It Took a Village…
DCS News by Nicole Pease
What an amazing month it has been! After two years of planning, fundraising, and building, the new community playground is installed at Dublin Consolidated School! This has truly been a community effort, spearheaded by Emily Bennett and the Playground Committee. Emily said Jesse Mareum and Greg Pease were exceptionally helpful volunteers.
The preparation for the new playground installation was overwhelming on many levels. Watching the beloved dino structure being dismantled brought the realization of the end of an era. Imagining the number of children who have enjoyed this structure is mind boggling, but change over time is inevitable.
August 13 was the Community Playground Build Day. This awesome undertaking involved town and ConVal District personnel, as well as various other community members. Wouldn’t you know that in the midst of a summer drought, we experienced four hours of torrential rains? It did little to dampen the spirits or efforts of all in attendance.
[Photographs by Sally Shonk and Margaret Gurney]
A huge thank you to all of the people who have made this dream a reality! The new playground was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 21, which officially opened the structures. This event was a perfect opportunity to fire up the bread oven, thanks to May Clark, her dream come true!
While much of the focus at DCS this summer has been on the new playground, there have been a lot of other things happening at our amazing school. August 30 is the first day of school, and I am not sure who is more excited, the students or the teachers!
We have some new staff members to introduce: Melissa Mucha is our school counselor. While we will miss Robin Gregg, we feel lucky that Melissa will be with us for half our week, an increase of a day and a half. Also new to our school is Elisabeth Woodhead, who will be the Health teacher.
By the time this Advocate comes out, school is underway and we are thrilled to welcome new families to DCS. For the past few weeks, students have been busy identifying and practicing the rules of our classrooms and school, making new friends and reconnecting with old friends, and having many different learning opportunities. Teachers are working hard to identify each student’s needs as well as completing some math and literacy screenings, which will help this process along.
As always, we welcome visitors, but we ask that you call first: 563-8332.
Nicole Pease, M.Ed., is Dublin Consolidated School Principal and the Math Coach for SAU1.
Dublin Public Library
Story Time: September is all about shifting gears. As we end another successful Summer Reading program, we look forward to our Morning Story Time again. Beginning September 7 at 9:30, we will offer books, crafts, and movement. There is also time for the children to enjoy a snack and conversation with friends. We will talk about manners as we set out our own placemats and learn about the harvest that September brings. Learning colors is fun when you’re sampling red, yellow, and green apples. Sylvia’s Spinach and Zora’s Zucchini by Katherine Pryor as well as Before We Eat by Pat Brisson are a few of the books we will be reading.
We came across a fun site on the computer: “The Most Popular Book the Year You Were Born.” What fun to see what people were reading and to know that lots of these books are still in the Dublin Public Library’s collection: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller — and the list goes on. It was interesting to see what we had read and to see the year.
Are you curious about bees? The Garden Club of Dublin presented the library with a great book on bees with wonderful photographs. Do you know how bees reproduce? How they navigate? The history of beekeeping? All these answers can be found in The Bee, A Natural History by Noah Wilson-Rich.
New Books
The Games Private Rio by J. Paterson
Magic by D. Steel
Nine Women, One Dress by J. Rosen
A House Full of Daughters by J. Nicolson
Bobby Kennedy, the Making of a Liberal Icon by L. Tye
Jonathan Unleashed by M. Rosoff
On Trails by R. Moor
A Hero of France by A. Furst
Outfoxed by D. Rosenfelt
Dublin Voters May Register at the Polls on Election Day
By Jeannine Dunne
Since September 5 is a Town Holiday, Labor Day, the Town Offices will be closed, but September 6 is the last day that we can accept voter registration applications before Election Day.
The State Primary Election is on Tuesday, September 13, and will be held from 8 am until 7 pm on the Top Floor of the Town Hall. Voters may register at the polls on Election Day. (The back entrance leads to an elevator for easier access to the Top Floor.)
The Town Clerk’s office will be open only until 5 pm on Monday, September 12, which will be the last day to return completed absentee ballots in person, or by a family member. Absentee ballots returned by mail will be accepted through Election Day, September 13.
Jeannine Dunne is Town Clerk/Tax Collector. She can be reached at PO Box 62, Dublin, NH 03444; or call 563-8859. Fax (603) 563-9221.
DCC Community Suppers Resume
Join us for a community supper Tuesday, September 27, at the Dublin Community Church from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the vestry of the church. These suppers are held monthly on the fourth Tuesday of every month. All are welcome.
