Skatestock III celebrates life, and love of skateboarding

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston will play host to hundreds of skate boarders from around the country on Saturday for Skatestock III, at the Lee and Joe Jamail Skate Park near downtown Houston. The celebration is from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The free event is not a competition or demonstration. It is an open skate session that provides enthusiasts the chance to meet and skate with the biggest names in skateboarding, including Steve Olson, Peggy Oki and Tony Alva.

"They come out here and want to hang out with us," said John Gibson, former pro skateboarder. "I guess we are just passing the torch to the kids showing how we did it back then."

The event benefits the Morgan Moss Foundation which provides photography equipment to Texas high schools. Moss was an avid skateboarder and photographer. He died in a car accident in 2011. A memorial bench at the Jamail skate park honors his love of the sport. His mother, Betsy Moss, says her son would have been very excited to see how his friends and family rallied behind this event.

Skatestock III includes an art show and concert, as well as an interactive art project called the "Before I Die..." wall in which visitors can write items from their bucket list.