Teens and young adults in Lake Country are getting a festival just for them.
Live! in Lake Country presented by TD is hosting a Summer FEST for teens and young adults Saturday, July 14 at Swalwell Park. A skateboard and BMX competition from 2 to 5:30 p.m. will showcase the new upgrades to the skate park completed this spring, according to the district in a news release.
“In putting together all the features of this event for young people, we’re lucky to have the expertise of Bobby Kennedy , organizer of Centre of Gravity BMX and skateboard competition, and some generous sponsors,” said Ryan Donn, cultural development coordinator for Lake Country. “We’ve got free Little Caesars and Pizza Hut slices of pizza, DQ dilly bars, Sun Rype juice boxes, and bottles of water from Save-On Foods to give away at 5:30 p.m. and great activities like Zorb soccer, HydroBlast, obstacle course, Art Alley, air brush tattoos, henna and much more for everyone to enjoy. There’ll even be on site activities provided by Lake Country Gymnastics for the younger crowd. And did I mention live music?”
DJ Craig Kiltau aka Ghostcurb will keep the tunes going during the skate and BMX competition, Victoria Waller performs at 5:30 p.m., then local band Reason to Wake takes the stage to kick up the live music at 5:45 p.m., followed by Bdice at 6:45 and headliner Neon Dreams at 8 p.m.
“It will be great to see local sponsored skater, Johnny Tassopoulos, and BMXer Ajay Weintz, showing their skills in the competition,” said Shaun Lesowski, Lake Country parks superintendent. “They’ve been involved in the design process for the Swalwell skate park upgrades over the past few years along with other local young people to ensure we spent the budget Council allocated in the best way possible to meet the needs of our community. They’ve been great ambassadors of the park and mentors to the younger set that want to try out skateboarding or BMX riding, and to the scooter riders too.”
The park will be open for free-riding for all users after 5:30 p.m.
“The regular users of the skate park have expressed appreciation for people like Al Jones and others that were involved in building the original skate park. The recent upgrade was designed to preserve the original bowl and add features that serve a new generation of riders,” said Lesowski. “Changing the landscaping profile of the park has been appreciated by many of the parents that watch younger kids playing in the splash park while older ones use the skate park.”
Everyone is welcome. Parking is limited on site, so carpooling, cycling, walking or skateboarding is suggested. No dogs allowed in the park. Cash concession by Oyama Sunblush on site throughout the event. Bring your lawn chair or blanket for seating.