THE MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL
April 25, 26, 27, 2025
Concrete Theatre
This year’s event features poetry, photography and presentations about biking, hiking, rafting, camping, and more, with guest speakers Saul Weisberg, Andrea Weiser, Stacy Asarian, Jude Dippold, and Mark Pearson. We’ll see films by Trever Santora, Dianne Whelan, and Good Docs. On Saturday evening we’ll showcase documentaries curated by Mountainfilm on Tour of Telluride, Colorado. All to celebrate mountain life!
Sponsored by Concrete Chamber of Commerce
This event receives funding from Skagit County • www.visitskagitvalley.com
Friday, April 25, 2025
New this Year: A Program for Students
On Friday, April 25, students from Concrete Elementary will attend a special Mountain Festival program at the Theatre that showcases documentaries from Mountainfilm on Tour in Telluride, Colorado, and a presentation from local photographer, Jude Dippold.
Friday Night Double Feature!
Friday, April 25
5:00 p.m. – FULL CIRCLE
7:00 p.m. – EXPOSURE
Admission: See both films for $12
FULL CIRCLE
Friday, April 25
5:00 p.m.
Trevor Kennison’s life changed in an instant when he broke his back snowboarding in the Colorado backcountry. The film follows Trevor on his journey as he adapts to his new reality. Despite setbacks from secondary injuries, an unsupportive family, and the tiresome reality of living with Spinal Cord Injury, a career as a professional skier blossomed and Trevor finds himself redefining disability on a global scale.
“…a must-see movie that will push your understanding of what it means to be an athlete.”
-National Geographic
“One of the most moving ski films in recent memory.”
– Forbes
“Trevor Kennison’s story is raw and human. It’s joyful, sure, but at times it’s painful – something this film thankfully does not shy away from. FULL CIRCLE is a story about what it means to dig deep, as an athlete, and a person.”
– Apple News
Awards
Grand Prize | Banff Mountain Film Festival
Audience Choice Award | Breckenridge Film Festival
Best Movie | High Fives Film Festival
Best Feature Film | Lookout Wild Film Festival
Student Jury Prize | Mountainfilm
_____________________________________________________
EXPOSURE
Friday, April 25
7:00 p.m.
Against all odds and polar advice, a Muslim chaplain, a French biologist, a Qatari princess and eight other women from the Arab World and the West attempt to ski across the melting Arctic sea ice to climate change ground zero – the North Pole. In EXPOSURE, director Holly Morris and her crew capture this story as the team navigates everything from frostbite and polar bear threat, to sexism and self-doubt in an intimate story of resilience, survival and global citizenry. The expedition featured in the film remains the last-ever to reach the North Pole.
“An evocative portrait of human endurance, and how climate change is affecting one of the world’s most alluring, and deadly, places.”
– CBS News
“A great accomplishment…awakens us to the WILDNESS and ADVENTURE in ourselves.”
– Gloria Steinem
“A triumph…. a delight and joy for viewers, a chilling revelation… An essential cinematic document.”
– Chicago Tribune
Best Adventure Film | BreckFilm
Wild Spirit Award | New York Wild Film Festival
Award of Excellence: Documentary Feature | Impact Docs Awards
Best Adventure and Exploration Film | Kendal Mountain Festival
Audience Award | DC Environmental Film Festival
Saturday, April 26, 2025
Trek for Treasure: Join us for a Golden Egg Hunt!
Saturday, April 26
10:00 a.m.
Rockport State Park
FREE – Registration required.
You’re invited on a mini-trek during the festival at Rockport State Park. Get your hiking shoes ready and your treasure-hunting friends together! The event is created and coordinated by the award-winning Trek for Treasure program from United General District 304 that brings together people who enjoy the outdoors, care about their fitness, and embrace healthy competition.
Who will find the golden eggs?!
This hike in the forest will have you searching for golden eggs that can be redeemed for treasure! We’ll meet at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot of Rockport State Park, 51905 State Route 20, Rockport; the hike starts promptly at 10 a.m. We’ll hike rain or shine, so please dress accordingly. NOTE: A Discover Pass is required to park.
Cascading Peaks: A Poetry Workshop
Saturday, April 26
1:00-3:00 p.m.
