An Xtreme-ER Summer in Fowlerville, by No B. Line (David is a writer for the Fowlerville News & Views)

Article appears in the June 7, 2004 edition of N&V

In Fowlerville, this summer, a skate park will begin to take form the very first day of vacation.

David (37) and Andrée (36) Weimer, organizers of The One and Only Skate Park Project, invite local urban sport enthusiasts to take part in the planning and construction of eight new skate park ramps, renovating and installing a mini half-pipe and three 14 ½-foot-long grind rails and renovating a 12-piece skate park.

This is the second year that a skate park will operate in the large asphalt parking lot at United Brethren in Christ Church (UBC), at 9300 W. Grand River Ave. "This year is going to be bigger and better," David said. "We'll have a meeting on Saturday before the week we start building." Flyers announcing the builder's meeting will be posted at Fowlerville Junior High and Fowlerville High.

A building team made up of local enthusiasts and One and Only project leaders will get the skate park up and running for this second annual extreme summer in Fowlerville. It will be open four days a week, 7 to 8 hours a day, from mid-June until mid-August. It's open to the public and free. Helmets are required and participants under 18 need a parent's signed waiver. Those who are 18 sign for themselves.

For more information on the skate park, call (517) 404-6333 or 404-6322.
The website, www.oneandonlyskatepark.com will be updated soon. It describes the history of this unique urban sports project.

Last year, 128 BMX and scooter riders, skateboarders and inline skaters came to "The Washout." A total of 632 parents, friends and participants found this hard-to-find supervised skate park. A daily average of 23 visitors took part in lessons, a graffiti contest, a skate park competition, ramp building, music and hours of riding, skating, boarding and scooting.

"We really enjoyed the first year," said Senior Pastor Tim Flickinger of UBC. "It was kind of surprising and fun, both, to see the different ages of the kids that came out and enjoyed last summer. We appreciated all the hard work that Dave and Andrée did; that made our job pretty easy, really. Another thing we appreciated was that we looked at it as an opportunity to build some relationships with families and to have a positive impact on kids in a healthy atmosphere. We're looking forward to the increased variety of activities that Dave and Andrée have planned for this year. It's an opportunity for visitors to come out and enjoy extreme sports."

A weekly schedule of skate park activities and opening times will be posted at local stores and the post office. "We'll also have basketball and beach volleyball, a sound system, and free ice water and inexpensive drinks and snacks," Andrée said. There will be a mid-summer event with live music and activities and a summer-ending competition with prizes, music and more. "I'm looking forward to meeting some great kids again," Andrée adds.

On the first Saturday after the skate park opens, there will be an inauguration ceremony with demos, music and a name will be chosen for the skate park. Local graffiti artist(s) will paint the park's name on a sign that will stand at the park all summer. Last year's skate park, "The Washout," was named after its inauguration Saturday was ceremoniously washed out.

"I predict that Pastor Tim is going to take the all-around top prize at the summer competition," said Flickinger, jokingly, "I'm looking to win a trophy."

The Weimers, with three-year-old son, Guillaume (William in French), and four-month-old Benjamin, want to create an environment centered on BMX, skateboard and inline skating. "I want to offer encouragement to the ones who're serious about pursuing something in the 'extreme sports' world," says David, an avid inline skater. "This year we're adding more ramps, a half-pipe and even BMX trails-plus a lot more."

"It's a great opportunity, again, to have out here the kind of sports that kids enjoy to do in a fun, healthy environment," adds Flickinger. "It's just a real pleasure to participate in this."