Mississippi
Saturday: What a great day. All flights were on time and everyone arrived in DC around 1 p.m. First stop was the new Martin Luther King monument, a short walk to the FDR memorial and the around the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson. You will see a group picture at the Jefferson Memorial and several photos of students from their sponsoring electric power association. Boarded bus to the Pentagon City Mall for dinner at the food court. The students toured the Kennedy Center and enjoyed a presentation of "Shear Madness." Arrived back at the hotel around 11 pm and proceeded to bed. A long day for some students. A great group of young people and everything is going fine. You should be real proud of their behavior as many outsiders have complimented them on such a nice group. Big day tomorrow with a lot of sites to see. If you need anything, call Ron Stewart at 601-906-9306.
Sunday: The students started the day with breakfast at McDonalds and a visit to the Iwo Jima Memorial. The next stops were World War II Memorial and the U.S. Navy Memorial and Museum. Lunch was served at the Hard Rock Cafe. The afternoon featured a tour of Ford's Theatre, Peterson House and Madame Tussaud's wax museum. The evening ended with dinner at a seafood restaurant and a cruise on the Potomac River.
Monday: Wow, what a day. Temperatures in the 70s, pleasant day with a few rain drops. More than 1,500 youth from across the United Sates heard the remarkable story of Mike Schlappi, a victim of an accidental gun shot wound from his best friend. A life changing experience led him to a total change in his life. His motto taken from his mother's comments: "If you can't standup, you can stand out!" And boy does he! Then we loaded the bus for a tour of Union Station and lunch at their food court. Back on spectacular tour buses and off to the National Cathedral, a beautiful place of worship after traveling up embassy row and passing by the VP house. The White House stop is always a popular place to shoot photos and learn about the tight security and a longtime protestor of nuclear war who has been at her station for more than 30 years. Then the hungry students were treated to a nice Italian meal at Buca di Beppo. Plenty of salads, food and desserts and everyone left with a full stomach. That was our last stop as we headed to the Hyatt for a few activities and time for bonding with their new friends. A long day awaits tomorrow as we head to Mt. Vernon, Air Force Memorial, Arlington Cemetery and the popular U.S. Marine Corp's performance at Iwo Jima. See you tomorrow with more photos. If you have any questions or comments, please email to stewart@epaofms.com. Advisors are having a great time showing the many outstanding places in this wonderful city. Check back tomorrow for Tuesday activities, it promises to be better than today. I'm extremely proud of the behavior and cooperation we are receiving from these find young people.
Tuesday: After breakfast, we traveled to Mount Vernon, home of President George Washington. Lunch at the Country Buffet (closest to home cooking) was enjoyed by all. A visit to the Air Force Memorial, one of the new memorials, was next stop. Then to Arlington Cemetery where we visited the grave site of JFK and the changing of the guard. After this visit, we headed to the parade grounds at Iwo Jima for the evening performance by the U.S. Marine Corps at the Sunset Parade. The students were treated to a pizza party and a time to relax. Back to the hotel preparing for a long day on Wednesday as we visit Capitol Hill. The weather has changed and is hot.
Wednesday: A little hot and a lot of walking! But, we made it and what a great day it was. On Capitol Hill at 7 a.m. for official youth tour photos and a group shot with Rep. Gregg Harper. The highlight of the day was a visit with Rep. Harper to the United States House of Representatives floor, where students sat in the chamber which has been the site for many "State of the Union" speeches and legislative debate. Next, he took us to the Speaker's balcony for a beautiful view of the D.C. area. In addition, the students watched a video in the visitors' center and had a guided tour of the capitol. Before lunch, we visited with Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker in the Hart Senate Building. Time for lunch and a visit to the Rayburn House Office Building cafeteria. After lunch, the students were grouped by their congressional district and visited Reps. Alan Nunnelee, Bennie Thompson, Gregg Harper, and Steven Palazzo. The evening ended with the all-states dinner and dance with more than 1,450 students representing 35 states. We will slow down tomorrow with most of the day at the Smithsonian Museums. Thanks again for allowing us the opportunity to show these outstanding young people the capital city of their nation.
Thursday: We started the day a little later and enjoyed breakfast at McDonalds and then took students to a souvenir shop. The rest of the day was spent at the Smithsonian Museums. The evening concluded with dinner at Pentagon City Mall and back to the hotel for evaluations and a farewell gathering.
