'Sound & Skate Festival' Infuses Greenport With Energy: Photos, Video

GREENPORT, NY — The Greenport Skate Park came alive with new energy and vision Saturday at a "Sound & Skate Festival" aimed at raising funds for ongoing work to repair the skate park and refurbish the facility, and also to redesign the space so that it can grow to meet new needs.

The festival, which brought an exuberant crowd out for the fun, despite the heat and humidity, included skating contests, 100 vendors and food, live music, and a graffiti and mural contest featuring 25 artists.

According to Rena Wilhelm, one of the volunteers who's worked to organize efforts and also, owner of The Weathered Barn, the skate park was built in 1998. In 2008 a series of yearly festival fundraisers kicked off to raise money to fix up the park "because it needed a little TLC," she said.
Those early festivals featured skate competitions, music, a DJ, and food, and brought out the community for a day of fun.

But time and a pandemic has left the park "seriously in need of repair, posing several structural risks to skaters," Wilhelm said. "The park has been littered and vandalized" and needed an infusion of love and community care, she said.

"One of our local youths, Dane Jensen, asked his mom to reach out to the community in 2019, after seeing recent graffiti that really upset him. After seeing this plea, I said, 'Let's figure this out and let's do this,'" Wilhelm said.

Wilhelm was overwhelmed by the turnout at the event: "It was amazing and literally brought me to tears," she said. " To see these kids, parents and friends come out to what they called one of the best festivals they have ever been to, was all I could have ever hoped for."

She added: "Everyone was smiling and I received so many hugs. The energy was off the charts. BVetween the live music, the graffiti and mural artists that were creating magic right before our eyes."

Fun also included a dunk tank that was brought by Best Life Ever Skateboards.

The heat served as no deterrent for the fun, she said. "I have to give it to all of the vendors; we had that endured what I can only describe as 'near hell' temperatures. They were troopers."

While Wilhelm had hoped for more in attendance, she said she believed the heat was a factor.

"However, the best thing to come from this entire experience is what I would like to call a 'revolutio'n of sorts. Our community not only needs this park to be safe and structurally sound, but the opportunities to engage with each other in creative ways. Our mission has always been to not just promote the sport, but the fashion, music, and entrepreneurial avenues that surround skate culture. The skating culture is incredibly diverse and one of the most accepting groups I have ever seen. All people want to do is skate and have a good time," she said.

Wilhelm added: "It's a 'come as you are, we welcome you with open arms' type of culture and it was my privilege to work on behalf of our community. We are a family and it is ever growing and it is really a movement we are creating out here where everyone can feel represented."

While she had no idea, at first, what efforts would entail, Wilhelm said she had experience curating vendors for the Maritime Festival and many relationships with local artists given the nature of her business.

"To revive the festival into a major event, was the best chance at bringing out community together and bringing attention to the fact that the park needs funds to not only restore it, but to redesign aspects of the parks to reflect the newer trends in skateboarding, quad skating, inline skating, scooters and BMX bikes," she said.

"This has been exclusively a grass roots movement with a small team of volunteers that has not only expended intensive labor, but also their own personal money," Wilhelm said.

Greenport Village Mayor George Hubbard applauded the ongoing efforts. "I think they are doing great work and can't wait to see what new fixtures they have planned," he said. "It is a good thing for everyone that uses the park or just watches the kids having fun and learning more tricks. I wish them well and good luck with raising awareness of the park — and also, with raising funds for improvements."

The group organized and created the Greenport Skate Park Inc., a nonprofit organization. But, while efforts have been ongoing, more help is needed, Wilhelm said.

"There is just not nearly enough money in the budget to account for the park's state of disrepair. It might take us a while, but we push forward, bringing awareness and soliciting sponsorship and other fundraising options," she said.

There was one financial sponsor for Saturday's event, The Greenporter Hotel; in addition, the group received a "generous" donation of plywood from Riverhead Building Supply that is serving as the backdrop to the canvases that were painted by 25 graffiti-mural artists from Long Island, New York City and New Jersey, Wilhelm said.

Earlier this year in May, another fundraiser for the park, "Decked Out," included a fashion show.
Wilhelm was candid about discussing the challenges the group has faced so far in garnering support for fundraising efforts.

"It can be disheartening sometimes when people don't see the value in the skate park. Skate parks suffer from many generalizations," including a stereotype as a place for illicit behavior, she said.

"Nothing could be further from the truth," Wilhelm said. "Skate parks allow kids to be outside, to socialize, to find common ground with other youths. It allows kids to bond with their parents or other adults willing to teach and pass their skills along to novice skaters. The skate boarding community is one of the most supportive groups I have had the pleasure of working alongside."

To that end, an information booth will set up at the park during the event. Donations can be made by check or @GreenportSkatePark on Venmo.

"This is also our chance to showcase Greenport for something other than the downtown business," Wilhelm said. "It's what I call the 'other' park and it deserves as much attention as Mitchell Park because of what it offers our own community and others who come from all over just to use the park."

Personally, Wilhelm said she finds efforts to rebuild the skate park and cultivate a larger community for skate enthusiasts deeply rewarding.

"As a business owner in Greenport and a resident, I see the divide between the locals and the downtown. The local community often feels forgotten about and projects like this often start with a small group of well- intentioned individuals working toward a larger picture. We hope the festival gains momentum so that more people not only use the park but attracts people who will offer to help us attain our goals."

Saturday's event was a celebration not just of skating but of street art and the artisan community, and how all art plays a part in the skate boarding community, a place where youth can learn to dream and create, she said.

She added: "It's all about celebrating the entire skate culture to bring awareness to the needs of the park and cultivating more exposure to the industry for young entrepreneurs."

Young people have long led efforts to revamp the skate park, going back to events such as the annual Skate Park Festival in 2014, which drew many happy kids and families, according to SoutholdLOCAL at the time.

At the time, former Mayor David Nyce commended the efforts of two skaters, Beau Pollock, 21, and Andrew Semon, who worked tirelessly to bring the project to fruition.

To learn more about fundraising efforts to revitalize the park, click here.