Dolley Payne, born in New Garden, (now Greensboro), Guilford County, returns to North Carolina September 12, and will be hosted by the English Speaking Union. Accompanying her will be her husband, President James Madison, the fourth one to hold that office between 1808 and 1817.

Filling in for the two and discussing life in the White House during that period will be Bryan Austin and Michelle Greensmith. Austin is an actor, writer and director who is an expert at bringing the past to life. He has travelled the country bringing a patchwork of styles and genres of the theater to the stage.

For the past eight years, he has portrayed James Madison for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Standing in for Dolley, Greensmith has worked in theater since age 13. She takes great pride in telling stories and her Masters Degree in Fine Arts equips her to portray incredible women and bring history to life.

Come join us on September 12 at the Salisbury Country Club and see how Dolley, in her First Lady role, was able to create the idea that members of each party could negotiate with each other without resulting in violence. Maybe she had some ideas that would help our two-party system today.

Come as a one-time guest to experience the caliber of our programs and consider joining our organization. Contact Gerry Wood at gwood@gerrywoodauto.com or call  704-216-2660 for reservations.

RSVP by Monday, Sept. 9. Visit https://www.esuus.org/Salisbury for more information.

Annual membership: $50/single $90/couple (One-time waiver for new attendees!) • Dinner fee: $32/pp at the Country Club of Salisbury • Time: 6:30 cocktails, 7 p.m. dinner, 8 p.m. presentation •

The Salisbury Branch of The English-Speaking Union is a non-profit, non-political  membership organization whose mission is to promote scholarship and the advancement of knowledge through the effective use of English in an expanding global community.