The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
Issue link: http://sar.epubxp.com/i/462055
The N.S.C.A.R., founded in 1895, is the oldest patriotic youth organization in our country. The 2014-2015 National President's project is to make a donation to the Star-Spangled Flag House in Baltimore, Maryland, in honor of the Star-Spangled Banner's bicentennial. Website: http://nscar.org/ Email: hq@nscar.org Twitter: @NSCAR1895 Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nscar1895 ...Consider the C.A.R. for your family, today. The Overmountain Men Victory Trail Association had already walked the 300-mile-plus trail six times by the time it became a National Historic Trail. Last year (2014) marked the 40th anniversary of that beginning. Most of the men who walked every step of the way in 1974 continued their walk. But few people noticed as they walked and passed through communities. In the early 2000s, a group of the walkers discussed the idea of telling the story as they walked, but it was difficult to walk, stop and tell the story at the same time. So, they started to visit schools, community clubs and churches to tell the story. Now, Association members see a different school group every day of the march. At night, the Overmoun tain Men's story is shared mostly with adults. The OVTA's greatest accomplish- ment is the number of school children who annually hear "The Story." This is a story that is not in our school history books. In the last three years, we have told the Overmountain Men's story to about 30,000 people, and about 90 percent of those are school kids. We tell the story as few as one and as many as 18 times a day from Sept. 3 until Oct. 7, when we arrive at Kings Mountain National Military Park. We assist the NSSAR with escorting presenters at the monument, and then at 3 p.m., we march into the amphitheater. At the end of the program, we fire a musket salute to those heroes who were there and offered up their fortunes, their lives, their families and their future for our freedoms, lest we forget what they did. It makes what we do easy. As grand marshal of the event for the last three years, I am proud of our accomplishments. We have worked together to make this happen. In 2014, we marched into Kings Mountain with more than 35 people from as far away as Missouri, Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. A number of our members are also SAR members. In Tennessee, we have an SAR/OVTA liaison committee to keep track of what we both do. If you would like to have the story told to your group, know more about the OVTA, or become a member, please visit OVTA.org or contact me at wataugatnssar@gmail.com. Our dues for an individual are $15 or $20 per family per year—a fine investment in our children's future. As re-enactors, we furnish our own clothing, transportation, muskets or whatever we use. All of the money raised goes for buses, drivers and anything it takes to get the children to hear the story. OVTA and SAR members commemorate the Overmountain Men at Sycamore Shoals; opposite page, Association members relate "The Story" to school groups every day of their march.