RIDING THE RAIL. Skaters at the Boyd Skate Park in Eau Claire, which officially opened last year.

The skating community in Eau Claire has been growing and thriving over the past few years thanks to the Eau Claire Skaters Association (ECSA).

ECSA has been integral in the creation of Boyd Skate Park, which opened in spring 2023, and the positive tide-change in community support for skateboarding in general. The only problem is when the sun goes down and the skating day ends.

Skaters have to call it for the night once the sun sets as there are few lights to illuminate the park, making it unsafe to skate. Especially in fall and spring, this leaves skaters with less time to skate after work or school and connect with the community.

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It benefits not just skaters but the whole community.

GABE BRUMMETT

eau claire skaters association

So, on Feb. 23, the ECSA launched a fundraiser they intended to focus on for the 2024 year to get additional floodlights at Boyd Skate Park. It aimed to raise $8,000.

Little did the organization know they would receive an anonymous donation of $8,000 the weekend of March 9, fulfilling the entire fundraiser’s goal not even one full month into the campaign. ECSA is currently discussing plans to push the floodlights’ timeline up, and hopes to get them installed and operational by the middle of May.

“It’s going to provide a safe place after dark for kids to be or just anybody that uses the park,” Gabe Brummett, the president of ECSA said. “It benefits not just skaters but the whole community.”

You can find ECSA on Facebook or at Boyd Park (1202 Fairway St., Eau Claire) to see the community in action. Make sure to follow ECSA as they are also putting on events in May to connect with Mental Health Awareness Month.