Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution members gather outside the Crocker Memorial Church.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Sarasota
Neighbors
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There is one requirement to join Daughters of the American Revolution: be a descendant of a person who supported the American Revolution.
However, the doors of the Sarasota chapter's historic home were open to all during the Sara De Soto Daughters of the American Revolution Centennial Open House Extravaganza on April 6.
Event chair Peggy Torgerson said the occasion provided an opportunity to create awareness of history and the three organizations comprising descendants from the Revolutionary War, which also include "Sons" and "Children" organizations.
The event kicks off a series of DAR events honoring the semiquincentennial anniversary of the United States in 2026.
Some of its offerings included a genealogy workshop, local authors staffing tables and providing speeches, vendor sales, tours of the Whitaker Cemetery, a tea table and a silent auction.
There was also the hope that some attendees could find their way to something they didn't expect.
"There are a whole lot of people that have Revolutionary War blood in their tree that they don't know about," said member Holly Pisaturo.
Katie Campbell, regent of the Mary Virginia Cabell Chapter of DAR from Maitland, Florida, and Jennifer Lawton Marks, the state registrar of DAR for Florida, peruse treats at the tea table.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Chloe Westerberg, 6, delivers sweets from the tea table to her grandmother Deborah Thomas, who is staffing a DAR table.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The tables inside the chapter house offered a variety of patriotic items.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Lorrie Muldowney, president of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, delivers a speech inside the Crocker Memorial Church.
Photo by Ian Swaby
John Manning of the Sarasota County Historical Commission offers a tour of the Whitaker Cemetery to a group that includes Lorraine Traina and Robin Robertson.
Photo by Ian Swaby
A variety of bites and treats were set out on the tea table.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Rich Rizzo, a former history teacher, browses the items on display inside the DAR Chapter House.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Veronica Ford of Ronnie's Delicious Pound Cakes offered her creations at the event.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Lauren Koken purchases tickets from the table staffed by Lory Weisensee and Shawna Smith.
Photo by Ian Swaby
DAR member Holly Pisaturo displays her artwork outdoors.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Wallace Hoppe, who played the role of an apothecary, demonstrates pill rolling, a technique used in the past to split material into pills.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution members gather outside the Crocker Memorial Church.
Ian Swaby is the Sarasota neighbors writer for the Observer. Ian is a Florida State University graduate of Editing, Writing, and Media and previously worked in the publishing industry in the Cayman Islands.
