WinterFest Is February 9 —
Join your Dublin neighbors for a frosty day of fun!
By Jen Bergeron
The Dublin Recreation Committee invites you to our annual WinterFest celebration on Saturday, February 9th, from 11 am to 2 pm at the Dublin Consolidated School. Join us for a day of winter fun!
Last year we had to cancel due to lack of snow (these photos from the year before) so this year we are doing extra snow dances and hoping Mother Nature cooperates.
We will have music and a bonfire to help keep us warm. Hot chocolate, coffee, hot dogs and chili will also be provided. WinterFest’s main activities include Snowmobile Tow Rides (courtesy of the Monadnock Trailbreakers Snowmobile Club) and the famous Box Sled Race!
Qualifying heats for the Box Sled Race will start at 1 pm. Please arrive by 12:30 to register your box sled. Rules for the Box Sled Race are as follows:
1. The sliding surface of all sleds can be made of cardboard and duct tape only.
2. Sleds cannot be built on skis, manufactured sleds, snow tubes, cafeteria trays, etc.
3. Plastic, metal, and wood items may be used for ornamental purposes only.
Start designing and building your box sled now for the big race — or be there to cheer on the racers! You can also do traditional sledding before and after the races so bring your sled. Either way, think snow!
Jen Bergeron, a member of the Recreation Committee, can be reached at 563-8308 or email jberge@nullmyfairpoint.net.
Town of Dublin
Public Notice
Planning Board
Pursuant to N.H. R.S.A. 675:7, the Dublin Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 7:15 pm at the Dublin Town Hall to consider a proposal to revise Dublin’s Driveway Regulations. The proposal would change which town officials will have jurisdiction over driveways, make revisions to the requirement for engineered plans, and amend the application procedure, in addition to other changes. The full text of the proposed changes is available at the Town Hall during regular business hours.
By Direction of the Dublin Planning Board,
Neil R. Sandford, Dublin Planning Board Secretary
Dublin Public Library
During February, the Dublin Public Library Wednesday morning Story Time will focus on “All the Things We Love.”What child doesn’t love to curl up in pajamas and hear a story? February 6, Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney will be read to the group and then we will share Karen Katz’s book, My First Chinese New Year. We will have fortune cookies while we wish for good luck during 2013, the year of the snake. Decorating a cupcake and a card on February 13 will prepare us for Valentine’s Day, and Laura Numeroff’s storys will tell us what happens If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. Everyone loves a pet but sometimes the family doesn’t agree on what pet to bring home. I Want a Pet by Lauren Child will help solve the problem on February 20. I’m Good at Making Art and Beautiful Oops! will be read February 27 because we know the children who come to the library love making art projects. Programs are 9:30-10:30 with a different craft every week. Refreshments are served.
Haven’t time to read? Stop in the library to pick up directions on how to access “Downloadable Books.” The library has joined with other libraries in New Hampshire to form a consortium to make audio and eBooks available to our patrons. Currently there are more than 10,000 audio book titles and 11,000 eBook titles available for checkout.
Books
Me Before You by J. Moyes
Kinsey and Me by S. Grafton
The Last Runaway by T. Chevalier
The Death of Bees by L. O’Donnell
Here There and Elsewhere by W.L. Heat-Moon
FDPL Program Continues: Pick Up the Readings
By Catherine Boeckmann
Join us at the library on Saturday, February 16, for a cozy morning of book discussion and good company in the continuing series of “Recasting Monadnock’s Classics,” and focused on Thoreau’s Legacy.
It’s easy. The readings are sitting at the library counter to be picked up by anyone interested, including Thoreau’s Walden. Specifically, the readings for February 16 are “Brute Neighbors” from Walden by Henry David Thoreau and “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett. Or, you can bring your own copies (as well as download for free via Gutenberg.org).
Our moderator scholar will help us navigate these readings—and also highlight a related artist. We’ll meet from 10 am to 12 noon downstairs at the library. Coffee, fruit, and homemade donut holes served.
By February 16, you can also pick up readings for the March discussion, to be held Saturday, March 9, also from 10 am to 12 noon. They are “Spring” from Walden by Henry David Thoreau; “Sojourner,” an exquisite essay from Annie Dillard’s collection, Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters; and an artist (to be announced).
We thank the Friends of the Dublin Public Library (FDPL) and the NH Humanities Council.
Catherine Boeckmann is secretary for the FDPL.
FDPL Hosts Annual Book Sale
Thousands of titles, from art to stuff you never heard of.
Paperbacks 25 cents, Trade paperbacks 50 cents, Hardcover one dollar,
Oversize two dollars.
