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Updates or corrections to the published schedule should be submitted to the VASSAR Color Guard Commander. Guardsmen should evaluate their ability to participate in physically stressful conditions. Color Guard Commanders will conduct a safety walk-through of the venue before the event commences and raise safety-related issues (e.g., heat index, trip hazards, etc.) with the event coordinator for resolution and mitigation. ALL firelocks brought to the event will be safety-checked before the event commences -- without exception. Firelocks that do not pass or have not been safety-checked will not be permitted at the event site. In case of a VASSAR-related accident/incident, the VASSAR Accident/Incident Report form (clickable link updated February 2023) is also provided in the Resource Section (see pull down tab). Event coordinators are strongly encouraged to have a blank paper copy available. Insurance: VASSAR insurance coverage does not extend to non-VASSAR members, such as DAR, C.A.R., or non-VASSAR re-enactors. Event coordinators should decline any non-VASSAR individual participation in our color guards (especially in a black powder firing event) if the individual does not have a valid Certificate of Insurance (COI) from an insurance company that confirms coverage for the specific member(s). This must be provided to the VASSAR Color Guard Commander no later than two days before the event. Color Guard Archives may be accessed at Archives by year
2023 SchedulEEvent Level: National
Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR and Honor Flight Top of Virginia / Dale Corey.
Location: Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA.
Firing Event: No
Event Color Guard Commander: Corey.
Details: VASSAR will present the Colors and provide a Walk of Honor for WWII, Korea, and Vietnam War Veterans.
Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Carrigan, Christensen, Corey, Daniel, Reynolds, Robinson, Tyler. June 3rd, 2023, Saturday (10:00 am) - DAR Grave Marking Patriot Christian Streit, Winchester, VA
Event Level: Chapter
Host/POC: Fort Loudoun Chapter VADAR / VASSAR POC - Dale Corey
Location: Mount Hebron Cemetery, 305 Boscawen St., Winchester, VA.
Firing Event: Yes
Event Color Guard Commander: M.Robinson.
Heat Index: 83F
Details: VASSAR will provide Color Guard support to DAR.
Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Bayliss, Carrigan, Christensen, Corey, Daniel, Reynolds, M.Robinson, Tyler.
UPDATED (5/26/23): June 3rd, 2023, Saturday (1:00 pm) – 242nd Commemoration of Wayne's Crossing, Leesburg, VA
Event Level: State Host/POC: Co-Hosted by the Sgt Maj John Champe / Bonner, and Fairfax Resolves Chapters VASSAR / Schwoerer.
Location: Spirit of Loudoun Revolutionary War Memorial, Loudoun County Courthouse, 18 E Market Street, Leesburg, VA.
Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: B.Schwoerer.
Heat Index: 85F
Details: This event commemorates the crossing of the Potomac River by General Anthony Wayne’s army on May 31, 1781. The army passed through Leesburg on June 3, 1781, en route to joining General Lafayette’s Army. Parking is available near the Loudoun Museum. 16 Loudoun Street SW, Leesburg, VA, Please register for this event NLT 1 June 2023. Respond with your Name, Organization, & Role and Wreath Y/N; Color Guard Y/N to Barry Schwoerer at [email protected] Link to event flyer here
Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Bonner, Carrigan, Christensen, Cook, Corey, Crain, Daniel, Robinson, Schwoerer, Sink, Weyler.
June 10th, 2023, Saturday (10:00 am) - Flag Retirement Ceremony, Abingdon Muster Grounds, Abingdon, VA
Event Level: Chapter
Host/POC: Gen. William Campbell Chapter VASSAR / John Gullion.
Location: Abingdon Muster Grounds, Abingdon, VA.
Firing Event: Yes
Event Color Guard Commander: Johnson.
Heat Index: 83F
Details:The General William Campbell Chapter, along with Blacks Fort Chapter VADAR, Scout Troop 222, and the Over Mountain Victory Trail will host a Flag Retirement Ceremony at the Muster Grounds.
Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Britton, Gullion, Jackson, Johnson,
June 10th, 2023, Saturday (11:00 am) - Commemoration of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, Lorton, VA
UPDATED (5/29/23): June 12th, 2023, Friday (11:00 am) - Commemoration of Dr. Joseph Warren, Front Royal, VAEvent Level: Chapter Host/POC: George Mason Chapter VASSAR / Morris. Location: Mason Family Cemetery Gunston Hall, 10709 Gunston Road, Lorton, VA. Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: Corey. Heat Index: 80F Details: The Commemoration of the Virginia Declaration of Rights authored by George Mason and Adopted on June 12, 1776, by the Virginia Constitutional Convention will take place in the form of a wreath laying at the tomb of George Mason. This document contained points that Thomas Jefferson used in the first ten amendments to the U. S. Declaration of Independence less than a month later, on July 4, 1776. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Bonner, Carrigan, Corey, Crain, Daniel, Hamill, Morris, Phillip, Robinson, Weyler. Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR / Dale Corey. Location: Warren County Administration Building, 220 N. Commerce St., Front Royal, VA. Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: Corey. Heat Index: 82F Details: A commemoration to Dr. Joseph Warren, namesake of Warren County. There will be a presentation on Dr. Warren, wreath presentations, and a musket salute fired in his honor. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Bayliss, Christensen, Cook, Corey, Daniel, Johnson, Morris, Phillips, Schwetke, Schwoerer, Simmons, Weyler. INFORMATION: June 14th, 2023, Wednesday - Flag Day Event Level: Not a National Event for Color Guard medal purposes.
