Tour of Hammer Bakker Program

We also squeezed in a tour of the Hammer Bakker program who hosted the Harvest Festival. They art studios, senior programs, a music recording studio for their band, a weaving room, a sewing and embroidery room, a pottery studio, a farm with sheep and pigs, and a garden. All of the flowers that decorated the Harvest Festival were grown in their green house.

They also ran a museum of the institution that used to be on the grounds where the festival was. Lifeworks travelers were very interested in the museum which was created and maintained by staff who used to work in the institution. They did not hide the terrible things that happened to the residents who lived there. We saw the restraints that were used on people, photos of terrible living conditions, the uniforms of the staff and so much more. Eight hundred people used to live in the institution. The buildings are currently used for the Hammer Bakker day program.

That's the Way it is Today - Encore performance

The Lifeworks All Star Band's encore performance at the Harvest Festival. The Festival was amazing. There were more than 1000 people who attended. Eight different band performed between 10am and 4pm. It was a beautiful sunny day with a temperature of abotu 68 degrees. Everyone had a great time. In addition to the music the art and crafts of people with disabilities in Denmark were for sale. Many of us bought unique and beautiful souviners.

Tammy said, "It was amazing to see how many people came." The All Star Band was thrilled with their performance and the crowds reactions. Peter said, "We did great!"

We have arrived!

We have safely arrived in Aalborg, Denmark and are settling into our hotel rooms. The flights all went smoothly and we had plenty of time to make our connections. It was nice flying out of Chicago at 10pm, because we all stayed up until they served our dinner and then everyone slept.

We are heading out for dinner and then turning in early. Tomorrow is the big Harvest Festival and we want to be rested so we celebrate with our Danish Friends. Many other passengers asked us if we were on a mission trip because of our matching Lifeworks t-shirts.

In Chicago, preparing for our long 8 hour flight to Copenhagen. Judy gave information and details about the flight to the group.

Day 1 - Travel

Our group before we left Minneapolis. Here we come Denmark!

We have arrived safely in Chicago and are waiting for our plane to take off for Copenhagen, Denmark.

Lifeworks Goes to Denmark in 2010

Lifeworks is announcing a new travel and music opportunity for people with disabilities August 24-31, 2010. Fifteen people with disabilities are invited to travel with Lifeworks to Aalborg, Denmark. Aalborg is situated at the narrowest point of Limfjord, the fjord that bisects Jutland, and is Denmarks's fouth-largest city. This trip will not repeat any of the sites or events visited on the October 2009 trip. We were invited by Aalborg Kommune, an agency like Lifeworks, to tour their programs for people with disabilities and attend their summer outdoor music event called the "Harvest Festival" on Thursday, August 26, 2010.

In addition, people with disabilities are invited to audition for a new Lifeworks band who will perform at the festival. Six band members will be selected by Roxxy Hall, who has been contracted by Lifeworks to create and lead the band for this project. Musicians of all kinds are welcome to audition in February. You can still go on the trip if you audition and do not make the band. Prior to the trip, selected band members will practice with and learn from Roxxy. Members commit to attending all practices and have their own transportation to the Peachy Studio in New Brighton. The band members will get together two times per month between March and June. From June 14th to August 20th, there will be individual and group practice sessions for 3-4 hours a day, four days a week with Roxxy Hall.

The price for people with disabilities is $3500. The price for band members is $4200 and includes six months of lessons with Roxxy Hall. Other travelers are welcome at a cost of $2750. Because of transportation arrangements on this trip, all travelers must be ambulatory and able to climb stairs.

We will be holding two information sessions to learn more about the travel and band opportunities. The first session is Thursday, January 21 at 7pm and the second is Friday, January 22 at 10am. A deposit of $500 must be received by February 12, 2010. Final payment is due by August 1, 2010. Monthly payments can be arranged. Information sessions are optional, for more information, contact Mary Lenertz at 651-365-3749 or mlenertz@lifeworks.org.

We are back!

Yes...

I am sure you have realized that we have been back for a week now. But, that does not mean that the excitement does not continue. The legend of the journey lives on. There are still many things to do to capture the essence of our trip.

I am still gathering pictures from people. If you have any great shots, send them to me, and I will put them on our Flickr site. My email is afreeman@lifeworks.org
This entry, I am focusing on the artistic pictures of Sue Trunk. She had a more aesthetic eye during the trip, and did a really nice job of capturing our surroundings.
BTW, if you like any of the pictures I am pretty sure you can download them for your own use. The files are large enough in their original format to print out and look great.

LOOK AT THE PICTURES

At some point here, there will be a gathering for us all to get together, talk about all the fun we had, hand out travel awards, and have fun getting together again. For myself, it will be great to see some of the faces and chat with people from the trip. I have some very fond memories of the new friends I met.

Also, if anyone has any funny stories, journal entries, jokes, videos, memorabilia, let me know. I can make anyone a poster on this blog, and would love to hear some of the reflections of the travelers.

I will look forward to seeing you all again, trading stories, and continuing the journey.

Best,

Adrian