America’s Birthday Party, DAR Style
The Daughters of the American Revolution hosted two days of events and honored military women in honor of America 250!
By Samantha Chery
Sashes of all sizes and Insignia ribbons decked out with pins. Red and white cupcakes. A Salute to Women Veterans. And powerhouse vocals from Patti LaBelle. How does the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States? The same way anyone would mark a milestone birthday — with a herstory-making extravaganza.
“Some moments are simply too important to celebrate in just one day, and this once-in-a-lifetime occasion is one of them,” DAR President General Ginnie Sebastian Storage said during the America 250! weekend.
The festivities commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence began with DAR members from across the country gathering with friends new and old on April 17. It was the 251st anniversary eve of the famous midnight ride of Paul Revere, William Daws, and Samuel Prescott as they warned the colonial militia of imminent British attack. Then on April 18, the anniversary eve of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the DAR hosted a birthday party for America. Later that evening, the celebration closed with the presentation of over $400,000 in DAR Vivian's Outreach to Women (VOW) Grants to 10 organizations serving homeless and indigent women veterans. This was followed by a concert honoring military women with the “Godmother of Soul,” Patti LaBelle.
Visitors gather for America's Birthday Party April 18 at Memorial Continental Hall. Photo courtesy of NSDAR
The event featured multiple activities for young visitors. Photo courtesy of NSDAR
ILLUMINATING DAR’S COMMITMENT TO SERVICE
The sashes and pins Daughters wear for formal occasions aren’t just for show. They’re visual testaments to how each Daughter has lived out DAR’s principles of historic preservation, education, and patriotism.
When Angela Smith wore her pins at the Illuminate 250: Welcome Reception, one stood out: a Forgotten Patriots pin. Patriots are the American Revolution-era ancestors to whom DAR members trace their lineage. Smith, a registrar and state chair from the Judge Lynn Chapter, Washington, District of Columbia, said she’s found it fulfilling to educate the public about non-European, Indigenous, and women Patriots, people who helped the United States achieve independence but whose contributions have often been left out of history books.
The DAR Patriots of Color database names over 6,000 Patriots who were involved in the American Revolutionary War. Efforts such as the National Society's E Pluribus Unum Educational Initiative and American Ancestors' 10 Million Names Project (of which NSDAR is a founding contributing partner) help shine a light on these underreported stories.
No matter where in the world a Daughter lives, members have said visits to the DAR Headquarters feel like a homecoming.
During President General Pamela Wright’s administration, Junelle Mongno served as reporter general, whose office supports national committees, and Susan Metzger was curator general, helping oversee artifacts in the DAR Museum. Over those years, the two formed a close bond as roommates and reunited at the welcome reception.
“One of the great things about DAR is you have all these amazing women who have so many skills and backgrounds and expertise,” Metzger said. “And it takes all of us to make this organization run.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!
Families celebrated America’s 250th year with a patriotic birthday party at the DAR Headquarters.
Guests picked up goodie bags stocked with pinwheels, pencils, and peppermints before exploring the festivities. In the DAR Library, stacks of blank family charts and computers encouraged visitors of all ages to map out their genealogy.
In the nearby O’Byrne Gallery, a crowd met with a Martha Washington impersonator, and people wrote messages of gratitude with red, blue, and black Sharpies on America’s birthday card.
The new exhibits at the DAR Museum proved to be some of the most visually stunning experiences of the party. On display was Preserving Patriotism, which highlighted all 56 Declaration of Independence signers’ autographs as captured from the 1750s to the 1810s.
True Lewis, National Chair for the DAR Today podcast, was thoroughly impressed by how Curator Carrie Blough centered the voices and perspectives of ordinary people — including Native Americans and African Americans — in telling the story of the nation’s independence. It served as an introduction to Revolution in Their Words, which hugged the perimeter of the back half of the museum.
“This really brings it to life,” Lewis said.
And what’s a birthday without a birthday cake? On the second floor, celebrants enjoyed red, white, and blue face painting in the President General’s Assembly Room and lemonade, iced tea, and cupcakes in the National Officer’s Club Assembly Room.
National Chair for Special Events Susan Gaze and America 250! Honorary President General Pamela Rouse Wright said that as the America 250! Committee planned for a little over a decade, the vision for the celebration sharpened with each administration. All the decorations — including the 7-foot birthday cake, the cherry blossoms, and cardboard cutouts of George Washington and poet Phillis Wheatley — are meant to remind people of significant moments in American history and make memories that will remain 50 years later.
“I graduated high school [in] the Bicentennial year. I thought the whole world was revolving around my year of graduation,” Gaze joked. “And 50 years later, here we are, able to celebrate this great event.”