BOS Announce Tim Suokko as New Chief of Police
The Board of Selectmen is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Suokko to Chief Police Officer of Dublin.
Tim has been a police officer in town for four years. He and his wife, Megan, have bought a home in Dublin, and we are fortunate to have him protecting our town, our people and its roads.
See previous profile in the March 2012 Advocate, http://dublinadvocate.com/2012/03/dublins-new-policeman/
From the New Police Chief
I would like to thank everyone for the many kind words and congratulatory handshakes I have received around town in the last few weeks since my appointment to Chief of Police.
The Dublin Police Department has always had a reputation for being a partner within the community. I am looking forward to growing that partnership in the years ahead. I have a “boots on the ground” approach to policing — so don’t be surprised to find me out of the office. Please don’t hesitate to flag me down or talk with me around town.
If you have any comments, questions, or concerns you are always welcome to call the station, 563-8411 or email me at tsuokko@nulltownofdublin.org.
Lake Host Program Summary for 2016
By Bill Goodwin
During the months of July and August, we have had a Lake Host working at the West Lake Road boat launch Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 9 am to 5 pm. We have been fortunate to have both Annie Garrett-Larsen and Genna Weidner with us for a few years now. They have done an outstanding job of monitoring boats and boat trailers for any sign of attached invasive plants or animals.
This summer, we had one finding of Variable Milfoil attached to a boat coming into Dublin Lake. The boat had been in a river in Massachusetts and after finding the Milfoil, the owners decided not to launch into our lake. They were going to get their boat washed, drained, dried, and carefully reinspected. Fortunately, this is the only finding we have had during the past several years.
The Lake Host Program was offered by the New Hampshire Lakes Association, which provided $1,250 funding via a grant application by the Dublin Conservation Commission. The Beech Hill/ Dublin Lake Watershed Association provided $700 as a cash match for ramp coverage. We thank them for their generous support.
Bill Goodwin is the point person for the Lake Host program at Dublin Lake.
Sarah (Sally) Sundstrom
1950-2016
Drafting the Vision for Dubliners
By Bruce Simpson
The Planning Board is continuing work on our Master Plan update. Armed with the results of almost 200 completed surveys and input from two public meetings, the Board is working on a draft of the Vision Statement setting out the vision the majority of Dubliners have for the town over the next decade.
Work will then begin on other sections of the Plan, including the mandatory Land Use Section, and discussion of whether to include other optional sections dealing with Natural Resources, Transportation, Community Facilities, Economic Development, Housing, Recreation, and Energy.
A draft of the Vision Statement will be available on the Town website, and will be the topic of discussion at a public meeting on Saturday, September 17, at 10 am downstairs in the Town Hall. We hope to see you there.
Bruce Simpson is chair of the Planning Board.
Caption Correction: In the August Advocate, the photo caption on the bottom left corner of page 10 should have read: Gerry Scribner along with Brooks Niemela of Niemela Construction repairing the roof at the Post Office.
Gas Engine Meet September 9-11
Meet is dedicated to Robert P. Weis.
The 45th Annual Dublin Gas Engine Meet will be held at Cricket Hill Farm Field September 9, 10, and 11. This show features antique gas engines, tractors, trucks, antique cars and farm equipment, including a variety of antique one-lunger engines, working machinery, and other items of similar vintage.
It will feature Fairbanks Morse Antique Gas Engines. Various vendors will be available to feed hungry spectators. All are warmly welcomed!
This year the Dublin Gas Engine Meet is dedicated to the memory of Robert P. Weis, who hosted the event for more than 40 years.
Daily admission is $5 per person. Children 16 and under are admitted free. For more information, visit www.dublinnhgasenginemeet.com.
Emily’s Vision
By Mary Loftis
Emily Bennett and her family moved to Dublin from Washington, DC, in December 2013. Her oldest daughter Maya, now 8, started school at DCS and has finished Third Grade and Maya’s brother Patrick completed Kindergarten in June. The youngest Bennett, Rosie, was born at Monadnock Community Hospital and has grown into a friendly and articulate 2-year-old.
Emily and her husband Todd both work in education: she was an ESL teacher in Winchester and he was a counselor at Mt. Wachusett Community College – but big changes are in store! Just three weeks after Emily oversaw the rebuilding of the playground project she spearheaded at DCS, the family will set sail on an 11-month journey on their catamaran beginning in South Carolina along the Intracoastal Waterway and then offshore through the Bahamas and on to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Emily and Todd were serious sailors before their children were born, but this time is different: the two older children will participate in sailing while being home-schooled; little Rosie will be a nautical adventurer, too.
