Gilmanton's Beginnings

Yesteryear

Gilmanton's Beginnings 

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper 

Picture this idyllic New England scene: old, well-kept, whitewashed homes. Stately elm trees bursting with fall foliage or summer’s greenery on streets and scenic backroads. All this and much more describes rural Gilmanton, NH, a town that has known a long and fascinating history. 

Whether a blessing or a curse, most people know Gilmanton as the setting for Grace Metalious’ widely read novel “Peyton Place”. Tourists find it odd that this tranquil village so steeped in history was said to be the setting that gave Metalious the inspiration for Peyton Place, a book which reached best-seller status. 

The town that was to become Gilmanton was incorporated in 1727; Colonial Governor John Wentworth signed a charter on May 20. 

At that time, the Lakes Region as a whole was unsettled country, full of wild animals, thick forests and sometimes unfriendly (and who can blame them, given the track record of some white settlers to live peacefully with the native people) Native Americans. Still, as with all land in the new country, men were eager to stake a claim and reach for a better life. 

In the case of Gilmanton, the land was granted as pay for 24 members of the Gilman family and 153 other men who fought in defense of the colonies. 

The conditions of the charter were: proprietors must build 70 dwelling houses and house a family in each within three years of charter. Also, they must clear three acres of ground for planting; each proprietor must pay his portion of town charges; a meetinghouse must be built for religious worship within four years. The members had to build a house for a minister and another for a school. All these conditions were to be met, if the peace with the Indians lasted the first three years of settlement.  

If any settler defaulted on those conditions, he would lose his share of land.  

As to why the town was named Gilmanton, the name Gilman appears time and time again in early records, and the family, originally from Exeter (indeed, most of the proprietors were from the seacoast/Exeter area), had fought valiantly during war times. 

Because of the fear of Indian attacks, the original conditions were not met, and it wasn’t until 1749 and 1750 that settlers came to town to pick out lots and work the land. Even then, these men did not stay long for many reasons. 

Over and over again, through the years to follow, the settling of Gilmanton was a stop and start affair, due largely to the dangers of warring Indian parties. Town meetings for Gilmanton were held in the safety of Exeter, where most proprietors still lived. 

If Governor Wentworth had given much thought to the land grants, he would surely have chosen a more populated area to gift land to these proprietors. While they may have fought valiantly in war times, most Exeter residents hailed originally from Massachusetts, or England. Massachusetts was already more populated, with such cities as Boston offering a taste of the fineries of life in England. The grant of land in Gilmanton may have been very unsuitable for the Exeter men. 

In 1730 a committee of proprietors petitioned the Governor to allow longer time to settle the town. In 1731 Edward Gilman and others traveled to Gilmanton and marked out boundaries. 

They didn’t stay long, as the French and Indian wars were about to begin. The entire Lakes Region, and Gilmanton, was a very dangerous place for English settlers to be. The French and Indian war parties used nearby Lake Winnipesaukee as a rendezvous for scouting parties, and any smoke seen at likely settlements was an easy target for attack. 

By October 1748, a peace treaty was signed and the French and Indian war parties retreated to Canada. At that time, the Gilmanton proprietors could resume settlement. 

Another snag in their plans happened around this time, when the deed of John Tufton Mason of Hampshire County, England (it is said New Hampshire gets its name from Mason’s home county) was brought forth. Mason held huge amounts of land in New England, and mostly in New Hampshire. He had transferred his claim of the Gilmanton area land to friends in Portsmouth. This could be a real problem for everyone, it was felt. Once again, the proprietors refused to till the land and settle in Gilmanton, when the land might not really belong to them. 

The dispute was settled in 1752, and all seemed well for settlement of Gilmanton. 

Once again, plans were shelved when the old French and Indian wars resumed. The wars were mostly about who owned what land. Unlike the previous war, the English decided to become aggressive to end the fighting. They staged attacks on unsuspecting French forts, and among the soldiers who fought bravely were men from Gilmanton and Exeter. 

After much bloodshed, the war was finished and life could return to a sense of normalcy. 

Progress in settling the new town finally took hold. By the summer of 1761, proprietors had selected, cleared and begun building on their land. Among the first to live year round in Gilmanton were the Mudgett brothers, John and Benjamin. After building houses, they brought their wives to Gilmanton.  

