I love a good mystery and for me it’s always been a mystery as to exactly who came up with the Somersworth city slogan or motto, ‘Proud Past, Bright Future.’
Seeing as I have the last name Holmes, it kind of seems fitting that I decided to go digging in the archives at the Summersworth Historical Museum on Main Street.
It took a while, but eventually I found the answer to the question and was quite surprised by what I found. Many believed that the slogan was the brainchild of Mayor McLin, but it turns out that this was not the case.
The mayor involved was in fact Charles Burkam. As it turns out, there were also originally two city slogans and the competition was the brainchild of the Somersworth Children’s Festival Committee.
The winning slogans were introduced to the city one evening back in 1984 when a ceremony was held and prizes awarded. According to the article I uncovered, that ceremony was forced to take place inside the old city hall, which at the time was located where the Summersworth Historical Museum can be found today, due to rain. The band was unable to play because of this and the fanfare that had been planned for the event was not to be.
However that did not stop Mayor Burkam and he predicted that the contest would become known for its results and much to many a spectator’s astonishment Burkam went on to indicate that that there were in fact two winners. These winners were local teenager Chris Koufas and Kittery Point businessman Frank Croty, who was a frequent visitor to Somersworth.
The first slogan to be unveiled was that submitted by Koufas, “Somersworth Cares.” Burkam went on to explain that CARES was a clever acronym for “Character, Advancement, Resourcefulness, Enterprising and Sociable.
The second slogan was the now familiar, “Proud Past, Bright Future.” There was however a problem with this slogan as competition rules stated that the entries must come from Somersworth residents. Burkam legitimized the entry by making Frank Croty an honorary citizen of Somersworth and in doing so paved the way for our now familiar city slogan.
So now you know where we got our city motto from, but it would not officially become the city motto until 2016 when it was officially adopted by the then-City Council and will now forever be a piece of Somersworth history.
Christmas cheer abounds
We do have a proud past in Somersworth and part of that history is cultural. Many who worked in the mills of the Great Falls Manufacturing Company in the mid 1800s traveled from Canada and to this day there are many Somersworth families who rightly hold their French Canadian heritage in high regard.
Many of those families grew up loving that French Canadian classic, poutine – a rich mixture of french fries, poutine gravy and cheese curds. One of Somersworth’s restaurants, Gravy, also loves poutine and will be showcasing this French Canadian classic on Thursday, Dec. 10 when they join forces with Renne from Hotmess Poutine who operates a food truck specializing in the delicacy. The pair are offering a traditional Quebecois All You Can Eat Buffet at Gravy located at 6 Main St., Somersworth. The cost of the evening is $21.95 per person and reservations are recommended. You can call ahead at (603) 841-5316 for more details.
Santa in town
While this festive season is more subdued than in the past thanks to COVID-19, there are bright spots that can be found. Don’t forget that on Sunday, Dec. 13, Santa will be in Somersworth between noon and 2 p.m. You can find him at the Middle School and you are welcome and encouraged to bring the kids so they can wave to the big man himself.
I also want to remind you to check out the Somersworth Recreation Department’s Facebook page where there are details of all the competitions that the city is running this year. These include best decorated house, merriest wreath, Cutest Critters of Christmas, to name just a few. There are bragging rights for an entire year at stake, so please be sure to check them out as the deadlines for entries are fast approaching.
If you were anywhere near St. Martin’s Church on Maple Street this past Sunday, you may well be forgiven for wondering what was occurring. The parking lot, which Father Andrew Nelson hails as the largest Catholic parking lot in New Hampshire, was filled with vehicles. Not so unusual you may think, it is after all a parking lot, but had your windows been open you would have heard the sounds of “Silent Night” as it was sung by parishioners and guests. The whole event was recorded and will be the finale of a community and interfaith Christmas special that will air on community television in December in both Somersworth and Dover.
The effort was spearheaded by St. Ignatius Parish, but involves many different area churches and locations, is designed to reach the homebound and residents of long-term care facilities and bring some cheer this season. As soon as I have a definitive date and time for those broadcasts, I’ll let you know.
That’s it for this week. Until next week, stay safe, wear your mask and be kind to each other.
This column first appeared in Fosters Daily Democrat on December 8th 2020.