Special Guest: Saul Weisberg
Act One Art Gallery, 45924 Main Street, Concrete
Space is limited. Admission: $25 per person
Sponsored by Skagit River Poetry Foundation
Saul Weisberg worked throughout the Northwest as a field biologist, wilderness ranger, fire lookout, and commercial fisherman before starting North Cascades Institute in 1986. The Institute is an educational nonprofit whose mission is to inspire environmental stewardship through transformative learning experiences in nature.
Saul is author of Headwaters: Poems & Field Notes, From the Mountains to the Sea: A Natural History of the Skagit Watershed, and North Cascades: The Story Behind the Scenery.
Outdoor Life
Saturday, April 26 at 2:00 p.m.
Concrete Theatre Auditorium
Free admission
Join Stacy Asarian for a presentation that will include a glimpse into a local retired pro snowboarder’s adventures! We’ll see some short snowboard films and photography and find out how that lead to enjoying and spreading the love of the outdoor life. Stacy founded the new bike park at Silo Park in Concrete, and says, “The outdoor life is about having fun outside, exploring the world, and making positive changes in our community.”
Cone People
Saturday, April 26 at 3:00 p.m.
Concrete Theatre Auditorium
Free admission
A short film featuring people you may know!
The documentary “Cone People,” follows the journey of seed collectors and the vital role they play in reforestation in the western U.S. We’ll delve into the challenges of seed scarcity, the impact of climate change and wildfires, and the importance of community-based seed collection programs.
Guest speaker Trever Santora is a documentary filmmaker and product designer who provides unique insight into the lives of forestry workers. His work has been featured in NPR, CNN, Forbes, and TechCrunch.
Mountainfilm on Tour
Saturday, April 26
7:00 p.m.
$12 for the evening
We’re pleased to bring you 12 inspiring, captivating films handpicked from the Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, Colorado. Mountainfilm on Tour in Concrete features a collection of culturally rich, adventure-packed, and engaging documentary short films that align with Mountainfilm’s mission to use the power of film, art, and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world. Below are the titles and topics. There will also be a short intermission.
Founded in 1979, Mountainfilm in Telluride, CO, is one of America’s longest-running film festivals. The annual festival is held every Memorial Day weekend. Mountainfilm is a dynamic nonprofit organization and festival that celebrates stories of indomitable spirit and aims to inspire audiences through film, art, and ideas. Each year after the festival, Mountainfilm on Tour hits the road sharing the year’s most inspiring short films with communities worldwide. Mountainfilm has been on tour since 1999, extending the festival’s reach and delivering inspiring content to audiences around the world. We’re excited to bring this program to Concrete!
Sunday, April 27, 2025
Grand Canyon Adventure
Guest Speaker: Andrea Weiser
Sunday, April 27 at 1:00 p.m.
FREE • Concrete Theatre Auditorium
Andrea spent February exploring and camping in the Grand Canyon, rafting 280 miles. Come see some of the photos she captured that highlight the stunning beauty, geology and archaeology.
Journey Down the Skagit
Sunday, April 27 at 2:30 p.m.
FREE • Concrete Theatre Auditorium
Because of Skagit Land Trust’s work and collaboration, the Skagit River is slowly returning to the natural conditions, with great salmon runs and two of the region’s largest heronries. We’re fortunate to live in “The Skagit” but also have a big responsibility if we are to protect enough of this land to pass on a resilient ecosystem for wildlife, plants and people to future generations.
500 Days in the Wild
Sunday, April 27 at 4:00 p.m.
$10 • Concrete Theatre Auditorium
A documentary by award-winning director and cinematographer Dianne Whelan. The film chronicles her incredible journey across the Trans Canada Trail, where she became the first person to complete the 24,000-kilometer trek —hiking, biking, paddling, snowshoeing and skiing across the country.
The Trans Canada Trail is the longest in the world, connecting three oceans. Throughout most of the trek, Dianne is alone with her camera, but she receives help from strangers and friends along the way.
For a woman in her 50s who is not an extreme athlete, it was sometimes gruelling, occasionally harrowing, often exhilarating and always surprising. She started out alone, disillusioned with the state of the world and worried about climate change, to look for different ways of caring for the land and each other. She ended the journey a bit wiser, more hopeful, in love and with a passion to share this story.