Brunswick Town DAR Chapter Presented The Brunswick Beacon a Certificate of Award for Outstanding Media Coverage

L to R: Teresa McLamb, public relations chair,  Sam Hickman, managing editor at The Brunswick Beacon newspaper in Shallotte, NC, Martha Koletar, vice-regent for the Brunswick Town DAR Chapter, and Phyllis Wilson, public relations committee blog and Facebook manager

The Brunswick Town Daughters of the American Revolution have been very happy with the wonderful publicity that has been given their chapter over the years. The chapter decided it was time to thank them for their outstanding media coverage. On December 13, 2019, Sam Hickman, managing editor accepted the award at the Brunswick Beacon office in Shallotte, NC.

DAR Tea With Martha - December 7, 2019

Tea With Martha Program, which was sponsored by the Wilmington Ladies Tea Walk DAR Chapter in Wilmington, NC.

Pineapple centerpieces were given away as door prizes

Centerpiece

 Silent Auction Table

                     

    Tea With Martha, Hostess from the Wilmington Ladies Tea Walk Chapter 

Florida State Regent, Kay Yarbrough,  presented as Martha Washington from the time of her first marriage with Daniel Parke Custis, to her marriage with George Washington and their life in the nation’s first capital, New York City, onto her life in the nation’s second capital, Philadelphia, and onto her retirement with George at Mount Vernon.  Martha stated that she and George entertained approximately 120 days per year.

                       
                                                Martha in her seat of honor during the tea.

Seated:  Brunswick Town Chapter Members, Patricia Gooding, Regent, and Carol Jutte, Past Regent

      Standing:  Pat Steele, Nora Hicham, Mary Sands, and Dale Spencer.

North Carolina State Regent, Carol Nunalee Weiss, was in attendance

Merry Ann Wright, Past President General; Meg Smith and Kay Yarbrough, Florida State Regent 

Installation of  The Wilmington LadiesTea Walk Chapter New Members

Dining Room

James Barbot;  Jane Barbot, Past North Carolina State Regent & Gina Thompson, Regent of Wilmington Ladies Tea Walk

 Patricia Gooding, Regent,  Carol Jutte, Past Regent,  and Nora Hicham in their lovely

     tea attire

 Held at the Scottish Rite Temple in Wilmington, NC

Seated: Nora Hickam; Lila Fordyce; Lisa Pomeranz, District VII Director; Sally Meginley
Standing: Susan Erickson; Dale Spencer; Pat Steele; Mary Sands; Dana Majernik; Pat Gooding and Carol Jutte

Photos from the December 11, 2019 Brunswick Town DAR Meeting

Vice-Regent Martha Koletar introduced the speaker, Jane Johnson, who presented a program on Moravian Christmas Customs in North Carolina. She gave a short history of the church and its continuing mission programs. Jand used dolls to demonstrate typical clothing from the colonial era. She talked about the Moravians dedication to the education of both boys and girls, as well as shows  AMll Advent star which was a math project in a Moravian Boys School in Germany in 1830. She brought Moravian ginger cookies to share and explained how they were made. Carol Jutte brought Moravian sugar cake for each person to taste. A more modern tradition is the Candle Tea in Salem where a Pultz is on display. these displays were a favorite activity that the Moravians of the 1800s enjoy building and sharing. Jane displayed the molded candles, and a Lovefeast bun as the Christmas Candlelight Love Feast was presented. She ended with a short history of the importance of music in the life of the Moravians. 

Jane, Mary Mears and Cindy Sellers closed the program with the singing of a traditional Moravian Christmas hymn, "Morning Star."

National Defense Chair Kathy Johnson spoke about "Who was the First Woman who was to Vote?"Native American women were given the right but often had their votes discounted. Mary Brent of MD who owned property voted as Power of Attorney for Lord Calvert, but the Governor denied her request. Over and over women exercised the voting privilege only to have it overturned. Even Susan B. Anthony was tried in court for illegally voting. The bottom line is that we don't know who the first woman was to vote before the 19th Amendment was passed.

American Indian Minute Chair Cheri Lambert spoke of the Powhatan Indian attack of March 22, 1622, which is referred to as the "Massacre of 1622". English settlement expansion threatened the Indian way of life but they believed the Penchancanough and the Powhatan shared the idea of an integrated society. They did not. The Openchancanough's staged a massive attack on the English settlement killing 347 British settlers. The attack resulted in an excuse for the English to seize more territory from the indigenous population of the Chesapeake.

Conservation Minute: Chair Mary Sands spoke about the structure of sand dunes and how sand is constantly moving back and forth like a river. Walking, running, and playing can irreversibly damage a beach dune. Natural dunes are superior to bulldozed artificial dunes that break down because they ack the ideal sediment layers. Because sand dunes protect inland areas from swells, healthy beach dune is a powerful antidote against coastal erosion.

