WOW things really kicked up a notch this time in lovely Des Moines!
Where to begin the thank you list…..lets start with our special
guests who PAID their own ways to come to Des Moines for a party?
That sounds so ridiculous when you say it out loud. Big Ern Torres who
still hasn’t taken a shot at the champ, thank you. Brian Allan
Young..errrrr, Chuck Norris, thank you. Bobby “Satan” Altamirano,
thank you. Tom “pajama outfit who’s way too talented to be working in
skateboarding”, thank you. Bob’s imaginary friend Mike who came all
the way from L.A. to get knocked around on the dance floor like a
bowling pin, thank you. Matt “if you catch me smiling I’ll give you
$100” Ball, thank you. Leo “I’m too cool to dance except within the
city limits of Des Moines” Romero, thank you.
So much for the “celebrities”. It really means a lot to us when
couples show up 45 minutes early to our party that’s 2 hrs from their
home in Harlan, Iowa, thank you. To the kids from Marshall town that
rolled down to DSM deep and showed our brown celebrities mad love,
thank you. To the newly relocated couple from Brooklyn that found us
through ICHI Bike, thank you. And to every other out of towner that
made the trip just to have a great fucking time, sincerely, thank you.
Now for the locals. I don’t really know what quite to think anymore.
I used to always joke and say Scotty was the coolest person in Des
Moines by a long shot (mind you he was 13 when I made such claims) and
it would piss people off for some reason and I never really understood
why. Well now I do. The pre-party at the shop was so damn epic!
Looking around at all the smiling faces….. some pregnant, some
holding babies, some with braces, some with double plugs in their
noses, some collecting way too many damn nikes(KEN), most faces
familiar, but definitely some new ones, I was in awe of how tight AND
big that scene has become. I realized I was selling you guys short on
the coolness of all of your personalities! WE’RE PROUD TO BE A PART
OF YOUR SCENE! WE’RE MERELY PEDESTRIAN VISTORS AT BEST! thank you.
Of course a big thumbs up to Hill Vintage for throwing some free stuff our way for the instagram contest, as well as Boulevard Brewery for wetting our whistle.
The triple A disco dancers, Amanda, Anna, and Aubrey without you three
the dance groove would never get magical! THANK YOU.
And lastly and certainly not least, the Kevin Jones Family. Opening
their arms and home for a pack of derelicts that get catered to,
housed, and baked fresh ass cookies for, thank you. Kristy, Noah,
Lukey and now your unwanted adopted son, prospect, thank you. None of
these awesome times would be happening without Kevin. We WOULD NOT be
involved in the Des Moines skate scene in any capacity if it was not
for the one and only KEVIN JONES. Without this loveable s.o.b. the Des Moines
skate scene would be left to mall shops and half wits? You guys have no idea how much crap
Kever puts up with us at times! It seems like working the shop is all
fun and games, but he’ll tell you that dealing with anal, cheap,
visciously fast paced working maniacs that don’t sleep come to town can be a “bit” much. Thank you Kevin for putting up with us
without you none of this happens, thank you again.
I was talking to my jaded old buddy who is the king of cool Steven
Flemming Olson and he asked me what I loved so much about Des Moines?
And I stole a quote from one of my favorite movies:
“to begin with………EVERYTHING.”
We love you Des Moines, thank you.
——DAN
“We should make Des Moines the Sundance of skateboarding.” – Bob
All party photos: Grant Puckett
All after party photobooth photos: who knows
