Grand Excursion $ request
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GRAND EXCURSION 2004'.
June 1,2004
Terry Duggan, Mayor
City Council Members
City of Dubuque
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, lA 52001
Dear Mayor Duggan and Council Members,
I am writing to invite the City of Dubuque's financial support ofGTandExcursion 2004
at the $10,000 level.
Grand Excursion 2004 is a multi-state collaborative project that has brought together
more than fifty upper Mississippi River communities and 25 regional organizations to
reclaim the Mississippi River as a treasured natural asset and significant .source of local
pride. Grand Excursion serves as a catalyst to engage and educate the public about the
river and its past, present and future role in our lives. Its mission is to". . .build upon the
history of the Grand Excursion of 1854 to bring together the communities of the upper
Mississippi River in a celebration of national and international proportions. It will serve
as. a catalyst to generate new programs, forge and renew enduring partnerships,
accelerate keyprojects and cultivate awareness of this beautifUl region. "
Grand Excursion 2004 is comprised of three primary program areas that have discrete
goals and outcomes but together form a comprehensive strategy to ensure the project's
lasting importance to this region. Its program of work is:
COMMEMORATE...the historic occasion of the original Grand Excursion by
establishing a pet1J1å1lel1t legacy and by serving as a catalyst for lasting regional
initiatives and improvements along the upper Mississippi River.
CELEBRATE.. . the Sesqnicenteunial (150th anniversary) of the Grand Excursion by
developing and implementing a series of events focusing on the Grand Flotilla, and
through these celebrations increase awareness of and appreciation for tbeMississippi
River, locally, regionally, and nationally.
EDUCATE.. .throughout thefegionthe significance of the Mississippi River through
leaminginitiatives,project-specific curricula and special events.
Grand Excursion 2004 will leave as its lasting legacy:
.
An established network of communities that share the Mississippi River and have
a common stake in all issues that effect it;
Collaborative efforts to address river-related issues holistically within the region;
Increased local, regional and national awareness ofthe Mississippi River as a
magnificent natural resource;
Improved understanding of the many roles the Mississippi plays in the lives of
those who live on or in close proximity to it;
A full range of multi-level educational materials that explore the Mississippi
River and its past, present and future impact on our daily lives.
.
.
.
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The Grand Excursion initiative has already been successful in meeting many of its
original goals. It has engaged 55 communities, hundreds of community and civic leaders,
such as yourself, and thousand of volunteers. More than 15,000 people have already
"signed up" to participate in the Grand Flotilla, with many more to come. Media
attention has been unprecedented, with more than 400 newspaper articles, television and
radio stories, and travel publications from around the country extolling the virtues of the
upper Mississippi River region and its individual communities. Attached you will find a
representative sunnnary of accomplishments.
Grand Excursion has had generous financial support from corporations, foundations,
municipalities, non-profit organizations, and individuals. Woodward Publications has
been especially generous in supporting the regional organization. And we are grateful of
the support provided by Dubuque Bank and Trust, the Dubuque Racing Commission,
and, most recently, Alliant Energy.
Weare close to reaching its financial goals but have a ways to go. Attached you will find
an outline of our financial supporters.
With support from City of Dubuque, as proposed in this letter, Grand Excursion's success
will be further ensured.
Thank you for considering this request.
Sincerely,
Patrick Seeb
Executive Director
Cc: Tom Yunt
Scott Lawlor
Teri Goodmann
REGIONAL CONTRIBUTOR LIST
Grand Excursion 2004 recognizes with gratitude the leadership-level commitment of
the following corporate, academic and foundation contributors who, through their
extraordinary geuerosity, help to make regional Grand Excursion programs and
activities possible.
$200,000+
Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation
F.R. Bigelow Foundation
Hamline University
The McKnight Foundation
The Saint Paul Foundation
Watkins, Inc.
$150,000 - $199,999
Riverboat Development Authority
Xcel Energy Corporation
$50,000 - $149,999
3M
3M Foundation
Mardag Foundation
Red Wing Shoes
Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation
$20,000 - $49,999
Bayport Foundation
City of Bettendorf, lA
City of Davenport, lA
City of Moline, IL
City of Rock Island, IL
City of Saint Paul, MN
Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
John Deere
Dubuque Racing Association
Ecolab Foundation
Eugene U. and Mary F. Frey Family Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation
Jefferson Lines
The Saint Paul Companies, Inc. Foundation
Wilkie Brothers Family Foundation
Xcel Energy Foundation
$10,000 -19,999
Alliant Energy
Bituminous Casualty Corporation
Distributed Web site
FedEx
Grotto Foundation
MAHADH Fund of the HRK Foundation
RJ. McElroy Trust
Modem Woodmen
LA. O'Shaughnessy Foundation
Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau
Red Wing Area Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation
Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau
Scott County Board of Supervisors
Star Tribune Foundation
William and Carol Sweasy Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation
TaRO
TaRO Foundation
Weber Shandwick
$5,000 - $9,999
Hugh J. Andersen Foundation
Boss Foundation
Braren, Mulder, German Associates, Inc.
