Today's DAR
Yesterday, I shared highlights of our upcoming Opening Night ceremonies to launch the Virtual 129th Continental Congress. Today, I wanted to tell you more about the other official sessions of the Virtual 129th Continental Congress that will air as video presentations on our Congress Online YouTube Livestream June 24-28, 2020.
As you might imagine, a great deal of planning went into creating this first virtual Congress. It was my hope to keep the schedule similar to our traditional format. But recognizing that many members are working (often remotely) during the weekday, I chose to forgo weekday business sessions in an effort to include everyone interested in joining us. As a result, we have combined some of our sessions to have four nighttime and two daytime programs that I hope you will agree capture many of the important highlights of our business.
How were we able to “create” this virtual Congress? By receiving nearly 100 different self-recorded videos from members and officers who will be presenting reports, as well as honorees accepting national awards. We are now editing together hours of video footage to present during these sessions. I am so proud and grateful to all of our members and honorees who embraced this new technological challenge so that we could present the business and awards of our annual convention to all of you who will be watching at home.
As I’ve mentioned previously, the majority of these sessions will be prerecorded; they will air on the Congress Online YouTube Livestream at 7 p.m. ET for the evening sessions; 1 p.m. ET for the Saturday business session; and 10:30 a.m. ET for the Memorial Service, followed by the Installation Ceremony and closing remarks.
Here’s more good news: If you are unable to watch the sessions live, you will still be able to watch any/all of the sessions in our video archive, to which we will provide access links. This is an opportunity to share Congress with those Daughters who may never be able to attend for a variety of reasons.
I encourage ALL of you to please tune in to these sessions during the week of Congress! At the closing on Sunday, I will announce in a live segment our total online viewership – we have the opportunity to record higher viewership numbers than we would ever be able to achieve with in-person attendance. Let’s embrace technology and make some history! Let’s set some participation records!
Here are some highlights about each of the sessions:
Wednesday, June 24 – Opening Night Ceremony
Our Opening Night Ceremony will have the theme “Honoring Our Patriots,” as we recognize individuals who are helping to share the stories of those who founded our nation and keeping history alive for future generations. We look forward to sharing with you video remarks from Rick Atkinson, author of, The British Are Coming; Henry Louis Gates, Jr., host of the PBS program “Finding Your Roots;” and Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian, who will provide the keynote remarks.
We will also announce several exciting new DAR initiatives that focus on furthering our organization’s efforts to preserve the memory of our Revolutionary Patriots, as well as educate contemporary society about their service and sacrifice.
Read yesterday’s blog to learn more about the Opening Night Ceremony and our honorees.
Thursday, June 25 – Education Awards and Executive Reports Night
On Thursday evening, a portion of our ceremony will be broadcast LIVE to officially open and complete some of the important business of the 129th Continental Congress. Much of the ceremony will be prerecorded as we recognize the American History Essay Contest winners, the DAR Good Citizens and the Outstanding Teacher of American History. Additionally, during this ceremony we will have the reports of your Executive Officers and the nominations for the candidates for the office of Honorary Vice President General and Vice President General.
Friday, June 26 – State Regents Night and Outstanding Junior Presentation
Friday evening will celebrate our State Regents, leaders who will share highlights of the great things DAR is accomplishing in their states. The evening will culminate with the exciting announcement of the 2020 Outstanding Junior. It’s always wonderful to recognize these young women who bring so much to our organization and who are its future.
Saturday, June 27 – Daytime Business Session
The Saturday daytime session will include the reports of selected National Chairs, including those who will present various achievement awards. We will also recognize some of our most generous donors who help move forward our DAR mission. At the end of the prerecorded session, we will switch to a live broadcast for the presentation of the voting results.
