Brainerd Area Coalition for Peace (BACP) held our monthly meeting on Monday, August 1 at 7 p.m.   The meeting took place in Gregory Park.  Judi Schiller, Richard Schiller, Donna Bowen, Larry Mjolsness, and Doug Olson joined the BACP meeting.   

Meeting participants discussed BACP hosting our Crow Wing County Fair booth.   The BACP Crow Wing County Fair booth will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the Fair.   The Crow Wing County Fair will be held from Tuesday, August 2 through Saturday, August 6.

When the BACP meeting began, four BACP Crow Wing County Fair booth shifts remained open:  the 12 to 2 p.m. shift on Thursday, August 4, the 8 to 10 p.m. shift on Friday, August 5, and the 4 to 6 p.m. and 8 to 10 p.m. shifts on Saturday, August 6.

Donna and Larry agreed to work the 12 to 2 p.m. shift on Thursday, August 4 with Donna working the entire shift and Larry, who will also work the 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. shift, working with Donna until 1 p.m.

Donna agreed to work the 12 to 2 p.m. shift on Saturday, August 6, which Doug originally planned to work, and Doug took the 4 to 6 p.m. shift on Saturday, August 6.

This left two open booth shifts:  8 to 10 p.m. on Friday, August 5 and Saturday, August 6.   [Doug and fellow BACP member Pat Scott volunteered to take these shifts.   Doug worked the 8 to 10 p.m. shift on Friday, August 5 and Pat worked the 8 to 10 p.m. shift on Saturday, August 6.   This ensured every booth shift was staffed].


Judi and Richard set up the BACP Crow Wing County Fair booth on Monday, August 1 before the BACP meeting.   Judi and Richard provided plenty of pro-peace literature for the booth.  Fellow BACP member Elaine Kain created buttons for the booth.

[The BACP Crow Wing County Fair booth went very well.   Almost everyone who visited the BACP booth supported BACP's peace activism.
Elaine's pro-peace buttons were very popular.  Many booth visitors made donations and several signed up to be on the BACP contact list to receive emails about BACP meetings, peace vigils, and events].

[Thank you to everyone who volunteered.   Your work made the booth's success possible.   Thank you to Richard and Judi for setting up and dismantling the booth and providing literature.   Thank you to Elaine for creating the buttons].


Richard and Judi now have the pro-peace, pro-environment, and Black Lives Matter banners fellow BACP member Steve Long, who purchased the banners several years ago, gave to Anne and Steve Nelson-Fisher.   Fellow BACP members Mary and Chuck Benson also have pro-peace banners Steve gave them.


BACP meeting participants discussed the upcoming Fall BACP Adopt a Highway cleanup.   BACP has an Adopt a Highway section off Highway 371, north of Little Falls.   The cleanup will be held in September or October.   A date for the cleanup will be chosen based on the date which works best for the most cleanup volunteers.   The cleanups usually take place on Saturday because more volunteers can help with the cleanup on Saturday.   

Doug will send a survey to the BACP listserv in late August asking which Saturday from mid-September to mid-October would be the best date for the Fall BACP Adopt a Highway cleanup.   A date for the cleanup will be selected based on the response to the survey, personal conversations with cleanup volunteers about which date works best, and discussion during the September BACP meeting.


The next BACP meeting will be held in Gregory Park on Monday, September 12 at 7 p.m., weather permitting.   (BACP meets on the second Monday in September because the first Monday is Labor Day).  Gregory Park is located at 511 North Fifth Street, Brainerd.   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 adjourned at 7:30 p.m.   


BACP Meeting Notes Submitted by Doug Olson