Our Police Chief Retires
Jim leaves a legacy of respect and admiration.
By Margaret Gurney
As Jim Letourneau prepares to retire as Dublin’s police chief, effective 12/31/13, to take on seasonal duties at a ranch in Montana, he reflects on how much he has learned, how he cares about our community, and how grateful he is for his family and the sacrifices they have made.
But we have our say too, as feedback from citizens points to his success as our chief after 25 years of serving Dublin in law enforcement.
“He was the perfect small town police chief,” said one person who has just moved east one town. “He knew where the problems were, when to come down hard and when to come down lightly. When one boy grew alarmed at a strange car in his driveway, Jim talked him through it.”
That is one area Jim feels strongly about. He said he has told his new officers to “make relationships in town, these are the people you serve. Encourage them to come in and talk.”
In addition to handling the usual traffic situations — often in weather on our dear Route 101 — Jim has good relations with the fire chief, highway department, selectmen, and schools in town. On a lighter note, he has been seen handing out candy at Halloween, running DARE programs at the local public school since 1992, and inspecting bicycles at Playground.
Three local school heads chime in. May Clark of DCS reports that “Chief Letourneau has been the DARE officer at Dublin Consolidated School for more than 20 years. Each year, he becomes a big part of the fifth grade class, endearing himself to the children, and thereby building that all-important ongoing relationship with our young people, as they have grown up. He carefully taught them, listened to them, and played basketball with them, getting to know each of them each year. Jim has been our go-to guy for troublesome situations, and has always been a sounding board and a strong presence whenever we ask him to school. Year in and year out, he has been a calm voice of reason and support. Thank you, Jim, for being such a good friend to us and to all our students.”
Temple Brighton of Mountain Shadows School writes, “Whether shepherding the safe arrival of the “Great Pumpkin” during our annual Halloween school event or providing his wisdom and guidance in matters of a more terrestrial nature, Jim has been a loyal friend, a gentle and valued mentor for the students of Mountain Shadows, and an inspiration for what each of us can only hope to achieve in our chosen field of service. We will miss Jim, of course, but we are also very excited about his new adventures in Montana and are comforted by the knowledge that Chief Letourneau will continue to be a caring and involved member of our beautiful town, Dublin.”
Brad Bates, Head of Dublin School adds, “I want to congratulate Jim Letourneau on his retirement and thank him for his service to Dublin School and the wider Dublin community. He has been wonderfully supportive of our students and faculty and has been a voice of reason and wisdom through both good times and difficult ones. Jim has a heart of gold and always works to find the right solution for everyone involved. We will miss him and wish him the very best on his next adventure.”
Jim says that “In this town, everybody waves, some stop to talk. I’ve grown genuinely concerned about the people here I live and work with.” Although Jim admits not knowing everyone in town, he says he will miss the citizens he does know. “The core and foundation of this town is great, and all the volunteers…”.
Plus, Jim has felt supported all through his tenure, by the selectmen as well as the townspeople. Starting out in a one-room police “station,” and now housed in a proper office next to the Town Hall, running a professional department that is fiscally responsible, he says “this town is a great place to work, raise a family, and,” he adds, “I’m not moving.” His wife, two young-adult children, and mother still live in town. “I’ll still live in this community.” He’ll commute seasonally.
Jim remarks that he’s grown as a person in this job over these years. He started in January 1989, hired by then Police Chief Joe McLean, and served under Earl Nelson before he was appointed Chief in February 1997. “If I knew then what I know now,” he muses. But he’s impressed “about how this community cares, how it pulls together in time of need, how well we settle issues and vet out problems.”
He says he’s going to miss the citizens, his fellow employees, some of whom he has worked with since 1997, like Vira Elder. And while he says he cares about the needs of our citizens, and will help out whenever he can, like training the next police chief and providing a smooth transition, he could not pass up the opportunity when offered the job at a Montana ranch.
