Trying to get a photograph of one's family, or all of one's friends, seems difficult. The concept of photographing the entire city seems impossible, yet Mayor Tom Barrett, along with a host of other Milwaukeeans, want to do just that.

The Milwaukee Mass Portrait takes place Saturday, June 16 on Canal Street at the chimneys, below the 35th Street Viaduct at 10:30 a.m. Everyone in the city is invited to be a part of the city's first group photo, and the first 250 people to register get a free event T-shirt.

"The Milwaukee Mass Portrait will showcase and celebrate Milwaukee's diversity through photography," says Laura Richard of Laura Richard Consulting, one of the powerhouses behind this event.

The photo will mark the renewal of the Menomonee Valley. A variety of prominent Milwaukeeans are involved, but organizers hope to see lots of less high-profile people as well.

"Participants can also check out Milwaukee's newest park which is in the same area," says Richard.

The city is redeveloping this area as the Menomonee Valley industrial Center and Community Park, new greenspace for locals to work and play. The 50-acre park is a work in progress and being constructed in phases, but some areas are already open to the public, including access to the Menomonee River for fishing and canoeing. The 4-mile Hank Aaron State Trail is also open.

Eventually, the photo will be produced as a postcard and distributed for free to the public.

"This is a unique opportunity for Milwaukeeans to be a part of something fun that could create social change," says Richard. "It's ideal for families."