Special Guest Tweed Roosevelt Discussed Grandfather Theodore Roosevelt
On the weekend of September 20 thru September 22, the Virginia/Carolinas Branch of the Holland Society of New York held our annual meeting in Belmont, NC. 21 members and guests gathered in this small North Carolina town to celebrate our heritage, make new friends and to have a good time. Our weekend started off with a BBQ dinner with all the fixings coupled with wine, beer, cheeses and bottles of champagne supplied by Henry Staats from our Atlanta branch. We also had a special guest on Friday night, our own member Tweed Roosevelt, and great-grandson of Teddy Roosevelt, who gave us insights on how Teddy ran the presidency.
Saturday, we gathered in the AM and visited the Daniel Stowe botanical garden, accompanied by our own special guide with its special exhibit of over large glass sculptured flowers blended into the natural surroundings of the plants of the Carolinas. Really beautiful and a great exhibition.
In the afternoon, we ventured up to the National Whitewater Center where athletes train for the Olympic Games on man-made rapids. We were happy to only watch as the rapids run fast and rough for our group.
A good dinner at the Old Stone Steakhouse and then a short business meeting on Sunday ended the weekend. We parted, planning on next year’s get together and looking forward to learning more about our common heritage and our friendships.