Stoke Levels High: Mehen Memorial Skate Park Grand Opening
“Welcome to the Mehen Memorial Skatepark in New Meadows!!!” A dream more than four years in the making was brought to life on Saturday, September 27 with the grand opening of the New Meadows Skate & Bike Park. Preston Woods greeted the thrilled crowd of around 200 people saying, “Something like this usually takes a decade to raise all the funds… I thank each and every one of you. I know that everyone that’s here had a part to do with this and as you can see we have a beautiful park here built by the best skatepark builders in the world, Grindline!”
Woods continued, saying, “Rory and Sara Mehen are here with us now and I know they are so proud! After what happened, it took a lot of perseverance to keep it going and make it work out…that’s something I know skateboarding teaches. You get knocked down, you get back up and you keep trying... That’s what we did.” The crowd of supporters shouted with excitement, encouragement, and expectation.
Rory & Sara Mehen, New Meadows residents and owners of the Hartland Inn, began fundraising and making plans for the skatepark back in 2021. A group of friends and supporters have kept their dream alive beginning with the creation of the non-profit for the now open skatepark. Woods is the chairman of the board of directors.
The skatepark features a beautiful glass heart memorial piece in honor of the Mehens.
In a speech before the ribbon cutting, New Meadows Mayor Julie Good said, “The New Meadows Skatepark community was created because of Rory and Sara’s desire to create something that the youth of our community could call their own. A place where lives could be impacted in a positive way and relationships built that would benefit the community as a whole.” She continued, “I know that this project is a picture of the way that strong communities can overcome adversity, tragedy and loss by joining together and building something bigger than the pain and grief that they have experienced.”
In that vein of community giving, Woods and Board Member Molly Johnson called a drawing for Meadows Valley school students to receive 28 new skateboards. Woods said a group of volunteers had put the skateboards together the night before knowing many local kids did not own one. Woods added that they intended to continue gathering gear and outfitting as many kids as possible. He welcomed anyone looking to donate boards or parts to contact him.
Finally, the skatepark committee, Mehen family members, and city representatives gathered at the ribbon to officially open the new park. Cheers erupted and riders of all ages filled the park.
The Grand Opening events featured four bands who all donated their performances. Bands included Jughead Mountain Parade, Far From Giants, Curbdogs, and The French Tips.
Competition by way of the VC/AC (Valley & Adams County) Skatedown sponsored by Little Ski Hill commenced after the ribbon cutting and free skate. Local and out of town skaters showed off their skills throughout the afternoon and music was provided by DJ Dave Campillo.
Plenty of merch, raffle prizes, competition prizes, food and drinks were all available for purchase (or raffle winning) throughout the event. Merchandise is still available through the skatepark website.
Huge thanks were offered to Grindline Skateparks, Project Foreman “Shaggy”, city of New Meadows including city council and Mayor Good, Boise Skateboard Association, the park Board of Directors, and so many others. Woods and Mayor Good both affirmed the multitude of thanks needed for every volunteer hour, donations of time and money, and community support.
The skatepark is right between the Meadows Valley School and the New Meadows Youth Center at 402 Peterson Memorial Avenue. The Youth Center was built with the skatepark in mind and has an enclosed area with bathrooms and a drinking fountain for visitors to utilize. The park will be open daily from dawn to dusk.
More work is still to be done on the park including a memorial plaque, signage, grass, and other landscaping including seating. Woods said, “it’s just a perfect place to have a skatepark and such an awesome gift to give this community, so thank you to all of you that were part of that.”
Check out www.nmskatepark.org for links to donate, social media pages, shop for merchandise, and updates as well as a full list of donors and sponsors.
