“Get out the vote.” has over the years become a phrase most of us are familiar with, but it wasn’t always that way.
On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified which signaled what many thought would be the conclusion of the suffrage movement.
The suffragettes were the ladies who had worn white and in many cases had chained themselves to railings or had gone on hunger strike over the preceding years protesting that women should have the right to vote. The suffragettes hailed the amendment as a victory, as it declared that most women now had that right to vote alongside their menfolk.
On Wednesday, Aug. 26th, the Somersworth Women’s Club celebrated the ratification of the 19th Amendment by raising the suffrage flag at Citizen’s Place. The club along with several prominent local females and Mayor Dana Hilliard celebrated the occasion with several speeches before the flag was raised.
Now, in case you are not aware of the Somersworth Women’s Club and all they do and have done within our community, please allow me to introduce them. The club has been in existence for the past 125 years having been formed in 1895 by some of the city’s most prominent female members at the time.
At the heart of the club is a desire to, “prompt sociability and mental culture, to further the education of women, and to make itself a power for good in the community at large.” Over the past 125 years, it has more than fulfilled that desire especially when it comes to supporting the community. Each year, the club gives out dictionaries to third graders in both Somersworth and Rollinsford, as well as a scholarship to a graduating high schooler. They also support the Somersworth Historical Society, End 68 hours of Hunger, the food pantry and Lydia’s House of Hope to mention but a few.
The club pre-COVID-19, would host an event each month and a speaker of local or national interest would attend. Like all clubs they are a little challenged in this era but that will not keep these community-minded women from their mission. The Somersworth Women’s Club is always looking for new members and if you would like more information, contact Club President Stephanie Riotto at SRiotto@comcast.net or at 603-742-0293.
So, I promised you last week I would be featuring a Somersworth business each week and we’ll begin this week with the newest hair salon in town: CC Salon.
Owner Crystle Duvarney moved to Somersworth a year ago and decided to make it her home. A hairdresser, with over 10 years experience in Stratham, she decided to take the plunge and open her own salon. “Owning my own place has always been a dream and I finally decided to make it a reality,” as Durvarney put it to me a couple of days ago when I visited her.
The doors of 78 Market Street have officially been open for a week and Crystle is quick to admit that opening in the middle of a pandemic has presented some unique challenges, but ones that she is more than ready to overcome.
CC Salon offers all of the usual cuts, trims and colors while Crystle herself specializes in color and men’s cuts. She is quick to point out that her first love is her clients and she is looking forward to making new friends and getting to know people better.
The saloon is open Tuesday through Saturday by appointment and Crystle can’t wait to see you. So why not give her a call today at 603-534-7147?
Getting back to voting, as we get ready to go to the polls on Tuesday, Sept. 8, I just want to remind you that two of our polling stations have changed this year. Ward 3 will vote at the High School (instead of the Flanagan Center) and Ward 4 at Idlehurst Elementary School (Instead of Charpentier Apartments). All other polling stations remain the same and they will all be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Please, remember to be nice to the poll workers as it’s a very long day for them.
Before I close this week, I also want to let you all know that there is now a drop box located outside of Somersworth City Hall. The box is secure and can be used for bill payments, etc. Please note that state law prohibits ballots being dropped there. Ballots must instead be handed in person to the city clerk via the drive-through or via the postal service.
That’s it for this week, but I will be back. In the meantime, stay safe and above all be kind to each other as we are all in this together.
This article was first published in Fosters Daily Democrat on August 31st, 2020.