After last year's crashing and burning of MamaGathering I held back to see if anyone else wanted to get the ball rolling...so far nada. So since it is now March 2007 I say we get organized! I'm calling this event Motherfest because I got some email from folks who are organizing a Mamagathering in another city and don't want there to be any confusion. No biggie to me.
The easiest thing is to have a big meet up at a park. Edgewater State Park is ideal because:
- This park is divided into upper and lower areas connected by a paved bicycle path and fitness course.
- Upper Edgewater features a renovated pavilion (where workshops can be held) which can be reserved by calling the park office at (216) 881-8141. It has restroom facilities, playground equipment and is within walking distance of the 900-foot swimming beach. A statue of Conrad Mizar, the oldest monument in Cleveland, is found near the pavilion. The circle lot adjacent to Upper Edgewater is known for being one of the best viewing sites of downtown Cleveland.
- Lower Edgewater features a swimming beach with two picnic shelters, restrooms and a concession facility. A nearby fishing pier provides access for anglers. The boat launch ramps are heavily used as there are few other boating access points on the west side of the city.
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/clevelkf.htmMotherfest 2007 is free, we should be able to pick up minimal advertising that would pay for rental/reservation of pavilions.
The first MamaGathering was in the summer of 2001 in Portland, Oregon, and sponsored by the producers of
Hipmama, an online community of readers of the print magazine hipMama. There is no formal organization that governs the event; each year a group of mamas from a particular city decide to host the gathering. Mamagathering 2003 was in Venice, CA. MamaGathering 2004 was in Minneapolis, MN. This year it's being held in Cleveland, OH, and will draw mothers from around the country.
MamaGathering 2003 producer Dorie Lanni had this to say about the
gathering, which sums it up for me what we'd like to do with the 2006
one: "Mama Gathering is a conference and planning session and group
therapy all in one," she says. "Of course we'll talk about parenting and
the politics of motherhood, but we are also focused on feminism,
reclaiming family and reproductive health from the medical industry,
fighting racism, alternatives to mainstream education and media and how
to take all of these ideas and concepts back home to apply to our own
communities."
Motherfest 2007 will be held at
Edgewater State Park.
Comments are open for now, please let me know your questions, concerns, comments, or suggestions. I will have lodging info up soon for out-of-towners.