Dear Mount Holyoke College Class of 1974,
Here’s more information about the upcoming Mini-Reunion in Wilmington, North Carolina December 29, 2023-January 1, 2024 in a letter from Denise McLeod Thomas:
The historic port city of Wilmington, NC, nestled between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, is the site of ‘74’s next mini reunion scheduled for December 29, 2023, through January 1, 2024. For those classmates who venture to this vibrant city to bring in the new year, you are in for a treat. Wilmington’s legendary history dates back to the 1500’s and includes key moments in American history from the American Revolution to the Civil War to WWII to the Civil Rights era. Your host, Denise McLeod Thomas, invites you to see the sights, hear the history and embark on an adventure unlike any we have experienced.
The main focus of this mini reunion is for us to connect and spend time together before we travel to South Hadley for our grand 50th reunion. There are two planned activities that will be enlightening, enriching and enthralling. On Saturday, December 30th, our plan is to take an interactive tour of Wilmington with a renowned, award-winning tour guide who is a native son. We will need to work fast to secure both the bus and this tour guide. At noon on Sunday, December 31st, we will attend an annual performance by the Gullah Geechee people at a local church. For centuries, the Gullah Geechee people have occupied the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, a region beginning just north of Wilmington and runs all the way south to northern Florida. This glorious, acclaimed performance will feature music, dancing, singing, and storytelling and has its genesis dating back to December 31, 1862, when the Gullah Geechee people gathered in praise houses and churches to await the new year that would mark the end of slavery as the Emancipation Proclamation took effect. This historic date was remembered as Freedom’s Eve and is commemorated in many churches across the corridor at Watch Night Services, though now held at noon. The pastor at Warner Temple AME Zion Church has agreed to reserve seats for us. We need to let him know how many of us will be in attendance as soon as possible so we can be comfortably seated. There will be time for other less structured events during our time together in Wilmington.
Wilmington has many attractions that may be of interest to you during your leisure time. The city’s National Register District spans 230-plus blocks of churches, moss-draped live oaks, brick-lined streets and historic homes including colonial structures and Victorian era architectural delights. In the downtown Historic District, you can stroll along the pedestrian-friendly Riverwalk lined with cafes, shops and galleries or hitch a ride on a horse-drawn carriage about town. Take advantage of the craft beer and epicurean tours If weather permits, there arecruises along the Cape Fear waterfront as well as to the outlying Island Beaches where vintage boardwalks offer swings, souvenir shops, ocean view restaurants, and legendary glazed donuts. Visit Airlie Gardens, the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, the Cameron Art Museum, and the Museum of the Bizarre or the Wilmington Aquarium. Journey into the depths of old Wilmington to its cryptic alleyways, haunted nooks, homes and burial grounds to get up close and personal with the spirits and hear eerie tales of ghostly occurrences and actual encounters if that suits you. Take time to visit the Battleship North Carolina which is moored on the Cape Fear River or Fort Fisher where the largest land-sea battle of the Civil War occurred. In short, Wilmington has something for everyone. Come and join us and witness a history like no other in a place like no other where legends and lore live on.
Please let Denise know if you will be in attendance at this wonderful mini reunion by sending a text to (678) 570-1878 or email to dmthomas524@gmail.com by September 5, 2023. We need to secure the tour bus and tour guide, set up reserve seating at the church and make suggestions for accommodations.
With great anticipation to hear back from many of you,
Denise
The MHC 1974 Mini-Reunion Committee: Denise McLeod Thomas, Cynthia Polk-Allen, Mary Feeney and Melissa Thornton
