Upon arrival, we were greeted by Roger Roberts’ impressive display of Welsh flags which included three each of the red dragon and St. David’s and, in the center, the red and yellow banner of Owain Glyndwr.
Photo by N. Derenburger, Welsh folk dancer
Page 4
About four dozen people, including 7 children, attended the July 26th WSCO potluck picnic. Our good Welsh cooks, once again, delighted everyone with a wonderful array of food, and some dishes even had signs displaying the Welsh name!
|
Upon arrival, we were greeted by Roger Roberts’ impressive display of Welsh flags which included three each of the red dragon and St. David’s and, in the center, the red and yellow banner of Owain Glyndwr.
Photo by N. Derenburger, Welsh folk dancer |
After dinner there was an auction of a few items from the WSCO storage locker and some donations, which gleaned $137.00. Thanks to all those who bid, and to our auctioneer Homer Williams and his assistant Donna Boyce. Items were generously donated by Charlotte Forquer, David Jones, Roger Roberts, and Dianne Williams. There was a heavy rain shower during the auction but we were all snug under the adequate roof of the Dogwood Shelter.
The rain stopped so we could enjoy a couple folk dances demonstrated by members of the Welsh Country Dancers of Central Ohio, and then a number of picnic attendees joined the dancers in a simple participation dance.
Group singing followed, led by Ann Gillard and accompanied by John Davids. We closed the event with Bob Penry’s guitar playing, humorous songs and stories.
|
There were two families this year with three generations in attendance – Bob and Mary Ann Penry’s family and Joan Bash’s family. Left to right: back - Jimmy Randall (with Red Dragon flag), Joan Bash, Chris Bash Randall, Brian Randall (with St. David’s flag); front -- (Sherry Bash Fredrick, not shown) Reed Fredrick, Robbie Fredrick. Photo courtesy of D. and H. Williams |
 |
We thank Charlotte Prior for her work reserving the shelter and planning the program.
2009 -- Saturday, July 18 at Blendon Woods MetroPark, Dogwood Shelter.
Ruth Quillin
August 31, 2008, was a memorable day for the nearly two-and-a-half dozen members and friends of WSCO who boarded a bus at Kingsdale Center and headed northwest for Venedocia, Ohio. It was a beautiful late summer day with blue skies and fluffy white clouds, and a bus load of Welsh voices all tuned for the Gymanfa Ganu that evening at the Salem Presbyterian Church in Venedocia.
The first stop was, appropriately, at a Bob Evans Restaurant in Lima, where we enjoyed a good lunch on our own, followed by a visit to the Allen County Museum and MacDonell House in Lima. Interesting exhibits were the eight or nine exact miniature reproductions of early homes in Lima. Also interesting were the mock-ups of the old train station, and the covered wagon and sleigh on display.
We boarded the bus again and our driver, Kelli, ably negotiated the narrow country roads to Gomer and the Welsh Museum, which has truly been a labor of love. We also briefly visited the lovely Gomer Presbyterian Church. Leaving Gomer, we stopped at a Welsh cemetery called Tawelfan, A Peaceful Place, where we learned of the six generations of Welsh people buried there.
We reached Venedocia about 5 o’clock, where first we enjoyed a good supper provided by the ladies of the church. By 6 o’clock we were finding seats in the sanctuary in our designated areas of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. As is usual, the church was filled even to the balcony, and all those Welsh voices, including eight from our own CWSS, joined in a wonderful two hours of hymns sung in both Welsh and English. The director for the evening was Wales-born Geraint Wilkes, who carefully told the background and history of each hymn and, for better tone and volume, kept us up on our feet.
We also enjoyed the solo numbers of baritone Trefor Williams, who joined Geraint in a duet at one point, and tenor Kevin Fancher, grandson of Jane Letitia (Morris) Bates who still attends the church. Kevin lives elsewhere but returns each year for the gymanfa.
After nearly three hours of singing, we gratefully boarded the bus and headed for home. Again, Kelli had no problem with the unfamiliar, dark roads until, to her embarrassment, she missed the turn to Rt. 33 in St. Mary’s. So she turned around on a dark road bordered by corn fields, found the right road, and delivered us safely back at Kingsdale about 1 am.
Many thanks to Bob Donaldson for planning another great trip. We’re looking forward to next year.
Editor's Note: The names of those on the bus tour are listed in the Member Highlights column in the On the Move section on page 6.