in Ann Arbor at 1:00 PM. We'll meet in the
parking lot on the West side of the park. This will give everyone a chance to
walk the future Ann Arbor Skatepark location before seeing first-hand an example
of a real skatepark. After that we'll head out to Farmington Hills. The trip
takes about 30-40 minutes. We'll return to Ann Arbor by 4:00 PM.

Why are we doing this?
We've found that most people in Ann Arbor are in favor of the Ann Arbor
Skatepark, but many people haven't seen the kind of skatepark that we'll be
building. This trip will give people a chance to see the scope of the project,
and why we're so excited about it.

How are we going to get there?
BTB has offered us a discount on their BTB Party Bus (
http://www.btbpartybus.com/ ). This bus is usually used around town as a form of
green alternative transportation. It's powered by fryer grease! Although we
won't be partying on the bus, we'll be talking skateparks along the way, which
to us is like a party! ;-)

We only have about a dozen seats on the bus. Once those seats fills up, we hope
that those folks who want to come along with us will caravan in cars and trucks
behind the BTB bus.

We'd love to have you join us at the Riley Skatepark. Please respond to
trevor@... ASAP, and let us know if you'd like to join the fun. Or,
simply show up the day of the event. See you there!

-Trevor Staples

Show your support for public skateparks by helping out at the best skatepark in
Michigan!

This coming Saturday, September 26, Plus Skateboarding is putting on their Fall
Classic skateboarding contest. This contest will be held at Riley Skatepark in
Farmington Hills and is open to anyone who wants to compete. Registration starts
at 9:00 AM, with the beginner divisions starting at 11:00 AM sharp!

To show our support for public skateparks, the Ann Arbor Skatepark Action
Committee is organizing a group of people to come check out the contest, then
help clean up the park afterward. Please put on your A2 Skatepark t-shirt, and
join us to watch the advanced competition at 6:00 PM, then stay to show your
support by lending a hand getting the Riley Skatepark looking top-notch. We'll
be bringing rakes and trashbags along to help us get the park into tip-top
shape. Don't have an A2 Skatepark shirt? Well get down to the Vault of Midnight,
Launch Board Shop, or Acme Mercantile and get yourself one!

We are lucky to have so many public skateparks in Michigan. We're even luckier
to have the best public skatepark in Michigan within an hour of Ann Arbor. Soon
we'll have our own great public skatepark, and it's important to show the
general public that we intend to care for our park as if we own it. Why? Because
we do!

Please come out to Riley Skatepark on Saturday, September 26 to show your
support of public skateparks (and have fun!). For more information, please
contact trevor@...

Hi all,

We've set up an event for the ENTIRE Washtenaw County Community. Please come and
tell us what you want the Ann Arbor Skatepark to be!

_____________

The Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee will host Wally Hollyday Design at a
public skatepark design input meeting on October 18 at 2:00 p.m. in the Slauson
Middle School cafeteria., 1019 W. Washington. There is no charge for attendance.

The meeting will be a workshop format, with hands-on participation by local
skaters, interested community members and city staff. Wally Hollyday will
present a visual representation that includes images and illustrations of skate
parks he has created.

Participants will work in small groups to critique the designs and communicate
directly with Hollyday, who will circulate throughout the workshop. Hollyday
will then develop unique and original design options based on input from the
workshops from which the actual skate park design will be chosen.

Before the workshop, at 1:30 p.m., community members can tour the location of
the future skatepark site at the northwest corner of Veterans Memorial Park, at
the corner of Maple and Dexter Roads.

About the Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee:

The Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee is a coalition of parents, skaters,
teachers, business and community leaders, dedicated to the development of a
public skatepark in Ann Arbor. Their mission is to build a free, public,
concrete skatepark as a permanent resource for residents in the Ann Arbor area.
The skatepark will be designed and built by an experienced skatepark contractor,
and include local skaters in the design process.

Here's the latest Ann Arbor Skatepark update!

About 60 people, the great majority of them skaters and young people, came to
Slauson Middle School on October 18th to give their input on what they'd like to
see in the Ann Arbor Skatepark. We had a good representation from our City and
County governments as well. Ann Arbor City Council members Mike Anglin, Carsten
Hohnke and (soon to be councilmember) Steve Kunselman attended, as did Washtenaw
County commissioner Conan Smith. Landscape architects Amy Kuraz and Jeff Dehring
from the City and County, respectively, were on hand to find out more about the
project, and give their input. Connie Brown came as a representative of the Ann
Arbor Public Art Commission, and Jennie Hale, program officer from the Ann Arbor
Area Community Foundation (where our funds are administered) also contributed to
the workshop.

Click here for pictures of the event: http://tinyurl.com/designworkshop

Wally Hollyday of Wally Hollyday Design came to find out what the people of
Washtenaw County want the Skatepark to be like.

