Details:
Date: 1977 - Present
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Description: The oldest operating privately owned skatepark in the world
History:
30 years ago Kona Skatepark was one of the parks that opened during the skateboarding boom of the late 70’s. Today Kona is the oldest operating privately owned skatepark in the world, and maybe the most famous. Kona’s terrain was the training ground for many of today’s Pros.
Since its opening, Kona has hosted numerous national exhibitions and competitions, including the USA Open Skateboarding Championship. Some still pay homage to the park by including it as a stop on pro tours such as Tony Hawk’s Gigantic Skate Park Tour. The facility has been made legendary by people such as Hawk, who tells stories about his visits and has included it in his Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 video game.
Timeline:
February 1977: Construction of Kona Skatepark begins.
June 4, 1977: Kona opens, with little fanfare.
March 1978: USA Open Skateboarding Championship is held at Kona, attracting most of the top pros in the sport. It’s the highlight of Kona’s brief history.
Fall 1978: Kona closes. Mismanagement and a crash in the skateboard craze are factors.
Late 1978-June 1979: Skateboarders and bicyclists find their way through the fence - what a surprise - and continue to use the closed park.
June 1979: Martin and Helen Ramos buy Kona and reopen it.
1980: Kona opens the first serious half-pipe at a park.
Early 1980s: Kona is often almost empty, though the park - one of the few still in existence - continues to host big contests.
July 1982: Californian Tony Hawk, a legend in the making, skates at a contest at Kona. He is 12.
Mid-to-late 1980s: The sport develops an underground image as street skating becomes popular. Business picks up at Kona, which builds mini-ramps for those with little interest in the big vertical drops of old.
Early 1990s: Skateboarding slumps again, badly. Only the growing popularity of in-line skating keeps the park alive. In-line skaters far outnumber old-fashioned skateboarders.
Sept. 23, 1995: Martin Ramos dies at 62.
January 1996: His son, Martin Ramos III, takes over as park manager.
Mid-1990s: Skateboarding picks up as ESPN’s X Games become popular. Kona’s vertical surfaces are suddenly in demand again.
Dec. 1999: Kona opens its big “street” course of obstacles, jumps and grinding poles.
July 2000: Hawk’s Gigantic Skatepark Tour comes to Kona. It’s one of many stops there for Hawk.
2002: The Ramos family buys Stone Edge Skatepark in South Daytona. The family is inducted into the Florida Skateboard Hall of Fame.
Fall 2002: Kona is featured on in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 video game. Owners Martin Ramos III and his mother, Helen, are characters in the game. People ask them for autographs. The publicity helps business greatly.
2003: Noticing that original Kona skaters are bringing their kids to the park, Kona institutes a “parents skate free” policy.
July 7, 2007: Kona celebrate its 30th anniversary. As part of the celebrations top pros Tony Hawk, Christian Hosoi, Dave Duncan, Sergie Ventura, Duane Peters, Mike McGill, Alan Gelfand, Mike Peterson, Buck Smith, Benji Galloway, Henry Gutierrez and Adam Taylor performed skateboard demos and there were live music performances by McRad, Smiles, and Frontside 5 with a special performance by Ray Barbie.
Park owner Martin Ramos III, an avid skateboarder himself, said he was excited about the size of Saturday’s crowd after a somewhat private party Friday night drew more than 1,000 people.
“When all these people come back and … tell me the impact of the park, what it meant to them as they grew up and made friends and learned about life, it makes me feel good,” said Ramos, 39.
Results:
- After a lot of ups and downs over the past 30 years the Kona Skatepark is still surviving and going strong.
- Kona Skatepark provides park veterans, first-time vistors and travelling action sports teams with a unique place to ride and experience a rich history of skateboarding and skatepark culture.
- Check out photos of the Kona 30th Anniversary Celebration here.
- Check out video footage of the Kona 30th Anniversary Celebration at Go211.com here.
- Click here to read a great write-up and view a video clip on 411VM.com about the 30th Anniversary event.
- Read more about the Kona Skatepark at their website here.
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