BATH — Kindness Day, a community celebration founded with the intention of reminding people to be good to one another, returns to Bath for the sixth year this Saturday.
The free event will take place along Front and Centre streets in Bath from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Favorite stations like “Have Your Portrait Painted By A Child” and “Pat-a-Pet” will return this year alongside new activities and live music by local musicians.
Kindness Day is the brainchild of 2015 Morse alumna Bryanna Ringrose, who organized the event her junior year after witnessing bullying. Volunteers Jennifer McDorr and Darreby Ambler have since taken over.
Ambler said her favorite station is the “Make a Friend Bench,” where two strangers sit down together and take turns drawing questions from a basket.
“It makes my heart glad to see two former strangers, who might look nothing alike, bonding …” said Ambler.
Ambler said one of her favorite things about Kindness Day is the spontaneous, simple ways people find to be kind to one another, such as buying someone coffee or donating food to the food bank.
“It’s a celebration that the whole town puts on for itself, and that’s what makes it so special,” said Ambler.
“Kindness Day is intended to celebrate the simple belief that every person deserves to be valued and shown love in spite of our differences, and should know what it is to reciprocate the goodwill they’ve been shown,” said Bath City Councilor Julie Ambrosino.
Ambrosino will be running the “Love Your City” station in front of city hall, where she’ll pass out treats and meet the people she serves as a city councilor.
Bath City Council Chairwoman Mari Eosco said she’s looking forward to Kindness Day this year, because “it’s fun to see the different ways people find to reach out in kindness and it’s just a great way for people to get to know each other.”
According to Eosco, this year Cub Scouts will be opening doors for people. She said simple acts of kindness like opening a door for someone sends a ripple effect into the community and show spreading kindness doesn’t have to cost money.
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