Free tapes and odds and ends, really old books from forgotten libraries.
Thursday, February 7th — 5:30 to 7:30, Early Bird Sale: $5 a person,
FDPL members free.
Saturday, February 9th — 9:30 to noon, free to all.
Preview of Budget —
A few changes in the presentation of the budget this year.
By Dale Gabel
The Town of Dublin Budget Committee — comprised of Nancy Campbell and Judy Knapp (Co-Secretaries), Tom Warren, K Horgan, Richard Scheinblum, Sterling Abram (Selectmen’s Representative) and myself (Chairman) — began development of the 2013 town budget in April 2012. Assisted by Town Administrator Sherry Miller, the Committee held meetings throughout 2012 to review the Town’s expenditures and revenues against the approved 2012 budget, to interview Department Heads and Committee Chairs regarding their individual 2013 budgets, and to review the aggregate operating budget proposed by the Board of Selectmen.
Prior to Town Meeting, the Budget Committee will propose and vote on revisions to the Board of Selectmen’s suggested budget. It will also vote to recommend or not recommend proposed warrant articles. This activity culminates in initial presentation of the Budget Committee’s recommended budget at a Budget Hearing in Town Hall on Tuesday, February 12 (February 13 snow date), followed by final presentation at Town Meeting in March 2013.
This year, townspeople will see a few changes in the presentation of the budget:
Employee health insurance information has been aggregated under one budget line to meet a strict interpretation of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) requirements, and Health Agency contributions and highway construction have been relocated from the operating expense budget and will be presented as warrant articles. It is felt by both the Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee that this will give the Town more visibility of those items and the opportunity to participate more actively in the process for approving them.
Budget Committee meetings are normally held at Town Hall on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm and are open to the public. Actual meeting dates are posted in Town Hall and the Post Office, and Sherry Miller has consistently kept current the Town’s online calendar with Budget Committee meeting information.
Minutes of meetings are posted on the bulletin board in Town Hall and at www.TownofDublin.org.
Dale Gabel is chairman of Dublin’s Budget Committee.
Dublin Women’s Club Pre-Town Meeting
By Nancy Campbell
The Dublin Women’s Club invites all interested citizens to attend the annual pre-town meeting forum on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 (snow date is Wednesday, March 6th) at 7 pm in the downstairs meeting room of the Town Hall.
Selectmen, Budget Committee representatives and department heads will be available to answer questions on the 2013 budget and warrant.
Refreshments and a short Women’s Club meeting will also be held.
Each year this event provides a valuable opportunity for townspeople to become acquainted with the issues before Town Meeting. We hope you will attend this meeting.
Nancy Campbell is treasurer of the Dublin Women’s Club.
Town of Dublin
Planning Board
Public Notice
The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 7:00 PM at the Dublin Town Hall to consider a proposal to revise Dublin’s Zoning Ordinance to bring the criteria for the granting of a variance into compliance with the New Hampshire Statutes. You are invited to appear in person or to respond in writing prior to the above meeting date to state reasons why you think the ordinance should be revised, or not, and why. Should a decision not be reached at the above hearing, the meeting will be continued to a later date and the proposal will remain on the Planning Board’s agenda until such time as a decision is rendered.
Neil R. Sandford
Dublin Planning Board Secretary
From, About, & For The Advocate
By Margaret Gurney
Since funding for The Advocate remains a Warrant Article again this year, we think it prudent to provide you with details regarding our financial proposal. The Advocate is seeking $4,400 this year from the Town, the same amount as last year.
Based on this past year’s performance, we project our advertising revenue to be about $7500 in 2013. Combined with town support and donations, our total revenue budget is $12,250.
Looking ahead on the expenses side for 2013, graphic design and the stipend for the editor remain the same as in 2012. Postage is actually less. This year, we have added expenses of our online presence; its ongoing maintenance handled by the editor. We do not expect expenses in printing and supplies to decrease. As a result of these anticipated expenses, our total expenditures for 2013 are projected at $10,700.
Our treasurer, Bill Goodwin, feels that only after two good years of showing a profit will we will be ready to ask for less from the town. He will be happy to answer any questions you might have regarding our proposed budget.
We hope to continue serving the town we all enjoy, and thank you for your continued support.
Margaret Gurney is editor of The Dublin Advocate.
Citgo Application Withdrawn; Second Hearing Canceled
By Bruce Simpson
Cheshire Oil announced that it is withdrawing its proposal to make major changes to the former Carr’s Store. On January 10th the ZBA held a public hearing on Cheshire Oil’s request for three variances needed to make the changes. A number of residents attended the January 10 hearing to learn more about the proposal and to express concerns and opinions. Attorney Thomas Hanna, engineer Rob Hitchcock, and architect Dan Scully detailed some of the changes, which in addition to the larger building, additional gas pumps and drive-through window, would include additional parking, a curbing around the paved area that would drain into an oil-water separator, and a solar energy system on the roof of the new building.
