Twenty-five years ago, when she was 89 years old, Dublin resident Doris Haddock – famously known as “Granny D” – walked 3,200 miles across the United States. From Pasadena to Washington D.C., she put one foot in front of the other, carrying a petition in favor of campaign finance reform, talking to groups of ordinary Americans in every town along the way.

She is famous for saying, “Democracy is not something we have, but something we do.” And she believed in the joy of it, too. Granny D would have loved the idea of a Democracy Festival in Putnam Park, welcoming the walkers coming down into the heart of town from her old house in Dublin.

Democracy is for all of us. A healthy, practicing democracy is something we all need. We all have a part in it, and it is something to celebrate. So, come stop by Putnam Park between noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3. Enjoy some great food, great music and inspiring speakers – a festival!

Kate Driscoll Coon

Peterborough