Friday: We are home. Trust all students had a wonderful time on the 2012 Electric Power Associations of Mississippi youth tour and wish them all well. What a great group of young people. Let us know if we can do anything for them in the future.
LOVE, DADDY RON AND ALL YOUTH TOUR ADVISORS
Read MoreSunday: The students started the day with breakfast at McDonalds and a visit to the Iwo Jima Memorial. The next stops were World War II Memorial and the U.S. Navy Memorial and Museum. Lunch was served at the Hard Rock Cafe. The afternoon featured a tour of Ford's Theatre, Peterson House and Madame Tussaud's wax museum. The evening ended with dinner at a seafood restaurant and a cruise on the Potomac River.
Monday: Wow, what a day. Temperatures in the 70s, pleasant day with a few rain drops. More than 1,500 youth from across the United Sates heard the remarkable story of Mike Schlappi, a victim of an accidental gun shot wound from his best friend. A life changing experience led him to a total change in his life. His motto taken from his mother's comments: "If you can't standup, you can stand out!" And boy does he! Then we loaded the bus for a tour of Union Station and lunch at their food court. Back on spectacular tour buses and off to the National Cathedral, a beautiful place of worship after traveling up embassy row and passing by the VP house. The White House stop is always a popular place to shoot photos and learn about the tight security and a longtime protestor of nuclear war who has been at her station for more than 30 years. Then the hungry students were treated to a nice Italian meal at Buca di Beppo. Plenty of salads, food and desserts and everyone left with a full stomach. That was our last stop as we headed to the Hyatt for a few activities and time for bonding with their new friends. A long day awaits tomorrow as we head to Mt. Vernon, Air Force Memorial, Arlington Cemetery and the popular U.S. Marine Corp's performance at Iwo Jima. See you tomorrow with more photos. If you have any questions or comments, please email to stewart@epaofms.com. Advisors are having a great time showing the many outstanding places in this wonderful city. Check back tomorrow for Tuesday activities, it promises to be better than today. I'm extremely proud of the behavior and cooperation we are receiving from these find young people.
Tuesday: After breakfast, we traveled to Mount Vernon, home of President George Washington. Lunch at the Country Buffet (closest to home cooking) was enjoyed by all. A visit to the Air Force Memorial, one of the new memorials, was next stop. Then to Arlington Cemetery where we visited the grave site of JFK and the changing of the guard. After this visit, we headed to the parade grounds at Iwo Jima for the evening performance by the U.S. Marine Corps at the Sunset Parade. The students were treated to a pizza party and a time to relax. Back to the hotel preparing for a long day on Wednesday as we visit Capitol Hill. The weather has changed and is hot.
Wednesday: A little hot and a lot of walking! But, we made it and what a great day it was. On Capitol Hill at 7 a.m. for official youth tour photos and a group shot with Rep. Gregg Harper. The highlight of the day was a visit with Rep. Harper to the United States House of Representatives floor, where students sat in the chamber which has been the site for many "State of the Union" speeches and legislative debate. Next, he took us to the Speaker's balcony for a beautiful view of the D.C. area. In addition, the students watched a video in the visitors' center and had a guided tour of the capitol. Before lunch, we visited with Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker in the Hart Senate Building. Time for lunch and a visit to the Rayburn House Office Building cafeteria. After lunch, the students were grouped by their congressional district and visited Reps. Alan Nunnelee, Bennie Thompson, Gregg Harper, and Steven Palazzo. The evening ended with the all-states dinner and dance with more than 1,450 students representing 35 states. We will slow down tomorrow with most of the day at the Smithsonian Museums. Thanks again for allowing us the opportunity to show these outstanding young people the capital city of their nation.
Thursday: We started the day a little later and enjoyed breakfast at McDonalds and then took students to a souvenir shop. The rest of the day was spent at the Smithsonian Museums. The evening concluded with dinner at Pentagon City Mall and back to the hotel for evaluations and a farewell gathering.
Friday: We are home. Trust all students had a wonderful time on the 2012 Electric Power Associations of Mississippi youth tour and wish them all well. What a great group of young people. Let us know if we can do anything for them in the future.
LOVE, DADDY RON AND ALL YOUTH TOUR ADVISORS