Jim voices appreciation for the experiences he’s had in town. He has gotten satisfaction from helping residents get through tough times in their lives.
“We provide a good service, but I walk away feeling that it’s been a great thing for me, because of those incidents, that can be both humbling and rewarding.” He adds, “It’s the right time to go.”
Margaret Gurney is editor of the Advocate.
Dublin Public Library
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. To mark this occasion, during November the library will display books recalling President Kennedy’s life and death.
The poet Thomas Hood said it best when he wrote, “No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! — November!” We still have so much to be thankful for here in beautiful Dublin, NH, especially the Dublin Public Library where you can borrow wonderful books and movies. The Wednesday morning story time will introduce owls on November 6 with stories and a puppet craft. We will follow a pattern and learn how to weave and quilt on November 13. Wednesday, November 20, is National Child Day in Canada and on November 27, “Let’s Make a Turkey!” The library will celebrate with special displays through the end of the month showing how thankful we are for the children of Dublin. Drop in for a minute or an evening with your family during this month of Thanksgiving; we look forward to seeing you.
The Garden Club of Dublin has presented the library with some new gardening books. A book on composting called Compost the Natural Way to Make Food for Your Garden by K. Thompson; a beautiful book about lilies, their history and their impact on history, plus Lily by M. Reiss. These are just two of the four books given to the library.
Books:
Three Can Keep a Secret by A. Mayor
The Signature of All Things by E. Gilbert
Burial Rites by H. Kent
The Lowland by J. Lahiri
The Final Cut by C. Coulter
My Brief History by S. Hawking
Trunk or Treat
Families are invited to drop by the Mountain View Bible Church parking lot at 81 Page Road and trick or treat from car to car on October 31 from 5:30-7:30 pm during Dublin’s trick or treating hours. Hot dogs, cider, donuts and coffee will be available. This is a free community event and will be held rain or shine. In the event of rain, we will move inside.
The Merymans, of Meryman Road
By Rusty Bastedo
Dick and Liz Meryman met as single parents of, respectively, two girls and two boys who attended the same West Greenwich Village school in Manhattan. Dick and Liz both worked in the publishing world, Dick as editor and writer for Life magazine, Liz as art director for The Sciences magazine. They began having a morning cup of coffee together after school drop-offs. Dick and Liz found they shared attitudes about life, and a common love of art and literature. They had similar senses of what was important to pursue as they moved along their career paths.
Dick and Liz married in 1980. The family summer home on Meryman Road was purchased by Dick’s father, called “Wig” by generations of Dubliners. Wig was a student of Dublin’s Abbott Thayer, and became a well-known portrait and landscape painter. He was Director of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, in Washington, until the Corcoran’s board of directors decided they needed someone else, and Wig moved the family to the Dublin house he had purchased by chance, with a silent bid at a 1932 auction. That is where Dick grew up.
Today, the Merymans’ 1870s Queen Anne Revival style house expands and contracts without difficulty as their children, their spouses and grandchildren come and go. During the fall, winter and spring Dick and Liz live in Greenwich Village, and they continue to pursue their writing and art consulting careers. Their adjoining offices allow for a free flow of shared information, imprecations and laughter, and a now-vanishing world of magazine writing and editing lives on for them. After almost 40 years of marriage, the Merymans prove that two are still better than one.
Russell Bastedo was formerly New Hampshire State Curator from 1997 to 2009. He has served on the staff of the Advocate since its inception.
Lucia Sirois Awarded Boston Post Cane
Name the Center
The opening of the new Dublin Community Center is approaching, with an anticipated launch before the end of the year. Now the new Center is looking for a name!
The DCC Board invites all area residents to exercise their creativity and submit suggested names to our email address, dublincommunitycenter@nullgmail.com, by November 10.
All entries will be considered: fun, catchy, descriptive, sentimental, historic, you choose your submission! The winner will receive a gift certificate for a large pizza from Main Crust Pizza Co. in Marlborough, and will be announced in the next issue of the Advocate. Thank you!
Keeping the Beat at DCP
By Cathy Carabello
Two mornings every week are received with greater enthusiasm than all others at Dublin Community Preschool. This marks the third year that we are fortunate enough to have Assistant Teacher, Jess Harrison, on staff and providing an exceptional music education program to our preschoolers.
Through fun, interactive exercises, Miss Jess teaches the children basic concepts such as rhythm, tempo, loud and soft. Songs and activities are chosen as a further extension of our theme-based learning. The teaching happens through body movements, using simple musical instruments and voice. Many different styles of music are incorporated into the lessons as well as exposure to a variety of instruments. It has been amazing to witness the progression of learning as these three-, four- and five-year olds begin to identify different notes and rhythms! By the end of the year, the children are able to create a musical presentation as a group.
Jess’s enthusiasm is contagious and we often find ourselves singing our way through the day!
Young children are like sponges when it comes to learning new things and the musical exposure these children are getting is a gift that is likely to last a lifetime.
Cathy Carabello is the director/lead teacher of DCP.
Crop Walk A Big Success
Vigil of Hope
In Recognition of the 50th Anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s passage of the Community Mental Health Act, everyone is invited to join Monadnock Family Services staff and friends for a vigil at Central Square, Keene.
Beginning at 5 pm on Wednesday, October 30, and lasting until 8 am October 31st, the vigil will be followed by a brief ceremony at 8 pm. You can dedicate a candle to a loved one who lost to, or suffering from, mental illness. For details, please contact Lucy Shonk (lshonk@nullmfs.org) or call 283-1568.
News from Dublin Consolidated School
By May Clark
It has been such a busy start to school this year that I feel we have barely looked up during the first two months! We’ve completed all the required testing, and have established consistent routines for our students, even the group of 20 in the Kindergarten/first grade multi-age class. We are already able to target instruction to individual needs, and we’ve had visits from our friends at Cornucopia, Harris Center, and ConVal Arts Integration.
Our technology wizards have gotten us re-started with the year-old library/media software called Destiny, which enables children and teachers to search the whole of the ConVal library system for print resources, and to search the internet for classroom research safely.
We took a wonderful trip at the end of September to the Norway Hill Orchard and Cornucopia garden in Hancock, and have been enjoying various apple concoctions created by children and adults ever since.
Aquatic invertebrates, worms, dinosaurs and good old garden insects have been the subjects of study. On October 5th, we hosted a forum on the subject of Garden to Preschool. Eighty people showed up to a well-organized and presented series of workshops and garden visits, put on by UNH and Cornucopia.
The ConVal School Board held its second October meeting at our school, and the PTO organized a delicious Harvest Supper and Walk to School Day at the end of the month.
All our friends at the top of the hill will be ready for us on Halloween, as we march up to Yankee Publishing on the beautiful new sidewalk.
November will bring us our annual weeklong New Hampshire Dance Institute residency, and parent/teacher conferences will happen just before Thanksgiving.
You are all welcome to come and see our wonderful school! Just call or email first to let us know you are coming.
May Clark is Teaching Principal at DCS. She can be reached at 563-8332 or mclark@nullconval.edu.
Dublin School Dedicates New Boathouse
By Ramona Branch
The dedication of a new boathouse for Dublin School’s water sports program was held on October 5th, during Alumni Weekend. Lake sports at the School include sailing, kayaking, canoeing and ice skating.
The new facility was given to the Dublin School by Ned Whitney, Lifetime Trustee, and has recently undergone extensive renovations. Ned, a longtime resident of Dublin and a boating enthusiast, built the large boathouse on Dublin Lake for his family many years ago. The boathouse is a two-story building with an expansive porch on the top floor. It has a U-shaped dock, two dressing rooms and storage for kayaks, dry suits and PFDs.
At the dedication, Brad Bates, Head of Dublin School, welcomed alums, school friends and members of the Whitney family. “This boat house has so many uses for us,” he said. “It will also build a real sense of community.”
