Join TweetUp Kalamazoo for a haunting good time

When we heard the Kalamazoo social media community was getting into some ghostly good fun, for a good cause, we had to reach out and learn more about it.

Sure, if you follow #tweetupkzoo on Twitter you’re probably familiar with the events and activities this group does to ensure online friends have a chance to meet in person, in a social setting. But this week’s activity takes on a decidedly local and somewhat spooky spin.

We were able to touch base with one of TweetUp Kalamazoo’s organizers, Sarah Lee, to learn all about it:

ParagonLife: How did TweetUp Kalamazoo get involved with this particular event and what sort of attendance are you expecting?
Sarah Lee: We got involved because one of our TweetUp Kalamazoo group members, Eric Schmidt, told us about the event. Eric is part of the Kalamazoo Jaycees, the organization that puts the Ghosts of Kalamazoo Historic Tour together annually. We have a group of 10 going so far and we have a couple more RSVPs pending to get a group of 15. A good group size for such tours are between 10 and 15 people. There are several other groups who will be doing the tour as well who are not part of TweetUp Kalamazoo.

PL: What are the details of the event itself on Oct. 22 and the charity tie-in for Warm Kids?
SL: The Kalamazoo Jaycees have been hosting these tours in several locations for the past several weeks and their final tour destination is downtown Kalamazoo. The downtown Kalamazoo tours will be offered on Friday, Oct. 22 and Saturday, Oct. 23 at 6 and 8 p.m.

Tours will depart and return to Bronson Park on the corner of Rose & Academy Streets in Kalamazoo.
Advanced reservations are encouraged and it is $7 per person. All proceeds support the non-profit organization Warm Kids. Reservations can be made at: http://www.ghostsofkalamazoo.com/register/

Kalamazoo Jaycees have organized and assisted numerous fundraisers with its energized membership dedicated to peer networking and service to the community. They have partnered with Warm Kids for the two years on the Ghosts of Kalamazoo tours and have raised nearly $7,000 for this organization.

Warm Kids is a Kalamazoo-based non-profit organization dedicated to providing new coats, boots, hats and mittens for children identified by their elementary school staff as being in need. Infants and preschool children identified by local agencies also receive snowsuits, coats and boots. For every $45 raised by the Ghosts of Kalamazoo Historic Tour (approximately seven tickets sold), we help Warm Kids provide one new coat, sturdy boots, hat and gloves to a child this November.

TweetUp Kalamazoo is dedicated to supporting our community in many ways and we found Ghosts of Kalamazoo Historic Tour as a great way to bring people together to be social, learn about stories and history of our community, and support a cause that impacts people’s lives immediately.

PL: What do you hope participants gain from the experience overall?
SL: My main goal is for participants to meet other tweeps and connect in real life while through an activity that engages people in a conversation about our community. In this case, the hidden gems of
stories that tell a rich history of Kalamazoo. After all, TweetUp Kalamazoo mission is to connect Twitter users face-to-face in Kalamazoo/Portage to have important conversations about social media and our community.

Ghosts of Kalamazoo Historic Tour in general provides a historic account of Kalamazoo County with a twist of haunted stories. The tour provides a great opportunity to enjoy an evening in Downtown Kalamazoo while making a positive impact on the lives of children in our community.

PL: How much interest has their been so far?
SL: Overall the Ghosts Tours have been very well received, in fact they have sold out on the past several weekends and last minute attendees may be able to squeeze in. However the goal is to keep the groups at a manageable size so that everyone has the opportunity to tune in to the stories while interacting with everyone else in the group.

PL: Have you participated in the Ghosts of Kalamazoo tours before  - if so what did you think? I realize they offer different tours in different locations. Did you choose based on location or date?
SL: I have not been on this tour before and I’m actually excited to go with my tweeps! We picked downtown Kalamazoo mainly for the ideal date and location. Many of us work and live close to downtown Kalamazoo, yet we pass it by without realizing the rich history that is laid right before
us. I’m sure we will be tweeting as we’re traveling on this tour.

PL: Is there anything you’d like to add?
SL: If people are curious to see what our comments and thoughts are about the tour, come check out the hashtag #tweetupkzoo on Twitter this Friday evening from 7:15 p.m. onward. Our group is slotted to begin at Bronson Park.

For tickets, visit www.ghostsofkalamazoo.com or email tickets@ghostsofkalamazoo.com.

For more information about the tour, please contact Lisa Kukulski by calling (269) 323-9381 or sending e-mail to info@ghostsofkalamazoo.com. For questions about Kalamazoo Jaycees contact Niki Worthams at (269) 377-1607 or president@kalamazoojaycees.org. To join TweetUp Kalamazoo connect with Sarah on Twitter at @SarahLWLee or by email at sarah.lw.lee@gmail.com.

This post is brought to you by Paragon Apartments and the Paragon Patio. We’d love to connect with you on Facebook or @ParagonApts on Twitter.

Tags: Apartments in Kalamazoo, Apartments in Kalamazoo MI, bronson park, Ghosts of Kalamazoo, Ghosts of Kalamazoo Historic Tour, ghosts tours Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Kalamazoo Jaycees, Paragon Apartments, Paragon Apts, Paragon Life, Paragon Patio, Sarah Lee, TweetUp Kalamazoo, Warm Kids Kalamazoo

This entry was posted on October 20, 2010 at 10:03 am and is filed under Kalamazoo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.