JANUARY
Charlotte Chapter Installs 2026 Officers
Chapter considers new project to celebrate the America 250 Semiquincentennial
President Calkins introduced the formation of a new committee to lead the America 250 History Walk project.
The America 250 History Walk is a temporary outdoor free exhibit that tells the story of the American Revolution through a series of 16 visual signs. The exhibit will be displayed at a public park in Charlotte County for everyone to learn and enjoy. The exhibit runs from May to November 11, 2026 and is the Charlotte Chapter’s contribution to the community’s celebration of the American Semiquincentennial.
FEBRUARY
President Calkins Introduces New Lecture Series to Focus on “Founding Principles”
“Rabble Rebels and America’s Glorious Revolution” explored the nature of patriotism, the actual demographic mix and antipathies of those who fought for the cause of freedom, the tough individual and collective circumstances of extended families and small communities as men went to battle, and the population’s predisposition to revolution because of the 17th–c. British civil wars.
Chapter approves proposal for America 250 History Walk – Seeks approval from Charlotte County Board of Commissioners
John Tarr, Chair of the America 250 History Walk committee presented to the History Walk project plan at the chapter meeting for consideration and approval.
The project plan was approved and John was authorized to present to the plan to the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors requesting permission to temporarily display an educational History Walk on County-controlled property to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States (1776–2026).
MARCH
President Calkins presents Second in Lecture Series
“American Revolution as Inspirational” focused on how a Germanic painter, Emanuel Leutze, perceived the American Revolution as an opportunity for Central Europeans to adopt new forms of thinking, leadership, and living together. Here the American model expressed in art served as an inspirational ideal or model of hope and compatibility for the widely divergent population of the Holy Roman Empire (HRE).
Charlotte Chapter seeks approval from Charlotte County to display History Walk exhibit at William R. Gaines Jr. Veterans Memorial Park
On February 10, 2026, John Tarr, History Walk Project Chair, proposed the Chapter’s project to the Charlotte County Board of Commissioners. He requested permission to display the exhibit at the William R. Gaines Jr. Veterans Memorial Park from May through Veterans Day (November 11, 2026) as a way to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States (1776–2026). The County expressed interest and agreed to conduct a due diligence for approval of the plan.