Singing, dancing, flag-waving, cheers, honking of horns — a celebration was triggered by Saturday’s news that Democrat Joe Biden and defeated President Donald Trump.
“The celebration,” said Alex Harris, “… was a result of multiple individuals on social media expressing desires for a local celebration.
“Jessica Mancini proposed gathering at Ballard Park at 5 p.m. and she then rapidly spread the word publicly by word-of-mouth, texting, email, and social media.”
“I made the call to action in the Women’s March Facebook page for a celebration,” said Mancini.
A former Board of Finance member, Mancini was an organizer of buses to Washginton D.C. four years ago for the Women’s March that protested the start of Donald Trump’s presidency.
“At the beginning in Ballard Park, Alex Harris led us in song to “My Country, Tis of Thee” and then led us in the celebratory march down Main Street holding the American flag,” Mancini said.
“At least 50 people joined the march while cars beeped and people stood at their outside dining tables with cheers and applause.
“I was at the back of the march with a speaker blasting celebratory songs, and between Alex’s lead with the American flag, and me at the back, the middle was exploding with cow bells, chants, and cheers of joy.
“It was amazing,” Mancini said.
Harris, a former chairman of the Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee, said that neither the committee nor any other formal political organization had been involved in putting the celebration together.
It was just people gathering to share their good feelings.
“About 70 people, all wearing masks and socially distanced (in family groups or pods) came out,” Harris said.
After the patriotic song at the Ballard Park gazebo, the group marched down one sidewalk along Main Street, cross at Governor Street, and marched back on the other side.
“Singing, dancing the whole way,” Harris said.
The march was greeted with “enthusiastic cheers and honking horns of bystanders the entire way,” said Harris.
The spontaneous event ended back in the park with a few words from Mancini.
She described for The Press how many of the people who’d came out to celebrate had helped each other through the Trump presidency.
“For the last four years the Women’s March Ridgefield Chapter Facebook group has been a space for our community to organize, empower, and uplift each other,” she said.
“As a collective community, we were excited about our country electing Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as the first woman and woman of color as vice president.
“This past Saturday’s event was a joyous collection of our community dancing, singing, and marching towards a future of healing for our country,” she said, “and returning it to the values of integrity, honesty, and equality for all.”
