{"id":14836,"date":"2015-04-30T11:01:06","date_gmt":"2015-04-30T15:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=14836"},"modified":"2024-12-05T22:31:01","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T03:31:01","slug":"presentation-for-arkadelphia-dar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=14836","title":{"rendered":"An Invite From DAR"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1<\/a>Linda Burton posting from Arkadelphia, Arkansas<\/em> \u2013 I was invited by Charlotte Jeffers, Regent of the Arkadelphia Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, to speak at their April 14 meeting. \u201cDo you want me to talk about the history of the capital cities, or my travel experiences?\u201d I asked. \u201cWhat will everyone be most interested in?\u201d \u201cWe are interested in everything,\u201d was the reply, so I decided to focus on our likeminded objectives, which sent me to the DAR national website.<\/p>\n

I learned that DAR was founded October 11, 1890 and incorporated in 1896 by an Act of Congress. Objectives are listed as Historical, Educational, and Patriotic, so I honed in on the \u201ceducational\u201d factor, since that is a primary objective of Capital Cities USA. For DAR, \u201cto promote\u2026institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge, thus developing an enlightened public opinion.\u201d For Capital Cities USA, \u201cto build community, character and citizenship through humanities education.\u201d From Objectives to Methodology explains the Journey Across America<\/em>: Item 1 \u2013 to assess civic, community and historic resources in the 50 capital cities of the United States and their capitol buildings by gathering data through on-site visits to each capitol and capital city. In a nutshell!<\/p>\n

I began my talk with bottom-line statistics \u2013 departed February 28, 2012 and concluded December 18, 2013 for a total of 659 days. Traveled 31,710 miles and spent time in 50 state capitols and the national capitol in DC. Shared neighborhoods with 12,947,450 people as I lived two weeks in each capital city. (With my two cats, no less.) I shared a map showing the 75 overnight stops I made before settling down in Arkadelphia, and then moved into story telling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat learning opportunities did I find in the capitols?\u201d I focused on five that were exceptional:
\n\u2022 Austin, Texas \u2013 Most Extensive Visitor Services
\n\u2022 Boise, Idaho \u2013 Most Inspiring Kids Tour
\n\u2022 Atlanta, Georgia \u2013 Tie With Springfield, Illinois as Most Welcoming
\n\u2022 Springfield, Illinois \u2013 Tie with Atlanta, Georgia as Most Welcoming
\n\u2022 Montpelier, Vermont \u2013 Most Intimate & Inviting, Best Volunteer Program, Most Meticulous Restoration<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/a>March 13, 2012 was the date of my visit to the Austin capitol. So much was happening that day \u2013 long lines to get in and see, tours every 15 minutes, kids and parents celebrating spring break, a demonstration out front, dog walkers and bike riders and picture takers on the grounds, business and pleasure and learning and fun, all mixed together on a redbud-blooming day. Here\u2019s the full story called Goddess of Liberty<\/em>: https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=147<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Boise<\/a>May 23, 2012 was the date of my visit to the capitol in Boise. A 4th-grade class from Twin Falls was visiting that day, and I followed their tour. The children were allowed to sit at the senators desks while the tour guide spoke (none of that \u201cdon\u2019t touch\u201d stuff). \u201cOne of these desks could be yours someday. All these legislators were kids one day, just like you.\u201d What a stunning motivation! He wasn\u2019t giving kids the \u201chistory talk,\u201d he was giving them the \u201cfuture walk.\u201d Here\u2019s the full story called Do The Best You Can<\/em>: https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=1893#more-1893<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Atlanta<\/a>February 6, 2013 I visited the capitol in Atlanta, Georgia. The building is old and worn, with peeling paint and practically no attention to d\u00e9cor. But that day students from all over the state of Georgia were visiting to observe the legislature in session and to meet them face-to-face. The place was working alive with good intentions made solid. I came away with the overriding feeling that Georgia\u2019s young people are getting a real-time view of their value in the scheme of government, and life. Here\u2019s the full story called But I Tell You What<\/em>: https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=7219#more-7219<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Springfield<\/a>May 20, 2013 I was in Springfield, Illinois, another \u201cschool kids on tour\u201d day, and the experience was dizzying with color, and noise, and excitement off the charts. But it was the two fellows at security who made me feel the most welcome. They were excited to hear about the Journey<\/em>, and promptly asked \u201cIs any other capitol as pretty as ours?\u201d They spouted off facts, beaming with pride, and pointed me toward the open-armed statue in the entry that is Illinois Welcoming The World<\/em>. Here\u2019s the full story called As Pretty as Ours<\/em>: https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=9307#more-9307<\/a><\/p>\n

