You might remember a Dutch newspaper article from 1980 talking about how skateboarding was becoming very popular. Here’s remnants of the same skatepark in the May 4th, 1982 edition of the Leidse Courant newspaper. This article is about the sport’s demise. This must have been slightly better than it looked when Jeroen and crew found it in 1985. Even then, you had to keep an eye open for those Mad dogs. – Thanks to Jeroen for the tip.

Skateboard slaat aan in Vlissingen – Skateboarding is catching on in Vlissingen, according to the December 4th, 1980 edition of the Dutch newspaper Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant. Check out the photo of that skatepark. Even though it’s low res black and white newspaper photo, it’s clearly one of those fiberglass ramps that was part of the Skate Ball system, and possibly the same blue fiberglass ramps used in Thrasherland. It’s hard to know for sure, could there have been more than one manufacturer of blue fiberglass skateboard ramps? There are similarities and differences between the two if you compare, but it’s conceivable that there were a few minor iterations over the product lifespan that would account for that. This is the only photograph I’ve seen showing the incline, full pipe parts (only half here) and the Skate Ball ramp. I’m just shocked that some of them made it all the way over to Europe. The article comes courtesy of S&A reader Jeroen who rode this thing in the Netherlands. His crew actually found abandoned parts of the park and reassembled them in their own configuration and rode them in 1985.

You’re looking a the concrete equivalent of a Play-doh fun factory. One of them generates a continuous curb and the other, a ditch. I wish I had more information on these photos posted by Architecture and Design magazine. Unfortunately, they were found on their Facebook timeline, and they provide no context or source links. I was very surprised because I assumed Architecture and Design Magazine was an actual print publication, and they should know better. Turns out it’s entirely web based. The “About Us” page has some unintentionally funny copy: “The Architecture & Design story began in Afghanistan ( a country in Asia ) back in 2013…” Yes, 2013, a time when few people have heard of the rarely talked about country of Afghanistan. In any case, these machines are not designed for building skateparks, but the concept is interesting. Ole John Henry could take these machines, each one still requires a crew of guys to operate. – Via Wrex Cook on Facebook

Evergreen Skateparks just finished a new park on the Blackfeet reservation in Browning, Montana. Thunder Park is yet another skatepark funded by Jeff Ament, and it looks like a fun one. Aside from the usual elements we’ve come to expect, there’s a moonscape-like mogul field reminiscent of some parks that were built in the 70’s, but you know, good.

Day 4 of 5 Days of Ohio (for no particular reason.) Public Square Group is part skateboard/skatepark advocacy, part community outreach, and part skateboarding support group. They are named after the Cleveland’s public plaza, a not-built-for-skateboarding spot that has a history in the scene dating back to the 80’s. They also run the Skate Kitchen, which until this year had been in an actual physical location with an indoor miniramp. The non-profit membership based model (with public hours) seems to have been replaced with pop up skate events while they look for a new space. Grindline recently finished Cleveland’s Crooked River Skatepark on the riverfront. Opening day was snowed in, Meanwhile, Broadway Skatepark in the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland has already gone through early design presentations. Public Square Group is acting as the conduit for feedback. – Thanks to Dan Overfield for the tip. [Video Still: Share the River]

Steve Ping from DesertPipes.com shot some photos of the newly completed Hubbard Homestead Skate Spot located at 11203 5th Ave NE in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle. It’s still behind fences and the official grand opening is allegedly December 5th. It looks like Newline is credited wight the design concepts. There’s a firm in charge of the larger park complex, but I’m not sure who built the skate spot, as Washington law somehow prohibits a design and build situation. Bobcat says this spot has been in the works for 5 years. Hubbard Skate Spot backs up against a Target store, so if you forget your pads, helmet, or skateboard, you can run right in and buy it.

This is not a computer rendering, nor is it the Streetdome dressed up for Halloween. It is in fact an actual skatepark in Terahn, Iran. You can find some construction pictures of the precast concrete park at this website, which I can’t even begin to tell you the name of. I can’t imagine who else would have made this besides Spohn Ranch, but it’s not listed on their site. Maybe they are ARC fabrications. In the interest of better relations between our two fine countries, I’m including the song “Ayatollah” by Steve Dahl & Teenage Radiation. It’s Weird Al style song parody dating back to the thick of the Iran Hostage crisis way back in 1979. Just look at how far we’ve come… [Photo: Streetboarder]

Rain did not slow down the first pour of the newest skatepark in Portland. Billy Tavita Jasper and others on the Evergreen crew were hard at work. Please appreciate the new R.E.I. skatepark tent tarp which can not be deployed without a backhoe. G.V.K. out

Funded and built by volunteers at SkatePal. The first one is in Zababdeh, and there are plans for two more. Get the details from Vice.com. – Thanks to Orezona for the tip.

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.