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April 29, 2009 (San Francisco North Bay, CA) — Celebrating 31 years of “Harmony From the Roots Up”—and continuing its focus on progressive ideals, community activism, and uplifting music—the producers of the Harmony Festival (www.harmonyfestival.com) are pleased to announce new partnerships with action sports and music promoters Rude Boyz Present (www.RBPresent.com) and MegaRamp Productions (www.MegaRamp.com).

The three companies are collaborating on a world-class professional skate expo and competition dubbed the Eco Cup, featuring many of the biggest names in professional skating competing on the mini-MegaRamp, 175-feet long with a mind-blowing 30-foot drop (the equivalent of a three-story building) across a 25-feet gap, ending in a massive 18-foot quarter pipe. The event includes a full contest with the first-ever mini-Mega Ramp contest in America (over the gap and 20-feet airborne) with $40,000 in prize winnings.

The world’s top MegaRamp riders will be battling for the Eco Cup including Thrasher magazine skaters of the year and X-Games Gold medalist Bob Burnquist and Danny Way, as well as multiple medal winners PLG, Jake Brown, Andy MacDonald and Buster Halterman.

Also expected are Adam Taylor, Lincoln Ueda, Rob Loriface and Omar Hassan. Some of the world’s top skate legends including Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi will be present for demos, judging, and Meet and Greets. The Eco Cup trophy will be created out of recycled and repurposed mixed media, and the steel and plywood-constructed Eco Cup skate zone will be reused, making this a truly eco-friendly attraction.

In addition to the mini-MegaRamp, the family-friendly Eco Cup skate zone will feature the public-access Consciousness in Motion Youth Zone, plus action sports and eco-conscious vendors and exhibitors, all surrounded by majestic redwoods and blue skies—right off the 101 freeway but feels a world away.

Adding to the excitement of the skating is the live music stage featuring action sports-friendly headline bands including performances by the legendary punk/reggae/activist bands Dead Kennedys and Bad Brains plus fast-rising new bands Pepper and Rebelution. Also performing over the weekend are Hightower, Tall Black Girls, Zepparella, Egypt Central, local bands The Whiskey Thieves and American Drag, and MC Radioactive.

Wondering how skateboarding and youth-oriented action sports fit into the overall Harmony vibe? Programming Director Sean Ahearn explains, “The common connection is a shared enthusiasm and respect for the environ- ment, great music, and social activism. Producing the Eco Cup skate zone is our way to reach out to youth and action sports fans and show them that there is indeed a common path to a conscious alternative that is hip, cool, and based on mutual respect, which is what Harmony is all about.”

Shanti Davidson and Michellee Senn of Rude Boyz Present agree, “Skaters have a very organic awareness of their place in the natural environment. They repurpose and utilize traditional spaces like abandoned ditches and freeways for their personal expression. Skaters generally are not overly materialistic or part of the consumer culture; they use recycled blocks, wood and other found materials as props for jumps. Their skateboards get passed down, reused, recycled. But what’s cool is that they don’t know how eco-aware they really are, they don’t typically evaluate their lives like that.”

Darryl Franklin from MegaRamp Productions adds, "Danny Way and Bob Burnquist, the founders of MegaRamp, are also founding and board members of the Action Sports Environmental Coalition (ASEC), a team of action sports athletes and industry professionals all dedicated to raising conscious and environmental awareness among young people. Bob is also well known as an organic farmer. The Harmony Festival is the perfect place to debut the first mini-MegaRamp contest in America."

Harmony Festival CEO Howard Sapper and Founder Debra Giusti chime in, “The Eco Cup is our opportunity to break down the stereotypes of traditional Harmony folks and the new generation, represented by skaters who will lead the alternative lifestyle into the future. We see the Harmony and skater communities as two conscious and spirited groups of like-minded people. And in their own distinct ways, both groups clear their minds before ‘dropping in’.”

To picture the awesomeness of this new attraction, Brian Archer or Railer Entertainment says, “You’ve gotta have a lot of guts to drop in on a 30-foot drop at 30-35 MPH, let alone hit a steel rail at that speed. The rail challenge will attract tons of talented Street riders who will finally be able to witness world-class talent in a festival environment.”

To put the skater movement in context, the Sporting Goods Retailers Association reports that there are approximately ten million skaters in the Americas alone—more kids skateboarding than playing basketball—which is just a small segment of the billion dollar action sports culture including BMX, snowboarding and surfing. Yahoo reports that kids under age 17 use keywords search “Earth Day” more than any other group. The producers expect the Eco Cup skate zone to attract an enthusiastic, primarily younger audience and is committed to keeping the “Harmony vibe” alive while adding a stronger presence of highly trained security and medical professionals.

The mini-MegaRamp and rail is reserved for the guest skaters, but Festival attendees of all ages are invited to bring their boards and “drop in” at the “Consciousness in Motion” skate zone next to the Ramp as participants, competitors, or spectators. The Rude Boyz Present Eco-Cup skate zone is being sponsored by Comcast and Verizon, and will be open daily Noon to 8:30pm June 12, 13, and 14.

Entrance to the skate zone is included with paid admission to Harmony Festival. $30 pre-sale and general Harmony tickets are available online now ($40 at the gate) and at participating Whole Foods stores and dozens of other retail outlets (see web site for locations). This year, kids age 7-12 are $10 and kids 6 and under are FREE!

The 2009 Harmony Festival features musical performances from India.Arie, Matisyahu, CAKE, Michael Franti & Spearhead, K’Naan, Kitaro, ALO, Steve Kimock Crazy Engine with Melvin Seals, Dead Kennedys, The Orb, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, Bad Brains, Balkan Beat Box and many more. This year’s exciting speakers include Rev. Michael Beckwith, Caroline Casey, Joanna Macy, Julia Butterfly Hill, Starhawk, Daniel Pinchbeck, Richard Heinberg, and many others. Tickets and detailed Festival information is available at www.HarmonyFestival.com.