|
Sunday's Internet Edition, 08:33 AM, November 23, 2008.
Wilton History Group funds memorial for town namesake, discusses results of Centennial celebration
|
Photo by Fran Soto
Members of the Wilton History Group visit before their Oct. 27 meeting where they discussed the town's namesake and the Wilton Centennial celebration.
|
By Fran Soto
River Valley Times Staff
-
Members of the Wilton History Group (WHG) learned at their Oct. 27 meeting of the costs and the process necessary to mark the resting place of Wilton namesake Seth Wilton.
According to member Alice Kutzer, Seth Wilton was buried in the family plot in Georgetown, California next to his wife, Lydia, who preceded him in death. Although Lydia Wilton's name appears on the tombstone, her husband's name and information was never recorded.
“When the engraving is completed, the Wilton History Group will have a dedication,” Kutzer said, while giving a demonstration to the group of how engravers would etch Seth Wilton's name and dates in the lettering style to match that of the present tombstone.
In other business, this first meeting after the Wilton 2008 Centennial, which combined the Wilton History Day, parade and the Wilton Firefighters’ Association Chili Cook-Off generated lots of comments and suggestions. “It was a great day, and thank you all for participating,” said WHG President Jim Ring, Jr. “The process went very well.”
Wilton resident Judy Cassity, who organized the over-80s birthday party, reported that 26 guests had attended the party. Bonnie Rose related a story about a former resident who arrived after the road had been closed and was given a police escort to the school grounds. “That person was really thrilled,” Rose said. “Lights and all.”
Jim Ring, Sr. joked that, because of the longevity of people in Wilton, the WHG should consider raising the age limit to 90 years of age.
Kutzer suggested that the WHG consider a time capsule with photos for the next centennial. John Maggy announced that 133 tickets had been sold for the kick-off dinner at the Alta Mesa Gun Club, and newest WHG member Joy Kraynak said that she had enjoyed working at the History Day. “It was wonderful,” she said. “I saw so many people I haven’t seen in a while.” The members also recognized Susan Maggy for creating posters for the celebration.
Jim Ring, Sr. complimented Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputy Laura Grossman for traffic control. “The Sheriff’s Department did a fantastic job,” he said. “They really took the pressure off.”
Members Lorraine Robinson and Ellen Mehr both suggested refining scheduling so that all those involved would have free time to enjoy concurrent activities and events if combined future events were planned. Dorothy Campbell announced that 14 students had entered the spelling bee contest and stressed that it was important to control the noise levels in the multi-purpose room so that the children could be better heard.
Under committee reports, Gene Rose reported on tee shirt and calendar sales through Sept. and said there were still calendars for sale. Donations to the WHG included photographs of Wilton by Don Smith, a 1930s post card of the California Traction Railroad, a 1935 Thursday Club cookbook, newsletters and the loan of a farm journal from the years of 1922 to 1938. “It’s a treasure trove,” said Maggy. “It is on loan and is 308 pages.” Maggy told the group that some of the information had been transferred to a disk as part of the WHG’s library.
The group also approved joining the Conference of California Historic Societies. “Joining entitles us to a good rate on liability insurance,” Rose said. The group also approved renewing membership in the Sacramento Area Consortium. Bonnie Rose announced she was lining up a guest speaker for the January meeting.
The next meeting of the WHG will be Monday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Dillard Elementary School library. Residents are invited to attend a meeting and consider membership if desired.
|
Online publication, Copyright 2005, The River Valley Times.
Web page design,
Copyright 2005, EZ Edit Web Publishing.
|
| | |