Skate Jam rolls through Athens

As the sun beamed down on the concrete field that is the Athens Skate Park on Saturday, multiple bands from across the country performed while skateboarders swarmed the park. The pounding rock music and thunderous sounds of wheels rolling across pavement signaled one thing: the return of Skate Jam.

The fourth annual music festival took over the Athens Skate Park, located at 701 E. State St., gave attendees musical programming and skating competitions from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets to enter the event cost $20, but kids 12 years old and under could get in for free. All proceeds from the event went to maintaining the skate park as well as youth programming for Sojourners Care Network, a nonprofit supporting homeless young people in Southeast Ohio. 

Andrea Baird and Emmett Mascha, co-founders and organizers of Skate Jam, said the idea for the festival was born from wanting a live music performance in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. From there, it turned into a major fundraising program for both the skate park and homeless youth in the Athens area.