Rhodes Skateboard Park in downtown Boise officially opens Saturday. The park has been around since the early 90’s, created by Glenn Rhodes, a former Ada County Highway commissioner.
The park recently got an upgrade, paid for by the Albertson Family Foundation and the City of Boise. It’s been open to skateboarders for a while and is packed full of kids every day.
To celebrate the grand opening, the company Element, which sells skateboards and gear, is opening a store and community center next door, called Element 304 Americana. The company is also bringing in its pro skate team. Element works to connect kids to nature, using skateboarding.
Pro skateboarder Brandon Westgate and Element founder Johnny Schillereff dropped by our studios Friday afternoon. They showed off some moves in the parking lot and our Frankie Barnhill caught it on camera. (Westgate is in the green, Schillereff is in black.)
Schillereff says it’s a place where kids from all walks of life can come together.
“No color, no color lines whatsoever, no economic differences, it’s just all about one thing going down and that’s the beautiful thing about skateboarding, is that it doesn’t require anything but a pair of sneakers and a skateboard," Schillereff says.
The grand opening kicks off Saturday and includes a Skate Jam at 1 p.m.
Find Samantha Wright on Twitter @samwrightradio
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