Custer County Recreation CC-Rec Miles City Skatepark Project

09/05/2026

🤘🏻

08/29/2026

We had the pleasure of meeting with Jeff Ament, founder of Montana Pool Service, Big Sandy-raised Montanan, and bassist for Pearl Jam, this morning before he left for Lame Deer’s skatepark grand opening. We spent time showing him our proposed site, having breakfast at the Historic Olive Hotel, and talking about what’s next as we work toward groundbreaking for next June. Jeff and MPS were some of our earliest supporters, and their $100,000 matching commitment has been a huge part of getting us to this point.

After a busy summer, we’re stoked to lock in for the final push of making this the best skatepark on this side of Montana. Donations are still being accepted, and we’re so incredibly grateful to everyone who continues to help us get there. Stay tuned!

08/27/2026

The latest SE Montana skatepark from Evergreen! Ours is coming on board NEXT YEAR!!!

07/24/2026

Since sharing the heartbreaking news of David Kepford’s passing, many of you have asked how we plan to memorialize him at the skatepark.

Before anything else, we want to encourage our community to support Dave’s family during this incredibly difficult time. If you are able, we ask that you consider contributing first to the immediate expenses they are facing. Donations may be made directly at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home to assist with Dave’s cremation and funeral costs or at Miles City Veterinary Service to help cover the veterinary care for Dave’s beloved dogs, Piper and Steve (RIP, Tater). We know caring for his loved ones would have been Dave’s priority.

To honor the impact Dave had on our community and on the skatepark project, CC-Rec has established the Dave Kepford Memorial Fund. This fund will remain separate from our general skatepark fundraising efforts and will be used to create a tribute to Dave within the skatepark when construction begins in 2027. Whether that becomes a memorial bench or a dedicated skate feature will depend on the support the fund receives, but we are committed to ensuring his passion and dedication become a permanent part of the park he helped build.

For those who wish to contribute to the memorial fund after supporting Dave’s family, donations may be made at any Valley Credit Union branch by asking to deposit a donation in memory of Dave to Custer County Recreation’s account. If you are unable to donate in person, you may mail a check payable to Custer County Recreation with the memo line “In Memory of Dave Kepford” to: P.O. Box 27, Miles City, MT 59301.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out with your kindness, prayers, and support for Dave’s family and our community. We know he would be stoked to see this skatepark become one of the best in Montana 🤘🏻

Following the passing of a local skatepark advocate, a memorial fund has been created to honor his memory and contributions to Miles City. CC Rec, a local non-profit that has

07/22/2026

At the Eastern Montana Fairgrounds August 1st.

07/21/2026

David - you were at the heart and creativity of so many fundraising ideas and efforts. Thank you! This community is a better place because you were part of it!

07/20/2026

We are shocked and devastated to hear about the tragic loss of our committee member and friend, David Kepford. Many also knew him as the owner of Dirty D'S T-Shirt Factory.
Dave has been instrumental in getting the money raised for this skatepark. He was a total spitfire, full of creative ideas, and a deeply passionate person about whatever he put his mind to. We are crushed that he won’t be here to see the skatepark built and won’t be here to continue to spread his passion for skating to the youth in eastern Montana. We are sending our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

With love,
the Custer County Recreation fam

07/17/2026

This is the kind of information that’s valuable to share with community members if you’re trying to get support for a skate park in your town.

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We’ve all had that experience of feeling a bit “off” after skating consistently then being forced to take a break. Much of that feeling is probably due to the mental health benefits of exercise in the form of skating, which have now been taken away.

When it comes to depression specifically, there was a robust meta-analysis this year showing no difference in effectiveness of exercise on depression compared to antidepressant medications.

This certainly does not mean that there is no use for antidepressants or that there aren’t people that benefit from them to some degree, even with an exercise routine. But we also can’t overlook how significant the impact of simply moving our bodies regularly can have on our mental health and overall well being.

Study:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41500513/

04/26/2026

Local support for this skatepark has been nothing short of outstanding ❤️

Thank you Oftedal Construction, Inc. for your generous donation.

Stay tuned for a fundraising update!