Des Moines' first skatepark was decades in the making

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.)