the whole story: manny mania & homebase’s 8th anniversary benefit party

If a picture is worth a thousand words then you’re really going to get the gist of what you may have missed if you went to the Jersey Shore on Memorial Day Weekend after watching this video of the Red Bull Manny Mania contest and our 8th Anniversary celebration.

http://www.vimeo.com/12303468

We hadn’t thrown a big anniversary celebration for Homebase since the debut of our 4th shop video, “Where the Heart is” after our fifth anniversary skate jam. With Phase 1 of the Bethlehem Skateplaza on the brink of opening I figured it’d be a good idea to use this celebration as a way to raise funds for the skateplaza- celebrate with friends and do some good.

Months before the event 5Boro, Red Bull and Homebase had already begun working on a benefit skateboard that could be sold to raise money for the skateplaza. It just so happened our anniversary, Red Bull Manny Mania and the debut of the benefit deck were all coinciding around Memorial Day Weekend. After many phone calls, e-mails and a few near heart attacks Sunday May 30th was set in stone: Red Bull Manny Mania in the day on the Banana Factory parking lot and the Homebase Anniversary After Party and Benefit at Starters Riverport in the evening.

Invitations went out to neighboring skate shops through word-of-mount and Facebook. B104, LV Style, Pulse Weekly, The Morning Call and The City of Bethlehem all helped spread the word locally about an international skateboarding event taking place in our City. With the help of Red Bull, The Berrics and Focus Skate Mag we got some nationwide skateboarding coverage as well.

When Sunday came the crowds came and skaters from all over the Lehigh Valley came out to test their skills on the course. Bethlehem Skateplaza design member, Chad Shaner was commissioned by Red Bull to design a unique Manny Mania course that would cater to the ingenueity and creativity of East Coast skateboarders so elements often skated out here were thrown into the mix: tight banks, quick gaps, a pole jam and places to wallie into manuels were used.

The New York based skateboard company, 5Boro rolled into town for the weekend and even brought some of their flow team up from Florida too. Catasaqua born and 5Boro Pro, Dan Pensyl was one of the Manny Mania judges along with team mates, Justin Barnes, team manager, Tombo Collabro and Focus Skate Mag editor, Mike Mazur. It was their job to judge the 60+ skaters that entered the contest over the course of 16 heats- it was a long afternoon. Obvious, from the sun burn I got after telling multiple people “Oh, I never burn. It’s no big deal.”

Outside of just the skating we were also raising money for the Bethlehem Skateplaza. We collected decks, shoes, t-shirts, DVDs, hats, posters, stickers, magazines and more from skateboard companies.

Wes Buck made us our very own raffle wheel so kids of all ages could: donate to the plaza, spin and win. All you could hear by the Homebase tent was the clicking of the spinning wheel as it slowed down.

Those Source Bikeshop manned the grill and sold hamburgers and hot dogs for donations to the plaza. We were also selling benefit t-shirts the City made for the skateplaza and spreading the word about the July 16-18 Grand Opening 3-Day Event. Yup- that’s right 3 days. One to do the formal ribbon cutting jazz, another for a “to-be-planned” skateboarding day and the last for a BMX day. Mark your calendars now.

In the end Switch Skateshop in Delaware’s team rider, Brian Peacock won after solidly putting down good manuel combinations with a style that makes skating look way too easy.

5Boro flow rider from Florida, Fred Tan took 2nd and our own Nik Stain took 3rd. The judges also gave Kyle Dalrymple, another Homebase rider, an award for being the best overall skater of the day to watch shred. Congrats y’all. Hope we get to do this again next year.

After realizing the damage standing in the sun did to my skin we packed up the ramps, got the Banana Factory cleaned up and headed over to Starters Riverport to set up for the after party.

We planned on raising more money at the after with the help of every hipsters go-to beer, Pabst Blue Ribbon. They donated about 15 cases of tall boys to us to sell with all proceeds being donated to the Bethlehem Skateplaza. 15 cases, 24 cans in a case, selling each can for $2- do the math.

Vouchers were given to people eating dinner so 10% of their bill would get donated to the plaza as well. Initially, we planned on having the Ralph Carp, head of the Parks Department, the skateplaza design team and members of 5Boro Guest Bartend for tips to be donated but there were so many people and the bar staff was so slammed that they had to pull the plug on that idea.

The most memorable part of the night for me was debuting the 5Boro x Homebase x Red Bull Skateplaza Benefit Deck with Dan and looking around at 4 generations of Lehigh Valley skateboarders and skaters from as far as Long Island and Florida all together in one place celebrating the long overdue coming of our own place to skate; our skateplaza. It was a surreal moment that let me know all the work over the past 8+ years has all be worth it. We’re going in the right direction. The love and support we got from everyone- even people from other states that I just met that day was overwhelming. Thank you all for standing behind Homebase as we move continue moving forward.

I have not gotten the exact number from Starters Riverport on the donations made at the after party so I can not report an exact figure for what will be donated to the Bethlehem Skateplaza but here is the breakdown I do know:

Homebase Raffle Wheel: $1225

Source Bikeshop BBQ: $150 (after expenses)

5Boro Benefit Deck Sales to this date: 18 Decks/ $180

Estimated Starters Riverport Dine & Donate Vouchers and PBR sales: $720-$800

Total Estimated Donation: $2275+

Thank you to everyone who made this day possible but especially: Red Bull, 5Boro Skateboards, CONS, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Chad Shaner, Ray from Lost Soul, Josh and the entire Homebase crew, Max Zahradnik for photos, Funky for video, Arts Quest, The Banana Factory, Mo Taylor and Starters Riverport, Mike Mazur and Focus Skate Mag, MCM & The Source Bikeshop, City of Bethlehem Parks & Rec Department and everyone who came, skated and witnessed another historic day for skateboarding the 610.

Many more to come.