Go Skate Day rolls into Waterbury Skatepark this Sunday
By Jackson Bartels | Community News Service
An overhead look at the Hope Davey Park skatepark opened in October 2025. Photo courtesy of Geoff Hall
For months, Vermont skateboarders have put the new skatepark at Hope Davey Park to the test, through consistent sessions and technical tricks. This Sunday, the park will become center stage as it hosts Go Skate Day, an annual global celebration of skateboarding.
Hosted by Stowe clothing store Neon Wave, the event plans to bring together skaters of all ages and skill levels to celebrate community and skateboarding.
First established in 2004, Go Skate Day was started with the goal of getting more people on skateboards while promoting the culture surrounding the sport. Beyond skating, Waterbury’s celebration will serve as a platform to showcase the new skatepark while encouraging Vermonters to interact with their growing skate culture.
Travis McCormack sliding at Waterbury Skatepark in April. Photo by Brian Glenney
“We want people to come skate, hang out, be with your friends and make some new ones,” said Tucker Speer, a Neon Wave graphic designer who coordinated the event. “We are going to keep things pretty loose and just really embrace the community and have a lot of fun.”
The sense of community Speer hopes to foster is reflected through the skatepark’s creation. The project gained momentum through the efforts of Jake Blauvelt, a Waterbury native and snowboarder, and was supported by an initial $5,000 donation from the Waterbury Rotary Club in 2019.
Two years and another $263,000 later, the Waterbury Skatepark Coalition formed and partnered with Vermont skatepark construction company Catamount Skateparks to build the park and fundraise for it. The coalition demolished an old skatepark on the site in October 2023, and in 2025, Catamount built the new concrete structure, which opened in late October.
Go Skate Day will be the park’s first event since its grand opening, drawing skaters from across the state. The celebration kicks off at noon on Sunday, featuring free food, ice cream, competitions and prizes. Neon Wave has partnered with Ben and Jerry's, Darn Tough, Piecasso and Talent Skatepark to support the event, offering food for attendees and certificates for free skate sessions at Talent indoor skatepark in South Burlington. DJ Niceness will provide the soundtrack for the event to keep things fun and moving, Speer said.
The new Waterbury park has quickly become a community gathering space, with it regularly filled with families and skaters. Its growing popularity and reputation have attracted skaters from across Vermont and into Canada. “There’s been a lot more activity than I have ever thought. Every time I try to go skate, there are little kids running up and down the quarterpipes,” said Geoff Hall, founder of Catamount Skateparks. “But also skateboarders have come from all over to skate.”
Organizers hope Go Skate Day will be the first of many events held at the park. “There's a lot of people that are really excited about having something and doing something new with this space,” Speer said. “I think it's cool that we get to start building something.”
Some of that momentum is already building. Next weekend, on June 28, Green Mountain Adaptive Sports plans to host TOGETHER Day at the park, celebrating the accomplishments of physically disabled athletes. The park, which was built with accessibility in mind, will be reserved from noon to -2 p.m. for Green Mountain Adaptive athletes to try skateboarding with Talent’s “skoaches” — shorthand for skateboard coaches — providing guidance and assistance.
“One of the important aspects of building this park was that it was for everyone,” Tami Bass, a member of the Waterbury Skatepark Coalition, said. “That's what we were hoping to see, not only the public use of it but also that there’s events for everyone.”
Community News Service is a University of Vermont journalism internship program reporting for Vermont news organizations, including Waterbury Roundabout.