GATHERING BY THE WATERS EVENT 2012

The Gathering by the Waters event will be held to honor the leading communities in the Park Neighborhoods (Lincoln Village/Baran Park): the Native Americans, the Polish Americans, and the Mexican Americans.  It will be a late afternoon/early evening of fun and education on these communities.

The date of the first Gathering will be Saturday, May 5, 2012, 4 to 8pm.  This date commemorates the anniversary of the passing of Ojibwe leader Del Porter, Cinco de Mayo, and the Polish Constitution Day (May 3).  There will not be a rain date; should it rain, the event will move indoors to the Kosciuszko Park Community Center.

The Gathering will be opened with a parade of people in their indigenous outfits (and others) around the mile path of Kosciuszko Park.  This will be followed by an opening ceremony/convocation to honor the three populations.  Then people will be free to partake of free food at designated places (hot dogs, chips, buns, soda), visits to information tents, photo galleries, examples of crafts and sponsored activities of the three groups (i.e., LaCrosse of the Natives)

At the end of the day there will be a sundown ceremony.  This will include a memorial to Del Porter, a tribute to the four directions, and a celebration of traits and practices that these three groups hold in common.