I would like to thank all of those who emailed me with information about where I could get a Traditional Welsh Costume to wear in the upcoming St. Pat's parade, and other events that the A.W.A. participated. I ended up making my own which surprisingly wasn't too difficult nor costly. Here is the end result, plus I had enough material to make one for my niece. Thanks for all the input!

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Hello to all my friends!I've been AWOL of late and do apologize but its that typical summer weather that has a grip on me. I can say that I have a nice tan these days, and have been outdoors alot enjoying this wonderful Alabama sunshine. I've have worked on a book or booklet (if you will) for a few months, and feel fairly comfortable with it now. I used lulu.com for self-publication of it. It is about the welsh caves at DeSoto Falls park which includes Alot of pictures from when we were there for the AWA Gathering. I'm not a professional writer but I think I did a decent job with it. Here's the cover, and a link to puchase it. You can click this link to go to the preview page. http://www.lulu.com/content/3033507Thanks! Janice

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I am happy to announce the restoration of the Prince Madoc Plaque which was dedicated by the Virginia Cavalier Chapter of the D.A.R in Mobile, AL in 1953. It was originally placed on Mobile Bay near Ft. Morgan. Several years ago it was removed by a staff member of Ft. Morgan for reasons unknown and placed in storage at Ft. Morgan. (There have been so many different rumored reasons, that we do not know which one is true!) In March of this year the Alabama Welsh Association requested the Alabama Historical Commission restore the plaque whereas it could be viewed by the public, preferring Mobile Bay area. In April we began an online petition which quickly drew over 1000 signatures! Currently there are over 1,800 signatures. The first of May the A.H.C. turned the plaque over to the DAR chapter which donated the memorial in 1953. During May, we petitioned the Alabama Legislature for a Resolution which directed the A.H.C. & DAR to work together and get the plaque restored. The House passed it in a timely manner, but it stalled in the Senate due to a stale mate on the Alabama Education budget. During all this time I had been writing the DAR Chapter trying to find out what their plans would be for the plaque. It has recently been determined by them to clean the monument up as it has been in storage, and is unfit to be displayed. Once this has been accomplished the plaque will be proudly displayed in the garden at the DAR House in Mobile, Al., which is open to the public ( http://www.richardsdarhouse.com/index.html).So, it seems with a little effort, and time our hopes for the plaque are being realized! The effort for the plaque restoration was done by four Welsh societies in the U.S. (Oregon, Arizona, Chicago & Alabama) A HUGE JOB WELL DONE! It has been a pleasure working with each group during this issue, and we hope to continue working with each on other Welsh related projects.Now let's raise our mugs for a toast to this success! Janice

The Alabama Welsh Association has begun a fundraiser to acquire funds for a Prince Madoc Memorial Park and we NEED YOUR Help!! We are working inconjunction with other Welsh groups in Oregon, Chicago, and Arizona. You can visit our web site to at www.alabamawelsh.com to donate. All donation amounts are acceptable!We have requested funds to help with this project from our local goverment but will need more to create a memorial to properly honor Prince Madoc. Whether you believe the story to be true or myth is not the issue, as Prince Madoc has been a Welsh legend for centuries, and we feel deserves to be recongnized.Please pass the word to everybody you know, and if we can get $10.00 from each person it will definitely add up and help us reach our goal. For donations over $100.00, you will be recongnized at the memorial site for your generosity. Any question please feel free to contact me at alabamawelsh@yahoo.comThanks! Janice

If you would like to join our emailing list just send me an email at alabamawelsh@yahoo.com to add you. In the meantime feel free to read our 1st Newsletter at http://alabamawelsh.com/Alabama_Welsh_News.mht .

I thank all A.W.A. members and supporters of Prince Madoc Plaque restoration, who rallied around magnificently and carried out a sustained effort to ensure every single legislator in the Alabama Legislature learned about Prince Madoc plaque resolution. (HJR#679)However, we were failed by the Alabama Senate. I listened to some of the Senate legislature session yesterday. They spent the entire session bickering, and scoring political points instead of doing the job we pay them to do. An entire legislative session wasted instead of dealing with the legislative issues that were before them.Needless to say, they did not bring the Prince Madoc Resolution to the table, therefore, it was never voted on. The Legislative session for this year ended yesterday so this means we have to wait until January 2009, and we'll have to start over with the House of Representatives.We will continue to collect signatures on the petition, so please keep promoting it. We've decided to start a Prince Madog "Fund" which will be used for a NEW memorial for Prince Madog ap Owain Gwynedd. What kind will be determined by the funds we're able to collect. Where will it be displayed is still in the works.Thank each of you for all your support and we kindly ask for your continued support until we reach our goal. Our goal is to properly honor Prince Madog as was the wish of the 1953 Virginia Cavalier Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Zella Armstrong of Chattanooga, Tennessee, a historian, writer, and archaeologist.To sign our petition : http://www.petitiononline.com/AWA0987/petition.htmlTo donate to the Prince Madog Memorial Fund: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=alabamawelsh%40yahoo%2ecom&item_name=Prince%20Madog%20Memorial&item_number=0001&page_style=PayPal&no_shipping=1&return=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ealabamawelsh%2ecom&cancel_return=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ealabamawelsh%2ecom&cn=Comment%3a&tax=0&currency_code=USD&lc=US&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF&charset=UTF%2d8or Mail your donation to: Alabama Welsh Association327 Mountain Lake CircleRainbow City, AL 35906Cymru am byth!Janice Price GattisPresident - Alabama Welsh Association