Location: Various. Details: Flag Day is celebrated on June 14 every year and commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States. In 1777, the second continental congress passed a resolution stating that “the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation”. George Washington’s troops now had a new, unified flag to represent their cause. A brief discussion on the Hopkinson and Betsy Ross flags may be found here (link): Hopkinson There were few public ceremonies that honored the flag until June 14, 1877, when it was flown from every government building for the centennial of the flag’s adoption. After that, many citizens and organizations advocated the adoption of a National Day of Commemoration for the flag. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson unofficially declared June 14 as Flag Day. Coincidentally, Wilson also proclaimed “The Star-Spangled Banner” the U.S. national anthem that same year. Nonetheless, Congress did not designate the song as the national anthem until 1931, and only in 1949 did President Harry Truman sign the legislation that made June 14 of each year Flag Day. June 14th, 2023, Wednesday (10:00 am) - Retirement Ceremony and Flag Dedication, Timberville, VA
Event Level: Chapter
Host/POC: Fort Harrison Chapter VASSAR / Randy Atkins, 540-433-9423.
Location: 351 New Market Road, Timberville, VA.
Firing Event: Yes
Event Color Guard Commander: Corey.
Heat Index:
Details: This is the second year for a Chapter signature event. Last year 150 people attended, including local and elected officials, Scouts, and DAR. Outdoor tent will be set up.
Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Christensen, Corey, Daniel, Robinson.
NEW (5/29/23): June 14th, 2023, Wednesday (3:30 pm) - Flag Retirement Ceremony, Clear Brook, VA
Event Level: Chapter
Host/POC: Girl Scouts / Anne Simmons.
Location: Ruritan Club, 136 Ruritan Way, Clear Brook, VA.
Firing Event: Yes
Event Color Guard Commander: Corey.
Heat Index:
Details:
Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Corey, Daniel.
UPDATED (5/29/23): June 17th, 2023, Saturday (8:30 am) - Regional Color Guard Workshop, Winchester, VA
Event Level: Chapter
Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR / Dale Corey.
Location: Ruritan Club, 136 Ruritan Way, Clear Brook, Virginia.
Firing Event: Yes
Event Color Guard Commander: Corey.
Heat Index:
Details: This is located at the Frederick County Fairgrounds. All guardsmen are strongly urged to participate, as the saying goes "practice makes perfect". We will work on commands, etiquette and musketry.
Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Bonner, Buck, Carrigan, Christensen, Cook, Cordes, Corey, Daniel, Day, Ford, Phillips, Robinson, Schwetke, Schwoerer, Tyler, Wheeler, Wilson.
June 17th, 2023, Saturday (11:00 am) – Gen. Daniel Morgan's Commemoration, Winchester, VA
Event Level: State Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR / Dale Corey.
Location: Mount Hebron Cemetery, 305 E Boscawen Street, Winchester, VA.
Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: Corey.
Heat Index:
Details: Daniel Morgan (1735/1736 – July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791–1794.
Born in New Jersey to Welsh immigrants, Morgan settled in Winchester, Virginia. He became an officer of the Virginia militia and recruited a company of riflemen at the start of the Revolutionary War. Early in the war, Morgan served in Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec and in the Saratoga campaign. He also served in the Philadelphia campaign before resigning from the army in 1779. Morgan returned to the army after the Battle of Camden and led the Continental Army to victory in the Battle of Cowpens. After the war, Morgan retired from the army again and developed a large estate. He was recalled to duty in 1794 to help suppress the Whiskey Rebellion and commanded a portion of the army that remained in Western Pennsylvania after the rebellion. Morgan, a member of the Federalist Party, ran for the United States House of Representatives twice, winning the House election in 1796. He retired from Congress in 1799 and died in 1802. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Bonner, Buck, Carrigan, Christensen, Cook, Cordes, Corey, Daniel, Ford, Phillips, Robinson, Schwetke, Schwoerer, Wheeler, Weyler, Wilson. June 17th, 2023, Saturday (11:00 am) - Commemoration of the Battle of Monmouth
Event level: National
Host/POC: NJSSAR/ J. Hershey.
Location: Monmouth Battlefield State Park, 20 State Route 33, Manalapan, NJ.
Firing Event: TBA
Event Color Guard Commander: Lyles.
Heat Index:
Details: At 11 a.m. on June 17, National SAR Commander Brooks Lyles will lead the New Jersey SAR Color Guard and all other Color Guardsmen present in a wreath-laying ceremony honoring both the Battle of Monmouth, fought on June 28, 1778, and General Friedrich Wilhelm Von Steuben, drillmaster of Valley Forge and the Army's first inspector general. Monmouth was the first battle fought and won by the Continental Army after its 1777-78 winter encampment at Valley Forge, where Von Steuben's influence proved instrumental at instilling discipline and a fighting spirit. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. In addition to the laying of wreaths and presenting colors, Brooks Lyles will share a few words about the Battle of Monmouth and the importance of General Von Steuben. We will also hear from the leader of the New Jersey Society Children of the American Revolution. This is a national SAR event. There is no registration with the NJSSAR required. If you plan to present a wreath, please contact the event leaders when you arrive.Muster between 10 and 10:30 a.m. Saturday June 17, at the Von Steuben statue in the park. The statue is near the visitor center. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: June 17th, 2023, Saturday (3:00 pm) - 248th Commemoration of Loudoun Resolves, Leesburg, VA
Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Sgt Maj John Champe Chapter VASSAR / Ken Bonner. Location: Loudoun Revolutionary War Memorial, 18 E. Market Street, Leesburg, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: B.Schwoerer. Heat Index: Details: Color Guard muster at 2:15 pm. The event will be held on the Courthouse lawn at the Spirit of Loudoun Revolutionary War Memorial. County approval for the event is pending but expected. On June 14, 1774, Freeholders of Loudoun County signed the Loudoun Resolves, a protest against Great Britain's "most oppressive and tyrannical Act of the British Parliament, made in the 14th year of his present Majesty's reign". This was a. prelude to the Declaration of Independence and one of many Resolutions by Counties and Colonies protesting acts of Parliament. We will summarize the various Resolves and read the Loudoun Resolves near the Old Courthouse steps. Parking in a nearby parking garage. Limited street parking. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Bonner, Buck, Carrigan, Christensen, Cook, Cordes, Corey, Daniel, Phillips, B.Schwoerer, Weyler, Wilson. Event Level: State Host/POC: Williamsburg Chapter VASSAR / Gary Dunaway, [email protected], (757) 303-3673.
Location: Freedom Park, 5537 Centreville Road, Williamsburg, VA.
Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: Dunaway.
Heat Index:
Details: The Battle of Spencer's Ordinary was an inconclusive skirmish that took place on June 26, 1781, late in the American Revolutionary War. British forces under Lieutenant Colonel John Graves Simcoe and American forces under Colonel Richard Butler, light detachments from the armies of General Lord Cornwallis and the Marquis de Lafayette, respectively, clashed near a tavern (the "ordinary") at a road intersection not far from Williamsburg, Virginia. Lafayette had been shadowing Cornwallis as he moved his army toward Williamsburg from central Virginia. Aware that Simcoe had become separated from Cornwallis, he sent Butler out in an attempt to cut Simcoe off. Both sides, concerned that the other might be reinforced by its main army, eventually broke off the battle.
Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Dunaway, Westenberger. June 24th, 2023, Saturday (1:30 pm) - Dedication of Bench to Compatriot Fletcher, Winchester, VA
Event Level: Chapter
Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR / Doug Hall [email protected]
Location: Korean War Veterans Memorial, Jim Barnett Park, Winchester, VA.
Firing Event: Yes
Event Color Guard Commander: Corey.
Details: Dedication of a bench to Compatriot Gary Fletcher.
Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Corey, Crain, Daniel, Hall, Phillips, Reynolds.
July 1st, 2023, Saturday (TBA) - Reading of the Declaration of Independence and Wreath Presentation, Front Royal, VA
Event Level: National
Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR and Warren Heritage Society /
Location: Warren Heritage Society, 101 Chester St., Front Royal, VA 22601
Firing Event: Yes
Event Color Guard Commander: TBA
Details: Reading the Declaration of Independence, present wreaths and fire a salute.
Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Cook.
Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR/Dale Corey and City of Winchester. Location: Walking Mall, Winchester, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: “Rockin' Independence Eve” is held at the Walking Mall, Winchester, Virginia. This event is an annual celebration held by the city of Winchester to honor and commemorate the United States' birthday. Numerous vendors are present, with live bands playing throughout the day. VASSAR Color Guard will present colors for singing of National Anthem. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: INFORMATION: July 4th, 2023, Tuesday - Independence Day Celebrations Event Level: National
Host/POC: Various
Location: Various
Details: "...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
Event Level: National
Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR / Dale Corey.
Location: Walking Mall, Winchester, VA.
Firing Event: No
Event Color Guard Commander: TBA
Heat Index:
Details: CJWII will read the Declaration of Independence.
Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees:
July 4th, 2023, Tuesday (4:00 pm) - Fourth of July Parade, Middletown, VAEvent Level: National
Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR and City of Middletown / Dale Corey.
Location: Middletown, VA.
Firing Event: No
Event Color Guard Commander: TBA
Heat Index:
Details: The Middletown Parade route begins at Laurel Ridge Community College, going south on Main Street.
Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees:
Event Level: National Host/POC: George Washington Chapter VASSAR /
Location: George Washington's Mount Vernon, VA.
Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: Melhuish.
Heat Index:
Details: Assemble at the Ann Pamela Cunningham Administrative Building (Building 3 on the Mount Vernon Map below) between 9:00 AM and 9:30 AM. At 9:30 AM, expect to receive the “green light” from the Mount Vernon staff to march down to Bowling Green, and pass in review between the ranks of the 1st Virginia Regiment and the George Washington portrayer, then proceeding to the Tomb Grove. Please see attached Playbook diagram of the formation.
