In an effort to grow the economy through tourism within the Mountain State, one Charleston-native used his natural given talents to showcase it’s beauty and uniqueness.
Over the course of one year, Joey DiPiero, who likes to identify himself as a West Virginia enthusiast, visited all 55 counties. Every county he visited, he found a local business or attraction and busted a move to a song he can’t resist, James Brown’s “Get Up Offa That Thing.”
And there you have it, the #MountieCountyChallenge.
He did this in response to the negativity he noticed that oftentimes surrounds and follows the state.
“I thought to myself, I’m going to do something about it. I don’t have any filmmaking experience, I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m just going to do something, and just one day, it struck me, ‘hey, we call the Mountaineers the Mounties when we get excited in a football game. That rhymes with county.’ Mountie County Challenge, it works,” said DiPiero.
He’s 29 years old and attended George Washington High School. He loves history and said this state is filled with historic charm that is overlooked. He wants to change that, and that’s another reason why he began the challenge.
“The goal of the Mountie County Challenge is to get people to go out, take pictures of themselves visiting a local business or attraction they’ve never been to before and then shoot it out on social media so their friends and family in other states can see it and can see themselves having a fun time in West Virginia,” said DiPiero.
The challenge quickly caught on, going viral on the Internet, so Joey and his family decided it was time for part 2, challenging tailgaters at the WVU vs. OU football game to bust a move in support of West Virginian tourism growth, and winning a free t-shirt out of the deal.
“I believe that if we’re positive about our state and project a positive image of West Virginia, it’s going to be infectious and that other people are going to want to come visit and it’ll just kind of have a snowball effect of good things for our state,” said DiPiero.
If you’re itching to get out the door and explore all things Wild and Wonderful, but not quite sure where to go or what to do, Joey and his family have plenty ideas for you. Or if you’re up to taking on all 55 counties, reach out on the Mountie County Challenge Facebook page.
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