Somers Women's Club Celebrates 90 Years

In commemoration of its 90th Anniversary, the Somers Women's Club has invited the public to view a display depicting a historical chronicle of its activities and contributions relating to the needs and growth of the town.

A reception was held on Saturday and members of the club were on hand to speak with guests and serve refreshments.

Former president, Linda Louise LaCasse, called Estelle Lech the "star of the day," noting that Lech was a major contributor in creating the extensive display.

"I'm so impressed with her planning, with the way she incorporated the history of the town with the club's history," said LaCasse. "It's interesting the way things grew."

The exhibit will surely be of interest to not only former and current Women's Club members, but to history buffs of any age. Each of the easy-to-read panels depicts a list of the club's activities for a particular decade, as well as historic moments in Somers including town statistics, the club's presidents, and articles and photographs of interest.

Other displays highlight certain activities, such as their involvement in scholarship funds, the Four Town Fair and the Earth Angels Club (a youth version of the Somers Women's Club.) Scrapbooks are also packed full of memories and photographs.

In the main library, the Earth Angels' traveling tree, which was created for fallen Connecticut soldiers, is on display. The tree, which contains the photographs and biographies of the state's 61 fatalities, travels throughout Connecticut, receiving an "icon" at each stop. Although the parents of the fallen can not be contacted due to privacy issues, newspaper articles often alert families of the special ceremonies that take place in honor of their sons and daughters. When a parent witnesses a memorial for their child, that soldier's star on the tree turns to gold.

The tree, a project of the Earth Angels, will advance to the international level should they win at the state level. The tree travels to Norwalk next, followed by Quinebaug Valley Community and Technical College.

The Somers Women's Club was organized in April of 1921 and has been involved in many important causes in town, including helping to organize the Visiting Nurses Associaton, starting the Friends of the Library in 1970, supporting the Girl Scouts, PTOs and PTAs, the Ambulance Corps, numerous blood drives, school programs, the State Police and State Police Explorers, Johnson Memorial Hospital, the Connecticut Veterans Hospital and many more.

The Somers Women's Club currently has 54 members and welcomes any woman age 19 and over to explore what the club is all about. Young women aged 11 to 18 are also welcome to join the Earth Angels. You do not have to be a Somers resident to join. For more information, log onto www.somersnow.com or contact the membership chairman at P.O. Box 38, Somers, CT 06071.

The Somers Women's Club 90th Anniversary Display can be seen at the during regular hours until April 11.