For the first time in the contest history, there was a winner of the Paul Bunyan Communications Hockey Hot Shots Promotion during the first Grand Rapids Boys Thunderhawks home hockey game of the season!

Brett Carlson, formerly of Deer River, made his shot at center ice at the Thunderhawks first game of the season Saturday, November 23 against Benilde-St. Margaret during a period intermission.  Brett was a graduate of Grand Rapids High School, was the mascot for four years, and currently resides in Willmar.

“I was home for deer hunting so my family went to watch the Thunderhawks first game of the season.  Ironically my dad had won Hockey Hot Shots back in 2012 so I figured I’d sign up to see if I could get a shot at it.  I couldn’t believe my name got called to play and then to make the shot was unreal.” said Carlson.

“There have only been a few winners of the contest which started several years ago.  To have two winners come from the same family several years apart is crazy.  What are the odds?  That’s what makes the contest so much fun, you never know if someone is going to win, when, or who that might be.  We’ve gone a full season without a winner and we’ve had multiple winners in one weekend.  You just never know” said Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.

The Paul Bunyan Communications Hockey Hot Shots contest is held during an intermission at each Grand Rapids Boys Hockey home games.  Three contestants are selected at random to participate each night. All contestants receive a coupon for a free PBTV On Demand movie rental, any contestant hitting the board receives a Paul Bunyan Communications Northland Tackle Box, and a contestant who puts the puck in the net through the middle of the Hockey Hot Shots board wins up to a 70” flat screen Smart HDTV.

Get in to win with the 5th Annual Paul Bunyan Communications Pick-it Bowl Challenge, a free online contest for participants to pick the winners for the 2019-20 College Bowl games for a chance to win a credit on a Paul Bunyan Communications account.

The top 10 finishers will win a credit on their Paul Bunyan Communications account. First place winner will receive a $500 credit, second place is a $250 credit.

To sign up for the Pick It Bowl Challenge go to http://paulbunyan.pickitchallenge.com

The first official College Bowl game is Friday, December 20 so be sure to register and make your picks by December 20 for the best chance at winning!

The Pick-it Bowl Challenge is a fun and free way to interact with others in northern Minnesota and enjoy a little friendly competition.  Must be 18 years of age or older. Limit one entry per person. Prizes not redeemable for cash. Void where prohibited. Some restrictions may apply. See Pick It Bowl Challenge website for complete contest rules.

The annual Paul Bunyan Communications Holiday Open House is Friday, December 13 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.   Stop in to either of our offices in Bemidji or Grand Rapids!

*Free Hot Apple Cider and Cookies

*Pick up our 2019 collector ornament

*Pick up a 2020 desktop or sticky calendar

*Pick up a new 2020 Minnesota Gold Telephone Directory

All while supplies last.  ‘

Come celebrate the holiday season with your local cooperative.  We’re Right Here!

Congratulations to the Deer River Football team on making it to the Minnesota High School State Football Tournament!

The Warriors will play BOLD High School in the State Class A Quarterfinals this Saturday at Noon in Brainerd.

The game will not be televised but can be seen online at http://www.prepspotlight.tv/MSHSL or it can be heard on KMFY, 96.9 FM which is also on PBTV channel 968, PBTV Fusion channel 1068 or online at https://www.kozyradio.com/

The winner advances to the Class A State Semifinals on Saturday, November 16 at 9 a.m. at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Good luck Warriors from all of us at Paul Bunyan Communications!

An estimated crowd of over 4,000 attended the 4th annual GigaZone Gaming Championship on Saturday, November 2 at the Sanford Center George W. Neilson Convention Center. The event featured free gaming, numerous gaming tournaments, virtual reality, door prizes, and more.

This one of a kind regional gaming event showcases Paul Bunyan Communications’ IT and web development team which custom built and integrated much of the online technology and leverages the speed of the GigaZone one of the largest rural all-fiber optic Gigabit networks in the country. The entire event was run off a single residential GigaZone Internet connection.

