Burnside is still in the news. The Mercury has a cautious, but upbeat take on the future of Burnside.

They mayor of Philadelphia lifted the ban on skateboarding in Love Park for a handful of days in advance of the whole thing being torn down for a complete overhaul. So while the gesture was definitely appreciated by the locals and many people who travelled hours to get a session in, let’s not kid ourselves. If it wasn’t being demolished, the skateboarders wouldn’t have gotten any concessions. Red Bull produced a video, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why it’s only 2 minutes long. This really pushes the old adage that something is better than nothing. Is almost nothing better than nothing?

Tyler over at Calsk8.com wants greater Portland area skaters to be aware that the City of Troutdale has a significant chunk of funds available from a decade old parks bond measure that could be applied to a skatepark. He’s working with a committee (and Evergreen) to propose a 30,000 sq ft. plot in Columbia Park behind Reynolds High School. The best way to help this become a reality is to attend a Parks Advisory Committee meetings held the second Wednesday every month at the Public Works building in Troutdale (342 SW 4th St.) or to write in to the Mayor and City Council (citycouncil@troutdaleoregon.gov) as well as Tim Seery, the superintendent of the Parks Advisory Committee.

The Vancouver Sun reports on an amended city bylaw in Victoria that will finally allow skateboarders the same transportation rights as bicycles, lifting a decades-old ban on skateboarding downtown and removing provisions allowing skateboards to be confiscated by authorities. In a unique twist, helmets are not required, but nighttime lights are. [Photo: Bruce Stotesbury: Times Colonist] – Thanks to Matthijs for the tip.

There’s an auction group online benefiting the Tony Hawk Foundation. Alongside opportunities to hang out at the Tony Hawk headquarters or have a Birdhouse session, there are also some items from Tony’s personal collection. The standout gem is Tony’s 2nd place trophy From the 1989 Savanah Slamma II, signed of course.

More coverage of the history of Burnside, this time from local weekly paper the Willamette Week, includes about 13 minutes of video and oral history in Under the Bridge.

Pigeon Park in Hernando Mississippi, built by Evergreen Skateparks. Hard to believe it, but this is Mississippi’s first public skatepark.* It appears to be out in the middle of nowhere in a field. Maybe it was the only parcel of land the city was willing to part with. A nice setting nonetheless. 5 years in the making, thanks to local organizers and fundraising, and now it’s open. Wonderful. Video and still from Above Productions. (Update: Hard to believe because the video claim appears to be incorrect. Thanks to Joesf for pointing out another public concrete park already in existence in Vicksburg. This shouldn’t take anything away from Pidgeon Park. )

UPDATE: Sad news, in the few short days since this was posted, Gerry has passed away. Gerry Hurtado AKA “SkateMaster Tate” was Diagnosed with Inoperable Liver Cancer, and is being cared for at home by his elderly mother in her 80’s. Gerry’s friends are trying to raise money for hospice care, something his mother in her advanced age just can’t do for him. You can donate on GoFundMe. All this after a recent resurgence for Skatemaster Tate, who has a model on Flood Control and a flexi-disc release in the new issue of Pure Fun.

Burnside Benefit show at Dante’s in Portland on Friday, October 9th.

Check out this gallery of Burnside photos from 1990-1993. Amazing and rare shots of history being made. Donate to the fundraiser!