Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Diamond Jubilee River Pageant

Plans for Diamond Jubilee River Pageant Unveiled
go.com


Palace officials Wednesday announced details of a massive pageant on London's River Thames to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee year. Plans call for roughly 1,000 boats of various sizes to gather June 3 for an unprecedented tribute to the queen, who is marking the 60th year of her reign.

The flotilla will be over seven miles (11 kilometers) long and include barges on which original works composed for the jubilee will be performed. The event is planned to celebrate Britain's fabled maritime history. The queen, her husband Prince Philip and other senior royals — likely including Prince William and his wife, the former Kate Middleton — will travel on board a royal barge, The Spirit of Chartwell, an opulent cruising vessel that regularly plies the Thames. The barge will be decorated with flowers from the queen's gardens, with an emphasis on the royal colors, red, gold and purple. Pageant Master Adrian Evans said the barge "must be a jewel — the most magnificent vessel in the flotilla."

Organizers say the flotilla, one of the largest ever assembled on the river, will include rowboats, working vessels and pleasure craft. All boats will be decorated, including kayaks and canoes.
The procession will cover about 14 miles (22 kilometers), from Hammersmith in west London to the Greenwich Royal Naval College in the east, and will include a vessel, the Amazon, used in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897.
Officials expect roughly 20,000 people to be aboard the various craft, with many more lining the river banks and an international audience watching the spectacle on TV and online. Big screens will be set up throughout London so people can watch the boats glide by.

Prince Charles will be patron of the event, which is being paid for by the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation, a privately funded charitable trust raising money for a variety of jubilee-related events.
Robert Salisbury, the foundation chairman, said major corporate partners are being sought, with the supermarket chain Sainsbury's already signed up. "This is a hugely ambitious project and it is gathering momentum day by day," he said. The river pageant will be a focal point of a four-day holiday weekend with festivities throughout Britain. A number of other celebrations are planned throughout the jubilee year, with the queen and Philip planning to travel throughout Britain.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

The Annual Meeting will be held on April 1, 2012

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The Annual Meeting will be held on April 1, 2012
at George and Laura Heller's in Putney, VT
PRC Officer elections will be held at the Annual Meeting on April 1, 2012

If YOU are interested in running for any of these open positions, or wish to nominate someone, please let me know.

OPEN POSITIONS (two year):
President: Patty Johnson (2010-2011)  She is willing to run again . . .
Vice President: Kristin Dawley (2010-2011) She is willing to run again . . .
Member-At-Large: Lies Pasterkamp (2011) She is willing to run again . . .

FILLED POSITIONS (two year):
Secretary: Jim Robinson (2011-2012)
Treasurer: Sara Kermenski (2011-2012)
Member-At-Large: Elizabeth Macalaster (2011-2012)
Member-At-Large: Michael Donahue (2011-2012)

February 26, 2012 PRC Board Meeting - hope to see you there!

COME AND LET'S PLAN the 2012 Rowing Season!

PRC Board Meeting
4:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
at Patty's home in Newfane, VT
(638 Vermont Route 30, Newfane, VT)

Pot-luck supper to follow the 4-5:30 p.m. board meeting
Please bring something to share . . .

This board meeting is OPEN to ALL members.
If you have something you wish to see on the agenda, please send reply via email.
Please RSVP - so I have an idea how many to expect!