As we travel around the country folks often ask us about what we do for fun up here in the winter. In addition to the regular stuff of ice fishing, snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing, and winter camping, we normally need to bring up the Winter Carnival.

Founded in 1886 in Saint Paul, the carnival hosts ice castles, skating, ice works of art, and more. It is truly something very unique to Minnesota. If you have never need a four story ice castle, you haven’t lived! The carnival has numerous parades and other activities for the entire family.

Pioneer Press

Last weekend saw our first 24 hours with temps below zero this winter. While it’s a little late in the season for this to come, it’s a nice reminder of how important wool and flannel is up here in the North country. The dry cold does bad things to exposed skin, water pipes, cars, etc. While this may sound hard, us Minnesotans wear it as a badge of honor.

We always tell folks it makes you appreciate the summers that much more! #SportingOn

As continue to grow our network of retailers around the world, we have appreciated the support of our friends here in Minnesota. From stores like Duluth Pack in Canal Park, to Steiger in Ely, and Rare Pair in Northfield, Minnesota, it is awesome to see what has become of the Outfitters for the American Outdoors.

In addition to our retail outlets, Tradition Creek saw a strong presence at the Minnesota State Fair this year, as well as trade shows in New York City, Dallas Texas, Chicago, and Minneapolis.

We continued our donations to organizations like the Superior Hiking Trail and Conservation Corps too, supporting great conservation minded groups that help project our wilderness.

We are looking forward to all of what 2016 has in store for us! Thank you for making this a great year!

Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday we were wiping seat off our brows from the summer heat and now we are buttoning up our winter coats. Here in the town of Norwood Young America, we have been very busy. From shipping orders all across the world, to spreading the Tradition Creek name at shows such as Northern Grade in Chicago and Minneapolis, we have had little time to relax. Luckily, Thanksgiving is right around the corner and boy are we excited for it! Thanksgiving at Tradition Creek means spending time with family and friends, relaxing on the couch watching some football, and most importantly taking time to remember what we are thankful for. We would like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and say thank you to all those who continue to support us. We could not do it without your support.

The warm summer weather isn’t the only thing heating up around here lately; lots of exciting things are happening here at Tradition Creek!

We have been in not one, not two, but THREE newspapers in the past month — The Chaska Herald, The Chanhassen Villager, and The Norwood Young America Times! Thanks again to Mollee Francisco and Adam Gruenewald for your fantastic articles! And if that’s not enough, we also have products in TWO new stores: Steger Mukluk Co. in Ely and 513 @ Mainstream in Walker! Make sure to check out both stores to see their awesome selections of Tradition Creek gear!

As we continue to keep busy and prepare for events ahead (including the Minnesota State Fair!), we are also enjoying the fabulous summer weather and we hope you all are as well.

Nothing beats laying out in the sun with a book and a refreshing drink at this time of year! June 21, same day as Father’s Day, marks the first official day of summer 2015. Summer is the perfect time to get out on any of the 10,000 lakes our beautiful state of Minnesota has provided for us and enjoy the warmth with family and friends. If you and your family are looking for a fun vacation getaway for the summer, a trip up to Itasca State Park may be a fun idea. We recently made the trip up there and saw the park full of people fishing, hiking, camping, and exploring the headwaters of the Mississippi River. As Minnesota’s oldest state park (founded in 1891) and one of it’s largest with 32,000 acres, it is definitely worth the travel to see it’s beauty and learn it’s history.

With temperatures rising and the sun beginning to shine, we hope you all take advantage of the magnificent lakes and parks our glorious state has to offer and enjoy the great outdoors.

Friends, be sure to check out some of the other tabs here on the web page to see some of the new things we’re coming out with this year. One favorite of the guys we shot with up in Two Harbors is the aptly named Harbor Jacket. The sherpa collar on it is lined with 100% natural lamb’s fleece. It’s quite a thing to wear and sure stands out among other wool coats. We’ve also come up with a variant of our Sawtooth Cruiser for the sportsmen out there. Featuring all natural tanned cow hide patches on the shooting shoulder and elbows, this coat can take the beating that bushwhacking for your next deer or turkey will require.

We hope you like these new additions and please, offer your feedback.

Earth Day is a special day for us at Tradition Creek. Being outdoors-people, we cherish conservation and the preservation of those natural spaces that have had such an impact on our lives and communities. The Land of Lakes is ripe with opportunities to continue such preservation around Earth Day and in the Spring season. All around the State of Minnesota (and our neighbors), parks and trails are being repopulated after their winter hibernation. This presents a chance for conservationists to do some clean-up and spruce-up work on a day like today. Up on the North Shore of Lake Superior, the Superior Hiking Trail is such a place that Tradition Creek has grown accustomed to working with. And it is always our pleasure to spend some time treasuring the great outdoors, the Great Lake, and preparing the trail for those who will follow us.

So, whatever you do today, this weekend, or this season, do something along with us to draw more of our friends and neighbors out into the wilderness and preserve it for generations to come. Happy Earth Day, all!

PS: If you’re interested, check out the Superior Hiking Trail on Facebook and plan a visit this Spring, the trails are open!

We’ve been busy this past month, travelling around the Land of Lakes and getting ready for the rest of the year. A couple weekends ago we went up to Two Harbors, Minnesota for one of our annual photo shoots. The whole Tradition Creek team was along and we spent a lovely weekend enjoying the wilderness around the great inland sea, Lake Superior. Many landmarks and natural wonders were a part of the scenery as we shot photos of Tradition Creek’s new and ‘heritage’ products. Among such backdrops were the horizon of the Lake, the great ore and taconite docks of Two Harbors, the lighthouse on the harbor pier, one of the largest steam locomotives in American history, and the creeks and forests of the Superior Hiking Trail. We look forward to sharing more of our story with you as we publish and share our photos and products with you.

It’s getting pretty warm here in the Land of Lakes! From top to bottom of the state, it seems like the tide is turning toward spring. Soon it will be time to get in gear for the fun things to do in this season. Right now is the perfect time to be tapping maples for syrup production and, if you’re in the Twin Cities, we have neighbors who are doing just that. The Hamel Maple Syrup Co out in Hamel, MN makes some sweet, pure maple syrup every spring. With the warming weather, hiking and biking seasons might as well start too! In the Duluth area, the favorites are the Superior Hiking Trail and Gooseberry Falls State Park. If you time your visits right you may catch the falls melting and the ice crumbling.

As the leaves begin to pop and life returns to the tundra, we hope you enjoy all the unique sights and opportunities Life in the Land of Lakes offers.

Well, folks, 2015 is off to a roaring start at Tradition Creek. We’ve got a whole line up of new stores we’ll be stocking in this year around the Midwest, the country, and even across the ponds! Yes, that means Britain and Japan. And ladies, keep your eyes peeled for coats cut just for you; we know you’ve been looking forward to them. As for the team here, we’re hunkered down bearing the cold bursts of Minnesota, sewing coats, looking forward to a warm spring, and gearing up for another great (and busy) year of producing some of the best American-made garments and accessories on the market.

We hope you’re all managing this winter with ease and enjoying it. Whether you’re under 100″ of snow on the East coast or sunning yourself on the West, keep your heart in the Land of Lakes; we’ll see you there.

We hope everyone’s holidays were safe, healthy, and filled with good company. It certainly was an eventful 2014 for us here at Tradition Creek and a good part of that is thanks to you. From a new line of American made clothing, a new address, photo shoots, trade shows across the country, and new partners and customers, we certainly have much to be thankful for and a good foundation to move forward on.

So we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne, and welcome 2015!