Social Events

ROW hosts several social events throughout the year where members can get to know each other
and enjoy each other’s company.​

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• ROW Picnic

The annual ROW Picnic promote a sense of neighborhood and attract new members. In the late 1990s, Doug and Margi Erickson and then Catherine Ackiss hosted the June picnics in their gardens during July or August.  In 2011 the picnic was moved to May to enjoy the cooler weather. Most recently, the picnic was held on the grounds of The Murchison House, the Lattimer House and the Burgwin-Wright House.

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• Membership Party

Each September ROW members are invited to a party to renew their membership or for new members to join. The party has been held at the USO building and the USS North Carolina Battleship. The 2019 Membership Meeting was held on the battleship.

 

• Holiday Party

A winter holiday social, generally held on the second Wednesday in December, became a fixture in ROW's calendar early in its history.  These gatherings originally were held in members' homes, but as the organization grew, they were moved to larger facilities including the Greystone Inn, the Bellamy Mansion, Roudabush, the Railroad Museum, the Historic USO building and St. Thomas Hall.  The gathering has been held most recently at Events on Front and the USO Community Center building.

 

• Back Door Kitchen Tour

In 2006, both to replenish the coffers of ROW, and to add a new social event, Alice Mitchell and Karen Behm conceived the Back Door Kitchen Tour (BDKT), a relaxed fall walking tour of the fabulous kitchens found in the historic district. From the first year, the BDKT was a social and financial success. The BDKT spun off an additional social event, the “unveiling” of the signature artwork of the tour. The unveiling quickly became a social event for members to gather at in the fall.  Now in its sixth year, the BDKT has become the financial support for ROW's many civic contributions. By 2017, the BDKT no longer included artwork or food in the homes, but the popularity of the tour continues. By 2019, the BDKT committee raised $15,000.

 

• Civic Appreciation Honors

ROW has thanked the Police and Firefighters of Wilmington by holding an annual appreciation dinner for the Police and a luncheon for the firefighters. These events give ROW members personal contact with those who protect our lives and property.

For families, ROW has sometimes “organized” Halloween in the historic district by identifying homes of members that will be “treating” that night. The throngs of children from our neighborhood and from all around the City, show the success of this family activity.​​

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Click here for a photo gallery events.