St. Pattie's Day After-work Hike, Potluck Picnic & Irish Sing-along - Thu, Mar 17 2011

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St. Pattie's Day After-work Hike, Potluck Picnic & Irish Sing-along


The Basics:
Event Type:Party
Event Location: Mason Mill Park off Clairmont Rd in NE Atlanta
Date(s) & Time:Thu, Mar 17 2011  5:00 pm >> N/A
Registration Opens: Fri, Mar 11 2011 10:00 pm
Registration Cut Off: Thu, Mar 17 2011 5:00 am
Event Duration:About 3 hours
Difficulty Rating:D2: Easy to Moderate
Trip Leader(s):
Charlie Cottingham
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Member Cost:None

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:20
Minimum Group Size:4
Number Registered So Far: 14 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: No

Itinerary:

Callin' all Irish and all AOCers who love the land of leprechauns, lakes and friendly pubs!"  Put on something green, clip on those shamrock-tipped deely-boppers, and come celebrate St. Pattie's Day with us "alfresco style!"  The WEATHER is expected to be perfect, with clear blue skies and a hike-time high of about 75!

OVERVIEW:  Since Daylight Savings Time will have already kicked in, we'll have plenty of evening light after work on St. Pat's Day (Thursday Mar 17) for a leisurely 3-mile-roundtrip hike from DeKalb County's Mason Mill Park to Medlock Park and back, followed by a jovial "potluck picnic" in the pavilion by our cars complete with Irish style corned beef & cabbage!
  For a fireside atmosphere we can build a "mini-campfire" in one of the onsite charcoal grills. 
  I urge everyone to stick around after the picnic and join me for a rowdy fireside sing-along of a few nostalgic old Irish songs (Danny Boy, The Unicorn Song, When Irish Eyes are Smilin', etc.) —I'll supply the songsheets and guitar backup and bring a tambourine for someone to play.

HIKE PLAN:  We'll meet at 5:00 PM (note this is 1/2 hour earlier than first posted) in the parking lot at Mason Mill Park (just past the stone "shrubbery-obscured" Park sign)—see detailed directions below.  After introductions and roll call we'll hike together via the pretty trail system to Medlock Park, stopping often to regroup and to observe and photograph the critters and budding spring flowers and trees.  By about 6:30 we should be finished hiking and back at our cars at Mason Mill Park.

POST-HIKE POTLUCK PICNIC & COOKOUT:  Just after the hike we'll plan to take possession of some of one of the nice new park picnic pavilions by the playground. Officially the park closes at sunset (about 7:47 Thursday) but we'll likely have no problem staying until dark if we like, which won't happen until after 8:30 thanks in part to a beautiful almost full moon.
  Charlie will bring some Irish style corned beef and cabbage to share—also paper plates & cups, napkins, plastic eatware, etc. for the group.
  Please bring a small personal "entree item" for yourself, and at least one small "potluck side item" of your choice to share.  (For example, your "side item" might be: a quart of cut-up fresh fruit, quart of potato salad, box of fried chicken, medium-size covered dish of mac & cheese, couple of dozen cookies, cherry pie, half gallon of fruit punch, etc.)
  Bring your own favorite beverages.  Non-alcoholic drinks ONLY, please!  After this article was first posted it was confirmed that consumption of alcohol is allowed in DeKalb County Parks ONLY through a special expensive permit. Note that DeKalb County's Dept. of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs also has a strict "NO GLASS CONTAINERS" policy, so pre-pour anything that's in glass into an appropriate non-glass container.
  Esp. if you plan to drive from work, it would be good idea to leave your food & drink items in an iced-down Cooler in your car until we begin the picnic.

Required Items to Bring:

• Wear comfortable well-broken-in Athletic Shoes or Hiking Boots and comfortable Lightweight Clothing layers appropriate for the weather.

• Hydrate in advance and carry in your Daypack or Fanny Pack a filled Water Bottle (or other favorite soft beverages)—or (in lieu of a daypack) your filled "Camelbak" or other hydration system.

•  For our post-hike "Potluck Picnic Dinner & Cookout" bring a small personal "Entree Item" for yourself, and at least one Side Item of your choice to share (see discussion above).  Also bring your favorite non-alcoholic Beverages perhaps iced down in a cooler but NO GLASS CONTAINERS of any kind are allowed in DeKalb County parks!

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

• Consider bringing your Camera.  We should have lots of great photo-ops!

• If you play a Musical Instrument consider bringing it for our post-picnic St. Pat's sing-along! —also if you have a favorite Irish song you'd like to sing with the group, please bring about a dozen copies of the lyrics.

How to Get There:
Event Directions:From the "SPAGHETTI JUNCTION" I-85 / I-285 INTERCHANGE in NE Metro Atlanta:

1) Take I-85 South toward Atlanta about 4 miles and exit to your right at Exit #91 "Clairmont Road."

2) Turn Left onto Clairmont Road (US-23 southward toward Decatur) and go about 2.3 miles to the traffic light at McConnell Drive. (This is the first light south of the much busier junction and light at North Druid Hills Road).

3) Turn Left onto McConnell Drive, go 0.1 mile ahead and turn Right at the stop sign to stay on McConnell (following signs toward Mason Mill Park and DeKalb Tennis Center).

4) About another 0.1 mile ahead, AVOID the first couple of left turns into the Park and look for a STONE "Mason Mill Park" sign on your left just beyone "Life Enrichment Services"  and partially obscured by shrubbery.  We'll gather at 5:00 PM in the parking lot just behind that stone sign that overlooks the colorful new Park playground.  (If you reach the Tennis Center you've gone a bit too far)

FOR A CUSTOM MAP & DIRECTIONS from your specific point of departure: Go to Google.com/maps and input as your destination the following "dummy address" of the Mason Mill Park parking lot:  "1280 McConnell Drive, Decatur, GA 30033."  This address may also be useful as a destination to use with your vehicle's onboard GPS navigation system.


Notes:
* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Cost Includes:Free Event with Free Parking!

Cancellation/Partial Attendance:   Please review the AOC cancellation policy.