We asked you to share what you bring to town meeting to get through potentially long debates, heated discussions and rounds of voting.
We heard from folks all over the state, including several election officials and town moderators. Here’s what they pack in their town meeting survival kit.
Comfortable seating
Many town meetings across the state are held in school gymnasiums or town halls, which don’t exactly offer luxury seating.
Sheila Oranch of Hebron recommends stadium seat cushions. Olivia Zink, a poll-watcher in Keene, brings "a cushion or pillow" because "bleachers and folding chairs are hard to sit on."
A knitting project
Ann Webb, Robin Henne, and Sheila Oranch all bring their crafts to their town meetings.
Henne, an election official in Shelburne, comes fully prepared for a day of sitting at the polls. “I take plenty of entertainment; my spinning wheel and some fiber, a knitting project, a good book, and some tasty snacks,” she said. “We’re usually not terribly busy, so I can switch out the various projects.”
Not yet a town meeting knitter but looking to get started? New Hampshire Magazine has a nice write-up of businesses and groups across the state that are finding community through fiber arts.
Snacks
Every good meeting (especially a long one) needs some food.
In Henniker, Christine Johnston keeps herself—and her husband, the town moderator— supplied with: “A refillable water bottle (because it’s impossible to know how long we’ll be there), Advil (ditto) and a few sweet treats as a surprise during breaks for my husband.”
“The best year was when a friend had multiple leftover pies from our celebration of Pi Day (the previous day) and she brought them all to town meeting with paper plates and forks,” Johnston said. “We had a feast!”
On Facebook, Kate Plumley Stewart told us she brings supplies for kids and adults. “Swedish Fish, case of canned espresso, Diet Coke, granola bars, water, lemon Lärabars (to share),” she said.
As for the children in attendance? Stewart brings an “entire snack bin, juice boxes, waters, pizza delivered for lunch, bubbles, coloring sheets, sticker packs, hobby horses and cows, blankets and comfy chairs.”
Town meeting happens to coincide with another annual tradition: Girl Scout cookies. Sara Persechino, town moderator in Hopkinton, factors that into her planning. Her survival kit includes, “a knitting project, water bottle, and cash to buy Girl Scout cookies!”
Or maybe take a note from Chris Verhas. His Facebook response to our question about what folks bring to town meeting day? "Nothing!"
