A skatepark will hold its grand opening Saturday on Fort Worth's Near Southside. Planning for the park near Hemphill and Allen started in 2016 with workshops and community meetings.
Fire Station Park includes green space and space for people to gather in addition to the 15,000 square foot skatepark and 5,000 square foot "all-wheel track."
The grand opening is this weekend, but the fences were taken down earlier this month, and people have already been using the park.
"I love it, man, it's fun. It's really fun," one person skateboarding this week said. "There's a big turnout every day."
"The layout's perfect," another said. "It's everything you could ask for. We've got ledges, we've got stairs in the back if you want to jump. The older I get, the less I jump, so this is my section right here, but everything is great."
They say the park includes more difficult obstacles but also space for kids and people just learning how to skateboard.
"It's definitely a good selection of obstacles," one said. "I'm not really that good myself, but I can come to this park and still feel welcome because there's stuff I can skate, too."
Near Southside Inc. provided $600,000 for the park and the City of Fort Worth provided $800,000. Dickie's and the VF Foundation donated $300,000.
The grand opening runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday:
1:00 p.m. | Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with Remarks by Key Stakeholders
1:30 p.m. | Board Cutting Ceremony; Dickies Skateboarding Team Appearance + Demo
2:00 p.m. | Magnolia Skate Shop & New Line Skate Parks Tricks Competition
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Live Music Performances by Trauma Ray and Mean Motor Scooter
During the event, food trucks and local shops will be set up near the park. Trinity Metro's Fort Worth Bike Sharing team will have demonstrations and promotional offers, and New Line Skateparks will have lessons.
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