Attorney Hanna presented evidence to the Board in support of Cheshire Oil’s position that the nature of the improvements and the unique features of the property entitled the company to the required three variances, and stated that the changes would make the site more attractive, and safer in terms of traffic and potential for pollution.
Nearly all of the townspeople present disagreed. There was concern for the potential impact on neighboring wetlands, and many felt that the proposed store and gas station would not be in keeping with Dublin’s character. Abutters claimed that the changes would adversely affect neighboring properties by increasing traffic, lights and noise. Some felt that the changes were more for the benefit of people passing through Dublin on the highways, rather than for residents. Because of this opposition, Cheshire Oil has decided not to go forward with the proposal, and the second hearing originally scheduled for February 11th is canceled.
Bruce Simpson is chair of the Dublin Planning Board.
Changes at Police Department —
Tim Suokko promoted to Master Patrolman.
By Margaret Gurney
A certificate of promotion was awarded to Officer Tim Suokko “for exemplary conduct and excellence in patrol, continued outstanding job performance and qualifications that promote him to the rank of Master Patrolman.”
Signed by Chief of Police James Letourneau and Charles Champagne, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, the certificate was presented January 14th, with selectmen and Officer Joel Chidester present. Suokko was hired almost a year ago (see Advocate, March 2012, p. 3).
“It is an honor to get promoted,” said Suokko, who completed a course at a Supervisor’s School for policemen, and already has six years of experience as a policeman. “I look forward to many more years of service in the town of Dublin… it’s a beautiful town, with great people, very friendly,” he said.
You may have noticed an ad in the local papers seeking a new policeman for Dublin. That is to replace Joel Chidester, who will be moving on to Keene. Officer Suokko will assist in the training of the new officer, once hired.
Margaret Gurney is editor of the Advocate.
News from the Dublin Consolidated School
By May Clark
How’s this for a cool fundraiser? One of our DCS parents, Kelly Parker, is organizing a Zumba Night at DCS on February 1. It is open to everyone, anytime between 5 and 8 pm, or stay the whole time if you like!
The fee is $5 per person, with a maximum of $15 per family. The proceeds will all go to benefit the DCS PTO, which ultimately, of course, is for the benefit of DCS kids. It promises to be a fun winter Friday evening for all. We’d love to see you there!
In other DCS news, we’ve finished up our winter benchmark testing in reading and math. The new information is being used to help target instruction directly toward what children need. We are getting pretty good at this, and we are always glad when the testing part of it is done, so we can get on with learning! We also had lots of fun in January — thanks to Lara Scheinblum, the five-week ski program at Crotched Mountain went without a hitch (almost!), with 34 kids skiing on Thursday afternoons. Those children who stayed home enjoyed some great snowshoeing, with thanks to the Dublin Police Department for returning many of the snowshoes that were stolen a couple of winters ago, and due to the community members who donated snowshoes to replace those we lost. We are well outfitted, and the kids have been able to use some of the beautiful trails behind the school. We’ve found some great tracks too, just in time for the third-grade mammals project.
There’s a lot going on at our little school — come by and see! Just call or email first.
May Clark is Teaching Principal at DCS. She can be reached at 563-8332 or email mclark@nullconval.edu.
Kindergarten Registration is coming soon!
If you have a child who will be five years old
by 9/30/13, please call us at DCS: 563-8332.
Moving Forward Despite Budget Pain
By Mary Loftis
I was recently on the losing side of a vote concerning the ConVal School District’s budget for 2013-2014. I simply could not support cuts that meant the elimination of the Arts Enrichment Program (since restored), technology upgrades and initiatives, as well as an interruption of curriculum renewal and professional development, and the postponement of much-needed maintenance work – and, most painfully, the elimination of a significant number of professional and paraprofessional positions.
Even with these cuts, the budget represents a 2.5% increase over the current budget, and the majority of the Board felt that the voters of the District would not support anything higher. Perhaps they’re right, and I will certainly campaign for this budget over the Default version, which is 1.45% less but would have dire implications for the education of our children.
