PP&R has finalized the public design meeting schedule for the Ed Benedict
Skate Plaza project. Ed Benedict Park Public Open House/Workshop Meetings to review design ideas and provide input into Portland’s first skate plaza.

Early Boyles Elementary School Cafeteria (10822 SE Bush St.; 1 block south of SE Powell Blvd.)

First Meeting is September 13th; Second Meeting is November 15th.

Both meetings are from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

image from animation archive

That was just the first half, click for the payoff make sure you don’t have a mouthful of coffee. Chris Onstadt says he doesn’t skate much these days but he makes a funny damn webcomic.

Skate and Annoy’s pro contest coverage of the rained out Battle Ground Washington leg of the Oregon Trifecta that was moved to Tobin’s backyard bowl in Portland (Whew!) comes from Shawn Reinert. I don’t think Tobin envisioned this when he built his bowl. Talk about stoked! These two pics are some of Shawn’s longer exposures that picked up flashes from the other multiple cameras present, and the results are strange. Old expanding sponge head on the left is Donovan Rice. The lien-to-tail on the six wheeled skateboard is Josh Sandoval. More weird shit and conventional pictures as well in the feature.

Check out: 2007 Oregon Trifecta – Tobin’s Bowl

If you are going to have a crappy job, it might as well be at a skateboard magazine. Actually, I’m just assuming it will be a crappy job, but historically, photogs in second string magazines are not the best paid. No ding on Slap, I actually haven’t seen an issue in years, but it’s obvious that Thrasher is the flagship of that publisher. Submit your photos and you could win a six month paid position with real photo assignments. It will likely be low paying, but it’s temporary and it would be invaluable experience if you actually wanted to take a crack at doing it for a living. For some reason they are also accepting video submissions for a photo job, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. They are looking for young photographers with technical knowhow, so I’m out on both counts. Hey kids! Now’s your chance.

This photo of Speedy Duncan (is that his real name?) was sent in by his father Guy. Learn the shocking truth about this up and coming X-Games daredevil after the jump.

left: the current Gabriel Park design, right: Geth Noble at the Talent Skatepark. Photo from THRASHER Magazine, August 1999.

Another chance to give your two-cents to Geth Noble from Airspeed Skateparks. Starting at Pier Park at noon Thursday, August 23. We’ll decide from there. He will be dropping in to skate some Portland area skateparks and listen to what skaters like and don’t like about them in preparation for the Gabriel Park skatepark.

Think about making some time on Thursday to provide useful input. Save your street plaza ideas for Ed Benedict Park, the next of Portland’s 19 skatepark system after Gabriel which will be built by Newline and California Skateparks in partnership and will be a street plaza.

So I broke my jaw (Sunday) and here’s what came out. First Thursday art ramp. The city set this ramp up to help create public awarness for the need for more skate parks. I filmed it. Soundtrack in honor of Conahan’s new skater girlfriend.

There’s a big vert ramp with Jane’s Addiction playing over the loudspeakers, and guys like Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, Chris Miller, Tony Hawk, Duane Peters, Tony Magnussen, Lester Kasai and Steve Steadham are skating. Is this 1987? No, it’s the “Legends of Vert” demo that Steve Steadham organized at the Summer X Games. The real tip off that it’s not 1987 is the almost total indifference registered by the crowd. Brian Baade tipped us off to some video he took from the judges stand.

Aside from Vancouver, there was another skatepark opening of sorts in Washington last week. Bellingham Washington got some new Dreamland additions to an existing craptacular skatepark. We’ve shown you some pictures of the progress before thanks to John Aguilar, and he has come through again with a bunch more. They are strictly non-action photos though. There’s also a couple on Sleestak. Dan Hughes from Northwest Skater actually got in a session before the rain, as soon as his pics go live I’ll link them up.