According to “The History of Gilmanton” by Daniel Lancaster, Benjamin Mudgett and his wife Hannah traveled on snowshoes in deep snow and under very cold conditions, to arrive in Gilmanton from Epsom. They arrived at their new home on December 26, 1761, after snowshoeing a remarkable distance from Epsom in a short period of timey. Hannah was the first white female settler in Gilmanton. Soon John Mudgett arrived with his wife, and a friend, Orlando Weed followed with his wife. 

Hannah Mudgett lived in Gilmanton until there were about 5,000 settlers. How different it must have seemed in comparison to her first winter in the wilderness of Gilmanton! She lived her last years with a son in Meredith and died at the remarkable age of 95. Her son Samuel was the first male child born in the Gilmanton area. 

In 1762 more families arrived and by 1767, 45 families lived in Gilmanton. Soon town meetings were held there instead of in Exeter. A physician arrived in 1768 and a minister also about this time. 

The town was growing, new and interesting people settled and built homes in the town. Years sped by, progress marked many areas of the town. 

The town saw settlers and citizens come and go, and with them, their hopes, dreams, and their good and bad deeds. 

The town that had struggled so many years to see settlement was on its way. 

A Morbid Taste for Mourning

A Morbid Taste for Mourning 

Local Historical Society Keeps Alive Age-old Ways of Commemorating Death 

By Mark Foynes 

During the Victorian Age, grieving was an act of highly-regulated outward displays and inward reflections of sorrow. The inward grief was sincere; the outward displays were, at least partially, the product of a society that placed a considerable emphasis on the rigors and rituals of polite society. 

The way by which our ancestors demonstrated their grief, particularly among middle class women, was dictated by a strict set of protocols that demonstrated to neighbors that a loss had been suffered in the immediate family.  

In some cases, we can observe traditions that endure, partially, to this day. Other customs might strike modern sensibilities as odd or even grotesque. 

One last photo

The practice of capturing photos with the deceased was one of the stranger mourning rituals during the Victorian Age. The slow shutter speeds of cameras in the 1800s meant that the dead were often more sharply rendered than the living.

As would be expected, rituals surrounding the death of an immediate family member were reflected in profoundly personal ways on and around those in deep mourning; minute details of personal attire, home decor, and manners of social engagement all fell under this rubric. And - as would be expected during the Victorian Age - gender-related expectations were quite specific. 

Linda Salatiello and other members of the Sanbornton Historical Society present a traveling program on Victorian mourning rituals, presented mostly to other historical groups. Dressed in the solid black of deep mourning, and citing many period documents, the presenters discuss in detail the many formalities connected with the loss of a loved one. The presentation also includes a number of artifacts from the 1800s. 

Salatiello said that many local customs were modeled after how Queen Victoria marked the passing of her husband, Prince Albert. Although America had achieved its political independence from England, it still took social and cultural cues from the old country.  

“She definitely set the mood,” said Salatiello, currently the Society’s vice-president. 

She noted that mourning rituals were quite elaborate and complicated. As a result, etiquette publications prescribed a mourner’s proper dress, the appropriate duration of how long one was to mourn, and how grievers should comport oneself after a loved one’s passing. 

Salatiello said that the length of mourning depended on the aggrieved’s gender and their relationship to the deceased. Widows wore mourning attire for two to four years after the death of their husbands. Full mourning lasted for at least a year, and prematurely changing out of full mourning dress was considered disrespectful. Among younger widows, it also exposed them to charges of promiscuity. 

“It might not have been fair, but that was just part of the reality,” she said. 

Additionally, a widow was not permitted to enter society for 12 months, remaining essentially homebound. The belief was that this was an adequate amount of time to cope with such a profound loss. 

For women mourning other close family members, the duration varied. The loss of a child called for a period of one year. For the loss of a grandparent or sibling, outward grieving was expected to last six months. For aunts and uncles, two months. For the loss of a great uncle or aunt, six weeks was the prescribed length. 

For the deepest period of mourning, Salatiello said women’s clothes were to be black. A widow shrouded her face for months beneath a long black veil attached to a black bonnet. She wore a crepe-trimmed dress that was made of some type of non-reflective silk. Additionally, wreaths fashioned from crepe hung from the doors of mourners to let the outside world know that there had been a death in the family. 

