SkaterAid: News

Join us for a "Meet the Artists “ opening reception on Sunday Morning, August 31st. Bidding for these gorgeous, one-of-a-kind pieces of art will begin at 11:00a.m.

The Skate Deck Exhibit will hang at The Brick Store Pub for three weeks , and bidding will be open to all. Skater Aid volunteers will be on hand during that time to answer your questions and help with the bidding process. On September 21 the decks will move to the Skater Aid event where final bids will be taken and tallied.

Come see the exhibit, say "hi" and make a bid! Java Monkey will have coffee on hand.

Volunteers needed for the fourth annual SkaterAid event! We need people to help with setup, cleanup, ticket management, event management, and other essential duties. If you can volunteer a few hours of your time to SkaterAid, contact Laura Deming at laurad@skateraid.net

No schedule yet, but we have all our bands in place - looks like it's going to be a great year!

Chicago Joe Jones Band. This is Chicago Joe's fourth year with SkaterAid. Blues musician extraordinaire, you can catch Joe and his band at Maddy's. Joe also teaches guitar at Midtown Music, and has been "instrumental" (sorry) in getting some of other bands their start.

Highway. From Lakeside High, this band blew us all away at SkaterAid 2007. This year, they'll be even better.

George Pettis. A graduate of Decatur High School, George is already a veteran musician. Multi-instrumentalist, lyricist, arranger, and vocalist, George is a talent not to be missed. This will be George's third appearance at SkaterAid.

Rhinodust. From Decatur High, this band includes several musicians from bands you may be familiar with, like Bluberry Wave, Perfect Orange, and Film. Come to SkaterAid to check out their latest configuration.

Science Project. A hip-hop duo featuring a Decatur High alum, this group brings a new dimension to the SkaterAid stage.

Don't forget to swing by The Brick Store Pub at the end of the month for the kickoff of the annual SkaterAid Deck Auction! This year it will be bigger and better than ever. Watch for more info, coming soon.

Mark you calendar for SkaterAid 2008, coming to East Decatur Station on Sunday, September 21! We'll have some great bands, gorgeous art, and more skating than ever before. We are actively recruiting bands, artists and volunteers, so if you're interested, please see our Contact Us page and send us an e-mail. And keep checking back...we'll have more info for you soon.

Thanks to all the skaters, musicians, artists, fans, volunteers, parents, kids, dogs and neighbors that supported SkaterAid 2007! The weather was perfect and we couldn't have asked for more. Over 700 people attended SkaterAid 2007, including over 80 volunteers. The event generated $11,630, $461.00 more than the 2006 event. A hearfelt thanks to everyone that contributed, volunteered, made music, designed a deck, skated and partied. Your participation in SkaterAid keeps the event alive, and through it, our memories of Ian. See you on Sept. 21 2008!

Please send photos and video to pbeastham@comcast.net for our records and possible inclusion on the website.

We'd like to hear your comments! Please post a note through the Guestbook and let us hear from you.

And they look great. New this year - tank tops! Get yours at SkaterAid for $15

Take a look at the AJC to find a great story about SkaterAid. It's in the Living section on the News For Kids page, on Tuesday 9/11. We've also been featured in The Champion, The Neighbor and the Decatur Focus. Thanks to all these publications for helping to promoet SkaterAid!

Come get a sneak preview of this year's Skateboard Deck Art at an opening reception from 5:00-7:00pm Sept. 10 at The Brick Store Pub, located in the heart of Decatur's central square. Plan your strategy for securing your favorite deck at SkaterAid, and go ahead and purchase your wristband in advance. The decks will be on view and wristbands available for purchase all week.

BIDDING STARTS: 3:00PM 9/16 AT SkaterAid

BIDDING CLOSES: 7:00PM 9/16

Payment due at close of bidding.

SkaterAid 3 has another great group of bands lined up for you this year. Decatur's favorite, "Avery," will return as our headliner. Also returning this year will be the "The Chicago Joe Jones Band." New this year will be "Highway," a popular band with members from Lakeside High, George Pettis, formerly of "A Hat For Every Mood," and "Film", a new band from Decatur High. Keep checking back for more info about the bands, links to their sites, music clips and photos.

Collect all 20 SkaterAid calling cards! These tiny calling cards have great shots from previous SkaterAid events on one side, and important info on the other other. Collect them all.

We're gearing up for a fantastic SkaterAid3 so mark you calendar now! The band lineup is close to completion and we'll be posting it shortly. This year we're going to focus back on the skaters, so dust off your deck and prepare to skate. We'll have a designated timeslot for a real skateboard show and will be running contests with great prizes. There'll be a repeat of the hugely successful Deck Auction, so save your pennies, quarters and dollars. Local artists will be making fabulous art out of these old skateboard decks and you could take one home. This year we won't forget the little kids. We're planning to feature two fantastic misters for cooling off in the heat, and just having fun. Check back...we'll have more info for you soon.