Photos By: Patty Valencia
The Kona team went down to Fruita, Colorado for Roam Fest at the end of September but there’s no way we could pass through Grand Junction without stopping to hang with Grassroots Cycles. They are the salt of the earth over there and they were stoked enough about Roam Fest to throw a pre-funk party to celebrate the festival starting and to support Friends of Youth and Nature, a local non-profit focusing on getting kids in the community outside.
As a part of the fundraiser, Grassroots built up a progressively challenging skinny for brave voluteers to ride. During the Skinny Challenge, Kona donated a dollar amount for each person making it a certain distance across the course. The audience watching had the opportunity to match or raise a donation, which resulted in more funds being collected to go towards the Friends of Youth and Nature organization. Laughs were had, bikes were ridden, shins were bruised, and money was donated – all marks of a successful evening.
Over the course of the entire evening we raised $2,154.00 for Friends of Youth and Nature. The community really stepped up and bgan matching donations as people made it further and further on the skinny. The crowd was buzzing and even Grassroots shop owner, Matt Bollig, dug up his retro Kona and hopped on the skinny.
Ambassador Bella Roeleveld, all the way from the North Shore, had no troubles with this feature.
There was something for everyone this evening from RC cars on the skinny to even giant jenga!
When the time came and the light faded, we gathered on the patio of the Gastrohub and watched ‘What it Takes’. A film by Ambassador Tim Decosta, it was a capturing bike film about the local area and was the perfect way to wrap up the evening – like the big, happy bike family we are!
If you find yourself in Grand Junction, put Grassroots Cycles on your must-see list. The shop is incredible, the people are amazing, and the food from the Roots Gastrohub is delightful.