Crepe was especially associated with mourning, partly because it does not match well with most other clothing. Widows were expected to dress appropriately, if not especially fashionably.  

After a specified period the crepe could be removed – this was called "slighting the mourning."  

“This was in an age before telephones, so this was an important way of communicating,” Salietello said of the wreaths that adorned mourners’ homes. 

Jewelry was limited to objects made from jet, a hard, black coal-like semi-precious material. Oftentimes, jewelry was combined with the woven hair of the deceased, according to Evelyn Auger, who co-presents the program with Salatiello. She said that pieces were simple in design, oftentimes just a cross or a jet-black locket containing a picture of the deceased. 

“Ornaments were to be simple and reflect the loss of a loved one,” Auger said. Mourning was a personal time of grief and anything too ostentatious would be considered inappropriate.” 

Salietello said that after a year, widows entered a phase of half-mourning, which lasted for an additional year. During this latter stage, dresses remained black, but could be supplemented with other modest colored fabric. Additionally, more jewelry and ornamentation were permitted. 

Salatiello said the social norms for men weren’t subject to quite the same rigors as for women. Gentlemen were expected to wear a mourning suit, which often consisted of a black frock coat, dark trousers, and a matching waistcoat. Men’s attire included black gloves, hat bands, and cravats.  

Widowers mourned their wives for six months to a year. While wearing a black armband, they were allowed to continue working and attend social functions. Courting was not off-limits, especially for men with children in the home. The widower could remarry whenever he wished, even within the six month period, at which point his mourning period would be over. 

To modern sensibilities, this might seem excessive. But death played a much more visible role in the lives of those living in the late 1800s.  

This was a time of higher mortality rates and lower life expectancies. It was an age when the germ theory of disease was just being discovered and nostrum-hawkers peddled patent medicines promising sure cures for ailments like cholera, dysentery and tuberculosis. The products carried names such as Hoffsteaders Stomach Bitters and Dr. Kilmer’s Kidney, Liver and Bladder Cure. (One historian referred to the Victorian Era as “The Golden Age of Quackery”). 

Self-diagnoses was often based on guesswork or folk tradition. And self-prescription was often guided by the spurious claims made by advertisers who could boast miraculous results in a pre-Food and Drugs Act era. 

Additionally - especially in remote areas like parts of NH - many people lived some distance from a hospital. There was no hospice care. So attempted treatments - and deaths - occurred in the home.  

It therefore, too, stood to reason that the home would be a locus for mourning. 

The funeral industry didn’t gain acceptance until the late 1800s, Salietello said. By which time embalming became increasingly widespread and more folks were living in urban areas. More and more matters were being taken care of outside the home, both in life and in death. 

But before then, tending to the dead took place in the home. This was the norm in pre-1900 NH. In the 1800s, the dead were often displayed in the deceased family’s parlor - a dwelling’s most formal room, usually located just off the front entrance. This is the origin of the term “funeral parlor” that’s still in use today. 

Visitors coming to call on the bereaved would enter the home through the formal front entrance, which led directly to the parlor. This obviated the need for visitors having to tread through the kitchen and other domestic spaces. The front door itself was adorned with a ring of black crape, bound by a thin ribbon - white ribbon for a child, and black if the recently-passed had been elderly. 

Etiquette dictated that only the closest of friends were to pay a call prior to interment - and that these visits should be focused on ways by which they could offer support in the short term and help make arrangements. General sentiments of condolence were to be withheld until after the funeral, once all the practical logistics of the burial had been executed. 

Throughout the house, curtains were drawn. Mirrors would also be turned to the wall. Some believed that this prevented the departed’s soul from being captured as it made its transition from the temporal world; others maintain that the practice would liberate survivors from any sense of vanity as they wept and grieved. 

Another curious custom was the stopping of clocks. Salatiello said that mourners would disable a clock’s works and set the time to the moment when the deceased passed from this world to the next.  

“It was just one more way of commemorating the dead,” Salatiello explained. The increasing formality of death in the late 1800s was reflected in other ways.  

The Victorian Age was also an era when the vessels that contained the deceased were transformed. During the Colonial Era, corpses were placed into unlined coffins; conversely, in the Victorian Age, mortal remains were to be interred in silk upholstered caskets.  

