You may or may not have heard but we recently broke ground on the skateplaza on January 6th.  I wanted to follow up and let you know what you can do if you want to get involved and support the Bethlehem Skateplaza.

A HUGE part of this project is just getting the word out about the Bethlehem Skateplaza.  As skateboarders, we should the most excited about this project because it’s for us.  If we aren’t talking about, telling everyone we know what’s going on and how they can help- how can we expect this plaza to get built?  This is a community effort that needs your help.

How You Can Help Right Now:

1) Get the right information by visiting BethlehemSkateplaza.com & Homebase610.com

2) Tell all everyone you skate with, you’re related to, everyone you go to school with, work with and even people you don’t really like all that to go on BethlehemSkateplaza.com & become friends with the skateplaza on our Facebook Fan Page.

Why?

There are some major corporations that are considering investing money in the skateplaza but they want to know how many people will really be using it.  I know and I’m sure you know how big this skateplaza will be for us but a corporate suit probably doesn’t.  They only know numbers so we need to show them numbers.

If we can tell them 5,000 people visit our website a day and we have 10,000 Facebook Fans that is something they can relate too.  That tells them there are thousands of people who care about this project and will possibly buy there products if they support it.  That translates into thousands of people who will see their advertising or will buy their products.

You might not be able to make a donation online but making sure you and people you know visit the website online is just as important- and it’s really easy to do.

3) That brings us to donations.  BethlehemSkateplaza.com has a Paypal Donate button on it where you or your parents can make a secure donation online directly to the City of Bethlehem for any amount of money.  Every little bit does help and if those of us who are looking forward to skating this plaza won’t come out of pocket to support it- why should anyone else?

We’re trying to build the East Coast’s largest skateplaza and not charge the users for skating and riding it.  That definitely worth $5, $10, $20 right?  Right now we’re also working on making collaboration products with skate brands to benefit the skateplaza.  For example, would you buy a set of Spitfire Wheels for $5 more if you knew that $5-$10 of that sale would benefit the skateplaza?  What about a Homebase deck, T-shirt or DVD?  Etnies, Spitfire, Mighty Healthy, DGK and Expedition are just a few companies that have reached out already and shown interest in doing something like this.  We’ll definitely be letting you know about this as it develops but don’t be surprised to read in Transworld or The Skateboard Mag too.

 The Skateplazaza Design:

As a skater on the east coast I think that this plaza will be unlike anything else out here.  I was a part of the design team and we tried to replicate many of the spots we see in videos and magazines but are across the country or on the other side of the world.  For many skaters who don’t get the chance to travel, this will be their chance to skate “that spot in Barcelona” or “that one spot got destroyed a few years ago.”  The China Banks, the Boston City Hospital volcano, the slanted manuel pads Joey Brezinski always skates, the LA schoolyard bump to bench, the Brooklyn Banks wallride, Hubba Hideout, China’s wavy ledges Guy Mariano handled in Fully Flared- we’ve done our best to replicate all of them. 

Link Up:

Do you use Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or have your own website and blog?  Link up with Homebase and the Bethlehem Skateplaza.  The more places people can see our sites, the more chances we’ll have to let people know about the skateplaza.  We’ve recently gotten some coverage in the local media and it would be awesome if you re-posted it on your pages.  If you want to link up, the skateplaza’s official website is www.BethlehemSkateplaza.com 

Other Bethlehem Skateplaza Links are below:

Full and unedited version of “Invest in the Youth” by myself, Andy Po.  What the skateplaza is from a skater’s point of view.

The Morning Call Town Square “Invest in the Youth” article as it ran in today’s paper.
The Morning Call “Ground is Broken for the Bethlehem Skateplaza.” article from Jan 7th

“6 Out of 7 City Council Members Prefer the Bethlehem Skateplaza” – How we fought to save our funding.

Images of the construction progress on the skateplaza site.

Video from the Groundbreaking Ceremony Q&A Session

Please Join The Bethlehem Skateplaza Facebook Fan Page.

Follow us on Twitter:  www.Twitter.com/BethSkateplaza