Youngstown Skatepark Association announces free pop-up event series
In February, a Youngstown brewery transformed into a free pop-up skatepark for community members of all ages.
The Youngstown Skatepark Association hosted the pop-up event at Penguin that attracted over 500 people, showcasing the community’s excitement and support for the organization’s mission.
Zack Felger is the chairman of the Youngstown Skatepark Association’s board, founded in 2024 to bring a safe skatepark for people of all ages to Youngstown.
“I grew up in an era where there were skateparks around, and there was a big culture of action sports here locally,” Felger said. “Working towards getting a permanent free public skatepark is a long and tedious journey that takes a lot of money, and we wanted to do something in the interim, so we came up with the portable skate park project.”
Felger, who has been passionate about skateboarding since he was nine years old, said YSA secured a grant from The Raymond John Wean Foundation to purchase the portable skatepark equipment.
“Our goal was to take it into communities and make it accessible to the youth and adults here who are in action sports so that they have somewhere to go, because right now in the Youngstown area, there is nowhere to go other than the streets,” Felger said. “Trying to foster a welcoming environment was really the main goal.”
The community’s response was “overwhelmingly excellent,” according to Felger.
“We weren’t really sure just how many people were going to come. We knew people wanted this, but we underestimated how much people wanted this,” he said. “It was incredible to see the community show up. Kids who have never seen a skate park got to see what a skate park is and try out ramps, rails and do things that they’ve never experienced before. To see the joy of their parents as they’re watching their kids was incredible.”
According to Felger, YSA’s initiative has garnered significant community support, receiving 600 responses to a community survey with 90% favoring the project.
“The camaraderie was something that I grew up with, going to skate parks here locally, but since we don’t have that, you don’t really get to see it, but we were really able to foster that environment on Saturday. It was a beautiful thing to witness,” he said.
If you missed Penguin City’s pop-up, the Youngstown Skatepark Association is partnering with the city’s parks and recreation department to host a series of pop-up skatepark sessions throughout the city.
At these free, community-focused events, a portion of the city of Youngstown Parks and Recreation property will be temporarily transformed into a skate park.
Skateboards, BMX bikes, scooters, in-line skates and roller skates are welcome.
The first pop-up event in the series is from 3 - 5 p.m. on April 25 at The Richard W. and Eugenia C. Atkinson Recreation Center at 903 Otis St. in Youngstown.
The skatepark returns from 1 - 4 p.m. on July 25 at Borts Field, August 22 at Lincoln Park and October 3 at Glenwood Community Park.
The event series will provide a safe and welcoming environment for riders of all skill levels, while raising awareness and support for YSA’s mission.
A signed participant waiver is mandatory to enter the skatepark area. Riders under 18 years old must have a waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian.
Helmets are mandatory for riders under 18 and strongly recommended for adults. Extra protective gear like knee and elbow pads is highly encouraged.
Children under 14 must be supervised by a parent or legal guardian.
Participation is ride-at-your-own-risk, and children under the age of three are not permitted.
