Kona Skatepark needs work. The owner of the longest running private skatepark is trying to raise money for repairs to the park. The fundraising campaign is incredibly vague on what the 50k is going to be used for, instead pointing to a recent Folio Weekly article that sheds light on Kona’s interesting, sometimes troubled history as it approaches it’s 39th year in operation. For instance, the park declared bankruptcy twice in the first 18 months after opening in 1977. It was in limbo for 6 months before the the current owner’s (Martin Ramos) parents bought it. Economic downturns, wildly unfortunate personal accidents, and some questionable business decisions, all detailed in the article, make public funding for a privately owned skatepark a hard sell. Kona’s place in history and many skateboarders hearts might help it stay alive. Ramos has some interesting ideas to help keep the park afloat, some of which you’ve heard before that haven’t really worked for anyone else…

Avert your eyes from this advert found in the June 21st, 2015 edition of the NY Times magazine. Brian and Brody are sporting their finest for Father’s Day. Countess Mara makes accessories for any occasion, as long was the occasion calls for a tie or a bowtie. Send them your skate photos, you could end up in their next national advertisement.

– Thanks to Tallboycan for the tip.

The Willamette Week has a piece on the acquisition and relocation of mail order giant CCS by local Portland business Daddies Board Shop. The title of the article and accompanying video, “Portland’s Skate Community Isn’t Stoked for CCS” is a little misleading, as if there is a broad outcry when there likely isn’t even a broad awareness. In fact, of the three businesses interviewed besides Daddies, one had nothing negative to say, and the other two were skateshop owners that were pretty reserved, more or less of the opinion that it will have no real effect on the the Portland skate scene, or even their businesses. This is a position I agree with, as I mentioned back in December. Bringing the physical location of CCS to Portland is likely to have zero impact on local businesses. The really big news here is that Daddies owner Darren Horowitz looks like a Seth Rogan impersonator! (More editorial and the video after the jump.)

This is the cover of Education Update – Volume 56, Number 9, published in September, 2014:

With practical optimism and guidance, teachers can turn teens’ risk-taking behaviors into cognitive assets.

I was really into the band Cognitive Assets when I was in my straight edge phase. the cover illustration really does an excellent job of capturing the true essence of skateboarding, which is to be simultaneously alarmed, inspired, and confused.

– Thanks to Burly Caps for the tip.

It’s the September 13th, 2009 edition of Kids Scoop, which focuses on skateboarding. This is another buried treasure that was in the box that Danimal gave me with the kids braille skateboarding book. Lots of safety advice and fun activity after the jump, including the Great Skateboard Debate! No agendas at all, so wake up the kids and call Grandma.

An excellent execution photographing Bart Simpson in the real world, skating a very real wall. As seen on the cover of the Portland Mercury a couple weeks ago. Embiggened after the jump.

SFGate has posted some pictures in a feature called Four decades of skateboarding in San Francisco. It’s part of their Let’s Go to the Morgue! series where they dig up old photographs from the San Francisco Chronicle. Better versions of the picture, along with a little commentary are on the SFGate blog. The earliest photo dates back to 1964, and the last one is from 1994.

Two instances of world class athletes using skateboards for cross training purposes. First up is 10k Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah allegedly building balance on a skateboard, though admittedly just an experiment, and more likely just a photo op for the The Oregonian. On the right, Daniel Woods “prepares” for the 2010 Bouldering World Cup at a skatepark. With the event just two days after the video footage was shot, he was probably just trying to relax, get his mind off the competition, and of course, not get hurt! Video footage of Daniel after the jump – Just a tiny bit of skating and a lot of bouldering, but it’s some amazing bouldering footage.

– Thanks to Jim Lilly and Chris Yeager for the tips.

The Wall Street Journal (online) has a short piece on private skate spots across the country. It focuses on the age of aspect, as most of these operations are helmed by a 30 and older crew. Minneapolis gets mentioned as having an unusually large concentration (Hiawatha, Blood Bowl) but at any given time I think Portland has more. Some of them are there for a while and gone, but I can think of four going right now. Also mentioned in the article are New Yorks defunct Autum Bowl, DOS bowl in Portland and the private vert ramp facility in Seattle (More on that in a little while.) A video clip shows a cool little tunnel under the Hiawatha ramp. Conor Dougherty is the author, and if I’m not mistaken I have corresponded with him before. I think I recall him saying that he likes to sneak in as much skateboard content as he can. Check out I Say, That’s One Gnarly Grind You Just Executed: Aging Skateboarders Join Exclusive Venues to Avoid Those Darn Kids in the WSJ. (I swear that’s a punchline in one of MC’s comics.) Colin was supposed on call for an interview, but they must not have needed him. That’s a shame, cause I would have loved to see his likeness as one of those little point drawings.

– Thanks to Jeff Roenning for the tip.

The Star-News in Wilmington, North Carolina asks “Has your princess stopped dressing like one?” in hopes of getting you to place a classified ad for a yard sale so you can get rid of all her “pretty, fashionable clothes to make room for baggy jeans and t-shirts.” Princess doesn’t have to be worried about being embarrassed though, she’s at least a decade more mature now. Although this ad ran recently in December of 2012, the magic of Google News turned up the same advert back in 2007 and again as early as 2005! I’m not sure what I’m more surprised by, a newspaper running an 8 year old ad campaign (Newspapers dying? But they’re so current!) or the fact that Google has an archive of random newspapers. To be fair, the ad campaign is a good one, and the newspaper archive appeals to the packrat historian in me. I just wish they had better scans, and a little information about the newspaper. I’ve archived one of the ads after the jump, because you know Skate and Annoy is going to outlast this fad called Google.

Part of Fashion day on S&A, a tribute to the 80’s skateboard/fashion zine out of Michigan, Stuf Magazine.

Spotted on Cellybrain via Slappy Hour/ Dances with Curbs.