“I can remember being young during the 200th anniversary, the Bicentennial,” Wright said. She recalls the fireworks, the media buzz, and the souvenir necklace that she still has. “... I want my grandchildren and children to remember this one.”
Attendees had the chance to sign their own John Hancock to the Declaration of Independence. Photo courtesy of NSDAR
The free event was open to the public and drew many to DAR Headquarters. Photo courtesy of NSDAR
Visitors enjoy the beautiful Pennsylvania Foyer at Memorial Continental Hall. Photo courtesy of NSDAR
The celebration showcased all of DAR's House Beautiful, including the O'Byrne Gallery. Photo courtesy of NSDAR
A NIGHT TO CELEBRATE AND HONOR WOMEN
About a year after she retired, Phyllis Wilson said she was approached by a man because she parked her car in a spot designated for veterans.
“‘Excuse me — that’s veteran parking,’” he told her. She knew. Before she had a chance to fully respond, he asked, “‘Is your husband with you?’” Wilson recalled.
What the man didn’t initially realize is that Wilson is one of the country’s more than 3 million women veterans. She served in the U.S. Army for 37 years, including as the most senior warrant officer. And after conversations like the one she had in that parking lot, she knew there was work to be done to dispel assumptions that only men can be military veterans. It inspired her to eventually become president of the Military Women’s Memorial.
As president of the organization, which documents the contributions of servicewomen, she has pushed to have every woman veteran’s story added to the memorial’s database and provide women veterans with the support they need following their transition out of the military.
“We tend to minimize our military service … Then, we don’t feel entitled to the benefits that we have earned,” she said. “... Women veterans are four times more likely than non-military women to be homeless, and we can’t get our arms around why that is happening. We’re doing a lot of outreach, a lot of talking to the women veterans that just don’t feel like they deserve help. And that’s a shame, because the Department of Veterans Affairs and many organizations, to include the Daughters of the American Revolution, are stepping up to support these women.”
The DAR has championed the Vivian’s Outreach to Women (VOW) Grant, named after Vivian Elvira Luther Schafer, a late Daughter from the Bottony Cross Chapter, Kensington, Maryland. Since 2019, the grant program has drawn from Schafer’s $4 million endowment to support organizations serving homeless and indigent women. This year has been the grant’s largest, with over $400,000 awarded to 10 organizations.
This year’s VOW Grant recipients were:
- Foundation for Women Warriors, California
- Cass County Veterans Service Office, North Dakota
- Home of the Brave Foundation, Delaware
- Gold Coast Veterans Foundation, California
- Coastal Center for Hope & Healing, North Carolina
- U.S. Vets Barber’s Point, Hawaii
- Veterans Integration Center, New Mexico
- Homeless Empowerment Program, Florida
- Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation, Indiana
- Access Housing, District of Columbia
Candy Martin, DAR Service for Veterans National Chair, has her own stories of having to remind people that “women are veterans, too.” It’s why she’s glad the VOW Grant was given a special spotlight during DAR’s America 250! weekend.
“We’re Daughters. We’re women,” she said. “And if we can’t take care of our fellow Daughters — our fellow sisters who are out there — and make sure that they’re getting the care and the help that they need, then there goes the patriotism. And without it, we don’t have much.”
What better way to celebrate than with red, white, and blue cupcakes? Photo courtesy of NSDAR
Face painting and pinwheels contributed to the festivities. Photo courtesy of NSDAR
"We’re Daughters. We’re women. And if we can’t take care of our fellow Daughters—our fellow sisters who are out there—and make sure that they’re getting the care and the help that they need, then there goes the patriotism. And without it, we don’t have much.”
— Candy Martin, National Chair
DAR Service for Veterans Committee
To close out the night, Patti LaBelle hit the Constitution Hall stage with performances from her six-decade discography. While she looked back on the influence she’s had on R&B and soul music, the concert also gave past and present military women in the audience the chance to reflect on their own legacies.
From the opening number, “When You’ve Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven),” the two-time Grammy Award-winning artist effortlessly hit soaring notes. She tossed flowers to front-row audience members and received scarves and loving words from fans.
She paid tribute to actors, musicians, and other prominent figures who had passed away, including Nina Simone, Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, and Aretha Franklin.
And she gave her backup vocalists time to shine. “Where’s my background singers?” she said, jokingly referring back to a line from her infamous “This Christmas” performance. “There they are: Brenda Roy, Aaron Marcellus, Lady Stout, and Debra Henry,” she said. Each singer had solos throughout the show, and they also showered LaBelle with gratitude near the end of the concert.
In a picture-perfect finish, LaBelle invited fans onstage to sing their renditions of one of her most popular tracks, “Lady Marmalade.” The segment brought everyone to their feet, as they danced the America 250! night away. P
JULY/AUGUST 2026
