A_Dog Day celebrates the legacy of Burlington luminary Andy "A_Dog" Williams
For the past 10 years, the last Saturday of August in Burlington has been filled with a 14-hour festivity known as A_Dog Day.
The day is a celebration of the legacy of the late Andy "A_Dog" Williams, a DJ, skateboarder, and artist who helped found the waterfront skatepark, which is named in honor of him. The day features all of the activities that Williams was most passionate about: skating, music and art.
"It's a day of celebration of Andy's life and legacy, and the impact he made on his community, which he loved very much," said Justin Remillard of Friends For A_Dog, a nonprofit that organizes A_Dog Day and other programs in honor of Williams.
The 10th A_Dog Day kicked off on Aug. 26 around noon with a "hill bomb," in which dozens of skateboarders participate in what was one of Williams' favorite pastimes: zooming down the long hill from the University of Vermont to the waterfront.
At the skatepark, professional and amateaur skaters of all ages rolled around, leaped over staircases, and slid on rails. DJ's spun records, emcees rhymed, and live bands performed. Painters painted portraits of A_Dog, food trucks served up tacos and Somali food, and the Friends For A_Dog raised funds for its programming.
"It's kind of like a reunion of sorts," said Jozie Furchgott Sourdiff who was William's partner and is now an organizer with Friends For A_Dog. "Everybody comes together on this one day a year, and is here to celebrate Andy."
The foundation carrying on A_Dog's legacy
In addition to organizing A_Dog Day, the Friends For A_Dog hosts a number of programs, aimed primarily for underserved youth, to carry on the legacy of Williams.
The nonprofit offers instruction in musical performance, beat production, lyric writing, turntable operation, skateboarding, visual art, and hip hop dance — all activities that Williams loved.
"If he's not physically here, then we need to continue to spread the joy and positivity that he did for so many when he was here," said Trina Zide of Friends For A_Dog. "And so really, that's what the Friends For A_Dog foundation is all about."
Friends For A_Dog offers an annual scholarship to a graduating senior at Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans, from which Williams graduated in 1993.
Additionally, the foundation promotes blood stem cell and bone marrow donations to help those with leukemia, from which Williams passed away in 2013 at the age of 38.
"Instead of doing a funeral, we decided we wanted to do a celebration of life for him," Sourdiff said. This was the origin of A_Dog Day.
Who was A_Dog?
Williams was born in New Jersey and moved to St. Albans with his mother when he was in elementary school. He grew up on wheels — first with BMX bikes, and then skateboarding, which became one of his many lifelong passions. Just as central to Williams' life was music. From a young age, he learned how to play electric bass, make mixtapes, and DJ.
"He always excelled at everything he did. He was an all-around talent," said Remillard, who was friends with Williams since the third grade.
In the mid-90's, Williams moved to Burlington where he worked at skate and sneaker shops by day and held DJ residencies at Red Square, Nectar's, and other clubs at night.
"He was somebody that, you would walk down the street on Church Street, and it would take you an extra 30, 40 minutes to get anywhere," Sourdiff said. "People would always want to stop and chat with him."
Williams became the go-to DJ for Burton, bringing him to events across the U.S., gaining a national following.
"Whether on a community level or on a personal level, the way he showed up was just so genuine. Anyone that knew him just strived to be like him," Sourdiff said. "I strive to be more like him."
Contact April Fisher at amfisher@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AMFisherMedia
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington celebrates 10th A_Dog Day with skateboarding, music, art
