July 31, 2019 Dirt Rag Dirt Fest PA 2019 Show Page ABOUT THIS EPISODE Bryan Shipley is a Market Coordinator for REI's Mid Atlantic Region. He joins MTB Ben and Ben to discuss Washington DC's outdoor market and REI's work, advocacy, and role in that area, as well as beyond that area. It's great to hear about the work that Bryan and many others from REI are doing and the time and money. The guys discuss bringing groups and users together, working with NICA, and getting new people into the sport. ----------- ABOUT THIS EPISODE GREI - https://www.rei.com/ REI on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/reifindout Ben Moon - https://benmoon.com/ DC Adventure Film Festival - https://www.facebook.com/DCAdventureFilmFestival/   ---------- ABOUT DIRT FEST Maurice and Elaine Tierney started Dirt Rag in 1989, creating a magazine that provided an inclusive forum where readers shared their stoke for the riding, culture, and lifestyle of mountain biking. After having a great time at the legendary Jim Thorpe Mountain Bike Weekend, the pair decided that Dirt Rag was in a position to translate the magazine’s in-print stoke to an in-person “gathering of the tribe.”  The first edition of Dirt Fest took place in 1991 at Camp Soles, a YMCA youth camp east of Pittsburgh. The original event was decidedly chill. There was no vendor expo bristling with the bleeding edge of bicycle technology. Demo rides amounted to swapping bikes with a newfound friend. There was a lake, a bonfire, and a bicycle polo field. Nighttime entertainment consisted of an attendee strumming a guitar at the group bonfire—a far cry from The Earthtones jamming for a circus tent full of partying mountain bikers.  Read more about Dirt Fest HERE.