Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Stone Mills will officially christen its outdoor skate park in Tamworth with a grand opening on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Located ay 16 Railway St. behind the Tamworth Fire Hall, the skate park is the end result of a dedicated effort from the mother and son team of Carolyn and Locksley Sinclair. They launched a campaign in 2021 to have a skate park built in the village, presenting their idea to Stone Mills council.
“Through their delegation this project got kick started and now its come to fruition,” said Nate Maleska, mechanic and fleet supervisor with Stone Mills Township. “It took a little while to get it going, we had some hiccups along the way, but it’s done now and everyone’s happy with it so we want to have this big grand opening to let everyone know where it is and what it’s all about.”
Through the use of a Kickstarter campaign, the Sinclairs raised $20,000 for the park.
“We are constantly driving all over to other skate parks, Madoc, Belleville, Napanee and every time we go to the Napanee skate park we always see people from Tamworth there,” Carolyn told the Beaver in 2021. “I just thought we’re all driving 25 minutes to go to this skate park, why can’t we have one in Tamworth where all the kids in Tamworth can benefit?”
Their efforts were rewarded when the park opened earlier this summer. The township will now have a formal event to celebrate its completion, with a ribbon cutting, free barbecue lunch, door prizes and special guests, a handful of Skate Canada pros coming to try out the facility. Members of the public are invited to skate alongside the professionals.
Door prizes include skate decks donated by Skate Canada and Napanee’s Mongo Lloyd and Melo Board Design.
Those planning to attend the event are asked to park at the soccer field lot located at 16 Railway Street.