The word coffin itself derives from the French word cofin - or basket. Conversely, the word casket derives from the Middle French caset - or a box of jewels. (There are likely etymological connections between caset and words like cassette, cache and chest, as in treasure chest). 

Therefore, Victorians opted to place the final remains of loved ones in a jewelry box, as opposed to a wooden death basket.  

The 1800s was also a time when folks began referring to final resting places as cemeteries, as opposed to graveyards or burying grounds. The latter term is almost situational or transactional in nature: someone dies, a hole is dug, the remains are respectfully buried, and life goes on.  

Conversely, the term “cemetery,” derived from the Greek koimētḗrion (partially cognate with dormitory), connotes a place of rest. The Victorian Era was a time of formality and the landscape began to reflect this phenomenon.  

The Gilded Age was also a time that was concurrent with the rise of cities and larger towns - locales where there was not enough land for each family to have its own burial plot. 

In the Victorian Era, centralized cemeteries were often landscaped in a way that gave them a park-like appearance. (Mount Auburn Cemetery outside Boston is a classic example.) But closer to home, Calvary Hill in Concord and even Alton’s and Wolfeboro’s cemeteries offer examples of the concept.  

In some cases, older burying grounds were adapted. For example, Concord’s cemetery has a few slate markers bearing death dates from the early 1800s. In other cases, new cemeteries were forged from virgin soil, with markers wrought from marble and granite. 

Cemetery picnic

During the Victorian Era, cemeteries became popular sites for picnics and other family gatherings. The use of remote family plots persisted into the early 1900s in rural areas. In larger communities like Laconia, Concord, and even Alton and Wolfeboro, there were established central burial places for the community's dead.

Cemeteries became family gathering places in the Victorian Age. Family activities often centered around the cemetery, with picnicking and other recreational events occurring in these spaces. Cemeteries even became locations for reunions that drew dozens of far-flung relatives from places like Ohio, Illinois, and beyond. 

Writer Jonathan Kendall noted, “Within the iron-wrought walls of American cemeteries - beneath the shade of oak trees and tombs’ stoic penumbras - you could say many people ‘rest in peace.’ However, not so long ago, people of the still-breathing sort gathered in graveyards to rest, and dine, in peace.” 

Keith Eggener, an associate professor of American art and architecture at the University of Missouri, noted, “[Y]ou leave behind the mercantile world outside the gates and enter into the space where you can meditate, where you can come into contact with spirituality and concentrate.”  

Eggener continued, “They were quite important spaces for recreation as well. Keep in mind, cemeteries were built at a time when there weren’t public parks, or art museums, or botanical gardens in American cities. You suddenly had large pieces of ground, filled with beautiful sculptures and horticultural art.” 

Sanbornton’s Salatiello said there were a number of other curious rituals surrounding the commemoration of the deceased. One involved fabricating ornaments incorporating the hair of the deceased. She brings examples from the Sanbornton Historical Society when she and Auger make their presentation. She said common end products included jewelry, wreaths, and shadowboxes. 

This practice was not, however, limited to trinkets of momento mori. Close friends in life often exchanged locks of hair as a symbol of affection. Hair was a tangible remembrance of someone.  

“Hair is a very personal, very tangible connection,” she noted. She added that it is also decay-resistant and could survive long after other mortal remains had decayed. 

“Sure it’s personal, but it’s also long-lasting as a reminder,” Salatiello added. 

Auger said, “Having something so personal, whether it be in a locket or woven into a wreath, made mourners feel like part of a loved one was still with them.” 

And given the protracted nature of the Victorian mourning process, having such concrete reminders would have helped over the months and even years of grieving that society expected. 

Both Salatiello and Auger said modern audiences find the use of human hair in funerary art to be striking. Auger added, “Just having that direct link was important to the spirits of the living.” 

Another practice that might strike some modern folks as morose was the tradition of surviving family members posing for photos with the deceased. Known by some on both sides of the Atlantic as “death photography,” the dead were sometimes photographed in their caskets while surrounded by relatives. In other cases, the dead were propped into various poses on parlor furniture while the living gathered around. 

The practice of death photography spanned the generations, with the old and young alike depicted with the deceased. However, it most commonly featured infant and child subjects, whose photos might not have been captured during their lives cut short.  

