One of the meccas of Midwest skateboarding is finally open once again.
On Saturday, The Turf Skatepark (4267 W. Loomis Rd.) officially reopened, after a DIY-led initiative over 15 years in the making.
The Turf, which opened as Surfin’ Turf skatepark in 1979, remained a staple of Milwaukee skateboarding until popularity shifted from skateparks to street skating in the ‘90s. In that time, the park hosted numerous pro skate demos that included the likes of Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Steve Alva and many more.
When the original building was leveled and construction on the freeway nearby began, crews simply filled in the bowls from the park with dirt and gravel rather than demolishing them entirely. While building an offramp in 2010, one of the bowls was rediscovered, and skaters eventually snuck into the site and dug up part of the park by hand to skate it one more time. That led to an outpouring of support for Greenfield to reopen the park.
Fast forward to 2021, when the City of Greenfield officially announced a plan to reopen the park as part of a new development. The original bowls were dug up, but irreparable. Grindline Skateparks, one of the leading skatepark builders in the world, were eventually tasked with recreating the original park, and construction began to tear out the old bowls and replace them with their new replicas.
The new skatepark features a street section, and of course, the ultra-steep bowls that people remember, as well as the inamous keyhole that transition skaters cherished so fondly. Unlike the original Turf, though, you won't need a membership card to skate. The park is free and open to the public. Skate at your own risk.
Saturday’s ribbon cutting ceremony hosted hundreds of skaters, eager to be the first to break in the new park. Greenfield mayor Michael J. Neitzke thanked his “Turf Action Team,” which included longtime skaters, Greenfield Department of Public Works officials, members of the music community, and Grindline builders for meticulously restoring the park to as close to its original dimensions as possible.
The Turf is officially back to business, and open for skaters of all ages and generations to drop in.
