Winter Tracks
Minnesota winters are the stuff of legend, and there is no better place to do winter than Cook County. Celebrate the best of the season with Winter Tracks, a 10-day family-friendly festival including the Lutsen Mountains Family Fun Fest, Ridge Riders Snowmobile Fun Run, Easter Seals Snowarama and Volks Ski 400 along with a Plein Air Painting Competition, snow sculptures, ice skating, luminary lit ski trails, guided snowshoe tours, dog sled or horse-drawn sleigh rides, live music and more.

Volks Ski
Cook County is home to the longest Nordic skiing system in North America and on February 12, as part of our Winter Tracks Festival, we’re gathering every Nordic ski & skate-ski enthusiast we can find. Together we’ll cover all 400 kilometers of the Volks Ski system – in one day. It’s never been done before! Help us ski into Volks Ski legend by signing up for a section of trail at www.volksski.com, where you also can check out detailed trail maps and track your own progress throughout the season.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lori Schaefer
612-341-4185 / 651-303-7458 (cell)
lori@marketingmatters-mn.com

GUNFLINT TRAIL, Minn. (Aug. 17, 2010) – Along with a farmer’s market, city beaches and a few innings of outdoor baseball, visitors to some of the Twin Cities’ most frequented summer sites might encounter a Boundary Waters’ canoeist from August 18 – 21 as he portages a red canoe and promotes a contest sponsored by the Gunflint Trail Association (GTA).

The promotion launches the association’s new tourism campaign with a tongue-in-cheek contest to ”Send Your Friend Packing,” complete with a fully outfitted, three-day, two-night guided trip for two to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), located within The Gunflint Trail region.

“We’re having fun with a play on words to raise awareness of our contest that gives Twin Citians the chance to ‘send a friend packing’ on a memorable trip into the pristine wilderness of the Boundary Waters,” said Mike Prom, owner of Voyageur Canoe Outfitters and member of the GTA. “The Gunflint Trail offers numerous entry points into the Boundary Waters, an area with wide appeal, not just to hardy outdoor enthusiast-types.”

Canvassing Uptown and appearing at Lake Calhoun, the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market, Lake Como, Como Park and Target Plaza during a Twins Game, the BWCA canoeist will be portaging across the Twin Cities from August 18-21 sporting Duluth Pack gear and spreading the word about GTA tourism. The Gunflint Trail and the BWCA are among the most visited wilderness areas in the United States, named by National Geographic as “one of 50 places to see before you die.”

To enter the contest, would-be senders visit www.gunflint-trail.com to tell the GTA in 200 words or less why their friend deserves to be “sent packing.” Individuals may enter as many friends as they like, but all entries must be received by August 30. The winner will be selected on September 6. For those wanting their own chance to explore the Gunflint Trail and BWCA, the association is also offering a “Get Yourself a Getaway” contest in which individuals can visit www.gunflint-trail.com to enter to win a three-day, two-night stay at a Gunflint Trail lodge. Entries must be submitted by August 30 and the winner will be selected on September 6.

About The Gunflint Trail
The 57 mile Gunflint Trail National Scenic Byway is located in Cook County, passing through the northeastern corner of Minnesota to near the Canadian border. The Trail begins on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minn., and winds through boreal forest and past glacial lakes to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Gunflint Trail Association (GTA), part of the Cook County Visitors Bureau, is dedicated to economic development and maintaining the vitality of The Gunflint Trail. For more information, call Jim Vick at (218) 370-9855 or visit www.gunflint-trail.com or www.cookcountymnevents.com.

Twin Cities Portage Photos/Uptown Minneapolis:

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Twin Cities Portage Video / Uptown Minneapolis: