Celebrate the Life of Susan B. Anthony Tomorrow in Adams

Adams kicks off the “Susan B. Anthony Festival” all day Saturday. This festival and street fair is a celebration of the life of this pioneer that was born in Adams and made such a lasting impact on this country. The celebration will take place throughout Adams starting at noon and wrapping up with fireworks at 9 pm.

There will be a lot to see and do in Adams tomorrow. Live music, activities and games for the kids, food (beer and wine available), vendors, exhibits and an entire community getting together to honor the life and legacy of Susan B. Anthony.
Town Hall will be the site of lots of great live entertainment with Misty Blues performing from 1pm to 4…Melissa Brinton from 4 to 6 and The Whiskey Treaty Road Show from 6 to 8. You can bring a blanket or lawn chair and make yourself comfortable to catch the live performances.

Families can enjoy entertainment with Terry A La Berry beginning at noon on the Town Hall lawn. Lots of activities for kids from 1 to 3:30. The Adams Theater will be hosting special performances and exhibits highlighting the life of Anthony throughout the day. Capping off the day will be a fireworks display set off from the Valley Street Field at 9 pm.

There will be street closures beginning at midnight Saturday. Parking will not be allowed on Park Street between Center and School Streets and no parking on School Street. Park Street will be closed to all vehicle traffic starting at 11 am Saturday morning and will remain shut down until the festival is concluded.
One of the centerpieces of tomorrow’s festival will be the statue of Anthony that was unveiled to the public in a ceremony on the Town Common earlier this year. The statue was originally scheduled to be unveiled last year in celebration of her 200th birthday and recognition of the centennial of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote. One of Anthony’s lifelong pursuits. The pandemic put a hold on ceremony at the newly renovated park. Tomorrow’s festival was also scheduled for the same time last year but postponed because of the pandemic.

Anthony was born on February 15, 1820 on East Road, now home to the Susan B Anthony Birthplace Museum. She was raised in Adams up until the age of 6 when her family moved. She came back to Adams often during her lifetime to visit family.
Anthony was a true leader taking up causes from abolishing slavery to fighting for equal rights of woman, including the right to vote. During her fight to end slavery she organized the Women’s Loyal National League in 1863. It was the first national women’s political origination in the county. The organization led the drive to end slavery collecting over 400,000 signatures that help aid in the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that ended slavery in the country.

Anthony was arrested in Rochester, New York for voting in 1872. She was convicted and refused to pay the $100 fine. The trial was widely publicized and put a woman’s right to vote front and center. In 1878 Anthony and good friend and fellow women’s rights activist Elizabeth Stanton presented Congress with an amendment to allow women to vote. What is known as the Susan B Anthony Amendment was finally ratified by Congress in 1920, fifteen years after Anthony’s death. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution legally guaranteed American woman the right to vote.

Anthony died in Rochester, New York in 1906 at the age of 86 from heart failure and pneumonia. Some reports have quoted Anthony as saying that she wished "to live another century and see the fruition of all the work for woman."