Brainerd Area Coalition for Peace (BACP) held our monthly meeting on Monday, May 2, 2022.   The meeting took place online via the Zoom website.  Judi Schiller, Richard Schiller, and Doug Olson joined the BACP meeting.

Meeting participants discussed the upcoming Spring BACP Adopt a Highway cleanup.   The Spring BACP Adopt a Highway cleanup will be held on Saturday, May 7.   Cleanup volunteers will meet at the former Cabin Fever restaurant parking lot at 11 a.m.   The former Cabin Fever restaurant parking lot is located off Highway 76, north of Little Falls.   A short assembly will be held to plan the cleanup.  The cleanup usually takes a few hours.

[BACP members Larry Fisk, Donna Bowen, Doug Olson, and Doug's father Joe Olson joined the Spring BACP Adopt a Highway cleanup.   The cleanup went very well.   Cleanup volunteers used 12 garbage bags to cleanup BACP's Adopt a Highway section].

[A new restaurant, Knotty on Highway 371, is being built at the former Cabin Fever location.   The owner gave BACP Adopt a Highway cleanup volunteers permission to park in the new restaurant's parking lot for the Spring 2022 cleanup and future cleanups.   This is greatly appreciated].


Meeting participants discussed upcoming summer events BACP may participate in.   BACP will host a table at the Brainerd Pride Picnic on Saturday, June 18.   Brainerd Lakes Pride, the Brainerd area LGBTQ rights group, is hosting the Brainerd Pride Picnic.   The Brainerd Pride Picnic will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Gregory Park.   Gregory Park is located at 511 North Fifth Street, Brainerd.   BACP had a very positive experience hosting a table at the Brainerd Pride Picnic in September 2021.   This year's Brainerd Pride Picnic should go well.

If you are interested in volunteering at the Brainerd Pride Picnic, please contact Doug at djo819@hotmail.com


BACP may march in the Brainerd Fourth of July parade.   The Brainerd Fourth of July parade will be held on Monday, July 4.   Meeting participants believed it might be best for BACP to be part of a larger unit.   BACP could march under the Brainerd Area Joint Democracy Group umbrella.   The Brainerd Area Joint Democracy Group is a coalition of Brainerd area activist organizations, including BACP, Brainerd Lakers United for the Environment (BLUE),  Brainerd Lakes Area Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Brainerd Lakes Pride, and Lakes Area Move to Amend (LAMTA).   If all of these groups marched together, it would augment the parade unit.

Whether the other organizations in the Brainerd Area Joint Democracy Group are interested in marching under a joint banner is something which can be discussed over the next month.   A decision about whether BACP or the Brainerd Area Joint Democracy Group will march in the Brainerd Fourth of July parade would have to be made by mid-June, before parade unit applications are due.

[DSA members Julius Kapushinski and Basil Harrington expressed some interest in marching in the Brainerd Fourth of July parade under the Brainerd Area Joint Democracy Group banner at the Tuesday, May 10 DSA meeting].

There is some concern about whether the BACP float could be used in the Brainerd Fourth of July parade.   The base of the float is deteriorating while the main portion of the float, with BACP's pro-peace and pro-environment message, remains intact and visible.
(BACP used the float at the September 2021 Camp Ripley peace vigil).   Doug will ask fellow BACP member Larry Fisk his thoughts on using the BACP float in the Brainerd Fourth of July parade.

[Larry told Doug the BACP float could be used for the parade.   The main portion of the float is in good shape.   Larry liked the idea of a joint parade unit under the Brainerd Area Joint Democracy Group name].


BACP plans to host our booth at the Crow Wing County Fair.   The Crow Wing County Fair will be held from Tuesday, August 2 through Saturday, August 6.   Richard and Judi have the fair booth application.   They plan to submit the application after the Monday, June 6 BACP meeting.

Meeting participants were confident BACP could staff our booth at the Crow Wing County Fair despite BACP co-founder Steve Long not being able to volunteer at the booth this year due to health issues.   Steve has been an extraordinarily dedicated booth volunteer since BACP first hosted our booth in 2003.   Other volunteers could fill in the shifts Steve usually worked.

A fair booth schedule will be posted in July.  The work of every volunteer is greatly appreciated.

BACP member Elaine Kain volunteered to create buttons for the BACP Crow Wing Fair booth this year.   Elaine plans to create "Free Julian Assange" buttons demanding the U.S. drop all charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange so he can be freed from Belmarsh Prison in London.   Elaine's buttons are extraordinarily popular with people who visit the BACP Crow Wing County Fair booth.   Elaine creating the buttons is greatly appreciated.


Meeting participants decided the Monday, June 6 BACP meeting will be held in-person.   Weather permitting, the BACP meeting will be held in Gregory Park.   If bad weather prevents an outdoor meeting, the BACP meeting will be held in the Brainerd United Church of Christ (UCC) upstairs library.    The Brainerd UCC is located at 415 Juniper Street, Brainerd, near Gregory Park.  The BACP meeting will begin at 7 p.m.

Meeting participants discussed the possibility of holding a peace vigil before the Monday, June 6 BACP meeting.   Meeting participants agreed the vigil might be held before the July BACP meeting.   Whether to hold a vigil would depend on the turnout for the June BACP meeting.   A strong turnout is desired for a peace vigil.    Meeting participants at the Monday, June 6 BACP meeting could discuss the possibility of holding a peace vigil before the July BACP meeting.



The BACP meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.   


BACP Meeting Notes Submitted by Doug Olson