We are halfway through our 2007 Mesgana Millennium Tour and it has been quite an experience for all!  We will summarize some of the highlights of each city and will continue to update this as we travel to more cities.  Thanks to Ethiopia Reads for their partnership in this event.

Many thanks to all who have helped us along the way, host families, friends, board members, etc, especially the Ethiopian Communities, individuals and businesses, in the various cities who have helped with food, etc., and many ‘angel’s who have showed up to assist with the many logistics as we travel.  For fear of leaving someone out, we will not mention people and businesses by name, but want to thank everyone for making this tour a huge success so far especially the host families who are helping out.

Our first stop on the tour was Evanston (Chicago) and an appearance at the Vineyard Community Church on August 4^th.  The setting was intimate and a good size crowd showed up to cheer on the girls.  We were especially impressed by the number of adoptive families that came with their kids.  It was a good warm up for our girls and a great time was had by all.  Fun activities included a visit to the American Girl store in Chicago and a swim in Lake Michigan and a fun neighborhood water park.  The weather was kind to us and cooled down for our visit.

 We then flew to Atlanta where the weather was especially hot (temps over 100, etc.).  The Ferst Center at Georgia Tech was an ideal venue with an amazing stage and sound system.  A big walkup crowd swelled the attendance to around 600 people and the large Ethiopian crowd cheered on the girls.  The girls signed autographs on the Mesgana Poster after the show and we didn’t get out of the venue until after 10pm.  Activities included a visit to the Coca Cola Headquarters and the Atlanta Aquarium. 

Next stops on 8/10 & 8/11 were Columbia, Maryland and Washington, DC.  The show in Columbia was at Wilde Lake High School and a fun crowd enjoyed all 9 dances that the girls performed outstandingly.  The next night the kids performed at Lesner Auditorium at George Washington University before a crowd of 800+.  They also appeared on an Ethiopian Radio Show and a TV appearance. 

 The next morning we flew to New York to finish up the East Coast portion of the trip.

The girls stopped at the Abysinnian Baptist Church on the way to the hotel and the congregation was treated to a religious song sung by the Mesgana girls.  After resting at the hotel, the girls arrived at Skirball Center at NYU and performed their usual amazing show before a great crowd.   The next day was a day of rest and relaxation and then we all traveled by into the city for a fun evening on Times Square.  Their favorite visit was to Toy’s R Us on and Planet Hollywood for dinner. 

The next morning (8/14) we all traveled up to South Orange, New Jersey for a show at SOPAC (South Orange Performing Arts Center).  A visit to the local library was fun and then onto the venue where the girls performed another amazing show before a sold-out crowd of highly enthusiastic locals.  Afterwards we had a nice dinner with some of the local supporters. 

 After a delayed flight to Denver due to mechanical problems we arrived in Denver.  We will update you to as to the latest happenings on the tour as they unfold.  The girls are having the times of their lives and are excited for the every day to come. 

The Mesgana Crew