On the first evening of October, as the sun slowly descended over
Paine's Park, a group of onlookers gathered to watch dozens of skaters grind and kick-flip their way through the 16-month-old, $4.5 million skateboard park, located just off the Benjamin Franklin Parkway adjacent to the Schuylkill River.
Nearby, skateboarding supporters mingled between an open bar and a silent auction featuring skateboard decks, hotel packages and skate-themed art.
The occasion was Street Level, the inaugural fundraising and skate-culture event benefiting the
Franklin's Paine Skatepark Fund. The organization is responsible for constructing free public skateparks throughout the city, including Paine's Park. Perhaps more importantly, Franklin's Paine works to empower skateboarders through various
community engagement programs and
advocacy efforts.
"The [organization's] focus for so long was about concrete and bricks," says Franklin's Paine Executive Director Josh Dubin, explaining the genesis of the event, which featured skating demos and a deejay. "But now that it's built, we needed an event that celebrated the people who skate, and all the benefits that come to a community when it supports and nurtures skateboarding as a dynamic force."
The proceeds raised by the event will be folded back into the nonprofit organization's fund; Franklin's Paine is currently working to build a
skatepark in Nicetown. But as Dubin pointed out, the most crucial aspect of the shindig was its focus "on the places skateboarding can take you if that passion is nurtured and supported."
A number of skateboarding role models were recognized, including Joel Zwicky, a Wisconsin police officer who patrols on a longboard, and
Skateistan Founder
Oliver Percovich, who uses the sport to positively affect the lives of disenfranchised youth in developing countries.
Visit
Franklin's Paine online to make a donation.
Writer: Dan Eldridge
Source: Josh Dubin, Franklin's Paine Skatepark Fund