We certainly appreciate your support and continued involvement in the West Virginia State Society of Washington D.C. The amount we pay in annual dues assists the Society in continuing to communicate with West Virginians in the Washington D. C. through our website. Please encourage your friends to join the State Society to celebrate the Mountain State.
The mission of the West Virginia State Society is to encourage and promote good fellowship among West Virginian's of the Nation's Capitol and to serve the best interests of our Nation and the State of West Virginia.
The WVSS is a member of the National Conference of State Societies.
Dear West Virginia Friends,
Welcome to the 2012 National Cherry Blossom Festival. Even though most of the blossoms are gone, the festival continues with over 100 great events. In 1912 the mayor of Tokyo, Japan gave the city of Washington, DC the gift of 3,000 cherry trees. While the festival was not started until years later, this year we are celebrating 100 years of the trees lining the Tidal Basin. In honor of the Centennial, there are five weeks worth of activities. I encourage you to check out this website for more information:
http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/
I am also pleased to announce our West Virginia Cherry Blossom Princes for 2012. She is Moriah Njoku of Beckley, a political science student at Marshall University. Moriah is also a member of the Thundering Herd track team! Moriah will represent West Virginia throughout the week beginning April 7th and ending with the parade on April 14th. Cross your fingers that she becomes the Cherry Blossom Queen, following in the footsteps of the reigning queen, our very own Alison Speaker.
The first event in which I will join our lovely princess occurs next Sunday, April 8th. At 2:30PM the Lantern Lighting Ceremony will be held at the Tidal Basin to kick off the week. The event is free and is accessible from the Smithsonian Metro. On Tuesday the Princesses will participate in the "Taste of the States" event. In past years each state had a separate reception for their princess. In the spirit of camaraderie this year all 50 states and the territories will be together for one event. Four food stations will be set up with food from different regions of the country. Tickets are available for $25. Please email me if you are interested in attending at cgreaver@yahoo.com and be sure to put something in the subject line that identifies the event, like "WVSS," "cherry blossom," or "Taste of States." (This gives me an idea of the interest level of our Society.) On Friday the Grand Ball will be held in which Queen Allison turns the crown over to a new queen. Tickets are $150. On Saturday the annual parade will be held downtown at 10:00AM.
There are other events during the week which you can attend. For more information on them, go to: http://www.statesocieties.org/Events/CherryBlossomEvents.aspx. To purchase tickets, click here: http://www.statesocieties.org/Events/Tickets.aspx. I hope you see you out and about!
Thanks to everyone for supporting the Society over the years. We are currently in a transition phase since Past President Phipps welcomed an addition to her family. I ask you to please pay your dues so that we can host other events this year. You can pay dues at www.wvsociety.org/membership. I also ask for you to consider becoming an officer of the State Society. We need all the help we can get. New officers will be established by the birthday party.
Also, with this you will find the newest "Echo" newsletter.
Sincerely,
Chris Greaver,
President
P.S.-Mark your calendars as we will celebrate West Virginia's birthday on Wednesday, June 20th!