Constitution Minute: Chair Diana Fotinatos (absent) had Annetta Clark give the Constitution Minute: This President of the United States was known to be aloof and took the oath of office with his hand on a law book instead of the bible. He was the dubious distinction of being the first President who neither won the popular vote nor the vote in the Electoral College. He prevailed when the House of Representatives settles the election. He went to his inaugural ball stag when his wife fell ill. Even though he was known as "Old Man Eloquent" for delivering powerful speeches, he delivered an awful inaugural speech because of the way he wrangled the win He was also the first President to wear long pants instead of knicker this inauguration. What was the name of this President? John Quincy Adams, answered by Brooke Tripplett.

Next month, Librarian Dian Price will have a free choice of books to check out on out blog. Contact Diane if you want someone to bring a book. Diane will contact them to have the books at the January meeting. Ruth Rice has several books from New Hampshire and Main.

Historian, Dana Majernik prepared a display board of photos from the Tea With Martha on December 7th in Wilmington, NC sponsored by the Wilmington Ladies Tea Walk Chapter. There is another post on our blog with lots of photos from the event. Be sure and check them out. Thank you Dana for taking such great photos and sending them to me to post on out blog.

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Teresa McLamb, public relations chair is holding up a certificate that was presented to Sam Hickman for his excellent publicity for our DAR chapter. The article will be in the January 2, 2020 issue of the Brunswick Beacon.

Wreaths Across America December 14, 2019 - Photos of the Event - Brunswick Town DAR Chapter

At the Wreaths Across America Ceremony on December 14th at Wilmington National Cemetery, Brunswick Town Daughters of the American Revolution members helped to lay wreaths on grave markers. Almost 5,000 wreaths, purchased by individuals and businesses were placed on veteran's graves.

The annual program at national cemeteries across the country grew from a small personal effort by the family which owns Worcester Wreaths in Maine. The family and volunteers who helped the effort for several years formed a nonprofit in 20007 in order to expand the annual event and to assist other groups across the country who wanted to do the same.

In the following year, wreath-laying ceremonies were held in every state, Puerto Rico and 4 overseas cemeteries. More than 100,000 wreaths were placed on veterans'' graves by more than 60,000 volunteers. December 13, 2008, was unanimously voted by the US Congress as "Wreaths Across America Day."

In 2014, Wreaths Across America and its national network of volunteers laid over 700,000 memorial wreaths at 1,000 locations in the United States and beyond, including ceremonies at the Pearl Harbor Memorial, as well as Bunker Hill, Valley Forge and the sites of the September 11 tragedies. This was accomplished with help from 2,047 fundraising groups, corporate contributions, and donations of trucking, shipping, and thousands of helping hands. The organization's goal of covering Arlington National Cemetery was met in 2014 with the placement of 226, 525 wreaths, according to the organization's website.

The wreath-laying is held annually on the second or third Saturday of December. WAA's annual pilgrimage from Harrington, Maine to Arlington National Cemetery has become known as the world's largest veterans' parade stopping at schools, monuments, veterans' homes, and communities all along the way to remind people how important it is to remember, honor and teach.

Click on each photo to enlarge them.

L to R: Brunswick Town NSDAR members Dana Majernik, Nancy Wetherington, Carol Jutte, Phyllis Wilson, Martha Koletar, Fran Carlsen (chapter chair for Wreaths Across America) and Carol Hart were among the people who laid wreaths on graves for the holiday season.  (Members present but absent from picture; Carol Sutter and; Brenda Harriss)

Boxes that all the wreaths arrived in from Columbia Falls, Maine

Civil Air Patrol members not only helped unpack the wreaths, but also closed down boxes and took them to be disposed of after the ceremony.

The wreathswere unpacked by the Civil Air Patro.l

Fran Carlsen, chairman of the Wreaths Across America DAR Brunswick Town Chapter. Below getting the wreaths used for the ceremony.

                            New Hanover County Sheriff's Office Honor guard, posted the colors.

Laying the Wreath Ceremony

James Folsom is a member and the Patriot Guard Riders.

Laying the wreaths - the ceremony begins

Mike Maykish sang the National Anthem.

Keynote Speaker, Capt. Robert Page, USMC worked at the White House during the Gerald Ford Administration and the Jimmy Carter ADministration. Today Capt. Page is a Ride Captain for the American Honor Guard and the Patriot Honor Guard.

             Cheryl Poenry of the American Honor Guard gave instructions on how to lay the wreaths.

                                          Sons of the American Revolution in period costume.

       Gold Star Mother

                 Members of Honor Guard

                                                         Carol Hart placing a wreath on a veteran's grave

     Bagpiper Daryl Chambers

Phyllis Wilson wears her Wreaths Across America sweatshirt while arranging wreaths on display table. Thank you Martha Koletar for snapping these photos of me.

Dana Majernek, in the center of photo unpacking a box of wreaths. Thank you, Dana, for taking many of the beautiful photos that are on the blog.  Carol Sutter in blue jacket handing out wreaths and Carol Jutte in white jacket.

Patty Spear member of the Stamp Defiance DAR Chapter in Wilmington helped unpack and distribute wreaths alongside the Brunswick Town members, 1812 and Lord Craven members. We all worked together on this event.

All wreaths presented.

                                   The Tree of Life Stands proudly to honor the dead while it embraces the living.