The Vans Midwest Tour is currently in full swing. The RV has been stocked with beer and bananas, the lights and generators were loaded into the 15-passengers vans and the dudes started making their way to the middle of America for a week full of ribs, ripping and raging. First stop: Des Moines, Iowa for a signing/demo at Heath Kirchart's shop, Subsect. Fresh off of King of the Road Gilbert Crockett, Daniel Lutheran and Tony Trujillo showed up battle-worn and ready for business. The rest of the crew was filled with heavy hitters: Dustin Dollin, Chima Ferguson, Johnny Layton and Taylor Smith. As we mentioned Curren Caples got banged up so we subbed him for flow bros Kyle Walker and Alec Majerus.





Subsect put Des Moines on the skate map and now you can't get it off. If you're going through that neck of the woods it's a must stop destination. They've created and cultivated a healthy and thriving skate scene that rivals any we've seen. To make sure people have something to skate through the harsh winters they built a pristine 24-foot mini ramp on the third floor above the shop and despite having some airplane legs the guys got their session on the first night in town.







The first signing was a huge success and kids came out from all points and hours away to meet the crew. One guy even brought a VHS copy of In Bloom for Tony to sign. The next kid in line was 11-years-old, he asked what the strange looking rectangular box was. We told him, "It doesn't matter. You'll never have to worry about rewinding anything in your lifetime and you're better off for it."







The demo was off the hook. Tons of die-hard skate fans showed up and hyped the guys up. Everyone killed the set up pulled out onto the super-smooth rollerskating rink floor. Flow bros Kyle Walker and Alec Majerus skated the demo like they were skating for their lives, not just a spot on the team. Alec literally put on a clinic on the rail.








Thanks for the good times, Des Moines! Going to Kansas City! Kansas CIty, here we come!