2007 American Mensa Annual Gathering
The 2007 American Mensa Annual Gathering was the annual convention of the American Mensa society, officially hosted by the Central Alabama Mensa chapter on July 3 - 8 in Birmingham. In addition to business meetings, vendors and craft fair, banquet meals and other formal and informal events held at the Sheraton Birmingham, members took organized tours of the region and had plenty of time to explore the city on their own. For children and teenagers there were separate "Kid's Trek" and "TeenSIG" events.
The Central Alabama chapter previously hosted the 1997 Annual Gathering.
Planning for the 2007 event was disrupted by a dispute between the local volunteer event chairs and the Sheraton over the planners' intentions to serve food prepared in private kitchens in the convention's "hospitality area". Unable to resolve the dispute, management of the event was forcefully taken over by American Mensa, Ltd.
Schedule
July 3
- Icebreakers
- Scrabble tournament
- Tour of Ivy Green (Tuscumbia), the Rosenbaum House (Florence) and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame (Muscle Shoals)
July 4
- Screening of Murderball
- Mensa testing
- Quirkie, True Greed, Cover Up and Sudoku tournaments
- Visit to American Village's annual Independence Day festivities
- Numerous seminars and presentations on a variety of topics, including one on "Two Birmingham Personalities" by Sam Rumore
July 5
- Tour to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum, the Talladega Superspeedway, and the Barber Vintage Motorsports Park and Museum
- Tour to Montgomery to visit the Alabama State Capitol, the First White House of the Confederacy, the Civil Rights Memorial, and the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church.
- Tour to the Birmingham Museum of Art
- Meta-Forms, Cribbage, Duchre, Poker, Ka-Ching and Logic Puzzle tournaments
- Contra dancing with Red Mountain White Trash
- The "Mr Mensa" pageant
- Numerous seminars and presentations on a variety of topics, including "Community EcoScapes" by Roald Hazelhoff, "The Poems and Pranks of Father Goose" by Charles Ghigna, "Your Right to Clean Water in the Black Warrior" by Nelson Brook, and "Alabama's Natural Diversity" by Doug Phillips
July 6
- Tours of Birmingham featuring Vulcan Park, the Alabama Theatre, and Sloss Furnaces
- Another tour of the Birmingham Museum of Art
- Babylon, Fiendish Armchair Treasure Hunt, Sudoku, Trash Bowl, Boggle, Set, and Settlers of Catan tournaments
- DJ dance party
- Numerous seminars and presentations on a variety of topics, including "Huh??!" by Kathryn Tucker Windham, "A Dope Smoking Country Girl's Run for Governor" by Loretta Nall, and "Sustainable Local Farming" by Frank Stitt,
July 7
- Screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
- Bridge, Palabra, Carnelli, and Gemlock tournaments, plus a spelling bee
- Banquet (roasted top sirloin or portobello mushroom with spinach salad, roasted potatoes, vegetable, roll and pecan pie)
- Keynote address, "How Would a Normal Person Say That?" by Barry Nolan
- "The Stars Fell on Alabama" Mensa Prom 2007 with Z and the Party Faktory
July 8
- Worship service and wrap-up brunch.
References
- Olson, Laura (July 4, 2007) "Mensa elevates city's IQ for week." Birmingham News.