Southampton Friends at Southampton Days
For 51 years, Southampton Township has held Southampton Days, a fun filled five days when families can enjoy eating funnel cake, watching fireworks, and riding a merry-go-round. Organizers also give local community and church groups the opportunity to set up tables and dispense information about their organizations.
Southampton Friends Meeting is a small meeting, and it can be difficult to find volunteers to engage in outreach. But this year, they decided to participate for two evenings on July 5th and 6th, setting up a table to let fairgoers know that Southampton Friends are alive and well. Their clerk, Stephen Moyer, got there early to capture a prime spot in the shade. Friends borrowed the Quarter’s “Quaker Table in Box,” which includes a brightly colored tablecloth, handouts about Quakerism, the “Pick the Quaker” game, and the “Peace” box. They also had a smaller table set up for children to color on tiles with Sharpie markers.
Over the two days they were able to engage with lots of people, with many recognizing Southampton Friends as the people who hold a social justice vigil every Sunday afternoon on the corner of Street and Gravel Hill Roads. They were also able to hand out their “You Might Be a Quaker If” postcards. Each child got one slipped into their tile bag, along with an explanation about the Edward Hicks Peaceable Kingdom picture on the front, and his vision of how animals, as well as people, can get along.
Carolyn enjoying the merry-go-round
In addition to Southampton Friends, they had representatives from around the Quarter to help them staff the table, including Friends from Newtown and Wrightstown Meetings. Member Carolyn Michener related how much fun they had over the two days and are looking forward to participating in Southampton Days 2024!