http://observertoday.com/articles.asp?articleID=20865
The daily grind
OBSERVER Photo by Joel Cuthbert
Skateboarders from Westfield to Hamburg take advantage of the recently cleaned Cliffstar Skate Park late Tuesday afternoon.
4/25/2008 - Local skaters tweak a familiar trick with cleanup efforts
By JOEL CUTHBERT
OBSERVER Staff Writer
A group of amateur skaters from across the region stuck a clean 180, inverting a sketchy skate park into a parabolic paradise.
Looking to carve up their own little slab of concrete Tuesday afternoon, the first band of skateboarders arrived at their local watering hole near the back of Wright Park in the city of Dunkirk to find it littered with rocks and debris. By six oÃ?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢clock, nearly 20 young skaters hailing from Dunkirk, Westfield and Hamburg had taken matters into their own hands and cleaned Cliffstar Skate Park.
Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¦Ã¢â?¬Å?Basically, we showed up and there were rocks everywhere,Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â??Ã? Matt, of Westfield, who recorded the whole undertaking, said, Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¦Ã¢â?¬Å?and people were already here angry about the park and what not, so people said call your friends and tell them to bring brooms.Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â??Ã?Â
The initial call to action was quickly answered with enthusiasm by more and more skaters, determined not to be barred from their own public/private sanctuary.
Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¦Ã¢â?¬Å?I was just coming down here and my friend called me,Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â??Ã? another said. Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¦Ã¢â?¬Å?HeÃ?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢s like Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¹Ã?â??yo dude, youÃ?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢re going to have to bring a lot of brooms,Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢ so I brought as many brooms as I had.Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â??Ã?Â
While no one knew who or what was responsible for the mess, everyone pitched in to reclaim the skate park, suffering the hot afternoon sun to shred the cement waves off Lake Erie.
Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¦Ã¢â?¬Å?So a kid gets a broom and we start sweeping a little bit,Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â??Ã? Sammy, of Dunkirk, said. Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¦Ã¢â?¬Å?Then another kid tells me thereÃ?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢s more kids coming with more brooms.Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â??Ã?Â
So they gathered their resources, grilled up some hotdogs and cleared all of the rocks and debris from the entire 11,000 square foot, railed-in surface.
Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¦Ã¢â?¬Å?Everybody was helping out down here,Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â??Ã? Jeremy, of Hamburg, said. Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã¬Ã?â?¦Ã¢â?¬Å?Everybody picked up a broom.Ã?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â??Ã?Â
A relaxed blend of music filled the park from the open hatch of a green Pontiac minivan in the aftermath as push brooms were cast aside for pleasure. And as the sun began to set over the lake it glared off the liquid smooth surface of the newly cleaned skate park, marred only by a web of intricate designs left by the rubber wheels of more than a dozen skateboards and a lone scooter.
