State leads Americans on Labor Day to “Ring a Bell for Rosies!”
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Thanks! Plain and Simple, Inc., a West Virginia-based nonprofit organization, is coordinating a nationwide bell ringing on Labor Day to launch the American Rosie the Riveter Movement.
Bells will ring at 1 p.m. EDT across America and in some Allied Nations to honor women who worked on the home front during World War II.
“It all began when Kendra Fox, a Brownie Girl Scout, rang a bell at the moment a tree was planted for a “Rosie”, Bobbie Lamb, in Buckhannon, W.Va., in April 2016. “Thanks!” tested the project nationwide on Labor Day, 2016, and 50 places from Maine to California rang bells with Rosies at the same moment, said Anne Montague, founder and executive director of “Thanks!”.
West Virginians will gather with Rosies to ring bells in five places – at the state capitol building in Charleston, at Mountain Lakes Amphitheater in Flatwoods, at the Woman’s Club in Harpers Ferry near the Maryland and Virginia borders, at Pullman Square in Huntington near the Kentucky and Ohio boarders, and at the Szilagyi Center in Rowlesburg near the Maryland and Pennsylvania borders. Photos will be shared on social media on Twitter at #RingaBellforRosies and Facebook at facebook.com/RosieTheRiveterProject
“The Charleston event will be at a replica of the Liberty Bell made in France after WWII and given to every state after the war. This is sparking other states to “Ring a Bell for Rosies” at their bell in 2018,” said Montague.
Among the locations celebrating Rosies by ringing bells are the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, the Netherlands Carillon in Arlington, and the National Cathedral in Washington which will hold a three-hour peal. Less famous places include Winchester, KY; Cottage Grove, OR; Marietta, OH; Brunswick, MD, and at Rosies’ homes, when they cannot travel. Partners include the U.S. Park Service, General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Girl Scouts, the American Rosie the Riveter Association, and American Legion chapters.
Buddie Curnutte, in St. Albans, W.Va., riveted P40 air planes in Buffalo, NY. She said, “Most leaders don’t really understand our past contributions, much less what we’re doing now. Ringing bells at the same moment unifies people to know what we represent. As ‘the people’ catch on, maybe leaders will too.”
“Ringing bells at the same time gives Americans a way to seize this brief moment to pull together for an important cause, as Rosies did. It shows we celebrate common-blessings, especially freedom. People are often amazed when they meet Rosies, hear their fascinating stories, and see the impact they have had on the course of America and the free world. We find the best way to educate about Rosies is to get people to do something with Rosies. Ringing bells is a simple, yet powerful, way for people to see that it is possible to pull together and get needed work done,” said Montague.
Nick Withrow, a Nitro High School senior, will be given an award by “Thanks!” on Labor Day at the National Cathedral in Washington. His year-long effort included accompanying Rosies to Holland, where the National Liberation Museum 1944-45 thanked Rosies for their work to help win World War II.
