The following tours and events were planned for the Rebild members attending the 2010 Annual Memberhip Conference. Guests and non-members were also invited to attend the Queen's Ball Gala, an event held annually at the Minneapolis Club.

Guests arrived and checked into the Marquette Hilton Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Each guest was provided with a welcome bag which contained detailed information on the program events and meetings, including times and locations, transportation, local attractions, restaurants and more.  

Dinner Dine-A-Round
Small, pre-assigned groups departed from the hotel and traveled to the home of Upper Midwest Chapter members for dinner. This casual evening was a big success and a wonderful way to start the conference.

Tour A: St. Paul and St. Croix River Valley Tour
The tour departed from the Marquette at 9:00 AM with hosts Gunther and Tove Dierssen and Manja Loberg. The first stop was the James J. Hill House in St. Paul, home of the railroad magnate built to symbolize his success. After the tour, the group traveled along Summit Avenue towards the Mississippi River, passing the Governor's Mansion, the F. Scott Fitzgerald House and the Cathedral of St. Paul. A stop was made at the Minnesota State Capital building for an informal tour. The group then headed east to the St. Croix River Valley (area made famous in the ‘Emigrants’ by Vilhelm Moberg) and the historic river town of Stillwater, often called “the birthplace of Minnesota”. Lunch was served at the lovely Dock Cafe with amazing views of the St. Croix riverfront. After lunch there was time to further explore the area. Next, the group traveled along the scenic St. Croix River to the St. Croix Vineyards to enjoy a wine tasting and tour and to stroll through their picturesque vineyards. The bus will then depart for the hotel.

Dinner: Guests enjoyed local restaurants and explored the downtown Minneapolis area.

Evening Meetings
8:00-10:00 PM: Chapter President Meeting
8:00-10:00 PM: Board of Directors Meeting

Meeting
8:00-10:00 AM: Joint Chapter Presidents and Board of Directors Meeting

Tour B: Exploring Minneapolis
Guests departed from the Marquette at 10:30 AM with hosts Bolette Andersen and Erik Bruun and started with a guided tour to explore Minneapolis, including the mighty Mississippi River, and witness the cities re-vitalization. Sites included the Guthrie Theater, the Weisman Art Museum (designed by Frank Gehry), the Mississippi River locks and waterfalls, and other river highlights. The next stop was the Mill City Museum, which chronicles the flour milling industry that dominated world flour production for a half-century and fueled the growth of Minneapolis. The museum is built within the ruins of a National Historic Landmark, the Washburn ‘A’ Mill. The group explored the museum and viewed the ‘Flour Tower’ multimedia show and the ‘Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat’ movie. Afterwards lunch was served at the Spoon River Cafe. After lunch a portion of the group walked next door to the Endless Bridge at the Guthrie for one of the best views of the major bridge that collapsed in August 2007. The final stop of the day was the Walker Art Center to stroll through their outdoor sculpture gardens and get a photo next to the famous "Cherry on A Spoon".

Evening Event: Mississippi Jazz at the Red Barn
Guests traveled by car or bus to a large hobby farm south of the Twin Cities in Rosemount owned by Kurt and Patricia Walter-Hansen. The celebration began at 6:00 PM in an old, historic red barn with its original wooden floor. Danish Master Chef, Kaj Sørensen, prepared a variety of foods frequently enjoyed by people living close to the Mississippi River, starting from its origin in Minnesota all the way to the Delta in New Orleans. The menu included smoked white fish from Lake Superior, grilled oysters from the Gulf of Mexico, BBQ ribs, bourbon marinated steak and a variety of salads and desserts.

Live music was provided by Haakon Poulsen and a small group of young, talented musicians including his brothers Kaj and Karsten. Haakon, Kaj and Karsten are the sons of local Rebild members, Sue and Steen Poulsen and all are fluent in Danish.

We were delighted to welcome our President from Denmark, Karl Nielsen, his wife Martha and a number of other Rebild members from Denmark. Their trip was delayed due to the volcanic ash cloud out of Iceland and we very much appreciated all their great efforts to be with us.

Meetings
9:00 AM – Noon: Board of Directors Meeting
1:30-3:30 PM: Annual Membership Meeting
3:30-4:30 PM: Board of Directors Organizational Meeting
 
Morning/Afternoon: Free time to explore Minneapolis, shop, visit one of the many lakes, parks or museums, or enjoy a leisurely lunch.

Queen’s Ball Gala
The Queen’s Ball Gala is an annual event held at the stately and elegant Minneapolis Club in honor of the birthday of Queen Margrethe. The event is semi-formal to formal and a record number of people attended this year. The wonderful evening included a champagne welcome reception, gourmet dinner, grand march and dancing.

Sunday Brunch
A Brunch Buffet at the beautiful and historic Woman’s Club of Minneapolis (www.womansclub.org) concluded the events for the week. The brunch included an extensive assortment of meats, seafood and breakfast items and unlimited glasses of wine and champagne. After brunch we bid farewell to our guests who we hope to see again in April at the 2011 meeting in California.