Skateboards can be expensive, so these Lawrence skaters made them free for more kids

A skateboard can cost $150 — on the low end. Members of the Lawrence Skaters Association and other organizations collected gently used materials to build skateboards for kids who wouldn't be able to afford them.
It was a sticky spring day in Lawrence.

Bounce houses bobbed and families gathered for a yearly community event called Edge Fest for residents of public housing and Section 8 units. A group of kids — ranging from 6 to 15 years old — bee-lined to the Lawrence Skaters Association’s large wooden table.

One by one, kids picked from supplies — decks, wheels, trucks and grip tape – splayed out on a table. All for free.

“The thing that sucks about skateboarding (is the) financial barrier to entry,” said Sam Thomas, an LSA member and leader.