Hampstead’s Skate Barn turns 30 with free community party on Nov. 21

HAMPSTEAD, N.C. — A longtime Hampstead gathering spot is turning 30, and the whole community is invited to the party.

The Skate Barn is hosting a free 30th-anniversary celebration, “Skates-giving,” all day Saturday, Nov. 21. The event includes a potluck, with food served from 2 to 5 p.m.

The party will be held at the Skate Barn, 155 Pansy Lane, just off Highway 210.

The Skate Barn will provide the turkey. Community members are asked to bring dishes to share.

The Skate Barn opened in 1996. Taylor Maready took over ownership in 2025 after founder Jimmy Ellington’s death.

Skate Barn General Manager Josh Dunn said the anniversary is a chance to celebrate a place that has given back to the community for three decades.

“It’s a very special place, and it’s really doing what it did 30 years ago, to this day, and it’s still harboring the new kids all the way to the people who’ve been coming here since the very beginning,” Dunn said.

Dunn credited the community for keeping the Skate Barn going.

“We’ve all done this together. It’s not one individual, it’s not me, or you, or this person or that person, as a collective we’ve made sure that this place has stayed together, and stayed open, and stayed running these 30 years. So, birthday party, free food, can’t miss out,” Dunn said.