Social Committee socks it to us at the 140th Anniversary

You’ve probably heard this a few times by now, but if you didn’t make it to the 140th Anniversary Celebration on September 12th, you missed a great time.  Despite no-show valets, our Social Committee was able roll with the punches and pull off another big win in the party category for the Club and for the almost 200 folks in attendance. 

“The weather couldn’t have been more perfect and everyone made good use of our porch and deck and PBC’s excellent vantage point on the river,” said Susan Trice, co-chair of the Social Committee.  “The valets didn’t show, but everyone took it in stride and found parking on the street or in a garage.  And the food was fantastic!”

Credit for the fantastic food goes to Catering by Charlene.  And it must have been at least really, really good because you’ve been asking for the caterer’s contact information ever since. It just so happens that member Eric Dobson ran into Charlene at another event catered by Catering by Charlene, and he shared the following with us:

Catering by Charlene, Tel 703-684-9228

She even has a small carry-out located in Old Town Alexandria at this address:

Gourmet Food to Go
104 North West Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

And how about that Silent Auction?!  Many of you generously answered the call from the Social Committee for auction items, donating lessons, personal training, concert tickets, restaurant certificates, cupcakes and flowers, Patagonia gear, weekend getaways in Chincoteague and Annapolis, a week in a cottage in the UK, and more.  In the end, the auction raised approximately $4,000 for the Potomac River Sports Foundation to support our Open Sculling Program.  The Social Committee says “thanks” to all of you who donated and bid.  And we say “great job” to the Social Committee for putting it all together!

Okay, so, let’s review:Great food. Auction items. Hoofing it in your party shoes from a far away parking lot to share an evening with 200 of your closest friends.  Hmmm.  What else did you miss?  Oh, yes.  Socks! (If you’re listening from the other room, that was s-o-c-k-s.)  If you didn’t make it to the party, you missed an opportunity to take home a pair of 140th Anniversary commemorative socks!

Only a few left. Hurry!

Fortunately, the Social Committee still has a few left … and they’ll only cost you $100 a pair! Okay, for you, $5 a pair, if you can pick them up at the Club, or $6, if they have to be mailed.  Interested?  Send us a note to editor@potomacstar.com, and we’ll send you what you need to know to get your very own pair.  Supply is limited, so hurry. [Available sizes for men:  shoe size 6-8=M, 8-10=L, 10-13=XL. For women:  7-9=M, 9-11=L, 11+=XL.]

Well, then. We bet after finding out you missed all that, you’re swearing up and down that you’ll never, ever, ever miss another chance to be social at PBC, again! Good. You have two more chances coming up before the end of the year. Mark your calendars for the End of the Racing Season Potluck on Saturday, November 21st (the weekend before Thanksgiving), and the PBC Holiday Party hosted by the Open Scullers on Sunday, December 13th.

And while you’re at it, maybe tie a string around your finger to remember to thank the following members of our Social Committee for making our 140th Anniversary Celebration one for the record books: Mae Joyce Gay, Rose Calabro, John Forrest, Nancy Butt Packard, Katherine Hoffman, John Lavery, Camilla Durfee, and Susan Trice.

Only three days left to RSVP! Party details here!

JOIN US!

140th Anniversary Party
Saturday, September 12
7:00 - 10:00 PM
Cocktail Attire
Silent Auction
RSVP by Tuesday, September 8

This is your 140th Anniversary Party Reminder!

Potomac Boat Club’s President, the Board of Governors, and the Social Committee request your presence next weekend at the boathouse for a very special celebration … PBC’s 140th Anniversary!

The festivities will kick off on Saturday, September 12th, at 7:00 PM and continue until 10:00 PM.  The Social Committee anticipates many will want to be part of this historic night, so it is limiting guests to one per member to give everyone a chance to be there. Also, you must RSVP prior to the event, and the deadline is Tuesday, September 8th.  Let the party planners know you’ll be there by sending an email right now to PBCRSVP@yahoo.com.