Mr. Hollyday started the event with a brief presentation about how his parks
incorporate creative thinking about everything from environmental impact to
public art. He's particularly interested in skateparks as nuclei of communities.
He thinks of his parks not just as (eminently) skateable surfaces, but as
gathering places for people of all kinds: he has built parks (e.g., Nashville)
that ring green spaces where families can picnic while their children skate, and
others (North Las Vegas) with built-in amphitheater spaces that can be skated or
used for public concerts and performances, etc.

After his presentation, Mr. Hollyday handed out sheets with basic skatepark
designs on them and asked each person to mark the features and ideas that
mattered most to them. He then spent the next hour peeking over people's
shoulders, checking out their work and engaging them in conversation about their
ideas. He made sure to speak to nearly every participant at the workshop.

At the end of the event, Mr. Hollyday collected the sketches, which he'll use to
generate a preliminary design.

This is a huge step for the skatepark. Things are really getting exciting. Keep
in mind though that your contributions are what is going to make this project a
reality. As we continue our fundraising, we ask that you dig deep for anything
you can donate to the effort, and please spread the word to anyone and everyone
you may think may be interested in helping this dream become a reality.

To make a gift to the Ann Arbor Skatepark Fund at the Ann Arbor Area Community
Foundation, send a check made out to AAACF with "Skatepark" in the memo line to
301 N. Main Street, Suite 300, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 or visit http://www.aaacf.org

Thanks to Sun and Snow for putting on this AWESOME event! Proceeds go to the Ann
Arbor Skatepark Fund at the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation!

_________

Alright... it's official. 1st Annual "Get Rad 80's Rail Jam & Throwback Party"
on Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at Veterans Park Sledding Hill in Ann Arbor. Monster is on
board, Skull Candy for the DJ tower, Line, Salomon, Nordica, Rome Snowboards and
a lot more. We want to get a crowd so bring people even if they don't ski or
ride (tell 'em to bring a sled) Also, top prizes for best 80's gaper suits...
raid your parent's attic.

Cleveland, Detroit, GR, Kzoo, Ann Arbor, TC, Toledo, Lansing... Spread the word
quick. Anyone who wants a stack of cards to hand out to friends, shoot me an
email rob@... with your address and I'll send 'em out to you this
week.

Pre-Registration will be required, as well as a signed waiver (Parent/Guardian
if under 18) and a helmet.

http://www.sunandsnow.com/ann-arbor-rail-jam_presented-by-sun-and-snow.html

Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee Announces The RedBelly Boardshop Grinds of
March

Eight-time skateboarding world champion and 19 time X Games medal winner Andy
Macdonald will be in Ann Arbor March 13 for a skateboarding demonstration
sponsored by RedBelly Boardshop in support of the Ann Arbor Skatepark Fund at
the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.

The Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee proudly presents pro skateboarder Andy
Macdonald for a weekend of fundraising events March 12 and 13, 2010. The main
event of the weekend will be The RedBelly Boardshop Grinds of March, a
family-oriented indoor public skate jam with "street" and halfpipe skateboarding
contests held at 704 Airport Plaza on Saturday, March 13, from noon to 6:00 PM.
The spectator portion of the event is free, with a suggested donation of $5. The
beginning, intermediate and advanced skateboarding contests are $10 to enter.
Over $1,000.00 in prizes will be up for grabs.

HELMETS ARE REQUIRED TO SKATE. ANYONE 12 YEARS OF AGE OR YOUNGER MUST BE
ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT. ALL PARTICIPANTS UNDER 18 MUST HAVE A WAIVER SIGNED BY
A LEGAL PARENT OR GUARDIAN.

Andy Macdonald is one of skateboarding's best ambassadors and most skilled
professionals, known to millions of skateboarders all over the world as Andy
Mac. Andy's versatile style and tremendous experience allow him to excel in
street skating, skateparks, vert, pools and mini-ramps, making him popular with
many different groups of skaters. Andy was crowned skateboarding's World
Champion eight years in a row in the World Cup Skateboard Series. He has
competed in every X Games since its inception and owns 19 medals—more than any
other skater. Known for his clean image, Andy has made many high profile TV
appearances in recent years, promoting a positive drug-free lifestyle. Andy Mac
was the first person to ride a skateboard in the White House.

Starting at noon, there will be public skateboarding and inline skating on a
"street" course and halfpipe. Contests will be held throughout the day. There
will be a vendor's area featuring local merchants. Local DJs Forest Juziuk,
Chuck Sipperley, and Raj Mahal, as well as Chicago DJ and former pro skater
Johnny Fonseca will perform throughout the day. Ann Arbor rock band Mazinga will
play live during the final skate jam. Food and beverages will be available
on-site.

The RedBelly Boardshop Grinds of March is sponsored by Redbelly Boardshop,
Airport Plaza, Zingermans, Fingerle Lumber Company, Who Skates, Launch Board
Shop, Acme Mercantile, PLUSkateboarding, Vault of Midnight, Sun & Snow, Local
Chaos, Arbor Brewing Company, Red Hawk Bar & Grill, Roos Roast and many others!