Richard Whitney and his wife, Jackie, attended representing the Whitney family. Richard told the group that his father’s goal was for the boathouse to ‘go to the kids.’ He said, “My father didn’t like to waste time or talent. He got upset when a person wasn’t living up to their potential. He saw this boathouse as a way to enrich the kids’ lives. He wanted it to be filled with the kids’ laughter.”
Ramona Branch is on the staff of the Advocate.
Peter’s Pondering
By Peter Hewitt
As you “mature,” everything seems to go by faster and faster.
Within my lifetime there appeared talking movies, automatic transmissions, jet airplanes, televisions, computers, and all the related gear.
Now I find myself looking around for things that haven’t changed. In the grocery store there are still Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Campbell’s Soups, Coca-Cola bottles, and Hershey bars. Brooks Brothers is still in New York, and Steinway pianos still sound great. We still have the Red Sox, the Bruins, the Patriots, and the Celtics in Boston.
And, according to the Channel 5 weatherman, it’s still colder in Orange, Mass., than anyplace else around Boston.
Peter Hewitt, a former Dubliner, retired to RiverMead a few years ago.
Christina Ahern and the Monadnock Academy of Movement Arts
By Rusty Bastedo
Christina’s mother was a costumer, living with her children and a dance company in Philadelphia. Christina grew up surrounded by bolts of fabric, the sounds of a sewing machine and the hustle and bustle of a dance company. When Christina’s mother, newly divorced when Christina was 10 years old, saw a newspaper advertisement seeking students for a local dance school it was a natural “fit” for Christina to be enrolled.
Before Christina was a teenager she had to decide whether she wanted to dedicate her life and training to being a performer in dance, or to aiming for life as a dance educator; those choices have to be made before the teenage years. Christina opted for the latter course, and after education at the Pennsylvania School of Performing Arts and the University of the Performing Arts, Christina has lived the life she has chosen, teaching dance to Monadnock Region residents aged three years and up.
For 14 years, Christina worked with a fellow dance educator, teaching dance at a jointly owned Peterborough dance studio. The partnership dissolved in summer of 2013 and since that time Christina has operated her Monadnock Academy of Movement Arts (18 Depot Square, Peterborough) as Artistic Director. Currently six instructors teach ballet, jazz dance, tap, modern dance, hiphop and acrobatics at her dance academy. Acrobatics (which, like modern dance, is taught with bare feet) is the most popular choice among the academy’s 139 students as of this writing.
Christina’s world of music and dance has been passed on to her three grown children. Douglass runs a break dance crew in Portland, ME; Shawn dances professionally as a member of Pilobolus Dance Theatre, New York City; and Riley, who recently graduated from Keene State College with a degree in dance, teaches and dances with the Weather Makers, a new Monadnock Region dance company.
So Christina Ahern, who raised her children here in Dublin, grew up with a family tradition of passing on the world of dance, music and the arts from one generation to the next; a tradition that meshes well with the Monadnock Region’s century-long tradition of arts spanning the generations.
Rusty Bastedo is on the staff of the Advocate.
Timber Harvest Tour: November 14
Come to the Weld Forest in Dublin at 8 am.
Please join the New England Forestry Foundation and our consulting forester David Kent for a tour of our current timber harvest at The Weld Forest in Dublin. This walk is an opportunity for community residents and others to learn more about the goals of this harvest, as well as our approach to sound forest management on our woodlands throughout New England.
The Weld Forest is located on Old Troy Road in Dublin. Participants may meet at the forest sign.
[Directions: From the intersection of Route 137 and Route 101 in Dublin, NH, travel west on Route 101 for approximately 2.4 miles to East Lake Road. Bear left onto East Lake Road and proceed another 1.2 miles. Continue onto Old Marlborough Road for approximately 0.9 miles to its intersection with Old Troy Road. Turn left onto Old Troy Road and travel approximately 3.5 miles to the Weld Forest. It is located on the right (north) side of the road.]