Death photography offered one last chance to garner an image that could help mourners recall the departed’s likeness. With infant mortality so high during this time, a post-mortem photo might be the only likeness captured of a child. 

“When we do the program, most people find this to be one of the creepiest things we discuss,” Salatiello said. 

Since Halloween was just passed - a holiday with pagan roots and observed by Christians as All Souls Day and Hallowmas - just keep in the back of your mind the phrase momento mori, which translates to  “remember the dead.”  

And as a corollary, we’ll add the words of the Roman philosopher Seneca: “Let us prepare our minds as if we’d come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day … The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.” 

If you are involved in a historical, civic, or educational group and would like to invite the Sanbornton Historical Society to present its program, Morbid Taste for Mourning, call Linda Salatiello at 603-286-7227 or 603-286-4596. 

What DO Rotary Clubs DO?

What DO Rotary Clubs DO?

Story and photo by Barbara Neville Wilson 

It’s early on a Thursday morning. I’ve barely rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and the sun has hardly begun to rise when I find myself turning in to the familiar parking lot of the Alton Senior Center. Nearly all the parking spaces are full. 

District Governor Venu Rao is introduced to the Alton Centennial Rotary Club. The leader is meeting with each of the 59 clubs in his Southern NH & VT district, encouraging them to find ways to share more publicly about the meaningful work they do in their communities and around the world.

Running late, I sneak in through the kitchen door in time to see an audience of men and women listening raptly to the introduction of the week’s invited speaker: Venu S. Rao, District Governor for the Southern NH and VT district. 

“What is all this really about?” I wonder as I settle into a seat.  

Like you, I often see Rotary meetings listed on highway signs as I enter new towns. Around here, they might say Laconia Rotary: Thursdays at noon, Belknap Mill; Gilford Rotary: Fridays at 7 am, Gilford Elks Club; Meredith Rotary, Wednesdays, 6 pm, Hart’s Turkey Farm; Ossipee Valley Rotary, Mondays, 5:30 pm, River’s Edge Grille; Wolfeboro Rotary, 2nd & 4th Mondays, 5:30 pm, The Wolfeboro Inn.  

Invited by a new friend to this meeting of the Alton Rotary, I have come on precisely the right day. Mr. Rao’s talk is all about why Rotary is as important in 2018 as it was in 1905 when it was founded by Paul Harris, a transplanted New Englander who found himself living in Chicago with too few acquaintances and a yearning to make the world a better place—not just his own piece of it, but across great oceans as well. 

Mr. Rao tells us, “The core purpose of any Rotary Club is that we come together, we look around in our communities and see what the needs are that are not met, and we come up with creative ways to raise funds. We go. We meet those needs. That’s the point of Rotary and what we all do, and that’s very important because charity starts at home. But, if you really want to know the power of Rotary, you need to look a little beyond your boundaries; even as an individual, you can make an impact that’s beyond your imagination. Rotary Foundation provides the process, structure and procedure to make it happen…you can use it to do good. We’re all volunteers. We come from various walks of life…but we come together as Rotarians and we bring together our time, our talent, and our treasure to help our fellow human beings who are less fortunate than we are…and they could be across the street locally or they can be across the ocean globally.” 

So, what are the needs “not met” that our region’s Rotary Clubs take on? What are the creative ways they raise funds? What are some of the projects they involve themselves in throughout the world? 

As I find out, Centennial Rotary Club (ACRC) meets Thursday mornings at 7 am at the Alton Senior Center. Its focus is service, while stressing individual involvement. A growing club, they seek to create a network of business leaders who can share their knowledge and passion for the good of the towns of Alton, Barnstead and New Durham. Their largest fundraiser is the Spring Home Show held every year at Prospect Mountain High School in Alton. A congenial group led by Rick Fogg, a drug and alcohol counselor to the homeless at the Boston Rescue Mission in his “day job”, they happily welcome seasonal and year-round residents and were lauded recently by District Governor Rao for their early adoption of a clean water project in Pakistan.  

On this day, longtime ACRC member and realtor David Countway shared a letter of thanks from the recipient Rotary Club in Multan Cantt that said in part, “It is simply an amazing feeling to be a Rotarian and be affiliated to you all who are certainly World Class Rotarians.” 

