Next weekend’s Sk8wars skateboarding competition will be a dramatic event. Not only will there be dramatic action at the Brentwood Skate Park, but MTV reality star Drama will also be making an appearance at the fundraiser to benefit Brentwood’s Police Activities League (PAL).

Drama, aka Chris Pfaff, is the cousin of skateboarding star Rob Dyrdek and is featured on Dyrdek’s show “Fantasy Factory,” where Drama serves as the voice of reason, often trying to keep his imaginative cousin out of trouble.

PAL president Jeff Altman said the celebrity appearance will be a big boost for the event on Saturday, Sept. 19.

“This is a big deal for Brentwood,” Altman said. “It’s not often that you get someone from Hollywood up here. It’s exciting to see a celebrity talking about your event on YouTube.”

Last week, Drama posted the video “Sk8warz” on the popular video-sharing Web site to let fans know about the competition. “It’s going to be a lot of fun and I’m going to be there – you should be there,” Drama said in the video, “and I’m guessing there’s going to be a lot of good skating and a lot of good times, so I’ll see you there.”

Drama’s special appearance was put together by local business owner Jeremy Jones of Custom One-offs. Jones approached the city about holding a skateboarding event in Brentwood, but when he found out that PAL already hosted a skateboarding competition, he decided to jump on board and help out with the existing event.

“I see kids skating in my neighborhood all the time, so I thought it’d make sense to have a skate event, but since PAL already had a skating competition, I decided to join forces with them since it’s for a good cause,” Jones said. “I want this year to the biggest ever, and I hope bringing Drama here will draw a big crowd. We can make our Brentwood feel like the Southern California Brentwood for a day – bring a piece of Hollywood to us.”

Jones also said that aside from the celebrity factor, Drama is a good role model for kids. The young entrepreneur recently launched his own clothing line Young & Reckless, which is now sold nationally at PacSun., and he owns the production company Causin’ Drama. He’s also a talented skater, and Jones said Drama might even show off some tricks during one of the competition’s intermissions.

“Drama will also be bringing some of his friends with him, so you’ll never know what to expect,” Jones said. “There will be surprises all day.”

Another surprise this year is the change in format. While the past three years have featured the game S-K-A-T-E, where competitors mimic each other’s tricks until one person unleashes an unbeatable skill, this year’s format will be similar to skate exhibition competitions seen at X Games.

Altman said past competitors didn’t like the old format, so PAL is trying something new this year. Contestants will have one minute to demonstrate their best skills, and the skater with the best score in each division takes home the top prize of $100.

There are competition brackets for ages 6 to 8, 9 to 10, 11 to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 18, and 19 and older. The top three skaters in each bracket will win prizes.

Registration forms are currently available at the Brentwood Police Department, Boards & More, Brentwood Fine Meats and Harvest Park Bowl. The first 100 contestants to sign up will get a reduced registration fee of only $10, as Foresters will be contributing $15 toward each entry fee to encourage more participation. After the first 100 spots are filled, registration is $25, so PAL Coordinator Officer Roger Wilson is urging competitors to register early.

“Last year, we only had 50 kids, so with this generous donation from Foresters, we’re hoping more kids will participate and take advantage of the reduced registration fee,” Wilson said. “This year we’d like to have at least 100 people participate.”

The PAL-sponsored skate competition is the nonprofit organization’s largest fundraiser of the year. As the City of Brentwood suspended funding due to budget cuts earlier this year, Brentwood PAL is completely self-funded.

But that hasn’t stopped the program from helping at-risk children. PAL has hosted golf, bowling and martial arts leagues this year, and with funds from Sk8wars, Wilson hopes to take a group of kids to a professional football or basketball game later this year and fulfill PAL’s mission to provide quality youth programs that develop discipline, positive self-image, mutual trust and respect.

For more information about how to register for Sk8wars, call Wilson at 925-809-7768. For those interested in sponsoring the event, call Altman at 925-207-8908.