But luckily for Dublin, this young family will be back in a year. In that time, many other Dublin families will enjoy the new playground that went up with the help of many volunteers on August 13, the culmination of months of planning and fundraising.
When Emily first brought her children to our little school, she noticed that the playground was “old and needed updating.” So, she got to work researching grants to build a new playground. After many public presentations and months of reviewing proposals and raising money (including gifts from the PTO, the NH Charitable Foundation, local donations, and a generous $25,000 contribution voted by townspeople at Town Meeting), the committee chose O’Brien & Sons of Maine to provide the playground, partly because the components were locally made. Emily said that the new playground allows kids to create their own open-ended play opportunities rather than “prescribing” a single course of play. And the green and brown structure blends with the surrounding terrain.
In the weeks before the big day, there was lots of local help: Tim Grossi and the ConVal maintenance crew removed the old playground (including the Dino!), Dublin School lent a forklift, and Brian Barden and the Town of Dublin Road Crew leveled the sight, after which Sturdy Thomas and Jim Letourneau dug holes. On building day, Greg Pease and a representative of O’Brien & Sons were on hand to direct volunteers. The 11-hour workday began muggy and cool and culminated in dramatic thunderstorms and torrential rains – but the new playground was in place!
The Bennetts can leave on their year-long adventure with a sense of satisfaction. This new playground, erected on Dublin land for all the children of Dublin to enjoy, was Emily’s idea and she saw it to triumphant fruition on August 13.
Bon voyage to the Bennetts!
Mary Loftis is on the staff of the Advocate.
Farmland Forever?
The future of New England agriculture.
By Katrina Farmer
The Monadnock Conservancy, a land trust for southwestern New Hampshire, hosts its 27th Annual Celebration on September 17, from 9 to 11 am, at Peterborough’s historic Stone Barn, a local landmark along Old Street Road.
The Conservancy has protected eight properties in Dublin, each of which was conserved in partnership with willing landowners including the Town of Dublin (Mud Pond) and the Beech Hill-Dublin Lake Watershed Association (Beech Hill). Founded in 1989, the Conservancy has protected a total of 20,000 acres in the region.
Join Conservancy supporters and friends to celebrate local land conservation. Enjoy an inspiring talk by new American Farmland Trust President John Piotti. End the morning with an optional Q&A session, barn tour, or guided trail walk. All are welcome.
Please register by September 9, by emailing Pat Payne (Pat@nullMonadnockConservancy.org) or calling her at 603-357-0600, ext. 101.
Katrina Farmer, a former resident of Dublin, has been communications manager for the Monadnock Conservancy since 2009.
The Annual Hawkwatch Atop Pack
By Francie von Mertens
NH Audubon’s fall hawkwatch on top of Pack Monadnock (Miller State Park) in Peterborough last year counted a record 19,800 hawks, a record that might last a while!
The Hawkwatch this year is staffed September 1 into November by Katrina Fenton, who is skilled at spotting hawks and passing along identification hints for the various species, butterfly-like American kestrel through lumbering turkey vulture.
Mid-September brings crowds of broad-winged hawks, the social migrants, numbering well into the thousands a few peak days when flight conditions are good (hot and hazy). Witness that and you’ll not want to miss it ever again.
Drive or hike to the Hawkwatch (September 24), a short walk north of the summit parking area. (Either way, the state collects a fee unless you’re over 65 or under 6.) The hawks don’t always show up, but the views are great and the company of people drawn to the watch is too.
Francie von Mertens writes about the fall hawk migration and other topics relating to nature and the environment in her Backyard Birder column in the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. She’s a longtime volunteer with NH Audubon, the Harris Center, and Peterborough Conservation Commission.
Polly Guth
1927-2016
Nonprofits Offering Humanitarian Services in Town: Third in the Series
Southwestern Community Services (SCS) was pleased to be able to support the citizens of Dublin once again last year. During the past year, SCS assisted Dublin households 64 times, providing more than $61,000 in direct assistance.
Last year, Dublin individual and families participated in SCS’ Head Start, WIC Nutrition, Commodity Senior Supplemental Food, Fuel & Electric Assistance programs, among others.
