My mother was a great organizer and proved her vast influence to me every year at her yearly fundraiser; the NAACP Dinner and Dance. Cleopatra's goal was to have this annual formal event at the best and biggest venue in the area which was the Colonial Terrace, a Victorian Manson in Corlandt Manor. Mom worked on this event all year long by getting local businesses to buy tables, soliciting adveristments in the journal, and hanging posters in their establishments. Cleopatra also schmoozed with the aristocrats and politicians in the area and invited them to attend, sit on the dais or speak at the event. The NAACP Dinner and Dance came to be known as "the event" of the year in the county and everyone looked forward to attending the gala with anticipation.
During the day of the big event our house buzzed with excitement, everyone in the house prepared for the night of festivities ahead. Between the trips to the beauty parlor, barber shop, tailor, cobbler, cleaner, and florist our mother orchestrated our every movement to make sure every child in attendance looked their best. Cleopatra Jones definitely lived up to her name, that year my mother went to the NAACP Dinner and Dance in a light blue and white Senegalese Bubu dress and head wrap ordained with elaborate embroidery.
The journal was filled with advertisments and letters of endorsement from local businessmen and polictians but it also contained the agenda for the evening ahead. During the cocktail reception my mother was a terrific host who made everyone of her guests feel at home and made introductions throughout the room. While dinner was served my mother conducted the introductions of the dais and set the stage for the speeches and activities to come. After all the scheduled speeches and honors were completed it was time to dance and all the guests enjoyed cutting a rug with Cleopatra. What a great time filled with great memories and the song of the evening: Me and Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul!
Showing posts with label "Cleopatra Jones". Show all posts
Showing posts with label "Cleopatra Jones". Show all posts
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
4th of July Picnic
On the morning of the 4th of July the Jones household began buzzing early, everyone down to the youngest person was preparing for the BIG picnic at George's Island. George's Island was a huge state park located at the end of Dutch Street where visitors could picnic, fish, play and launch recreational water equipment like boats or jet skies. It was our local park where we spent many great times growing up, but the 4th of July was an exceptional event and also a major production at our house.
The Preparation:
On this special morning, Cleopatra (Mom) got up first and began to prepare the delicious food she would take to the park for the upcoming festivities. She gave marching orders to all the children of the house to help in preparation of the affair. First up, the boys: Kevin, Johnny, Butch, Rayfield (Ray), Henry, and Gregory had to wash the barbeque grills, clean the coolers, buy four blocks of ice from the ice house, get the blankets, and some extra chairs ready to load in the car. Mom drove the older boys down to George's Island (the Island) to scout out the best location for the merriment. Ray, Butch, and Henry were assigned the task of setting up the picnic area while Mom returned home to finish meal preparations. James, George, Robert, and Ronald (who were adults and had families of their own ) brought coolers full of all kinds of juices, soda, and beer. The adult boys would join the younger boys at the park to help set up the music and game areas. Next up, the girls: Carolyn, Ranee, Denea, and Delores would help Mom prepare the food, get the tablecloths, drop cloths, and utensils ready for shipment to the Island. Loretta and Maxine (who were adults and had families of their own) would meet us at the park to help out Mom with additional food preparation. Many of the tasks were small jobs but each child took pride in making sure that they completed their task with excellence.
The Road Trip:
Once all the food was prepared and packed into boxes the next project was delivering it all down to George's Island without having a food catastrophy. Carolyn (little Cleo) and Ranee would ride with Mom to make sure nothing spilled out inside of the car as each load was transported to the park. Transporting sauces, cakes, pies, and hot pots in the car was no easy task. Mom and Cleo loaded all the hot pots and placed them on the car floor in front of the passenger seat. The salads, meat trays, and frozen items such as hot dogs and hamburgers were placed on the backseat and in the truck of the car. It took mom a total of four trips to bring all the picnic items, transport tables, chairs and any remaining children to the Island for the BIG event.
The Celebration:
Our family picnics were monumental events and many of my mother's family and friends were in attendance. My mom had 12 brothers and sisters; all of these extended family members had spouses and children. Cleopatra Jones also had a number of close friends who would come to enjoy the holiday, each one was treated with the same warmth and affection as any family member. As you can imagine, it didn't take much for a crowd of people to develop during any of our family gatherings. It was at the 4th of July picnic where our family came together to share the love, fellowship and most importantly continue relationships with sibling who no longer lived in our mother's household. The wonderful times and amazing stories of the day are other chapters to be told......... they are worth the anticipation.
