Of all the dozens of stops on the tour, the precious hours at Riverworks seemed to encapsulate exactly the version of America that Tony said he knew still existed.
restaurant, Locals, I decided to go even slower and just try to get Harriet around the corner to her gig.
Sandy seemed perplexed when I didn’ t enthusiastically return her characteristic bear hug upon arrival at the old Methodist church. Seeing the issue— a blown and shredded tire on the trailer holding Harriet upright— instantly brought beads of sweat to my forehead. I paced the parking lot while calling Bobby to determine the location of the tire jack on his truck. People, meanwhile, began to gather around Harriet.
“ Do you know you have a bad tire?” asked a well-intended guest.
Just then, barely five minutes after my own arrival, a tow truck pulled in and parked next to Harriet. Sandy had made a phone call to Tad Bodmer at aptly named Total Automotive, which in this case including servicing the wheels of a 3,000-pound damsel in distress. I asked Tad what I owed him when he finished installing the spare tire just as quickly as he had arrived.
His answer told me everything many people would ever want to know about Poolesville.
“ Don’ t worry about it,” he said.“ We help our neighbors here when we can... Maybe I’ ll hit up David at Locals for a breakfast sandwich.”
TONY AND HARRIET WOULD go on, as loosely planned, to other local kickoff rallies. In Kensington, next to the infamous Mormon Temple, they were hosted by gracious members of the renowned Marriott family. In Rockville, at the historic Beall-Dawson House, mayor Monique Ashton offered an emotionally rousing speech about the Tubman legacy that continues to motivate her own journey of public service.
After leaving the Sandy Spring Slave Museum on May 4— 30 years to the day from Tony’ s first walk to Canada— Tony and his muse visited dozens of schools, churches, and community centers throughout Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Canada. People laughed, cried, and
showcased just about every other emotion in between. Watching the donations trickle in rather than flow, however, I had honestly hoped for more tangible financial results. The journey to freedom isn’ t free.
Back at Tony’ s home at Button Farm, more than seven months after he first pitched me his idea, my friend told me the experience had nonetheless exceeded his expectations. His favorite comment— and intrinsic payoff— came from a woman named Lauren Davis, who also left a $ 25 donation on GiveButter:“ I found # Freedom- Walk2026 to be very inspiring. This was my favorite way to celebrate / commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’ s as if, by retracing Harriet Tubman’ s route this year, you have included every American who, in 1776, did not have citizenship, or the right to vote, or control over their own body, into the promise of the Declaration of Independence. You wrote them / us into that founding document— you filled in between the lines— and that inclusion can never be undone. Walking has that kind of spiritual power.”
As we reflected, our memories brought us both back to that kickoff in Poolesville three months earlier. Of all the dozens of stops on the tour, the precious hours at Riverworks seemed to encapsulate exactly the version of America that
Of all the dozens of stops on the tour, the precious hours at Riverworks seemed to encapsulate exactly the version of America that Tony said he knew still existed.
Tony said he knew still existed. Sandy, David, Valeree Dickerson, and the rest of the team at Riverworks and Locals rallied the community. All three of the region’ s state delegates— David Hidalgo-Fraser, Lily Qi, and Linda Foley— showed up and donated. Blues masters Jay Summerour and Mark Puryear, joined for a cameo performance by local virtuoso Tara Middleton, offered two rousing sets. And, of course, Tad replaced the tire.
Posing for selfies and group photos with Harriet was the premiere attraction— as it was at every stop from April through July— but Poolesville and Riverworks were the back-stage stars of the show.
Private and on-line gifts exceeded $ 2,000 for the evening, largely thanks to the town’ s impresario, Valeree. For a 750-mile walk that was funded almost entirely by per-mile private donations, Poolesville provided the most financially successful stop of the entire tour.
Born in town in 1963, Valeree has watched the community evolve
26 plenty I autumn harvest 2026