Program of Music, Art and History to Celebrate the Peace Building Origins of Mother's Day.

Mother's Day celebrations will start early in Bennington this year with a gathering honoring mothers and the early history of Mother's Day on Saturday, May 11, the day before Mother's Day. A group of local women, Mothers and Others For Peace, have organized a program for all ages to take place on the lawn in front of the Bennington Town Offices beginning at 11 a.m. There is a porch at the location; the event is rain or shine.

Art activities include making paper flowers as gifts for mothers and others we admire. There will be a sing-along. Local women will recite the original 1870 "Mothers Day Proclamation." All of those gathered will be invited to contribute to a community art-making activity and help make two giant flowers that will then go on display near Oldcastle Theater on Main Street. That is one of the locations where our town witnessed hateful graffiti in 2019.

At its April 23 meeting, the Select Board of the Town of Bennington signed a proclamation recognizing May 11, 2019 as a day for Bennington "to celebrate the historical connection between Mother's Day and women's work for strong communities and peace, and the many ways mothers and others have enriched the lives of their communities through their activism and advocacy." The Mothers and Others for Peace Gathering on May 11, and the placement of a community-made flower display on Main Street are reminders of how people living in Bennington appreciate mothers and all those who teach about kindness, peace and justice.