Jan 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 1

SURVIVING THE
AROUND THE COUNTRY
STREETS
“The Weight of the Crown” Documentary
Premieres January 5
Film features Arik Matson, the
former Waseca police officer
shot on duty in early 2020, and
his unique story of recovery and
perseverance – aided by successfully
hunting one of the rarest
ducks in North America
STILLWATER, MN. – Hometown
Hero Outdoors (HHO), the
Twin Cities-based nonprofit that
facilitates therapeutic outdoor
adventures for veterans and first
responders, today announced the
upcoming premiere of its new
documentary film “The Weight
of the Crown.” The 65-minute
film tells the unforgettable story
of Arik Matson, the Waseca,
Minn. police officer shot in the
head while on duty in January
2020, and his recovery. That process
was aided by a HHO-organized
Alaskan waterfowl hunting
trip, during which Matson successfully
harvested one of the
rarest ducks in North America:
the King Eider.
The film will premiere at a private
showing on Friday, Jan. 5 at
5:30 p.m., at Northwoods Cinema
10 in Owatonna, Minn. The
next day, at the same theater, a
few public screenings will be
offered starting at 10 a.m. Additional
screenings will take place
on January 13 at Stillwater Area
High School in Stillwater, Minn.
More information on all planned
screenings is available at https://
documentary.hometownherooutdoors.org/.
After the premiere, the film
will be available for download
on YouTube. To see a trailer of
the film, visit https://documentary.hometownherooutdoors.org/.
“The HHO, and the King Eider
hunt they arranged, kept me
motivated to recover from my
injuries as fast as I could,” said
Matson. “It was a dream trip, so
I worked as hard as I could to be
as ready as possible. Along the
way, we met people that became
lifelong friends. I’ll be forever
grateful for what they’ve done
for me and my family, and I look
forward to helping other veterans
and first responders accomplish
their loftiest goals and
experience similar thrills.”
Matson was shot in the head
on January 6, 2020, while on
duty and responding to a call
in Waseca. He was airlifted
to North Memorial Hospital in
Robbinsdale, Minn., for immediate
brain surgery and ongoing
treatment. Four months and
three Twin Cities hospitals later,
he moved temporarily to a neurological
rehabilitation facility in
Omaha, Neb., where he worked
to relearn how to use the left
side of his body under COVID
restrictions that kept him from
seeing his family. Seven months
later, he returned home – and
ever since, just like before,
progress in his recovery has been
slow but steady.
Meanwhile, the HHO created
a program called The Legacy
Trip to provide especially
distinguished veterans or first
responders a once-in-a-life-
68 The Blues - January ‘24