A little farther south on the lake is the Gilford Rotary Club. They meet at 7 am on Fridays at the Elks Lodge in Gilford. It is chaired by Retired Fire Chief and current Preparedness & Response Coordinator for the Winnipesaukee Public Health Region John Beland, who tells me that in addition to getting involved in local youth, charitable, non-profit and senior citizen projects, the club is implementing a District Grant, where their funds are supplemented by funds from monies raised by other clubs in southern NH and VT, to assist in the installation of fitness stations along a one-mile section of the Ramblin’ Vewe Farm Trail system. They support their good works with three annual fundraisers: an “Evening in Paradise” Caribbean -themed dinner dance each spring, a member-staffed food concession at the NH Motor Speedway, and the sale of more than 600 fresh Christmas trees and hundreds of wreaths each year in the Cinema 8 parking lot at the corner of Route 11 and Lakeshore Road in Gilford. Internationally, they collaborate with the Laconia Club to support low-interest business loans in Rwanda. The loans help families improve their financial circumstances and allow children to attend school. 

In addition to their collaboration in Rwanda with the Gilford Club, the Laconia Club meets for lunch on the third floor of the Belknap Mill in Laconia at noon on Thursdays. Says Kevin Conway, Operations Manager for United Way in his day job, “Our members volunteer throughout the community, and we also raise funds to support scholarships and a number of local charities including the Boys & Girls Club, Got Lunch, Laconia Library, Veterans Association, Little League, the Belknap Mill, and several others.”  

Taking advantage of their proximity to Motorcycle Week festivities, the Club raffles off a new Harley Davidson every year. (If you need a great stocking stuffer, keep in mind that raffle ticket sales will start soon.) 

The Lakes Region Rotary holds Tuesday meetings at 7 am at the Water Street Café in Laconia. It focuses on projects that serve children, young people and the less fortunate and raises funds through its annual summer car show, says Benjamin Wilson, a financial advisor with Edward Jones when not fulfilling his obligations as club president.   

You may recognize the next name. It is repeated frequently in connection with the state’s most popular ice fishing contest, The Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby, held every February. First run in 1978, the club’s website says it has raised more than $2 million in its first 30 years. With those funds, they have supported scholarships, construction projects, leadership programs, and school projects in Meredith, Center Harbor, Sandwich, Moultonborough, in the region, and throughout the world. The club has also supported Interact Clubs in high schools, where young people learn to apply the Four-Way Test in situations demanding decisions: “Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” 

The Wolfeboro Rotary Club meets the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 5:30 pm at the Wolfeboro Inn. Formed more than 90 years ago, it is one of the oldest Rotary Clubs in the state. Through the years it has been instrumental in capital projects of high public value and programs that particularly cater to youth and children. The club has been instrumental in student and group study exchanges through Rotary International and they take particular satisfaction in supporting Angel Faces, a group that brings girls and women with disfiguring burn and trauma injuries to the Lakes Region for respite each summer. “And we would like to think that we have fun doing these things and celebrating with our community—whether cleaning up a  highway together, chatting by the campfire selling Christmas trees—or meeting and sharing a good meal together!” says Jaime Laurent, Programs Chair for Wolfeboro Rotary, retired Dean of Academic Affairs at Brewster and current Trustee of the New Hampshire Boat Museum. Funds are raised by the club by hosting a St. Patrick’s Day Dinner & Dance and golf tournament each spring, a Radio/TV Auction in fall, and the sale of Christmas trees in Clark Park, set to begin this year on November 24.  

Intrigued yet? Rotary is a decades-old change maker. As its international website says, “Rotary is 1.2 million passionate individuals in 35,000 clubs worldwide. We are both an international organization and a local community leader. Together we lead change in our own backyards and across the world.” 

Perhaps you haven’t read yet about a club that meets your schedule? Meetings just off Winnipesaukee shores include the Rotary Club of Suncook Valley that gathers at 6:15 pm on the first and third Wednesdays at Dominick’s Pizza & Things in Chichester—they organize August’s Hot Air Balloon Rally in Pittsfield each year. The Ossipee Valley Rotary gets together on Mondays at 5:30 pm at the River’s Edge Grille in Ossipee; and the Tilton-Northfield Rotary meets on Wednesdays at 12:15 pm at Onion’s Pub & Restaurant in Tilton. 

