ROANOKE, Va. – The Wasena Skatepark is not only evolving the skate scene in Roanoke, but it’s also bringing in new people from across Southwest Virginia.
“The broader Southwest Virginia area kind of all comes together,” Alek Patton, who runs the Instagram account roaskate, said. “We even have everybody from Lynchburg, Radford, Bedford, people coming up from Greensboro, even to skate here because of the new park.”
Construction of the new skate park at Wasena Park began back in 2025, and the city made sure to gather the opinions of many people who make up the skating community in Roanoke.
“We did multiple feasibility studies with the city alongside the skate park initiative,” Patton said. “Everybody in the community kind of came together, and we had little spots set out with like, ‘What kind of style of skating do you like? What kind of obstacles do you want to see?’”
So far, reviews of the new park have been earning very high marks.
“I really like the concrete, it’s really nice,” Dorain Starr said. “There’s a lot of nice obstacles. They’re all pretty mellow, but they’re long, so they can be difficult at times, but also they’re pretty easy to get into.”
The park isn’t just for the experienced skaters.
Young or old, board or scooter, everyone is invited to come down and enjoy the park.
“It’s good to relax and just hang out. You don’t have to do anything too crazy, just kind of flow around. It’s just good to get out and do a little exercise.”
The City of Roanoke told 10 News in an email that it will hold an official ribbon-cutting ceremony in March.