They come to vote and they stay for lunch.
As long as anyone can remember, the Ladies Aid Society has put on an election lunch in Boscawen for all town employees.
And on a relatively slow primary day, the dining tables were much fuller than the voting booths. Town clerk Michelle Brochu said that just over 200 of 2,561 voters had cast a ballot by noontime.
“It was the mid-1800s” when the lunches started, said Rhoda Hardy, the 83-year-old organizer of the “picnic” lunch for Tuesday’s election. “We get other people to help us of course.”
Hardy’s son, Alan – also Boscawen’s planning and community development director – scooped some of the ribs, macaroni and cheese and salad onto his plate. As he did so, Hardy said the lunches are a good way to bring together town employees for a chat: police officers, firefighters, public works employees.
“It’s always a good idea,” he said.
And even on a day when turnout is fairly low, the traditional election lunch keeps the polls lively for town employees.
“It’s the best thing,” Brochu, the town clerk, said. “Everyone’s here.”