If you, your neighbors, friends, or relatives find themselves in need of basic assistance for housing, heating fuel, food, or other basic necessities, please call us at 352-7512 or stop by our office at 63 Community Way in downtown Keene. You can also visit www.scshelps.org to be in touch.
SCS helps tens of thousands of less-fortunate individuals and families to keep a roof over their heads, their homes warm, and their hunger abated.
SCS’ Board and staff want to thank Dublin residents for their generosity during the past 50 years. Because of you, we remain an effective, viable community partner to lend a hand and provide vital resources when needed.
Founded in 1965, SCS completed its 50th year of providing services to Cheshire and Sullivan County residents in 2015. SCS is the Community Action Agency serving southwestern New Hampshire.
Linda West Wins Award
Linda West of Dooe Road was recently honored by the Vermont/New Hampshire Marketing Group with the organization’s Lone Pine Award. The recognition is presented annually to members of the group’s Board of Directors who have made an outstanding effort to support the Group’s efforts in the two-state region.
Linda has been a member of the group for the last five years, and served as chairperson of the Group’s Marketing and Membership committees.
The VT/NH Marketing Group is a trade organization serving more than 100 direct marketing companies in the two-state region, many of which are catalogs and online retailers. Linda, who moved to Dublin in 1992, worked at Millard Group in the 1990s, up to 2008, when she joined 4Cite Marketing in Peterborough. She is a catalog consultant and list broker for catalog companies throughout the U.S., working with such companies as Lehman’s and Gardener’s Supply.
Linda recently served on the Board of Directors for Farmer John’s Plot, an organic farm operation based in town. She lives with her husband Mark, who works for the town of Peterborough, and daughter Eileen, who works at NH Ball Bearing.
Congratulations to Linda.
Volunteer Pathways: June Brening Coordinates Hub Volunteers
By Ruth Thompson
Just over two years ago on a Monday morning the Dub Hub opened its doors and there was June Brening, ready to greet visitors, serve coffee, and give of her time to welcome the community to our new social activity hub.
June is now the volunteer coordinator for the Dub Hub where she continues her Monday morning coffee socials from 9 am to 12 noon. She also ensures all events are covered by one of several volunteer hosts.
June retired from her position at the Dublin Post Office in March 2014 after 28 years and was ready to give of her time within three months of her retirement.
“I was looking for something to do to get out of the house and I had a connection with this building because my cousin Charlie Burt once ran it as the general store. I missed the socialization I had with my work at the Post Office and wanted to find something to do that would fill that part of my life. I’ve met a lot of new people in town I didn’t know because they were on the mail route and didn’t come into the Post Office.”
June grew up in Keene and first worked at New England Telephone as a phone operator for 10 years before moving to Dublin to raise her son and daughter and work at the Post Office.
June also volunteers for the Dublin Community Church suppers held every fourth Tuesday of the month and assists at the Dub Hub’s free luncheons that are held on the third Tuesday of every month.
So stop by any Monday morning and say hello. June would love to see you and share a cup of coffee, play Scrabble or a game of cards…
If you think you may like to volunteer a few hours a month at the Dub Hub, give June a call at 563-8467.
Ruth Thompson writes about Dubliners who volunteer anywhere. If you would like to be contacted, email DublinAdvocate@nullgmail.com and Ruth will be in touch.
Western Waterways of Dublin
Part One: 13 miles of streams and 525 acres of still waters that feed Minnewawa Brook.
By Traceymay Kalvaitis
Imagine flying like a bird headed northward over Monadnock. Hover there, over the summit with the conical mass of the mountain beneath you; picture the face of a clock, hands anchored on the summit and the 12, over in Harrisville, corresponding to North.
Now, to fully grasp the area we will explore, begin with the hour hand on 10 o’clock and trace its arc all the way over to 1 o’clock. We have just covered one-quarter of the area of Monadnock, and the hour hand, at 1, is running directly over the highest points in town (from summit of Monadnock, down Pumpelly Ridge, across 101 by Lake Road and over to Beech Hill).
This pie-shaped wedge of land, covering 10.5 square miles of area, is etched with 13 miles of streams that spread out like the five fingers of a hand reaching in from Chesham in the Northwest. The five small feeder streams, called tributaries, carry raindrops from the highlands of Monadnock, Beech Hill, and the entire Northwest corner of our town. The waters come to rest in a series of ponds you can see on the map.
