UPDATE (Sunday, August 22, 2021): Due to the approach of Tropical Storm Henri, Edmond Town Hall is closing at noon today. The Mary Hawley birthday observation is canceled for the day, as are today's movie screenings.

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For all who have ever wondered about the monument depicting a hawk that stands on the front lawn at Edmond Town Hall, some of those answers will be shared this weekend. Those who visit the historic building at 45 Main Street on Sunday afternoon will have a chance to learn more about the man who inspired it.

The Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers will host its annual open house in honor of Mary Elizabeth Hawley’s birthday on Sunday, August 22, from noon until 7 pm. The special event is presented in the Mary Hawley Room, just inside the main entrance of the building.

This year, memorabilia donated by Doris Hidu Bolduc, niece of Francis Hidu, will be featured at the open house.

Francis Hidu was a longtime Edmond Town Hall employee who is still remembered by many locals. One of his responsibilities was as overseer of the movie theater, where he was known for culling out misbehaving teens and contacting their parents to have them picked up.

Yet Hidu, according to a 2003 story about him in The Newtown Bee, loved children almost as much as he loved the town hall he took pride in and served in one way or another for more than 50 years. He was, according to that feature, a dedicated longtime town hall manager as well as a longtime movie theater ticket-taker and usher.

As part of this year’s open house, articles that Hidu had saved will be available for viewing. The articles were featured in The Newtown Bee during the 1980s, and they include information about the building’s history as well as about Hidu himself.

Mary Hawley is best known for her generosity to the community through gifts such as Edmond Town Hall, the Hawley School, the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, and many others. Edmond Town Hall continues to serve the community 91 years after its construction. Hawley had the foresight to include a theater, a ballroom, a gymnasium, offices, and other useful gathering spaces that, along with a modest annual disbursement from a dedicated trust fund, have allowed the town to generate a portion of the revenue needed to operate and maintain the building.

As in previous years, the Star of Gifts, painted by Michelle Rosenthal and depicting all of Hawley’s gifts to her town, as well as copies of her trust document, will be on display. A guest book will be available to sign.