SurfSpot
A duo of surfing enthusiasts are looking to make waves in Fort Worth, but they need the public's help to make it happen.
Brian Severance, owner of Lakeside Paddle along Lake Worth, is developing a surf park with Walter Bennett, the founder of artificial wave company Swellspot. They're looking to create an outdoor beach experience on a 10-acre site just north of Texas State Highway 114 and west of Interstate 35. Dubbed "SurfSpot," the park will feature volleyball, sand soccer, food vendors (like local seafood joint Coco Shrimp), and the main attraction — a surf system where Fort Worthians can hang ten.
"If you don't have access [to the beach], you have to drive five hours to Galveston ... we just want to create a nice, relaxed vibe. [Visitors] can come and surf; have a nice, relaxed day at the beach; get their Coco Shrimp; and just enjoy that beach lifestyle," Severance says.
SurfSpot will have activities for both beginner and advanced surfers, with prices ranging from $35 – $45 per hour, Severance says.
He says SurfSpot has a letter of intent to purchase the site in North Fort Worth where the park is to be located. But in order to move forward, the park needs about $1.08 million and has launched an Indiegogo campaign, asking the public to help raise the amount within 60 days. Depending on the amount donated, contributors can earn prize packages that include softboards, surf passes, or a ticket to the grand opening party.
"This campaign is all or nothing, so we either make the full fundraising goal — if we don't, everyone just gets their money back," Severance says. "If we do make the whole goal, people are going to get the most rad place to be in Fort Worth."
If funding is raised, Severance says construction should begin in February or March, with an opening planned for the end of June.
More information is available at SurfSpot's website.
