BOZEMAN — As the Montana skateboarding community grows, local Bozeman skaters are throwing an event at Kirk Park—to raise awareness around the need for bigger, more inclusive skateparks.

"It clears your mind," says the President of the Skateboard Alliance of Montana, Rand Stearns. "Whatever I have going on in life when I jump on my skateboard, I think of nothing but the joy I’m having at that moment."

The Skateboard Alliance of Montana is a nonprofit dedicated to building high-quality, public skateparks throughout the state.

Stearns has been skating for over a decade and now hopes to inspire a new generation of skaters.

"The event is to have a fun day for these kids, but we’re also going to be raising awareness for some upgrades to this park," Stearns says.

The Kirk Park skatepark is more than 25 years old, and Stearns says the skate community has grown in that time.

He says, "This park, it kind of really caters to the core skater—the experienced skater because of how it’s built and set up."

Desired upgrades to the park will be presented at this weekend’s event—along with skate competitions, prizes, live music, and a barbecue.

Stearns says skateparks are a community place, where people come together to skate and overcome challenges.

"The community that skateboarding brings—it’s great. You look at skaters and they come from all walks of life. You know every kind of diversity and ethnicity," He says.

"I know it can be intimidating to come to a crew of skateboarders but everybody’s about the same and very welcoming when you actually get to know them," Stearns adds.

For more information on the Shredtember skateboarding event—happening Saturday, September 21^st—visit their Facebook page.