In three-dimensional space, the ponds are like stairsteps. Dublin Lake, at the highest elevation of 1,479 feet, is sounded to a depth of 113 feet and covers 239 acres. Dark Pond, its closest neighbor, is 90 feet lower in elevation and on a separate tributary. Moving downstream and another 100 feet lower, the waters rest once again in the three ponds that comprise Howe Reservoir. The Reservoir’s total surface area in summer months is 258 acres, just 19 acres more than Dublin Lake. From Howe, the waters cross our town line before entering Russell Reservoir and the Minnewawa Brook (in Marlborough). The Minnewawa empties into the Ashuelot (Keene) and from the Ashuelot into the mighty Connecticut River (our state’s western boundary) where it eventually meets the salty waters of Long Island Sound.
Consider for a moment the value of the contribution Dublin waters offer. How clean must they be, with their origins in the mossy springs of our highlands? How important are our intact forests for ensuring purity of our waters? Are zoning regulations that protect the filtering wetlands and call for 100 foot buffers really necessary? It’s a long way from here to Long Island Sound, yet our waters here in Dublin are linked to those ocean waters, molecule-to-molecule.
The next article in this series will spotlight Howe Reservoir and surrounding forests.
Traceymay Kalvaitis is a member of the Dublin Conservation Commission.
Quote from Masuro Emoto’s The Hidden Messages in Water:
“…the earth plays the vital role of purifying the water circulating in the solar system, and then returning it to the universe. Then whose responsibility is it to purify this water that has arrived on the earth? It is ours, humankind’s. And this is because we are ourselves water. Having been born here, we all have the responsibility to purify the water on the earth. As I ponder the long and marvelous journey that water takes through the universe I find myself thinking about such things as the origin and future of humankind. But if we consider that we are water, then the answer to many of these mysteries becomes clear….”
https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Messages-Water-Masaru-Emoto/dp/0743289803
September Events at the Hub
September’s Artist
Featured at an opening reception for painter Edith Tuttle’s September show at the Dublin Community Center on September 2 from 5 to 7 pm will be her just-finished portrait of Michelle Freeman, whom many know as the co-owner of the Dublin General Store.
Edie’s watercolors are lively with bold, strong design, and her oils are a blend of traditional realism with an undercurrent of something more modern.
Edie opens her studio as part of the Art Tour sponsored by Monadnock Arts/Friends of the Dublin Art Colony many Octobers. She also shows at the Sharon Arts Center gallery and on the Art Wall at the Harrisville General Store.
Edie grew up in an artistic family and learned to paint more through osmosis than formal lessons, though she studied with Roger Martin, a founder of the Montserrat School of Art in Beverly, MA.
Please join her at the opening reception where light refreshments will be served.
2nd Annual Chicken Barbeque
At the end of last summer, the Community Center held its first-ever Community Chicken Barbeque and it was a huge success! Join us again this year on September 3 from 5 to 7 pm at the Dub Hub. We will be serving chicken, beans, coleslaw, corn, cornbread, drinks and dessert. There will be live music played by our monthly Open Mic musicians for all to enjoy as we say farewell to summer and begin the fall season here in Dublin! Tickets can be reserved by calling 563-8471, 563-8467, or by stopping into the Community Center during open hours. Tickets are $10 for an adult; $6 for children 10 and under.
Fall Zumba Begins September 12
Zumba Fitness taught by Deb Giaimo will begin its new eight-week Fall Session on Monday, September 12, and continue through October 31. The class will meet on both Columbus Day and Halloween, when participants are encouraged to wear costumes to get into the spirit of the day.
Deb’s Zumba classes meet every Monday from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the Hub. The cost for eight classes is $35 with an alternative 4-class pass available for $28. Anyone new to Deb’s Zumba classes is invited to try a class for free. It is recommended that participants wear loose, comfortable clothes and shoes with minimal tread. Because street shoes should not be worn on the dance floor, please bring your workout shoes with you, and remember to bring water.
Parking is at the rear of the Dub Hub or adjacent to the Church. Enter the building through the door at the back of the building. For more information, call Deb at 563-8648.
Dublin Walking Tour
The Dublin Historical Society and the Dublin Community Center have teamed up to bring you the Dublin Walking Tour on September 10 at 2 pm (meet at Hub) thanks to the New Hampshire Humanities Council. The area covered by this walk contains some 60 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as about 25 newer structures. This village is characterized by generally harmonious architecture, primarily residential, largely of well-kept frame houses dating from the late 18th to the early 20th century. The village retains the scale and density of a mid-19th century village. Some of the places to be featured will be the Levi Leonard House, the Ebenezer Greenwood House and the Henry C. Piper house.
