Once in awhile a city project pays off big time – and this Saturday’s exhibition at the Santa Clarita Skatepark is definitely a big payoff.

The world’s most recognized action sports figure, skater Tony Hawk, is kicking off his Birdhouse Left Coast Tour at our very own skatepark and the public is invited to come down and meet Hawk and his team.

The Birdhouse team will perform at a free skating exhibition from 4 to 6 p.m. Hawk will be available to autograph gear and many of the tour’s sponsors – including Tech Deck, Quiksilver, Nixon, YoYo Factory, truth and olloclip – will be set up in the grassy area next to the skatepark at the end of Reuther, with giveaways for local skaters as well as the opportunity to meet and greet the team and pick up some new gear.

Birdhouse skaters on the Left Coast Tour include Shaun Gregoire, Shawn Hale, Aaron Homaki, Kevin Staab, David Lay, Clive Dixon, Clint Walker and Willy Santos.

“It means a lot to the city for him to come here and shows that our facility is one of the top in the state,” said Santa Clarita city spokesperson, Evan Thomason. “We’re pretty proud of it. The City Council made a commitment to build a bigger, better facility and local skaters had input. Because of them, it’s one of the best in the state, if not the country.

Watch Birdhouse Left Coast Tour skaters in action here “If you look for a skater to represent the sport, he’s the one,” Thomason said of Hawk. “For him to choose Santa Clarita shows that we have world class facilities here and we’re proud to have him.”

The 40,000 square foot skate park opened in 2009 and is one of the city’s busiest recreational facilities.

“It’s consistently recognized,” Thomason said of the park. “Skaters like to travel from skate park to skate park, so we get skaters coming from all over the United States. Word of mouth travels quick. If we weren’t the real deal, Tony wouldn’t be coming here.”