SOUTHAMPTON – On Tuesday evening, town officials and members of the community held a candlelight vigil outside the illuminated town hall and gazebo while others rang the bell of the nearby First Congregational Church for five minutes as a memorial tribute to those lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. The action was part of a nationwide pause to remember called for by President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris who led a similar ceremony at the same moment at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington.
After the bell ringing, select board chair Maureen Groden, who brought her own perspective as a nurse, said, “in this difficult political climate we must not forget that everyone who has died from COVID was someone’s mother, father, grandmother, neighbor.” Then Groden offered condolences with the reading of a short poem by Walter Rinder.
Kevin Gutting can be reached at kgutting@gazettenet.com.