Rosalynn Carter to Be Celebrated on What Would Have Been Her 97th Birthday
Third annual Butterfly Daze continues for the first time in the former first lady’s absence.
The small town that founded its roots in cotton cultivation in the late 1800s and later, in peanut farming, is getting ready to pay tribute to one of its most prominent natives–former First Lady Rosalynn Carter—who helped put Plains, Georgia, on the map in her own way.
Starting Friday, organizers from the Friends of Jimmy Carter will kick off the third annual Butterfly Daze, an event that, for the first time, extends over three days, commemorating the wife of former President Jimmy Carter, her legacy and her causes. The weekend festivities fall over what would have been Rosalynn Carter’s 97th birthday on Aug. 17 and marks the first time the event will be held since her death on Nov. 19, 2023.
For a community with a population of nearly 600 people, event organizers hope people will be drawn to Plains to learn about the former first lady and the big impact she, in her own right, had on the world and on her rural hometown in Sumter County, Georgia.
Rosalynn Carter’s concern for the declining monarch butterfly and her post White House work to help improve the odds of reestablishing the butterfly population as essential pollinators is just one aspect of her enduring legacy being celebrated this weekend. Her goodwill through programs like the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail helped increase habitat for monarch butterflies. The program, based in Plains, has expanded throughout the United States as well as internationally.
For event organizer Andrew Greer, a Friends of Jimmy Carter board member and a singer-songwriter who co-wrote the song Butterfly, Fly (Rosalynn’s Song) for Mrs. Carter, it feels like her presence is still among them.
“Our town has gradually reckoned with [the fact that] the Carters will not always be around. I don’t want their health to gradually fail as it has. But, because it’s been a slower process, as a result, I think Plains has been able to adapt, has been able to adjust, has been able to grieve in our own way. And, then realize that their lives and legacies live on through Plains, even without their physical presence.”
Butterfly Daze, Greer says, is not taking on a memorial tone. Rather, he says it’s taking on a tone of life as the event, itself, has grown.
“Because of [the Carters] bigger-than-life lives, it’s hard to even realize she’s entirely gone,” he says.
Perhaps that’s the goodness in all of it, Greer suggests.
“Maybe her spirit does live on through the town on an everyday level and we get to have these moments in the year like Butterfly Daze to highlight that.”
This year, the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers (RCI) is partnering with the Friends of Jimmy Carter and the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park as it strives to carry on Rosalynn Carter’s mission: to create a more caring society and lift up the vital role of the family caregiver.
The RCI will headline Friday’s festivities with a conversation about caregiving, a topic that was personal to the former first lady who, as a child, helped take care of her father when he was diagnosed with cancer. He died when she was 13.
The weekend will also include the Carter Historical Auction; the Rosalynn Carter Memorial Food Distribution; the annual Butterfly Release; a discussion with documentarian and author Andrew Och, Rosalynn Carter’s sister Allethea Wall, Rosalynn Carter’s sister-in-law Sybil Carter, Amy Carter’s nanny Mary Prince, plus various friends and fellow Plains community members; and Rosalynn Carter’s Birthday Celebration at Maranatha Baptist Church.
“What we’ve done is really focus on the elements of Rosalynn’s life that live on in our town now,” Greer says.
Organizers also are counting down to Jimmy Carter’s milestone 100th birthday (Oct. 1) with a special event: Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song, on Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Fox Theatre in Atlanta. Tickets are $100 (excluding taxes and fees)and are available at FoxTheatre.org/JimmyCarter100. Jimmy Carter will become the first former president to turn 100. Proceeds from the event will support The Carter Center, continuing Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s work to promote peace and improve health around the world.
The full schedule of the Butterfly Daze events are as follows (all times are EDT):
Friday
At 4 p.m. EDT, the Carter Historical Auction Preview opens in the Plains Community Center, 106 Main Street. People will have an opportunity to browse unique collectibles up for bid during Saturday’s auction.
Among the items up for auction include a pair of leather handcrafted cowboy boots by legendary boot maker Rocky Carroll. The boots feature Rosalynn Carter's initials ‘RC’ on each and were gifted to her by Carroll in 1998. These boots were worn by Rosalynn Carter many times and were signed by Carroll, who was known for making custom boots for celebrities and seven U.S. presidents.
