The first skateboards in the U.S. were started in the late 1940s using wooden boxes, or boards, with roller skate wheels attached to the bottom. Crate scooters preceded skateboards, having a wooden crate attached to the front of the board which was formed with rudimentary handlebars. Soon the boxes turned into planks, similar to the skateboard decks of today.

And now our neighborhood has a new skatepark located near NE Killingsworth and 30th St and adjacent to Jet Black Coffee (5308 NE 30th Ave). Curated and designed lovingly by property owner Thomas Grace and his family, the park design follows the waves and curves influenced by water and their love of nature.

Grace’s friends at Collective Concrete helped him design and create a half pipe four years ago on his 50’ x 100’ vacant lot. After selling his house in 2022, he had the funds to add a wave inspired sculpture to the space. The park and the sculpture will be lovingly dedicated to Grace’s deceased wife, Rachel. She unfortunately passed in 2022 during a recreational water incident. After the dedication, the park will be called the “Rachel Grace Memorial Skate Plaza”. Her memory will live on.

Grace remembers that, “There was nothing that Rachel embarked on that she did not master. She cherished her family above all else and made everyone around her feel they were a part of hers. Rachel brought joy and light to everyone who knew her. She was the embodiment of unconditional love.”

Though the park is on private property, Grace allows the public to respectfully use the park. He lives next door to the park and above the coffee shop which he and Rachel once owned. Grace is a local chiropractor and owner of Natural Pain Solutions, adjacent to the building at 3007 NE Emerson St.

The park can be enjoyed by people aged 5 to 65, including Grace’s four sons and stepsons who are 15 to 21 years old. Enjoy your skating but please; no later than 10PM. Have fun!

After living east, south, north and west, Marsha Sandman is home at last. And she wants to hear your story. Contact her at MarshaJSandman@gmail.com.

Last Thursday is a community grown event; free for all artists and art vendors, musicians, performers and visitors.

Photos by Jordana Leeb

By Kepper Petzing | Contributing Writer

Pandemic Puzzle Passion

The daughter of a professional chess player, Sonya Kaidanov has always known that playing games are in her genes. When the pandemic began, she found it was jigsaw puzzles that became her passion. “Puzzles helped me thrive while inside. I would do eight puzzles monthly.”

Tired of spending money on new puzzles and wanting to share her puzzle joy, she was inspired to begin a puzzle library exchange in August 2022. She found a free cabinet at Rerun Thrift Store on Fremont Street and installed the puzzle library on her porch. Visitors borrow and return her puzzles like they would books at a library, and sometimes leave their puzzles for others to try. Her puzzle library has at least two visitors each day, sometimes more. She encourages people to come as often as they can.

Kaidanov estimates she owns 100 puzzles. With so many puzzles, she is happy for people to take multiple puzzles, even if they don’t have one to give in return. Although her sign says, “Puzzle Swap”, Kaidanov clarifies; “I want people to take more puzzles. Sometimes people look, don’t take anything, and it bums me out.”

Her passion is working with kids, so Kaidanov wants the puzzle library to cater to them. Easier puzzles for children occupy the right side of her cabinet while more complex puzzles are on the left. Visitors of all ages and puzzle abilities are welcome to come and look over the offerings. “I put in new puzzles almost daily.”

A few months ago, she was googling Portland puzzle meet-ups and made an amazing discovery: an official Portland Puzzle Exchange. The Portland, Oregon Jigsaw Puzzle Trading Cooperative started in 2006 and now meets monthly to puzzle and trade on the first Saturday of the month from 11–1 at the Matt Dishman Community Center, 77 NE Knott St. More information about the Portland Puzzle Exchange can be found at portlandpuzzles.org.

About Sonya

Kaidanov is completing her Masters in School Counseling. “In my future office, I will have a puzzle out on my puzzle board for kids and then one for me to do on my lunch break.” When we get overwhelmed, she says, puzzles require a focus that can help reduce stress and anxiety. It’s a brain workout that is self-competitive, not competitive with others. Plus, it’s fun. She appreciates the satisfaction and pride that comes from completing a challenge and “seeing what I can do alone.”

In addition to the puzzle library, Kaidanov has a TikTok account at @ThePuzzleAddict and an Instagram account @TheAddictedPuzzler, with hopes of getting free puzzles!

Kaidanov hails from Lexington, Kentucky, moved to Portland in 2013 and has lived in Concordia for five years. Her other hobbies include dogs, chess, piano, gardening and embroidery. She is a native Russian speaker and would love to meet neighbors to speak Russian with. You can visit her puzzle swap at 3031 NE Rosa Parks Way.

Kepper Petzing has lived in Concordia for 40 years, where, with their partner Lowen, they raised two children. They are nonbinary. They love community and are grateful for Concordia News.

Last August, La Salle 10th grader and Vernon School alum Will Hambuchen approached his principal, Ben Keefer, with the desire to complete an Eagle Scout project that would help the school. A few ideas were discussed and eventually they agreed on building a bike shelter. Vernon already had one bike shelter on site, but Hambuchen felt it wasn’t enough, and so they decided on adding one next to it.

“There is never enough room for all the bikes at school, especially when it rains.” says Hambuchen, 15. Hambuchen regularly bikes to school and his two siblings will attend Vernon in the fall.

Hambuchen is a Life Scout and member of local Scouts Boy Scouts of America (BSA) troop #117. Through BSA, he and other boys and girls earn merit badges to advance through the scout system. The culmination of this advancement is becoming an Eagle Scout which requires a service project.

And completing an Eagle Scout project is no small feat. Projects must be driven by the scouts themselves and require formal cost estimates and plans, board approval, coordination with other non-profits involved, donated funds and materials and the use of volunteers. The bike shelter at Vernon School is one such project.

The Vernon School PTA approved the project provided that the new bike shelter be identical to the one that was already there. Hambuchen did not have the original blueprints, but the other shelter was there so, in fall 2022, Hambuchen and his dad Steve went out to take pictures, get measurements, and create a materials list for the new bike shelter.

“Almost all of the materials for the bike shelter were donated” says Hambuchen, who succeeded in securing donations from local companies Parr Lumber and Mr. Plywood. The Vernon PTA encouraged Hambuchen to reach out to PBOT, who offered to donate and install the metal bike racks.

“People were very willing to help out” says Hambuchen, who says it was not hard to secure donations. The bike shelter was built over a 3-day weekend in early June. About half a dozen Vernon school students and alumni came out to help with drilling holes in concrete, heavy lifting, leveling and squaring everything.

The bike shelter is an 8 X 10-foot room made with pressure treated wood. The last step, which will be completed this month, is installing the 15 or so metal bike racks.

When asked what his biggest learning experience was, Steve Hambuchen says that with all the communication and coordinating, his son’s skills in writing and reading email communications “improved dramatically.” The new bike shelter will be completed and ready to use by the start of the 2023-2024 school year.

Dina Sage is the Managing Editor for CNews and enjoys engaging in the arts and outdoor activities.