The Tony Hawk Foundation is auctioning off a custom Jeep to raise money for… skateparks! this is for big spenders only. – Thanks to Sarib Singh Khalsa for the tip.

All right, lets get this taken care of. I’ve got some poll software installed and now it’s time to vote for the winner of the GVK Photo Kontest. The prize package includes a skateboard of our choice and a bunch of random stuff. I thought we’d see more entries than we got, maybe we should have made a bigger deal about the prize. I’ve learned a few things from this contest, and I’ve already got an idea for the next one. Voting ends at Midnight, Pacific time, on June 22nd.

Luciano Peixoto and Gustavo Tesch sent in some coverage of the 30th anniversary party at Swell Skate Park in Brazil. Vans sponsored an event called Old is Cool and kicked it off with a contest in the brand new bowl at the park. Check it out

The powers that be in Oregon are hip to skateboarding. The official web page for the State of Oregon has a small thumbnail of a skateboarder enjoying some Oregon concrete on the main page for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. It appears to be just for illustration purposes and doesn’t link to any sort of information about skateboarding in Oregon. It should link to SkateOregon.com. (Thanks for the tip Sam!) Anyone care to hazard a guess as to identify the skater and the park?

Well, the boom had to end sometime, and end it did in May. I guess those tax refunds dried up, because deck sales tanked, and when I say tanked, I mean big-time. I only counted seven decks that went for over a thousand dollars in May, and as a regular reader of this column you’ll know that that is low. Not one went even close to $2k. The highest seller this month was a jacket, so that sums it up. This month’s Baywatch is fueled by Jays Hot potato chips, and by the soothing sounds of Crass, notably The Feeding of the 5000. If you’ve never given Crass a chance, listen to this album. It’s tough going in parts, but the lyrics still pack a punch, even 30 years on. Clash lovers (Randy and Brad) might be offended at times, because the Clash come in for some stick from the fun loving anarchists. Deserved? That’s a matter of opinion, but a lot of what they say is true. Anyway, give it a listen with an open mind. Check out eBay Watch: May 2008

Here’s a short documentary on the Burnside skatepark. I’ve heard rumors about multiple documentary projects dedicated to covering Burnside but this is the first one I’ve ever actually seen. It’s on Current, which is the web component of the TV network that features all user generated content. I haven’t watched the network in a long time, but it was pretty hit or miss the last time I checked it. This particular documentary is OK. It’s short, but it has some good footage and old pictures and a few amusing moments. I guess there’s a chance it could end up as one of the segments on TV if it hasn’t aired already. [Source: Europeskate]

No idea what this is about, it came in off the wire late last night. Sorry for the short notice but that’s how we do stuff over here. If you took part in last years’ Go Skateboarding Day “Search for Mikey Chin Video Challenge” than you need to make sure to stop by The Dept. tonight @ 8:00PM for the premiere of the footage and the crowning of the champs. If you get this info and were on a team, make sure to let all your other goofy buddies know.