St. Pattie’s Day Hike, Potluck Picnic Dinner, Irish Sing-along & Comet Gaze!

Callin' all ye fellow "Irish" who love the land of leprechauns, lakes and friendly pubs!  Put on something green, clip on those shamrock-tipped deely-boppers, and celebrate St. Pattie's Day with us "alfresco style!"  The WEATHER is expected to be almost perfect - around 70 degrees with little or no chance of rain.

IN A NUTSHELL:  Since Daylight Savings Time has already kicked in, we'll have plenty of light this Sunday evening to celebrate St. Patty's Day with  a leisurely 4-mile-roundtrip hike from DeKalb County's Mason Mill Park to Medlock Park and back, followed by a jovial "potluck dinner picnic," a little Irish music and a comet gaze!  For a fireside atmosphere we can consider building a "mini-campfire" in one of the onsite charcoal grills. 
  Toward the end of the picnic I suggest that we spend about 10 minutes singing a few nostalgic old old Irish songs (the Unicorn Song, When Irish Eyes are Smilin', Danny Boy etc.) I'll supply the songsheets, guitar backup and a tambourine or two.
  If the sky is clear enough we may have a chance of viewing the "Pan-STARRS" comet and its tail as we have successfully at the AOC Social Tue and in conjunction with other AOC hiking events this week.  If you have binoculars or a small telescope, you may wish to bring them. The comet is visible in the west this week about 10 degrees above the setting sun, and will disappear below the horizon by about 8:45 PM.  

EVENT TIMELINE:  We'll meet at 5:30 PM in the parking lot by the stone restroom building —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 7:30 we should be fback at at Mason Mill Park where we can claim one of the pavilions and have the picnic & sing-along.  Our optional "comet gaze" will begin at about 8:20 on the nearby high boardwalk overlook.

POTLUCK PICNIC SUGGESTIONS:  As mentioned above we'll plan to take possession of one of the nice picnic pavilions by the playground. Officially the park closes at "dusk" which won't happen until about 8:45 thanks to daylight savings time, so there should be no problem.
  I'll bring some Irish style cabbage with ham or corned beef 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 - nonalcoholic drinks ONLY please, since that's the official policy of DeKalb County's Dept. of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs.  They also have a strict "NO GLASS CONTAINERS" policy, so pre-pour anything that's in glass into an appropriate non-glass container.  It might be good idea to leave your food & drink items in an iced-down Cooler in your car until we begin the picnic.

DIRECTIONS from the "SPAGHETTI JUNCTION" I-85 / I-285 INTERCHANGE in NE METRO ATLANTA (For an online zoomable map & satellite of our Mason Mill Park meeting point and its vicinity simply click on the Red-teardrop "Location Icon"  atop this article.)

1. From Spaghetti Junction take I-85 South toward Atlanta about 4 miles and get off at Exit #91 "Clairmont Road."

2. Turn southward onto Clairmont Road (toward Decatur; left under the bridge at the exit if you were on I-85 Southbound) and go about 2.3 miles to the traffic light at McConnell Drive.  (It's the next light south of the big Clairmont/ North Druid Hills intersection.  If you reach the huge VA Hospital you've gone too far!)

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

4. Turn Left almost immediately at the "Mason Mill Park" sign into the large free parking lot.  We'll gather by the stone Restroom building.

STREET ADDRESS and LAT/LON COORDINATES of the Mason Mill Park parking lot where we'll meet:
  1322 McConnell Drive, Decatur, GA 30033
  33.8080,-84.3066
Either of the above may be useful in conjunction with the above Directions as your entered destination for GPS navigation or Google.com/maps.

Free Event with Free Parking!