19 May Press Release: Big Stone Gap Celebrates Grand Opening of the Tyler Flanary Bike & Skate Park
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Ryan Vaughan
Marketing Manager
Friends of Southwest Virginia
rvaughan@myswva.org
Big Stone Gap Celebrates Grand Opening of the
Tyler Flanary Bike & Skate Park
Regional partners and community members celebrate the opening of a world-class facility designed to bring people together through outdoor recreation.
BIG STONE GAP, VA (Tuesday, May 19, 2026) – The Town of Big Stone Gap and Friends of Southwest Virginia celebrated the ribbon cutting of the Tyler Flanary Bike & Skate Park at Bullitt Park last weekend in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. The opening marks the completion of a years-long effort to bring world-class outdoor recreation infrastructure to Southwest Virginia and to honor the memory of Tyler Flanary, whose community-led memorial fund helped make the project possible.
The park was made possible through the combined investment of the Town of Big Stone Gap, Friends of Southwest Virginia, the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation, the Cumberland Forest Fund, and the Rapha Foundation.
“The Town of Big Stone Gap has worked hard to make this park a reality, and today we celebrate what our community has built together,” said Stephen Lawson, Town Manager of Big Stone Gap. “The Tyler Flanary Bike & Skate Park is more than a recreational facility, it is a gathering place, a tribute, and a statement about the kind of community we are and the future we are building. We are proud to offer this space to our residents and to welcome visitors from across the region and beyond.”
The park features a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)-rated asphalt pumptrack designed for competition-level biking, along with a competition-grade concrete skatepark with steel coping rails.
Following Tyler’s passing, family, friends, and community members established a memorial fund that raised nearly $100,000, a grassroots effort that became the foundation for the broader partnership that ultimately brought the park to life.
“We are so honored to see this vision come to life,” said Kim Davis, Executive Director of Friends of Southwest Virginia. “From the beginning, this project has been about honoring Tyler’s life and the incredible impact he had on this community. It’s also about creating something lasting for Big Stone Gap, a place where families, kids, riders, and visitors can come together for generations to come. The momentum happening in Big Stone Gap right now is incredible, and this park is a powerful example of what can happen when a community believes in itself and people come together to make something meaningful happen.”
The Tyler Flanary Bike & Skate Park is located in Bullitt Park in the heart of Big Stone Gap and is now open to the public, serving as both a community gathering space and a regional outdoor recreation destination. The park adds to Southwest Virginia’s growing portfolio of world-class trails, parks, and adventure assets.
For more information, visit FriendsofSWVA.org.