SENDOFF EVENT SET FOR HARRIET TUBMAN - THE BEACON OF HOPE STATUE

After two-and-a-half months in Salisbury, Wesley Wofford's statue, "Harriet Tubman - The Beacon of Hope" is set to travel to its next destination, in Rahway, New Jersey. But before that happens, the City of Salisbury has planned a sendoff event.

The Passing of the Beacon is set for Wednesday, Jan. 31, from 11 a.m.-noon. The event will be held by the statue, which is located outside the Government Office Building at 125 N. Division St. in Salisbury.

The farewell follows a month of events held throughout the area connected to The Beacon of Hope, which Shawna Kearsley of Vehicles for Change Delmarva has coordinated. The statue and connected events are sponsored by Pohanka of Salisbury, the Greater Salisbury Committee, the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce and Vehicles for Change Delmarva.

The Passing of the Beacon will start off with a welcome and prayer, before Salisbury Mayor Randy Taylor presents two citations and a certificate of appreciation.

Salisbury will leave its mark with the monument, as Events & Culture Manager Caroline O'Hare and Kearsley will place a brick from the nearby courthouse pathway in a capsule that travels with the Beacon.

Other speakers include Tonet Cuffee, a fourth-generation great-niece of Tubman; Chipman Foundation President and Wicomico County Councilwoman Shanie Shields; and 13-year-old Sophia Hotton from 1 Year to Empowerment.

Jonathan Parham, business administrator for the City of Rahway, New Jersey, will also be at the event to accept the monument for its next destination.

"It has been amazing to have 'Harriet Tubman - The Beacon of Hope' here in Downtown Salisbury," O'Hare said. "A big thank you goes out to Shawna for all the work she has put in to organize impactful events for our community relating to the Beacon."

To learn more about the statue, visit www.woffordsculpturestudio.com.