As the 4th of July approaches, remember how important family is in your life. Please don't take your relationships with anyone for granted. If Michael Jackson's death taught us one thing it was to cherish our loved ones while we can for tomorrow is not promised.
The Preparation:
On this special morning, Cleopatra (Mom) got up first and began to prepare the delicious food she would take to the park for the upcoming festivities. She gave marching orders to all the children of the house to help in preparation of the affair. First up, the boys: Kevin, Johnny, Butch, Rayfield (Ray), Henry, and Gregory had to wash the barbeque grills, clean the coolers, buy four blocks of ice from the ice house, get the blankets, and some extra chairs ready to load in the car. Mom drove the older boys down to George's Island (the Island) to scout out the best location for the merriment. Ray, Butch, and Henry were assigned the task of setting up the picnic area while Mom returned home to finish meal preparations. James, George, Robert, and Ronald (who were adults and had families of their own ) brought coolers full of all kinds of juices, soda, and beer. The adult boys would join the younger boys at the park to help set up the music and game areas. Next up, the girls: Carolyn, Ranee, Denea, and Delores would help Mom prepare the food, get the tablecloths, drop cloths, and utensils ready for shipment to the Island. Loretta and Maxine (who were adults and had families of their own) would meet us at the park to help out Mom with additional food preparation. Many of the tasks were small jobs but each child took pride in making sure that they completed their task with excellence.
The Road Trip:
Once all the food was prepared and packed into boxes the next project was delivering it all down to George's Island without having a food catastrophy. Carolyn (little Cleo) and Ranee would ride with Mom to make sure nothing spilled out inside of the car as each load was transported to the park. Transporting sauces, cakes, pies, and hot pots in the car was no easy task. Mom and Cleo loaded all the hot pots and placed them on the car floor in front of the passenger seat. The salads, meat trays, and frozen items such as hot dogs and hamburgers were placed on the backseat and in the truck of the car. It took mom a total of four trips to bring all the picnic items, transport tables, chairs and any remaining children to the Island for the BIG event.
The Celebration:
Our family picnics were monumental events and many of my mother's family and friends were in attendance. My mom had 12 brothers and sisters; all of these extended family members had spouses and children. Cleopatra Jones also had a number of close friends who would come to enjoy the holiday, each one was treated with the same warmth and affection as any family member. As you can imagine, it didn't take much for a crowd of people to develop during any of our family gatherings. It was at the 4th of July picnic where our family came together to share the love, fellowship and most importantly continue relationships with sibling who no longer lived in our mother's household. The wonderful times and amazing stories of the day are other chapters to be told......... they are worth the anticipation.
As the 4th of July approaches, remember how important family is in your life. Please don't take your relationships with anyone for granted. If Michael Jackson's death taught us one thing it was to cherish our loved ones while we can for tomorrow is not promised.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Introduction
Hello to all my friends,
I am writing a small introduction to let you know I have been thinking about you. I want to be able to give you more insight about my mother, Cleopatra Jones. I want to share the type of person she really was, how she inspired others to achieve their dreams and introduce you to the human side of Mrs. Cleopatra Jones. My mom was an amazing leader, speaker, organizer, and mother who raised 23 children but provided emergency housing to many others.
I will update the memories blog once a week and I will inform you how things are going with "The Crusade" on the Cleopatra Jones blog. I hope you enjoy the writings and hopefully I can share some of the wisdom she shared with me.
Delores Bunch-Keemer
I am writing a small introduction to let you know I have been thinking about you. I want to be able to give you more insight about my mother, Cleopatra Jones. I want to share the type of person she really was, how she inspired others to achieve their dreams and introduce you to the human side of Mrs. Cleopatra Jones. My mom was an amazing leader, speaker, organizer, and mother who raised 23 children but provided emergency housing to many others.
I will update the memories blog once a week and I will inform you how things are going with "The Crusade" on the Cleopatra Jones blog. I hope you enjoy the writings and hopefully I can share some of the wisdom she shared with me.
Delores Bunch-Keemer
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