Attendees of the 2008 President's Council Retreat held August 4-6 in Chicago.

The inaugural President’s Council Retreat kicked off on Monday, August 4 with a night to remember!

Approximately 50 Heartland supporters watched the Cubs vs. Astros baseball game at Wrigley Field from Brixen Ivy Rooftops. Guests dined on ballpark favorites while five innings of pleasant weather came to an abrupt end, with high winds and torrential rain leaving visibility in the ballpark at nearly zero. Heartlanders rushed indoors as tornado sirens began to wail.

Locals seemed delighted by the turn of events, as they had never seen anything like this at Wrigley Field before! Undeterred by the weather, the Heartland crew continued to enjoy themselves for many hours on the various floors of the Brixen Ivy. Lightning flashed near Wrigley Field in the late innings as a few brave attendees watched and waited until the game was called at 11:51 p.m., with one out in the bottom of the eighth, giving the game to the Astros in a 2-0 finish.

The following day, August 5, the retreat’s opening lunch was held at Nick’s Fishmarket with a keynote presentation by David Padden, founder of The Heartland Institute and chairman emeritus of the board of directors. Visitors were then escorted to The Heartland Institute offices for an open house and presentations by Heartland staff. The day concluded with a boat tour of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan aboard Wendella’s Sunliner, with drinks and dinner catered by Harry Caray’s. The views were spectacular as the sun set and the lights of the Chicago skyline illuminated the lake.

The President’s Council Summit was held on August 6 at the Union League Club, hosted by Arthur Margulis, one of Heartland’s newest board members. Panel discussions on education reform, environmental extremism, philanthropy, and health care included speakers such as Herbert Walberg, chairman of the Heartland board; Dan Schmidt of The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation; Rich Collins, president of Golden Rule Insurance Company; and a remarkable keynote lunch presentation on global warming by John Coleman, a former Chicago weatherman and founder of the Weather Channel.

The festivities concluded with dinner at a Chicago landmark, Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, featuring one of the architects and central figures of the conservative movement, Grover G. Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and author of Leave Us Alone — Getting the Government’s Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives. Bob Buford, a partner at Gibsons and a Heartland board member, hosted the event and gave opening remarks.

The President’s Council Retreat is expected to be an annual event exclusively for Heartland’s most dedicated supporters, featuring substantive discussions on free-market public policy issues and a variety of social and networking activities.

For more information about the President’s Council Retreat or other events at The Heartland Institute, please contact Vice President Lauren Chrissos at lchrissos@heartland.org or 312/377-4000.