Skate club with Dulcit, The Corduroys rock Toquet Hall for a good cause

Samantha Sandrew '25, Associate Web Manager • November 20, 2023

Duplicit rocks Toquet Hall in collaboration with Staples skate club to fundraise money to renovate the skate park. The skate club held this fundraiser from 6-9 p.m. where they also sold baked goods from Granola Bar.

Deep in the town, hidden away in an alley, bright light flares through the window into the depths of the night sky. You walk in, and pause as you are hit with the sound of loud drums and blaring bass. Brightly colored skateboards litter the table like candy in a shop. It is here music and skateboarding come together as one.

Skate club joined with bands Dulcit and The Corduroys, to host a skate jam at Toquet Hall on Nov 8, in their ongoing mission to renovate the skatepark and buy new equipment.

“Skateboard culture has a lot of music involved,” president of the skate club and member of Dulcit, Freddie Aldridge ’24 said. “So we really wanted to do something that would combine those two things.”

The club sold tickets for 4$ each, which grants automatic entry into the raffle. The prizes for the raffle was one out of various different colored skateboards. The skate club used the raffle to promote all aspects of their club.

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“Skateboard culture has a lot of music involved. So we really wanted to do something that would combine those two things.”

— president of the skate club and member of Dulcit, Freddie Aldridge ’24

“We are holding the raffle to encourage people to come [to] this event,” skate club vice president Kelpin Gomez ’25 said, “But, more importantly, to [also] promote skating as a whole.”

The shows lasted from 6-9 p.m. The Corduroys, a girl rock band based across Fairfield County, played first, then Dulcit, another rock band mostly from Westport, second. The club held a similar event at the beach in June last year. Using the money from that show, the club was able to repaint some of the skatepark. However, they still need more money to achieve their full renovation. In their last show, Dulcit and the Corduroys played with the skate club for the first time. The members of the band and the club seem to enjoy the collaboration.

“I like playing for the skate club,” Dulcit member Grant Hill ’25, said. “It is cool, [and] we can interact with the community.

Another focus of the event was to further develop the Skate club’s presence in the community. Many members think this will help with raising money.

“I am hoping that we can gain some more recognition for what we do,” Skate club member Ally Russell-Alga ’24 said. “And that we can gain some more money to work towards our goals of renovating the skatepark so future people can enjoy it.”

Fans enjoyed the concert and admired the music while also supporting the skate club.

“I am always open to having music events centered around teenagers in Connecticut because there are not a lot,” Wren Slavin ’25 said. “I’m also a musician so it’s nice to hear some bands play.”