What to wear?  The Social Committee is calling for cocktail attire, but valet parking will be available, so consider it an opportunity to strap on those 5-inch heels or show off that jacket and tie combo your teammates have never seen.  What about the kids?  Sorry. They have to stay home for this one, but the Committee promises plenty of beer, wine, soft drinks and hors d’oeuvres to keep your mind off of what they might be doing to the poor baby sitter you hired for the evening.

Over the last 140 years, we’ve become well known for our spirit of competition, and this anniversary party will reflect that.  No, not a hat race.  The Social Committee has put together a silent auction to benefit the Potomac River Sports Foundation and our Open Sculling Program.  Your fellow members have generously donated a variety of items for you to bid on throughout the evening, including weekend getaways, theater and athletic event tickets, special services, and much more, so get your checkbooks ready!  You might even get a sneak preview of the auction items in the Star later this week.

Stay tuned for last minute details!

Club Stockholders, Crack Oarsmen, and PBC Heavyweight Wrestling

1904 Potomac Boat Club Eight

Happy 140th Anniversary, Potomac Boat Club!

Thanks to the Library of Congress’ Chronicling of America tool, we were able to put together a few archived mentions of Potomac Boat Club dating back to 1882, just for you!

From club stockholders to champion wrestlers, the pages linked below are chock-full of interesting, if not weird, bits of PBC history from the turn of the last century.

We listed the headlines “newest” to oldest. When you find a story you would like to read, click on the link and zoom in!

Best Entrants in National Regatta Are Rowing in Today’s Events on the Potomac (The Washington Times, August 13, 1910)

A.A.U. Championships Regatta on Potomac, Has Attracted the Greatest Gatehring of Oarsmen Ever Held In America (Palestine Daily Herald, Texas, August 12, 1910)

Crack Oarsmen from All Over The Country Are Arriving for the National Regatta, First Out-of-Town Arrivals for National Regatta on Potomac (The Washington Times, August 10, 1910)

Regatta Entries Are Now All In, Sixty-three Crews to Take Part in Big Event, Ottawa Rowing Club Coming (The Washington Herald, August 8, 1910)

All Is Set for the Big Regatta (The Washington Herald, August 7, 1910)

Potomac Boat Club in the Society Page (The Washington Herald, July 17, 1910)

National Rowing Regatta to Be Great Event (The World of Sports, July 17, 1910)

Potomacs Sign Middies’ Coach, Dick Glendon Succeeds Pat Dempsey at Local Club (The Washington Herald, June 30, 1910)

Great Regatta May Come South, Potomac Boat Club Will Make Effort to Land National Amateur Rowing Event (Richmond Times Dispatch, March 6, 1910)

Wrestling Bouts Draw Slim Crowd, Mueller Champion of the Heavyweight Title (The Washington Times, February 25, 1909)

National Regatta May Be Held Here, Potomac Club to Make Strong Bid for Big Event, Prominent Men to Take up the Plans (The Washington Times, December 24, 1908)

Seventeenth Regatta on the Potomac, Prussians Who Competed in Olympics Games Row With Americans (The San Francisco Call, September 8, 1908)

Potomac Juniors Win Their Event, Washington Eight Beats Baltimore and Middle States Regatta (The Washington Times, September 7, 1908)

German Contenders In Two Sculling Events (The Washington Times, September 6, 1908)

Editorial Comment on High School Rowing (The Washington Herald, May 10, 1908)

Gossip of the Oarsmen (The Washington Herald, March 4, 1907)

Oarsmen on their Mettle for the Big Rowing Event (The Washington Times, September 2, 1906)

Don’t Want Jamestown For National Regatta (The Washington Times, December 16, 1906)

Labor Day Regatta Has Record Entry, List Opened Last Night Contains Names of Many Crack Oarsmen (August 30, 1906)

Finest Regatta Ever Pulled Off On The Potomac, Forty-five Clubs Represented (The Washington Times, September 7, 1905)

Washington Oarsmen Making Great Plans for Next Year (The Richmond Times Dispatch, September 11, 1905)

