Be proud of doing it your own way.
Off of Mid Pines Rd in Raleigh, beside an abandoned graveyard, and on a municipal lot that hadn’t been used for over a decade, once sprawled a 180ft by 100ft DIY skatepark built by the local skate community.
This park was known as Graveside.
Graveside was one of the largest skateparks in the state, and the largest in Wake County with 8ft tall quarter pipes, creative features, and a fully skate-able loop, all of which were built by hand. The land was once owned by the Islamic Association of Raleigh and it sat as a dumping ground for years before it was ever a skate park. The skate community helped clean up the spot and built something truly representative of themselves.
Something a city built park is rarely capable of.
But it was too good to last
I began covering Graveside in the early spring of 2023, and it was around then that news broke of its impending destruction. The land was finally being sold to a residential developer and it was uncertain how long the park would remain standing.
However, even with the looming threat of development, the community didn’t lose its drive. The builds and shenanigans continued.
You can’t stop the wheels of change, but you can enjoy the ride.
What is a DIY skatepark?
You may be asking yourself…
A DIY skatepark is built by community volunteers, using scavenged, reclaimed, and crowdfunded materials. Those with the proper construction knowledge design the ramps and obstacles, and the rest of the community comes together to help build them.
On the surface, a DIY park may seem identical to a publicly funded and constructed skatepark, but DIY parks are fundamentally different. They are living, breathing, and ever-evolving works of art built by the community. Think of it like a community garden vs. a state-funded botanical garden. Anyone can go to a botanical garden to enjoy nature, but if you’re looking to get your hands dirty and be a part of something bigger than yourself, a community garden is perfect.
DIYs are the community gardens of skate parks. They teach trade skills like carpentry and concrete in a hands-on environment that inspires pride in one's accomplishments. They also directly reflect the community that visits these parks each day.
One of the starkest differences between a DIY and a public skatepark is the budget. Graveside had an estimated budget of $20,000, all of which came from merch sales, donations, and the builder’s pockets. A publicly built skatepark of similar size and design could easily top $750,000, possibly nearing 1 million if you factor in shelters, lights, bathrooms, and other amenities.
This was what Graveside looked like in March of 2023, when I began covering the park’s growth.
Bryce McCluskey blows the spot of dust and debris before the bottom of the loop is poured. McCluskey earned the name “Groundskeeper” for his constant maintenance of the park, and because he’s also a groundskeeper by profession. The frame of the loop can be seen in the back left, and many other sections of the park have yet to be finished.
A storm rolls in at the worst possible time and the crew works quickly to finish pouring the bottom of the loop before the rain, March 26, 2023. They were unsuccessful in beating the rain, but they were able to save the concrete by attaching a tarp to the frame.
Aaron Collins, a key organizer and operator of the Graveside Instagram page, packs the top of the loop with concrete using his bare hands. During his first ramp build Collins didn't use gloves either.
"Concrete has a lye in it and if you don't have vinegar on hand to neutralize it, It'll give you like, horrific burns," said Collins. "I did that, and got home, it was the most painful shit in the world. Like it was unbearable."
Collins tells me some of the park’s history during an interview in April of 2023.
“The older crew got their hands on it and started building there in like probably 2013, and back then it was, like, super sketchy. Like, they didn't know if they were gonna get arrested for being there. I remember being out there just being like, ‘F*** dude, I hope they don't show up.’ Because they would literally kick people out like, ‘You, you, get the f*** outta here. This is our f****** DIY.’ It was nuts,” said Collins.
“Then covid happened, and while everything was shut down, we would just go out there and f****** hang out and drink. The rainbow rail was the first thing to go down like 2021. That's the first thing I ever did there. I bent that pipe at work. Ever since then, it's been like every three months pouring something and now it's up there with Marsh, like it's huge.”
The creek, which ran about 25 paces behind the parking lot, was the lifeblood of the spot. Water access is often the most difficult hurdle to cross when building ramps. Without easy access to water for mixing concrete, Graveside never would have reached its former glory.
Johnathan Robbins works to complete a mirror mosaic to cover graffiti on the back of the punk wall, October 9, 2023.
Robbins spearheaded the fundraising efforts of Graveside by producing and selling merch and is responsible for all of the mosaic work at Graveside.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.