Review  the film called ‘Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy,’ released on 7/12/11.

I’ve been skating and watching skate videos for about six years now. I am also a big fan of punk rock and a lifestyle associated with it. Skatopia is the sickest video I have watched in a very long time though. It chronicles a year at Skatopia, a Skatepark in the middle of Appalachia, in which skating, music, and punk rock lifestyles are embraced. This video is like Bam Margera on Acid! I couldn’t help but laugh over and over at the crazy antics these skate punk hillbillies actually do. From mosh pits, to burning car – destruction and anarchy are shown in a true, real-life way. The skateparks in the video are amazing, and you would never think that you would find such a great spot in the middle of nowhere.

What makes this video so refreshing is that it encompasses the lifestyle of skating as well as skate footage itself. Just about every other video I’ve watched includes nothing but the skaters riding around doing tricks. That’s good and all, but Skatopia lets you into the lives of these kids. You can see the passion, the enthusiasm, the pain, the craziness, and most of all, the dedication. Watching the kids in the video work hard to build new ramps and snakeruns is so inspirational – I wanted to grab a hammer and nails right after I watched this video! I didn’t that available at that moment though, so I did the next best thing and picked up my board and went skating for a few hours, came home, watched Skatopia again, and decided that I definately need to make a trip to Appalchia sometime to check this place out.

Until I watched this video, I didn’t even know about this place. Now all I want to do is go! The bond everyone shares is something skateboarding is missing!

This was my first Bowl Bash — hard to forget! Check out Chris Cudlip absolutely raging in the Lula Bowl – improvisation beyond belief.

This was my first Bowl Bash — hard to forget! Check out Chris Cudlip absolutely raging in the Lula Bowl – improvisation beyond belief.

Empty pools, spray paint and Dave Reul come together here (Salba too.) Check it out.

The unofficial local chronicler of all things Skatopia… Beth Sergent taps in to how Skatopia and Walmart have more in common than you might think.

Bowl Bash tradition continues: ‘88 Bands of Anarchy’ promised

by By Beth Sergent Gallipolis Daily Tribune

BSERGENT@MYDAILYSENTINEL.COM

RUTLAND — Starting Friday, skateboarding pilgrims will flock to the hills of Rutland Township for the 16th Annual Bowl Bash at Skatopia which promises “88 Bands of Anarchy.”

Bowl Bash is an unofficial and offbeat tourist destination that “dare not speak its name” in the hallowed halls of officially sanctioned Meigs County events though it still brings in visitors who spend money here.

This year’s event begins Friday well into Sunday morning with those 88 bands playing on three stages – bands like Nassau Chainsaw, Green Jelly The Snotty Kids, The Stink and The Cooties. It’s an annual weekend of music, skating and tired eyes watching the sun come up over a Rutland hollow. As usual, no tickets are sold for the event though a donation is greatly appreciated for admission, according to Brewce Martin, owner of Skatopia.

Yesterday, Martin and crew were busy preparing Skatopia for the bash and its pilgrims; pilgrims who have likely read the Rolling Stone spread or seen the documentary “88 Acres of Anarchy” and/or the MTV Skatopia True Life episode – and they want to know more. The True Life episode which was broadcast this past April, featured footage shot at last year’s Bowl Bash – the episode was aired across the nation on the Emmy-award winning series, casting a light on a small but notorious corner of Meigs County.

Myths, rumors and truths about the place aside, Martin has claimed his place “isn’t just a place to party” and that “99 percent of the time out here it’s just normal life going on.” Martin has also poked fun at the Skatopia stereotypes, saying it “isn’t full of poverty-ridden dirt bags” though he’s admitted it attracts a diverse population when it comes to those pilgrims who arrive at the gates.

“This is the funny thing, there are all kinds of people here just like when you go to Wal-Mart…you don’t know who you’re going to see,” Martin has said in the past.

A complete list of bands can be found on Skatopia’s official website.

Everyone should have TV party every couple weeks! Check out Skatopia’s party – The Bowl Bash – this coming weekend! We’ll be down with Collector’s Edition DVDs, T-shirts & more. See you there.

The other day I discovered these guys playing pool… here’s the raw stuff… plus don’t forget to order the advanced copy of the Collector’s Edition DVD – www.skatopiathemovie.com/. And save Skatopia in your Netflix queue!