What’s in a Name – Meryman Road
By Felicity Pool
In the 1880s, three houses were constructed along the approximate site of what is now Meryman Road. They were built one at a time by William K. Browne, a Boston physician and friend of another Bostonian, General Caspar Crowninshield, who had built a year-round home atop Beech Hill in 1878.
The first house to be built was Fairview, now owned by the Merymans. Browne then built Lochstead at what is now the Silverthorne/Amory property and, in 1888, his building spree concluded with construction of Owl’s Nest, now owned by the Nagys. Tax rolls from 1893 value Browne’s properties as “3 residences and land $10,000”; he owned them for another 20 years.
Next door, to the west of these properties, was Stonlea, built by St. Louis tobacco magnate Daniel Catlin in 1888-89, recently renovated by the late Polly Guth. By 1890 Catlin had successfully petitioned the Selectmen for a redirection of the old road so it no longer cut through his property. The resulting layout is the present Meryman Road.
Fairview, Lockstead, and Owl’s Nest had all changed hands many times by the 1930s. Peter Latchis purchased Owl’s Nest around 1935 and over the years created gardens, a pond and installed a swimming pool on the land between his house and the lake. An untitled painting by artist Richard “Wig” Meryman, who had bought the neighboring Fairview at a silent auction in 1923, probably depicts the resultant beauty and is part of the permanent collection at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery.
Peter Latchis bought the Lochstead place across the road after a noisy summer when renters in the 11-bedroom house disturbed neighborhood tranquility. His brother John’s family demolished the house in 1969 and incorporated woodwork salvaged from Lochstead in the brick house there today. The former Lochstead carriage house still stands, having been renovated for residential use.
Felicity Pool is a member of the Dublin Historical Society.
About Those Purple Boxes in the Trees
“Purple boxes looking like box kites are being hung in New Hampshire ash trees once again as part of efforts to detect emerald ash borer, an invasive insect that had obliterated ash forests throughout the Midwest,” according to the Nashua Telegraph (May 26, 2012), in “Traps hung in NH ash trees to detect destructive beetle.”
A worker installs an emerald ash borer (EAB) trap in this undated photo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The trap uses color and scent to attract the insect, which are held by its sticky surfaces. Photo courtesy USDA
The article explains, “The metallic green beetle is native to Asia. It was first found in the Detroit area in 2002, but it’s believed to have been accidentally imported in the 1990s.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food are joining with a natural resources company to survey for the beetle (Agrilus planipennis), a wood-boring insect that has attacked and destroyed tens of millions of ash trees in 15 states.”
For more information about EAB or the survey program, contact the N.H. Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food, Division of Plant Industry at 271- 2561 or www.agriculture.nh.gov.
September at the Players
By Fred Leventhal
Concluding a successful summer season, the Peterborough Players presents two provocative recent dramas in September. God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, author of Art, was the recipient of the 2009 Tony Award for the best new play. In it two sets of Brooklyn parents attempt to resolve a playground altercation between their eleven-year-old sons. Explosive conduct and inflammatory language overwhelm preliminary civilities in this comedy that satirizes modern day social interactions and parenting practices. Directed by Gus Kaikkonen, God of Carnage stars veteran actors David Breitbarth, Tom Frey, Kate Hampton, and Susan Riley Stevens and will be performed from August 31 to September 11.
The season’s final production, Cry Havoc, written and performed by Stephan Wolfert, is the story of one veteran’s struggle with and recovery from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Wolfert enacts his own experiences and leads the audience on an interactive journey to meet other veterans to probe one of the most vexing military problems of our age. Cry Havoc will be presented for only five performances September 14 to 18.
Tickets are also now available for HD performances from the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal National Theatre, and the Bolshoi Ballet.
For more information, on the 2016-2017 Arts on Screen season, call the box office at Peterborough Players, 603-924-7585, or visit online at www.peterboroughplayers.org.
Fred Leventhal has been a Trustee of the Peterborough Players since 2006.
Walden School Ends Season
The Walden School just wrapped up another successful summer on the campus of the Dublin School. What a beautiful season! Hundreds of visitors came to Dublin for both of our programs. The Creative Musicians Retreat (adults) ran for eight days, and the Young Musicians Program (ages 9-18) was in residence for five weeks.