Figge Foundation
Philip M. Gelatt Foundation
River Action, Inc.
Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation
$1,000 - $4,999
Anonymous
Celebration Cruises
Community Foundation of the Great River Bend
DMW Design
Dubuque Bank and Trust Charitable Fund of the Heartland Charitable Trust
Dubuque Convention and Visitors Bureau
Great River Bank and Trust
Greater Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association
Hiway Federal Credit Union
Hubbard Broadcasting
LaCrosse County
LeClaire Chamber of Commerce
Minneapolis Community Development Agency
Minnesota Department of Tourism
Mississippi River Trail
THE National Bank
Nicholson Family Foundation
Quad Cities Development Group
Red Wing Visitor and Convention Bureau
Sears
$1 - $999
Char Mason and Associates
D'Amico Catering
Curtis C. and Elizabeth M. Roseman
SourceOne Marketing Communications
GRAND EXCURSION 2004 MEDIA PARTNERS
Boats and Notes
Dubuque Telegraph Herald
Galena Gazette
K102FM
KARE 11
KCRG-TV
KWQC-TV6
La Crosse Radio Group
La Crosse Tribune
Muscatine Journal
Quad Cities Radio Group
Quad-Cities Times
Star Tribune
Winona Daily News
WKBT-TV
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS To DATE: MAY 13, 2004
Through its varied programs and initiatives, Grand Excursion 2004, its participating cities and partner
organizations have already had significant impact throughout the region and success in achieving the
original vision and mission of the initiative.
Vlsion
The Grand Excursion 2004 will build on the history of the Grand Excursion of 1854 to bring
together the communities of the Upper Mississippi River in a celebration of national and
international proportions. It will serve as a catalyst to generate new programs, forge and renew
enduring partnerships, accelerate key projects and cultivate awareness of this beautifUl region.
Mission
The Grand Excursion 2004 will:
EDUCATE throughout the region about the significance of the Grand Excursion through
initiatives, educational resources and special events.
CELEBRATE the Sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of the Grand Excursion by
developing and implementing a series of events focusing on the Grand Flotilla, and through
these celebrations bring recognition and awareness to the world.
COMMEMORATE the historic occasion of the original Grand Excursion by establishing a
permanent legacy and by serving as a catalyst for lasting regional initiatives and
improvements along the upper Mississippi River.
Following is a small sampling of the remarkable Grand Excursion accomplishments thus far;
EDUCATING FOR TOMORROW
.:. 825 River Exploration Trunks (RETs) have been placed in schools along the upper Mississippi
River Corridor. Privately funded, RETs provide tools to ehhance existing school curricula and
invite hands-on multi-disciplinary student inquiry. RETs complement the Grand Excursion youth
education initiative, "Your River in Your Town in Your Time" a Grand Excursion Education
Program endorsed by the U.S. Secretary of Education, designed to deepen students' personal
relationship with the Mississippi and help create the river stewards of tomorrow.
.:. Approximately 32,000 individual maps, books, CDs, and videos were purchased for RETs after
careful evaluation by 65 teachers, including 23 from the Twin Cities, 8 from Dubuque, 12 from
LaCrosse and 22 from the Quad Cities. Over 1000 written comments from these teachers guided
the selection of trunk resources, according to national Education Standards. Each trunk now
contains between 25 and 40 items.
.:. In support of Grand Excursion's Educate Program, Hamline University's Center for Global
Environmental Education (CGEE) has spearheaded 34 River Exploration Trunk training sessions
for 560 educators in four states to date. Ongoing training is planned throughout the region
including an online graduate level course through Hamline's Graduate School of Education. The
course assists teachers with curriculum integration and project planning in tandem with RET use.
.:. Six hundred school children from 20 Twin Cities' schools will be coming together for the first
ever Mississippi River Fair in May 2004 to showcase their river-related projects inspired by their
use of River Exploration Trunks.
.:. Grand Excursion has spawned the creation of several scholarly works slated for publication in
2004. Books include "River ofCoriflict, River of Dreams: Three Hundred Years on the Upper
Mississippi" by Biloine Young; "Mississippi Escapade, Reliving the Grand Excursion of 1854"
by Paul Clifford Larson and Pamela Allen Larson; "The Grand Excursion of 1854, Antebellum
America Visits the Mississippi River" by Steven J. Keillor; and "Grand Excursions on the Upper
Mississippi River" edited by Dr. Curtis and Elizabeth Roseman.
.:. In sunnner 2004, the University of Minnesota, through the College of Continuing Education, is
offering three classes with Grand Excursion themes: "How Individuals Experience History:
Grand Excursionists Travel Toward Civil War;" "The Once and Future River;" and "The Grand
Excursion of 1054 AD: An Archeology Site in Red Wing."
.:. Grand Excursion was instrumental in helping to secure funding for the Minnesota History
Center's upcoming "Cloudy Waters" exhibit, an interactive installation focusing on the Lakota
response to the way in which the Mississippi River has influenced their culture. Mona Smith, a
Lakota Sioux, has organized this exhibit which will open June 19.
CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT
.:. Grand Excursion has developed the Grand Flotilla, a singular event of significant scale and
spectacle necessary to ensure regional and national attention. The event was designed in such a
way that nearly anyone who wishes to participate can find a way to do so, whether watching the
flotilla from riverbanks, spending an afternoon on a train or paddleboat, or riding 10 days on an
adventurous bike ride or luxurious, authentic river boat.
.:. Nearly 13,000 individual tickets have been purchased to-date on trains and boats comprising the
Grand Flotilla. People from as far away as Japan, Germany, California and Oregon have
purchased tickets.
.:. Over 300 local events in more than 30 participating communities have been planned to celebrate
the Grand Excursion along 419 miles of the upper Mississippi Corridor during the ten days of the
Grand Flotilla. Community organizers are putting the final touches on events including historical
reenactments, art fairs, photo exhibits, walking tours, musical entertainments, Native American
cultural events, river clean-ups and educational outings. In the Twin Cities alone, over 140
organizations have pledged to undertake 200+ projects in tandem with Grand Excursion's
Celebrate Program. Their efforts represent a diverse range of environmental stewardship
programs, capital projects, special events, performances, exhibits, and recreational activities to
occur throughout 2004.
Grand Excursion Accomplishments- Updated May 13, 2004
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COMMEMORATING THE LEGACY
.:. In February 2003, an interdisciplinary panel of several community members from along the river,
selected a Discovery Marker design from ten finalists as a hallmark of Grand Excursion's
Commemorate Program. This marker is designed to chronicle each community's participation in
Grand Excursion events of 1854 and 2004 and articulate its current relationship with the
Mississippi River. A prototype Discovery Marker has been developed and two are already
scheduled for installation, one in Winona and one in Red Wing.
.:. Two separate 30 minute television specials about the Mississippi River and the Grand Excursion
are under development and will air in the Twin Cities and in Cedar Rapids, IA.
CREATING A COMMUNITY OF COMMUNITIES
.:. 55 communities and 25 regional organizations have signed on as official participants in the Grand
Excursion 2004 initiative. The most recent community to join is the Prairie Island Indian
Community, Prairie Island, Minnesota.
.:. Grand Excursion has hosted or been the catalyst for dozens of intercommunity meetings focusing
on river-related events, marketing and tourism, and public policy. These meetings have included
elected officials, tourism directors, heads of economic development agencies, law enforcement
personnel, and river advocates.
.:. Grand Excursion has raised awareness of the upper Mississippi River and its river and community
revitalization efforts in Washington, DC with the passage of a U.S. Congressional Resolution of
Support.
.:. Development of the Grand Flotilla event has created a close collaboration among numerous
federal and state agencies including departments of natural resources, law enforcement, the Army
Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard and scores more.
BRINGING AWARENESS TO THE WORLD
.:. Over 6,000 people have become members ofthe "Grand Excursion Navigators," a free online
program offering members priority ticket opportunities, articles on Grand Excursion history,
discounts from partner organizations and spotlights on participating river communities. Grand
Excursion has had 22 million hits (200,000 visitors) on its website since its inception and is now
up to 4.3 million hits (38,000 visitors) per month.
.:. The four participating Grand Excursion states ofIowa, lllinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin have
made the extraordinary decision to pool significant state tourism dollars to collectively promote
the Grand Excursion through a special insert in "Midwest Living" magazine. The states are also
actively and collectively promoting events through travel consultants, web sites, highway
installations and printed publications.
Grand Excursion Accomplishments- Updated May 13. 2004
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.:. Grand Excursion has developed partnerships with key media throughout the region, including
major television, newspaper, radio, and internet providers from all the key markets.
.:. More than 400 television, radio and newspaper stories about Grand Excursion have been
published and aired in the past 24 months extolling the virtues and value of the Mississippi River
ATTRACTING RIVER INVESTORS
.:. Over $3.1 million has been raised to date from foundations, corporations, municipalities and
individuals to support Grand Excursion's regional Program of Work. Several foundations have
provided funds for economically-disadvantaged youth and their families so they can participate in
Grand Excursion activities and cruises during the Twin Cities celebration July 3 to 5. This will
enable a hroad cross-section of the community to participate in this historic occasion who would
not otherwise be able to do so.
.:. Grand Excursion has established a board of directors comprised of 24 civic and community
leaders from throughout the region.
.:. Grand Excursion has recruited an honorary board of directors, actively chaired by former Vice
President Walter Mondale. Members of the honorary board have significant ties to environmental
causes, academia, politics and the arts to share the story of Grand Excursion 2004 on a national
level.
SERVING AS A CATALYST FOR LASTING IMPROVEMENTS
.:. Grand Excursion has served as the catalyst for capital improvements in many communities. For
example, it was named as the primary reason for the development of a riverwalk in Galena, the
restoration of Levee Park in Red Wing, and the accelerated completion of Shepard Road in Saint
Paul.
To learn more about the Grand Excursion 2004, its programs and participation options,
go to www.grandexcursion.com or calI1-866-GEX-2004.
Grand Excursion Accompiishments- Updated May 13, 2004
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