For the seventh year in a row, The Friends of the Library and the Gila Valley Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will co-host the annual Constitution Week program. Due to the pandemic restrictions on large public gatherings and for the first time, a virtual program will be presented. This will provide an opportunity for those at home to safely watch this program entitled “Honoring Our Patriots of 1776”.
This historical event, on many levels, will take place on Constitution Day, Thursday, Sept. 17 from 6:00 – 7:00 PM. It will be broadcast live from the Safford City-Graham County Library Facebook page. All are invited to tune-in.
Have you ever known anyone in your lifetime who was directly related to American Revolution patriots and heard in what ways they supported the cause for our nation’s independence? Here is your chance to meet a member of the DAR Gila Valley Chapter who will honor patriots in her family line by sharing stories of courage and sacrifice.
DAR member Bonnie Briscoe will tell of events in the life of her 5th great grandfather, Joshua Cheever Fowler from Massachusetts, who served with his brothers during the American Revolutionary War.
John Hancock, portrayed by John Ratje, will be stepping forward in time from the days of the American Revolution to tell of events that formed our nation’s Constitution.
For the fourth year, the DAR chapter will recognize the current generation of Americans by paying special tribute to high school winners of the DAR Patriotic Essay Contest. These students will read their essays as a way to share their patriotic values with the viewing audience.
Even though this year’s refreshment table of revolutionary treats will be missing, recipes for shoofly pie will be available to download from the library’s Facebook page.
To create interest for this special event, short pre-recorded promotional videos will be available to view, September 11-17. These videos, arranged and recorded by Library Operations Supervisor Lesley Talley, include:
- John Hancock will report from the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) during the opening of the 2nd Continental Congress on July 2, 1776 with representatives voting on the newly drafted Declaration of Independence.
- DAR member, Talana Hooper, dressed in colonial attire, will read a children’s book from that era to show what family life was like on a colonial farm.
- Nancy Schauman, DAR prospective member, a collector of colonial recipes, will share the history of recipes handed down through her family during that period.
- Gary Burnett, “Mr. Constitution”, dressed in his George Washington uniform, will be interviewed by Lesley Talley about the impact the revolution had on the founding of our country.
For those interested in this week of activity, there are several ways to connect with these patriotic virtual events. Go to:
www.facebook.com/saffordlibrary. Log into your Facebook account. On the library Facebook page, click on “Videos” for the promotionals and “Events” for the live program. Under those headings, look for “DAR Constitution Week-Sep 17.” You can also go directly to the live program by typing the following link into your browser.
https: www.facebook.com/events/1216048208750353.
If you miss the promotionals and live program, go to www.youtube.com and in the “Search Box” type in “Safford City Graham County Library.” Then, look for “DAR Constitution Week-Sep 17.” These will be downloaded the week following the program on September 21.
For help with the library’s Facebook page: contact Safford Library (928) 348-3202. For program information: contact Bonnie Briscoe (928) 428-5904 or any other member of the local DAR chapter.
