Last year Roosevelt and Thelma Calbert returned from an Alaskan cruise to their house on French Horn Lane in Reston only to find it flooded. They had to leave the house for three-and-a-half months while it was renovated. On Thursday afternoon, Aug. 9, they hosted about 100 people there.
The party, however, was not organized to celebrate the renovation. The people came to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Summer Luncheon Crew (SLC), which started with a congregation of eight to 10 women in 1976 and grew to hundreds attending each year.
"It’s the warm spirit of friendship Calberts have offered, and it’s become so contagious that people keep coming," said Fairfax County Supervisor Catherine Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill).
The women gather to have fun and to conceive ways of keeping the men out of the party. About eight men attended Thursday’s party.
"For years we didn’t have men here," said Glynda Mayo Hall, the mistress of ceremony at the party. She has been attending the party for more than 20 years. Hall later took the microphone away from Tom Wilkins, Reston resident and immediate past president of the county’s NAACP branch, as he advocated that the women let the men join.
Cheryl Wilson, of Herndon, attended the luncheon for a second time in life. She said it was an occasion for low key entertainment on one hand, and an opportunity to make connections on the other. "It is absolutely fabulous for networking, and Thelma is a great hostess," said Wilson. She brought her sister, Theresa Cooke, of Sterling, for her first experience. "These are the shakers and movers of the community," said Cooke of her first impression of the party.
WHILE THE PARTY is intended to provide fun and entertainment, there is also a serious side to it. Political and civic leaders join the Summer Luncheon Crew to raise issues and speak of needs in the community. The party attracts a lot of people, and that could create a strong caucus on any issue. Hudgins urged those attending the luncheon to vote in the November elections, where she is seeking a third term on the county’s Board of Supervisors. "I enjoy the job I do because it’s giving back to the community," she said.
Wilkins echoed Hudgins’s thoughts, although he did not endorse anyone in the election. "This next election is critical, get involved. If we don’t, it’s going to have a negative effect on how we participate in our democracy," he said.
Wilkins also warned that the Fairfax County NAACP branch receives numerous phone calls and e-mails each day that report discrimination in the local area. "Fairfax County has problems," he said. "If you don’t think so, take a visit with me so I can show you why we need a stronger NAACP," said Wilkins, as he urged the attendees to join the organization. "We need help."