The Dept is currently closed for a streetcourse remodel. We will be re-opening May 20th in the evening to host a demo by the entire Girl and Antihero skateboard teams. The demo will start @ 6:00pm and we’ll have more info about it in the coming weeks. We originally planned on remodeling the park in May but once we found out we would have the opportunity to host an epic demo like this we moved our timeline up. Cal’s Pharmacy will be open and operating as usual. People interested in signing up for Summer Skate Camps can do so by phone by calling 503.233.1237, emailing The Dept. at info@departmentofskateboarding.com or stopping in to Cal’s Pharmacy. Keep checking back to the website for updates on course progress. After 3 years on the current course, it’s time to do some tweaking. We’ll see everyone in a few weeks.

-The Dept.

Here we go people. The Dept. Summer Skate Camp schedule is set. We are adding 2 weeks of camps this summer bringing your total options to 9 weeks. The same great camps The Dept. has put on the last 5 years but this year will feature the new course layout. The camps run Monday - Thursday each week from 9am to Noon. Campers are then welcome to stay and skate the park all day until 6:30pm. Camps are a mix of group and individual instruction, games, and open skate time. Any ability level can benefit from Skate Camp and camps are open to skaters 6 years old and over. Each week is limited to 30 skaters and the cost is $150/week. You can sign up by calling 503.233.1237 or contacting The Dept. @ info@departmentofskateboarding.com.

Back for round 2 this Summer are The Dept. Field Trip camps. The Dept. Field Trip camps are designed to combat stagnation and encourage terrain variation. If you were one of the lucky ones who got in on these camps last year you definitely remember how fun it was hitting a different park in the Portland/Metro Area every day for four days. This summer should be even better as the # of parks in the area continues to grow with Ed Benedict and Gabriel park slated to be finished in the next few months. The Field Trip camps run the same weeks as the standard Dept. camps. Skaters meet up @ The Dept. at noon and jump in the van. We head out for an afternoon of sessioning and return to The Dept. at 5:30pm. Lunch is included so all you need to do is remember to bring your skateboard and desire to have fun. The Dept. Field Trip camps are open to 12 skaters each week 10 years old and over and are also $150/week. To sign up or for additional information call 503.233.1237 or email The Dept. at info@departmentofskateboarding.com.

Sorry everyone. The Lock-In is Full. We’ll see you at the next one.

   Here we go again…..Another full night of skateboarding, pizza, and dodgeball.

$30.00 for the night. Remember to sign-up in advance to guarantee your spot.  Food is provided, but feel free to bring snacks.  For any additional info please call the DEPT. at 503.493.9480

The mini ramp got a makeover to help boost it’s self esteem. We threw some Birch on it so it rides like the bowl now. It’s already pulling Ramp Gramps out of his house on a Saturday. Dave’s auctions must have all ended. Come check it out with a blunt of your own.

Spring Break is next week and you could do 1 of 2 things: be lazy and sleep in and not go skate outside because it’s more than likely raining OR come hit up Spring Break SkateCamp at The Dept!! If you’ve never been to one of the skatecamps, they run Monday through Thursday from 9am-Noon. They are open to anyone 6 yrs old and older and any ability level. The Dept. Skoaches can help you out with tips on anything from pushing to 360 flips. The goal of these camps is to emphasize the FUN of skateboarding as well as challenge skaters in their progression. Camp is open to the first 30 people who sign up. Campers can also stay and skate the regularly scheduled public sessions until 6:30pm.

See you next week.

After many years of dungeon quality illumination we finally got it together to get some new high-bay fluorescents in the bowl. It’s like a whole new world. Hopefully this makes the skating experience way better. So far Russ is backing them. Thanks for hanging in there with us Russ.

The Dept. will be closed Monday Dec. 24th and Tuesday Dec. 25th for Christmas.
It will also be closed Monday Dec. 31st and Tuesday Jan. 1st 2008.

Baby New Year here wishes everyone a Happy and Healthy 2008!!

Alright everyone, this is ridiculously last minute but we will be premiering the new Lakai video “Fully Flared” tomorrow night Dec. 6th at 7:30pm here at the Dept. We started trying to set this premiere up 6 months ago but since all you goofs always put everything up on Youtube the guys at Girl and Lakai refused to send out any premiere copies. It makes it really difficult to rent a venue for a premiere if you don’t know when the video is actually going to be out so we ended up just doing it here. We will have a limited # of copies available for sale directly after the movie so make sure to bring some loot because this video is a must have. The premiere is FREE to watch so tell all your cheapskate friends to come with you. See everyone tomorrow night!!

