On Thursday October 18 there is a memorial fundraiser scheduled in honor of Alix Rice, the young girl who was struck and killed by a drunk driver while riding her skateboard home from work. The funds raised at the event will go toward constructing a skate park dedicated to Alix, who lived for her longboard she named "Rupert".
View image
Six local bands have signed up to be on the ticket for that night:
• Son of the Sun • Wolf Tickets
• Chosen Ones • Red Delicious
• Come Honor • Shout it Out
Along with raising funds to build a skatepark, the fundraiser is also a campaign to raise awareness regarding the consequences (and sometimes lack thereof) of drunk driving. "I feel there is still a very large need to give people the opportunity to take part in, as well as support, our ongoing effort to build a permanent memorial," said Alix Rice Peace Park Foundation President Jon Fulcher. "And it's inspiring to see people genuinely excited about a positive place for her to be remembered."
*Doors open at 6:30pm, with musicians taking to the stage from 7pm to midnight.
Tickets for New Era's Rockin' For Rice are available for $20 (plus service charges where applicable) at the Town Ballroom Box Office, Tickets.com, and Phatman Boardshop in Tonawanda.
For more information please contact Jon Fulcher at 716-514-6148, or via email at alixricepeacepark@gmail.com. You can also follow @RockinForRice on Twitter, or go to AlixRice.com.
i am touched that this community remembers alix and wants to memorialize her. i think there should be an annual silent march/ride past the site of the collision and the home of her killer.
a skate park is great for people who use longboards as recreation. unfortunately, they do not protect people who use longboards as transportation, as alix did. wasn't she was killed going home from her job?
unfortunately, skate parks, like bike paths, have the potential of increasing the hostility that drivers feel towards skateboarders & cyclists. like, "you have this great new skate park [bike path] so get hell off my road." they reinforce the misconception that skateboards & bikes are a form of recreation instead of transportation.
Exactly. The same thing has happened with the Lancaster youth who was killed by a drunk driver while he was riding his bicycle home. Now there is a plan for a "bicycle/skateboard park" in Lancaster. But that does absolutely nothing to improve safety for the kids who are riding their bikes or skateboards to the park.
I suppose they are supposed to drive to the bike park and then ride their bikes there. :-/