Eric. Perkins. The man has earned himself a reputation for being a goof. A loveable goof, but a goof none-the-less. Turns out he also has a heart of gold. It’s that combo that created a charity event called Perk's Pinky Swear Mess Fest. Here’s the story behind it.
Organized or not-so-organized chaos. That’s probably how you imagine the inside of Perk’s Brain. You’d be right. But, to know Eric, you really must understand what’s in his heart.
"I love kids, and I love helping kids, and I love instilling in kids this notion of charity and helping people,” says Eric.
With three kids of their own, Eric and his wife Shelley were drawn to the Pinky Swear Foundation. An organization helping families with children battling cancer.
RELATED: Perk's 2019 Pinky Swear Mess Fest
“The financial burden that these families are enduring, whether they are leaving work, or having to take leave from work to just be with their kids. A mortgage payment, a car payment, that can make such a difference when you're in this major struggle,” says Shelley Perkins.
Okay, they’ve got the cause, but how to help? What could they do to be different? Oh, Eric's got an idea.
“I was seeing all these Tough Mudders out there, but they were geared for adults. Let's do something for kids, but let's go beyond mud, right? Let's do the slime, let's do the bubbles, let's do the paint, all these things that the parents will just hate me for,” he says while laughing.
Mess Fest was born. Eleven “Slopstacles” to trudge through. It starts with the country's largest inflatable water slide.
"That kind of gets them this base-coat layer of wetness that everything else sticks to,” says Perk.
From there? No one knows...because it changes every year.
"You see kids running to the next “Slopstacle” having no idea what's next. There's this wide-eyed mystery kind of about the whole event,” he explains.
But come on...you can tell us...what's new this year?
"I can't get too into it. It might involve saw dust and strobe lights,” he says, but we’re not sure if he’s serious.
And while all of this came from the mind of a giant kid, this is an all ages mess.
"I think the thing I'm most proud of in this last year, is seeing how many parents now are doing it. This was totally geared as a kids event early on, and now it is 100% totally a family event,” says Perk.
The end? A giant bubble-dance-party put on by cities 97. But, the real end here, beneath all the mud, and slime and slop, is raising money for kids with cancer and their families.
“The fact that we've been able to see it through from kind of that crazy idea, what if, to where it is now, I think it's inspiring,” says Shelley.
Perk's Pinky Swear Mess Fest is this Saturday, June 22nd at Minnesota Pro Paintball in Lakeville.
It's from 8am to noon. Bring clothes you don't mind getting...well...messy.
They are asking you raise at least $30 to participate, or you could help volunteer!