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Editors’ Notes

I will add in photos of the Cookie Exchange once I get them (N)

President’s Message

As we begin a new year, January offers us a meaningful moment to pause, reflect, and look ahead with intention. The turning of the calendar is not just a fresh start—it is an opportunity to renew our commitment to one another and to the mission that brings us together as a club.

The past year was marked by thoughtful meetings and programs, camaraderie in our clusters, field trips and the steady dedication of our members. Whether through service, fellowship, or leadership, each of you contributed in ways that strengthened our community and affirmed the value of women coming together with purpose.

Looking ahead, the months before us hold promise. Our programs and initiatives will continue to inspire learning, encourage connection, and support the traditions that define our club—while also embracing new ideas and perspectives. Together, we will build on a strong foundation, guided by respect, curiosity, and generosity of spirit.

Thank you for your continued involvement, your volunteerism, and your willingness to say “yes” when called upon. It is a privilege to serve as your president, and I look forward to all we will accomplish together in the year ahead.

With warm regards and best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year,

Warmly,

Dina

Announcements

2026 - Save the Dates

Feb 28 - Ukrainian Egg Demonstration (Members)
Mar 18 - Annual Blood Drive
Apr 22 - Kalmia Gala at Odette’s
Jun 13 - Hidden Gardens of Lambertville Tour

Details coming soon…

From the Garden Tour Committee:
All members, please continue to search for potential gardens for the June 13, 2026 tour. Contact Donna Puluka dpuluka@gmail.com with leads or other information.
From the Program Committee:
We will be distributing voting sheets at the February and March meetings to determine the program roster for next year. We would ask that members try to attend one of those meeting to ensure their voice is heard. Thank you!
- Kathy McEntee, Chair

This Month’s Meeting

Monday, January 12 at 6:30 pm

**Kalmia Book Night**

Program Coordinator: Laura Powers
Attention readers! Join other members as we continue the long-standing post-holiday tradition of sharing our favorite books, which honors the original founding of Kamia as *The Reading Circle*. Plan to limit your selections to one book you loved. A list of all the books will be posted on the website after. **View Book Lists from previous Kalmia Book Nights**.

Meeting Reminders

Gather items for this month’s Outreach initiative (details below)
Click here to review the minutes from the previous meeting for approval.
Check in at the Membership Desk, where you can also sign up for next month’s Refreshments.
Wine is always appreciated.

January Outreach: Delaware Valley Food Pantry

We will be collecting the following items for the Delaware Valley Food Pantry. Please drop off donations at the left side of the stage.

canned goods, soup, crackers, snacks, gluten-free products, salt, pepper, sugar, no perishable food items
shampoo, conditioners, adult diapers all sizes, toilet paper, period products
cash to buy milk and butter (a jar will be available for cash donations)

Committees

The Clubhouse Preservation Plan is Now Posted on the Members Only Page of the Website

*Funding for this project was made possible through the sponsorship of the NJ Historic Trust and the Preserve NJ Historic Preservation Fund. Many thanks for their support!*

By Bet Flynn, Grant Writing Committee Chair

One of Kalmia’s greatest efforts of the year has been the creation of a preservation plan for the clubhouse. With funding from a grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust, we were able to hire Historic Building Architects of Trenton to create the comprehensive plan to repair, restore and preserve our historic structure, inside and out, for the club and public to use for years to come.

Many of you attended a presentation on the plan provided by principals of HBA, which will continue to work with us on this multi-year, multi-phase effort. Now the plan, which outlines specific projects, priorities and timelines, is accessible on our website (Members Only page) for members to read and direct thoughts and questions to the committee. It will be posted on the public portion of our website in 2026.

Click here to see the Preservation Plan —>

Donate to our Preservation Fund

We are very grateful to the Grant Writing Committee for their dedication to this project. To help preserve our clubhouse and support their efforts, please consider a tax-deductible donation to the club. Thank you!

From our Historian - Meet Fern Isabel Coppedge

By Denise Dowsett, Kalmia Club Historian

Newer members may not know about Fern Isabel Coppedge (1883-1951), former club member and pioneering female impressionist painter, who generously donated her painting Village Road to the Kalmia Club. Once hanging in the Lambertville Library, it now hangs on loan at Odette’s River House just across the river in New Hope. A copy hangs at the Kalmia Club.

