Celebration of Life for Michaela “Mickey” Shunick, September 29, 2012

WHO: Family and Friends of Mickey Shunick
WHAT: Community Celebration in Honor of Mickey Shunick
WHERE: Parc International, Downtown Lafayette
WHEN: 11:30-5:00, Saturday, September 29, 2012
COST: No admission charge
Media Contact: Josh Coen, 337-781-0756

The family and friends of Mickey Shunick are announcing The Community Celebration in Honor of Mickey Shunick. This is a public celebration that will take place at Parc International in Lafayette, Louisiana on September 29, 2012. Gates will open at 11:30 am, with the event beginning at noon. The Shunick family wants to emphasize that this is truly a celebration in every sense of the word, as well as a show of thanks to everyone in our community who helped to bring Mickey home. All who have been touched by Mickey’s story are invited to attend.  IDI Workspace Solution will make a public art wall available for the public to share art inspired by Mickey.  Beer and soft drinks will be sold.  Food will be available for purchase from Carpe Diem Gelato, BiBi’s Patisserie, Freetown Fries, and Zeus.  T-shirts with a new, celebratory graphic will be sold by Absolutely Monogramming and Gifts for the cost of printing.

The Community Celebration in Honor of Mickey Shunick will begin with several friends sharing their memories of Mickey.  The Acadiana Symphony String Quartet will join us on stage during the formal remembrance. City-Parish President Joey Durel will speak to join family and friends in recognition of law enforcement officers, volunteers, donors, university officials, the district attorney’s office, Texas Equusearch, Special K-9s and our community as a whole for this incredible effort and outpouring of love to the Shunick family. Finally, the Shunick Family will give a personal statement to the community.

The next portion of the celebration will consist of live performances from three of Mickey Shunick’s favorite local bands. Whole Damn Town will perform first at 1:15, followed by imagineIAM at 2:15, and closing with Rareluth at 3:30. The Community Celebration in Honor of Mickey Shunick will culminate at 4:15pm with a public bike ride following the route Mickey took the morning of May 19th.  We are encouraging attendees to either ride or bring their bicycles to Parc International so that they may join the ride. A free “bike corral” will be managed by Bike Lafayette.  The ride will conclude with the permanent placement of a “ghost bike” at the end of St. Landry Street, and ninety live Monarch butterflies will be released as a tribute to Mickey.  University of Louisiana-Lafayette President Joseph Savoie will join us for the dedication of the ghost bike.  The Shunick Family requests that the public continue on to the UL football game where Mickey will be honored with her family present, and the game will be dedicated to her strength and bravery. “This day will honor Mickey’s life and her impact on this community. This brave, young woman inspired us to action and we want her legacy to be that which will continue to inspire love and kindness toward one another,” says Barbara Alexander, friend of the Shunick family.  For guidelines for contributions to the public art wall, please contact celebratemickey@gmail.com.