Since 2009 the average increase in the District’s budget has been less than 1%. So what’s different this year? Legislative changes at the State level have had a drastic impact on both revenue and appropriations. The formula for determining Adequacy Aid, the amount allotted to a town by the State in order to provide an “adequate education,” has been altered so that ConVal will be receiving $762,000 less in State aid for fiscal 2013-2014. Likewise, the State is no longer contributing to the mandated NH Retirement System, which increases the District’s rates by 26%, or $650,000. Health Insurance obligations are expected to rise by 2.5% or $180,000 – even with increased contributions by employees. Another anticipated expense is in Special Education Services: out-of-district placement tuition costs are expected to go up by $395,000.
Is there any good news in this budget cycle? Well, yes! Here are some new positions and programs included in the budget that will allow the District to move forward:
– An additional elementary school nurse will provide increased nursing care to our eight elementary schools and help to meet the needs of students with severe medical conditions.
– A Middle School Emotional Support Program will provide an alternative to out-of-district placements for students with significant emotional impairments.
– A new District Integrated Preschool, located at PES, will offer preschool services in the southern part of the District for both general and identified special education students, while offering lab opportunities for ConVal’s Applied Technology Center students.
– Full Day Kindergarten will provide parity across the District, and this educational opportunity for our youngest students furthers our goal of becoming a High Performing District.
– A new elementary health teacher will promote the District’s Health and Wellness initiatives and relieve school nurses of the responsibility of teaching health classes.
– A new elementary computer systems technician will support our increasingly complex technology resources at the small elementary schools.
– Continued upgrades will continue to the District’s mechanical and HVAC systems, which provide immediate returns on investment and are eligible for a 55% return on the dollar as a result of our approved Building Aid Plan submitted to the State in 2010.
Last year, the Model Study Committee toured the District in an attempt to gain an understanding of public opinion on the subject of ConVal’s future. The message we received was discordant: the small, local schools are essential, more adequate staffing and programming are requested – and oh, yes – taxes are too high! You can be sure the Board is doing the best we can with what we have, which this year doesn’t seem like very much!
Mary Loftis, who is stepping down from serving two terms as Dublin’s rep to the ConVal School Board, retired a couple years ago from a 26-year career teaching art to middle school students in Keene.
Community Center Granted $100,000
The Dublin Community Center is pleased to announce that it has received a grant of $100,000 from the Partridge Foundation.
“We’re delighted to have this vote of confidence,” said Nancy Cayford, Community Center president. “We’re fortunate to have the support of so many in our community. We all believe that we can create something really special and essential here, so much so that people will wonder, down the road, how we ever got along without it. We think this leadership gift will also provide encouragement to others.
David Wolpe, Community Center treasurer, said, “We’ve received donations in amounts from $10 up through some very large gifts. People give what they can, and when they see something like this, it just opens up a world of possibilities, both in terms of what we can do with the building and in terms of who else might be encouraged to give.”
This generous gift will be used for the initial downstairs renovation in the front of the building, and will go a long way toward making the first floor beautiful and functional for the benefit of the Monadnock area.
Trustees of the Dublin Community Center include Nancy Cayford, Vira Elder, Bruce Fox, Nancy Jackson, Susan Peters, Bruce Simpson, and David Wolpe. If you wish to contact the board, please call Nancy Cayford at 563-8021.
Yankee Expands Its Vision of New England
By Rusty Bastedo
In September 2012 Yankee Publishing Inc. (YPI) was invited to acquire the assets of McLean Communications, based in nearby Manchester. The takeover was completed at the end of the 2012 calendar year.
McLean Communications’ publishing assets include New Hampshire Magazine, NH Business Review, Parenting New Hampshire and New Hampshire Home. Custom publications include Celebrate New Hampshire (published for the NH State Liquor Commission) and annual publications for the Chambers of Commerce for Manchester and Nashua.
McLean Communications also produces events that include the Best of Business Awards, Best of New Hampshire, and the Family Fun Fair. All of these publications and events depend for success on advertising revenues and are aimed at high-income readers.
Yankee Publishing Inc., a family-owned independent media company, has published Yankee Magazine since its founding in 1935. Since 1939 YPI has relied on sales of the Old Farmer’s Almanac, now amounting to some four million copies per year, and on subscriptions from (the now several hundred thousand) readers who annually subscribe to Yankee.
The owners have experimented with publishing travel guides, cookbooks, and calendars; new in 2012 was the appearance of NH Ski & Snow Magazine, available now and free of charge at State of NH Welcome Centers, and at sports and outdoor retail locations throughout New England. YPI continues to depend primarily on revenue from consumers, while recently purchased McLean Communications is 90% advertising based for its revenues.
The merger of the two business models is clearly attractive, and both YPI and Mclean Communications should benefit from the merger. But it is important that both entities retain their audience bases, and their independent focus. In consequence, McLean Communications will continue to be based in Manchester as an independent subsidiary of YPI. There will not be an influx of new arrivals at the Dublin headquarters of YPI. The functions of accounting, subscription marketing, human resources and public relations will be transferred to Dublin, but the two companies will function as separate entities, sharing their information and expertise.
