Chapter Meetings
We hold regular membership meetings nine times per year. Our normal schedule is the third Saturday of the month however there are rare circumstances which cause us to move to a different date.
We do not hold meetings in the months of June, July and December however there are often events during those months in which SAR participates, especially with our Color Guard.
We do not have political discussions, messaging or presentations as we are strictly a non-political organization.
Our meeting locations and times will vary but the schedule can always be found on our Events calendar on our website. We commonly include “placeholder” notices on our calendar for meetings or events that extend months into the future. These are updated once the location and time have been confirmed.
Our meetings are a mix of Sons of the American Revolution traditions, Chapter business and presentations. Presentations are typically on Revolutionary War era topics and we often have speakers on other topics of interest, both historical and current day topics. Meetings typically last two to three hours.
Visitors are always welcome. You do not need to be a member of SAR to attend our meetings. Our meetings are open to anyone interested in the activities of the Sons of the American Revolution. We especially encourage anyone that has begun researching potential Revolutionary War ancestors or believe they might have such to attend our meetings.
Our Chapter has a family focus that encourages members to bring their spouse, children and grandchildren to our meetings. Our local focus is on our Youth programs where we encourage and support teachers and students to learn about the American Revolution. We have seven specific programs for school age children that range from poster contests to scholarship programs. We have especially strong JROTC and Sea Cadet programs in our area.
While our meetings have a structured agenda, we make time before and after to socialize where you will meet other members that often lead to long term friendships. We like to have pure social gatherings with no agenda at least once per year, which offers more opportunities to meet other members. We all share a common interest and often find that we are also distant cousins as we use the free smartphone app, Family Tree, to locate “relatives near me” at some gatherings.
If this is your first visit to a meeting with us, please take a few minutes to fill in this form. It can be printed and turned in at meeting check-in or emailed to us at communications@sarsandiego.org
How to Signup & Cost
There is a fee associated with our meetings that covers the cost of the meal that is served during the meeting. The fee is the same for members and their guest as well as visitors. We ask that the fee be paid in advance with a credit or debit card by selecting the desired meeting from our Events calendar on our website. Click the RSVP link to display the RSVP form. The RSVP form is available about a week before the meeting and remains available until 5PM on the day before the meeting.
You may also pay at the door with a check made payable to SDSAR or exact cash (we cannot accept a card at the door). If you choose to pay at the door, we ask that you complete the RSVP form and select “Pay at the Venue” option.
Please RSVP no matter how you plan to pay the fee as we often need to provide a head count to a venue or caterer a few days prior to the meeting.
The fee will vary depending on the venue but typically range from $20-$30 per person and will be shown on the Event page for the meeting. We do not have an option to decline the meal at a meeting nor do we have a reduced-price child plate option.
You will be greeted at the entrance to the meeting space by our Treasurer who will check you in. Please feel free to sit anywhere, there is no reserved seating.
More Information for Visitors
Non-members do not need to do any preparation for our meeting. Here are a few pointers:
- We ask that you not attend in casual clothing such as shorts or swim trunks, flip-flops, tee-shirts, sports jerseys or tank tops.
- Business casual is the recommended dress for visitors or guests of members. Active duty military or first responders are welcomed in their service uniform. The uniform should be the type that would be appropriate for office environments and for interacting with the public.
- The customary dress of our members at a Chapter meeting is either a blue sports coat, Revolutionary War uniform or period correct clothing. This is common but this is not a “dress code” as members often attend in suit, blazer or business casual attire. We do not expect, nor desire, that guests dress in the uniform nor the blue blazer.
- Be aware that many of our members have hearing difficulties. Most will tell you but a blank stare where a response would have been expected usually means they did not hear you.
- We suggest that you spend time on our website to become familiar with SAR and our Chapter’s activities, especially our Youth programs and Color Guard.