We hosted many renowned artists who are spectacular performers, such as the Mivos Quartet, Aurora Nealand & the Mississippi Gipsy, and the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). Our stellar faculty and staff served as caring teachers and mentors to more than 50 students from around the world. They demonstrated how to be goofy, sophisticated, creative, and confident communicators.
More than 100 new works debuted here in Dublin by both faculty and students. We enjoyed weekly hikes and dances, open mics, and swimming in the lake.
We want to thank you, our supportive community, and invite you to stay in touch with us about next summer’s events. We hope you will come out to one of our many free offerings in 2017, or the choral concert to celebrate our 45th Anniversary Season with us! You can find The Walden School online at waldenschool.org.
Eleventh Annual Wellness Festival Is September 24
“Your Health and Fitness Connection”
Join the Monadnock Rotary Club for its Eleventh Annual Wellness Festival on Saturday, September 24, from 9 am to 3 pm at the Peterborough Community Center. Included will a HealthFest, FitnessFest, and SoupFest.
The Monadnock Wellness Festival is the premier annual health and fitness event in southwestern New Hampshire, serving the greater Monadnock community. There is no admission charge for the Festival, but a donation is requested to sample the soups during the popular SoupFest. Any proceeds from the Festival are donated to local not-for-profit health-related organizations and the food bank.
The Monadnock Wellness Festival promotes health and fitness via wellness screenings, educational programming, fitness demonstrations, and healthy food for people of all ages.
Preceding the Festival is the ConVal Walk for Wellness, with registration beginning at 7:30 am at the Peterborough Community Center. The approximately 5K walk/run kicks off at 8 am.
During the final hour of the Festival, noted local birdwatcher Tom Warren will conduct a birdwalk at MacDowell Reservoir, leaving from the Community Center at 2 pm.
Monadnock Rotary Club, based in Dublin, is dedicated to community service. The Club’s primary interests are health advocacy and youth development in the Monadnock Region. Platinum sponsors of the Festival are Monadnock Community Hospital and the Bond Wellness Center. Gold sponsors include the Monadnock Radio Group and the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. Silver sponsors are Northeast Delta Dental, Lake Sunapee Bank, Time Frame American Promotions, and Silver Direct.
The Club is part of Rotary International, a worldwide service organization of more than 1.2 million members.
The River Center’s Fall Programs
By Margaret Nelson
Offerings this fall at The River Center include Parenting programs: Morning groups include Tuesday Parenting Tweens and Teens; Wednesday ‘Is This Normal Behavior?’ for parents of young children; Thursday a ten-week Effective Parenting Workshop and the Farm to Table program for parents and children; Friday parenting group at the United Church of Jaffrey.
Monthly Tuesday Topics for Parents begins September 20 with ‘Navigating your Child’s IEP/504. There is also a group for Grandparents who are parenting their grandchildren, and on Monday mornings Tinker Tots is for preschoolers with a STEM focus.
Looking for work? Individual appointments are available or join the Job Seekers Meet-Up on Tuesdays at noon. Every other Tuesday at 1 pm is an open time for online job application and assistance is available.
To register for one of our programs or to connect with community resources, contact us at 924-6800 or www.rivercenter.us.
Margaret Nelson (mnelson@nullrivercenter.us) is Executive Director at The River Center: Family and Community Resource Center, now located at 9 Vose Farm Rd., Suite 115 in Peterborough, across from EMS on Route 202.
The Gyrfalcon
By Tom Warren
In the midst of a hot, muggy summer, I highlight the largest of all falcons, the Gyrfalcon, which inhabits the circumpolar regions of the world, north of the Arctic Circle. This raptor is occasionally seen at the New Hampshire Seacoast in late autumn and winter.
In the 13th century, Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen wrote, “The Gyrfalcon holds pride of place over even the Peregrine Falcon in strength, speed, courage and indifference to stormy weather.”
The bird was treasured by emperors, kings, and nobles for centuries as a bird trained for falconry. King Phillip Augustus of France lost a white Gyrfalcon during the siege of Acre in Syria in 1104. The bird flew over city walls and was captured and given to Saladin, the Syrian leader. A ransom of 1,000 gold ducats was offered for its return, but Saladin refused all offers.
In 1396 the future Duke of Burgundy was captured by the Turks. No matter how much gold and jewels were offered, the Turks refused to release their prisoner until they were offered 12 white Gyrfalcons. The prisoner was then released immediately.
