SKATE JAM RETURNS
Family event set for 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday
Last year, more than 300 people filed through the gates of the Ukiah Skate Park during the first-ever Skate Jam. An array of skaters, families, local bands and vendors showed up to utilize the outdoor space and enjoy the skate park community.
With the event being a rousing success, the City of Ukiah and the Greater Ukiah Business and Tourism Alliance have decided to make Skate Jam a biannual happening at the skate park.
Skate Jam 2 will be hosted from 1 to 7 p.m. at the park this Saturday, May 21.
“It was really cool to see all the families that came out together,” Carter Grissom says, referring to last year's event. “There were a lot of people who worked really hard to build that skate park and it was really cool to see it be used to its potential.”
Grissom is the talent buyer and promoter for the Sundays in the Park concert series. Last summer, he was contracted by the City of Ukiah to create the first Skate Jam and took it upon himself to make a longtime vision come to fruition.
“I've always wanted to do shows at the skate park,” Grissom says.
While most of his drive to bring Skate Jam to the skate park sources from a musical standpoint, in light of his past work with the Mendocino County Youth Action Party, Grissom also wanted to design an event that was youthdriven.
Grissom vividly recalls attending skate shows when he was growing up and trying to track down any live performances he could attend. Offering a venue for young bands to perform at as well as a public space for youth to enjoy live music at was his way to give back to the teen community he was once a part of.
Top Shelf, Grissom's band, was in attendance at the first Skate Jam and his second band, Volte, will be performing at Skate Jam 2.
There are six other bands who will take the stage during the event, not including headliner Jakob Nowell, son of the late Sublime lead singer Bradley Nowell.
“He's been on my radar,” Grissom says, adding that he and Nowell currently share a drummer. “I'm a huge Sublime fan, so I've known of this kid for years and years.”
Most of the remaining bands fall under the skate punk and rock genres — including two local bands, The Downbeat Crowd and Self Fulfilling Prophecies, and two Sonoma County bands, Moon Sick and One Armed Joey.
Additionally, SPACE has been invited to perform part of their Teen Reality show, which was recently promoted at the theater. DJ Seshwann, a local reggae DJ, is also making an appearance to further diversify the musical styles being offered.
The emphasis of the event will involve what the skate park was built for — skating. The entire afternoon will be an open, free skate session for everybody with a few organized competitions offered during the day.
Justin Capri and Justin Pryse of Pryse Skate Shop will be present to handle the skate competitions, as well as to give away some merchandise.
Other vendors who have been invited to set up at the event include Slam Dunk Pizza, Mike's Dog House, Pure Aloha Shave Ice and Namaste Café.
The hope for this Saturday's event is to once again bring the community to the skate park to appreciate the space, enjoy local entertainment and have a good time together.
In the future, Grissom also hopes to use Skate Jam as a fundraiser for the skate park to continue its development. Building a shade structure, adding lighting and creating more obstacles would be the next phases of growth.
“There's a really cool community of people who honor that place and really want to see it taken care of,” Grissom says. “That includes the dedicated skaters who are there skating every day.”