At the Tomb Grove, the George Washington Chapter will conduct a brief ceremony featuring remarks from our Chapter President. There will be a wreath-laying ceremony at George Washington’s Tomb after the ceremony. Attendees can then lay a carnation (provided by the Chapter) at General Washington’s and Martha Washington’s Tombs. The ceremony will conclude at 11:00 AM when we return to Tomb Grove for photographs. Note: Please refer to the VASSAR Color Guard Playbook for parade formation and movement. Go to the following link: VASSAR Playbook
Safety Note: Don't forget to bring plenty of water and remain hydrated. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Melhuish, Weyler. Event Level: National Host/POC: Culpeper Minutemen Chapter / Charles Jameson. Location: Yowell Meadows Park, Charters of Freedom, N. Blue Ridge Ave, Culpeper, VA. Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: Corey. Heat Index: Details: Reading of the Declaration of Independence followed by a musket volley. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Williamsburg Chapter VASSAR / Gary Dunaway, [email protected] (757) 303-3673 Location: Church on the Main, 4644 Yeardley Loop, Williamsburg, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: Dunaway. Heat Index: Details: On the morning of July 6, 1781, Lafayette accompanied his advance guard under the command of General Anthony Wayne. Upon reaching Green Spring, the Americans began skirmishing with pickets under the command of Banastre Tarleton. Lafayette, believing that he had caught the rearguard of the British army, called for the rest of his force to join the battle. As Wayne formed up, Lafayette examined the field. Riding forward, he noted a large group of men in red coats formed in lines. Realizing that Cornwallis had set a trap, Lafayette galloped back to the advance guard under Wayne, but it was too late. Advancing with several regiments, Wayne marched right into a veteran British brigade commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Dundas. Dundas’s Brigade smashed through the American right flank with a decisive bayonet charge while the American left was hard-pressed by British light infantry. Lafayette gave the order for the entire American force to withdraw. Wayne’s men formed a rearguard. For fifteen minutes, the two sides blazed away at each other. Eventually, Wayne decided that the carnage was too great for his men and ordered a retreat. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Adolphi, Dunaway, Westenberger. Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Richard Henry Lee Chapter VASSAR / Location: Morningstar Marinas, 249 Mill Point Rd, Hudgins, VA. Firing event: TBC Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Heat Index: Details: The battle, which culminated on July 9, 1776, was a signal victory for the Patriots because it resulted in John Murray, the Earl of Dunmore, the last Royal Governor of Virginia, leaving Virginia for good. The victory at Cricket Hill was the first victory by an American force after the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. VASSAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: National Host/POC: Gen. William Campbell Chapter VASSAR / John Gullion [email protected] 276-378-6605. Location: Abingdon Muster Grounds1780 Muster Place, Abingdon, VA. Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: Johnson. Heat Index: Details: Come out and join us at the Abingdon Muster Grounds where we step back in time when a dispatch rider brings the news that we have declared independence from England. There will be a reading of the Declaration of Independence. Register for Independence Day Declaration of Independence Reading Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Britton, Johnson, Gullion, Shaver. July 13th-20th, 2023, Thursday-Thursday - 133rd Annual NSSAR Congress – Orlando, FL Event Level: State Host/POC: Fairfax Resolves Chapter VASSAR / Location: Pohick Episcopal Church, 9301 Richmond Hwy, Lorton, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: Cook Heat Index: N/A. (indoors ceremony) Details: The Fairfax Resolves, which were written by George Mason and adopted by a Fairfax County committee chaired by George Washington on July 18th, 1774. The Resolves came in response to the Intolerable acts (also known as the Coercive Acts), passed by the British Parliament in March 1774 to punish the colonies after the Boston Tea Party, The acts enraged the colonies and mobilized resistance. Many colonists saw the acts as a violation of their constitutional rights and their colonial charters. Twenty-five patriots signed the Fairfax Resolves, which have been called “one of the most important documents in American history” and “the best single document for understanding the constitutional and legal issues between the colonies and England.” The Fairfax Resolves, the namesake of the Fairfax Resolves Chapter, were a significant first step forward in organizing revolutionary action. A Dedication of a plaque listing the names of the Signers of the Fairfax Resolves buried at the Pohick Church Cemetery will follow immediately after commemorating the anniversary of the signing of the Fairfax Resolves. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Cook, Crain. Event Level: Public Service Host/POC: National Conference on Weights and Measures/Elisa Stritt. Location: Norfolk Waterside Marriott, Norfolk, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: Melhuish. Details: The National Conference on Weights and Measures is a 110-year-old organization responsible for developing the United States' weights and measures standards used in commerce. These are published and voluntarily adopted by the states for uniform enforcement purposes. The NCWM is having its 108th Annual Meeting in Norfolk, with the General Session taking place on Tuesday, 8/1/2023. The VASSAR CG has been asked to present the Colors. Valet parking will be paid for those attending. Breakfast and coffee offered from 8:30 am - 9 am. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Badamo(TBC), Brown, Melhuish, Thompson. UPDATED (5/17/23): August 11th - 12th, 2023, Friday-Saturday - Atlantic Middle States Association (AMSA) Tarrytown, NY Event Level: District Host/POC: ESSSAR /Tim Middlebrook, [email protected] Location: Sleepy Hollow Hotel and Conference Center, 455 South Broadway, Tarrytown, NY. Details: Following link provides additional information on the conference: AMSA Conference Click here for the brochure Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Crain, Melhuish. Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Sgt Maj John Champe Chapter VASSAR / Location: Loudoun County Courthouse, Spirit of Loudoun Rev War Memorial, 18 East Market St., Leesburg, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Heat Index: Details: On August 12, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read from Leesburg's original court building doorway. The SMJC Chapter will re-enact the reading near the old Courthouse steps, near the SPIRIT OF LOUDOUN Revolutionary War Memorial. SAR, DAR Chapters, CAR Societies, and other Patriotic/Revolutionary focused societies are invited to present wreaths and bring their flags to help honor a pivotal document in the history of the United States. Note: Color Guard muster at 10:15 am. The chapter has US, VA, 250th, and Chapter flags. No muskets, please. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: National Host/POC: Gov. Isaac Shelby Chapter KYSSAR / Scott Giltner Location: Blue Licks Battlefield State Park, 10299 Maysville Road, Carlisle, KY. Firing Event: Yes Heat Index: Details: The Kentucky Society Sons of the American Revolution hosts the Memorial Service for the 241st Battle of Blue Licks anniversary. In due course, more details on the reception, ceremony and summer meeting will be provided. Event flyer. Color Guard muster at 09:00 am. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: O'Kelley. Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Nansemond Indian Patriot Chapter VASSAR / Tom Badamo. Location: 1001 Pembroke Lane, Suffolk, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Heat Index: Details: This is a two-day Native American cultural celebration, including music, dance, food, and crafts. The pow wow is located at the end of Pembroke Lane, which runs off Godwin Boulevard (across from Oakland Elementary School) in the Chuckatuck area of Suffolk. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: NEW (4/10/23): August 26th, 2023, Saturday (11:00 am) - Grave Marking for Lt. George Kilgour, Herndon, VA Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Fairfax Resolves Chapter VASSAR / Dave Cook, [email protected] Location: Chestnut Grove Cemetery, 831 Dranesville Road, Herndon, VA. Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: Cook Heat Index: Details: Lt. George Kilgour was a member of the Loudoun County Militia. He also provided supplies during the Revolutionary War. He was a mill operator and owned the land at the intersection of Rt 28 and Nokes Blvd; the land on which the Kilgour/Hummer Cemetery was located. The cemetery operated from 1770 to 1884 but was declared abandoned in 1962. Development in the area caused VDOT to move the graves to the present location. Of the 47 remains moved, only those of Lt. George Kilgour and his wife, Martina Bailey, are known. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Cook. NEW: (TBC) August 26th, 2022, Saturday (11:00 am) – Battle of Long Island (Brooklyn Heights), Brooklyn, NY Event Level: National Host/POC: NYSSAR / Location: The Green-Wood Cemetery 500 25th Street Brooklyn, NY. Firing Event: No Heat Index: Details: The Battle of Brooklyn (also called the Battle of Long Island) was fought on August 27, 1776 and is considered one of America’s greatest losses during our war for independence. The carnage all happened one summer night: The British, who had amassed a large number of troops on Staten Island, stealthily attacked George Washington and his Continental Army at their camp in Brooklyn. Washington was greatly outnumbered and realized the only way to save his army was to flee to Manhattan. While the rest of the troops escaped Brooklyn Heights across the river, Washington sent 400 boys from Baltimore, known as the Maryland 400, on a suicide mission: to distract the British and buy the rest of the troops time. A great battle was fought near the present day site of the Old Stone House. (The one standing in Park Slope today is a 1933 re-creation of the original.) All 400 boys — the entire 1st Maryland Regiment — were killed, but the Continental Army was able to escape, and later won the war. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: (TBC) September 2nd, 2023, Saturday (11:00 am) – 242nd Commemoration of the Battle of the Capes, Virginia Beach, VA Type: Massing of the Colors Event Level: National VASSAR Host/POC: Culpeper Minutemen Chapter VASSAR / Bill Schwetke. Location: Fire Station, 1121 North Main St, Culpeper, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: Schwetke. Heat Index: Details: No wreaths - No musket firing - just four presentations of the colors. The first event is an 8:46 Ceremony, followed by an 09:03 Ceremony in front of the Sheriff's Department (a few feet away), then on to the War Memorial on Wine Street for a 09:37 ceremony, then finally to the Intersection of Davis and Main for a 10:03 Ceremony. You may join or depart at any point in the program (others do this). Street parking is available in the area. The restroom is available in the Fire Department. [Note: This event was first approved in 2017 by the NSSAR Color Guard Commander for Massing of Colors credit.] Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Schwetke. Event Level: Chapter Location: Various. Note: The POW/MIA flag should generally not be carried in a parade or by a Color Guard (except by an honor guard member carrying it as a Personal Color at a military funeral). Follow the background here: thedrillmaster.org/2019/01/15/all-about-the-pow-mia-flag-protocol/ One comment from the Drillmaster: "The POW/MIA flag is always posted alone before the ceremony without any ceremony for its posting. It is helpful if it is posted near the missing man table... Posting it near the table, which is off on its own, creates a special place for both as a whole." Event Level: Chapter Location: Various Details: www.constitutionday.com/the-constitution.html Event Level: National Host/POC: NSSAR Color Guard / Scott Collins. Location: George Washington's Mount Vernon, Alexandria, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: Collins. Heat Index:Details: TBA. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR / Dale Corey. Location: Mount Hebron Cemetery, Winchester, VA. Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Heat Index: Details: TBA. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: National Host/POC: George Washington Chapter VASSAR / Location: Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Heat Index: Details: This is a national-level event, with SAR PG presenting the Society’s wreath. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: General William Campbell Chapter VASSAR / John Gullion. Location: GPS 36.894634, -81.756998. Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: Since 2012, the General William Campbell Chapter-VASSAR, Black’s Fort Chapter, Virginia Society, DAR, and the Overmountain Victory Trail Association (OVTA) have honored PVT John Broddy, Brig. Gen. Campbell’s manservant and a patriot in the fight for independence at 2 pm on Sunday before Sept 24th. The African American Broddy cemetery is located on land left to Broddy from Campbell’s estate. The cemetery was not known publicly until its rediscovery in 2012. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Gullion. (TBC) September 17th, 2023, Sunday (4:00 pm) - Wreath Laying at the grave of Brig. Gen. William Campbell Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: General William Campbell Chapter VASSAR / John Gullion. Location: 303 Seven Mile Ford Rd, Marion, VA. Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: Since 2012, the General William Campbell Chapter-VASSAR, Black’s Fort Chapter, Virginia Society, DAR, and the Overmountain Victory Trail Association (OVTA) have honored Brig. Gen. Campbell. At 4 pm, the groups will convene at Aspinvale Cemetery, the final resting place of Brig. Gen. Campbell. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: National Host/POC: NSSAR Location: The Brown Hotel, 335 West Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202. Details: TBA. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Cook, Thomas. Event Level: National Host/POC: Col. James Wood II and Fort Harrison Chapters VASSAR and the Honor Flight Top of Virginia/Corey. Location: Rockingham County Fair Grounds, Harrisonburg, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: TBA. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: State Host: Overmountain Victory Trail Association (OVTA), with support from VASSAR. VASSAR POC: Gen. William Campbell Chapter VASSAR/John Gullion [email protected] 276-378-6605 Location: 1780 Muster Place, Abingdon, VA. Firing event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: Gullion. Details: This event, organized by the OVTA, is supported by VASSAR. OVTA, SAR, and DAR will present a public education day on life in the colonial backcountry. The event will include stations where visitors learn about various topics, from salt making and cooking to land surveying and combat. A ceremony for the Abingdon Muster will occur at 1:30 that afternoon, honoring the 400 Virginians who participated in the Overmountain Campaign and those who lost their lives at the battle. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Lafayette Chapter, KYSSAR/Wesolovsky; Fairfax Resolves Chapter VASSAR / Cook; 1774 Society / Thomas. Location: Various in Lexington, KY. Firing Event: TBA Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details:The Fairfax Resolves Chapter and the 1774 Society are seeking VASSAR support to mark three graves in Lexington Kentucky, Jeff Thomas working with Patrick Wesolovsky identified the location of the graves of three signers of the Fairfax Resolves. The Patriots are: Thomas Lewis located on private property, the owner has approved marking the grave. More details forthcoming. Edward Payne/Paine located in Lexington. Approval granted. More details forthcoming. Thomas Pollard, Pollard Cemetery, Cropper Kentucky, Approval pending. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Carrigan,Cook, Corey, Thomas. Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Sgt Maj John Champe / Location: Pricketts Fort, 88 State Park Road, Fairmont, WV Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: Gather at Pricketts Fort, WV, where Sgt Champe passed on 30 September 1798 while traveling in the area. Sgt. Maj. John Champe Chapter installed a SAR Patriot marker on 8 October 2022. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Fairfax Resolves Chapter / Dave Cook. Location: (TBC) National Museum of the US Army, 1775 Liberty Dr., Fort Belvoir, VA. (or) Fairfax City Veterans Amphitheater, 10455 Armstrong Street, Fairfax, VA. (or) Outside Historic Fairfax Courthouse, 4000 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: Cook. Details: The Fairfax Independent Company was an independent militia established by George Mason on September 21, 1774. When Virginia’s Royal Governor dissolved the House of Burgesses in May 1774, the assembly was denied the chance to renew the militia law, which had expired in late 1773. Mason convinced fellow gentlemen and freeholders in Fairfax County to adopt a resolution to "form ourselves into a Company, not exceeding one hundred Men, by the Name of The Fairfax Independent Company of Volunteers." Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Cook. (TBC) October 7th, 2023, Saturday – 243rd Anniversary of the Battle of Kings Mountain, Blacksburg, SC Event Level: National Host/POC: Kings Mountain Chapter NCSSAR / Daniel Morgan Chapter SCSSAR. Location: Kings Mountain National Military Park, 2625 Park Rd., Blacksburg, SC. Firing Event: TBC Details: The Commemoration of the 243rd Anniversary of the Battle of Kings Mountain is scheduled for Friday, October 7, 2022, with the wreath-laying ceremony beginning at 11 a.m. Anticipate about 60 min. total time. A registration table will be set up outside the Visitors Center to link up with the National Color Guard Commander and the other state color guard participants. The Battle of Kings Mountain was fought on October 7, 1780, and destroyed the left wing of Lord Cornwallis' army, effectively ending Loyalist ascendance in the Carolinas. The victory halted the British advance into North Carolina, forced Lord Cornwallis to retreat from Charlotte into South Carolina, and allowed General Nathanael Greene to reorganize the American Army. The Patriot force of about 1,400 men was under the overall command of Colonel William Campbell, Virginia Militia. In The Winning of the West, Compatriot President Theodore Roosevelt wrote of Kings Mountain, "This brilliant victory marked the turning point of the American Revolution." Thomas Jefferson called it "The turn of the tide of success". Compatriot President Herbert Hoover at the sesquicentennial commemoration at the site of the battle, said, "This small band of Patriots turned back a dangerous invasion well designed to separate and dismember the united Colonies. It was a little army and a little battle, but it was of mighty portent. History has done scant justice to its significance, which rightly should place it beside Lexington, Bunker Hill, Trenton, and Yorktown." {Hoover's full sesquicentennial address is attached in the pdf file below.] In 1931, the Congress of the United States created the Kings Mountain National Military Park at the site of the battle. