The Carmi Rotary club had a presentation from one of their own on Thursday, as Cindy Conley told the group about her recent trip to Washington, DC.
Cindy explained that she had wanted to take a long trip to the nation’s capital for some time, and when the chance came along to go with her long-time friend Kathleen Logsdon, she made her plans.
Her friend lives in North Carolina, so Cindy was able to fly in and the two made the trip by car for their pilgrimage to the capital. Their trip started in nearby Mt. Airy, NC, which is the birthplace of Andy Griffith, and the town that Mayberry was fashioned after. In that small town, one can take a tour in a 1964 Ford Fairlane, painted to resemble the famous police car from the Andy Griffith show. There is also a museum and a playhouse in town sure to scratch that nostalgic itch for that hit TV show.
From there, the pair drove to Washington, DC, being caught in a major traffic jam along the way. Once there, they quickly learned the ins and outs of using Uber, and for the rest of their holiday relied on that service very heavily. The first stop on the trip was a Cubs/Nationals game at Nationals Park. Cindy described the stadium as very similar to the Pittsburgh Pirates stadium, and said it was a great place to see a game. The Cubs lost the day the pair were there, (the only game they lost in that series). Originally the plan had been to drive to the game, but they decided to Uber it instead, and it turned out to be a good decision, since parking for the game was a whopping $71.00
The next day Cindy and Kathleen made the trip to the Smithsonian, which is actually 23 separate buildings. The most popular site is the air and space museum, which was unfortunately closed during the week Cindy was in town. Instead, the pair made their way to the National Museum of American History, which had a special feature, Julia Child’s TV kitchen. Also on hand, was the actual flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem. This enormous flag was purchased back in the 1800’s for the (then) staggering price of $500.
They also made a stop at the Holocaust Museum, where each visitor is issued an ID card from an actual Holocaust victim, which really brings home the horror of that time in history.
Lastly, the ladies visited one of the newer locations, the African American Museum. Cindy commented that it was extremely interesting.
Also on the museum tour, the college friends made their way to the DAR museum. In fact, while they were there, the staff was able to help Kathleen do some background work on one of her relatives.
The last day in DC they Ubered to Georgetown, where they visited several of JFK’s old haunts. On that day, they also did what Cindy called their “Catholic” tour as well.
After a quick stop in Richmond, Virginia, Cindy was delivered to the airport, and she made her way back the safety of Southern Illinois.
In club business, there was a lengthy discussion of the upcoming Trivia Contest. This year’s fall event will be a little earlier than usual. In year’s past, the contests have always been linked to the time change dates. This year’s fall contest will be held on Saturday, October 22nd. The first question will be asked
promptly at 6:00pm, and the night should wrap up around 8:00. The event will be held at the American Legion on Oak Street in Carmi.
As always, there will be four rounds of ten questions each. The questions will be pulled from subjects such as: history, pop culture, sports, the Bible, and many more. There will be cash prizes for the top three teams, and there will be plenty of food and drink on hand, provided by the Rotarians.
The cost for a four-person team is forty dollars and can be paid at the door.
Talks are beginning on the first event after trivia, which will be a chili supper. This year the club will return to a sit-down meal, instead of the drive-up service that was forced by the Covid lockdown. The meal will happen on Veteran’s Day, November 11th at the Lion’s Den in downtown Carmi. More information will be coming soon on this event.
The Carmi Rotary club meets every Thursday at noon at the First United Methodist Church on Main Street in Carmi. Anyone wishing to learn more about this civic organization is welcome to attend a meeting or speak with any Carmi Rotarian.