\"11<\/a>September 11, 2013 was the day I toured the capitol in Montpelier, Vermont. It claims to be \u201cintimate and inviting\u201d and it is \u2013 no other capitol has green velvet settees right down front by the speaker\u2019s chair in the Senate Chambers where visitors may sit during session. This capitol has been meticulously restored and is beautifully maintained. But the real story is the volunteer program. A town of just over 7,000 with over 100 people helping out in the capitol, amazing! Here\u2019s the full story called Meticulous Attention<\/em>: https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=12325#more-12325<\/a><\/p>\n

I summed up my talk with some Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down facts. Every capitol building had many GOOD points, but some were extraordinarily good and some were noticeably lacking in accessibility (or charm). Below are the 10 I mentioned.<\/p>\n

THUMBS UP and kudos.
\n\u2022 Austin, Texas, Pop 790,390, 3rd Largest Capital City \u2013 Most Extensive Visitor Services
\n\u2022 Boise, Idaho, Pop 205,671, 18th Largest Capital City \u2013 Most Inspiring Kids Tour
\n\u2022 Atlanta, Georgia, Pop 420,003, 10th Largest Capital City \u2013 Most Welcoming (Tie with Springfield, Illinois)
\n\u2022 Springfield, Illinois, Pop 116,250, 30th Largest Capital City \u2013 Most Welcoming (Tie with Atlanta, Georgia)
\n\u2022 Montpelier, Vermont, Pop 7,855, Smallest Capital City \u2013 Most Intimate and Inviting, Best Volunteer Program (Over 100 Volunteers Work in Capitol!), Most Meticulous Restoration<\/p>\n

THUMBS DOWN but nothing that can’t be adjusted!
\n\u2022 Nashville, Tennessee, Pop 601,222, 6th Largest Capital City \u2013 Most Difficult to Gain Entry (Limited Hours 8-4 M-F, No Visitor Parking, Photo ID Required, Name Checked in Database, Bags Searched, Photo Permit Must Be Worn Inside)
\n\u2022 Richmond, Virginia, Pop 202,214, 20th Largest Capital City \u2013 Difficult Entry (No Visitor Parking Near, Area Congested & Hilly. Entry Through Visitor Center Only & Xray)
\n\u2022 Montgomery, Alabama, Pop 205,764, 17th Largest Capital City \u2013 Beautiful Building But Uninviting Tone Inside (Governor\u2019s Office Closed to Visitors & Guarded, No Guestbook)
\n\u2022 Concord, New Hampshire, Pop 42,695, 42nd Largest Capital City \u2013 Historic Building But Worn & Uninviting (Limited Hours 8-4 M-F, Only metered parking, Few Exhibits, No Regular Tours)
\n\u2022 Des Moines, Iowa, Pop 203,433, 19th Largest Capital City \u2013 Missed Opportunity for Graciousness (Beautiful Building, Ample Parking, Good Directional Signage, but Walking Tour Guidebook Must Be Purchased \u2013 Cheap Shot!)<\/p>\n

\"3<\/a>My audience on April 14 was wonderfully receptive and afterwards enthusiastically pored through the various materials I\u2019d brought. Some orders went through for Board member Jim Stembridge\u2019s wonderful book, \u201cFifty State Capitols\u201d (which, I mentioned, the buyer won\u2019t carry in our Arkansas capitol gift shop because it lists other capitols!). Charlotte Jeffers ordered one to donate to the Peake School library here in Arkadelphia. I was pleased to see so much interest in our capital cities and, as always, appreciate the opportunity to talk about them.<\/p>\n

\"2<\/a>Thanks Charlotte, and all DAR members, for having me! Keep up the good work you\u2019re doing for the Arkadelphia chapter of DAR. Monthly meetings are at the Clark County Library on second Tuesdays, check the site for more information: http:\/\/arkansas-dar.org\/arkadelphia.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

The Arkadelphia Chapter was organized June 9, 1916. Current officers are:
\nRegent: Charlotte Jeffers
\nVice Regent: Nancy Rucker
\nChaplain: Tommie Anderson
\nSecretary: Cynthia Keyton
\nRegistrar: Gail Hennagin
\nTreasurer: Mary Curry
\nHistorian: Gail Hennagin<\/p>\n

Here is my presentation in PDF format:<\/p>\n

DAR Story Book R3<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Burton posting from Arkadelphia, Arkansas \u2013 I was invited by Charlotte Jeffers, Regent of the Arkadelphia Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, to speak at their April 14 meeting. \u201cDo you want me to talk about the history of the capital cities, or my travel experiences?\u201d I asked. \u201cWhat will everyone be most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4588],"tags":[2998,3080,3058,3064,629,3110,3096,3114,3108,3109,2411,628,3115,2378,3116,3079,3095,3112,3086,3111,3083,3089,3113],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14836"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14836"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14836\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14950,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14836\/revisions\/14950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}