Dear Council of 101 Members,
The month of September brings joyful anticipation of a new “season” and a sense of relief from our summer heat. We can envision a palette of color changes, football at all levels and pumpkin flavored everything. We celebrate Labor Day at the close of summer, children are back in school (not virtually) and our attention shifts to the upcoming holidays. The feeling when the summer seemed unending jumps to a countdown of excitement leading to Festival of Trees 2021.
FOT committee chairs have been meeting, brainstorming, envisioning a full Festival event with a sense of health awareness. We have been meeting often and working hard. Plans are well underway for another outstanding Festival of Trees. We have so much to celebrate beginning with a gala sparkling with holiday tradition. Our guests will immediately be transformed into an evening of elegance upon entry into the rotunda and seeing the breath-takingly beautiful crystal-adorned tree. It is time to dress up and celebrate. A select number of reserved tables will be available and we will take reservations and payments as we have in the past through the 101 office
We are bringing back Breakfast with Santa on both Saturdays and have moved Reindeer Romp to Friday to give families an evening to enjoy without the early alarm of school beckoning them away. Last year we accomplished amazing fundraising under the Covid circumstances with minimal volunteers. I hope with the vaccine and booster many of you will feel comfortable coming back to work you shifts. We can accommodate distancing and flexible options to keep our members safe. We all want to be together and enjoy raising money for the museum we love.
Please be diligent in signing up for your committee placement and shift obligations. We will need full participation from our members, and I am confident we will have it. Our Festival of Trees financial obligation information will be released soon and tickets will go on sale early in October. We will have the convenience as members of purchasing our tickets through our private website as we pay our dues and all ticket purchases will count towards our financial obligation, including special events.
Our next General Meeting is on Thursday, September 23 at 5:00 p.m. We will hear from a few of our Festival of Trees chairmen about how they are planning to embrace this year's theme, “Sparkling Holiday Traditions” and some may still be in need of additional committee members.
The same evening has been selected by the museum as a VIP event for the re-launch and opening of several new exhibitions. We have been personally invited to attend at the conclusion of our business meeting by Aaron De Groft, Director and CEO, so please come ready to stay a while and enjoy a festive post meeting event and tour. It will be helpful to RSVP for the meeting so we can advise the planning team at the museum.
I am more amazed than ever of the talent and creativity in the wonderful group of women of Council of 101. The dedication of putting on an amazing event brings about a true sense of pride exuding intelligence and generosity. I am honored to be your president and am so appreciative of all you do.
Kind regards,
Joan
