How Elaine T. Baillie Skatepark came to Southern Pines

The first organized effort

The history of Elaine T. Baillie Skatepark begins in 2005, when William “Willie” Dean joined teachers, a police officer, parents, skateboarders, and other community supporters to form Skaters for Moore. Local governments had shown little interest in building a public skatepark, so the group set out to create a nonprofit facility of its own.

Their opportunity came in Pinebluff, where a warehouse was made available for rent of $1 per year. Volunteers transformed the space into SkateMoore Skatepark, which operated from 2006 through 2009. During those years, more than 500 skateboarders from across the area registered to use the facility. It provided an organized place to skate at a time when Moore County offered no public alternative.

The arrangement depended on donated space and community support. When the economy deteriorated in 2008 and 2009, that model could no longer sustain the park. SkateMoore closed, demonstrating both the strength of local demand and the difficulty of operating a private nonprofit skatepark without permanent public infrastructure.

A new generation renewed the need

For more than a decade after SkateMoore closed, local skateboarding rose and fell in popularity. The COVID-19 pandemic changed that pattern in 2020. Families sought outdoor activities they could do together, new participants took up skateboarding, and growing numbers of riders returned to streets and public spaces throughout Moore County.

The resurgence renewed conversations with local municipalities. In 2021, Southern Pines officials began examining how the town could provide a safe place for skateboarding while addressing concerns about skating in the downtown pedestrian district. Town records show that staff studied locations, costs, liability, and possible partnerships before the Town Council expressed support for continued planning in November 2021.

Southern Pines Planning Director BJ Grieve approached Dean about collaborating on a modest public project. Skaters for Moore reorganized as an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and a public-private partnership developed among the organization, Friends of the Skateparks Foundation, and the Town of Southern Pines.

Memorial Park and an ambitious goal

The partners selected Memorial Park, where existing parking, restrooms, and other recreation facilities made a skatepark practical. The Town ultimately approved a site of approximately 7,000 square feet and committed $50,000 to the project. By late 2022, what had begun as a small proposal had grown into an effort to raise approximately $400,000 for a permanent concrete park.

Terry Grimble of Friends of the Skateparks Foundation served as the lead contractor in coordination with Skaters for Moore. Together, the organizations developed several design options suited to the compact site and worked through the budget, construction schedule, and mix of street and transition terrain.

The arrangement divided responsibility among partners with different strengths. The Town supplied land, initial funding, and a path to long-term public operation. Friends of the Skateparks Foundation contributed construction and skatepark-development experience. Skaters for Moore organized the community, led fundraising, and represented the people who would use the finished park.

Fundraising became a community campaign

Reaching the construction budget required years of events and direct appeals. Skate jams on the Southern Pines tennis courts demonstrated demand for a park. Will Rittenhouse and his family organized pickleball tournaments. A brick-patio campaign invited local residents and businesses to place their names behind the project, while corporate sponsors and private donors supplied additional support.

The Lip Rippin’ Chicken Wing Cook-Off became one of the campaign's largest public fundraisers. Held in partnership with Southern Pines Brewing Company, the event brought together competitors, vendors, music, skateboarding demonstrations, and thousands of attendees. The first cook-off in November 2023 raised $21,754 before matching funds; across two years, the cook-offs generated more than $30,000 for the skatepark effort.

A decisive boost came from the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, which awarded the project a matching grant of up to $200,000. The grant doubled qualifying donations, strengthened the campaign's credibility, and moved the partners substantially closer to their $400,000 goal.

Elaine T. Baillie's gift closed the gap

By fall 2024, the partners had raised enough to begin construction, but additional funding was still needed to complete the park. Skaters for Moore approached Elaine T. Baillie and her family about helping close the remaining gap.

Baillie was a longtime Southern Pines resident and philanthropist who supported organizations serving children, animals, and the wider community. She was also a mother-like figure to many of the skateboarders with whom Dean had grown up. Her family's contribution supplied the final support needed to reach the project goal, and the park was named in her honor.

Construction progressed through the fall and was substantially complete around Thanksgiving. The name Elaine T. Baillie Skatepark connected the new public facility to both her generosity and the network of families and community members who had supported local skateboarders for decades.

December 13, 2024

On December 13, 2024, nearly 20 years after Skaters for Moore was formed, Southern Pines opened the park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Memorial Park. Close to 200 skateboarders, parents, local businesspeople, nonprofit volunteers, and Town Council members attended.

The ceremony marked the completion of a project that had survived the loss of SkateMoore, a severe economic downturn, years without a permanent facility, and an extensive fundraising campaign. What opened that day was not simply a replacement for the Pinebluff warehouse. It was a free, publicly operated skatepark with a lasting home.

A larger public grand-opening celebration followed on March 8, 2025, with an all-ages skate jam, demonstrations by North Carolina skate teams, live DJs, pizza, and a best-trick contest. The event also raised support for lighting intended to improve safety and extend the park's usable hours.

A permanent place to skate

The approximately 7,000-square-foot concrete park combines transition and street terrain. Its features include a bowl with a 4-foot-6-inch deep end and a shallower section, quarter pipes, banks, a hip, a five-stair set with a handrail, grind rails, a manual pad, and other elements that allow beginners and experienced riders to develop different lines.

Since opening, the park has hosted Go Skateboarding Day gatherings, contests, professional skateboard demonstrations, and other community events. It serves skateboarders alongside scooter riders, roller skaters, and BMX riders, turning a long-standing request for safe recreation into an active gathering place.

Skaters for Moore continues its work through instruction, equipment assistance, youth programs, scholarships, events, and advocacy for future improvements. The Elaine T. Baillie Skatepark stands as the result of sustained cooperation among skateboarders, families, volunteers, donors, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and the Town of Southern Pines.

Know before you go

Elaine T. Baillie Skatepark is located at Memorial Park, 175 Memorial Park Court in Southern Pines. The Town requires helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads. Participants should follow the traffic flow, take turns, rest away from the skating surface, and remain within their abilities.

Bicycles and other pedal-powered equipment have designated hours. Because rules and schedules can change, visitors should consult the Town of Southern Pines' official skatepark page before traveling. N2Flow Skateboards is nearby at 972 S Bennett Street, Suite B, for safety gear, replacement parts, setup assistance, and local information.