Go to our information page about our first Casino Night! This night of fun for adults 21 and older will benefit both the Kevin McLaughlin Travel Fund and Virginia Rainbow Scholarships!
Happy 83rd Birthday Lily Tomlin- 09/01/22
Lily was born Mary Jean Tomlin to her parents Lillie Mae and Guy Tomlin on September 1st , 1939 in Detroit, Michigan. She had one sibling Richard Tomlin. Lily is known for the role of Ernestine on Sesame Street and the voice of Ms. Frizzle on the Magic School Bus. Lily was also a Rainbow girl in Michigan and Ruth Buzzi, her co-star who played Ruthie on Sesame Street, was also a Rainbow girl in Rhode Island. Tomlin married Jean Wagner in 2013.
Miss Alaska Colleen Kendall- 9/4/22
Colleen was born between 1937-1944 in Anchorage, Alaska. She is a famous rainbow girl in Alaska for being known as Miss Alaska in 1963 at the Alaska State Fair. She was from Nugget Assembly #13 where she was the first Worthy Advisor of her assembly and the first grand officer during their first grand term. It’s unknown if she ever got married or had children. If she’s alive today she would between the ages of 78-85 years old today.
Hello there! Today I will be telling you about South Carolina’s Grand Assembly.
I started off from my grandparents house driving to Richmond to pick up Noelle. After we picked up Noelle, we drove another eight hours to South Carolina’s Grand. This year, South Carolina was having their Grand Assembly in Columbia. In the car, Noelle and I watched some shows and played some games.
When we finally arrived, we changed in the car and went straight to dinner at the Lodge. We had chicken wings and rolls for dinner. After they were done serving dinner, the Grand Representatives went around the dinner room and showed off the arrows they made for the term. On the arrows were symbols and the name of their jurisdiction they were corresponding to. Afterward, Mom Dedra announced that they didn’t have enough new initiates to dump a bucket of ice on her head. However, there was still a lot of initiates, so she let some first line signers spray her all over with silly string. It was really funny.
After that, we went back to our hotel room. In the hotel room, we realized it’s not a grand assembly without a late night snack run. So me, Mom Christi, Kaitlyn, and Noelle drove to Walmart to pick up some snacks. We bought so many. That night, we played a game we bought and chilled.
The next day we woke up early to go to breakfast with my grandparents. After breakfast, there was not any sessions that we had to go to so we went to the zoo. At the zoo, we visited many animals such as lions, tigers, and rhinos. After our long adventure at the zoo, we went to the gift shop where Noelle and I got matching necklaces. Our necklaces both had two baby turtles on them.
After the zoo, we headed back to the Lodge to eat lunch. After our delicious lunch, we headed down to the assembly room to get started on the first session. The assembly room was kind of like a theater so you could see the stage from up above. One of the things that we did at the first session was initiation. After that session, we went to dinner and then went to another session.
After that long day, we went back to the hotel room and ate our mac & cheese and ramen. The next morning, we went to go eat breakfast and then went to a session. Next thing that we did was having lunch at the Lodge. After lunch, we took a break in the hotel room, and we took some naps. Alyssa and I went over to the talent show what they were having, and Alyssa judged while I watched. I hung out with some other Virginia Rainbow girls and did the trivia that they included. After that, we got ready and headed to the banquet.
At the banquet, they did the same type of things that Virginia does in announcing the new officers. However, in South Carolina you don’t apply for the office…. you just get awarded it. At the banquet, they had some delicious ham and mac & cheese, and they had one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had.
After finishing all of their work for the year we went to the hotel room and went to bed knowing there was a long day ahead tomorrow. The next day, most of the Virginia Rainbow girls left but Noelle and I stayed for the installation that was beautifully done. After the installation, we headed home knowing there were eight hours ahead. Overall, I can say South Carolina was a very fun Grand Assembly!
In Rainbow Love and Service,
Ella, Ashburn Assembly #11
The Virginia Grand Assembly is a proud member of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls – a non-profit youth group that teaches girls what matters most – leadership, confidence, and citizenship.
