Red gladiolas, a Mary Hawley favorite, will once again grace the Edmond Town Hall on August 22 in celebration of the birthday of Newtown’s beloved benefactress. Judge William Edmond, Ms Hawley’s great-grandfather, will be featured at this year’s celebration. The public is invited.

The Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers will host an open house on Saturday, August 22, from noon to 7 pm, in honor of Miss Hawley’s birthday.

 The public is visit The Mary Hawley Memorial Room, off the main lobby of  Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street, to sign the guest book and enjoy some light refreshments.

As part of this year’s celebration, a brief biography of Judge William Edmond will be on display. Judge Edmond was a minor hero of the American Revolution, a lawyer, and a respected statesman. It was in his honor that Miss Hawley had the town’s first town hall named.

 The building that Ms Hawley donated to the people of Newtown continues to serve as the heart of the community 85 years later. She had the foresight to include a proscenium theater, office spaces and other elegant and useful gathering spaces that, along with a modest annual disbursement from a dedicated trust fund, have allowed the town to generate most, though not all, of the revenue needed to maintain the building.

“Upkeep becomes more challenging as the building ages, but we continue to move forward with our goals to reduce energy costs and implement technological and other changes that keep the building useful and relevant to the community,” said James Juliano, chairman of the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers, the elected body responsible for the maintenance of the historic building.

Miss Hawley is best known for her generosity to the community through such generous gifts as Hawley School and Cyrenius H. Booth Library, and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, in addition to Edmond Town Hall. She also made generous gifts to many other organizations in surrounding communities.