Hunter Branson of Duluth won the 4th annual GigaZone Gaming Championship Main Stage Super Smash Bros Ultimate tournament and the top prize of $500.  Elsa Overland of Grand Rapids made it from the losers bracket all the way back to the grand final to secure second place and $400. A total of 64 of northern Minnesota’s best Super Smash Bros Ultimate players competed on the main stadium stage in the GigaZone Championship Arena.

2019 GigaZone Gaming Champtionship Official Results

In addition to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Touranment, there was several other open tournaments including Fortnite, Mario Kart 8, Madden 20, and Overwatch 3v3, plus high score competitions in Beat Saber Virtual Reality, Ms Pac-Man, Galaga, and Donkey Kong.  There was also two Magic the Gathering Booster Drafts, Admission was free and lots of door prizes including an Xbox One X with $75 Game Stop gift certificate won by Nicholas Krotzer of Akeley and a Occulus Qwest Virtual Reality system won by Kent Wolback of Bemidji.

“It has been incredible to see the attendance grow exponentially the past couple of years! There is a large gaming community in our area and the GigaZone Gaming Championship not only showcases some of the region’s best gamers but it gives everyone a chance to get in on the action!  It was awesome to see so many people from right here and all over come together!” said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager

.“Our cooperative continues to expand one of the largest rural fiber gigabit networks in the country and that brings many advantages to our members.  The GigaZone provides extreme speed and low latency which are critical for the best online gaming experience and the GigaZone Gaming Championship showcases just that,” added Leo Anderson, Paul Bunyan Communications Technology Experience Manager.

“This event has garnered national attention. There is no other gaming event like it anywhere I’ve seen. It’s unique to our area and we are very proud of our team for making it happen. We’re already looking forward to next year!” added Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.

This Paul Bunyan Communications event includes the talents of many local partners including NLFX, Accidently Cool Games, Northern Amusement, the Sanford Center as well support from several regional and national partners.

For more information on the GigaZone Gaming Championship visit www.gigazonegaming.com

The Bemidji Sunrise Rotary, Sons of Norway, and Beltrami County Historical Society annual Lefse Festival is Thursday, November 7 from 5-7 pm at the Bemidji Eagles Club.  Tickets are $5 at the door.

The fun includes a Lefse workshop, free samples, Lefse & Krumkake for sale, craft vendors, door prizes, and more!

Our cooperative is a proud sponsor of the event again this year.

The Community Cafe Inc. is dedicated to reducing hunger and building a stronger community.

Be a part of their annual Empty Bowls fundraiser Wednesday, October 23 at Timberlake Lodge Hotel​ in Grand Rapids from 11 am-2pm and 4-7pm! $20 gets you Soup-Sandwich-Dessert and an amazing handmade pottery bowl from local potters. There will also be a silent auction, raffle, live music, and cash bar.

Our cooperative is a proud presenting sponsor of Empty Bowls.

The GigaZone has come to Big Falls! As a result of continued upgrades to the cooperative’s all-fiber optic network, members in Big Falls now have access to GigaZone services including Internet speeds up to a Gigabit per second.

“We continue to make great progress on upgrading our network to incorporate even more members into the GigaZone. I’m very proud of all the hard work our cooperative has put in so far as we put our membership and region at the forefront of the very latest in communication networks.” said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager.

The GigaZone is currently available to over 35,500 locations, making it one of the largest rural all-fiber optic networks in the United States! Check out our online map http://paulbunyan.net/gigazone/map/ showing the current areas of the GigaZone as well as those that will be constructed/upgraded in the future.

GigaZone service options include unprecedented Broadband Internet speeds of up to 1000 Mbps – a Gigabit. Members who subscribe to GigaZone Broadband can also add PBTV Fusion and/or low cost unlimited long distance service. All current service options also remain available to cooperative members within the GigaZone.

Many current wireless routers cannot support blazing GigaZone Internet speeds.  To help, the cooperative is offering GigaZone Integrated Wi-Fi that uses the latest in advanced Wi-Fi technologies to maximize the in-home wireless experience. This service is free to all new GigaZone customers for the first six months, with a minimal charge thereafter.

“If you are wondering when the GigaZone will reach you, the online map of the active areas and plans for this year is a great resource.” added Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.