Des Moines' first skatepark was decades in the making

Downtown DSM's Lauridsen Skatepark ribbon cutting ceremony is Friday, just ahead of hosting this month's sold out Dew Tour.

So we're paying homage to what brought us here: Skateboarding pioneers discouraged by the city over concerns with legal liability and public safety.

Why it matters: The skatepark is an important new amenity whose history underscores why civic engagement is crucial to our community.

Flashback: In 1998, police had implemented a skateboard warning policy of "three-strikes-you're-in-jail," and hauled skaters Carl Cummings and Keith Wilkinson off in a paddy wagon for skating at Cowles Commons, according to Register reporting at the time.

• Cummings pleaded guilty and was fined $25. Wilkinson's case was dismissed after prosecutors failed to file paperwork, court records show.

The arrests were cited in support of a bill moving through the legislature that year to exempt cities from liability for personal damages related to skateboarding. (Liability was a reason DSM did not have public skateparks.)

• In a show of support, then-Gov. Terry Branstad invited Cummings and Wilkinson to the bill's signing. That bill paved the way for Lauridsen Skatepark more than two decades later.

Driving the news: A church youth group also played a pivotal role after telling a community organization back in 2004 that a skatepark was at the top of their Des Moines wish list.

What they're saying: Cummings, now 43, recently had hip replacement surgery but will use the new skatepark in coming months. Wilkinson, 42, plans to skate immediately after today's ribbon cutting.

• "We were always accused of graffiti, breaking into cars. Everything. But, no. We were just skateboarders," Cummings told Axios.

What's next: Today's ceremony starts today at 4:30pm, 901 2nd Ave.

• Hours: Today 5-10:30pm; Saturday 6am-10:30pm; Sunday 6am-10:30pm.

The Dew Tour is May 20-23. (The park's general admission is closed between May 10-27 for the tour.)