FARMINGTON — A group of western Maine elders and their allies will gather on the morning of Sunday, Sep. 17, to demonstrate in solidarity with the tens of thousands who are expected to gather in New York City for a march urging an end to the burning of fossil fuels and the declaration of a climate emergency by the federal government.

The Farmington demonstration will begin on Main Street in front of Old South Congregational Church at 10:30 a.m. Participation is open to all members of the public. The group will proceed down Main Street to Meetinghouse Park, where an open mic will invite commentary, music, and other peaceful forms of expression about the climate crisis.

The Farmington gathering is sponsored by Third Act Farmington, a local chapter of the national Third Act campaign (https://thirdact.org), which seeks to empower people over age 60 to use their experience and resources to contribute to positive climate action, with a special focus on encouraging financial institutions to divest their interests in further fossil fuel development.

Participants in the New York City march (see https://commondreams.org) will include members of over 500 organizations concerned with environmental issues and is being staged ahead of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s Climate Ambition Summit. It also follows a summer of fossil-fuel-fueled extreme weather events sparking unprecedented wildfires, heat waves, and flooding in this country and abroad.

Those interested in joining the Farmington demonstration are encouraged to simply show up and if possible, bring a simple home-made sign with a climate message of their choice. Any questions can be directed to 207/370-4295.

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