Russell Bastedo was formerly New Hampshire State Curator from 1997 to 2009. He has served on the staff of the Advocate since 1999.
Deputy Fire Chief Joe Sangermano Fighting Fires for 31 Years
By Ramona Branch
Writer’s Note: This is the third
installment of a series on
the men and women of
the Dublin Fire Department.
Joe Sangermano is a third-generation Joe Sangermano. His father is Joe Sangermano Jr. They live next door to each other on 137. Joe III joined the fire department in 1982. He was promoted to Deputy Fire Chief in 1991.
Joe’s full-time paying job is Deputy Chief for Fire Mutual Aid of Southwestern New Hampshire located in Keene. Fire Mutual Aid covers 3,000 square miles, which includes Hillsborough, Cheshire and Sullivan counties in NH and Windham and Windsor counties in VT.
In addition to supervising staff and dispatching fire and rescue equipment, Joe is also the coordinator of fire-safety classes and the 39-foot fire safety trailer. The classes and trailer were developed to teach children fire safety in everyday situations. The trailer is a mockup of a house with a kitchen and a bedroom. It can be scheduled by any fire department in the district’s coverage area. Joe drives the trailer to the requesting fire department and gives many of the classes himself. Another component of Joe’s job is handling emergency communications for Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.
When I asked Joe how he felt about being in the front lines of danger and responding to emergency calls for so long, he answered, “Helping people gets into your blood. You either like fire fighting or you don’t. I get a real sense of pride helping people. I give my father the credit for instilling in me a ‘don’t give up attitude.’ I can’t tell you how many times that has gotten me through.”
Joe is married to Sarah (née Woodward). Sarah’s father was a Dublin fire fighter for 40 years. The couple has one son, Philip, 17 years old. Whenever Joe does have personal time, which is not often, he enjoys working in his shop and building things. In the summer you can most likely find him down by the lake after work.
Ramona Branch is a freelance writer and editor and is on the staff of The Dublin Advocate.
Garden Club of Dublin
By Virginia Russell
Congratulation to Sally Collier and Louise Werden, whose sturdy holiday greens and berries have remained intact, complete with big, red, velvet bows, throughout this windy winter.
What a wonderful display of green and red to welcome us to Dublin’s center. Thanks to them both for volunteering to fill the containers with such care, holiday spirit and technique that have keep the arrangements intact.
Plans are under way for the spring urns, hayracks and town sign boxes and Louisa and Sally, both of the Garden Club of Dublin, welcome anyone who would like to help fill all the containers in the spring. This tradition is a joint effort between the Garden Club of Dublin and wonderful volunteers from Dublin. If anyone is interested in helping with this project, please call Louise Werden at 563-8435.
Jinnie Russell is Communication Chairperson for the Garden Club of Dublin.
The Barred Owl —
The Harris Center sponsors an “Owl Prowl” on February 8th.
By Tom Warren
In the Monadnock Region, the Barred Owl is our most common owl, a resident of swamps, riparian and deep forests. It has a round head without tufts and brown eyes. It is slightly smaller than the Great Horned Owl, weighing from 1.4 lb. (male) to 1.8 lb. (female). Fossils have been identified as far back as the Pleistocene Age.
The Barred Owl is best known for its wide range of vocalizations — most notable is an 8 note “hoo-hoo-to-whoooo, hoo-hoo-hoo-whoooo” described by many birders as “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all.”
During courtship in February a loud series of calls and duets that sound like maniacal laughter rent the night air, especially on Monument Road near the beaver pond.
This owl is quite territorial and does not stray far from its nesting site over a period of many years. This is a nocturnal bird and its prey includes birds as large as a grouse and many small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and even fish. It has very sharp night vision and even better hearing to assist in capturing prey, which it usually accomplishes by sitting quietly on a branch and pouncing on its victim. Hunting is greatest just after sunset. It prefers old mixed hardwood forests and is often associated with water, beaver ponds, swamps and streams.
They usually nest in hollow trees, but will also use old hawk, crow and squirrel nests as well as bird boxes. Nest sites in hollow trees have been used for 10 consecutive years. Clutches of 2-3 eggs are laid at intervals of 2-3 days in early March. The eggs are incubated by the female, which is why the female is larger than the male while the male brings the food. The young leave the nest around May 15th. The young are supported by their parents until early fall at which time they disperse.
