Date:   Mon, 26 Mar 2001

Subject: Park Family Reunion---Tentative Schedule

Hello All Park Family Members,

This letter outlines the basic structure of the Park Family Reunion for
Thursday, July 26 thru Monday July 30, 2001.

Warren has sent printed information explaining most of the events and places we might visit. And this letter contains links to websites for further information.

Let us know if you think these are too many events. Also, are there events you wanted to include that are not mentioned? The weather and other factors will affect the details of these plans. And we should probably have alternative places to gather for those who would rather visit with family members than take part of the planned event.

Send your reply to:

"Warren Park" [old email address deleted]
and
"James Park" PARKx032@GOLD.TC.UMN.EDU

And please feel free to add any comments and additional suggestions for the planning committee:
Warren, James, Patty, & Rita.
Your input will help us to finalize the family reunion plans.

BEFORE THE FOUR CENTRAL DAYS OF THE REUNION
(Independent activities.)

Prior to Thursday, people in town may want to visit:

1) the Mall of America and Camp Snoopy ---a whole afternoon is recommended. The Mall of America in Bloomington is the nation's largest retail and entertainment complex: More than 520 stores---more than 4 miles of storefronts; 85 places to eat; 14 theatre screens; and 8 nightclubs. Camp Snoopy is the nation's largest indoor family theme park: 7 acres with 30 rides, all inside the Mall of America. Many more details about both will be found here:
http://www.mallofamerica.com

2) the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
http://www.artsmia.org/

3) Walker Art Center.
http://www.walkerart.org/

4) Minnesota Lanscape Arboretum.
http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/

5) other historical sites around the cities.

6) points of memory for people who lived here before.

THURSDAY, JULY 26
Science Museum of Minnesota.
Supper at Warren & Patty's.
Park Performers.
Family History Items.

Daytime (for those who have already arrived by then):
The Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul, 8 acres of indoor exhibits
http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/
including the Omni Theater there, which will be playing "Journey into Amazing Caves".
Museum Lover's Pass (Exhibits, 3-D Laser Show, Omnitheater): $12.50
Exhibits and Omnitheater: $11.00
Exhibits and Laser Show: $9.00
Omnitheater only: $7.00

Late afternoon and evening: Gather at Warren & Patty's (3339 15th Avenue South) for: supper, visiting and walking, baseball and badminton at Powderhorn Park. In early evening, music performed by various family members, other forms of show-and-tell with items of family history.

FRIDAY, JULY 27
Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley (south of the Twin Cities).
Free outdoor music or Minnesota Orchestra in Orchestra Hall (on the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis).

All gather at the parking lot at the Minnesota Zoo at 10:00 am.
Spend several hours there, including fast-food lunch at various eateries on the zoo grounds.
The Minnesota Zoo presents animals in their natural habitats, with very few bars between the visitors and the residents. Moats separate the large animals from the visitors. Some of the exhibits are indoors and some outdoors. The dolphin show is recommended by James (no additional charge). The bird show is also entertaining and instructive (and also free).

Admission to the zoo grounds: $10 per person, $8 each for a group of 20 or more, with advance reservation.
http://www.mnzoo.com/partners/mnzoo/information.html

Playing at the IMAX theater within the zoo grounds:
"Bears", additional admission fee of $6.
Ride the monorail for an overview of the several acres of the zoo, additional fee: $3.
(You do not need to decide about such additional activities until you actually get into the Minnesota Zoo grounds.)

Evening: There will likely be several opportunities for concerts and other performances. The bandshell at Lake Harriet usually has free music performances every evening, as does the small outdoor ampitheather at the south end of Nicollet Island (both concert series are managed by the Minneapolis Park Board).

In addition, for those interested, Warren would like to invite family members to the Minnesota Orchestra Music Fest concert at 8:00 PM at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis.
http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/
Warren would like to pay for the tickets.
The music to be played includes:
Ives' 'Variations on America,'
Copland's 'El Salon Mexico,'
Villa Lobos' 'Harmonica Concerto,'
Gould's Stringmusic,
and Gershwin's 'An American in Paris.'

SATURDAY, JULY 28 (in case of rain switch with Monday)
Canoeing on Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis.
Picnic in Kenwood Park or Minnehaha Park.
Driving tour of local sights.
Minnehaha Falls.

Prepare and bring picnic lunches. Meet at Lake Calhoun boats rental at 10:30 or so, to rent canoes and rowboats for everyone who wants to come. Two hours or so of canoeing through the chain of lakes from Lake Calhoun to Lake of the Isles, through the canal to Cedar Lake.
http://www.minneapolisparks.org/dist_CL.htm

Return the boats, all hop in our cars and drive to Kenwood Park for our early afternoon picnic (alternate location for picnic: Minnehaha Park). Set up badminton if we want to. Then a drive tour of the streets near there, including driving by 1804 Humboldt Ave. So., where all members of the older generation lived, the Parkway around Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, Lakewood Cemetery, the Rose Gardens, Lake Harriet, and on to Minnehaha Park,
http://www.minneapolisparks.org/dist_M.htm
where we get out again and explore the falls and the park, set up games, and get a Dairy Queen if we want. Then we all go on our ways in subgroups as people want pursue various options: Dinner at a restaurant? Back to Warren and Patty's?

SUNDAY, JULY 29
Mississippi River Cruise.
Dinner at Rita's.
Video-taping of Family Members.

Meet at Boom Island in Northeast Minneapolis (east side of the Mississippi River, at NE 8th Avenue, just south of the Plymouth Avenue bridge, named for Plymouth Avenue on the west side of the Mississippi) by 11:30 for the boat ride that starts at noon, returns at 1:30 PM.
$12 per adult, $11 each for groups of 25 or more.
http://www.paddlefordboats.com (?)
(This is the correct website. The previous letter about this cruise gave an outdated website.) After the ride, perhaps a short walk onto Nicollet Island (just downriver from the boat landing on Boom Island) if Catherine is with us, then all of us drive to Rita Bove's home (653 Polk Street NE) for a visit including dinner and the taping of the family interviews. By evening, all go our separate ways in whatever subgroups we choose.

MONDAY, JULY 30
Brunch downtown (or waffles at Rita's followed by more video-taping).
IDS Tower?
Mall of America?
at Warren & Patty's?

Depending on who needs to leave when, as many of us as possible meet in downtown Minneapolis
http://www.angelfire.com/mn2/mpls/
in late morning for a brunch at a restaurant. {James suggested alternative: Built your own waffles at Rita's.}

Then into subgroups as we choose.
Mall of America for those who are still here who have not been there yet.
Some people return to Warren and Patty's later?

There will no shortage of great things to do, and likely we will not be able to include all the events that some want to do. We should build in enough free time for smaller constellations to take in whatever they want to. Let's try pick the best events for the whole group, and make sure that we have plenty of relaxation time to spend with each other. We don't want to all burn out the first couple of days! But this promises to be a really fun and interesting few days for us all; let's make the most of it.