Can’t stop! Won’t stop! We are keeping it warm here in Cleveland.

Let’s be honest, part of playing well is looking good. So we started the day off with Takeshi as he visited his stylist and got his long flowing hair done up right. Heidi Grubuagh has the skills for real. This was exactly what we needed to put the fire in the demo this evening and it happened better than we could have planned.

PlayMatters is a great store in a great spot. It seems everyone who walked through the door was so surprised to see Duncan Crew throwing down and so into it as soon as they knew what was going on. Even passersby were drawn in. It just goes to show that you can end up putting on a great show with some great players placed in a great location.

As seems to be the momentum as of late, the demo had a great mix of people in attendance. All ages, some quick learners and some special guests. Mike Burke got out there with us and brought his family out to support. It was so nice seeing him out of the office and contest environment. A real family man with an obvious love for Duncan yo-yos.

Speaking of family, the Dewolf family came out and blew the doors off the place with the steep learning curve. Young Ryan came in knowing primarily how to get the yo-yo back to his hand. He left throwing around the worlds and working on FH aerials. Ryan’s dad, Dave, came out not playing at all and left looping and doing brain twister. It was so very inspiring seeing a father and son bond over learning to play yo-yo. The social aspects of play are so often overlooked but, are very powerful.

Today was another super hit of a day. Takeshi and I met up with Hank and Drew early in the day to do some screen printing for the tour. For me, it was a great learning experience. I knew so little about the art of screen printing and I can now proudly say, I know a little. Hank has quite a few years experience at it so, it was cool to see him display high level skill in something other than skill toys.

After a quick stop by the Duncan office to stock the van with product, we were on our way to do a demo at the Big Fun store in Lakewood(Cleveland, Ohio). This demo was one of the coolest demos I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of, from the very first minute on site. We walked in the door and there were already people in the store showing an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm for life in general and of course, that enthusiasm spilled over into love for Duncan yo-yos. The best part is that the enthusiasm sustained for our entire time there.

We had quite a few great people come out and get excited about what we had going on. Phil from Papa Nick’s Pizza dropped in and was immediately so impressed that he decided that he would go back down to his shop and whip up pizzas especially for us. The pizzas were delicious and a little later in the demo Papa Nick stopped by and checked out some spintop and yo-yo throwing. He told us a little about Duncan demonstrators that visited him as a child before World War II and that definitely put some perspective on the Heritage Tour.

The rest of the demo was more and more rad happenings. We had every age group represented. Spin Tops were a massive hit. And,it just felt good to be there. You really can’t always put a finger on what makes these things so very good. You just know it when you feel it and being a part of it is everything that playing yo-yo can be.

We wrapped up the demo when the store had to close and we met up with more of our friends at a restaurant called Bo Loong and had a fine meal. It’s so nice to look back on memories mere minutes after they go down. A little later, Brandon met up with us and made our already classy van that much classier. He put a logo on the back window for the tour and it’s serious fancy.