The Friends of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park Friends are packing plenty of fun into their casual National Treasures 2011: Party at Point Park from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1.

“We’re celebrating another National Treasures – Point Park – Chattanooga’s first tourist attraction. Tourism started here as visitors to Lookout Mountain took in the sweeping views and posed for photographs on Umbrella Rock,” notes friends president Becky Browder. “From that beginning, our community has built upon a tapestry of natural and cultural wonders that attract millions of visitors every year.”

Live bluegrass music will be provided by Dismembered Tennesseans, recognized nationally as living treasures and masters of America’s bluegrass music.

Guests can immortalize their memories of the evening with their own, take-home photo portraits made at historic Umbrella Rock.

They’ll join the parade of thousands who, down through the decades, have documented their visit to the point of Lookout Mountain with souvenir pictures. For the first time in years, Umbrella Rock will be open Sept. 1 exclusively for National Treasures guests.

Guests will enjoy complimentary summer beverages and, in tribute to the Peace Monument, a menu that blends favorite dishes from both North and South.

Some activities and special sites include exploring the park in general, visiting the newly renovated Ochs Museum, hearing cannon fire by living Civil War historians and riding the incline.

The Party at Point Park benefits the nonprofit Friends of the Park, generating vital income for their work and highlighting the significance and needs of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, the first national park established to memorialize America’s history.

Tickets are $75 each or $130 per couple, and are available via secure PayPal credit card purchases online at www.chickchatt.org or by check, made payable and mailed to Friends of the Park, P.O. Box 748, Chattanooga, TN 37401.

The reservation deadline is Aug. 25.

Reservations include food, beverages, activities and a tax deductible donation to the Friends. (Guests will receive written documentation for their donations.)

Individual or group Umbrella Rock photos will be available for $20.