GNARMADS IN VERMONT FOR ADOG DAY
Vermont is one of our favorite escapes- beautiful landscapes, crisp fresh air and some of the warmest people ever. On August 25th we packed the car and drove up to Burlington, located on the shores of expansive Lake Champlain. It was the 4th annual A Dog Day, a weekend long event of skateboarding, music and camaraderie that since its beginning we’ve never missed.
Andy A Dog Williams was a talented DJ, skateboarder and snowboarder from Burlington. He influenced many people with his style & smile- and after a tough battle with Leukemia, his spirit lives on strongly. His genuine approach to life positively affected a range of people globally amongst the action sports, music, as well as the local Vermont community. The Friends for A Dog Foundation was started in his honor and provides arts education to the less fortunate, and hosts an annual memorial event. Andy’s partner Jozie works arduously to continually share his spirit with others, and awareness about Leukemia treatment- signing up us and hundreds of others to be bone marrow donors.
Saturday began with a group hill bomb, from the top of UVM all the way down to Lake Champlain. It lasted about 15 minutes of steady cruising as over 50 skaters rode through the entire city of Burlington. Once by the lake, everyone amassed at the brand new Andy A Dog Williams Memorial Skatepark, a concrete paradise designed by Grindline and built by Artisan. The turnout was incredible, and contests kicked off all afternoon for kids of all ages. Even the Mountain Dew team came through with Sean Malto, Curren Caples, Chris Coburn and Jordan Maxham to really put on a show!
HIS GENUINE APPROACH TO LIFE POSITIVELY AFFECTED A RANGE OF PEOPLE GLOBALLY AMONGST THE ACTION SPORTS, MUSIC, AS WELL AS THE LOCAL VERMONT COMMUNITY.
Afterwards, the Friends for A Dog Foundation hosted DJ and vinyl workshops, breakdancing classes and live painting. The festivities were just beginning, as shows and performances started from 7pm till 2am! Nectars is a centrally located local venue with two floors of stages. The lineup was packed with DJ’s, musicians and performers- with a special show by the legendary BeatNuts!
We spent the weekend camping with all the homies just up the road, on the beaches of Lake Champlain. The rest of the weekend we explored the city and enjoyed what it has to offer. Burlington has so many spots to skate besides the park- Theres an abandoned freeway onramp overgrown with vegetation and intact jersey barriers for the entire length of the road. Over the years locals have added tranny, banks, pump bumps and wall rides making it a really fun and diverse place to skate. Across the train tracks is the Burton Headquarters that has a perfect skatelite bowl tucked away against the treeline and always generates a heated sesh. There’s even a perfect marble plaza, privately owned and built in the middle of the mountains and forrest.
…AN ABANDONED FREEWAY ONRAMP OVERGROWN WITH VEGETATION AND INTACT JERSEY BARRIERS FOR THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE ROAD
Huge thanks to everyone in Burlington for showing us such a great time! Much respect to the community and everyone involved in continuing ADog Day- its one of our favorite gatherings, already looking forward to next years! #thankyouskateboarding