Latest from Vale Club's President: 
Fabulous annual fair thanks to all of you

The Annual Fall Fair could not have been the success it was without:
• Pam Guffain and Maria Barba – Co-Chairs.
• Glorious weather until the rain at 1:30 p.m. and the pouring rain from then on.

• All the work done behind the scenes by Vale members able to fulfill their volunteer commitment on Friday setting up and at the Fair on Saturday.

• The boy scouts and their haunted forest, which they have built and manned for a number of years, was truly spooky. Thanks to them also for their volunteer labor.

• Once again Chip Bowers smoked our pork BBQ and Sue Bowers made chili sauce for the hot dogs and the BBQ sauces. About 230 plates of food were sold. Chipso enjoys smoking the turkeys and the smoker provides the atmosphere. Dolores Stallings won the smoked turkey raffle, and Ryan, Darlene Williamson’s grandson, won the Ukulele raffle.  Julie Wolff was Sue’s co-chair and never stopped smiling. She and Sue’s volunteers just kept making the plates of food while JoAnn Lasseigne was busy making sure everyone had a sweet from the Bake Sale. This is how we make money for Fair expenses. If we make more than our expenses we have a profit which, however, is not our goal.

Eating one of the BBQ dinners were Linda and Jaren Van Den Heuvel who live nearby on Bronzedale Dr. Linda was a member in 1998-1999. I hope Linda returns to the Club after all these years. One of the handmade quilts donated to the Arts & Crafts Guild, thanks to Anna Willard, sold for $200. 
The Culinary Escape outing in early October to Gatsby’s Tavern in Alexandria was a true treat. Lunch was delicious and the two tours were outstanding, especiallythe Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum. Keep a watch out on Sign-up Genius (SUG) for upcoming events.

Our first lunch following the General Meeting in October was well attended at Uncle Julio. Chris Custode, a new member, organized the lunch and wants to continue

planning lunches after she recovers from surgery, which we hope will be speedy.

Wishing you and yours a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Warmly,

Trecia Buster Vale Club President

Latest from Friends of Vale Schoolhouse:  

FVS Co-Presidents, Lindsey Iacovino and Mary Valder, have had to reschedule their presentation to January’s General Meeting. Many members are unclear as to how FVS relates to Vale Club, so they are planning a slide show detailing the symbiosis of the two entities. They’ll discuss, among other topics, Annual Operating Expenses, Major Projects, and Sources for Revenue Streams. You will be able to clearly see how your dues are used and so much more. Don’t miss this one!

This past month, I had great fun hosting about 60 Third Grade Cub Scouts, along with their leaders and several parents at the Schoolhouse. The tour included a talk about what a typical school day might be like for 3rd graders in 1888. Their eyes widened when I explained about there being no running water—so the boys had to pump water from the well and bring it inside. That, of course meant that there was no toilet, so if you needed to “go”—you’d have to use the outhouse (lots of reaction to that one—“ewww!” and “even in the rain?” The adults were very surprised to learn that we didn’t have a bathroom at all until 1992!) The boys also had to make sure there was wood for the stove—while the girls had to sweep and keep the classroom clean. Their parents were very interested in the structure itself, and I was pleased to be able to answer those questions. At that time, we had 38 stars on our flag, and the kids had great answers when I asked them which states were represented. A quick history lesson ensued, with a discussion of who was President at the time (Grover Cleveland, in case you might have forgotten!). We had a short Q&A, ending with many scouts ringing our school bell.

I will be reaching out to the principals of elementary schools in our area to extend invitations to our Schoolhouse for tours and field trips. When applying for grants, often the applications will ask for how our Schoolhouse is relevant to our community. These tours and talks will be important in supporting our relevance to the neighboring areas.
In last month’s message, I accidentally omitted an important shoutout to Lindsey Iacovino, who spent a great deal of time meeting with potential contractors and helping negotiate the costs of our recent extensive renovations to the parking lot and grounds. Elizabeth Fribush will oversee the installation of new landscaping in the Spring. Much more info on this will be forthcoming in the months ahead.
Gail Magnani, FVS Representative to Vale Club