Lafayette Memorabilia Display, Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. Thursday, January 23, 2025 to Saturday, March 1, 2025, with an opening night reception on January 23 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The reception will include French appetizers and three Lafayette wines from the Williamsburg Winery. This exhibit, titled “Celebrate Lafayette: Soldier, Statesman, Champion of Human Rights,” includes memorabilia from the Farewell Tour. The American Friends of Lafayette’s (AFL) six traveling panels and a detailed map of the Farewell Tour route through the 24 states that Lafayette visited will also be on display. The free, five-week exhibit will include an exhibit guide and weekly speakers or videos on Thursday nights. Guests will be encouraged to wear timeline attire (1777 – 1825).
​
Welcome Ceremony, Suffolk Visitor Center and Riddick’s Folly. Sunday, February 23, 2025, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. This family-friendly event, free and open to the public, will include costumed interpreters that will represent veterans of the American Revolution and their families, and present aspects of life in camp. Lafayette, portrayed by Mark Schneider of Colonial Williamsburg, will arrive in person by carriage. Lafayette will be formally welcomed, give an appropriate response, and will address attendees about his experiences in Suffolk during the American Revolution. The day will be portrayed as if it is 1825. The Mayor of Suffolk’s proclamation will be read announcing Lafayette Days in Suffolk and Somerton, February 23 to February 26. A community band will play music that was played for Lafayette. Guests will be encouraged to wear timeline attire (1777 – 1825).

Lafayette Banquet, Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront. Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. This ticketed event will echo the banquet at which Lafayette was entertained on February 25, 1825. The evening will be portrayed as if it is 1825. During the reception, the Mayor’s Proclamation of Lafayette Days will be read, Lafayette (Mark Schneider) will be welcomed, and he will give an appropriate response. Once the guests are seated in the ballroom, the dinner will begin with the 13 original toasts given to Lafayette 200 years ago. During dinner, guests will be entertained with period music. After dinner, local historian and AFL Vice President, Robert Kelly, will address Lafayette’s role in the American Revolution, the significance of the Farewell Tour, where Lafayette has visited since arriving in the United States in August 1824, and where he is going after he leaves Suffolk. Lafayette will provide an appropriate response. Guests will be encouraged to wear timeline attire (1777 – 1825).

Reception, Washington Smith Ordinary, Somerton. Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Lafayette (Mark Schneider) will be welcomed at the only building still standing in Suffolk that he visited 200 years ago. The day will be portrayed as if it is 1825.  He will be formally introduced to the Murfreesboro, North Carolina delegation and will provide an appropriate response. An informal reception will be hosted by Suffolk’s Constantia Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Guests will be encouraged to wear timeline attire (1777 – 1825).   

​By Frank and Gloria Womble

The American Friends of Lafayette (AFL) began its celebration of the bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour on August 15 with four days of activities in New York City and surroundings. We were honored to be joined by Lafayette descendants Virginie Bureaux de Pusy-Dumottier de Lafayette and her daughters, Heloise and Adelaide Barbier-Dumottier de Lafayette, as we welcomed General Lafayette, portrayed by Colonial Williamburg’s Mark Schneider, at a dinner on Staten Island. Over the next 13 months, Lafayette will be feted in cities large and small, just as he was in 1824 and 1825. 

On August 16, Lafayette arrived to an enthusiastic welcome at Brookfield Place in lower Manhattan. The Cadets Lafayette led the procession to a crowd of cheering people, where he was greeted by Damian Laban, Deputy Counsel General of France in New York City. Lafayette reviewed a detachment of New York Army National Guard soldiers and was then escorted down Broadway in a horseless carriage. The procession ended at Evacuation Plaza, named for the day in 1783 when the last British garrison left the city. There the American and French flags were raised. The AFL President Alan Hoffman read a proclamation signed by New York City Mayor, Eric Adams.

Next we visited City Hall, where Lafayette received an official welcome, and viewed the life-sized portraits of Lafayette, by Samuel F. B. Morse, and George Washington, by John Trumbull. Afterwards, we visited the nearby National Museum of the American Indian, where Ray Halbritter, a representative of the Oneida Nation, gave a presentation on Lafayette and the Oneida. The day concluded with a special Lafayette exhibit and dinner at Fraunces Tavern.

