After years of planning, a grand opening of the Honey Brook Skate Park took place on July 11 at James A. Umble Memorial Park. The event was part of the Fun Friday summer program, presented by the Honey Brook Township Recreation and Parks Board.

The state-of-the-art skatepark is open seven days a week from dawn to dusk. "They (can enjoy the skatepark) on skates, inline skates, bikes, skateboards and little scooters," said Kevin Dougherty, chair of the recreation and parks board. "It's free to all. The kids love it."

The skatepark is made of concrete, and it features all the obstacles and challenges that skateboarders appreciate, including a metal strip where skateboarders can grind, which means performing tricks that include sliding on a surface using the metal trucks underneath a skateboard. "It has ramps and rails and a bowl, which looks like a swimming pool, and (it is surrounded by) blue metal to grind on," said Dougherty. "It looks dangerous to me, but the kids have so much fun."

Dougherty explained that the skatepark is part of the township's improvement project at Umble Park. "As part of our 2019 Umble Park master plan, they put out a survey, and one of the improvements that people (requested) was a skatepark for the kids," he noted. "(The township applied for and) received a DCNR (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) grant for 50% (of the cost) of a skatepark. The board of supervisors approved the other 50%."

The park was completed in November 2024. A grand opening was planned this spring but was canceled due to inclement weather.

Among the supporters of the project was the family of the late Robert "Skate" Zamecki, who wanted a skatepark built to honor his memory. "His mother and sister in their grief asked if there could be a skatepark. I met them when they came to a Honey Brook Township park and rec meeting," Dougherty recalled. "This was about six months before we started building it. It was already in the works, but they helped push it over the finish line."

The grand opening featured free games, snacks, drinks and prizes. Representatives from SkateWagon were also on hand offering merchandise and skateboards and doing skateboarding demonstrations. "They will run a skate tournament on Harmony Day in September," noted Dougherty.

The event also featured the unveiling of an informational kiosk created by Jackson Short, a member of Honey Brook Boy Scout Troop 9. The kiosk was built as part of Jackson's Eagle Scout service project.

Fun Friday is held in collaboration with Gateway Baptist Church, which is located next to Umble Park. Upcoming Fun Fridays events include the following: July 25, "Christmas in July" ornament painting, an introduction to pickleball and Movie Night at Gateway Baptist Church; Aug. 1, making coffee filter flowers; Aug. 8, Spikeball and making paper bag kites; Aug. 15, disc golf course grand opening; Aug. 22, stained glass art; and Aug. 29, Movie Night at Gateway Baptist Church, a cornhole tournament and a bounce house. For more information about Fun Friday activities, visit http://www.facebook.com/honeybrooktwp.

Dougherty noted that the skatepark provides people of all ages a place to skate at one location in a safe space, rather than in local parking lots or on sidewalks.

"I saw a mom with her young daughter wearing a helmet and inline skates, and she was holding her hand, which made (all the working in creating the skatepark) worth it. It has been a long time coming," he shared.

James A. Umble Park is located at 173 Suplee Road, Honey Brook. To learn more about the skatepark and to see videos of the grand opening skateboarding demonstrations, visit http://www.facebook.com/honeybrookskatepark.