Zumiez Couch Tour Takes Over Montgomery Mall

The Montgomery Mall parking lot was turned into a makeshift skate park on Friday afternoon, as the 2011 Zomiez Couch Tour made its way to North Wales.

The event featured live music by Valencia and I See Stars, as well as multiple skating demonstrations by Team Supra.  Vendors surrounded the area, offering everything from water and body paint to Skullcandy headphones and even a chance to customize your clothing, courtesy of New Era's "Fly Your Own Flag" campaign.

Self-described "skater mom" Cheryl Friel, of Boyertown, brought her 13-year-old son James down for an afternoon of fun and excitement.

"He loves to skate.  It's all he does," said Friel, as she sat in the shade to try and beat the heat.  "I'm really impressed with everything.  It's well run, and the people are nice.  It's awesome!"

While fans were catching a look at Team Supra, the lot directly outside the event became a rallying point for hundreds of amateur skateboarders looking to grind on and kick-flip over any available surface.

A group of skaters, which included Terrence Powers of Northeast Philadelphia, spent more than an hour trying to successfully jump and land the grass divider between the parking lot and the street leading to North Wales Road.

Much to his delight, Powers was the first to land the trick.

"It feels amazing!  I know we've all be trying for the last hour and a half and I just got it.  It's so awesome," said Powers, who at only 18 years old, has nine years of skating experience.  "I came out to see the skate team.  I really like Team Supra because they're a very unique team, so I figured I'd grab a few of my friends and come out to support them."

As the pro demonstration wrapped up, scores of fans got in line for autographs, while seemingly every female attendee seemed to gather in front of the stage, eager to see Valencia.

Front-man Shane Henderson greeted the screaming crowd, introducing themselves and thanking everyone for coming out.  From that point on, it was a solid mix of old and new songs spanning six years and three albums.

Despite ominous looking cloud cover for most of the afternoon, Mother Nature showed mercy to the thousands of attendees, though a short downpour around 5 p.m. reminded everyone who was in charge.

By 6 p.m. the event was over, as crews began to breakdown the stage and skate-park as they prepare for another show in Livingston, New Jersey on Sunday. 

For more info on the Zomiez Couch Tour, click here.

Don't forget to check out our photo gallery of the Zomiez Couch Tour.  Did we catch you in our lens?