The morning of August 17th featured a Living History event at South Street Seaport with a talk on the French ship, L'Hermione, aboard the tall ship Wavertree. Later we enjoyed a delightful lunch and presentation at the Park Avenue Armory, followed by book signings. Next there was a visit to L'Alliance New York Florence Gould Hall Theater, where we heard the music of African-American composer, Francis Johnson. A lively question and answer session featured New York Times bestselling author Mike Duncan. The evening culminated with a reception hosted at the French Consulate.

Mighty rains off the coast on August 18 failed to dampen the enthusiasm. We began the day at Bartow Pell Mansion, followed by a visit to St. Paul’s Church, where Lafayette was warmly greeted by fellow Masons. Our journey continued to Westchester County, with stops in New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, and Rye. Lafayette was given the key to the city in New Rochelle, which he compared to his gift to George Washington of the key to the Bastille. He was greeted by an outpouring of bell ringing, singing, and honors bestowed on him. Mamaroneck and Rye issued formal proclamations in Lafayette’s honor and celebrated with joyous salutes and costumed reenactors.

Looking ahead to the next two weeks, Lafayette will travel throughout eastern Massachusetts and briefly visit the New Hampshire seacoast. On September 6, he will celebrate his 67th birthday in Weathersfield, Connecticut. On September 7, AFL will host a daylong symposium, “Lafayette and the Enduring Struggle for Human Rights and Democratic Governments,” at Fairfield University in Connecticut. For more details, see Lafayette200.org. 

Flashback: An article published in the American Beacon on August 30, 1824, reported that “The Citizens and ‘Columbians’ of Suffolk, hearing the very pleasing and anxiously expected intelligence of the arrival of Gen. La Fayette,” met on August 21 with the intent of joining the October 19 celebrations in Yorktown. Joseph Prentiss, John Murdaugh, Richard D. Webb, Nathaniel D. Wright, and Thomas G. Benton were “appointed a committee to make suitable arrangements.”  

The American Friends of Lafayette is partnering with Suffolk 250, the Constantia Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Riddick’s Folly to commemorate the Bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour:  “Celebrate Lafayette: Soldier, Statesman, Champion of Human Rights,” a memorabilia exhibit from January 23 to March 1 at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts; Lafayette’s arrival on February 23 at the Suffolk Visitor Center/Riddick’s Folly; a banquet on February 25 at the Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront; and a reception on February 26 at the Washington Smith Ordinary in Historic Somerton.

Free & open to the public. Produced by Suffolk Parks & Recreation.
​www.suffolkparksandrec.com

​Over 500 of you tuned in or attended last night's lecture with AFL President Alan Hoffman and AFL Executive Director Chuck Schwam at the Anderson House aka the American Revolution Institute in Washington, DC.

In 1824, the Marquis de Lafayette embarked on a tour of the United States, returning for a final time to the country he helped establish and whose democratic experiment he saw as a model for the rest of the world. During his thirteen-month tour, he visited all twenty-four states of the union, where he was celebrated with processions, banquets and receptions, worship services, and visits to important sites. There was an excellent preview of the commemorative events planned to celebrate its bicentennial.
​
This lecture accompanies the exhibition, Fete Lafayette: A French Hero’s Tour of the American Republic, on view from March 2 through December 31, 2024.
​
-  The American Friends of Lafayette

Feel free to stop by the Suffolk Visitor Center for your own copy.
524 North Main Street, Suffolk, VA 23434 - open daily 9am - 5pm.
​757.514.4130

Meeting attendees:
Fred Taylor, Richard Todd, Lawrence Todd, Sue Woodward, Brittany Waller, Kevin Hughes, Gloria Womble, Lee King, Nina Schumacher, Olivia Crawley, Mark Furlo, Andrea Parodi, Carolyn White, Joleen Neighbours, Kelly Hengler, Mary Hill, Danielle Jonigan, Theresa Earles.

Meeting Details:
Frank Womble presented a comprehensive PowerPoint detailing the American Friends of Lafayette's Bicentennial of Lafayette's Farewell Tour, 2024-25.

