Buon Natali, Fredericksburg-Este Friends!
Here’s a treat! The Vespa Club of Este took a jingle ride through the town, and stopped in front of Cathy Herndon’s mural, completed in spring of 2022. We love the sister city spirit!
Este trip in spring 2024
Speaking of sister city spirit…Este has sent an invitation for 10 to 12 Fredericksburg folks to come to Este in spring of 2024 for their Flower Festival weekend! The dates are April 18-April 29(30), 2024! Priority for participants will be given to those who hosted our Este visitors in October, but if you’re interested, please let us know, and we’ll add your name to the list.
The Flower Festival is a regional celebration of all thing green, and people from all over attend, and exhibit…a fine time in Este, which is beautifully adorned with flowers all over town. Our Este friends have also said that during that visit, they will put on a Medieval Festival (year 1192), with everything from banquets to costumes to acrobats to flame twirlers. It is amazing!
You can email your interest in going to fredeste2015@gmail.com. Grazie!
Free Lecture
Mark your calendars for February 2, at 6:30 PM, St. George’s Church (George Street Entrance) for another free Italian lecture! Allyson Poska, History and American Studies professor emerita at UMW, will present a program on some aspect of Italian history—not yet announced, but sure to be interesting. We offer small bites and wine prior to the program, so that members and guests have a moment to mingle and chat before the program. This is another in a series of lectures and other programming offered at no cost by the Fred-Este Association. Plan to bring friends!
Dr. Poska helped establish UMW’s Women’s and Gender Studies major, serving as chair for six years. She has received numerous grants, and has been guest commentator on the topic of “Pandemics Past,” during the Covid epidemic. She has also been honored for her work in the Fredericksburg community, notably with the Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault, Empowerhouse and the Fredericksburg Food Bank.
It will be a delight to welcome this distinguished professor to our speaker series!
Board openings and Annual Meeting
Our Annual Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 20, 5:30 PM, in the Theater of the Fredericksburg branch, Central Rappahannock Regional Library. We’ll review the year, talk about upcoming plans, and share finger foods and a glass or two of Italian wine.
Several of our long-serving board members are rotating off our board, and we are looking for new faces to join this fun and interesting group. If you are considering being more active in the Fred-Este Association, let us know! Email your interest in serving on the Fred-Este board to fredeste2015@gmail.com.
Happy Holidays!
Kathryn Willis, President