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September 27, 2012

Home is where the adventure is: Minnesota

First off, you probably didn't think of Minnesota as an adventurous place (Or maybe you don't know where Minnesota is? If that's the case, Google is your friend). Boy are you wrong. Hang with me, I'll prove it.

Original Among the Wild Video Teaser from AdventureMNFilms on Vimeo.

Second of all, I understand we talk about the creation of meaningful connections quite frequently (but, honestly does discussion around meaningful connections ever get old?!), however we just had to share this oh-so-cool connection that was made recently, and how excited we are about it. Before I get too excited and dive into the the story, I want to talk a bit about the notion of 'home' for Ethnotek, and what that means. Trust me, I'm going somewhere with this.

'Home' is a relative term for Ethnotek, as our team doesn't only juggle bags, but also juggles time zones - with half of the core team residing in Minnesota, and the other half of the core team residing in Vietnam for six months of the year. And though Founder and Head Designer Jake's time in Vietnam is invaluable - as he works alongside our production crew, brain-jamming on potential new designs and absorbing design inspiration from his travels - Minnesota is where we grew up. It's where our roots are. We are proud Minnesotans and adore all that it has to offer: the lakes, the summer heat and even the winter freeze (ski hills are man-made here. represent!). So, you could only imagine our excitement when we learned about Adventure MN Films and their Among the Wild initiative. Naturally, we got super-jazzed about their Kickstarter campaign too.

Original Among the Wild Video Teaser from AdventureMNFilms on Vimeo.

Among the Wild Video Teaser from AdventureMNFilms on Vimeo.

Here's where the 'meaningful connection' part comes into play. Brenda Piekarski, a fellow Minnesotan climber/outdoorswoman was introduced to us by a dear friend and member of the Tribe, Jes Rosenberg (Co-Founder of Gorilla Yogis and Mastermind behind The Adventures of Super Stretch). We talked to Brenda and knew we just had to get involved in some way. Their project's mission really resonated with us:

__________

Among the Wild is a short film series that will profile four local athletes in fierce pursuit of outdoor adventure sports in Minnesota. The documentary will feature our finest athletes to show the world what Minnesota has to offer. We will be submitting our short 15-20 minute films to film festivals around the world.

Minnesota is a stunning yet hidden gem and Adventure Minnesota Films is ready to unveil, for the rest of the world, everything our great state has to offer. To boost Minnesota’s reputation. To reveal the best landscapes and the finest, most compelling athletes.

__________

We saw this and thought, 'HECK YES - Minnesota is pretty sweet and everyone should know that!'

You see, the Ethnotek crew are a fairly well-traveled bunch, and we've heard countless times from foreign travelers and American travelers alike, that Minnesota is not even on their travel to-do radar. 'But Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 lakes!' I'd say...or, 'You wouldn't believe it - there are three beautiful lakes within city limits...walking distance from my flat. And there are so many green spaces.' Yet without fail, the -40 degree temps and massive snow mounds seemed to scare everyone away. Huh. Weird. (we don't get it) In any case, we believe Minnesota is pretty freaking great and has so much to offer, including adventure, so we jived with Brenda and the Among the Wild mission and vision straight away.

We'll be hanging with Brenda and the nominees at this weekend's Among the Wild fundraiser with lots of swag. FREE SWAG too...we'll be getting our Swag for Stories on. If you're a local Minneapolitan or Saint Paulite, come share your story; we'd love to hear it. Or, just come and learn more about cool, local projects in good company. The weather is meant to be gorgeous.

Here are the details:

Saturday, September 29, 2012 | Minnehaha Park, Bandstand, Minneapolis | 3:00-7:00 PM
At 5:00 PM the winners for the Among the Wild film project will be announced
Tickets at the gate: $25
Kids 12 and under: Free

Let's get wild,

Tribe Scribe and...

Home is where the adventure is: Minnesota

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