Gloria Womble updated the committee regarding the DAR Constantia Chapter's upcoming events.

The committee brainstormed a variety of programs to consider:

• Glebe Church - June 2025 living history event
• Plein Air Painting event that "Connects Art & History." 
  • Painting subjects focus on Suffolk's architecture, waterfront, and other historically significant sites.
  • To include a wet paint sale and/or exhibit.
  • Year-long painting/art project or competition with online judging and exhibiting component.
• Essay Contest - Suffolk students reflect on the American Revolution and the effects it had on the people, the land, the fabric of Suffolk. 
• K - 12 workshops - living history - correlating to the American Revolution SOLs 
• Mobile Museum will be requested to include in a future event
• Suffolk, VA 250 display for use at events such as Taste of Suffolk Downtown Street Festival and Suffolk Peanut Fest. 
• Great American Picnic? Enhanced Fireworks for 2026 - in conjunction with Stars & Stripes Spectacular

Next meeting TBA.

Patrons: William J. Howell, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, and David E. Yancey, Delegate from Newport News

WHEREAS, on March 14, 1781, 23-year-old Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, arrived in Yorktown to start a military campaign against the British that would culminate in their defeat on October 19, 1781; and

WHEREAS, outnumbered and poorly supplied, Lafayette strove to improve the circumstances and numbers of his troops, often pledging his own funds to secure shoes and clothing for his soldiers, not only in this Virginia campaign, but also during the entire American Revolution, including outfitting the French frigate Hermione to bring him to America; and

WHEREAS, in Lafayette's pursuit of British forces during the spring, summer, and autumn of 1781, he adopted a strategy of limited engagement to better preserve his forces, similar to the strategy used by General George Washington up to that point; and

WHEREAS, it was this strategy that led to the success at Yorktown, where and when French ships under Admiral de Grasse, French forces under General Rochambeau, and American forces under General Washington and Lafayette united and defeated British forces under General Cornwallis; and

WHEREAS, Lafayette had been instrumental in convincing Louis XVI, King of France, to support the American colonies, directly contributing to the victory at Yorktown; and

WHEREAS, in anticipation of the arrival of the French frigate Hermione at Yorktown on June 5 -7, 2015, all Virginians, especially its students, are encouraged to reflect on and learn from Lafayette's example of heroism, courage, and commitment to freedom and democracy; and

WHEREAS, Lafayette loved America so much that he was buried in Paris under soil from Boston's Bunker Hill, and for his accomplishments in the service to both France and the United States, he is known as The Hero of Two Worlds; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate March 14, in 2015 and in each succeeding year, as a Day of Honor for the Marquis de Lafayette in Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the Friends of Hermione-Lafayette in America so that members of the organization may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter; and, be it

RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates post the designation of this day on the General Assembly's website.

Attention Suffolk VA 250 Committee Members!
Our next committee meeting will be held Wednesday, March 13, 1:00-2:30pm,
in the City Council Conference Room at Suffolk City Hall. 442 West Washington Street, First Floor. 

Program:

• Frank Womble, American Friends of Lafayette (AFL) | 2024-2025 Lafayette programs, events and exhibits
• Gloria Womble, Daughters of the American Revolution (and AFL) | Upcoming programs
• Open discussion regarding future program concepts.

SUFFOLK, VA (February 1, 2024) Suffolk Tourism is pleased to host the “The Life and Legacy of the Marquis De Lafayette,” an informational exhibit developed by The American Friends of Lafayette. On display at the Suffolk Visitor Center through March 15, 2024, the exhibit features six curated panels that convey integral stories of Lafayette’s life and legacy including his American Revolution participation, his critical role in cementing the Franco-American Alliance, and his lifelong passion for human rights. Lafayette’s return as “Guest of the Nation” in 1824-1825, and the efforts of the American Friends of Lafayette to commemorate this bicentennial in 2024-2025, is also highlighted. This exhibit strives to make Lafayette’s story more accessible and relevant to today’s citizens while bringing focus to the ongoing Virginia American Revolution 250 Commemoration. The Suffolk Visitor Center is located at 524 North Main Street in downtown Suffolk and is open daily 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. For questions, contact Suffolk Tourism at 757.514.4130 or email [email protected].
 
