Punk rock and skateboarding always went hand in hand. In the mid-’80s, the Stepe brothers and their central Illinois skate crew made Fulton Plaza in downtown Peoria their central hangout, rechristening it the “Bum Box.”

The Stepes also had a half pipe in their backyard in East Peoria, which their parents gifted them as atonement for their move from Chicago.

Photos © Barry Stepe and Michael O’Russa