Politics & Government
Eileen Foley, 95, to Open Memorial Bridge a Second Time
Foley cut the ribbon on the original Memorial Bridge in 1923. She'll cut the ribbon on the new one Thursday.
Ninety-five year old Eileen Foley this week will appear at her second Memorial Bridge opening ceremony.
Foley was 5 years old when she cut the ribbon on the original bridge in 1923. On Thursday, she will be there to again cut the ribbon on the new, $81.4 million bridge connecting Portsmouth to Kittery, Maine.
“I’m excited and looking forward to it,” Foley said in a statement. “I feel fortunate to once again be participating in a celebration of a new Memorial Bridge.”
Thursday's ceremony will start at 10:40 a.m. with a procession across the bridge starting at the Kittery side.
Foley, a former Portsmouth mayor, was picked out of the crowd on Aug. 17, 1923 to cut the ribbon on the original bridge, which cost $2 million.
“We felt it was very appropriate to issue the first official invitation for this year’s Memorial Bridge celebration to Eileen Foley,” said state Department of Transportation Commissioner Chris Clement. “As much as anyone associated with the Memorial Bridge projects, Eileen has connected generations and bridged communities.”
The bridge was dedicated to New Hampshire soldiers and sailors who participated in World War I.
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