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Advisory Groups & Commissions

Task Force Meeting Minutes – May 9, 2017

Arlington County WWI Commemoration Task Force Meeting
May 9, 2017

  1. General Business
    1. Establish regular meeting time: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 5:15-7:15pm, room 311 at 2100 Clarendon Blvd unless otherwise scheduled
    2. Chair’s vision of success is threefold: engage different community groups/members for diversity and inclusivity; link with other organizations in Arlington; interpretation of Clarendon memorial
  1. Planning roster of events
    1. See draft schedule sent out by Allison
      1. Event to add – Preservation office partnership with Arlington Independent Media and high school interns’ project; event to screen final project
      2. Event to add – AHS essay contest next year – start January, end April – POC Cathy Hix
  • AHS special exhibit open until November 2018
  1. June 6 – AHS gala, Allison speaking
  2. June 10 – Mitchell Yockelson speaking at National Archives about book Forty-Seven Days: How Pershing’s Warriors Came of Age to defeat the German Army in World War I – hosted by Sister Cities Assoc.
  3. June 21 – Margaret Wagner speaking at Central Library – “America and the Great War: A Library of Congress Illustrated History”
  • Arlington County Fair – August 16-20, 2017 – partner with Library/Center for Local History booth (POC Diane Kresh) to piggy-back and partner, and promote work of Task Force
  • Clarendon Day?
  1. Frequency of events? – aim to have event or project to promote (on behalf of our organizations), partner with, or host every month (i.e. bike tours, book clubs, speaking engagements, etc.)
  2. IDEAS: collaborate on ideas and email Allison
    1. Mobile tour bus with WWI/WWII exhibits (by County); request dates/appearances (possibly next year at County Fair); advised by Courtney to request for event where lots of people can attend and see it
    2. Valor Run for the Women’s Memorial (virtual run)
  • Arts – play performance, choir, cabaret
  1. Community service events – what do vets in Arlington need? POC Legion/VFW
  2. Art contest – perhaps start November for Veterans’ Day, have kids see special local exhibits for inspiration, turn into poster with blurb – exhibit winners’ work in library/lobby of 2100? POC Mitchell Zink
  3. Women in WWI – Allison can speak at events on subject; Women’s History Month; involve Girl Scouts/youth sports as audience
  • Spanish Flu – 2018 topic
  • Music** – Library of Congress has sheet music through 1923 in public domain; American Jukebox; Arlington Corral (concert next season?); Harlem Hellfighters – origins of jazz; Columbia Pike Blues Fest; **Army Band – Pershing’s Own – ensembles can be hired; possible venues: Kenmore Middle School auditorium; musical history event – POC Diane will speak with curator contacts; Twilight Tattoo?
  1. African Americans in war; immigrants in war
  2. Tom of Unknown Soldier wreath laying on behalf of Task Force
  3. Genealogy/family history – project to start soon – promote local resources and National Archives; library has ancestry.com access; depository/archive for Arlington residents to share stories; scanning of photos/docs/objects on mobile tour bus?; gather stories from people who have benefitted from Arlington resources; include Center for Local History’s exhibit
  • Library compiling WWI-related bibliographies, filmographies, possibly host screenings of select films
  • Develop app – walking history around Arlington; work with Courtney with Convention and Visitor Center Bureau; would require money to develop; hashtag/QR code – can be used to promote task force and WWI events; use at events/booths
  • Immigration – intersection with war; Americanization; ostracizing German language and culture, internment of enemy aliens in Hot Springs, NC
  1. Federal employees living in Arlington, working in DC
  • WWI on homefront
  • Sedition/espionage
  1. Subcommittees – to organize Task Force efforts in more focused manner
    1. Events committee – Dan, Frank, Katie, Cynthia, Diane – start brainstorming for conclusion keynote/special presentation/event for November 11, 2018
    2. Education committee – Cathy, student task force members, Mithell, Joe, Brenton
    3. Engagement committee – (catch-all/outreach; social media, website, networks, etc.) Katie, Sarah, Peter
    4. Research and Resources – Allison, Cynthia, volunteers on case by case basis or for specific topics/overflow
    5. Subcommittee members are allowed to email about task force business – use Reply All to keep staff liaisons informed
  1. Memorial Day Activities
    1. Doughboy uniforms secured from ABMC for color guard, Legion Post 139 can provide 3 parade rifles
    2. Ceremony by Legion on Monday, May 29, 1pm at Clarendon War Memorial; includes wreath-laying, talk by someone from Legion, and small luncheon at Post
  1. WWI/WWII Regional Brochure by Convention and Visitors Bureau in development to include commemoration events in different Northern Virginia locations, self-guided tours, etc.
  1. Memorial flowers at Arlington Cemetery
    1. AUSA, #floweroneverygrave for Memorial Day and at other national cemeteries across the US; sign up/register online to participate
  1. Miscellaneous notes
    1. Aug 2018 County Fair – Mobile tour bus – donuts to go with doughboys and doughnut dollies (reenactors?)
    2. Peter Golkin – The Citizen, sent to every household in county, can be used to advertise task force and other events
    3. Sarah will send out schedule of dates over next few months (2nd Tuesdays)
    4. Immediately following meeting – group to discuss interpretation of Clarendon Memorial; in contact with local NAACP chapter, Ms. Nightengale and fellow officers
    5. Open discussion – no topics – meeting adjourned 6:35pm