FFNCA Club Gatherings
FFNCA members occasionally get together to do something interesting, sometimes just our club, sometimes with other nearby clubs. Here are a few of the gatherings we have held.
Gettysburg Visit
On Sunday July 11, 2021, members of the Friendship Force National Capital Area and Friendship Force Greater Harrisburg clubs – 27 people!– enjoyed a joint outing at the Gettysburg Battlefield hosted by FFGH. We started in the visitors’ Center with an outstanding film, A New Birth of Freedom, narrated by Morgan Freeman. Next we viewed the Cyclorama–a huge painting in the round with sound and lights narrating the Battle of Gettysburg, (July 1-3, 1863), a turning point of America’s Civil War Battle. The groups were led by Mike Staub of the Friendship Force of Greater Harrisburg, who grew up in Gettysburg, and Cliff Beasley who grew up in Richmond and offered the Southern perspective on the “war of Yankee aggression.” Both shared their wealth of knowledge of the Civil War and the details of various parts of the Gettysburg battle such as Pickett’s charge. We had lunch at the historic Dobbin House Tavern (circa 1776.) There we learned how the tavern served as a clinic to care for some of the many wounded in the Battle.
Glenstone Museum Visit
We recently visited Glenstone a private contemporary art museum in Potomac, Maryland. Exhibits are both indoors and outdoors and visits are by reservation, several months in advance. We were lucky to reserve what turned out to be a beautiful day in September. Photos are not allowed inside the museum
Annual Meeting and Holiday Party
Every year FFNCA holds its annual meeting combined with a Holiday Party in early December. Some years the meal is catered and other years it is pot luck. This party is a chance catch up with our friends and discuss the plan for journeys over the next year. Here are photos from the 2021 event.
Holiday Lights at Brookside Garden
A highlight of the holidays is the light shows at various venues around the area. One of them is the Garden of Lights at Brookside Garden in Maryland. We enjoyed a visit there plus a meal at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant in December 2021
Planet Word Visit
On February 6, 2022, FFNCA members spent the afternoon at Planet Word, one of the new museums in Washington, DC
Spring Picnic 2022
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Our picnic this year was during a heat wave. Fortunately, the picnic was at the home of one of our members whose home provided great respite from the heat. Everyone enjoyed the day.
