From the mind and memories of Simon Woodstock: I remember when I first met Salman. It was in 1988 and I was working at Winchester Skateshop in Campbell, CA and he came rolling up one day in a beat up lowered brown Toyota. His driver’s seat was also lowered so all I could see were his nose, eyes, and Afro haircut through the car door window as he bouncily drove up to the shop front. Pretty hilarious! He parked his car and pulled out a Powell Peralta set up and started doing some really consistent flat land lines in front of the shop but nothing too insane. I later saw him around at skate jams doing some pretty cool (yet standard for the time) launch ramp airs. We eventually became good friends and hung out a lot in San Jose doing whatevs. We sort of just cruised around from spot to spot doing slappies and wall rides and so forth. Until one day… Get the rest of the story and a video after the jump. Thanks to Simon for sharing.

Sorry about the lack of posts this week, my plane got delayed and TAM Linhas Aéreas lost my luggage. It took a while to get things sorted out, but I’m happy now, and tripping out cause I’ve never been in the southern hemisphere before. The toilets flush backwards! What???? Crazy! Anyway, I finally got the go ahead to post a couple of pics I took of Jake Brown. Holy cow, he landed the world’s first backside 720 Ollie over the gap in during the Big Air contest…

Frank De Lim Presents – Da Year Of Da Moke could have been yours for $11, delivered in the US. Totally worth it, regardless of what I sounds like. I was watching the auction with the intention of buying it, but the seller was such an annoying twit that I refused to on principle. “Hey, can I see the whole cover? Sure, as soon as you win the auction and unwrap it.” Yeah right. How effing lazy do you have to be? He scanned the photo and only part of it fits on the scanner. I’ve actually run into this before when buying records online, but usually the seller is smart enough to realize a little cooperation can result in a higher bid. I just don’t get it. Point your cellphone at the cover and shoot the whole damn thing. It’s worse then when people sell something on Craigslist and don’t include any picture. Usually the same mindset of a person that will list something for sale on Craigslist and leave town for the weekend immediately after posting it. OK, rant over. Even though I showed him by not bidding… I’m thinking I should have swallowed my pride and bid…

A Push to Remember is a a skateboard ride across the USA by Jack Smith of the Skateboarder’s Journal. It’s about raising awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease, which is near to Jack’s heart as his father passed away from complications due to Alzheimer’s in 2011. If the cross-USA skateboard trek sounds familiar, you might recall that Jack made a similar journey that was covered in the pages of Thrasher circa 1984, but that wasn’t even the first time he did it, which was in 1976! His 1984 journey also made it as a question in Trivial Pursuit. Help him out with his fundraising efforts if you are inclined. Watch the video and see the card after the jump. – Thanks to MC for the tip. Yes, he meant to send it earlier, but he forgot.

Let’s see… got an axe to grind? Want to throw down a few hammers? Tools with handles made from used skateboards and tennis racquets! Some of them are quite beautiful. Get yours modestly priced at Copemans Corner. – Thanks to Rich for the tip.

The Kings Highway DIY project in St Louis is scheduled to be torn down within a year as the 76 year old bridge overhead is being demolished. KHVT (Kingshighway Vigilante Transitions 501c3) organizers are working with the city to fundraise and sanction the first public free skatepark in the city. To ensure that the skateboarders of St. Louis will still have a place to skate, KHVT must act quickly. We are working closely with St. Louis City’s Land Re-utilization Authority (LRA) to find small, unused city owned properties to be transformed into free, public “skate gardens.” As of now, KHVT is $33,000 short of the $50k they need to build this first spot. And that’s where the Kickstarter campaign comes in.

Tuesday night at Hopworks there’s a benefit for Powell Park Skate Spot, part of Portland’s 19 park plan. Hopworks is donating 20% of Tuesday night’s profits towards the park. Art for sale benefits the park as well. Donated product will be available for sale that evening after 6pm, with proceeds going to the park fund. In fact, all these proceeds benefit the park directly. There are no further fact finding surveys or “management” costs involved. The red tape has been cut, all that awaits is fundraising so the opening day ribbon can be cut. There’s a conceptual render floating around out there, but I don’t believe anything has been set in stone, other than the fact that Evergreen Skateparks will be building this one.

There’s a small fortune in skateboards and memories in this shot. Looks like it’s more than a swap meet though: The 2nd Annual Venice Beach Surf & Skate Fest will be taking place Saturday April 13th from 11a-6pm at the Venice Farmer’s Market Lot on Venice Bl @ Dell Ave. Come see products from your favorite local shops including Maui & Sons, VB Surf & Animal House. See & buy awesome vintage gear from the swap meet. Drink a selection of beers from Stone Brewing and sample cuisine from Farmhouse Kitchen & Poke & Poke while our friends at Whole Foods tantalize you with fresh squeezed juices! Do all of this while rockin’ to tunes by Street Smart, Venice Street Legends & Flyin’ Lion. And don’t forget to dig into your pocket books to win amazing prizes in the charity raffle which benefits Sea Shepherd.

It’s a little bit of Gonz, a lot of Simon Woodstock, and a little bit of Sorcery 118. These frame grabs only scrape the surface of what Jesse James and Chris Atherton are up to in terms of weird little Frankenstein skateboards and general… I guess shenanigans is the word I’m looking for. Seriously. These are not the best frame grabs, but there were too many to choose from. Some people find this kind of thing annoying, but I defy you not to smile while you are watching this. It’s a Golden Egg After you watch it, check out a short interveiw and some behind the scenes action on Caught in the Crossfire. – Thanks to KC for the tip.