Newsletter and what's happening ALABAMA PROCLAMATION FRIDAY MARCH 21, 2008 PROCLAMATIONS WERE SIGNED BY GOVERNER BOB RILEY IN MONTGOMERY THAT DO PROCLAM!! APRIL ALABAMA SCOTTISH HERITAGE MONTH AND APRIL 6TH THE OFFICIAL ALABAMA TARTAN DAY Pictured below is our member Randy Seale who was the key contact with the Governor's office to accomplish this historic signing. He is proudly holding both officially signed Proclamations. THIS WONDERFUL TURN OF EVENTS IS TOOK PLACE DUE TO THE EFFORTS AND TIME GIVEN TO OUR SOCIETY BY RANDY SEALE. THANK YOU RANDY. A NOTE FROM KERRI I want to thank everyone who worked so diligently and supported our endeavors during the past two years. We have increased membership and also increased our cash flow which enables us to continue the various projects we have worked so hard on! I have the utmost confidences that our new president, Charles McCloud will continue carrying the torch and we will be seeing great things from him. I have enjoyed working with you all, and I am always here for you! Thank you all for the support you have given to YOUR society!! Looking forward to seeing you all at Strawberry Festival! Yours Aye, Kerri Burns 533-0703 This Month NEW PRESIDENT: CHARLES McCLOUD Our newly elected president Charles W. McCloud and his lovely wife bonnie will be leading our happy troops. Charles is the main man but we all know the woman behind the man makes life work. Charles plans on building on the wonderful job our past present has done and looks forward to everyone pitching in and helping make us a success. If you have idea or questions for Charles you can reach him at oldbuzzard1@bellsouth.net or oldbuzz@msn.com. You can also reach him at 895-8252 OR 649-4566. Events Coming This Month Thursday APRIL 17, 2008 is our next meeting at 6:30 pm at the Garden Center at Forest Hill & Ziegler. It is appreciated if you bring a snack or hors d’oeuvres to share as we have sodas, coffee, and visit. Baldwin County Strawberry Festival Sat. April 12th 9-5 and Sun. April 13th 9-5 The festival will be held at Loxley Municipal Park located off Hwy 59. Local History and Genealogy Offerings. Saturday April 19, “Family Research” Instructors: Members of Tristan de Luna Chapter, Daughters of American Revolution Time: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Location: Local History & Genealogy Library, 753 Government St., Mobile 251-208-7093 Saturday April 19, “Introduction to Ancestry.com” Instructor: Sheryl Somathilake Time: 10:00 a.m. Reservations required. Location: Ben May Main Library 701 Government St. Mobile. Please arrive by 9:45 am to get a parking space and to sign in. Saturday April 26, “Tracing your Scottish Heritage” Instructors: Amy Beach and Janie Daugherty Time: 10am-12 noon. Reservations Required. Location: Ben May Main Library 701 Government St. Mobile. Please arrive by 9:45 am to get a parking space and to sign in. Visit www.mainlhg@mplonline.org for more information or call: 208-7093 to register. TIME TO WORK FOR YOUR SOCIETY!! HELP NEEDED!!! May 3rd Yard Sale at the Garden Center. We need as many sellable items as we can get to help us raise money for all of the wonderful plans our Society has coming up. We are hoping to set up the night before but we will need to have all of the items for sale a week before the event. Remember that all donations are tax-deductible! We could certainly use as much help as we can get. Please come out and help your Society!!! Scottish Society of Mobile Cookbook If Yard Sales are of no interest to you we have another endeavor in the works. Our very own cook book with recipes from Scotland, the South, but mostly from you. Send your recipes to info@scottishsocietyofmobile.org or bring them to a meeting. Do you wonder what Tartan Day really is about? I did. Tartan Day is the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, which was the Declaration of Scottish Independence. This confirmed Scotland as an independent sovereign state with the right to defend itself. The Declaration made a number of points: Scotland had always been independent, indeed for longer than England; that Edward I of England had unjustly attacked Scotland and perpetrated atrocities; that Robert the Bruce had delivered the Scottish nation from this peril; and, most controversially, that the independence of Scotland was the prerogative of the Scottish people, rather than the King of Scotland. The stirring language of the Declaration has made it famous both in Scotland and internationally. In fact it had a strong affect upon the writers of the United States Declaration of Independence. Perhaps the most famous quote from the Declaration being, “It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.” still inspires freedom loving people today. The Declaration of Arbroath is as important today as it was 688 years ago. Not only for what it represented then, but for what it reminds us today. The cost of freedom is high. It’s worth fighting for, and each generation has to be devoted to the concept of freedom or it can quickly be lost. As Thomas Jefferson said, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." Our Scottish ancestors understood this and that "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." (Edmund Burke) Those sentiments are as true today, as when they were first spoken. Scots have never stood by the sidelines and waited for others to act. We lead… The spirit of the Highlands lives on and on Tartan Day we stand in remembrance of those values. Help & Info Contact Us Custom Payments