Georgia Welsh Society: Literature

A LETTER TO THE SOCIETY

Dear Angela,

I want to thank the Saint David’s Welsh Society of Georgia for giving me an experience I will never forget. Your generous scholarship allowed me to attend the Crws Cymraeg 2005 at the University of Rio Grande in Ohio. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn about the language of my Welsh heritage. It was truly an incredible week. I knew I would be learning the Welsh language and there would be some fun activities but I was surprised with so much more. I experienced the poetry of R.J. Thomas, listened to many different types of Welsh music, and learned about the history of the Welsh language movement. I danced Welsh folk dances and attempted to sing new Welsh songs, I watched a movie with Welsh subtitles and was even able to read some of the words. The whole week was challenging, educational, inspiring, and just plain fun!

I will carry these experiences back to my second grade classroom. Every second grader who passes through my doors knows about Wales before they leave. Now, I can teach them a few Welsh words. I cannot wait for our International Night in February. I will be able to say, “Hello! How are you?” in Welsh to everyone who passes by. Before this class, I did not know any Welsh and now I can at least say a few Welsh phrases.

Thank you again to St. David’s Welsh Society of Georgia for making it possible for me to go to Rio Grande. My week at the Crws Cymraeg 2005 was so inspiring. It taught me so much about Wales, the people, and the language. It has made me even more proud to say I am a Welsh-American

Sincerely,
Becky Crownover

DESTINATION ORLANDO

When I became President of the St Davids Welsh Society of Georgia in June of this year, in one of the many boxes of “Society Stuff “ deposited at my house by outgoing President John Davies, I found a Registration Packet for the 2005 Festival of Wales, to be held in Orlando, Florida, over the Labor Day weekend. Several members of our Society are already regular attendees of this Annual Welsh
gathering, but I had never thought of going myself. Soon after, my niece was visiting from Wales, and when looking over the Program together, it became apparent that there were many good reasons why I should attend. The opening Folk Concert featured Heather Jones and Hin Deg, who turned out to be contemporaries of my brother, from the Welsh music scene of the 1980s, when Mike Lease and he were members of Yr Hwntws, an amateur Folk group at the time. Incidentally , Yr Hwntws has re-formed , and were performing in their new format , the weekend prior to the Festival of Wales, at Bryn Terfels’ Gwyl Y Faenol in North Wales. Needless to say, I was getting plenty of encouragement, via transatlantic phone calls to my family in Wales, to go to Orlando!!

The selection of seminars available during the event also piqued my interest , and I went through the Program marking off everything I wanted to take part in. Whether I was going to Orlando or not,
clearly I was already involved - there was table space to be arranged in the Marketplace, because for the first time, our Society was registered as a vendor, sharing a table with Cymdeithas Madog. There was also an advertisement to be placed in the Banquet Program, honoring Dr. Arturo L. Roberts, so there was communication between myself and the National Welsh American Foundation. Everything just fell into place- Orlando is a relatively easy drive from Atlanta, so no airline tickets to book, and Ada Mae Lewis, an aquaintance from Cymdeithas Madog courses, was looking for a room-mate, so it was meant to be!!

Having arrived at the Contemporary Resort, I found myself in the middle of everything that was going on - quite literally , the Society / Cymdeithas Madog table was positioned in the center of the Marketplace, with the NWAF table next to us, so I soon met Philip Davies, with whom I had corresponded. In fact, there were many faces I could put to the names I had read about or seen in Ninnau, including of course, Arturo and Olga Roberts! A camaraderie developed in the Marketplace between the vendors and exhibitors and of course most people, during the weekend, wandered through, to buy , look or to be informed. I was not prepared to meet so many people, such as myself, transplants from Wales, and with so much in common , having lived for many years in North America, raising our families. In North American parlance, it could only be described as Homecoming Weekend for the Welsh - it was truly remarkable!!

Taking turns with Jenny and Bob Young to staff the table, I managed to attend “Real Cardiff “, with Peter Finch , and “1905 - A Significant Centenary “ by Gareth Williams, both top-class seminars. Time did not allow for me to watch the Eisteddfod competitions, which I regret, but then, there is always   next year!!
One of the highlights of the weekend,   for me, was the after dinner performance of Geraint and Eldrydd Dodd - what an absolute treat to see and hear artists of their caliber and professionalism, and their choice of material was so enjoyable.

Despite being new to the Festival, I was very fortunate to be able to attend the Ninnau Editorial Brecwast and to meet more interesting people. Before the conclusion of the weekend, I also got to represent the Society at the Summit meeting, for representatives of Welsh organisations from across the country, chaired by Richard Price Baskwill, President of The Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association, and that proved to be both helpful and informative.

No Welsh event would be complete without plenty of singing, of all types, and there was abundant opportunity to either join in the group singing at the end of each evening, listen to a fine Male Voice Choir, or to join in the communal hymn singing that concluded the weekend. It was   also interesting to observe the reactions of those that were hearing a Male Voice Choir for the first time - they were truly in awe, and to see their amazement at the spontaneous group singing that inevitably takes place when the Welsh are gathered together!!

It is hard not to be very proud to be a Wesh American, and I look forward to Cincinnati!!

Angela Evans