The Friends of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park announced plans for their annual “National Treasures” event.
The Friends’ 2011 event will throw open the iconic gates of Point Park on historic Lookout Mountain, home to an amazing trove of popular and historic treasures, for a unique party featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans playing at the base of the New York Peace Monument.
“We’re celebrating another National Treasures – Point Park – Chattanooga’s first tourist attraction. Tourism started here as visitors to Lookout Mountain took in the sweeping views and posed for photographs on Umbrella Rock,” notes Friends president Becky Browder. “From that beginning, our community has built upon a tapestry of natural and cultural wonders that attract millions of visitors every year. So join the Party at Point Park and celebrate one of the places that makes Chattanooga a great destination and a greater place to live."
The event includes a party at Point Park from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1:
• LIVE BLUEGRASS. Partygoers will tap their toes to the rhythms of the beloved Dismembered Tennesseans, recognized nationally as Living Treasures and masters of America’s bluegrass music.
• TAKE-HOME UMBRELLA ROCK PHOTOS. Guests can immortalize their memories of the evening with their own, take-home photo portraits made at historic Umbrella Rock. (They’ll join the parade of thousands who, down through the decades, have documented their visit to the point of Lookout Mountain with souvenir pictures. For the first time in years, Umbrella Rock will be open on September 1st exclusively for National Treasures guests.)
• REGIONAL EATS. Guests will enjoy complimentary summer beverages and, in tribute to the Peace Monument, a menu that blends favorite dishes from both North and South.
• ENJOYING THE EVENING. As guests stroll the grounds of Point Park they’ll find a variety of activities highlighting the unique history of Lookout Mountain, our National Park, and the reconciliation that is celebrated upon its high ground. Many of the evening’s activities will rally around Point Park’s lofty, century-old Peace Monument -- America’s only Civil War memorial specifically honoring the hard-won peace and re-unification of North and South. Guests will be awed by the Park’s dramatic, billboard-sized painting of the 1863 Battle of Lookout Mountain, and of course there will be the roar of celebratory cannon fire by living Civil War historians. Experience the Battles for Chattanooga through the spectacular electronic map presentation.
• OCHS MUSEUM. Party guests will enjoy visiting the National Park’s newly renovated Ochs Museum, which is tucked into the stony point of Lookout, overlooking Moccasin Bend and the winding Tennessee River. The all-new Museum features exhibits exploring the Bend, Civil War events, and Lookout Mountain’s venerable tradition of portrait photography.
• RIDE THE INCLINE. Guests may park at the bottom of the mountain and enjoy riding along “America’s most amazing mile.” At the top guests can enjoy a short walk to Point Park or catch the Friends of the Park shuttle.
• SUPPORT FOR THE CAUSE OF THE FRIENDS. The Party at Point Park benefits the non-profit Friends of the Park, generating vital income for their work and highlighting the significance and needs of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, the first national park established to memorialize America’s history.
Tickets are $75 each or $130 per couple, and are available via secure PayPal credit card purchases online at www.chickchatt.org or by check, made payable and mailed to Friends of the Park, P.O. Box 748, Chattanooga, TN 37401. Reservations include food, beverages, activities, and a tax deductible donation to the Friends. (Guests will receive written documentation for their donations.) Individual or group Umbrella Rock photos will be available for $20.
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park encompasses 9,100 acres, spanning the boundaries of Tennessee and Georgia. Its major units include Chickamauga Battlefield, Lookout Mountain Battlefield, Missionary Ridge, Orchard Knob, Signal Point and Moccasin Bend. Our National Park preserves forever the American history and natural beauty of its spaces, commemorating vivid stories of conflict, change, reconciliation and reunion. Friends of the Park is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting and enhancing Chickamauga and Chattanooga for the benefit of the American public. For more information on National Treasures and the work of the Friends, visit www.chickchatt.org or call the Friends at 648-5623.