New musical event to raise money for DAR Good Citizen Scholarship

[media-credit id=3 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]GREAT BARRINGTON—A special concert titled “Divas and Desserts,” highlighting music by the Berkshire Hills Chorus of  Sweet Adelines International as well as Arlene Adler, a professional opera singer, will take place Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the First Congregational Church.

Sunday’s concert is sponsored by the First Resistence Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, (DAR), based in Great Barrington, which has 66 members from several towns throughout Berkshire County and Connecticut.

Proceeds of the first time event will go toward a DAR Good Citizens scholarship for a Berkshire County student involved in a Good Citizens program.

Sweets Made by DAR Members

The dessert part of Sunday’s event will include a full array of sweet treats made by chapter members such as mini carrot and almond cupcakes, lemon squares, brownies and cookies.

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Tickets for the event cost $20 and will be for sale at the church door.

The opera singer, Arlene Adler, of Becket, has sung with both the New York and San Francisco Opera Companies.

Janie Pellish, chorus manager, said the Sweet Adelines will be singing between 15 and 18 songs during the course of an hour.

Some of them will include “Ain’t Misbehavin,” “Let There  Be Peace on Earth,”  and a patriotic medley.

Musical director of the 30 member Sweet Adelines is Julie Bertelli.  Singers come from throughout Berkshire County.

First Resistence Name

The name of the local DAR chapter, which was formed in 1924,  evolved from the fact that the first resistence to British rule in the Colonies in  1774 originated in Great Barrington, Mrs. Joseph explained.

“We are the only Berkshire County Chapter,“ Margaret Joseph, chapter regent,of Sheffield, said.

A Pittsfield Peace Chapter merged with the First Resistence Chapter in 2009.

Members of the local chapter meet about nine times a year during the third week of the month. They meet in members homes, in restaurants, and even take field trips such as to the  Susan B. Anthony Home in Adams, Mrs. Joseph said.

12 Students Vie for Scholarhip

Regarding the scholarship being funded by Sunday’s event, the local students from 12 area high schools are eligible to apply.

In the past, the chapter has used money from their treasury to assist local students.  This is the first time a separate event has been planned to help fund a Good Citizen scholarship, Mrs. Joseph  said.

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A DAR Good Citizen exhibits the qualities of dependability leadership, patriotism and service. One candidate is selected from each senior class in participating local high schools to receive the award.

Recipients of the Good Citizen award will  then have the opportunity to participate in the scholarship that goes along with the award.

“The winning chapter level scholarship applicant moves on to the state level with state winners moving on to national judging,” according to DAR.  “Monetary awards are given at each level.”

Part of National Group

First Resistence Chapter is part of the national Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) organization which was founded in 1890.

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Based in Washington, D.C., DAR is a “non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children,” according to DAR sources.

There are currently 175,000 members in 3,000 chapters in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. as well as internationally.

International DAR Groups, Too

There are also international chapters in Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom.

To be eligible for membership in DAR, a woman, 18 years or older, has to prove lineal descent from a Patriot of the American Revolution.

According to DAR sources, current members include Buddhists, Catholics, Jewish, Muslims and Mormons. Current and past members have been major forces in political and social movements, according to DAR.

Famous DAR Members

Several well known people have been DAR members such as Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross; Janet Reno, former attorney general;  Actresses Bo Derek and Ginger Rogers; Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known as the folk art painter “Grandma Moses”; Susan B. Anthony, suffragist; and several First Ladies including Laura and Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Mamie Eisenhower and Rosalynn Carter.

Posted by Susan M. Wicker Guerrero on May 16, 2013. Filed under Community Events,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry