Category: Meetings

The LOW Democrats’ January meeting on Jan. 8 featured a program by Julie Perry, director of economic development and tourism for Orange County. (Shown here with club Chair Sharon Campione). Perry described plans to observe the 250 anniversary of the Declaration of Independence during 2026 and explained the impact of tourism on the Orange County economy. Events for the semiquincentennial celebration include visits by a travelling museum of history, a passport program of historic sites in Virginia and an exhibit at Virginia Foothills Distillery near Barboursville about Elijah Craig, an Orange County Baptist minister who is credited with being the father of bourbon whiskey.

The video below tells some of the story of Orange County’s own Elijah Craig. More information is available at VA250.org.

Julie Perry, director of economic development and tourism for Orange County, will speak to the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club on January 8 about the importance of tourism to the local economy and plans to celebrate the 250 anniversary of the nation’s birth in 2026.

The meeting will take place in Classroom II of the LOW Community Center. The program will begin at 1:30 p.m.

Perry joined Orange County’s marketing team in early 2022 after extensive tourism marketing experience with the City of Fredericksburg’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

Her work related to the Edna Lewis Media Event and Menu Trail programs helped Orange County win state and national awards for excellence, concluding with the placement of a Virginia Department of Historic Resources Highway Marker in Lewis’s honor.

Perry has overseen steady growth in tourism awareness and engagement with the Orange Uncovered storytelling initiative, the Corks and Caps Craft Beverage Trail, and the Gordonsville Fried Chicken social marketing campaign with the platform Simply Southern.

She is a member of the Virginia Economic Developers Association and attended the Virginia Institute for Economic Development.

Under her leadership, Orange County saw the ribbon cutting for the MacMillian Publishing expansion, announced VA Brownfield Grant Awards for two property remediation efforts, received a Commonwealth Opportunity Fund Award from the Governor’s Office to incentivize the $41.2 million expansion of Aerojet Rocketdyne facilities, and put into motion Economic Development Authority (EDA) efforts to improve site-readiness in the Thomas E. Lee Industrial Park.

 According to data released by the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC), visitor spending for Orange County exceeded $57.6 million in 2024, a 6 percent increase compared to 2023. During the same time frame, tourism-supported jobs in Orange totaled 520, while local tourism-related local taxes were $2.5 million.

 “Tourism here isn’t just economic,” Perry said in an interview upon her appointment as director, “It’s a celebration of legacy and lifestyle, and we’re proud to see that reflected in growing visitor engagement.”

Visit Orange County, Virginia

Think Orange, Virginia

Rev. Rick Clore, a retired Baptist minister from Orange, will speak to the LOW Democratic Club on October 9 about the rise of the doctrine of Christian Nationalism in American politics.

The meeting will take place on Thursday, October 9, in Classroom 2 of the LOW Community Center. The doors open at 1 p.m., and the program will begin at 1:30 p.m.

Clore is a former member of the Executive Committee of the Orange County Democratic Committee and a sponsor of the Youth Democratic Club at Orange County High School.

Christian Nationalism is a political ideology that fuses American or national identity with Christian identity, asserting the nation is or should be defined by Christian values and history. While appealing to a growing portion of the Christian community, its doctrines are often at odds with both Christian theology and the ideals of a free and independent democracy.

Christian Nationalism often seeks to impose Christian culture and values on government and society, sometimes promoting the idea of Christian rule or a distinct political privilege for adherents to the Christian faith. It often distorts love of country into a form of political idolatry, prioritizing national identity over ultimate spiritual allegiance. 

At its worst it can create a framework of “Christian supremacy,” which contrasts with the Christian call to love neighbors and oppose idols. 

The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing political activist, entrepreneur, and media personality who was co-founder of the conservative activist organization Turning Point USA, appears to have stimulated interest in Christian Nationalism in the United States.

The Constitution of the United States, which has guided the nation through good times and bad for nearly 250 years, will be the subject of a presentation by an authority on America’s founding document at the club’s November 13 meeting.

Patrick Campbell, director of the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, will be the guest of the club at the 1 p.m. meeting in Classroom II of the Lake of the Woods’ Community Center.

Campbell was a U.S. Marine infantry officer and judge advocate for 21 years before retiring to teach Advanced Placement Comparative and U.S. Government courses, coaching and administration in independent schools. In 2017, he joined the staff at Montpelier, the Orange County home of James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution.

As director of the Center for the Constitution, Campbell is responsible for coordinating seminars for educators, law enforcement officers and international groups about Madison’s legacy.

Campbell has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Notre Dame, an LL.M. from the Judge Advocate General School, and Juris Doctor and Master of Education degrees from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Campbell and his wife of over 30 years, Arlene, have two adult sons. Besides history, he spends his time fruit and vegetable gardening, recreational swimming, serving as a soccer referee and international travel.

The Montpelier Foundation established the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution in 2002 with the purpose of providing seminars for educators on topics related to the U.S. Constitution. Among its other programs, the Center produces a podcast called “Consider the Constitution” hosted by Dr. Katie Crawford, which features interviews with constitutional scholars, policy and subject matter experts, heritage professionals, and legal practitioners.

The Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier

“Consider the Constitution” on Spotify on Apple Podcasts

Denis Kaufman, a retired federal intelligence analyst, reviewed the history of U.S. immigration policy at the September 11 meeting of the LOW Democratic Club. Links to fact-filled slides used in his presentation and a video of his appearance before the Orange County Democratic Committee appear below.

Click here to view Kaufman’s MS PowerPoint slides

VIDEO Civil Liberties Crossroads: The ICE Factor

Read Kaufman’s newsletter, “The Conscience of a Whig”