Etna
The event, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at 195 Etna Road, is more than just a nice evening out for families. It’s also the story of two dedicated community organizations that joined together to do something special for their neighbors.
The concert’s lead sponsors are First Baptist Church of Etna and First Congregational Church of Hanover Center. They are a single congregation that holds services at churches in both villages. The Etna Ladies Aid is a co-sponsor.
The concert is free, but donations are welcome to support the congregation’s community outreach program. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to set up on the green.
“We wanted to do it and the enthusiasm was amazing,” Norma Pelton, one fo the concert organizers, said of last year’s event.
That positive reaction spurred the committee to plan another one.
Ice cream and homemade pies will be available as well, with many of those pies baked by members of the Etna Ladies Aid.
And I want to switch gears for a moment to tell you about the Etna Ladies Aid and why I find this community organization so inspiring. In 2014, the Etna Ladies Aid had only four members. By that point, the annual strawberry supper had been discontinued and the twice yearly rummage sales were on hiatus.
“We were thinking the whole thing would disband,” said Pat Clinton, a member of the Etna Ladies Aid.
The remaining members decided to use what was left in their account to put toward refurbishing Trumbull Hall, including purchasing drapes. Then, a letter to the editor was published in the paper and Clinton discussed the organization’s plans at a community dinner.
“From that time on, we started getting more members,” Clinton recalled. Now, there are more than 32 members from Etna and the surrounding towns. The rummage sales resumed.
“Before we were happy if we made $500 during a rummage sale,” Clinton said. Now, each sale brings in a few thousand dollars.
“There’s a lot of community support for it,” Pelton said.
That too speaks to the strength of this community. Seeing a long-standing organization facing extinction, people stepped up and took action to help a group that has helped so many others.
Clinton and Pelton were unsure when the Ladies Aid first started.
“It’s been forever and ever,” Pelton said. They know that members of the group got together to roll bandages during World War II. “The Ladies Aid was operating before that.”
The group was likely associated with the church at its founding in 1825, though now they operate as a separate organization.
“Most of the members were members of the church,” said Pelton, who is also a member of the group and has been for decades. “Now its mostly members of the community.”
The organization donates money to other Upper Valley causes, reaching well beyond Etna.
Clinton got involved when she moved to Etna about 25 years ago.
“A neighbor stopped by and said ‘come on, you’ve got to come to the Ladies Aid meeting,’” she recalled. Her favorite part of the organization is the friends she’s made “and the sense of being able to do something nice for the community, to help out.”
The concert is an extension of that. Last year, more than 100 people attended.
“It was so nice,” Clinton said.
“We’re hoping for blue skies this year,” Pelton added.
Regardless of the weather, go to Etna to celebrate the summer, good music, delicious pie and a community that keeps on growing.
Editor’s note: For more information about the concert, email Etna.hanovercenter.church@gmail.com. The Etna Ladies Aid meets at noon on the third Tuesday of every month at Trumbull Hall. For information about joining, email Clinton at the.clintons118@gmail.com. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