Our harvest walks are open to the public free of charge, and they are held rain or shine. For more information or to register, please contact Sonya at SLeClair@nullNewEnglandForestry.org or call (978) 952-6856.
New England Forestry Foundation (www.NewEnglandForestry.org ) is a recognized leader in conserving working forests, educating the public about forestry, and assisting landowners in the long-term protection and sustainable management of their properties. NEFF owns and manages more than 135 demonstration forests, totaling more than 26,000 acres throughout New England. NEFF also holds 140 conservation easements, protecting 1.143 million acres of forestland.
DCA Celebrates 50th Anniversary
By Kevin Moody
A 50th anniversary is an important milestone for any organization. Looking back is certainly nostalgic, but more importantly, it reminds us of the countless ways God has sustained and provided for this ministry over 50 years. How DCA came to be is one of those stories of God’s providence that deserves recounting.
In 1963, the Mel and Leon Moody families lived in Panama City, Florida, each content in their place of service and neither seeking a different calling. But in 1964 Mel Moody felt a desire to move back to New England and wrote a letter to a friend in Maine asking to be considered if he knew of a church looking for a pastor. At the same time, in New Hampshire, Nelson and Ruth Blount believed there was a great need for Christian education in New England and had a personal desire to donate their own property for the establishment of a Christian school. The Blounts presented this idea to the same friend, who received Mel’s letter that very week. An excited phone call was made, and Mel agreed to consider this surprising proposition.
This was not at all what he had in mind when he imagined a ministry in New England. A Christian boarding school? Not a pastorate? Mel and Donna invited Leon and Barb Moody to consider joining them as a team, with Leon setting up the school’s academic framework and Mel serving as the overseer of the ministry and campus pastor.
Over the course of the next few months, both families became convinced that they should make the move to New Hampshire. They gave away or sold much of their household goods and packed the remainder of their worldly possessions into a U-Haul trailer and moved — sight unseen — from Panama City to Dublin in June of 1964. Nothing could have prepared them for those first few years. Page Road looked like the end of the world… nothing but woods, cows, dirt roads and farm buildings. They learned that the school had been named, dedicated and students were already enrolled for the fall. It seemed impossible to comprehend. To say that they were overwhelmed and discouraged would be an understatement. There was no time to ease into this new venture gradually. Dublin Christian Academy was expected to open in less than three months.
So they cried and they prayed for wisdom, and they went to work. Housing had to be acquired; staff had to be hired; kitchen supplies, beds and dressers had to be borrowed; curriculum and policies had to be established; classrooms had to be set up in the basement of the Blount’s home. Students and faculty helped in all phases of operation in the early days — kitchen, cleaning, mowing, haying, shoveling snow, milking cows, and general farm chores. In the years to follow, both couples looked back and agreed that without their faith, they would never have made it through those challenging formative years.
The Mel and Leon Moodys were pioneers in the Christian school movement in every sense of that word. Fifty years later we are truly grateful for their sacrifices, and the heritage of service and commitment that laid the foundation for the future of DCA.
Kevin Moody is Head of School at Dublin Christian Academy.
The Peregrine Falcon
By Tom Warren
With the fall migration at Pack Monadnock now half completed and with the number of raptors flying by the mountain reaching 10,000 on October 8th, raptor observers turn their attention to smaller numbers but some of the most spectacular birds in North America, foremost among these, the Peregrine Falcon.
The Peregrine Falcon is genetically programmed for high speed and acrobatic flight. It can capture birds as small as warblers and as large as geese reaching speeds of 200 miles an hour in a stoop. They and their cousin, the Gyrfalcon, are killing machines with no equal in the bird world.
