Skate Jam! with DJ Damian Richardson
Saturday, August 20th, 2005
7pm - 10pm Uptown Creston IA

Teen Dance & Skate-a-thon!
Proceeds benefit Creston Skatepark & Katey Fay memorial.

Sponored by: Hy-Vee, Iowa State Savings Bank, Wal-Mart, McDonald's, Stalker Chevrolet, Akin Building Center, Walter's Signs, & Amy Jo's House of Pain.

Youths looking for something to do this Saturday night need look no farther than uptown Creston. For $3.00, they can participate in Skate Jam, a teen dance and skate-a-thon to be held in the city parking lot north of First National Bank from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.  Proceeds from the end-of-summer party will benefit the Creston Skatepark.

Goody bags will be given to the first 25 skateboarders who show up with and wear a helmet. They’ll include a variety of items from McDonald’s, Hy-Vee, Breadeaux Pizza, Iowa State Savings Bank, Amy Jo’s House of Pain, and Walter’s Signs. Items are being added daily.

50-cents from each paid admission will be sent to a memorial in the name of Katey Foy, a16-year old girl from Indianola who died recently after a head injury while skateboarding. She was not wearing a helmet. The use of helmets in Indianola increased dramatically following her death. “I certainly hope our local youths can also learn from this tragedy and that we don’t have to experience anything like that first hand”, said Hodge. "Some kids said they would wear a helmet in her memory. I hope they come through. I think that would mean a lot to the family."

A young Creston skateboarder will likely be on the youths’ minds as well. Nine-year-old Matthew Waltz is recovering from a serious injury to his right hand following a four wheeler accident on Monday. “We all want to keep kids safe. Everyone knows the old saying about it all being fun and games ‘til someone gets hurt. Well it’s not 'just' fun and games; these are legitimate sports. We know we can’t eliminate every accident, but we need to encourage youths to take care, whatever the sport. And we still need chaperones,” said Hodge. “If adults can help, we’d like to know, as it helps us plan. But if they decide at the last minute, they can just show up and we’ll put them to work.”

Hy-Vee also donated bottled water, which will be free. Snacks and drinks will be available for sale, along with assorted merchandise, including t-shirts and skatepark car window decals, which are new.

“We will also be using the venue to encourage safe skateboarding and the use of protective equipment”, said Hodge. “I’ve yet to see a skateboarder in Creston wearing a helmet. Some of them actually have - but don't wear - them.  We took a survey a few weeks ago and found we may need a number of tactics to change that. It was a small sampling, but indicated that, while peer pressure is important, parental influence may be more important. Safety information was also something they said would influence their decision.”

“We can’t make anyone wear a helmet, but if we can encourage a core group of kids to do so, maybe others will follow suit”, said Hodge. Iowa State Savings Bank and Wal-Mart are also behind the effort. Iowa State Savings Bank has donated some helmets for a drawing Saturday night, and everyone attending will receive a $5.00 off coupon towards the purchase of a helmet from Wal-Mart. “They have some nice X-games helmets that are already under $20, and Amy Hook has agreed to expand their inventory to offer more sizes. Wal-Mart is also donating supplies for the event.”