'Steampunk Skate Night' Debuts On New Year's Eve In Greenport

GREENPORT, NY — A new event is set to debut on New Year's Eve in Greenport aimed at making teens feel welcome and included.

Rena Wilhelm, owner of the Weathered Barn and also a force behind plans to reinvigorate the Greenport skate park, has teamed up with Mindy Ryan at the George D. Costello Sr. Roller Rink in Greenport to introduce "Steampunk Skate Night," which she describes as an "emo-Goth-misfit-alternative music headquarters meets roller skating. "

New Year's Eve, she reminded, is also the five-year anniversary of the grand reopening of the rink.

"The purpose of the theme nights is to give the kids in our area something to do that revolves around skating, dancing, and fashion," Wilhelm said. "I am a huge fan of the genre and for kids who also gravitate toward alternative music and fashion, it will be a welcoming, safe space for creative expression. — and, of course, roller skating."

Wilhelm said the goal is to create a safe space for young people to interact and have fun. "As a kid, there was a club I used to go to that you could enter if you weren't 21 and all we did was dance and pound water. It was a great place to 'people watch' and be inspired by artistic expression," she said.

A new Instagram page has been created for updates on the event. So far, the event is planned from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for those under 21, with age-appropriate music; from 9 p.m. to 11 midnight, the event will be geared toward those 21 and over.

"If the evening is a success, we will continue to offer it on scheduled nights so kids have something they can look forward to and a place where they feel they fit in," Wilhelm said.