Introducing Dubuque, IA's coolest new spot to spend time: Olliewood Actions Sports. Olliewood is an indoor skate park that was brought to life by Casey Hinderman. Casey always dreamed of owning an indoor park/shop and had thought Dubuque needed an indoor park since he was a kid. With the support of family and friends, he continued chasing after his dream of creating a safe place for kids to progress at their sport of choice without having to worry about Iowa weather. Olliewood officially came to life for the public on December 28, 2015.
All ages are welcome to come participate or just sit back and watch from the new lounge in the park. Whether you've been riding for years and are looking for a place to ride all year round or you or your grom is just starting out and looking for a safe place to start learning, Olliewood's got it. Lessons are available as long as you call ahead to reserve a time. Planning to spend a lot of time at the park? Consider purchasing a season pass so you can ride to your heart's content. Just in town for the day and thinking about giving it ago? There are options, either pay for an hour or for the day. Take a look at the website to find all the hours and prices.
Love the idea, but not really into riding? There are plenty of other events going on at Olliewood for members and non-member alike. Every other Sunday, Olliewood has a yoga class at 10:30am. Every Wednesday night is Balls to the Walls Dodgeball. Some other events include all-night skate lock-ins, competitions, video premiers, private shoots and all ages shows. Make sure you follow them on Facebook and Instagram because they are always working to come up with new ideas to keep things fresh and exciting.
I contacted the guy that brought all this to life to learn more about him and his goals for Olliewood Action Sports. Casey is super involved in the action sports world and enjoys snowboarding, camping, swimming and skating. He also enjoys playing music and attending shows. A major goal for him is to expand the park in a few years and add safe spaces to learn more difficult tricks. A couple things he'd like to add would be a foam practice pit and resin pad. When you make the visit to the park, you'll more than likely run into Marley, Casey's 8 year old Golden Retriever. He's sort of like the mascot for the park - seriously, you can even buy apparel with Marley's face on it. Plus, he's basically the sweetest dog I've ever met. When asked about his favorite part of Olliewood, Casey stated, "Well, personally i love the a-frame flow section, it's fun to do a wide variety of tricks including handrails. Importantly I love how no matter what walk of life the kids come from, everyone gets along and is treated like family here. The progression is amazing to see as well, and it hasn't even been a year! There's a lot of good talented kids in this town."
Since it's opening Casey has been continually inspired by seeing the progression and smiles on the kids faces. He's also loving living the lifestyle of the action sports scene in the area and is going to continue pushing skateboarding and working to have a positive impact for the scene.
So pack up your skateboard, scooter, bike or yoga mat and head to Olliewood Action Sports skate park in Dubuque, IA.
Live big.
Photo from O | A | S website
Photo from O | A | S website
Photo from O | A | S Instagram
