Cherry Hill Newsletter
Winter 2025
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS
"A Wintery Mix" was the Friends' entry in the Village Preservation and Improvement Society's (VPIS) 2024 Tree Fest. It was designed and decorated by Ron Anzalone, Jennifer DeVignier, Joanne Caramanica, Rosemary Ziskind, and Maureen Budetti. Jennifer made paper ornaments in the style of Falls Church houses. Miniature knit mittens, hats, and sweaters were crafted by Susan Parker and Maureen Budetti. Our tree won the “Most Nostalgic” award for the second year. A couple from Saudi Arabia and Poland, who love cherries, bought the tree at the very last minute.
Holiday Shoppe We had another great year at our Holiday Shoppe for kids!
See page 2 for more information.
Moravian Stars for the holidays! We made them! See page 2.
The Friends held Holiday Teas on December 14 and 15. This young girl and her mother, sporting lovely matching green velvetdresses,enjoyed the elegant tea and seasonal fare prepared by Natalia. Our thanks to Board member Rosemary Ziskind who organized the holiday teas as well as those held earlier in the year. The next tea will celebrate Valentine's Day on February 16.
Presidents’ Letter
Our traditional holiday activities of the 2024 season are covered in this newsletter. The Friends of Cherry Hill’s Tree Fest entry, the Holiday Shoppe, and the teas brought merriment, joy, and some financial success. We are looking forward to 2025. The board is considering doing a retrospective or perhaps a retreat to evaluate and improve our past activities, and possibly consider new ones. A big thank you for the year-round effort of the board members and other volunteers.
The United States will be 250 years old on July 4, 2026. Representatives from the Friends will be involved throughout 2025 in planning for the Falls Church250 commemoration of the nation’s semiquincentennial. The Friends will also participate in a regional Civil War history cooperative group, the Civil War Round Table of DC. Many activities will be in cooperation with President Lincoln’s Cottage in DC.
We wish you all a very happy new year!
Maureen Budetti and Diane Morse, Co-presidents
Gretchen Wilmouth conducted a Moravian Star Workshop on November 23. This was the second time she has offered the popular workshop. Several students commented on how fun, and at times difficult, the process could be, which requires a series of orderly folds and tucks. Gretchen provided red and green paper strips as well as strips taken from old song books that showed musical notes. The colorful patterns produced stunning results.
The annual Holiday Shoppe on Saturday, December 7, kicked off the holiday season for the Friends. The day before, volunteers had helped transport the “gifts” that had been collected during 2024 to the Falls Church Community Center and spent most of the day unwrapping them and setting up display tables. The “sale” itself began a little before the scheduled opening at 9AM to allow children who, gift lists in hand, lined up at the door early to begin their shopping. The event closed at 3PM after allowing other shoppers to select from what the kids failed to purchase. The few remaining articles were packed up for 2025.
The event couldn’t have happened without the Friends who volunteered, the friends of the Friends who helped with set-up and assisted the children in finding their special gifts for their family and friends. And a big thanks to the wonderful students recruited by Coordinator Holly Irwin to help. A special thanks to Jennifer DeVignier for managing the wrapping detail.
A list abandoned after shopping belonged to a young boy named Corby. It had 18 names on it; 16 of those had checkmarks indicating a successful gift shopping experience. We hope he was able to find something just right for the two unchecked names Gramma and Grampa before the holidays arrived!
President Lincoln and the California Missions
In the 1830s and 1840s, the 21 Spanish missions in Alta California were deemed obsolete and faced closure. In 1845, CA Governor Pio Pico told the friars at the Santa Barbara mission, considered the “Queen” of the mission system, that it had been sold. The US courts invalidated the sale in the 1850s President Lincoln later returned all the missions to the Catholic Church.
Upcoming Events at Cherry Hill Farm
Valentine's Day Tea
Sunday, February 16: 2-4pm
Celtic Music Concert
Saturday, March 1: 6-8pm
Farmhouse After Dark
Friday, March 21: 6-8pm
Ice Cream Social
Saturday, April 5: 10am-12pm
Mother's Day Tea
Sunday, May 11: 2-4pm
Victorian Heritage Day
Saturday, May 17: 10am-2pm
Maple SyrupA Sweet Form of Protest
The origin stories about discovering how to make maple syrup are many – some fanciful, some legendary, and a few that might have some truth to them. But we do know that Native Americans developed the practice long before Europeans arrived in North America.
The maple syrup industry came to life during the Civil War with the development of better equipment and mass processing capabilities. Prior to the Civil War, maple syrup and maple sugar were endorsed by abolitionists as a form of protest, because cane sugar and molasses were produced in the South by slaves. During the War, the North experienced shortages of cane sugar products due to blockades and the lack of labor in the South to grow and process the cane. The result was that maple sugar became the predominant sweetener.
Today, the United States produces 5.4% of the world’s exports of maple syrup, mainly in Vermont. However, Canada rules the market with an 85.4% share, produced mainly in Quebec.
CostCo Connection 12/24, various sources
President Lincoln and Mexico
President Lincoln is well-known for his role during the Civil War and for the emancipation of slaves. Of course, he had other important presidential responsibilities and notable historical accomplishments. Sometimes one finds facts and fiction about these efforts in unexpected places.
A poster in Mexican Prints at the Vanguard, recently at The New York Museum of Art, suggests Lincoln’s involvement in Mexico’s efforts for independence may have been exaggerated in later administrations’ international efforts.
This 1944 print by Pablo Esteban O’Higgins (American,1904-1983) entitled The Relationship between the USA and Mexico, was commissioned by the short-lived Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (1940-1945). It reflects President Franklin Roosevelt’s interest in improving the country’s relationship with Mexico in the 1930s. To support his Good Neighbors Policy, Roosevelt used a misinformed view of close personal relations between US President Lincoln and Mexican President Juarez. Despite the phrase “Good Neighbors, Good Friends” on the poster, there is little evidence of the two having ever met or even corresponded. (They do seem to have had similar backgrounds and personalities, which may have led to unfounded references to a more “active” international relationship.) Lincoln was aware of France’s intervention in Mexico, but offered only marginal assistance. The United States provided recognition of the embattled Republican government and lent moral and legal support but due to the pressures of the Civil War limited its involvement.
Be thankful that your personal "deadlines" aren't literal.
During the American Civil War, a boundary line was placed around prison camps. If prisoners crossed it, they quickly discovered the literal meaning of the "deadline!"
Which side of the list did your name appear on in 2024?
What is it?
It’s a whimsical desk lamp gifted to Coordinator Holly Irwin by the Friends of Cherry Hill.
Become A FoCH Member!
Joining is easy! Just fill out this membership form, enclose the appropriate payment amount and return to:
Name: Address:
Friends of Cherry Hill
312 Park Avenue Falls Church, VA 22046
Phone: Email:
Check one: _____ New Membership (1 year: $20 January 2025 – January 2026)
_____ Renewed Membership (1 year: $20 January 2025 – January 2026)
_____ Donation
_____ Life Membership ($250, one-time payment)
_____ I would like information about becoming a Cherry Hill Farm volunteer.
Save a stamp! You can read each issue of the Cherry Hill newsletter online at www.cherryhillfallschurch.org If you prefer that format to receiving a paper copy, please check this box.
Content provided by Maureen Budetti, Joanne Caramanica, Jennifer DeVignier, Holly Fenelon and Diane Morse.
Friends of Cherry Hill
312 Park Avenue Falls Church, VA 22046