Meet Skater Wes- Dirt City Chicago is here!

I met Wes about a year and a half ago, through my first sk8 instructor (Jason). He was working in Jason's Kentucky sk8 shop (N:CE)at the time, and was into what I was trying to get rolling (putting sk8 ramps in at orphanages and youth shelters). Wes, has now become one of my favorite people, because it seems whatever he does, his whole heart is in it. It's freakin awesome when people show some passion and excitement for what they do. Anyway, he skates like a maniac. His Zine (dirtcitychicago.blogspot.com) will be kick ass, I'm sure. He is also on track, or causing ruccus, one, as he is attending Moody Bible School, so that he can become a youth minister. Well, you can now enjoy the fact that the sk8 scene in Chicago will be accessible. We also have a few new features. Each Dirt City Zine will have its own sk8tainment and videograffiti, so if you have some footage to share, link up:) These can also be accessed by visiting dirtcityhub.org/DCTV
I asked Wes to write up an introduction letter, so this is it. Man, a barn would be awesome!




Tucked into the low hills, just south of Louisville, Ky, is my Grand Fathers farm, my first skatepark. It's 78 acres of freedom that helped shape me in ways I couldn't imagine. By the time I was in highschool I had been making strange obstacles and skating them on the farm for a year or so, and had know idea there was any certain way to skate. I didn't know about Eric Koston's rule book for "skate", or even there was such a thing as competitive skateboarding.
After I was exposed to the industry I was quickly grabbed up by the local "hesh" crew, we bombed hills, jumped off our high school, hunted for stair sets, and caused a fair amount of down home mayhem. Soon they were too far gone into drugs to skate, and I was standing alone, like the old days. I started to skate downtown Louisville, and make the hour journey to the skate park.
Then it was time for college. My first go at it lasted a year, then I had to go back to my love, wood pushing. I moved to Michigan to skate for Testify Skateboarding Ministry, a youth outreach program. When my circumstance deteriorated I moved back to Louisville, where I met Jason Brown, a ripper left over from the days of speed, back airs, and unpopularity. Then, in 2007 I decided to take a journey back in time. I learned lip tricks, and backside air, while working in N:ce Skateboard's gallery.
Some of you may know that Morgan McDole (Gone Fishing, in my space friends list) is/was on the N:CE's team, prior to the Jacksonville Move. We're all holding our breath to see if N:CE comes back. Any who, after a year of being N:ce i moved back to Chicago for school, this is 2008. That spring break I went to meet Morgan for the first time in Daytona, I wrote and article about this in the Daytona DirtcityZine's blog (follow the links accordingly).
Recently, Morgan asked me to expand her Dirty empire into Chicago, and I intend to do so. I'm still hooked on transition so hit me up and lets session something big and steep (say a sea wall).




thanks SKATER WES

The time to give is always NOW!

The SkaterTots program was founded by Kyle Brubaker, currently a manager at Stone Edge Skatepark. Last holiday season, Stone Edge was a drop-off location for Toys For Tots donations. Unfortunately, we were not even able to fill an entire box. Kyle decided he would start collecting donations of new and used decks, trucks, wheels, helmets, pads, etc. to create a goal of 50 complete skateboards to be donated to the Toys For Tots program this December. Please help Kyle exceed this goal and give a child a new positive outlet in his/her life by donating any skateboarding equipment you may not be needing. I bet some of you have a few things collecting dust in the garage right now? I'm right, aren't I?

Today I was driving down US1 in South Daytona when a sign along the road caught my eye. The sign was advertising FREE CLOTHING FOR BACK TO SCHOOL. Free?! I thought to myself, "What a wonderful thing to do for someone". When you think about how many citizens in our area are practically the working poor; surviving paycheck to paycheck, barely getting food in the fridge, making magic out of canned goods...It's really reassuring to see such efforts being made to assist anyone in need. I wish more people would stand up and reach out to someone who could use a helping hand.

Community efforts can change lives and open doors we never thought could be un-locked. Please check out this website link http://www.freecycle.org/group/United%20States/Florida/Daytona%20Beach

It is a link to the Daytona Beach Freecycle group. "The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,565 groups with 5,634,320 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and thus keeping good stuff out of landfills.

Membership is free, and everything posted must be FREE, legal and appropriate for all ages. To view the items being given away or sought in Daytona Beach, you must be a member of the local group."

Red Tails Summer Fest- RECAP

Photos_Duce Smith

Visualize This:

Bank ramp down to a fun box up to a grind box, over a gold, 1974 VW bug, to a 6ft quarter-pipe (crammed with skaters on a small deck). Then, shot over to boost a hip ramp (or by-pass it via the grind box), back to another bank ramp, to ollie the gap back to your start, or continue back to the otherside of the hip ramp for some lip tricks.....smooooth.


For some reason when you've got something new and fresh to skate infront of you, the sweltering, summer sun of Florida takes a back seat. The skaters lasted all day long, serving as consistent entertainment for the spectators last weekend. Yup, lasting longer, than the wakeboarders who got air blasted, and drenched in a 50 ft long pool every run.

Anyway, between the local possee and skaters cruisin through for the weekend, there was a good mix of styles and tricks: Jeckari, the Woodward bros, Tommy, Eric, Stacie, Adam, Devin... (my memory stops here). All put out for a good contest Saturday and best trick Sunday.

Mad thanks to the man-power behind DK Ramps, Dug Ketterman and Erik Brubaker, who worked hard to build and maintain, so everyone could sk8. I know what they're thinking,Heck, it better be good, cuz we're sk8in too. That's just one benefit of having builders that sk8.

Thanks to Amy from Salon 230 for donating her services, and freshening up people with free haircuts at our booth Saturday and Sunday!! Wank also kindly donated an event tent to Dirt City Missions at the days end. Thanks! Furthermore, DK Ramps is now the keeper of the ramp set-up you skated last wknd, so I know more events are in store. And, thanks to Ducer for being out there taking photos, otherwise, you would have truly had to visualize!

Short boards and burgers!

Stone Edge Skatepark offers free food and a free skate contest(with daily admission) every FIRST Friday of every month! Last night, there were short boards under the feet of groms and teens alike in the 9bowl. I couldn't believe that some were able to keep both feet on such a small piece of wood.





The prizes given were T-shirts brought to you by iCecreak3r Clothing Company. You can learn more about their efforts by viewing their Myspace page at : http://www.myspace.com/icebreak3r