Click here to view the embedded video.

Hyung Juhn vs. Brandon Sandt

Evan Sigafoos vs. Luke Koch

Tomorrow’s matches are . . .

Check out the complete Skateplaza Showdown Bracket HERE.

[Click for full sized imaged]

Bethlehem, PA- May 25-26, 2012– Homebase Skateshop is inviting the community to join them in celebrating their 10^th year in business in the Lehigh Valley by supporting a project very important to them, The Bethlehem Skateplaza over Memorial Day Weekend.  100% of the profits collected from this event will be donated to the Phase 2 of the project.

On Friday May 25^th a benefit dinner and silent auction will be held at Starters Riverport (17 W. 2^nd St Bethlehem) from 6-10pm.  The event cap the month long Dine & Donate fundraising drive where up to 10% of the food bill will be donated to the skateplaza.  Guests that arrive early will be seated with Homebase Skateshop in the Starters Riverport Banquet Hall and treated to complimentary hors devours and a 6 foot long birthday cake provided by a new local bakery, Sugar Babes Cupcakes.  Guests also have a chance to receive an anniversary gift bag and the Homebase &Vans collaboration t-shirt for a donation to the skateplaza while supplies last.  A video retrospective on Homebase’s 10-years of skateboarding in the Lehigh Valley will also be shown throughout the event.

The Bethlehem Skateplaza Silent Auction will be held in the banquet hall in support of the 2^nd Phase of the skateplaza project featuring prizes that will appeal to families, parents and skateboarders alike.  The auction items have been donated by local businesses:  The Hyatt Place, American Hairlines, Eskandalo, Apotheca Salon, Loose Threads Boutique, Touchstone Theatre, The Attic and the Bethlehem Golf Club to name a few.  Locally based but nationally known artist and vinyl toy designer, Brent Nolasco.  Vans Footwear is auctioning of a year’s supply of their “Half Cab” shoe.  The Hundreds brand apparel, Herschel Supply Co bags, Think Skateboards, HUF, Mighty Healthy and more have all committed prizes as well.  The auction will end at 10pm.  All winners will be announced and posted on www.Homebase610.com.

On Saturday May 26th an all age’s Homebase 10^th anniversary celebration will take place at the Bethlehem Skateplaza (1325 Steel Ave Bethlehem) from 12-6pm featuring a competition on the skateplaza course.  Early registration for beginner thru advanced skaters will begin at 11am.  It is a $10 donation to register for each of the 4 contests sponsored by The Hundreds, Nike SB, Lowcard Magazine and 5Boro Skateboards.  Games can be played outside of the skateplaza for a small cash donation to win prizes from the sponsors as well as a Homebase 10^th Anniversary T-shirt designed by local artist, Dane Thompson and screen-printed live by Lehigh Valley Apparel Creations.

The Easy Weenies Hot Dog Cart will be selling hot dogs to benefit the skateplaza.  Vita Coco will be giving away samples of their coconut water drinks to the community.  B-104 DJ Cap Cee will be providing music all day as well.  An information table on the Buy-A-Brick Fundraiser will also be set up to answer your question regarding the future phases of the skateplaza and how the local community can get involved. In case of rain, the outdoor skateplaza event will be rescheduled for Saturday June 2^nd.

Homebase strongly supports the impact the Bethlehem Skateplaza has made on the youth of Bethlehem by providing them with a safe and legal place they can continue to pursue their passion for skateboarding and maintaining an active lifestlye.  Efforts are being my by the City of Bethlehem, Northampton Community College and Homebase to provide skateboard lessons to under privileged in the local community so more kids have a chance to take advantage of the facility as it expands this Summer.

Thank you to everyone coming to help us celebrate this milestone for Homebase, as well as, all our friends and family.

We’ve been consistently holding Saugy Sessions for over 5 years now.  It’s become a tradition for us at Homebase and hopefully for a lot of you who skate with us.  It’s kind of a trip to look back at some of the older videos and photos to see how young some homies were when they first started coming out to Homebase events.

And it’s always good to see faces that have been around since the Hometeam days- like Lost Soul’s Ray Gurz.  I don’t get to see Ray as often anymore since he’s now working at Double Decker Records in Allentown but he’s always in the streets with the Lost Soul crew paving their own way through the skate industry.  Support your local brands.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Eric Elliot vs. Jesse Switzer

Jesse Gangewere vs. Zach Chunko

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thanks to everyone that came out.  We raised a little over $30 in hot dog sales which will be added to the total donation we’re making to the skateplaza at the end of the Saugy Session season.  We’ll see you again on Monday May 28th.

Click HERE to see the full sizes version of the bracket.

Games of S.K.A.T.E. from last Monday’s Saugy Session/BBQ and the Best Trick will be up tomorrow for your viewing pleasure thanks to Matt Pepe’s editing mastery.

Click here to view the embedded video.

When I stopped by he said, “I have something for you to Instagram” and he pulled out the construction contracts for Phase 2.  In order for construction to begin, the contracts need 3 signatures: Ralph’s, the contractor’s and the Mayor’s.

1 down.  2 to more to go.

All our fundraising efforts and the pride we take to keep the skateplaza safe and clean do not go out the window now.  Even with the completion of Phase 2, that’s still ONLY HALF of the total design the City approved.  The bigger it gets, the more we have to take care of.  If we can keep doing that, we’re looking at the possibility of lights, longer hours, bigger events and possibly bigger sponsorships to help finish the skateplaza.