What are you doing with your time, talent, and treasure to help fellow human beings who are less fortunate than you? Perhaps this is your call to join forces with a local Rotary Club, where you can pair your gifts with fellow Rotarians and watch them grow creatively and exponentially in your club, your town, your region, your state, and our world.  

Additional information for this article was gathered from local club websites and those of Rotary Districts 7850 (Northern VT, Northern NH, and Southern Québec) and 7870 (Southern NH & VT.) 

Winter Sports History at the New England Ski Museum

Day Tripping 

Winter Sports History at the New England Ski Museum 

Story & Photos by Kathi Caldwell-Hopper 

NE Ski Museum's North Conway location

NE Ski Museum's North Conway location

This day tripping story is somewhat unusual for two reasons. First, I am not a skier and I am writing about a ski museum. Secondly, it takes place a bit north of the Lakes Region and while really not in the Laker’s coverage area, it’s definitely worth sharing. 

The place is the New England Ski Museum’s Eastern Slope Branch location in North Conway. The original New England Ski Museum in Franconia is a beloved place for many who like skiing and the history of how the sport came to NH. A year or so ago, a second location became a reality in the building that had previously housed the North Conway Community Center in downtown North Conway. 

I had been meaning to drive north to see the ski museum, but a busy summer schedule prevented it. However, a few weeks ago my adult daughter Megan was home for a visit, and we decided to head to the Conway area from the Lakes Region to do some shopping and have lunch. 

As we planned our itinerary for the day, I thought about the ski museum; the blustery November day seemed the perfect time to visit. On our way up Route 16 from the Wolfeboro area, we stopped to take in the view of Mount Chocorua and to grab some photos from a rustic wooden bridge. Unlike other days when we stopped at the area, on this mid-November day it was bone-chillingly cold and windy so we didn’t linger, but we did get some nice photos of snow-capped Chocorua. 

Our first stop was the New England Ski Museum, before we indulged in lunch. Because it was the pre-Christmas shopping season and a weekday, the traffic was light. The Ski Museum is on the left as you head into the downtown North Conway area, and there is a convenient and ample parking lot behind the building.  

As we entered the museum, we were greeted by an attendant who told us admission is by donation and that we should sign the guest book and take our time to browse the exhibits. 

Wall of skis at the museum

In the entrance area, there is a great little gift shop area with all sorts of ski-related items and we promised ourselves we would browse the shop after touring the exhibits. 

The main exhibit room is large and sectioned into glass display cases and many, many other areas with everything from very early skis to old ski-related signs to a jacket worn by Olympic ski legend (and Lakes Region native) Penny Pitou.  

I started by browsing on the left-hand side of the exhibit hall with a section focused on New England Beginnings. I supposed I never thought much about how skiing came to this country, and specifically to NH, so I was surprised to learn what brought the sport to the area. In the late 19th century, pulp and paper industries in NH attracted Scandinavian immigrants skilled in that type of work. For leisure, the workers turned to something they loved to do: skiing. Paper mill work was abundant in Berlin, NH at the time and when not working, Norwegian transplants skied and soon formed a ski club in the 1880s. This would become the Nansen Ski Club; ski jumping, cross-country and early downhill skiing on Mount Washington were claims to fame of the club. The Nansen Club’s huge ski jump hosted national and other competition in the 1930s and 1940s. Displays show the club as well as more information on the Dartmouth Outing Club. (The Dartmouth Club sponsored the country’s first slalom and downhill competitions and members installed one of the earliest rope tows.) 

Rope tows helped those who skied in the early days get up the mountains, but how were those mountains prepped for skiing at a time long before snowmaking and grooming? Early on, men blazed trails with hand tools, according to information at a Ski Museum display. The Civilian Conservation Corps forged many miles of trails on state and federal land in the 1930s and helped open up the forests and hills for skiing.  

I have always loved old movies, and was enchanted by a photo of Wizard of Oz star, young Judy Garland, dressed in winter ski gear, ski poles in her hands, posing with famed ski instructor Otto Schnieb. Otto was the first European ski instructor in New England and he gave lessons at for the Appalachian Mountain Club. Eventually he became a ski coach at Dartmouth College. His motto “skiing is not just a sport - it is a way of life” has become the mantra for many skiers over the years. 

