The theme for the August 29th meeting of Travel Talkers Toastmasters was Parades. Our speaker, Jacqueline Maynard-Campbell, presented her Motivational Strategies, Level 1, Researching and Presenting Speech about a drill team in her hometown of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. Jacqueline started her speech with a brief history of parades from her research on the topic. She shared that parades have been part of human history since 2000 BCE as either religious ceremonies or military events. The Assiegie Corporal Drill Team was a Coraopolis, Pennsylvania tradition that inspired a community and gave many young men the opportunity to travel and to perform and win awards as a result of their hard work and discipline as part of the “the drill team.” The team was founded in the 1970’s by Mr. Wayne Shackelford, Sr. to provide young men the opportunity to develop self-disciple and self-esteem. Jacqueline was one of the team volunteers and often traveled with the team as a chaperon.
Travel Topics for the meeting were also on the theme of Parades. Lisa Hamil asked the group to talk about their first parade experience, their favorite parade or a historic parade. We heard stories about the Fiesta in San Antonio, Texas, Carnival in Trinidad, Junkanoo in the Bahamas, the Kansas City Royals Parade, and the March on Washington in 1963.
Our Destination Master, Avis Russell, provided these clues:
- This is a city that celebrates Carnival.
- The city transforms itself into a magical masquerade.
- Festival attendees wear elaborate 18th century costumes and masks.
If you guessed Venice, Italy, you are correct!
The theme of our September 5th meeting is “Travel Buddies.” Join the Travel Talkers group for a fun evening sharing your adventures. This event is for all travel enthusiasts. Engage with fellow members as we share our stories about traveling. Focus on your public speaking skills and get valuable feedback in a supportive Toastmasters-style environment. The meeting is on Thursday, September 5th from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm Pacific time. We want to hear about your travel and adventure plans.
Guests are always welcome to attend our meetings. If you would like to join the club, contact Helen Josephine for an application form.
Register for the meeting: https://tinyurl.com/TravelTalkersZoomLink
RSVP on MeetUp to let us know you are coming to the meeting.
We look forward to hearing your travel stories! Join us to be inspired to take your next trip.
Helen Josephine,
Travel Talkers Toastmasters
Travel Talkers Toastmasters 
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