Caleb Bagley, Varial Heel
Where to begin...Kanis park has been through a world of transformation over the years. Luckily, Gnarkansas has been there to see much of it. The new park addition is great to have and arguable the park is more functional than ever before but there was something about the rawness of DIY that the park held as a staple vibe for years. However, I am happy to report that the spirit of Kanis is still just as present as ever. Even though so many new faces this year were enjoying the session, those who have paid with sweat and blood still come out and show their support. It's always a true Bro-morial
Kanis Park with clear skies
Although, memories resurfaced the moment you lay eyes on it. My particular memory went back to 2011, ten years ago when Gnarkansas was in the golden years and the crew was alive and well. Since those times, we have lost some homies who made the Little Rock scene so memorable. RIP JP and Brown Ron. Its like their energy still exists in the space but if we could trade the entire park to have them back, we would. But the love for them lives on and with future plans of a memorial bowl being funded largely by donations collected from the Kanis Bash this year, we might be on the edge of ground breaking in the near future. So a major thank you to everyone who donated.
The Northwest Arkansas crew that we rolled with were fortunate enough to start festivities a day early and proceeded to have 2 epic sessions: one at Brock's plush backyard pool that was almost better described as a work of art than DIY. You can watch the pregame edit here. Same goes for the next backyard pool party, hosted by none other than Fity Kent but Panther Mountain infers that you should fire it up to the max. Camping next to a bowl the night before Kanis Bash seems to be a recurring theme that presents a certain vibe that is unmatched to any other form of lodging on a skate trip.
Justin Cornell, Contractual Over-The-Light at Brock's
The bands did the normal protocol of slaying all day with the all important setup on the bowl to play to the park. Booths were setup, providing good vibez and even a natural foods vendor was a nice touch. Two notable booths that was a pleasure to see: Local legend Daniel Haney posted up with some classic Haneywood merch, I even got to witness a signing of the famed Big Brother magazine cover for a fan was a truly ENJOY-able moment. The other booth setup were the crew from the video, set to premier that night, Will Lloyd's "Capture Party". The premier that night was so on point, its hard to picture a more iconic scene of an Arkansas skate video release. Pure Gold. Hit up Will on his Instagram at @lilwoyd for a physical DVD or if you want to be a slacker, click here.
As for the shredding at the bash, you'll have to watch the highlights to see the madness. Overall, Kanis Bash 2021 was the best way to get back to a normal way of life. Covid stopped 2020 from going down but the true heads behind Kanis were not going to let another year pass us by. Kanis has a ton of events planned this year. I suggest to follow Kanis Skatepark on Instagram to keep up with the most current events headed to the most known skatepark in all of Arkansas. The year is not even half over yet and we are already ready for 2022. Let's keep this wrinkled, hairy ball rolling.
- B.Herb