CELEBRATE GRASSO, WOMAN’S SUFFRAGE

An interactive dinner and networking event will be held Friday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of woman’s suffrage and what would have been the 100th birthday of former Gov. Ella T. Grasso.

The Southbury Democratic Town Committee is hosting the event, “Women & Power: Are We There Yet?,” at Wyndham Southbury Hotel.

An optional, hour-long ticketed VIP cocktail party will begin at 6 p.m. Otherwise, attendees can arrive at 6:30 p.m., with the dinner beginning at 7 p.m.

Grasso’s daughter Susane Oliva Grasso, a special guest at the dinner, will exhibit the Medal of Freedom that was posthumously awarded to her mother by President Ronald Reagan. Grasso was the first woman in the country elected governor “in her own right.”

“This inspiring evening invites us to be present for this moment in history, the end of the Ella Grasso Century, when women have more choice how to live our lives, and more power to protect the things we care about,” Michele Zommer, cochair of the event, said in a release.

Facilitators will lead guests in discussions meant to empower them.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, author of “Ella: A Biography of Ella Grasso,” will be the night’s special guest.

Visit the town committee’s website for ticket information.