The event will feature presentations on women in local history and the League has invited several former female elected officials to be on hand
VANCOUVER – A month before the General Election, and eager to get area residents out to vote, the League of Women Voters of Clark County is taking over the Clark County Historical Museum on First Friday, Oct. 6.
“We want to call people’s attention to the value of voting,” said First Friday event organizer Tracy Reilly Kelly, who also serves as the LWVCC historian. “And considering the rich history of women in Clark County serving in elected offices, we thought descending upon the history museum made excellent sense.”
The League TakeOver, which is free, will bring activities and added history to all four of the museum’s main exhibits, starting in the Vancouver Brewing History exhibit. There, the League will feature a re-enactment of the Kandidate Kegger & Hotter Than Air Festivals it hosted with Lucky Lager Brewery for several years during the 1970s.
“We are inviting Republicans, Democrats and Independents to each have a table with campaign literature,” Reilly Kelly said.
She explained Lucky used to open its doors and beer taps for the public, enabling them to talk with candidates who had been invited by the League. “So, members of the public strolled around, drinking a free beer and chatting with candidates,” she said. “I think it was very popular.”
For the (Her) Story exhibit, which features presentations on women in local history, the League has invited several former female elected officials to be on hand for tea and cookies. One who will attend is former Rep. Linda Smith, a Republican who represented the 3rd Congressional District from 1995-1999. Smith remains publicly active and campaigns against sex trafficking.
The League will register voters in the Ports & Rivers exhibit and host trivia games in the Hometown Heroes exhibit.
“The League is about empowering voters and defending democracy, which are serious matters,” Reilly Kelly said. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun encouraging people to participate in their civic duty.”
The League was founded nationally and locally in 1920, the year the 19th Amendment, extending the vote to women, was ratified.
The event will be from 5:30-9 p.m. at the museum, 1511 Main St. in Vancouver.
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