The Great Skate Giveaway returns to the City of Newburgh on Saturday, July 15 at the Newburgh Skate Park, located at 401 Washington Street near the city’s recreation center. Event start time has been set for 10 a.m. A digital and physical flyer features a QR (quick response) code with registration information. Hacienda Skate Shop, Keep It Moving and Keaton’s Kids return as sponsors and hosts of this fun and safe community event for children, families and fellow skaters. Keep It Moving and Keaton’s Kids Facebook page also have the registration and event information posted.

Hacienda Skate Shop is a local city skate shop owned by Matthew Boyea that opened in August 2021 and currently operates at 136 Lake Street, Suite 2. The shop offers boards, clothes and equipment from local and professional brands while also serving as a skater community hub in Newburgh.

Keep It Moving, founded by Lauren Mandel, is a youth enrichment organization that provides youth programming and training for community members on the importance and usage of Narcan. Keep It Moving honors and remembers the life of Mandel’s son Zane, an avid skateboarder, who passed away from a fentanyl overdose at 22.

Keaton’s Kids, founded by Cat Guthrie and her partner Kevin Spath, is a similar youth organization that serves underserved children in the local region by providing outdoor youth enrichment programs. The organization was created similarly to honor the life of Guthrie’s son Keaton who was also into skateboarding, other outdoor activities and service. He passed away in 2018 while surfing in California.

In preparation for the upcoming giveaway, feelings of confidence, excitement and nervousness could be felt by Boyea. “We [Hacienda, Keep It Moving, Keaton’s Kids] have gotten plenty of people excited,” he said. The giveaway is Boyea’s second time around as a main sponsor. Since that previous summer, Boyea has been maintaining and further establishing his business on Lake Street, helping kids with their boards and growing as a trusted vendor while also working now on a store website.

All children are encouraged to sign up and register, and both mothers look forward to a day with food, music and fun. “Though Zane and Keaton were not friends, you know, while they were here on Earth, I do feel like they’ve kind of brought us together to make this happen” said Mandel. “It’s just all heart. It’s just all a sincere desire to keep good energy moving, keep the fun going, and keep those spirits alive.”