Pro skateboarders demo at Steveston Salmon Festival on Canada Day
Freestyle legends Kevin Harris and 17-year-old Orson Merry will perform at the 79th annual festival, July 1 in Steveston.
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The Steveston Salmon Festival returns all day throughout the Village of Steveston on Canada Day, July 1, bringing pancake breakfasts, a parade, live entertainment across multiple stages, and a rare pairing of skateboarding generations.
Kevin Harris, Canada's first professional freestyle skateboarder in the 1980s, will demo alongside 17-year-old pro Orson Merry. Merry recently turned pro with Waltz Skateboards and placed fourth at the U.S. Open Freestyle Skateboarding Championship on June 13 and 14 in Venice Beach, competing against skaters from Japan and Brazil. Harris, who grew up skateboarding in Richmond and whose memorabilia fills the Maple Road Experience exhibit at the Richmond Museum, describes Merry as "so solid and consistent" — exactly what makes a perfect demo skater. "He's the one putting Canada back on the map for freestyling," Harris said.
Freestyle skateboarding happens on flat ground with spins, flips, and handstands. Merry, a Grade 11 student from South Surrey, started at age 12 and cites skaters like Andy Anderson and Rodney Mullen as inspiration.
The skateboard demos run at 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. at the Youth Zone north of the Steveston Tram. The festival also features a pancake breakfast starting at 8 a.m., a parade beginning at 10 a.m. from Garry Point Park, a salmon bake at 11 a.m. ($23 meals), stilt soccer, tribute bands, roving performers, food trucks, kids' activities, and an adult beverage area. Entertainment includes Bloco Energia, the Good Vibe Guys from White Rock, Blackberry Wood, and elmoe. Parking by donation is available at R.A. McMath secondary and Tomekichi Homma elementary, with proceeds supporting the Steveston Judo Club and Richmond Agricultural & Industrial Society.