While it is widely distributed throughout the world, the Peregrine Falcon has never been common. In North America they breed from the high Arctic in Greenland along the mountain ranges of both coasts and all the way to Mexico. The breeding population was about 10,000 to 12,000 pairs before DDT induced a decline and nearly caused the Peregrine Falcon to become extinct in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1965, the cause of the Peregrine Falcon’s decline was known to be the insecticides DDT and other organ chlorine pesticides. To save the Peregrine, a captive breeding program was started and DDT was banned. Today, they have made a remarkable comeback and some 50 to 75 birds pass the mountain ridges in the Monadnock Region on their autumn migration.
They formerly built their nests on cliffs and crags but today will often use buildings and bridges. In Manchester, for example, one nests on a downtown bank building.
Here in Dublin we see them on the ridgelines of Mount Monadnock when hiking in October and November. They especially prefer days with strong northwest winds following passage of cold fronts and even on cloudy days with a touch of snow in the air.
In winter they frequent tall buildings like The Custom House Tower in Boston where they control the pigeon population quite effectively.
To see this bird once, effortlessly flying against the brisk autumn winds of Mount Monadnock, is to witness the true wildness of nature.
Tom Warren is Dublin’s resident ornithological expert, a trustee of both the Harris Center and Audubon Society.
Dubliners Reach the Beach
By Mary Loftis
Dublin was well represented in the 15th annual Reach the Beach relay race in mid-September, which this year benefitted Alzheimer’s research. In addition to two teams of 12 runners each from Dublin School, two Dublin women ran.
Grisel Levene and Susie Vogel were members of the Wonder Women team that ran 205 miles from Cannon Mountain to Hampton Beach. Each runner was responsible for three legs of the race, which varied in distance and occurred during day and nighttime hours.
The race started in the rain on the morning of September 13, and teams had until 8 pm the next day to complete the distance. Runners reported that it was not just the running that posed the challenge, but the logistics of pressing on through the darkness and weather with little sustained rest. But they also reported being buoyed by the camaraderie of their teams, and one photo of the Wonder Women shows them jumping in jubilation in their super hero outfits with the Atlantic Ocean behind them. Grisel said that the best part of the race was “running with a bunch of women.”
Meanwhile, Dublin School’s two teams, Truth and Courage and Team Moxie, were each made up of eight students and four faculty members. Both finished with respectable times and enjoyed some friendly rivalry.
Mary Loftis is on the staff of the Advocate.
Dublin School Hosts Art Show
An exhibit of unique photography by artist David Mosher Long will open at the Putnam Gallery at Dublin School on November 1 and run through December 18. David Mosher Long studied photography at Bennington College, Rhode Island School of Design and Purdue University, and is a 2006 recipient of a Connecticut Commission on the Arts Artists Fellowship. His work has been shown in numerous venues, including The Gallery at Firehouse Square in New London, CT, and the VT PhotoPlace in Middlebury. Long is currently an associate professor of photography at Manchester Community College in Connecticut.
Long’s photographs juxtapose cultural artifacts and natural objects in an effort to combine exaggerated detail with off-kilter surrealism. The public is invited to the exhibition opening on Friday, November 1 from 6 to 8 pm on the campus of Dublin School. Refreshments will be served.
Monadnock at Home: Event & Programs
On a recent rainy October morning, over 30 Monadnock at Home (a nonprofit membership organization that helps seniors live independently at home) members gathered for a riverboat cruise down the Connecticut River on the Quinnetukut II out of Northfield, MA. Members departed full of an appreciation for the river, the beauty and power of nature and the happiness of sharing such a wonderful day with friends.
MaH has two upcoming programs open to members and non-members: On October 30th, a 7-week session of Qigong will begin at the Dublin Community Church. Qigong is a very gentle, but powerful eastern form of exercise, thousands of years old, that allows you to slow down and listen to your body. $35 for MaH members and $70 for non-members.
On November 7th at 10:30 am at the Hancock library, we are holding a Vital papers Log Book Seminar. This seminar will help you identify and consolidate your vital information into one place. The Log Book gives you peace of mind, knowing your loved ones will be able to access this information when needed. A $12 fee is for the notebook. Call Cindy Bowen at 371-0809 to sign up for programs.
