Pearl Jam Fan Group Picks Former Greenfield Skate Park as Fundraiser Beneficiary

A year ago, The Turf, a once-widely popular skateboard park located near the northeast corner of the intersection West Loomis Road and Interstate 894, was unearthed by construction crews, sparking a huge push to "Save the Turf" by the country's skateboard community.

The non-profit organization got a big break this week when a fan-run organization that donates monies to charities that are in line with the interests of members of the legendary grunge-era band Pearl Jam picked Save the Turf to benefit from a fundraiser to be held in connection with a 20th anniversary Pearl Jam concert series Sept. 3 and 4 at Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy.

The pre-concert fundraiser party will be Sept. 2 at Hemingway's Port of Call in Lake Geneva and is hosted by The Wishlist Foundation, a Pearl Jam fan support organization. Along with a Wisconsin-style cookout, the event will feature live music, a raffle, auction and items for sale. Admission is $5.

Wishlist Foundation hosts such events around the world to benefit organizations that Pearl Jam and its fans support. The Lake Geneva fundraiser will help both local and national organizations in honor of each member of the band; Tosa Skateboarders United and Save the Turf Foundation for bassist Jeff Ament; Advocacy for Patients With Chronic Illness for lead guitarist Mike McCready; Guitars in the Classroom music education for drummer Matt Cameron; The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin for rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard; Camp Hope for Kids for keyboard player Boom Gaspar; and Honor Flight veterans organization for lead singer Eddie Vedder.

"A huge honor for our organization and a symbol that resurrecting The Turf is something that has not only local, but national interest," Save the Turf representative Jesse Geboy said. "After all, it is one of only a few 1970s skateparks that still exist."

According to the PJ20 Friday Fundraiser website, The Turf is one of only two remaining American skateboard parks from the 1970s. It attracted riders from around the world including top pros like Tony Hawk, Mike Vallely, Lance Mountain, Tony Alva, Jason Jesse and Jeff Kendall.

The park, located east of the building off Loomis, was closed in the mid-1990s and is now a construction site and staging location for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The land is expected to be used by WisDOT through 2012. After that, it's anticipated that the City of Greenfield will purchase the land, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story from last summer.

According to an email posted on the Save the Turf website between a Save the Turf organizer and Greenfield Mayor Michael Neitzke in November, Neitzke said, “I don’t know what will happen, or if there is momentum and resources. At this point, I’m just trying to keep on eye on the subterranean structure so it doesn’t disappear before a decision or an opportunity materializes. I was reassured Tuesday that the “stuff” is still there. You should know that I have almost nothing to say about what the DOT does on that property, but that they have been cooperative and are abiding by their commitment not to destroy what’s left there."

An effort to reach Neitzke on Thursday was not immediately successful.

Save the Turf also has a strong Facebook backing with more than 16,000 fan "likes" in support of preserving the park.

Pearl Jam's fundraising's mission is to help fund the immediate protection of the now exposed pools from Wisconsin winters, help fund the restoration of the pools and attract sponsors and investors to the new development.

The fundraiser will feature music by Cluthe/Lee, select scenes from the play “The Faithfull,” trivia contests, karaoke, a Pearl Jam themed menu, five different bars, a barbecue and s’mores cookout and more.

Attendees can make donations at the event and receive incentive items such as Pearl Jam inspired T-shirts, posters, wristbands, mouse pads and ticket albums and can enter raffles to win fan-donated Pearl Jam memorabilia. There will also be a silent auction that features autographed items donated by band members as well as items donated by sponsors.

Since 2004, the Wishlist Foundation and Pearl Jam fans across the globe have together raised almost a half a million dollars through a variety of grassroots fundraising methods.

The festival weekend kicks off a series of commemorative events for Pearl Jam, including a 10-city Canadian tour and their upcoming Cameron Crowe-directed film, Pearl Jam Twenty, which captures the band’s journey over its history, along with an accompanying book and soundtrack album in September. A nine-city South American tour is scheduled for November.

All ages are welcome to attend the fundraiser at Hemingway's, N3270 County Hwy H, Lake Geneva, 5 to 10 p.m. For more information, visit www.wishlistfoundation.org.