A.G. Gancarski
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Renaissance Weekend, a gathering of global elites that Bill Clinton and others make it a point not to miss.
And this year, Jacksonville’s mayor may be added to that list of luminaries, receiving an invitation this week in the mail.
The language on the letter from Linda LeSourd Lader, president of the Renaissance Institute, is as flowery and aspirational as one could want.
“Renaissance Weekends have transformed institutions and individual lives while celebrating ideas and relationships since 1981. Will you join us in the years ahead?”
To entice Curry to sign on, the institute is willing to waive registration fees for the mayor and his “accompanying immediate family.”
However, the letter cautions, lodging and the “Meals-&-Meetings Services Fee” will be on Curry’s dime.
“At Renaissance Weekends,” the epistle continues, “prominent authorities and emerging leaders (in groundbreaking lectures, seminars, and discussions) share divergent perspectives on everything from the arts and technology to public policy and personal issues.”
But that’s not all: “the fun is more than intellectual. Conversations and adventures unfold on mountain hikes, at wine-tastings, with tennis and golf, in award-winning restaurants and galleries.”
“Enduring friendships are forged; remarkable collaborations and initiatives launched,” the letter adds.
There are several Renaissance Weekend options available, including an outdoorsy themed one in Banff, Alberta on July 4; a Labor Day mountain retreat in Aspen; Columbus Day in Napa; and New Year’s 2017 in Charleston, South Carolina.
The New Year’s gathering is typically the largest, providing the best networking options; however, were Curry to attend that, he would miss the TaxSlayer.com Bowl on December 31.