The browsing closes at 7 p.m.
At 6 p.m., there will be a reception presented by the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers (RCI) at The Hudson House that will include a personal welcome from members of the Carter family. There will also be a collection of photographs by Carter photographer Ken Hawkins on display.
At 7 p.m., the RCI will present “Creating a More Caring Society: A Legacy of Caring” in the auditorium at Plains High School. The program will begin with a performance by St. Genevieve High School’s Valiant Voices Choir and Singer-songwriter Andrew Greer. A discussion, “Caring For Our Community,” will be moderated by Mandy Fuller Barr. The evening will close with a film screening of Dear, Rosalynn.
Saturday
Festivities get started at 8:30 a.m. with the Rosalynn Carter Memorial Food Distribution taking place at the Plains Inn and Antique Mall parking lot. More than 30 years ago and with the support of Maranatha Baptist Church (where Rosalynn Carter’s funeral service was held in November), the former first lady began serving food to neighbors in need. The service continues on in her name.
At 11 a.m., the Rosalynn Smith Carter Childhood Garden will host the third annual Butterfly Release. People can participate in the live release and stay for a Q&A with sculptor and artist Peter Hazel about his “Dancing Monarchs” sculpture commissioned by friend of Mrs. Carter to honor her 95th birthday in 2022.
At noon, the Hudson House Arts Center dedication will take place. Located across Highway 280 from downtown Plains, Hudson House will now be used for art exhibitions, receptions and meeting space. Visitors can tour the home and view a collection by Ken Hawkins, the original photographer of Rosalynn Carter.
In the afternoon, a series of discussions will take place at the Maranatha Baptist Church.
1 p.m.: “A Family Tradition: A Conversation with Rosalynn’s Family.” Moderated by Andrew Greer.
2 p.m.: “First Ladies and Their Legacies” with author Andrew Och, “The First Ladies Man.” Och will also stay for a book signing.
3 p.m.: “This Is Plains: A Conversation about Rosalynn and her Hometown,” moderated by Kim Carter Fuller
Reserve tickets for Saturday evening’s Carter Historical Auction from 4:30 to 9 p.m. at the Plains Community Center, 106 Main Street. Tickets are $25 at the door and can also be purchased by phone at (229) 928-4825 or online at jimmycarterfriends.org.
4 to 6 p.m.: Auction Preview
4:30 p.m.: Silent Auction with musical entertainment by The Palace Jesters
5:30 p.m.: Hors d’Oeuvres and cash bar
6 p.m.: Live Auction with emcee Larry Cook and auctioneer Tyrone Spearman
Sunday
Butterfly Daze wraps up Sunday morning at 10 a.m. with a Rosalynn Carter birthday celebration at Maranatha Baptist Church. Sunday School will be taught by the former first lady’s niece, Kim Carter Fuller, with music by the Maranatha choir, David Osborne, Andrew Greer and St. Genevieve High School’s Valiant Voices Choir.
Calendar
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Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is celebrating nearly 60 years of inspiring the joy of reading for children. This legacy of impact has inspired a group of unprecedented literacy champions since RIF’s founding in 1966. Join the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum to celebrate the life and legacy of Rosalynn Carter, a steadfast champion for children’s literacy.
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Aug. 19, 2024
Virtual First Ladies on the Page Book Discussion: White Houses by Amy Bloom
Join the National First Ladies Library & Museum from 7 to 8 p.m. EDT on Monday, Aug. 19, for a discussion of author Amy Bloom’s White Houses. In this historical fiction, Amy Bloom aptly explores the friendship and romance between Lorena Hickok and Eleanor Roosevelt. The discussion meets live on Zoom. This interactive program will not be recorded. Zoom information, questions, and pertinent links will be sent out to participants before the meeting. Read more
Sept. 17, 2024
Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song
Tickets are available to the public for Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song. Tickets are $100 (excluding taxes and fees)—in honor of Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday—and are available at FoxTheatre.org/JimmyCarter100. Proceeds from the event to be held on Sept. 17, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, will support The Carter Center, continuing Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s work to promote peace and improve health around the world. Read more
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