The main enemies of the Barred Owl in our area are fishers, raccoons and Great Horned Owls. Unfortunately, many are also struck by cars accidently when they are in flight for prey in the dark. In bitter cold windy nights, it will seek shelter wherever it can.
In March of 1918 in Northfield, Mass., a Barred Owl came down the chimney of a summer cottage and, unable to find its way out, starved and was discovered in the spring.
The Harris Center is sponsoring an “Owl Prowl” on the evening of February 8th.
Tom Warren, a Dublin resident, is a Trustee of the Harris Center for Conservation Education and New Hampshire Audubon.
Peter’s Pondering —
Growing Up in Cambridge
By Peter Hewitt
My older sister Jane couldn’t wait to grow up and leave Cambridge, which she thought of as dull and academic. As it turned out, she married a bright young Harvard business student when she was barely 19 and ended up living in Fairfield, CT, which she loved.
But she missed a bit.
About the time Jane departed, an old man and his dog moved in to a house a few doors down the street from us. He had a farm in Vermont, and spent a part of the year there.
The old man and my father became friends and he would quite often come to call, generally rather late. It wasn’t unusual for the doorbell to ring about 9 pm and there would be our new neighbor who would always start by asking ”You got company?” We almost never did, so we would ask him in. He’d usually stay until about 11, delighting us with his chatter.
His name was Robert Frost.
You don’t get that in Fairfield.
Peter Hewitt is a former resident of Dublin who retired to RiverMead along with several other Dublin residents.
Special Thanks to Our Donors
By Steve Hooper
Dear Friends,
Here is an update on our progress producing the documentary film “Monadnock-The Mountain That Stands Alone,” which will share the rich history of the most climbed mountain in America.
Photo by Steve Hooper
The Rabbit Ear Films crew has worked hard to get to this final phase where we need to combine all of our “ingredients” into a fantastic finished film. No letting up. Editor/Producer Dan White has had Tim Clark, an experienced narrator, record the narration from our documentary script written by Craig Brandon and edited by Jackie Hooper. We have made headway with our organizing of hundreds of archival stills we have scanned. And thanks to some very generous donations this summer and fall, we have added to our Post-Production team to assist our Editor/Producer Dan White.
Meet our Phase Three team: Dan White, of Keene, is our film documentary producer/editor. He has worked in documentary film since the late 1990s as an associate producer, photographer, assistant editor and editor. He started working for Ken Burns, Florentine Films in 2002 where he remains today. White is currently busy as associate producer and associate editor of ‘The Roosevelts’ for Ken Burns as well as coordinating Phase Three editing of our film. We are very fortunate he has been on board with Rabbit Ear Films from the very beginning making sure we have PBS standards from the get go.
Stephen Breck, of Westmoreland, will be assisting with the very critical voice recordings. Alex Cucchi, of Nelson, a recent graduate of Keene State College, has been assisting us with filming on the Mountain and scanning stills. And we are pleased to have signed a contract with Lawrence Siegel, of Westmoreland, to work with us on a music score for the film. Siegel has already composed Monadnock Tales (2002) about the history of Mount Monadnock collaborating with Dublin author and poet Edie Clark so his contribution is a perfect match.
In conclusion, the fact that a small group of individuals working in their spare time, before work, after work, on weekends has made it this far over a four-year period on a very small budget is rather amazing. We are not done yet but confident the completed film will be a legacy well worth the long journey.
Please visit us at www.monadnockfilm.com and www.facebook/rabbitearfilms.com to learn more about our staff and about the Project.
Steve Hooper is Executive Producer/Rabbit Ear Films, a 501(c)3 organization registered in good standing with the NH Charitable Trusts Unit and NH Business Division. He can be reached at 357-8356.
Dublin’s Donors Commended
By Margaret Gurney
Meredith White of Peterborough writes that the Dublin Community Church is an important part of the mission at All Saint’s Church to see that those who need food can get it. She extends thanks to Dublin townspeople, who donated 1,690 lbs. of food in 2012. We also donated more than $800.
The Monadnock Area Food Pantry serves families in more than 20 towns in the region. It gave out 75,159 lbs. of food to 10,376 people in 2012; 3,849 were children and 336 were senior citizens. The connection is made by Arthur Flick of Dublin, who works hard to deliver the donations, says Meredith. She adds that all of the donations from DCC are good, clean, and recent — while they had more than 1,200 lbs. of expired food given to them.
Meredith White and her husband, Gary Armstrong, have been managing the Monadnock Area Food Pantry for more than six years. Located in the basement of the Parish House at All Saints Church in Peterborough on Concord Street, the food pantry is open Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday from 10:00 am to noon.
Margaret Gurney is editor of the Advocate.