Born near Decatur, Illinois as Fern Kuns, she grew up on a family farm in picturesque countryside later captured in her paintings of Lumberville and New Hope. She met her husband Robert H. Coppedge, a biology professor, while attending the University of Kansas, and they married in 1910. They did not have any children. Coppedge studied at the Art Students League in New York with William Merritt Chase and at the Art Students League Summer School in Woodstock with John F. Carlson. She later moved to Philadelphia, where she studied with Daniel Garber at the Pennsylvania Academy and with Henry B. Snell at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women. She settled near New Hope in Lumberville, Pennsylvania, in 1920. Lumberville was also home to Daniel Garber, Clarence Johnson, and William Francis Taylor, influential painters associated with the Pennsylvania Impressionism movement. The author James A. Michener once remarked, "I can't see Garber and Lathrop and Redfield bothering much with women on a serious note." But Coppedge would later join the Philadelphia Ten and would forge her own successful path outside the traditional male-dominated art scene.
Coppedge was primarily a plein air painter, who for her winter scenes painted from her car with the back seat removed. A local art critic for The New Hope magazine in November 1933 noted: “We remember seeing Mrs. Coppedge trudging through the deep snow wrapped in a bearskin coat, her sketching materials slung over her shoulder, her blue eyes sparkling with the joy of life”. She divided her time between her “Boxwood Studio” in Lumberville, her studio in Gloucester where she often spent summers, and a studio in Philadelphia which she used during exhibitions. She is known for her distinctive impressionistic style with its loose brushwork and vibrant colors and layered paint for texture and richness, allowing an interplay of light and shadow. She painted winter scenes, rural landscapes and gardens, showcasing the beauty of Bucks County. Her later work blended impressionism and modernism using unorthodox bright colors combined with primitive technique. Coppedge holds a significant place in American art history, particularly within the New Hope School of American Impressionism.
Coppedge joined The Philadelphia Ten in 1922 and exhibited regularly with them through 1935. The Ten, (1917-1945) allowed female artists to achieve economic independence and professional success. A group of female artists and sculptors, primarily from upper-middle-class backgrounds and educated in the best art schools, banded together to promote their work in the male-dominated early 20th century art world. The Ten grew to include 30, exhibiting annually at the Philadelphia Art Club, with traveling exhibitions at women's clubs throughout the East Coast and the Midwest. Coppedge spent the summer of 1925 painting in Italy. In the 1926 exhibit her paintings of the Arno River in Florence were amongst the show’s favorites. Known primarily within art circles, The Ten’s paintings became known for quality and individuality, providing a good living for many of the artists. Prices ranged from $50 to $1,000, averaging $350 to $500. The group endured through World War I, the stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression, and World War II, in large part because of the strength of two organizations, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs which circulated exhibits to its member clubhouses in communities around the state, and the American Federation of the Arts, established in 1909 to send exhibitions of original works of art to the “hinterlands”. The group’s efforts contributed to greater recognition of women in the arts and inspired generations of female artists. Their final exhibition was held at the Woodmere Gallery on Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia in April 1945. The gallery purchased several works by Bernstein, Cochrane, Coppedge, Ferguson, Fussell, Gill, McCormick, and Schell. Other works of The Ten can be seen at The Philadelphia Museum of Art. 20 Coppedge paintings are owned by the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, NJ.
Additional References:
- For a biography and comprehensive collection of images of her work: Fern Coppedge: One Woman's Struggle For Equality In The Art World by Les and Sue Fox (Author), Jim Ticchio (Editor, Illustrator), 2021
- For an interview with the authors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMMDH2nbTVE

Fern Isabel Coppedge

Village Road by Fern Coppedge (30"x 30" oil on canvas)

The camera icon means that accompanying photos appear in the Photo Gallery below

A homeowner’s work is never done. The Clubhouse Committee recently met to clean up the grounds around the clubhouse. Thank you to all who showed up to help!
What a busy fall season we’ve had! The 2025 fall fundraisers listed below earned $9,529 for our scholarships and clubhouse expenses. We are grateful to the many members who donated to the events with their time, talents, attendance, and resources.
- Costume Karaoke: $1,035
- Halloween House Decorating Contest: $450
- Groovin’ 60’s Dance Party: $2,443
- Holiday Decor Sale: $2,109
- Wreath Decorating Workshop: $514
- Giving Tuesday: $2,811
- Kalmia Store Merchandise: $167
The Wreath Decorating Workshop was held on December 3. A big thank you to the members of the Fundraising Committee for another successfully completed FUNdraiser! The committee provided a delicious assortment of refreshments and graciously assisted the attendees. There was a wonderful buzz in the room, and the resulting wreaths were all beautiful!
See the beautiful wreaths our attendees created in the photos below.
Thanks to your generosity, we delivered twenty-five (25) bags of toys and gifts for seniors and preteens to Fisherman’s Mark. They were very grateful!

Membership & Clusters

Join a Kalmia Cluster - New Clusters recently added!

A great way to make friends, Kalmia Clusters are small interest groups who get together for activities beyond our monthly meetings. Visit the Clusters page to sign up and for more information. Want to start a new cluster? Email Cluster Coordinator, Nancy Campbell at nmcmom16@aol.com.

The following clusters are new or still have openings:

Arts and Culture
Book Club #3
Dinner/Cooking Cluster #2 - 2 spots available
Game Night #2
Lunch Bunch #2
Mah Jongg
Morning Walking Cluster - 5 spots available

The camera icon means that accompanying photos appear in the Photo Gallery below

➤ The following groups shared a recent photo, which you can see in the Photo Gallery below. Please send your photos to Nancy Campbell at nmcmom16@aol.com.
- Casual Dining Cluster - Dinner at Caleb’s in Lahaska, Pa.
- Evening Walking Cluster - Braving a chilly night!
➤ Kalmia Book Club selections - Fall 2025
Book Club #1
- My Name is Emilia Del Valle by Isabel Allende
- What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci
- Just Kids by Patti Smith
- The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray
Book Club #2
- The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBriade
- Blood, Bones, and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton
- Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
We gathered on Monday, December 8 at the Elks Club for our annual Holiday Social. Thank you to all who contributed to the success of this event. It was an evening full of cheer!
Photos from the evening below are posted below.
On Wednesday, December 17, members had a delicious Italian lunch at Vecchia Osteria, then attended a Celtic Christmas Concert at the historic Newtown Theater. Sisters, Cassie and Maggie from Nova Scotia, performed beautiful vocals accompanied by fiddle, piano and guitar.
See a photo from the show below.
On December 21, members gathered for a fun day of decorating, sampling, and exchanging yummy homemade cookies. Some members brought their kids and grandkids, making this a warm and cozy event for all. Cookie experts from Bakeability (bakeabilities.com) brought gingerbread cookies for attendees to decorate and shared their wonderful mission.