OIL CITY, Pa., (EYT) — The Oil City – Franklin Zonta Club and the Oil City YWCA will mark International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8, with a “Pack the Plaza” Rally in the Oil City Central Ave. Plaza.

The event runs from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

It is free and will feature speakers, music, and refreshments.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s day is: “ An Equal World is an Enabled World.”

Celebrating women’s achievements and increasing visibility while calling out inequality is a crucial component to this year’s theme.

Deb Lutz, a Zonta Club member and former Venango County Commissioner, helped organize the rally.

“It’s an hour-long celebration,” Lutz told exploreClarion.com. “We are bringing in some women speakers that we hope will empower, energize, and inspire not just the women who are in attendance but anybody.”

Lutz says men and children of all ages are also welcome.

“We want to gather people together and see if we can engage people,” Lutz explained. “Our ultimate goal is to inspire people to step up and become involved in our communities.”

Lutz said she would like to see people become volunteers for community organizations.

She would especially like to see more women become active in politics and run for public office.

At the time of her election, Lutz was only the second woman to win a seat on the Venango County Commission. She was also the youngest.

“We have very few females in the races for some of the local elected offices. I think we would like to see more of that.”

The day’s keynote speaker will be Oil City-native Brea Hall Schmidt — a Pittsburgh-based speaker, photographer, writer, and mother of three who aims to empower and connect women and mothers on her blog, The Thinking Branch.

A former professional sports sales leadership executive, Schmidt took a leap of faith in 2011 and left her career in sports to start her own photography business.

She launched The Thinking Branch in 2016 after discovering her passion for wanting to connect women and help mothers feel less alone. The blog has since grown into an engaged social media community of over 60,000 participants.

Realizing the unpredictable weather in March, Lutz said following the hour-long rally, refreshments and music will be provided inside the Christ Episcopal Church at 16 Central Ave. in Oil City.

If the weather happens to be bad that day, the entire event will take place inside the church.

“Even though it’s International Women’s Day, I think it’s important for all of us to come together,”

“These are such turbulent times in this country, and this is just one day, one hour to put our differences aside and just come together.”