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: General William Campbell Chapter VASSAR / Location: Sinking Spring Cemetery, Abingdon, VA. Firing Event: No Event Guard Commander: TBA Details: The cemetery was the original site of the Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church, established by 1773 as one of the first Presbyterian churches west of the Allegheny Mountains. Burials at the old churchyard date back to 1776 and include over 2,100 early leaders and settlers of Abingdon. Virginia Color Guard Attendees: October 14th, 2023, Saturday (6:30 pm) - 15th Army Air Force Bomb Groups Reunion, Herndon, VA Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Fairfax Resolves Chapter VASSAR / Dave Cook. Location: Rivanna Room D, E, F, G, Dulles Westin Airport Hotel 2520 Wesser Terrace, Herndon, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: Compatriot Ed Clendenin, a member of the Alexander Hamilton Chapter, Texas SAR, is the historian of his father’s WWII Army Air Corps Veterans group. Their veteran's group holds an annual reunion, along with a dozen other 15th Air Force veterans groups to honor their father’s memory. They requested VASSAR CG to present and post the colors prior to their annual banquet. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Cook, Crain. Event Level: National Host/POC: Thomas Nelson Jr Chapter VASSAR / Gary Hodges. Location: Grace Episcopal Church, Yorktown, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: VASSAR CG Commander Melhuish. Event Honor Guard Commander: Corey. Details: TBA. Note: Neither the Nelson Grave dedication of the parade is considered a National Event by the Americanism Committee. To gain credit for a wreath at Yorktown, it must be presented at the monument event after the parade. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Adolphi, Corey, Melhuish. Event Level: National Host/POC: Thomas Nelson Jr Chapter VASSAR / Gary Hodges. Location: Yorktown, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: Melhuish. Event Honor Guard Commander: Corey. Details: The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German Battle, ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia, was a decisive victory by a combined force of the American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington and French Army troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British army commanded by British peer and Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. The culmination of the Yorktown campaign, the siege proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in the North American region, as the surrender by Cornwallis, and the capture of both him and his army, prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict. Note: Neither the Nelson Grave dedication of the parade is considered a National Event by the Americanism Committee. To gain credit for a wreath at Yorktown, it must be presented at the monument event after the parade. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Adolphi, Melhuish. Event Level: State Host/POC: Culpeper Minutemen Chapter VASSAR / Location: Yowell Meadow Park, N Blue Ridge Ave, Culpeper, VA. Firing Event: TBC Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: TBA. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: National Host/POC: Various. Location: Various. Specific details will be posted when known. Details: Originally known as Armistice Day, in recognition of when the guns fell silent at the 11th hour of the 11th day, November 1918. This day continues to be celebrated in some other countries as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day. The US changed the name of the national holiday to Veterans Day on June 1, 1954, at the urging of WWII and Korea Veterans. Veterans Day honors the service of all US military Veterans who have served, while Memorial Day honors those who died while in military service to the nation. The official theme of Veterans Day 2023 will be announced later in the year. Perhaps not widely known is how the red poppy became a symbol of this national holiday. In November 1918, a young woman by the name of Moina Belle Michael -- a Daughter of the American Revolution -- was so moved by a Canadian war poet's work ("In Flanders Fields") that she wrote her own poem in response and bought 24 red silk poppies from Wanamaker's in NYC. At the time, she was on a sabbatical from the University of Georgia to help Veterans in New York. The American and British Legions adopted her promotion of the red poppy as a symbol to rally public support for caring for veterans. In 1924, General "Black Jack" Pershing wrote to Moina, “I wish to congratulate you on the splendid patriotic service you have rendered in conducting the sale of poppies on Armistice Day each year for the relief and benefit of war sufferers.” And so, wearing the poppy on this day honors Veterans and keeps alive the memory of a young Georgia teacher who raised millions to support Veterans by selling poppies. Event Level: National Host/POC: George Washington Chapter VASSAR / Location: Mount Vernon, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: Wreath-laying at Washington's Tomb on the Mount Vernon Estate. Joint ceremony with NSDAR. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: (TBC) November 11th, 2023, Saturday (1:00 pm) - Veterans Day Commemoration, Middletown Event Level: National Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR / Location: TBA. Firing Event: Yes (provided by the local VFW chapter) Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: The event is a commemoration to honor veterans sponsored by Middletown. It is held at the Veterans Commemorative Park in Middletown. The SAR will serve as the color guard. The VFW will fire a rifle salute to honor veterans of all services. