I’ve been remiss in posting this on S&A, as it is about a week old by now, but it has been reported that Mike Weed passed away. I’ve read it was after a battle with lymphoma. There appears to be no official announcement online, and Weed’s official web site has not been updated at this time. You can read a 2009 interview with Mike in Juice Magazine #66.

I completely spaced on posting the release party for Pure Fun #11 that featured none other than the Johnny Rad. So you’ve all missed the release party but you can still grab a copy of Pure Fun. The latest issue is 36 professionally printed and saddle stitched pages of photos, interviews, reviews and articles, including Awake Zine, Tod Swank, Johnny Rad, and Mike Vallely. 3 lucky people out of the first 100 orders will receive a free bonus copy of Bonus Brigade from Powell Peralta. I don’t even know what Bonus Brigade is… (Now I do. It’s a 175 minutes of footage and extras not used in the Bones Brigade documentary. Interesting…) Get yours here. P.S. Publishing your own zine? Don’t forget to get yours listed on SkateZines.com.

Craig Snyder has been working on this book for 7 years, and it seems to be growing. As of now it clocks in at around 850 pages and more than 1000 images. If funded successfully (by Kickstarter) it should be published in November of 2014. Incredibly, this is only volume one, focussing on the 70’s. If successful, volume 20 will cover the 80’s and beyond. In case you’re wondering about the authenticity, there are some big names behind the incentives, including face to face time with Paul Schmitt, Mike McGill, and some guy named Alan “Ollie” Gelfand that you might have heard of… Check out olliebook.com for more info, or you can watch the Kickstarter video (features skateboarding but ironically no ollies) after the jump.

Evergreen Skateparks is working on a park in Browning, Montana on the Blackfeet reservation. The project is being sponsored by Jeff Ament. The park (Big o capsule replica included) is on track to be finished in mid to late October. Meanwhile, Evergreen is breaking ground on a skatespot near the Cully neighborhood in NE Portland on September 15th.

Moms Demand Action is not really upset that you can;t bring a skateboard into Krogers, they’re upset that Krogers has a pro open carry stance. This is just one of several ads featuring a gun toting shopper standing next to someone doing something that Krogers won’t allow. You can sign the petition here. – Via John Grigley on Facebook

Eli Reed dealing with the age old problem that every street skater encounters at least once a session: Random girls in bikinis laying in the middle of your run up. [Source: High Snobiety]

Amid property damage and serious injuries in today’s earthquake in Napa Valley, leave it to skateboarders to find some joy. From Twitter user Dudley Storey.

Dave Bergthold started Blockhead skateboards in his garage in 1985. Since then he’s had a kid, worked on the TV show Built to Shred and had a minor relaunch of Blockhead handful of years ago. While there are bigger plans for the Blockhead brand in the works, Bergthold just is launching a new project called the Skate Crate via Kickstarter. It’s an updated version of the fruit crate scooter, the forefather of the skateboard. It’s essentially a vintage styled cruiser with a removable crate and handle bars attached. There are three graphics available, blue you have the option to design and build your own. Because it’s a Kickstarter project, there are some cool incentives to donate, including Blockhead t-shirts and a great looking cruiser in it’s own right.

This tin sign is the perfect gift for any youngster that enjoys skateboarding. There’s no better way to encourage a free spirit by squashing their youthful enthusiasm!

MC tipped me off to these photos of a skatepark in Hirschgarten. It’s got a weird stadium vibe too it, like something you’d see as the sport of future in a sci-fi movie. The park looks like it would be a lot of fun, but the most interesting architectural aspect is unfortunately, effectively skate stoppered. It would be a nightmare of loose boards falling into the main bowl, but it seems such a shame to build something so inherently skate able, something that is part of an actual skateboarding facility, and then stick a railing in front of it. Top photo is via Klaus Leidorf on Flickr, and the bottom two were found on IanClairdge.net.