National Treasures 2014

Party at Point Park:

The Blue and Gray Barbecue

Celebrating the 125^th anniversary of the establishment of

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

The Friends of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park are excited to announce plans for the sixth annual “National Treasures” event.  On Thursday, August 28^th between 5:30 - 8:30 pm the iconic gates of Point Park will be thrown open for a casual evening of celebration in our local National Park.

This year’s Party at Point Park celebrates the 125^th anniversary of The Blue and Gray Barbecue – the 1889 picnic that brought Union and Confederate veterans back to the Chickamauga and Chattanooga battlefields to commemorate the establishment of the country’s first federally protected Civil War battlefield.  The original Blue and Gray Barbecue is the event that veterans marked as the reunification of the North and South where former enemies gathered as friends, ate together as brothers, and passed the “pipe of peace.”   This year, guests will gather atop Lookout Mountain to enjoy an evening of bluegrass music from The Dismembered Tennesseans, a full menu of slow cooked barbecue, drinks, and an opportunity to toast our local National Park.

National Treasures Chair Becky Browder notes, “This is the third year that Point Park has hosted National Treasures.  Especially this year, commemorating the 125^th anniversary of the Blue and Gray Barbecue, Point Park offers a scenic setting for a picnic celebrating our National Park.  The New York Peace Monument, which is the only monument in the park system where soldiers in blue and gray are seen shaking hands, is the perfect backdrop for the nationally acclaimed Dismembered Tennesseans.” 

Along with the great bluegrass music, the evening promises to be one of food, fun, and facts about the original picnic when guests get to go on a “trip around Point Park” to various trivia stations.  This is the only time we can Party at Point Park and we want everyone to enjoy a party in the National Park.

Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park receives an annual federal allocation that covers its basic operations, but includes only a fraction of the money needed to maintain, repair, restore, and interpret the historic and cultural features spread across its 9,100 acres.  Each year, the proceeds from National Treasures assist the Friends in providing additional funding to the Park to help with educational programming, restoration projects, and visitor services.

Tickets for National Treasures are $75 each or $130 per couple and are available via PayPal credit card purchases at www.friendsofchch.org or by check, made payable and mailed to Friends of the Park, P.O. Box 748, Chattanooga, TN 37401. The reservation deadline is August 22.  Reservations include food, beverages, activities, and a tax deductible donation to the Friends. (Guests will receive written documentation for their donations.)    Tickets may be purchased via our website by clicking here. 

Nothing’s more American than baseball and National Parks!  Join the Friends of the Park and Park staff Monday, June 30^th at AT&T Field for National Park Night with the Lookouts.  Gates open at 6pm, kids eat free, and special activities will highlight the significance of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.  Proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Friends of the Park and its work within our local park.  Tickets are only $5 so let me know how many tickets you need so you can join me for a fun evening at the ballpark.

To benefit the Park, tickets must be pre-purchased through the Friends, click here to purchase or call the Friends office at 648-5623.

Unveiling of the Restored Ohio State Monument on Missionary Ridge – Efforts Led By Ohio School Students

Saturday, May 17 at 11:00 am

The National Park Service and the Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park announce the unveiling of the newly restored Ohio State Monument on the Missionary Ridge Battlefield. Restored through a partnership with twenty-six 5^th grade students from Waggoner Road Middle School in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, the monument will be unveiled on Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 11 am at the Ohio Reservation, South Crest Road, Missionary Ridge. 

Placed on Missionary Ridge in 1903, the Ohio monument features four life size granite statues.  Three of the figures represent the infantry, artillery and cavalry. The fourth figure is a drummer boy. After more than 110 years, the monument required some repairs, specifically to the drummer boy. Led by teacher Derek Hinkle, the 5^th grade students from Ohio raised $6,000 to restore the monument.  The public is invited to join the students in rededicating the Ohio State Monument.

Please note there is no parking at the Ohio Reservation.  All guests MUST park at the McCallie School, 500 Dodds Avenue for a shuttle service to the event.  Please enter McCallie off Dodds Avenue and turn right into the first parking lot (follow special event signs).  A bus will leave the McCallie parking lot at 10:45 am for a one time shuttle to the event site.  The shuttle will return guests to their cars following the event.