Lenten Lunches Commence
The Dublin Community Church will host the annual Lenten Lunches on Wednesdays starting Feb. 20 and 27 through all of March from 12 to 1 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to share homemade soups and bread with your neighbors. It is also possible to Take-Out to share with people at home. The free-will donations go to local Food Banks. Come and join us.
Two-Person Show: Jane E Simpson and Dave Dodge
By Dion Owens
The Jaffrey Civic Center is pleased to announce a show of works by two local artists, Jane E Simpson and David Dodge, in the first floor Display Cases until February 7.
For several years Jane apprenticed as a picture framer then started her own business, became a juried member of The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and a graduate of The Artist Tool Box, Boston, MA. She received two awards of residency at The Artists Enclave at I-Park in East Haddam, CT, where she began creating minimalist works on paper influenced by sculptor Lee Bontecou, the aesthetic of Japanese garden designs and the whimsy of Alexander Calder. Of her process, Jane says, “I always find inspiration from the natural environment. My goal is to make art that is peaceful and hopeful.”
Dave paints primarily en plein air. He schools with traditional landscape painters who consider nature to be the greatest teacher.
Dave is active with Monadnock Community Hospital’s new Healing Arts Gallery. He is a past president of Monadnock Art/Friends of the Dublin Art Colony, a member of NH Art Association, Left Bank Artists, Sharon Art Center, and Sedona Arts Center. He and his wife Kathryn live in Peterborough.
The Jaffrey Civic Center is located at 40 Main Street in Jaffrey (next to the Library, parking in rear.) Winter hours are Tuesdays from 10 to 6, and Wednesdays through Fridays from 1 to 5. You may call 532-6527, or visit jaffreycntr@nullaol.com.
Dion Owens has been executive director of the Jaffrey Civic Center since 2001.
Biennial Art Show at KSC
By Mary Loftis
Three Dublin artists have had their work selected for the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery’s Biennial Regional Jurors’ Choice Exhibit, which runs from January 25 through March 7 at Keene State College. Susan Barker, Jennifer Keeney-Bleeg and Maryann Mullett are inspired by the natural world, although their art is very different.
Susan, whose bold jewelry is based on the flower forms she came to know as a horticulture judge for the Garden Club of America, has studios in two beautiful and disparate settings.
Susan spends summers by the sea and the rest of the year in New Hampshire and says her work reflects her surroundings.
Jennifer is inspired by the seasonal colors in our region, especially the fall.
In her acrylic paintings she “takes a traditional image and give(s) it an abstract or impressionistic twist.”
Maryann likes to paint nature, with an emphasis on detail and close cropping of a subject.
This allows her to play with the design aspect of a painting as well.
Mary Loftis is on the staff of the Advocate.
DS Hosts Art Exhibit
Putnam Gallery at Dublin School is hosting a new art exhibit from February 9 through March 6: “Pairings” is an exhibit of two local artists, long-time friends, working in very different mediums and with very different approaches. Gallery director Earl Schofield was taken by the strangely compelling soft sculptures of LP Runyon ’88. When Schofield was introduced to the work of Jordana Korsen, an image of Runyon’s work which is heavy, dark and solid, next to the light catching delicacy of Korsen’s seemed like a perfect pairing.
The sculpture of LP Runyon is driven by purely formalistic concerns. Runyon’s work elicits a psychological, visceral, emotional response through the juxtaposition of materials, textures and forms.
Jordana Korsen is a professor at Franklin Pierce University and lives in Harrisville. She has been blowing glass for more than 20 years. You can learn more about her work at www.JordanaKorsen.com. The exhibition opening is Saturday, February 9t, from 6:30 to 8 pm.
Learn more about the Putnam Gallery at Dublin School at www.DublinSchool.org
Students from the Trey Whitfield School in Brooklyn, NY, performed at Dublin School in honor of Martin Luther King Day and the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Jazz at the Dublin Community Church
Join us February 10 at 10 am.
If you missed the issue of the January/February Yankee Magazine, with an article about Jazz Sundays at the DCC by Edie Clark, it might not be too late for you to join us this year for Jazz ’13, and experience it for yourself.
Every year, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, the choir celebrates Mardi Gras, with a collection of gospel, spirituals, and whatever else is available and appropriate, accompanied by Scott Mullet and his ensemble from Keene.
Jazz Sunday started out as one of our special winter programs that took the choir through the winter, and once the jazz hit—that’s what we do!
This year we will have some gospel, “Jesus Loves Me” (with variations), and other favorites. Hymns and responses will coordinate with our enthusiastic celebration of Mardi Gras.
