Ed Nieves of New York competes in last year’s hardwheel slide jam event. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Harvard plays host to the Central Massachusetts Longboard Festival this weekend, a three-day event that festival organizer Mike Girard says could attract up to 400 competitive long- and skate-boarders. Starting at about noon on Friday—and throughout Saturday—parking at the General Store will be restricted; customers are advised to park nearby. On Saturday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Old Littleton Road will be closed between Pinnacle Road and Fairbank Street for the downhill races. On Sunday, traffic on Old Schoolhouse Road will be restricted for the slide jam competition.
Friday, Aug. 15: The festival begins at 1 p.m. at the General Store with rider check-in, a barbecue, and a half pipe jam in the parking lot. The day ends at 7 p.m. Spectators are welcome.
Saturday, Aug. 16: The action moves to Old Littleton Road, though festival headquarters remain near the General Store. Between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., downhill races take place from the crest of Pinnacle Road to the flat area near Cross Street. Spectators are welcome along the route, as long as they stay behind the hay bales. Competitors will take a bus to the Billiards Cafe in Ayer for a party from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Sunday, Aug. 17: The festival moves to Old Schoolhouse Road from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for the slide jam competition, where riders perform aerial tricks and so-called power slides on a steep course dotted with ramps. Spectators are again invited to cheer the competitors from positions of safety behind the bales but should watch out for poison ivy. After the slide jam, from 6 to 7 p.m., competitors and spectators return to the General Store for concluding ceremonies. For more information, go to www.skatecentralMA.com.