Find additional Lafayette and Virginia 250 American Revolution Commemoration   information at lafayette200.org and va250.org, respectively.
 
Discover Suffolk events, attractions, accommodations, tours and dining establishments at VisitSuffolkVa.com or via social media at /visitsuffolkva. 757.514.4130

A unique souvenir calendar of Lafayette’s Bicentennial Tour is now available at the Suffolk Visitor Center gift shop. This 18-month calendar covers July 2024 through December 2025 and follows Lafayette’s itinerary during his Farewell Tour of the United States two hundred years ago. Each of the date blocks contains the key places he visited that day. There are twenty beautiful period artworks, coinciding with one of Lafayette’s destinations that month. The cost is only $20 and they make great holiday gifts! 

Lafayette’s stop in Suffolk in February 1825 began his tour of the Southern and Western states. Suffolk will celebrate the bicentennial of his visit in grand style with four events in 2025:

- A Lafayette Farewell Tour memorabilia exhibit at the Suffolk Center for the Cultural Arts, January - February
- Welcome to Lafayette at the Suffolk Visitor Center on Feb. 23* 
- Lafayette Banquet at the Hilton Garden Inn Riverfront on Feb. 25* 
- Reception for Lafayette at the Washington Smith Ordinary in Historic Somerton on Feb. 26.* 
​
*Mark Schneider, Colonial Williamsburg’s professional Lafayette interpreter, will be featured. These events are hosted by the American Friends of Lafayette, the Constantia Chapter of Suffolk, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Suffolk 250. Please join us!

****** The Lafayette bicentennial tour calendar is now at the gift shops at Riddick's Folly House Museum and the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society. ****** ​

WILLIAMSBURG — Businesswoman Carly Fiorina shared her thoughts on leadership and how to best share America’s story for its 250th anniversary at the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce’s most recent Commonwealth Conversations event.

Fiorina, founder and chair of Carly Fiorina Enterprises, as well as the nonprofit organization Unlocking Potential, answered questions from Cliff Fleet, president and CEO of Colonial Williamsburg, during the discussion Wednesday at Williamsburg Lodge. The event was the second in a series the chamber is hosting.

Fiorina, chair of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s Board of Trustees, is also national honorary chair of the VA250 Commission, an organization that is heading up the 250th anniversary celebration of the founding of the United States in 2026. She spoke about her personal experience as a female leader as well as what it will take to lead the nation into the future as its milestone birthday approaches.

Fiorina spoke candidly about the discrimination she’s faced as a woman throughout her career. She attended law school, but quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit for her. After later teaching in Italy for a year, she worked for a real estate firm. Fiorina eventually earned her Master of Business Administration and went to work first at AT&T before moving on to become chair and CEO of Hewlett-Packard.

​“I know from personal experience that it is different when you are different,” she said. “We have come a long way, but we have not come as far as we hoped to be today, or as far as we should be.”

Leadership, Fiorina pointed out, “is not about the position you hold or about your title. It’s about changing things for the better, solving problems and unlocking the potential in others. … It’s about the results you achieve and working with others to solve a problem or achieve a goal.”

Fiorina said leaders need to work to motivate and inspire people, and to collaborate with others to succeed. She added that in order to become stronger leaders, people need to realize that solving problems takes time, that they can’t be passive in their situations and that they have to work with those who aren’t necessarily like them in order to meet the common goal.

“You get better answers that way, better results that way,” she said.

Fiorina is hoping to use what she’s learned about leadership through the years to help the VA250 Commission honor everyone’s story in the founding of the country.

“We are forgetting who we are as a nation, forgetting our history,” she said. “That’s dangerous.”

With celebration preparations currently underway for America’s 250th anniversary, the intent of the VA250 Commission will be to share “the whole story, the full story and make it land for people, no matter who they are or where they are,” Fiorina said.

Virginia needs to be the leader of the commemoration because “the nation started here. The ideas were born here,” she added. “I hope you don’t take that for granted.”

Providing the whole picture of America’s history, the good and the bad, will help Americans “to see ourselves more clearly,” and move forward as a nation, Fiorina said.