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: National Host/POC: Abingdon Memorial Park Foundation and Gen. William Campbell Chapter VASSAR / John Gullion. Location: Veterans Memorial Park, Abingdon, VA. Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: VASSAR Guardsmen will fire a volley at the ceremony. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: National Host/POC: Williamsburg Chapter VASSAR & Colonial Williamsburg / Lynch. Location: Colonial Williamsburg, VA. Firing Event: No Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: TBA. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Adolphi. Event Level: National Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR / Location: National Cemetery, 401 National Ave., Winchester, VA, Firing event: TBC Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: A commemoration to honor veterans, co-sponsored by the American Red Cross. The event is held at the National Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia. Muster time is 10:15 am with a start time of 11:00 am. The colors will be presented, and all U.S. services will be recognized. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: National Co-Hosts/POCs: Norfolk Chapter VASSAR / Bob Bruce; Great Bridge Chapter VADAR / Lisa Davis. Location: 1775 Historic Way, Chesapeake, VA. Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Event Honor Guard Commander: TBA Details: This event commemorates the Battle of Great Bridge, fought December 9, 1775, in Great Bridge, Virginia, early in the American Revolutionary War. The victory by colonial Virginia militia forces led to the departure of Royal Governor Lord Dunmore and any remaining vestiges of British power over the Colony of Virginia during the early days of the conflict. Following increasing political and military tensions in early 1775, Dunmore and colonial rebel leaders recruited troops and struggled for available military supplies. The struggle eventually focused on Norfolk, where Dunmore had taken refuge aboard a Royal Navy vessel. Dunmore's forces had fortified one side of a critical river crossing south of Norfolk at Great Bridge, while rebel forces had occupied the other. Dunmore ordered an attack across the bridge to break up the rebel gathering, which was decisively repulsed. Colonel William Woodford, the Virginia militia commander at the battle, described it as "a second Bunker's Hill affair". Shortly thereafter, Norfolk, at the time a Loyalist center, was abandoned by Dunmore and the Tories, who fled to navy ships in the harbor. Rebel-occupied Norfolk was destroyed on January 1, 1776, in an action begun by Dunmore and completed by rebel forces. Note: Please refer to the event scheme of maneuver in the VASSAR Playbook. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Adolphi, Thompson. Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: The Kiwanis Club of Abingdon organizes the parade. VASSAR POC / John Gullion. Location: Abingdon, VA. Firing event: No Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: General William Campbell Chapter VASSAR and Blacks Fort Chapter NSDAR will participate in the parade. The 55th Annual Abingdon Christmas Parade is organized by the Kiwanis Club for the Town of Abingdon and sponsored by Bart Long & Associates Realty and Auction, LLC. Staging for the parade begins at 4:30 pm on Main Street between Hutton Street (Farris Funeral Home) and Tanner Street. Please enter the staging area on East Main Street near Hutton Street. Do not park on Main Street in front of Frost Funeral Home. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: Public Service Host/POC: Honor and Remember Organization / George Lutz, the founder and Gold Star father. VASSAR POC: Thompson. Location: The Founder's Inn, 5641 Indian River Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23464. Hotel reservation: 833-449-1273 Firing event: No Event Color Guard Commander: Thompson. Details: This will mark the eleventh year the VASSAR Color Guard has supported this annual public service event. It is held to honor and remember our fallen servicemen and women at the Gold Star Family Gala. Several hundred people typically attend this event. Only a small Color Guard is usually provided: two musket men and two flag bearers (US and the Honor & Remember flags). We would also like to add a VASSAR fife and drummer to the team this year. The NSSAR President General's June 29, 2010, Resolution stated in part, "...be it resolved that the National Society, Sons of the American Revolution supports legislation to establish a unique national flag to honor and remember those who have given their lives in military service for our great nation, the United States of America...and it further resolved that the United States Congress is urged to adopt House of Representatives Bill 1034 to select the 'Honor and Remember Flag' which has been created by Honor and Remember, Incorporated, to serve as a national symbol." Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Melhuish, Thompson. Event Level: Chapter Host/POC: Culpeper Minutemen Chapter VASSAR / Location: Culpeper Minuteman Monument, Yowell Meadow Park, Culpeper, VA. Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: TBA. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: Event Level: National Host/POC: Various Locations: Various Firing Events: Yes Event Level: National Host/POC: Col. James Wood II, Sgt Maj John Champe Chapters VASSAR, and Ketoctin Chapter VADAR. Location: (1) Ketoctin Baptist Church, 16595 Ketoctin Church Road, Purcellville, VA.(2) North Fork Baptist Church, 38130 North Fork, Purcellville, VA. (3) North Hill Cemetery, Clarke County, VA. Firing Events (3): Yes (at all three cemeteries) Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: Note: North Hill event may be held on December 15th. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: December 17th, 2023, Sunday (1:00 pm) - Wreaths Across America, Front Royal Event Level: National Host/POC: Col. James Wood II Chapter VASSAR and Boy Scout Troop #4 Location: Prospect Hill Cemetery, Prospect St, Front Royal, VA. Firing Event: Yes Event Color Guard Commander: TBA Details: TBA. Virginia SAR Color Guard Attendees: HUZZAH! THE GUARD IS IN WINTER QUARTERS! |