Heads up, San Francisco: The SFSA is having a big benefit event tonight at 111 Minna Art Gallery to raise money for its Waller Street Skatepark project. Your $10 goes toward the $10,000 they're trying to raise to make it a good one, so bring a thousand of your friends with you. Click through to SFSkateboarding.org to make a straight up donation if you can't make it out to the event.

Yep, it's that time of year again: Get on over to ThrasherMagazine.com to check out their new SOTY package, then fire off an email to SOTY@ThrasherMagazine.com with your pick in the subject line.

I could come up with a gang of picks this year, but I think this one's probably going to Chris Cole again (he also won in 2005). That would make him just the second skater to win it twice, behind Danny Way, but damn if Cole didn't win just about every pro contest anybody bothered to put together in 2009, and put down some sick video footage besides. Thoughts?

As we've previously reported, it looks like the legendary skate spot Brooklyn Banks is at least temporarily out of luck while the NYC Department of Transportation undergoes a 4-year bridge renovation project. Vice is up today with a new interview with 5boro's Steve Rodriguez, who comes right out and says what most skaters have been fearing: "I am pretty much sure when I say they will be completely destroyed."

Rodriguez saved the spot once before, and he's hoping to working with the city to see what, if anything, can be done about protecting them during the construction process, or, at least, working to see that they get rebuilt.

Doesn't sound very promising, but with Rodriguez on the job anything might be possible. I'll keep everyone posted if there's anything you can help to do about it.

Rodriguez, via Viceland.com:

"...we first need to hear what they have to say and then take it from there. They listened the first time I just hope they listen this time. The city [Parks and DOT] is trying they just aren t moving at the pace of everything else. I know for a fact working with both entities that they have so much red tape to deal with in doing anything. Yes, it s frustrating, but there are some people who work in both of these departments that do get it. I feel at this time they are still outnumbered by those who don t."

Click through for full interview and better context on the whole situation.

Tony Hawk was on NPR's "Not My Job" show this week, answering some ridiculous "Hey! You could put an eye out!" questions about safety measures not at all related to skateboarding. He also takes on the stock "I've been dying to ask this question: How many broken bones have you had in your lifetime?" question from one of the show's hosts, talks about his legacy of Madonnas and Sean Penns, and mentions the trumpedup pundit outrage after he skateboarded in the White House.

"What did they expect you to do, walk?"

Tony Hawk on NPR? Dude's everywhere. As long as it ultimately helps get more killer concrete skateparks put up all over the damned place, I'm cool with it.

Have a listen:

Skateboard art is getting big props for its role in California culture this weekend: The California Heritage Museum in Santa Monica opens its new Skateboard Evolution & Art exhibit on Saturday.

Here's the full press release via California Heritage Museum:

The California Heritage Museum is proud to present SKATEBOARD: Evolution and Art in California. The show opens to the general public on Saturday, November 14, 2009 and continues through Sunday, May 30, 2010.

Guest curated by legendary Z-boy Nathan Pratt in conjunction with museum staff curator Michael Trotter and advisory committee members Jeff Ho, Skip Engblom (Zephyr co-founders), Cris Dawson (1966 Hobie Champ), Z-Boys Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta, and 1980 s world champion Christian Hosoi, the exhibition traces the evolution of boards from pre-1950 to the present showcasing the riders, designers, artists, and manufacturers that created the California phenomenon known as the skateboard. From the first planks of wood with metal roller skate wheels nailed to the bottom to the modern polyurethane wheels and kicktails, the boards have rocketed the skaters to greater heights of performance and style while taking sidewalk surfing from a homegrown activity to a worldwide cultural phenomenon.

More than 275 rare boards from the world s finest collections including Jason Cohn, Dale Smith/Skate Designs Inc., Todd Huber/Skatelab Skatepark, Ray Flores, James Lang/South Bay Skates.

Additional lenders included are Kevin Anderson/Model Worm, Art Brewer, Terry Campion, Cris Dawson, Deluxe Distribution, Earl, Skip Engblom, Craig Fineman, Wayne and Donna Gunter/Surfing Cowboys, Mike Horelick/Tunnel Skateboards, Chuck Katx, Mike Kolar, Gordon McClelland, Jim McDowell/RIPWynn City Skates, Marc McKee, Aaron Murray, James O Mahoney/Santa Barbara Surfing Museum, Nathan Pratt, Mark Richards/Val Surf, Ronnie/Animal House, Steve Salyer/Pastures of Heaven, Gabriel Steptoe, Joel Tudor, Wentzle Ruml IV, Cary B. Weiss, Z-BOY Archive, and Z-CULT Skates. Photographs and art by C.R. Stecyk III, Glen E. Friedman, Craig Fineman, Wynn Miller, Kevin Ancell, Wes Humpston and more document the movement and its personalities.

This is the first exhibition of the California skate movement to be shown in Dog Town , the Santa Monica/Ocean Park area where modern skateboarding was born and the skate became an art form. The California Heritage Museum is located in the vortex at Main Street and Ocean Park Boulevard.

A full series of events, including film screenings of Dogtown and Z-Boys, Skater Dater and Rising Son: The Christian Hosoi Story, will take place at the museum and the downtown Santa Monica Library. Talks, photo exhibits, special guest appearances and autograph sessions will take place throughout the exhibit run into 2010.

Opening November 14, 2009