William B. Umstead State Park turns 90 this year!  Our Park was established in 1934 by the National Park Service Park to provide jobs during the Great Depression to build a forested recreational park.  As part of our beginnings, tens of thousands of trees were planted to restore eroded marginal farmland, Sycamore Lake was created and group camps were built.  Sycamore Group camp was the first built.  By 1990, the Sycamore Mess Hall was proposed to be destroyed due to lack of maintenance funds. Umstead Coalition fought to save the Sycamore mess hall and cabins.  Today, all the Park’s forested landscape and its historic buildings are protected by their 1995 listing in the National Register of Historic Places (Register Reference Number is 95000783, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718645; Summary pages here).  The Umstead Coalition is actively working to restore the Sycamore Mess hall; volunteers have already contributed several thousands of hours-truly a community effort!

To celebrate its anniversary, we are hosting Umstead’s 90th Anniversary Birthday Bash!  Fittingly, we will hold our Birthday Bash at the Sycamore Mess Hall, near the Sycamore Multi-use trailhead, which can be reached by entering the Park from the US70/Glenwood Avenue Park entrance in Raleigh.

The Birthday Bash will include drinks, live music, dinner (including fresh-baked pizza from Papa Murphy’s in Cary), a silent auction, drawings, and more. The music will feature traditional thump-picking guitar, acoustic music by Nixon, Williams, and Gage and a concert by Bett Padgett featuring traditional, folk and original songs and stories - she will "edutain" us all!

Dress code is casual with suggestion to wear your "best flannel shirt"!

A limited edition Umstead-branded IPA is being produced and donated by Clouds Brewing.  Event will feature live music, pizza by Papa Murphy's, silent auction, and more.  

Umstead's 90th brithday bash!

Saturday, October 19: 4-7pm

To celebrate, we are holding a 90th Anniversary Birthday Bash!   Fittingly, we will hold our Birthday Bash at the Sycamore Mess Hall, near the Sycamore Multi-use trail head, which can be reached by entering the Park from the US70/Glenwood Avenue Park entrance.

Dress code is casual with suggestion to wear your "best flannel shirt"!

This event will feature:

• A limited edition Umstead-branded IPA produced and named by Clouds Brewing: "Don't Take Umstead for Granite."   All beer profits will be donated to the Umstead Coalition to support William B. Umstead State Park .   
• Other beers to round out the beer selections by Clouds Brewing
• Award winning root beer by Clouds Brewing
• Red and white wine choices
• Free lemonade and water
• Pizza by Papa Murphy's - fresh baked!
• 4-5pm Social with hors d'oeuvres, music by Jose Albizu and his Afro Cuban Jazz Trio
• 5:15-6pm Concert by Bett Padgett: Traditional, folk and original songs and stories - she will "edutain" us all!
• 6-6:30pm Concert and story telling by folksinger Ann Bauer, featuring songs collected in the 1930's from the community who lived in what is now Umstead State Park

• Silent Auction - see the great items here==>
• Raffle for outdoor grill
• Flannel shirt contest

This is a ticketed event with all proceeds serving William B. Umstead State Park.   Ticketed entry of $50 ($35 for those under 21) discounted by $15 without commemorative glass will include:

• Umstead 90th Commemorative beer or wine glass 
• 2 free glass of beer, wine or root beer 
• Social with music and hors d'oeuvres
• Concerts - folk and traditional 
• Fresh baked pizza
• Fresh popped popcorn
• Birthday cake!

Extra commemorative beer or wine glasses available for $15 each. Extra wine or beer tickets available with registration ($5) and at event ($6).  ID required to be served alcohol. 

Volunteers will receive free entry and $5 off your choice of drink or commemorative glass. 

FUND RAISING GOAL - $90K for 90th!

We have set a fund-raising goal for September-December of $90K. 

We already had two donor match committed ($10K and $25K) and we received a $15K grant for T-shirts and other artistic items to show support for William B. Umstead State Park.   We have received additional donations and sales of $13k.

We have $27K to go.  We can do this!  Proceeds from the Saturday, October 5 Native Plant Sale, the Saturday October 19 "Umstead's 90th Birthday Bash!", merchandise sales,  memberships, donations will all count towards meeting this goal.

The Umstead Coalition is 100% volunteers so 100% of your donations go directly to support William B. Umstead State Park. 

Donate for Drawing for 4-burner Gas Grill

Donate to the Umstead Coalition and get drawing tickets to win a Blackstone 4 burner liquid propane outdoor griddle. Grill is being donated by "Walton & Maready Orthodontics."

$10 for one ticket
$20 for two tickets
$25 for three tickets
$50 for six tickets
$100 for 12 tickets

Drawing will be held at 7pm at the end of the "Umstead's 90th Birthday Bash!" Saturday, October 19.

You do not need to present to win.  But, you do need to be able to pick up grill 

You can donate for the drawing at the the Native Plant Sale October 5, at the October 19 event  or online: https://umsteadcoalition.square.site/product/donation-for-gas-grill/117