Potomac Boat Club Makes Firm Denial, Says Statements by ex-Member Concerning Organization and Its Methods are Untrue - An Explanation and Some History (The Washington Times, August 20, 1905)

Rough Water Interfered With National Regatta, Oarsmen Unable to Do Their Best Work Because of Choppy Condition of Course. McGowan of Potomacs Was Fouled. (The Washington Times, August 12, 1905)

Have Regatta on James River, Virginia Boat Club Perparing for Interesting Event This Summer, Engages Capable Coach, Dr. Joseph A. Reilly of Georgetown Will Train Local Crew (Richmond Times - Dispatch, May 7, 1905)

Washington Should Aid Its Coming Regatta, More Money Required to Accommodates Crew at Coming Potomac Regatta (The Washington Times, August 7, 1904)

Titus Defeated by Vesley in the Senior Single Race (The Washington Times, September 8, 1903)

Noted Oarsmen Row For Prizes, Middle State Regatta Is Witnessed by Large Crowd, Medals and Silken Badges Are Distributed Among the Victors (The San Francisco Call, September 8, 1903)

Visiting Oarsmen Arrive on Scene (The Washington Times, September 6, 1903)

Pat Dempsey To Coach Potomac Boat Crews, Services of a Veteran Trainer Necessary, Local Crews Working Hard (The Washington Times, August 31, 1903)

Frank Greer Wrests Sculling Championships from C.S. Titus (The Saint Paul Globe, August 16, 1903)

Championship Regatta of National Oarsmen, Preliminary Races Are Successfully Rowed Off at Lake Quinsigamond (The Saint Paul Globe, August 15, 1903)

Potomacs Again Win Double Sculls (The Washington Times, August 13, 1903)

Plans Perfected for Potomac’s Regatta, Races Tomorrow Evening to Terminate With Dance (The Washington Times, July 17, 1903)

A Day on the Water with Georgetown’s Aspiring Crews (The Washington Times, May 17, 1903)

Announcement of Performance to Benefit the Potomac Boat Club Building Fund (The Washington Times, April 26, 1903)

Potomac Regatta A Brilliant Success, Races Witnessed by Thousands of War Veterans (The Evening Times, October 6, 1902)

Labor Day Regatta Officials Named, (The Washington Times, September 2, 1902)

Entries for the Annual Regatta of National Amateur Oarsmen’s Association (The New York Tribune, July 11, 1900)

Harlem Regatta, Arrangements for the Meeting of Amateur Oarsmen Completed (The Saint Paul Globe, July 10, 1900)

Potomac River Regatta Is Successfully Pulled, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia (Richmond Dispatch, August 2, 1896)

From the Capital (The Salt Lake Daily Herald, May 27, 1888)

The Potomacs Win the Cup (The New York Sun, September 6, 1887)

The Passaic Regatta, Interesting Contests Between Crews from Many Cities (The New York Sun, June 12, 1887)

Miscellaneous (The Salt Lake Daily Herald, October 8, 1882)

Calling all W-L Crew Alumni!

Did you know that this year is Potomac Boat Club’s 140th Anniversary, and the 60th Anniversary of Washington-Lee High School Crew?  Yep.  The oldest rowing club in the area is also home to the longest running high school rowing program in the area.  There must be something to that.

To celebrate, the gang is throwing a party down at PBC on September 26th, and they’re tracking down all the W-L rowing alumni they can find.  If you rowed for W-L, please take a moment to update your contact info at http://w-lcrew.org/alumni.  And while you’re at it, please forward the link to your former teammates so that they can do the same!

For the latest anniversary plans and W-L rowing alumni news, Derek Parsons (’87) has set up a Yahoogroup emailing list.  Whether or not you plan to attend the 60th Anniversary celebration, all alumni are encouraged to join.  To subscribe, simply send an email to wlcrewalumni-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Finally, to tide you over until September, below are a couple of gems circa 1982 that we dug up on Youtube.com.  No comment on the shorts.  We really want to comment on the shorts, though.  And the hair.  And Tom’s beard! 

Did we mention the shorts?

See you soon!