The Junko Is a Rock Star
Film showing November 21 in Keene.
Readily found in backyards and city parks as well as wilder landscapes, juncos — little, gray songbirds sometimes known as “snowbirds” — can be easily overlooked. But for scientists who study animal behavior, ecology, and evolutionary biology, the Junco is a rock star. This visually stunning, feature-length documentary film brings to life more than 100 years of groundbreaking research in animal behavior, evolution and ecology featuring one of North America’s most abundant groups of songbirds. “Ordinary Extraordinary Junco: Remarkable Biology from a Backyard Bird” shows just how much wild bird studies can teach us — from how the body works to how new species form — in an exciting demonstration that absolutely nothing in nature is “ordinary.” Presented by Monadnock Conservancy, Harris Center for Conservation Education and Keene State College, and showing at the Putnam Arts Lecture Hall, Redfern Arts Center, Keene State College, Keene, NH. Call 603-358-2065 for further details.
State Parks Plate
NH State Park License Plate
Gain free entry into day-use state parks, support conservation.
In 2010, our state passed HB 1620, a law establishing a special registration plate to benefit the NH State Park System. This attractive plate is now available for purchase at Town Clerk offices.
For the extra fee of its purchase ($85 plus $8 plate fee (1st time), plus normal state fee), you gain admission to parks, including Greenfield State Park, Monadnock State Park, Moose Brook State Park, Mount Sunapee State Park, Odiorne Point State Park, Rye Harbor State Park, and more than a dozen other state parks scattered throughout NH.
For an additional fee (+$30), you can support State Parks while keeping your current plate or Moose plate. All revenues earned from the purchase of the NH State Parks license plate will be credited to the State Park Fund, which supports the daily operations of the NH State Parks system.
If you already have a conservation license plate (moose plate), it is possible to help conserve New Hampshire’s natural, historical and cultural heritage resources as well as support NH State Parks with a combination plate that will have both the Moose Plate and State Park plate logos on it. The annual cost would be $85 for the State Park fee and $30 for the Moose Plate fee in addition to normal registration fees, plus a one-time new plate fee of $8. Visit nhstateparks.org or ask Jeannine Dunne, our Town Clerk, to answer any further questions.
Nelson Hosts Folksinger
Songwriter, singer, guitarist and teacher Cosy Sheridan returns to New Hampshire and the Nelson Town Hall for a concert on Saturday, November 16 at 8 pm. 
Clear, expressive songwriting and light-as-air vocals have taken Cosy Sheridan from the folk music coffeehouses of northern New England to stages and festivals across the United States. Admission is $15/$12(senior, youth or in advance). Contact Larry Ames (lsames@nullworldpath.net) at Monadnock Folklore Society (www.monadnockfolk.org).
Grand Monadnock Healing Arts Festival
The second annual Grand Monadnock Healing Arts Festival will take place on November 9 in Peterborough. Meet the growing group of professional complementary and alternative, therapeutic healing arts practitioners and artists in the Grand Monadnock region of New Hampshire as well as the Heart of New England and beyond. Festivities will begin at 10 am and end at 4 pm at the Peterborough Community Center, 25 Elm Street, Peterborough, NH. The event is free and we encourage participants to bring a donation for the Peterborough Food Pantry.
A wide variety of services including healing arts and foods, intuitive readings, workshops, presentations, original hand crafted art work and entertainment will be provided. Practitioners will be on hand to answer questions and demonstrate therapies and healing arts. Over 30 exhibitors and vendors offer a multitude of books, crystals, gemstones, fashions, jewelry and more.
For further information about this pre-holiday event and exhibit space, please see our Facebook page: Grand Monadnock Healing Arts Festival; call Arlene Smith at 933-3294 or healthnurturer@nullgmail.com; or write Hancock Holistic Health Care, PO Box, 177, Hancock, 03449.