Not even the threat of rain could stop the grand opening of Selah’s skate park.

Long in the making, the park opened June 21, and the skateboarders came out to do what they have wanted to do in Selah for some time now: break out the boards and skate.

Seth Faulkner, junior treasurer for the Selah Skate Park Association, said he was pretty pleased overall with the results.

“It’s pretty cool; same park, different setup,” Faulkner, 13, said. “Throw in a couple more things, make it better. But I’m stoked.”

Gray clouds loomed ominously, and a few drops threatened to damper the excitement, but to no avail. The skate park, along with the skateboarders, was there to stay.

After Selah went on hiatus from an official skate park for over a year, things moved on the fast track to create a new and improved park when the Selah Skate Park Association was formed in April.

“It’s been gone for about a year,” skater Beau Costello, 14, said. “I’m happy to get it back.”

Mitchel Nelson, 14, seconded his thoughts, and offered some criticism.

“It’s pretty gnarly, all the stuff’s back,” Nelson said. “It’s a little small, but otherwise it’s cool. Too many people, but it’s OK.”

But the “too many people” was seen as a good thing since it was the park’s grand opening. Saturday’s event featured more than 60 participants, families, and city leaders celebrating the opening. The ribbon cutting ceremony took place at noon, and attendants enjoyed free hot dogs, soda, and chips.

A sound system blared out Green Day and other choice music to get skaters and observers enthused.

“This is exciting,” skate park supporter and former city councilman Allen Schmid said. “It shows that there is a need in this community, and the community stepped up. It provides a place for kids to enjoy themselves.”

The Selah Skate Park Association had secured several key backers, community support, and initial funds to push things forward. Once a plan was set in motion in April, the city council approved the new skate park, now located near the tennis courts on Wenas Road.

Schmid said it was exciting to see how many people volunteered over the past several months.

“It’s not just a one-person deal,” Schmid said, noting in particular the parental involvement with this new project.

“An awful lot of 10-12 year olds never skated at the old park, [but] committed to coming out now because it’s a family park,” he said.

Several Skate Park Association Board of Directors are parents of skateboarders in Selah. Seth Faulkner’s parents, Glenn and Dena Faulkner, are one supportive pair.

Glenn Faulkner said he thinks the new park is a healthy antidote to some issues that have cropped up in Selah lately.

“It’s great; it keeps them off the streets and away from businesses,” he said.

Austin Herron, 13, agreed with Faulkner’s assessment.

“It’s a good place for people to go and skate,” Herron said. “Since they got rid of the old one, people have been getting in trouble skating on the street and at businesses.”

Dena Faulkner said she was impressed by the visibility of the park. Her thoughts echoed the concerns of previous city council objections to the skate park, since now the city police will patrol the area and keep an eye out for potential loitering and vandalism.

Glenn Faulkner said the City of Selah employees deserve special thanks for all of the work they put into the project, which still needs nearly $20,000 to be completed.

That means much more fundraising is in store for the Skate Park Association.

But now the skateboarders can see how much their hard work has already paid off. The next thing they’ll have to worry about is improving on their skills.