Gene Bowles backyard project gets bigger. He’s got updates planned for My DIY but you can catch some pictures here. Looks like it’s going to be a blast. Gene must have one cool girlfriend and/or wife and/or landlord.

Red Bull is sponsoring… well, it’s a skatepark built on a barge, floating down the Mississippi river. There are events planned – for days already passed, sorry guys, but there’s still one to go October 8th and 9th. Sunday’s contest has top place finishers from earlier events in Saint Paul, the Quad Cities and St Louis. Meanwhile they have a crew on board and on board while in transit. I’m glad I live in a world where someone thinks something like this is worth paying for. Floating street course by Spohn Ranch, web site for the Mississippi Grind by Red Bull. Video on how it went down after the jump.

He’s back and he still rules. Two shots from Buena Vista courtesy of Colin Walsh.

Grind for Life and Jack’s Board House present a benefit jam session for Southern Oregon skate fixture Matt Kline who has been battling cancer. Ten bucks to get in, includes food and 10 raffle tickets. Proceeds to help Matt Kline defray the cost of his cancer treatment. Cash prizes for best rick over door, longest grind, biggest air and best trick. Come skate some of the best backyard/DIY concrete in Oregon, support a great cause and help out a fellow skateboarder. For more information or to donate product contact Rita Allred at Jack’s Board House, 452 Highland Dr. Medford, OR 97504 or 541-618-8504. Some pictures of Matt, and/or his concrete playground. 1 – 2 -3 – 4 – 5 – 6

This installment of Shot of the Week features Matt Lee at a high school in Portland, Oregon. I’m trying to come up with a pun or play on words for No Child Left Behind, but it’s not in me. Noprize to the best reader contribution. Thanks to Joe Stevens for the photo. Enlarge-o-rama.

It’s… today! Benton County Skateboarding Alliance organized this to benefit and celebrate the Jackson Street Youth Shelter’s 10th anniversary. There’s skate contest and a live graffiti contest, however that works.

Where is this going?

Are you sick of fly by night DIY spots? Not me. Check out this short documentary on Antifornia in the UK by Sean Pointing. Antifornia is pretty much a one man show by an interesting character named Dave Dixon, seemingly antisocial but easy going and friendly at the same time. It takes all types tomake the skating world interesting. In fact, that’s your homework assignment for the month. Go skate with someone you don’t like and and make a point of having fun. And I mean skate with them, not just at the same time and place as them. Meanwhile, watch Antifornia after the break. – Thanks to Mike Egbert for the tip.