“We as citizens need to do our part to form a more perfect union,” she said. “For us, that is helping Americans in understanding who we are and where we come from.”

The next Commonwealth Conversations event will take place Jan. 10 with BK Fulton of Soulidify Productions as speaker.

Brandy Centolanza, [email protected]

​Join us as we celebrate the 250th Commemoration through education, exhibits, historical sites and artifacts, and special events across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

​​Revolutionary Sites & Events in Virginia

Virginia is for history lovers, and revolutionary history can be found all across the Commonwealth. From historical sites and museums to events commemorating historic milestones in Virginia history, the American Revolution can be felt in every corner of the state. Explore Virginia’s living history, interactive exhibits, tours, events, festivals and more and discover why Virginia’s history is America’s story!

• Passed a Resolution Supporting the Virginia America 250 Commission (VA250) (Read and adopted April 5, 2023)
• Determined Suffolk’s VA250 Committee Leadership – Suffolk Tourism (Suffolk’s Official Destination Marketing Organization or DMO) lead by Theresa Earles
• Attended VA250 Committee Roundtable Discussion and Information Session (June 8, 2023)
• Convene Committee Members and Stakeholders (June 21, 2023)
  • Identify our Local Stories
  • Stories that Created the Fabric of the Nation
  • More than a War, but a Revolution of Ideas
  • Virginia is the Mother of Presidents
  • Virginia History is American History

• Establish sub-committees to brainstorm and propose various programs, themes and activities
  • Sample sub-committees:
    • History, Research & Education
    • Community Engagement & Special Events
    • Funding (Grants, Sponsorship & Fundraising)

 

• Develop a plan to commemorate anniversaries, events, significant Suffolk contributions to the American Revolution and the evolution of our community
• Research and apply for grants when applicable   
  • Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) up to $10,000 grant with a 1:1 cash match (Current round closes 7/18)
    • VTC Grant Program will be offered twice a year through 2025
    • Requires three partners and support from local DMO
• Virginia Humanities Content Development Grant opportunities will be available as early as Fall 2023 – Up to $10,000
• Virginia Commission for the Arts to offer Creative Community Partnership Grants to Arts Organizations throughout the Commonwealth beginning in early 2024. Up to $4,500

​

• Create Micro-website within the VA250.org site
• Establish a dedicated page for Suffolk’s VA250 programs via
• VisitSuffolkVa.com, along with promoting via VisitSuffolkVa social media platforms.

• ​On June 4, 1775, Glebe Church’s minister was presenting a sermon calling for support of the crown and consequently was requested by a church warden and parish magistrate to cease his sermon and to step down from the pulpit.  The minister, Rev. John Agnew, left the church and parish never to return after 21 years of service to the Lower and Chuckatuck parishes. He went on to serve as a chaplain in the British Navy.

​

• Glebe is also known to be the only church that still owns its original glebe land which was a king’s grant in 1636. That land is located on east side of the Nansemond River on Kings Highway. It was originally 450 acres and now 250. Glebe’s 1738 church is still in service near Driver after major renovations following the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

• American Revolution-themed guided tours
• Lectures and Educational Programs
• Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown Experts
• Art Programs: How the American Revolution Affected Art . . . “Art and Society of the New Republic, 1776–1800”
• The Role of Native Americans throughout the American Revolution

  (Examining the relationship between the Native Americans, the Colonists and the British)

• The Great Dismal Swamp and its value – refuge for maroons and runaway slaves, as well as sought after lumber by Washington.
• “Tea Party” with Living History, Sea Shanties, etc.
  
• Agriculture during the American Revolution and how war affected rural life
  
• Revolutionary Book Club … focusing on the role and impact of the revolution on families, women, enslaved peoples, etc. Themed book displays at local library branches.
  
• Educational programming coinciding with SOLS.
  
• A Suffolk VA250 display at major Suffolk events and festivals. 

Sub-Committee Volunteers + Independent Brainstorming
Next Meeting Full Committee Meeting:
Wednesday, September 20, 2023 (Location TBA)

MEETING UPDATE: The September meeting is being rescheduled for November. More details to follow. Thank you.

Send any ideas and suggestions to: [email protected] Subject: VA250 
Download Meeting Presentation