New members in the choir or congregation are always welcome. Can’t sing? Come anyway!
For more information, please call Barbara Summers at 563-7184.
Music at DelRossi’s
Very Special Concert Appearance
Tony Trischka, world-renowned 5-string banjoist
Saturday, Feb. 9, 8 pm, $20 advance
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
February 14, 15, 16
Valentine’s Weekend, featuring
live background dinner music,
many classic Italian entree specials,
and Chocolate Extravaganza
More info: www.delrossis.com
66th Members Art Exhibition at SAC
Sharon Arts Center, a nonprofit organization partnering with the New Hampshire Institute of Art, presents its 66th Annual Members Exhibition, which runs through Feb. 23, 2013.
The exhibition, a continuing tradition for the Monadnock Region, is a display of art by Sharon Arts members, students, and faculty. Included in the exhibit, which is sponsored by Sequoya Technologies Group LLC, are paintings, photographs, prints, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and more.
Artist demonstrations will be held on Saturday afternoons throughout the show with instruction in the methods and practices behind a variety of mediums. See www.sharonarts.org for details.
Admission is free to all events and ample parking is available. The Exhibition Gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm, and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm.
For more information, please call 924-7676.
Annual Area Spring Art Show
The Jaffrey Civic Center is calling for the public to submit their artwork — photographs, paintings, drawings, textiles, glassworks, paperworks, pottery pieces, woodwork and other 3D disciplines — to be shown in the Annual Area Spring Art Exhibit.
The drop-off dates of artworks for this show are February 5 through February 9.
The show will run from Friday, February 15 with the opening, free to the public, from 5 to 7 pm, through Saturday, March 16.
Among the other 29 exhibits scheduled for the 2013 calendar year, the Center annually holds two well-attended public call-of-entry shows that showcase all the arts: one in the spring, one in the fall. There is also the Annual Photography show held in the summer.
Call the center at 532-6527 or e-mail jaffreycntr@nullaol.com for an entry form or for information about this and other shows.
The Jaffrey Civic Center is located at 40 Main Street, Jaffrey, next to the Library, park in back.
New Show at the New Art Gallery at MCH
Monadnock Community Hospital invites all to the MCH Healing Arts Gallery for the opening of ‘Serendipity,’ an art exhibit featuring Maryann Mullett, Anne Murray, Chris Reid, Gordon Ripley, and Earl Schofield.
Light refreshments will be served at the opening reception, January 31 from 5 to 7 pm; the show will be on display until April 26. RSVP by January 23rd by calling LeeAnn Clark at 924-1700 or by emailing LeeAnnClark@nullmchmail.org.
The MCH Healing Arts Gallery is adjacent to the Sarah Hogate Bacon Emergency Dept. For more information, visit MonadnockHospital.org.
Hospice at HCS Offers Writing Workshop
Hospice at HCS will offer a Writing Workshop starting on February 12 and continue on Tuesdays from 4 to 5:30 pm through March 19. The workshop will explore thoughts, feelings and memories through writing stories and poems. The group is open to anyone who has lost someone close to them; you do not need to be a writer to join.
The workshop will be held at the HCS Office in Peterborough at 45 Main Street, Suite 316. There is no charge to participate in the workshop, but registration is necessary. Call Lorraine Bishop at 532-8353 for more information or to register.
Hospice at HCS is a nonprofit hospice program, providing end of life care to patients and support to family members.
How Many Birds in Your Backyard?
Stock up those bird feeders and dig out your binoculars for New Hampshire Audubon’s Backyard Winter Bird Survey. This annual statewide survey will take place on Saturday, February 9, and Sunday, February 10. Biologists need assistance from citizens all over the Granite State to get a clear picture of what’s really happening with our winter birds. For more information about the Backyard Winter Bird Survey, please call NH Audubon at 224-9909 or go to www.nhaudubon.org and click on Birding.
Note: There are two bird surveys in February. NH Audubon’s Backyard Winter Bird Survey that takes place in New Hampshire only, and the Great Backyard Bird Count, a nation-wide web-based survey on February 17-20, 2012; www.birdcount.org.
2013 NH Fishing & Hunting Licenses for Sale
New Hampshire fishing and hunting licenses for 2013 are now available for purchase for the calendar year from www.wildnh.com, in Concord, or from one of more than 250 Fish and Game license agents statewide. Fishing and hunting license revenue directly supports wildlife and fisheries management, law enforcement and conservation education in New Hampshire.
When you get your license, pick up a copy of the new 2013 New Hampshire Freshwater Fishing or Saltwater Fishing digests, both hot off the press. The digests are also available online at www.wildnh.com/pubs/fishing.html in searchable web format.