Despite rain halfway through, the Democracy Festival in Peterborough carried on Saturday afternoon, with at least 60 residents from around the Monadnock region gathered at Putnam Park with their umbrellas and raincoats Saturday afternoon.

Prior to the festival, some attendees participated in the Granny D Memorial Walk, in honor of Open Democracy founder the late Doris “Granny D” Haddock, and the approximately 6.2-mile trek ended with a welcome by FolkSoul Duo, Granny D.’s “personal band.”

The festival, sponsored by Open Democracy and other local New Hampshire organizations, filled the afternoon with speakers and music. Recent ConVal High School graduate Charlie Savage, Rhode Island state Sen. Meghan Kallman, a former Harrisville resident who walked with Granny D; Brenda Lett from the N.H. Black Women’s Health Project and founder of Knit Democracy Together; and Eve Jacobs-Carnahan were among those speaking.

Performers that included Eve Pierce and Volkert Volkersz sang songs to the crowd, with many songs sharing pro-democracy messages.

Open Democracy is a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization that works on issues that help democracy flourish. Executive Director Olivia Zink said. While Granny D. walked across the United States to raise awareness for campaign finance reform, the organization today also works to bring attention to redistricting and voting freedom. More recently, Open Democracy partnered with Savage on a voter registration drive at the high school, and Zink said they got over 500 students to register.

“You have to participate in democracy for it to work for all of us, and so people need to participate whether it’s registering others to vote or encouraging people to participate,” Zink said.

During his speech, Savage shared his story about creating the voter registration drive at ConVal High School and explained why it is so important for young people to get out and vote, including so politicians begin to take issues that matter most to young voters like the housing market, abortion and livable wages more seriously.

Sharon resident Sara Tobias, Savage’s mother came to the festival to help out.

“It’s incredibly important that grassroots democracy remain the fundamental movement of government,” she said.

As to why it’s important to Tobias events like the Democracy Festival, she said it is to build community.

“Part of what can feel very confusing and isolating is having difficulty finding people who have some of the same beliefs as you do, especially in a more rural community,” she said.

Additionally, Tobias brought her close friend, Anne Murrock, who said people need to make sure democracy is not lost.

“I feel it’s important that everybody participates in democracy. I really want to encourage them [people] to vote, period,” she said.

After walking around town, Chris Healey stopped in to check out the festival. The Antrim resident said he’s old enough to remember when Granny D. was active.

“Maybe some folks, maybe me, are trying to get resparked, not feel like they’re just in their own heads and get kind of active and exchange some ideas,” Healey said.

Taking inspiration from Haddock, Healey said democracy is a verb.

“If all you can do is vote, that’s fine, that’s good,” he said. “If you can do other things, even if it’s just being in your community and helping other people and being connected that way, that’s good, too.”

New London resident Jane Walsh came to the event seeking inspiration, as she’s a chair of the New London Democratic Committee. While she didn’t participate in the walk, she felt as though with the election coming up, it is still important to show up.

“We really need a range of people of all ages and genders coming out to really show we want to see this democracy be maintained,” she said.

Jacobs-Carnahan talked about how the project engages others to learn about the electoral system. She said knitting circles are a “comfortable setting” for people and a fun way to sit quietly and listen to the information presented. During those circles, groups come together to create sculptures of state houses out of yarn to bring attention to the state legislators, as they make critical decisions that affect citizens directly.

Lett spoke on how it’s important for people to continue the work of people like Haddock, despite disagreements, to make the world better for the next generation. She also spoke on issues that affect the Black community, saying that while many people thing Black people want a check, in actuality it is to repair generational trauma.

“What worked is caring for one another as human beings; what does not work is losing sight of that message,” Lett said.

Similarly, Kallman spoke on how being able to come to agreements and meet people across different experiences is important to democracy. As a state senator, she said because she uses wood to heat her home, she made a connection with Republican Gordon Rogers, who sits behind her and also heats his home with wood. One day, he showed her a picture of his wood splitter and because of that connection he signed with Kallman on some pieces of legislation.

Zink said she is hoping to bring Democracy Fest back next year.

“This year’s event was really beautiful. Even though we did not have the best weather, we had a great crowd and people really enjoyed being together,” she said.