Skate jam at skate park reopening
Some of the lower North Island’s best skaters will be turning up on Saturday to celebrate the completion of Palmerston North’s Railway Reserve skate park extension.
The $250,000 extension had been a long time in the ‘‘half pipe’’, according to Nicole Canning, from Palmy Unleashed.
Originally set down for completion in April 2017, delays caused by funding shortfalls and the weather pushed out the project.
It wasn’t finished until the end of November last year, just in time for the school holidays.
The extension, with its new configuration, equipment and challenges had made the park one of the city’s ‘‘places to be’’ over the holiday break.
‘‘Since the upgrade it’s been a lot more popular - usage has doubled,’’ Canning said.
‘‘So we’re expecting [Saturday] to attract plenty of people.’’
Mayor Grant Smith would be in attendance for the formal part of the celebrations from 1.30pm - 2pm. Music would be provided by DJ D-fresh, while there would be a sausage sizzle and food trucks.
‘‘Even though the mayor will be there, it’s not an official opening more a celebration of the upgrade - a way to say to the community that it’s finished, come along and enjoy it, ‘‘ Canning said.
The Central Energy Trust big screen will be on site with popular skating video game Skate-3.
Craig Mclay, chair of the Palmerston North Skateboard Community helping to co-ordinate the event, said Saturday’s celebration, timed for the long Wellington Anniversary weekend, should see plenty of trucking action on the Railway Reserve park.
‘‘The Square Skate shop is sponsoring prizes for competitions for the best tricks, and we’re expecting some top end skaters from the lower North Island to turn up in an unofficial capacity, to take part.’’
Emcee for the event would be ‘‘old school skater’’ Josh Adolf, who used to run the Shine skateboard shop in Palmerston North and who now lives in Wellington, Mclay said. While parts of the park would need to be sectioned off for those competitions between 1pm - 4pm, Mclay said they would only take up a small part of the day so that kids could still get out on the park and enjoy themselves.
Competitions would include best tricks on the stair, the A-frame and the bowl as well as pump track time trials and a gladiator challenge.