1776 - Those were the days!

As promised, here comes more information about the wonderful event that took place last week at the University of Tulsa - Revolutionary Day. Selected 5th grade classes from Tulsa and surrounding school districts were chosen to attend this event based on the quality of essays they wrote entitled "What Freedom Means to Me".

The days started of with a cold drizzle, but that did not dampen the spirit of 1776 brought by the teachers, students and professional "re-enacters" who all came together for a fun-filled day.





Here is my DAR Chapter Regent, Reta with the teacher who invited us to participate in the event - Beth Howard. Beth is in the process of getting her application complete to join us in DAR.



I learned during the day that Oklahoma is the first state to join with the Educational Outreach Program of Mt. Vernon to promote Early American history in schools. This was enabled by grants from numerous organizations and individuals. This partnership enabled Mt. Vernon to allow "Martha Washington" to visit Tulsa and meet with the students at the event. Mrs. Mary Wiseman brings 30 years of interpretive experience to the role of America's 1st First Lady. She has appeared at the White House Visitor's Center, Williamsburg and her "home" base is Mt. Vernon.
She is so well-versed in Martha Washington's life that she easily transforms the environment and you are transported with her! What a wonderful treat this was for all of us.


Here we are with Martha Washington!











Equally delightful, and of course a true Renaissance man, Mr. Benjamin Franklin was also there and provided a wonderful interactive experience for the students. Mr. Stephen Smith of Oklahoma has entertained hundreds of audiences around the nation with his one man show as Benjamin Franklin. I always heard that ol' Ben was a bit of a ladies man, and found it to be true when he assured me we had met before! I'll admit, I was truly charmed.












The students had all made Colonial attire to wear, and we greeted them as they arrived.



All in all, this was a VERY FUN day and I hope they do it again next year. I love to get dressed up in my costume - and I'll be doing it again tomorrow for our February DAR meeting. I surprised my grandson Michael with a colonial outfit of his own. I'll post those pictures soon.

In the meantime - Happy President's Day Monday and Happy Valentine's Day Sunday.