Daughters of the American Revolution

Members of the local Captain Robert Orr Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution have taken on the job of planting and tending flowers at the All-Veterans Memorial in Brainerd. A crew of four to six women do the maintenance about six times a year.
September 23, 2024: Member of the DAR cleaned the Mahlum family gravesite at Evergreen Cemetery in Brainerd. As you can see from the photo, there is a huge difference between the original and the finished one. At the bottom, you see John Mahlum's before and after grave marker from 1918. The Brainerd VFW is the John Mahlum and Nick Hanson Post 1647, going back to 1918. Thanks ladies.
May 20, 2024:  The DAR crew was busy again at the All-Veterans memorial in Brainerd getting it ready for Memorial Day. They were joined by Eagle Scout Craig Coonan.
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(l-r) Mark Persons from the Brainerd VFW handed a $2000 check to Faye Leach, Regent of the DAR chapter, to pay for flowers and supplies for cleaning veteran graves in their ongoing community projects.
April 24, 2024: The DAR ladies were at it again, adding soil and getting ready to plant flowers at the All-Veterans Memorial. They are getting it ready for Memorial Day.  Money for materials were provided by the Brainerd VFW.
May 22, 2023: The DAR spent a good part of the day getting the gardens ready for Memorial Day.  A special thank you to Brainerd VFW Post 1647 for their generous donation given last year, which allowed them to purchase flowers and materials needed to prepare the gardens. Photos below are from that day:  
April 15, 2023:  Minnesota America 250! Plaque. The Captain Robert Orr Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution held a dedication ceremony at the State Veterans Cemetery at Camp Ripley, MN.  The Brainerd Honor Guard was there to post the colors.  Speakers included DAR State Chaplain Roberta Seefeldt, America 250 Committee Chair DeeDee Edlund, and State Vice Regent Carolyn Loeffler.  Interim Deputy Commissioner Ron Quade of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs said veterans endured so we may be free today. The main speaker was Air Force Major General Maureen Banavige.  She quoted President Ronald Reagan as saying, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."  

Minnesota DAR Dedication of America 250! Plaque

LITTLE FALLS, MINNESOTA: On April 15, 2023, the Minnesota State Society Daughters of the American Revolution (MNSSDAR) dedicated the first America 250 Patriots Marker in Minnesota honoring patriots who fought in the American Revolution as part of the upcoming 250th Anniversary of the United States. America 250 is a nationwide commemoration effort to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday in 2026, and the DAR is dedicating America 250! Patriots Markers across the country to honor those who supported the Revolutionary War and the founding of the country. The ceremony was held at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls, Minnesota and open to the public. The ceremony began with the presentation of Colors by the Brainerd Honor Guard, led by David Meyer. The Guard is a coordinated effort of the Brainerd VFW, Brainerd American Legion, and Crow Wing County Disabled American Veterans.

MNSSDAR State Regent Kathy Huston and Vice Regent Carolyn Loeffler conducted the dedication of the bronze marker, followed by a keynote speech to be given by Major General Maureen Banavige, USAF. Other dignitaries in attendance included James Hagen, President, Minnesota State Society Sons of the American Revolution, and Eric Sogge, Cemetery
Administrator for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA). Special music was provided by the Central Lakes College Band, under the direction of Jonathan LaFlamme, and “Taps” will be played by bugler Kyle Kitzman of the Minnesota 34th Infantry “Red Bull” Battalion band. A reception immediately followed at the Camp Ripley Town Hall.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a women’s service organization whose members can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War. Today’s DAR is dynamic and diverse, with over 185,000 members in 3,000 chapters in the United States and abroad. DAR members annually provide millions of hours of volunteer service to their local communities across the country and world. DAR chapters participate in projects to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Over one million members have joined the organization since its founding in 1890. If you are interested in learning more about DAR membership, visit DAR.org.
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The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to preserve the memory and spirit of those who contributed to securing American independence. For more than 130 years, the DAR has strived to bring awareness to the honorable sacrifices and enduring legacy of all patriots who fought for America’s freedom. Through the DAR Genealogical Research System (www.dar.org/GRS), the public can access a free database of information amassed by the DAR about these patriots. DAR is a nonprofit, nonpolitical women’s service organization with more than 185,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide. Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible for membership. DAR members passionately carry out the timeless mission of promoting historic preservation, education and patriotism. To learn more about the work of today’s DAR, visit DAR.org.
​There was a reception at the Camp Ripley Town Hall.
May and June 2022:  Members of DAR maintain flowers at the All-Veterans Memorial at 4th and Laurel Streets in Brainerd.  They have been cleaning veteran graves since 2019, putting in three hours, once or twice a week throughout the summer.  
Carol Johnson and Paula Persons are seen in the last photo speaking to the Baxter City Council about veteran grave cleaning at the Baxter Cemetery.
Also see the cleaning of veteran graves by the DAR: ​http://gilbertlodge.com/2021/05-22a-21-DAR.html and http://gilbertlodge.com/2021/09-17a-21-dar.html
June 28, 2024, update: Daughters of the American Revolution have been cleaning veteran graves in Brainerd area cemeteries since 2019. They clean every Monday, June through September. At about 40 volunteer hours per month, they clean about 130 veteran graves each year using high-tech cleaner D2, which is also used on monuments in Washington, D.C.

Photos from a state DAR grave cleaning day on May 22, 2021, below:
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Bell ringing on Constitution Day, September 17, 2021.
September 17, 1017: The Captain Robert Orr Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was at the Brainerd City Hall to ring bells, promoting Constitution Week. They do this every year.
December 7, 2016: Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution held at ceremony at the All-Veterans Memorial in Brainerd honoring those who died at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. They invited local people to their presentation and coffee inside the Crow Wing County Courthouse on that cold day. The Brainerd Honor Guard was there to present the flag and play Taps.