Keep updated the following ways:
http://www.a2skatepark.org
http://www.twitter.com/a2skatepark
http://www.facebook.com/a2skatepark
http://www.myspace.com/a2skatepark

Great news - HotLady has sent you a private photo! Check it here:
http://www.ourlivespace.com/hotlady/photo.htm

Hey all,

The RedBelly Boardshop Grinds of March is getting HUGE. Your support and
interest has been amazing.

This is just a note to let you know that we still have sponsorship and vendor
opportunities available. Here's a list of some of the sponsors/vendors that will
be at the event:

RedBelly Boardshop
Acme Mercantile
Ann Arbor Art Center
Arbor Brewing Company
Crowdrise
Fingerle Lumber Company
Huron Valley Ambulance
Keller/Williams Realty
Launch Boardshop
Native Skates
PLUSkateboarding
Positiv Skateboards
Recycle Ann Arbor
Red Hawk Bar and Grill
Roos Roast
Sun & Snow
VGKIDS
Washtenaw County Sheriff
Who Skates

Tables for the vendor's area are $100 for a 6-footer, and $175 for two
6-footers. We also have other levels of sponsorship available. If you'd like to
have a table at the event, or want to sponsor, please email me at
trevor@... for more info.

Thanks a ton! We can't wait to see all of you at this most awesome of Ann Arbor
events!

-Trevor

http://www.twitter.com/a2skatepark
http://www.facebook.com/a2skatepark

RedBelly Boardshop Grinds of March event page on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=264425236917&ref=ts

Andy Mac hooked us up and got us this Tony Hawk deck signed by the man himself,
along with 24 other pro skaters. The signing was at the Grind for Life Clash at
Clairmont, 2009.

Want a chance at winning it? Click the link below!

http://www.a2skatepark.org/articles/win-deck-signed-andy-mac-tony-hawk-and-23-ot\
her-pro-skaters

-Trevor

Every day people ask me, "how can I help the skatepark effort?" The answer,
right now, is donate! We have a super-easy, new way you can help our efforts
financially. We've got the City support, we've got the location, the design is
in the works. All we need is funding. This is where you come in.

Every donation matters, no matter how big or small. To give, please click the
link below. It'll take you to our Crowdrise page. Crowdrise is a new method for
fundraising and volunteering put together by the Founders of Moosejaw. They've
chosen us as a Featured Charity on their site. Please click, take 3.5 minutes of
your day to donate, and help the skatepark tremendously! You'll be a better
person for it ;-)

Thanks a ton. We're going to get this thing built with your help!

-Trevor

http://www.crowdrise.com/a2skatepark/fundraiser/trevorstaples

Check out this video we put together of the construction of the halfpipe we
built for the RedBelly Boardshop Grinds of March!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gZdcvXGqEE

-Trevor

Hi all,

Our big event, The RedBelly Boardshop Grinds of March is coming up in about a
week, and we're seeking more volunteers to make sure the event is the best
skateboarding event that Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and maybe even Michigan
have ever seen. We need people to direct traffic, keep fire lanes and exits
clear, sell swag, take tickets, and help people find who or what they're looking
for.

The event runs from noon to 6 pm on Saturday, March 13. Our goal is to have 50
volunteers signed up to help throughout the day. Volunteers need not work the
whole day, but we're asking that people help us out for at least two hours. Of
course, if you can only spare one hour, we'll take that too!

This Sunday, March 7, we'll be having a volunteer meeting at the location of the
event, 704 Plaza Dr. in Ann Arbor from 1:00-2:00 PM. If you'd like to volunteer,
please come out for additional info on scheduling and jobs.

Later today we'll be sending out an online sign-up to make it easier to
schedule.

Thanks a ton! I've pasted a bunch of links below. These are the best ways to
keep up on what's going on with the skatepark!

THANK YOU!

-Trevor

http://twitter.com/a2skatepark
http://www.facebook.com/a2skatepark
http://www.facebook.com/a2skatepark#!/event.php?eid=264425236917&ref=ts

Hi all,

If you'd like to volunteer to help out at the RedBelly Boardshop Grinds of
March, please click the link below and let us know your availability.

Thanks a ton! We look forward to meeting you face to face!

http://doodle.com/anv3z7agexkh56bi

-Trevor

Hi all,

We're getting all amped up for the big event next weekend with Andy Mac. I
wanted to let you know about two more exciting things going on.

Firstly, Morgan and York are putting on a swanky wine tasting in support of the
skatepark. Nina Juergens over at Acme Mercantile put it together, and it'll be
this coming Friday. You can find details on Morgan & York's website:
http://www.morganandyork.com/home.php?cat=44

Secondly, we'll be selling the ramp we've built for the RedBelly Boardshop
Grinds of March. So, if you need a ramp for your backyard, check out our eBay
listing (all proceeds go to the Ann Arbor Skatepark)!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110504027933

Whatever you do, we hope we'll see you Saturday!

-Trevor

http://www.a2skatepark.org
http://www.twitter.com/a2skatepark
http://www.facebook.com/a2skatepark