Lebanon will celebrate the opening of a new, state-of-the-art skatepark this weekend. The park is named in honor of Tyler Kirschner, a local skateboarder, who passed away two years ago at the age of 28.
After his death, his parents – to their surprise – started getting calls and emails from people all over the world, asking what had happened to "Rusty Berrings."
It turned out, unbeknownst to them, their son was an avid skateboard blogger who had built a broad community online. Rusty Berrings was his username.
His parents decided to raise money to renovate the local skatepark, which had fallen into disrepair. They ended up raising about $350,000, which allowed them to build what Tyler’s father, Buddy, calls the “Disneyland of skateparks.” Buddy said he's been grateful to see so many people come together behind the project.
"It still doesn't take away the sorrow of losing my son. I miss him incredibly,” he said. “But I feel that if he were alive and it happened to someone else's kid, that he would be so supportive.”
The celebration, featuring a cook-out and live music, will kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Riverside Park in West Lebanon.
