Dear Friends,
Thanks to all who came out to our May 25th Demonstration for the National Parks at the Peace Light, around 50 people of all ages came out to show their support for NPS. You may have seen NPS in the news lately, Trump administration cuts have really hurt park staffing, and we need to continue to advocate for awareness and support for our parks. Here is a link to a Washington Post article from today about the issue. Our next demonstration is MONDAY June 16th from 4-6:30pm, in the First Amendment area to the left of the Peace Light Memorial (it will be clearly marked by park staff, we must remain within that area which is at least 10ft from walkways and sidewalk). As always, we have a permit for this event, and I am excited to share with you that we will be featuring two guest speakers: Dr. Scott Hancock, History and Africana Studies professor at Gettysburg College, and Kevin Levin, historian from Boston who has a terrific Substack you may wish to follow. I expect them to speak around 5:30pm. Please remember that parking is on Buford or Confederate Avenues, on the right side of the street, with all four wheels on the pavement (see attached map). The parking lot is for visitors, not demonstrators, so please do not park there.
We also have our first ever non-profit Meet and Greet at the Gettysburg YMCA from 2-4pm on Saturday, June 28th. We have an incredible line-up of non-profits who are looking for volunteers – everything from the occasional help at an event all the way to board members. RSVPs are not required, but I would like to know approximately how many people to expect, so if you can let me know if you plan to attend, I would appreciate it. The non-profits are Adams County Empowerment Center, Adams County Children’s Advocacy Center, YWCA Hanover Safe Home (Gettysburg Office), Adams County Farmers Market, ICPJ, Manos Unidas, and Waldo’s. Each of these groups has a very important purpose in our community, and we hope you will learn how you can be involved. Light refreshments will be served, and it’s open house style, so just drop in and stay as long as you want.
Looking forward to later in the summer, we will have booths at the Cumberland Township National Night Out on August 5th, which is a great time to meet first responders, have fun and get to know your neighbors, and also the Heritage Festival on Sept 21 at the Rec Park. We may have more events and are always open to ideas!
Thanks to all who voted on May 20th! We will have several competitive elections on the general election ballot this November. Reach out to candidates you support to see how you might donate or volunteer to help them win their seat. We hope that you enjoyed our very own Pride Celebration this past weekend, and continue to celebrate LGBTQ+ communities this entire month. Juneteenth is coming up later this month and we have events coming up on 6/21-22. Rallies on the square continue this month, organized by Adams County Democrat Committee, Saturdays from 12-1pm. I’m sure there is much, much more going on, this is just what’s at the forefront of my radar right now.
In solidarity,
Jenny
