Introduction and captions by Hannah Murphy Winter

If you drive west on South Hanford St., just before you go under the Marginal Way Bridge, you’ll see a long concrete wall, covered in colorful graffiti. It’s easy to miss—from the street, it doesn’t look that different than most highway overpasses in the city. Maybe the art looks a bit more intentional; maybe there's more people there than you'd expect. But to see real magic of it, you have to get out of your car and peer over the wall. There, you’ll find The Marginal Way Skatepark. 

The park was founded in 2004 by Tim Demmon, Shawn Bishop and Dan Barnett as part of the DIY skatepark movement in Seattle. The three skaters were watching the city tear down, move, and rebuild the same few skateparks in the city, slowly chipping away at the skateable square footage of Seattle. So when the city announced they were doing the same to the Ballard Bowl, they decided it was time to do something about it. They found an empty, unused public space in SoDo, and through benefit shows, individual donors, and a whole lot of volunteer sweat, the DIY park was born. 

Made for skateboarders only, the park has fostered a tight-knit community of skaters. You'll usually hear it called “Marge” for short, and it hosts skate competitions, punk shows, cookouts, and regular community clean ups to maintain the space.

Last weekend, the park celebrated its 20th anniversary. The day started at 1 pm with a skate competition and barbecue at the park. That evening, the festivities moved a few blocks away to Orient Express, a Chinese restaurant and lounge inside a series of literal train cars. 

Liam Griffith has been photographing the park since May, and he was there to capture the day for The Stranger. 

It started as an “illegal” project—Demmon, Bishop, and Barnett started building it on unused city land, and poured the initial slabs on concrete with the help of a skatepark specialist called Gridline. The LED lights are rigged to a generator tucked inside one of the sheds, and it can be fired up at any time if the park needs light. 

The park is completely maintained by its DIY community. They have group cleanup days, host benefits, and expand the park together. And of course, it’s always free to use. 
The skatepark sits between several sets of train tracks, just a few blocks from the docks. They built walkways along the tracks with pavers, and in recent years, they’ve built out a barbecue area.  
The park hosts regular themed competitions and fundraisers, including this year’s “Cinco de Margo” party and a recurring all-femme skate jam called Marginal Maiden. There's almost always a barbecue, and a competition with categories like Best Pool, Best Trick, and Longest Grind. 

Blue the Beagle was at the 20th Anniversary party last Saturday. During the day, people gathered for a skate competition and barbecue at the park. 

After the sun went down, the party moved to Orient Express for the show. Packed inside a train car, skaters even brought their boards into the mosh pit. 
The park has been hosting shows for as long as it’s existed, and the community showed up for its birthday. The party included sets by Distest, Seawlvs, Zorched Realm, Muñeca, Bridge Kids, and The Fakies (above). 
When the party was announced on Instagram, they told the community to come celebrate “20 years of unrelenting D.I.Y. spirit. Providin’ a home base for aggression, progression ‘n creative expression.”
That spirit permeated the party, too. It wasn't clear exactly where this bear head came from, but it was perfectly at home in the mosh pit in the middle of the Orient Express. 
As the show ended and party wound down, people tucked into booths like a gathering of old friends. They settled in, compared bruises from the pit, and saluted the park they call home. 
Here's to another 20 years, Marge.