Please join us for our May Torch Club dinner. The presentation at this month’s meeting will be by Denise Harrington who will discuss “The Ancient History of Women in Spirituality.” We look forward to a fun evening with you and your guests.
Your timely response about your plans for dinner is very important-RSVP by May 16 at noon.
TORCH CLUB OF WILLIAMSBURG MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
May 20, 2025 Dinner Meeting
LOCATION: Colonial Heritage Clubhouse
6500 Arthur Hills Drive Williamsburg, VA 23188
Meeting Agenda
5:30 p.m. – Mingling; registration; cash bar
6:00 p.m. – Announcements and reports
6:15 p.m. – Dinner
7:00 p.m. – Program/Questions
8:00 p.m. – Adjourn
MENU
–Spinach Salad w/goat cheese, blueberries, onions; or penne pasta tossed/ tomatoes, fresh herbs
–Entree-Red wine braised short ribs garnished w/ cipollini onions /or butter crumb cod w/chardonnay cream sauce; w/ vegetable risotto, and broccolini florets
–Dessert
Michael Mason will be our greeter for the evening.
A Word from President Peter Mellette…
As we approach the May Torch meeting, you can almost feel the connection to the ancients in the air – from the Beltane rituals on May Day to the soft voices in the wind. These ancient spiritual practices and connections remind us of the spiritual role of women in the ancient world, the subject of Denise Harrington’s upcoming talk on May 20. Please join us!
Last month John Delano gave a fascinating presentation on the men of the Apollo 11 mission. We heard about how Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins got to make that giant leap for mankind – and about the unexpected challenges they faced.
The Torch Club of Williamsburg is about reaching across and drawing from our different professions and interests to learn from each other – it is dedicated to lifelong learning and to building new connections to information and interesting people in our community.
Your board continues to work to put together fun and interesting meetings. We met as a board last week. We heard about marketing efforts and finalized the meeting programs for the 2025-2026 year ahead. The talks ahead in 2025-2026 range from circus ministry to biking across the country and from Alexander Hamilton to Harry Byrd. We welcome your recommendations and invite your participation as we schedule meetings for 2026 and beyond. See Kathi Mestayer and Lois Manes if you have an idea for a program or fill out the list on the table in May.
The board also heard from our nominating committee about nominees for officers and four directors for the upcoming year. Be sure to attend the May meeting to vote on the slate. Walt Bayer and Kathi Mestayer will serve as delegates to the June International Association of Torch Clubs meeting. Others are welcome to attend via Zoom. We can also use greeters at future meetings – see Walt and Camilla Buchanan if interested. Finally, the Board discussed the meeting venue. There was no objection from the members to our staying with Colonial Heritage. If there are menu items you would like to see on the buffet, please let Denise Harrington know.
We look forward to seeing you next week! See you on May 20th and please be sure to let Denise know by noon on Friday, May 16th if you and your guests plan to attend. We need to let Colonial Heritage know in advance so that they will have enough place settings and food for the meals.
After 2 years of monthly gatherings, I want to thank all of you for your time, talent, and trust in this journey. I also want to thank some key people who have made the journey possible: Kathi Mestayer, whose program efforts and speaker introductions have been to the point; Tanya Fisher and Denise Harrington, whose work as secretary (and other roles) over the last two years have kept us all informed and made my job much easier; Bill Evers and Walt Bayer, whose financial skills have made it possible to earn your trust; and to the other board members and speakers who have all stepped up when asked to carry the Torch forward in Williamsburg. We’ve had some wonderful talks, beginning with the search for the Lost Colony and continuing with presidential politics, the Bray School, aging, bees, love, government oversight and space exploration. I leave the club leadership for next year in Walt, Kathi, and Denise’s capable hands. Thanks for joining us on this journey, and I look forward to the next Torch year!
Williamsburg Torch Club 