The Portland, Connecticut Riverfront Roots and Shoots group assembled in downtown Portland at 10:00. It was windy and looking like rain. We struggled on fasten signs to trees and then stood in front of the police station waving our signs and waving to drivers in their cars. Our signs said things like the following:

Fund Green Affordable Rapid Transit GART

Congress Cut Emissions 80% by 2020

Curb Emissions for Climate's Sake

Save the Earth for your grandchildren

The wheels on the bus
Will liberate us

Leaders must give us GART

Ditch the cars for climate's sake

The climate is changing
We must too

At 11:00 we started our trek, by this time in the rain, down the street and onto the Arrigoni bridge across the Connecticut River. The wind was fierce and really battered the signs. We walked along the bridge and were met by the group on the Middletown side coming the other direction. They were from the theatre group, Artfarm, lead by their bold man on stilts who towered over the river, the signs and the cars. The drivers honked, flashed their lights and also, a good many of them, ignored us, but clearly we were visible. We didn't have a big turn out--who knows why. The weather was lousy, but we did get the word out widely with fliers, e-mail, and the media. We estimate that at least a 1,000 heard the message one way or another.