The Gyrfalcon ranges in color from white to dark. About 15,000 live in polar and subarctic regions of the world. Females are about 35% larger than males.
They nest high on rocky cliffs, but may use old nests of Ravens and Golden Eagles. Usually they have two young, which hatch after 35 days and remain in the nest for 50 days.
While they can stoop on prey at 200 miles per hour, they are even faster on the level, able to capture speedy waterfowl above them. Ability to climb at rapid speed is what made them the preferred raptor for falconers.
Weather is a major cause of mortality, snowstorms being the main reason, when the young are in the nest. Nests with a southerly orientation suffer less mortality than nests facing north.
The best opportunity to see a white Gyrfalcon is when watching the Air Force Academy playing football on TV. The Gyrfalcon is the team mascot. It is also the national bird of Iceland. One was caught in a banding trap at Logan Airport and returned for several years to the same location in Boston during the winter.
Tom Warren is Dublin’s resident ornithologist, and serves as a trustee of both the Harris Center and the Audubon Society.
International Tractor Show
In Mid-August the International Tractor Show was held at the Cricket Hill Farm Field in Dublin off Rte. 101. The show featured solely International tractors and equipment, with buggy rides for children, rows of Farmalls and working exhibits, people who make the meet happen, and enthusiasts of all ages from far and wide.
[Photos by Margaret Gurney]
Organizer of the show Matthew Petz, President of the International Harvester Collectors Club Chapter 18 (based out of New England), is flanked by two assistants at lower right. At lower right, Cles Staples, Dave Whitney, and Peter Thomas were on hand to assist in a pretty big way. More then 150 exhibitors and 350 attendees came to the two-day event held in the Cricket Hill Farm Field in August.
Food Pantries Merge in Peterborough
“People Helping People Since 1996”
Effective October 1, the Monadnock Area Food Pantry located at All Saints Church will merge with the Peterborough Food Pantry located at the Peterborough Community Center on Elm Street in Peterborough. This merger comes as a result of the two managers of the Monadnock Area Food Pantry, Meredith White and her husband Gary Armstrong, deciding it was time to retire after almost 20 years of dedicated volunteer service.
When the Monadnock Area Food Pantry closes its doors on September 27, all customers, volunteers, and donors are immediately welcomed at the Peterborough Food Pantry. The Peterborough Food Pantry will extend its operating hours to include Saturdays from 9 am to 12 noon beginning on October 1.
The community and all involved are delighted with this merger, as both pantries have had duplicate missions, serving hungry families in the region for almost 20 years. “By joining together, we can eliminate confusion for our donors and customers,” said Christine Mann, Board President of the Peterborough Food Pantry. “This is a very logical next step to continue our mission.”
The Peterborough Food Pantry serves the hungry from 13 local area towns including Dublin, Hancock, Francestown, Greenfield, Greenville, New Ipswich, Bennington, Rindge, Peterborough, Antrim, Jaffrey, Sharon and Temple.
Operating hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 12 noon. The Peterborough Food Pantry is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, with an all-volunteer staff and board.
Hunting Seasons Start September 1
Find more information about hunting in New Hampshire at huntnh.com/hunting.
New Hampshire’s hunting seasons kick off on September 1 with the opening of black bear and gray squirrel seasons. Archery seasons for turkey and white-tailed deer get underway September 15. The statewide resident Canada goose hunt runs September 1-25.
Highlights of New Hampshire’s hunting seasons can be found in the newly published 2016-17 New Hampshire Hunting and Trapping Digest, which includes New Hampshire hunting season dates, bag limits, check stations and more. Hunters and trappers can pick up a free copy from their local Fish and Game license agent when they buy their license, or view it online at www.huntnh.com/hunting/publications.html.
Dial DigSafe
To prevent harm to underground telephone, gas, electric or cable facilities, call ahead of time. Before you even plan to dig on your property, be sure to call a DigSafe Center (toll free 811), and they will notify all participating member utility companies of your excavation work. If there are underground facilities in your area, DigSafe will notify member utility companies to send out a crew to mark their underground lines for free. Remember to premark with white lines.
(You are responsible to notify any nonmember utilities.) This preventative measure will eliminate the possibility of damage and save you the expense of costly repairs. NH requires three business days’ prior notice.
For information, call toll free 811, or visit DigSafe at www.digsafe.com.