Fakies, frontsides and FS 540s wowed the crowd as hundreds of skateboarders goofy−footed over to Thomas Greene Park for the Gowanus Grind.
Aficionados and thrill−seekers celebrated their passion for the surfboard’s cousin by performing kickflips, ollies and other daredevil stunts during a free skating extravaganza at the community playpen, 3rd Avenue and Douglass Street, where mom, dad and the kids shared the spotlight with daredevils, who demonstrated their skills and showmanship in contests and clinics.
Sponsored by the skate and health food store Homage, 151 Smith Street, and organized by Friends of Douglass⁄Greene Park, the glide−fest also featured five hours of live music, provided by reggae band “Widdeyah,” punkers “With Legs We Run,” tweeny girl group “Saffire” and local writer and musician Steve Witt.
While the sleight of foot performed their magic, skate−less visitors enjoyed a cornucopia of other crowd−pleasers, including art projects, plus food donated by the Wyckoff Gardens Tenants Association.
Despite its sketchy history, recreational skateboarding originated as “sidewalk surfing” in California, sometime between the late 1940s and early 1950s, by surfers looking for another surface to surf on when the waves were flat.