Seriously, next time you see Ralph, ask him for his autograph.  He’ll be at the Homebase 10th Anniversary events on May 25th & 26th.  Hope you are all planning on staying in the 610 for Memorial Day Weekend.  It’s definitely going to be memorable. 

Please don’t forget that the Dine & Donate fundraiser is still going on and continues until we host our 10 Year Anniversary party at Starters on Friday May 25th.  You’re going to eventually eat out right?  So any meal you eat at Starters until then can potentially donate 10% to the Bethlehem Skateplaza.  Donation coupons are available at Homebase.

Special thanks to you, Mo Taylor & Starters Riverport staff for hosting the event.

B104 DJ’s Cap Cee, Mr. Dynamite, Mike Kelly, Stephanie Wells for promoting on-air and guest bartending.

Mayor Callahan for working like a champ behind the bar.

Ralph Carp & The Parks and Recreation Department for going above and beyond to see that the skateplaza gets built.

The lovely ladies for the D.B.A. Sam Schwartz, Kara Johnson and Loly Reynolds for bartending as well as spreading the word through the community.  Thanks to longtime Homebase & skateplaza supporters, Rick Nuno and Becky Bodnar for working behind the bar as well.

Can’t forget to thank all those people who bought bricks that night and those who tried to buy bricks before the technical difficulties set in.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Huge thanks again to Trip Brown for slaving away to make Brick by Brick: A Documentary on the Bethlehem Skateplaza possible.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Homebase can only do these type of events and get as much done in the community with the help of our crew: Dave Hill, Josh Novak, Mike Panic, Ben Taylor and all the volunteers who put in work that night.

And again, thanks to everyone who came to Dine & Donate.  Check the Homebase Facebook to see the rest of the photos Mike Panic took that night.

See you all on May 25th for the Homebase 10 Year Party!

We’re also going to continue the next round of the Skateplaza S.K.A.T.E. Showdown as well.  Typically, the matches are held on the 1st & 3rd Mondays of the month at the plaza but why not break the rules?

Last time we saw two best friends go for each others throat in the first round of the Skateplaza S.K.A.T.E. Showdown.  Let’s see what happens in Round 2.

Click here to view the embedded video.

These Monday we’ll see:  Jesse Switzer vs Eric Elliot | Jesse Gangewere vs Zach Chunko.  Be sure you check the bracket for the upcoming matches & dates (click HERE to enlarge).

Click here to view the embedded video.

See you at Saugy on Monday. 

Just to give you a quick report, WE raised $1062.00 in tips at the bar alone for the skateplaza.  Starters is tabulating the total donation from the food sales from the night now.  If you missed dinner last night, you can still donate up to 10% of ANY MEAL you eat at Starters until May 25th. . . . just print this coupon and present it when you pay.

A full post of photos, video and the skateplaza documentary will be up soon.

Save the date now, May 25th we will be back at Starters Riverport for the Homebase 10th Anniversary Birthday Party.  Yesterday was all about you giving to the skateplaza, May will be all about us giving back to you.

This has truly been a D.I.Y. documentary meant to tell an important story about an important cause to many of us who use the skateplaza daily.  I can’t thank Trip enough for stepping up to tackle this project with me- especially knowing I’m not the easiest person to work with when I REALLY want to get something done in a short amount of time.  We shot this documentary in under a month’s time.  With the help of Matt Pepe and the LV Mirror for additional interview footage, I think we were really able to pull together a solid story about how the Bethlehem Skateplaza is a project that fits right into our progressive community which not only benefits the youth but also the economy.

Trip must have edited this in under 48 hours- some of that in 12 hours stretches using 2 locations just to get a change of scenery.  Staring at a computer for that long can drive you to do crazy things.  Like planking at Wegmans at 2am.

One of the highlights from this project was getting to interview Steve Van Doren, the son of the Vans Footwear Co-Founder and face of Vans Footwear today.  The interview took place in Phoenix during the PHXAM Contest that Vans sponsor’s.  The contest brings skateboarders from all over the world out to compete and national media attention to their skateplaza.

With the help of Adam Temple at A.R.T. Productions, we’ve been able to incorporate 3-D renderings of what we hope to build in Phase 2 over some footage Trip shot of the cleared out area.  You can virtually visualize what it will be like to skate Phase 2.

Got a text from Trip at 10am this morning letting me know he was almost done editing and hadn’t slept since he left my office at 12am.  That’s real commitment to the cause.  I hope you all can make it out to see this labor of love . . . . . and I hope Trip can stay awake for it.

See you here at 6pm!  Starters Riverport: 17 W. 2nd St.  Bethlehem, PA.  It’s only a walk down the street from Homebase.

Present this voucher to your server when you pay your dinner bill to donate up to 15% to the Bethlehem Skateplaza TONIGHT . . . . but also anytime you eat at Starters until our 10 year anniversay party on May 25th.

John Callahan, the Mayor of Bethlehem will not only be attending- he will be helping us raise funds by working the bar for tips to be donated to the plaza.  You wouldn’t want to give the wrong answer if he asked “Did you buy a brick yet?”

Just a few things to remember about Dine & Donate:

• It’s ALL AGES & for the entire family.
• Come when you can from 6-9pm.
• There is no set “plate charge,” up to 15% of the food sales will be donated to the skateplaza.
• 100% of the tips raised at the bar by our “Celebrity Bartenders” will be donated to the skateplaza.
• Around 7pm, we’ll be showing as short film on what the Bethlehem Skateplaza has done in the community.