Anthony birthplace museum President Carol Crossed and sculptor Brian Hanlon cut a cake featuring Hanlon's model of Anthony. State Rep. John Barrett III with Hanlon and Crossed.
A life-size casting model of the older Anthony created by Brian Hanlon.
ADAMS, Mass. — A Victorian tea party fundraiser to benefit the Adams Suffrage Centennial Celebration Committee drew more than 60 people to support efforts to celebrate voting rights activist and native daughter Susan B. Anthony.
The event at the Red Carpet raised funds for the months-long celebration that starts next February and ends in August 2020 honoring the 200th birthday of Susan B. Anthony and the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote
The observances of this two historic dates will include the erection of statues of Anthony at age 6, when she resided in Adams, and at age 56, when she presented the Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States in Philadelphia on July 4, 1876. The combined sculpture will be unveiled on the Adams Town Common in August 2020.
The unveiling ceremony will include a hometown parade and festival, and a series of other events to celebrate the enormous strides that American women have made over the past two centuries.
The celebration committee's goal is to raise $300,000 for the entire event — $130,000 of this will go toward the bronze statue of Anthony. It's close to its initial $100,000 benchmark that will trigger Adams Community Bank's pledge of a $25,000 match.
Also in attendance at the tea were sculptor Brian Hanlon, who has been commissioned to design, cast and erect the statues of Anthony, and state Rep. John Barrett III.
The keynote speaker was Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum President Carol Crossed, who gave a wide-ranging talk about the history of the birthplace on East Road, Anthony's career as a social reformer, and the museum itself. One of the lesser-known facts revealed during her talk was that, when she first purchased the house in 2006, there was considerable interest in some circles in moving it to Rochester, N.Y., where Anthony spent most of her adult life and her home there has become a national museum.
Fortunately, however, the Anthony homestead remained where it is on East Road. The museum opened there in 2010 after extensive renovations.
Following the tea party, an after-party cake cutting ceremony and meet and greet were held at the Firehouse Café on Park Street.
At the after-party, Hanlon elaborated on his vision for the statues and the broader setting in which they will appear. He stressed the need to obtain the services of a landscape architect to properly present them. He also discussed related design concepts such as pillars surrounding the statues with plaques setting forth significant quotes from Anthony's speeches and writings, as well as appropriate information about other individuals such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Frederick Douglass with whom she collaborated.
He closed by expressing his gratitude for having been chosen to create such a monument to one of the most dynamic women in American history.
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Hoosac Valley Kicks Off Holidays With Annual Hathaway Dinner
By Jeff SnoonianiBerkshires Correspondent
Sophia Acquista serves meals Wednesday night at the Art Hathaway Dinner.
CHESHIRE, Mass. — Fifty-plus years ago, Art Hathaway wanted to do something for the community around the holidays.
The late Adams fire chief decided to throw a turkey dinner for any senior citizen able to show up on the first Wednesday in December. All the fixings, no charge, no questions asked. All run by himself and his fellow firefighters.
"He was a true New Englander. Did a lot of things under the radar for people. If he believed in something he would take it to the end. He started all of this," said Adams Selectman Joe Nowak about Hathaway.
The first few dinners were held at the fire station on Park Street before moving just up the road to Adams Memorial School. The dinner eventually found a permanent home at Hoosac Valley High School and is now run by the Student Council. Other than switching the main course to ham, there have been few changes to the event. The Hoosac Valley band still plays Christmas music, volunteers still serve and provide the meal for free, and there is still a raffle at the end.
The Olga C. Sommer Center for Music & Art will open in the former St. Mark's Episcopal Church and host the Berkshires Academy for Advanced Musical Studies. click for more
The late Adams fire chief decided to throw a turkey dinner for any senior citizen able to show up on the first Wednesday in December. All the fixings, no charge, no questions asked. All run by himself and his fellow firefighters.
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The American Legion is celebrating its 100th year in 2019 and Adams Post 160 is honoring that history with a display at its former post home. click for more
Officials in Adams and Cheshire are expecting an update this month on the schedule for repaving 11.2 miles of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. click for more
Operated by the Haddad family since 1950, the Red Carpet Restaurant has served millions of meals to mill workers, judges, hunters, and everyone in between.
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The Selectmen are positioned to finally hire a permanent Department of Public Works director next week after interviewing three finalists. click for more