Celebrate 'Get Out & Skate Day' In Greenport Wednesday

GREENPORT, NY — Wednesday marks National Skateboarding Day — and a special pop-up event in Greenport will fuel efforts to revitalize the village skate park with energy and vision for the future.

According to Rena Wilhelm, who has been tirelessly leading efforts to breathe new life into the facility, those involved with revitalizing the Greenport Skate Park are celebrating the community by having a pop-up event that will feature DJ Polo Marty of Riverhead and Greenport High School's Brae Iglesias of Dos Ositos Paletas, whose new venture of making all natural fruit popsicles "is taking the North Fork by storm," she said.

The event takes place at the Greenport Skate Park on Moore's Lane on Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Wilhelm added: "We love supporting young entrepreneurs!"

A local group of skaters, the Kompound Boys, will also be at the park for the event, she said.

"They have been skating at our park for years and are there almost every day skating and mentoring novice skaters that are enthusiastic about learning a new skill. They made quite a splash at our Decked Out Event's athletic demonstration," she said.

Part of the skate park group's mission is to get kids outside, making new friends and having fun, so even for those who don't skate, there will be other ways to make the day special, Wilhelm said.

Wiffle balls and bats, frisbees, and a kickball will be available for kids to use and engage in physical activity, she said.

"Of course, just being a spectator to the different skill levels of the skate park athletes is enjoyable in itself," Wilhelm said. "The skate park and surrounding Polo Grounds is a perfect place for families and pets, and we are working toward making it a new sought-out destination for all."

Wilhelm said she was happily surprised by a recent conversation with Christine Peddy of Cutchogue who won three auctioned skate decks during the recent "Decked Out" fundraiser for the park, held in May.

"Upon picking up her boards, she let me know that she is very much integrated in the skateboarding culture since she works for Hurley, a top athletic clothing brand that celebrates athletes from all over the world," Wilhelm said. "Christine also said she works directly with Tony Hawk and his Skate Park Project Organization and has already introduced me to someone who works in their grant program that will hopefully take a closer look at an application that we submitted in January this year," she added.

Rempe, 25, told Patch he's been spending time at the skate park he was about 9 or 10; it's deeply woven into his heart and memories. That's why he's thrilled, he said, to take parts in efforts to revitalize the facility.

"I think it's important because it's for the whole community," Rempe said. "Everyone can go there and learn new things. Everyone who is down there is like family, no matter what — whether they're skateboarding or riding bikes. It's a place to go for everyone. And there's not much to do for kids out here, so this is important."

Rempe, who has his own YouTube channel, Kompound Boys, said he's seen, firsthand, the impacts of teaching the next generations. "Not too long ago, there was a kid at the skate park," he said. "We like going there and helping out as much as we can, because we grew up there. Anyway, we taught this kid how to drop in on ramps. We were teaching him things that normally take a couple of months to learn."

The experience was rewarding, Rempe said. "It's a good feeling," he said.

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