Letter: Saturday in the park

There’s nothing like a stroll through lovely Putnam Park in downtown Peterborough. This Saturday, Aug. 3, the atmosphere will be enhanced by the Democracy Festival hosted by Open Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization established to continue the work of Doris “Granny D” Haddock, who walked across the United States at the age of 90 to raise awareness of the need for campaign finance reform.

The festival is from noon until 2 p.m. with food, music and activities. The theme is “Mobilizing a Multigenerational Democracy” and will feature speakers sharing experiences about their efforts to create a democracy that works for all.

If you’re up for taking visible action of your own, you can participate in the Granny D Walk, which originates at Granny D’s former home in Dublin at 9 a.m. and ends in Putnam Park. Shuttles will take walkers from the Riverwalk parking lot at 48 Grove St. to the starting point. We’ll even provide signs for you to carry!

The Latin origins of democracy are "demos," meaning people, and "kratos," meaning power. So democracy is "power of the people," but that power is not a given. Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we have. It's something we do.” Come to Peterborough this Saturday to join the walk, stroll the park or both. For information on the festival, go to opendemocracynh.org/2024democracyfestival. For information on the walk, go to opendemocracynh.org/2024gdwalk.

Linda Olson Bundy

Antrim