Whole Earth Provision Co. Hosts Banff Film Festival Benefitting Texas State Parks
Feb. 9, 2016
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AUSTIN — For the fifth year in a row, Whole Earth Provision Co. will donate the proceeds from the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour to Texas State Parks. This Texas-based travel, adventure and nature store has sponsored the film festival in Austin for over a decade and always selects a worthy organization to receive the proceeds.
As the designated beneficiary of tickets sales from the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, Texas State Parks will use the proceeds to help fund state parks’ day-to day operational expenses and enhanced visitor programs.
The festival, held in Austin at the Paramount Theater, includes Banff Mountain World Tour Films, which are international documentaries about unique places around the world, on Sunday, Feb. 28. The Radical Reels Tour, a sampling of breathtaking outdoor adventure films, will be featured on Monday, Feb. 29. View the film lineup, event trailers and ticket information online at http://wholeearthprovision.com/banff/.
“We are blessed in Texas with an excellent state park system that provides an unrivaled range of outdoor adventures,” says Jack Jones, Whole Earth Provision Company founder and lifelong Texas state park advocate. “These magical places belong to the citizens of Texas and are available for all of us to visit and enjoy.”
Cooler weather and early blooming wildflowers make February an ideal time of year to visit state parks, and most urbanites are closer to a state park than they might imagine. There are 12 state parks within an hour’s drive of Austin, nine within an hour’s drive of San Antonio, eight within a 60-minute drive of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, 11 within 90 minutes of Southlake and seven an hour or less drive from Houston.
"There’s something for everyone to enjoy at Texas State Parks,” says Texas State Parks Deputy Director Russell Fishbeck. “Beyond hiking, swimming, picnicking, camping, appreciating the natural wonders and learning about our rich history, some state parks offer caving, rock climbing and mountain biking.”
Later this year, Whole Earth will host the “April is Texas State Parks Month” event at Whole Earth Provision Co. stores. Throughout April, customers at the nine Whole Earth locations in Austin, Dallas, Southlake, Houston and San Antonio will have the option at check-out counters to donate to Texas State Parks. They can also meet local park rangers, who will be handing out Texas State Park Guides at all nine locations, to find out more about the numerous recreational opportunities and cultural and historical lessons state parks offer.
“We depend on public-private partnerships with businesses such as Whole Earth Provision Co. to provide additional and much-needed funding to operate our state parks,” says Texas State Parks Director Brent Leisure. “The promotion at one of the state’s premier outdoor retailers helps us create a park experience that Texans expect and deserve.”
In addition to these efforts to support Texas State Parks, Whole Earth has also supplied several prizes for the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV show’s 30th anniversary contest. The prizes include a HERO4 Silver Edition GoPro® video camera and $200 in gift certificates. For more information, including how to enter the contest, go to www.tpwd.texas.gov/tv30.
Texas State Parks provide an affordable and healthy way to spend time with family and friends. Children 12 and younger get in free. For more information about visiting Texas State Parks, visit http://www.texasstateparks.org.