2015
September 25-27, 2015
Make your reservations now at the Capital Plaza Hotel – 405 Wilkinson Blvd, Frankfort, Ky 502-227-5100 Group code – DUTCH COUSINS-Blocked 80 rooms. Sept 25 & 26, 2015, but plan to be in KY the 24-28th if you can! Capital Plaza Hotel is about 4-5 blocks away from KY History Center. (NOT right next to where we will be meeting as I thought previously.) Thanks to Janice for getting me straightened out on the Kentucky Historical Society and the KY History Center, and the Thomas D Clark center for Kentucky history all in Frankfort and close, but not the same so it may be too far to walk for some people (like me – LOL)
Our meetings will be in Thomas D Clark center for Kentucky history (Ky History Center) http://history.ky.gov/portfolio/thomas-d-clark-center-for-kentucky-history/ 100 West Broadway, Frankfort, KY. 40601. We will be meeting in the Brown-Foreman Room. On Sunday, Sept 27, we will leave Frankfort to go to Harrodsburg for the Old Mud Meetinghouse worship and (we hope) rededication, Moday the Harrodsburg Historical Society and LowDutch Archives will be open only for us from 10 to 3.
– The Martin F. Schmidt Research Library is located upstairs in the same building. Hours of operation are Wed, 10am to 4pm , Thurs, 10am to 8pm, Fri & Sat, 10 am to 5 pm. A copier will be available and the copies are .15 each except for Microfilm copies which are .30 each and we can feel free to bring iPads, phones, laptops, tablets etc. to access any available info at no cost. They are happy to run a tab and we can pay at the end of the event. Parking is located in front of building off Broadway Street in the old railroad depot lot. Parking is limited so car pooling is highly recommended. The Capitol City Museum, 325 Ann St., next door to KHS is free. The Paul Sawyer Pubic Library where we can also research is down the street a couple blocks, M-TH. 9am-8pm, Fri. 9am-6pm, Sat.9am-5pm and Sun. 1pm-5pm.
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SPEAKERS:
Friday Keynote speaker is FIRTH HARING FABEND, author of “New Netherland in a Nutshell”, “A Dutch Family in the Middle Colonies” and other history books of interest to our group.
Saturday lunch keynote is GREG HUBER of near Allentown PA, a Dutch barn and house historian, co-author of the book “The new World Dutch Barn.” In addition, Greg is offering to organize a major tour of house and barns in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties NJ in the year 2017 and to give a talk or two on the greater architecture of NY and NJ.
Kentucky fiddling! As a special treat for the Cousins on Saturday night from 6 pm to 7 pm we will be entertained by MISS KENTUCKY 2015, presenting Kentucky music on the violin. A little dinner music! Wow! We are so lucky – and Steve and Heather are sponsoring this so it won’t cost the cousins.
CHARLIE WESTERFIELD, professional photographer and Dutch Cousin of Louisville KY will present a slide show called “One (Dutch) Man’s America”. It features beautiful photos, great music, and an extremely intelligent and entertaining live narrator.
VINCE AKERS has agreed to be our Saturday Dinner keynote with, “A Photographic History of the Old Mud Meetinghouse” He is going to prepare a slide show and info about the history and restoration of the Old Mud Meetinghouse, with the assistance of his son. Vince has culled historic photos from 1900 to the present. He has copies from several photo archives like the Historic American Buildings Survey in the early 1930s. His own photos cover the last 40 years beginning in 1972. So appropriate for the night before our rededication of the restored church.
OLD MUD MEETINGHOUSE: On Sunday, Sept 27, we will leave Frankfort to go to Harrodsburg for the Old Mud Meetinghouse worship and DEFINITELY a rededication. It is going to be a marvelous event. BE VERY PROUD! Between 2005 and 2014 total contributions by Dutch Cousins to the HHS Old Mud Meetinghouse Restoration Fund came to $133,386. of which at least $76,000. was contributed by Vince Akers alone!
RUSSELL GASERO, an official of the Reformed churches of America, coming from New Brunswick NJ to help us celebrate the restoration of this wonderful 215-year- old Dutch treasure.
WORSHIP: Sunday worship at the Old Mud Meetinghouse is being planned by our Prez – John C. Westerfield, with his son Jeff coming to assist in the service.
VOLUNTEERS: We can always use more volunteers in this all-volunteer Dutch army!
2017 COORDINATOR: Mr. Lynn Rogers of Dayton, Ohio, who did such a good job planning, coordinating and narrating the tour to Pleasant at Madison in 2013, has agreed to be Coordinator for the 2017 gathering. He will pick the place and time and let us know. So the cousins will go on! We need a volunteer assistant to help Lynn with the details. Let me know if this is something you would like to try.
NEWSLETTER: Denise Merideth Perry of Somerville, Tennessee, agreed to be the new Dutch Cousins Newsletter Editor! Wow! we are moving on! What a wonderful group of people to work with. Each of the Committee chairpersons need to begin now preparing a little information for the newsletter, telling what you have planned for the gathering and what you need them to do.
PLANNING COMMITTEE 2015: Barbie Abbott Hamman, Janice Cozine, & Dr. Steve Henry, planning committee, are working hard on the 2015 Dutch Cousins Gathering in Frankfort Kentucky. More info will be coming soon, I am still working on the schedule and registration form. Keep watching the Dutch Letters and our website www.DutchCousins.org. We still need some helpers:
AUTHOR AND BOOK FAIR: Joan Murray of Palatine Illinois agreed to take care of signing up authors and advertising the books that will be available, so be sure to send a note (I will forward) if you have a book to show off and sell. Either the author OR book must have a low Dutch connection.
Look at all these wonderful Volunteers!
REGISTRATION: Janice Cozine of KY is our queen!
HISTORIAN: Barbara Whiteside of Indiana agreed to continue keeping our history.
DISPLAYS: Pam Ellingson of Wisconsin is in charge of the Family Group displays, also our wonderful webmaster!
HOSPITALITY: Gene and Carol Heathcoat of Texas will serve coffee and bagels every morning
SILENT AUCTION: John & Phyllis Westerfield will collect items and handle the sales.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Charlie Westerfield of Louisville, our own personal official Dutch Cousins pro photographer
Tee SHIRTS: Missi Mercer and Barbie Hamman, Missi is our old friend and angel from Shelbyville 2007
Harrodsburg & Old Mud rep: Amalie Preston
GREETERS: ROD DEMPSEY! (but we still need a few more)
OFFICERS: We need officer candidates; 2-year term, no pay but lots of fun. If you are willing and able to take any of the elected officer positions, please hit reply and let me know ASAP. Please consider placing your name in nomination for a position. We’d like to have more than one for each position. Please do not nominate anyone without permission and an acknowledgment that the person is willing to serve (including yourself). We need people who will remain active, posting and responding to emails, willing to pitch in and stretch their limits! We need cousins who LOVE their Dutch ancestry and wear it with pride.
MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK – as my Dutch grandmother used to say.
We also still need a couple MORE VOLUNTEERS: Let me know what you are interested in and willing to try.