There is going to be an opening reception for the Michael Sieben + Nat Swope collaboration show “Forever and Never” that will be up at Cal’s Pharmacy for December this Saturday night. You may recognize Michael’s art from numerous contributions to the skateboard world, including graphics for Bueno Skateboards, Toy Machine, Volcom, Thrasher Magazine…etc. When you’re a highly talented individual in the skateboard world there is never a shortage of channels to display your work. Nat is widely regarded as one of the best screen printers in the business, so make sure to stop in and check it out or swing through sometime during the month of December and view some of Michael and Nat’s handiwork up close. Here’s a few other spots to check them out as well:
www.msieben.com
www.bloompress.com

If you’ve been holding your breath wondering when those dudes at Dept. were finally going to get around to fixing the ledge, go ahead and exhale. The ledge has a new lip and it really came out pretty nice. Allegedly, Cody Bustamante was quoted saying “…as long as this ledge is here, I’m never moving away from Portland.” Evidently, Cody doesn’t think there’s any good ledges anywhere else in the world. Here’s a few more photos:

(and one of Cody NOT skating the ledge.)

Special thanks to Kent @ Solid Rock Granite.

Paul, Cube, Kyle and the crew did an amazing job on the resurfacing of the bowl. Solid baltic birch ply. Diamond corners might be the wave of the future. Anyways, you gotta ride this thing. Nothing but rave reviews. Way faster, way brighter and way less slippery.

Just wanted to let everyone know that the Flip Feast West Coast Tour is stopping by The Dept. this Friday Night @ 7:00PM. This promises to be one of the biggest and best demos ever to go down and you need to make sure you see it in person. The lineup looks like this: Mark Appleyard, Rodrigo TX, Geoff Rowley, Arto Saari, Lance Mountain, Rune Glifberg, David Gonzales, Louie Lopez, Curran Caples and a recent addition to the team Luan de Oliviera. Serious LEGENDS in that list. The demo is scheduled to start around 7:00pm and the madness will more than likely continue all night. Get the crew together and get down here.

If you ever wanted to skate or rub shoulders with some pro shredders you better make sure to come to the park this Saturday. The Santa Cruz team and the Habitat team will both be gracing us with their collective presences this weekend as they stop by The Dept. on their respective tours. First, the Santa Cruz guys should be rolling in around 4:00pm and are going to hang out and skate the session with everyone. There is a definite possibility that Emmanuel Guzman will be your new favorite skater when you leave Saturday. There will be some serious shredding and some goodies given away while those guys are here.

Next, the Habitat team will be rolling through around 7:00pm and those guys have something to prove. The new Habitat Video “INHABITANTS” is set to premiere nationwide October 31st and promises to be one of best films of the year. This is your chance to experience what you will soon be seeing in the video in 4-D, live and in person. Stefan Janoski, Danny Garcia, Raymond Molinar, Silas Baxter-Neil, and many more. Make sure not to miss this. They’ll be bringing promo stuff as well and everyone loves that. (Note: this is not a video premiere. The video doesn’t premiere until October 31st in Ohio.)

Remember. This Saturday. More pros (and top ams) than you’ve ever seen in your life. Starting at 4:00pm and continuing through the evening. See you there.

Ben Horton, the brains and art behind $lave Skateboards amongst other things, will be having an art show opening at Cal’s Pharmacy Friday night from 7-10PM. Make sure to come by and check out some new stuff from a guy who has seriously ridiculous art abilities.

Whatever plans you had for Thursday October 4th need to be changed and re-arranged. For those not in the know, Nike SB has been working on their first feature-length skateboard film for the better part of 2 years and the fruits of their labors are about to be harvested. “ NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH” begins it’s Global Premiere Tour next week and the 2nd stop is right here in Portland. In celebration of the film, the ENTIRE Nike SB team will be stopping by Cal’s Pharmacy/The Dept. of Skateboarding on Thursday around 4:00pm and hanging out until about 5:30. Paul Rodriguez, Stefan Janoski, Lance Mountain, Brian Anderson, Omar Salazar, Lewis Marnell, Wieger, Chet Childress, Little Grant… the list goes on and on. If you ever wanted autographs or to meet any of these guys in person than you need to make it down on Thursday. Also, they’re bringing as much pizza as they can carry with them and will have a FEW passes to give out for the ultra exclusive showing of NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH for that night. The premiere is not open to the public so you may have to do some work to get your hands on one of these passes. DO NOT MISS THIS!!! COME DIRECTLY FROM SCHOOL!!! DO NOT STOP AT HOME FIRST!! MAKE SURE YOUR FOREHEAD ISN’T SWEATY SO THAT THE SHARPIE STICKS BETTER!! SEE YOU ON THURSDAY!!