Welcome to The Dayton Woman’s Club!
Stop in and visit! Our doors are open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM. If you’d like to explore the whole house, join us for a full tour on the first Wednesday of each month—just be sure to reserve your spot in advance!
The Dayton Woman’s Club is an integral part of the community and Dayton’s history. Since our founding in 1916, our purpose has remained the same: to serve as a place for education and culture, and to bring people together for activities that strengthen and empower our community. As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we welcome everyone—regardless of gender—to visit our historic landmark and join us as members.
NOTE: WE WILL NOT BE OPEN FOR LUNCH ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd
Join us for Lunch!
Every Monday & Wednesday
from 11 am – 1 pm
Open to the public
Carryout is also available –
please call the office at 937-228-1124
We are pleased to announce that we provide, whenever possible, farm-to-table produce along with our homemade and from scratch meals and desserts!
Reservations are required two days in advance for parties of 5 or more. To make a reservation, call 937-228-1124 and leave a message.
Our menu changes frequently – please check back often
Please note: The cost of each meal supports our mission of empowering women and strengthening our local community with historic preservation, public engagement, cultural activities, and educational programs.
— 2025 DATES —
Cinderella
February 14-15, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
February 16, 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Peter Pan
February 26, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
March 1, 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Twist & Shout
March 8, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Shamrock Tenors
March 22, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Aida
April 6, 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Saint-Saens Symphony
June 13, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Dine with us before your show!
Perfect for theater-goers, our menu includes a buffet including soup, salad, entrée, dessert, and beverage, all freshly prepared in our historic Victorian mansion, just 2 blocks from the Schuster Center. The first 20 diners enjoy free parking!
Children are welcome, making it a wonderful dining experience for the whole family. You don’t need to attend a performance to dine with us—everyone is welcome!
Advance reservations with payment are required.
UPCOMING EVENTS
LUNCH & LEARN
The A to Zzzz’s of Sleep Health
Wednesday, February 26th
11:00 am to 1:30 pm
Join us for a lunch event with Dr. Cathy Rosenbaum, a Holistic Clinical Pharmacist, as she shares valuable insights on achieving restful sleep.
ONLINE TICKET PURCHASE REQUIRED
COST (includes lunch): $25 DWC members, $30 non-members plus tax
HISTORY SERIES
An Evening with Mary Todd Lincoln
Thursday, March 6th
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
$10 per person
ONLINE TICKET PURCHASE REQUIRED
Step back in time as Teena Baldridge, President of the Lincoln Club and a Lifetime Member of the National Association of Lincoln Presenters, brings Mary Todd Lincoln to life in a captivating performance and lecture.
LUNCH & LEARN
Weathering the Storm
Wednesday, March 19th
11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Join us for a lunch event with Christine Aiena, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, who will share insights into the daily operations of the weather service and provide essential weather safety tips.
ONLINE TICKET PURCHASE REQUIRED
COST (includes lunch): $25 DWC members, $30 non-members plus tax
Guided Tours of The Dayton Woman’s Club
Tours are given on the 1st Wednesday of the month.
Take a tour of our historic Victorian mansion circa 1850. Learn about the history of the building, as well as the founding women who were leaders in the community and used the Club to promote music, art, education, civil rights, and suffrage.
ONLINE TICKET PURCHASE REQUIRED
$10 per person
Upcoming March Events – Save the Date
More information and ticketing coming soon!
HISTORY SERIES
The Life of Mary Todd Lincoln
with Guest Speaker Teena Baldridge
Wednesday, March 6th
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
$10 per person
LUNCH & LEARN
The National Weather Service
with Meteorologist Christine Aiena
Wednesday, March 19th
11:00 am to 1:30 pm
$25 members, $30 general public
NEWS & NOTES
Creating New Memories by Honoring Our Past
December 2024 – By President Margaret Kruckemeyer
Thanks to Mollie Hauser, DWC Historian, we now have a history script to share with first-time visitors.
Our Annual Christmas Doll Tea has been expanded to two Sundays in a row in December. Dayton’s Nutcracker production group rented the house to return their Nutcracker Tea on December 22, 2024.
This year, hundreds of hours of volunteer time have been donated to the house for its operation and programs this year. It is amazing that so much is being done by our dedicated part-time staffing support model, is doing so much, and we are so thankful.
Please note that your historic DWC will be closed in January for deep cleaning mode, but we will still be open for special event rentals.
Thank you for your support throughout 2024 as we continue to work to preserve the Dayton Woman’s Club!
Creating new memories for our members is an ongoing quest for your board. Part of how we are doing this is celebrating the uniqueness of activities our historic Dayton Woman’s Club has been known for doing well in the past, such as our Annual Holiday Bazaar.
Many thanks to all our volunteer members who worked to bring back this wonderful event! Our 2024 Holiday Market annual Holiday featured the offering of food service and home-baked items from the DWC kitchen, with over 100 orders filled over the two-and-a-half-day event. We also had a ballroom full of vendors to complement the Dreese room bazaar items in the basement area.
DWC house tours are now being offered as another successful fundraising endeavor with new visitors expressing interest in applying for membership and/or hosting a special event in our historic home.
The Passing of the Baton at the Annual Christmas Doll Tea
December 2024 – By Vice President Kim Villalva
The Annual Doll High Tea was held on two dates this year: Sunday, December 8, and Sunday, December 15, 2024.
We want to celebrate the leadership of our outgoing Doll Tea Coordinator, Diane Phillips (top photo on left). We can never thank Diane enough for her energy, heart, hard work, and nonstop smiles over the years!
This year, she officially passed the baton (both literally and figuratively) to the new Doll Tea Coordinator, Eugenia Price (top photo on right). Both women have been meeting and sharing ideas about the future and the history of this unique DWC event. Thank you, Diane, for your years of service and dedication to the Tea! And thank you, Eugenia, for taking on this role! We appreciate you both so much!
When asked what her favorite part of the Doll Tea has been, Diane said—without even giving it a second thought—the Doll Parade! Girls and their dolls paraded around the house while “March of the Toy Soldiers” played.
Eugenia (left) invited each girl to introduce herself and share something special about her doll. We had dolls of all shapes, sizes, and ages! The oldest dolls present were a 70-year-old Italian doll brought over by Joyce Kasprzak and a 50-year-old Raggedy Ann doll handmade by Kim Villalva’s grandmother. (below, photo on left)
Each family received a copy of “Annie’s Most Beautiful Christmas: A Story for a Christmas Doll Tea” by Kim Villalva. Kim read the first half of the story at the Tea. (below, photo on right)
As a special Christmas gift to you, if you would like a copy of this sweet short story sent via email (or mail), please email Kim at kdanisk@yahoo.com
TAKE A LOOK AROUND!
Kim Faris gives an inside look into DWC’s historical past and our mission for the future.