Other early ski instructors seem to have found their way to NH as well, and the museum pays tribute to many of them, such as Sepp Ruschp, an Austrian skier. 

One of the fun things about this museum is the attention to detail that really shows what life and skiing was like way back when. An example is an early axe on display. It was used to help cut ski trails by Conservation Corps members long ago. 

Old sign at Ski Museum

Not forgotten at the museum is local resident Harvey Dow Gibson, who went on to become a financier and was internationally known in the 1930. Born in North Conway, Gibson probably saw the financial promise of skiers coming to the mountains and thus he began to develop a ski area on Cranmore Mountain. The resort was among the first in the country and it seemed to have it all: great ski slopes, an unusual new Skimobile, Austrian ski instructor Hannes Schneider and the popular Eastern Slope Inn. 

A portion of the exhibit area is dedicated to ski safety, and the methods used to rescue injured or lost skiers. Tuckerman Ravine in particular could be quite dangerous and the Mount Washington Volunteer Ski Patrol was a big help then and now. 

I was fascinated with an old Avalanche Bulletin Board, a wooden box-like sign with a windowed area where officials could post avalanche warnings and information to the public. 

An old photo of early skiers decked out in the outfits of their time show us they wore wool trousers, woolen sweaters and windbreakers when skiing was just getting started in the 1930s! 

Old signs from ski shops, ski schools and more hang from the ceiling and they show us the graphics and wording used in the 1930s and 40s.  

In the early days of skiing, accidents were certainly affecting skiers, and sometimes injuries posed unusual problems for the country doctors who were called upon for treatment. Downhill skiing might cause a broken bone or torn ligaments, among other problems, and many local doctors were used to treating country ailments such as coughs, sore throats and the occasional farming accident, but not things like compound fractures from a spill on the ski slopes. Dr. Harold Shedd of North Conway practiced in the 1930s and 40s in the area and saw his share of ski-related injuries. He became proficient at treating these injuries; he was an authority of treating fractures and dislocations and saw 370 such injuries in 1950 alone! Among his developments were new ways to cast fractures. He shared his skills with other doctors at the local Memorial Hospital. Dr. Shedd also was a skier and the founder of the Eastern Slope Ski Club. His photo and information about his skills are on display at the museum. 

10th Mt. Division display

The 10th Mountain Division League was famed for their ability to go where other soldiers could not - and on skis - during World War II. They were highly trained soldiers and after the war the men went back to civilian life. But they had special skills, skiing among them. For the next half century, the men built and shaped American ski areas and ski clubs, and some positively impacted NH skiing. Attitash, the Dartmouth Outing Club, and Jackson XC are listed at the museum as among those in NH that were associated with former 10th Mountain Division soldiers. It is moving to view the display dedicated to the 10th Mountain Division and to see photos of the soldiers and to read about their lives. 

A “wall” of old wooden skis stands as a proud historical testament to how skiing has evolved over time and those who are avid skiers today will be fascinated to see the skis that were once state-of-the-art! 

Another area of displays focuses on New England Olympians, including NHs Bode Miller and Penny Pitou. 

I won’t go into each and every exhibit area of the wonderful museum. I leave it to each person to visit and discover all the great, historical and just-plain-fun thing the New England Ski Museum offers. 

The gift shop was last on our museum tour and it did not disappoint. With everything from coffee mugs to a great selection of books on skiing and its history, there is something for everyone in the gift shop. 

The remainder of our day was spent with a leisurely lunch and lots of shopping, but we were very glad we took time to visit the Ski Museum in North Conway. One needn’t be a skier to enjoy the many fascinating exhibits. Because I love history, I could’ve stayed all day, browsing the exhibits, looking at the old photos and reliving the early days when to ski meant finding a nice snow-covered hill or mountain, strapping on wooden skis and spending a day in the glorious great outdoors. 

The Eastern Slope Branch of the New England Ski Museum is located at 2628 White Mountain Highway in North Conway. The museum is open daily from 9 am to 4 pm.  

For information, visit www.newenglandskimuseum.org or call 603-730-5044. 

Pianist Nyaho in Concert on Dec. 2

Pianist Nyaho in Concert on Dec. 2

Pianist Dr. Nyaho will appear in a Wolfeboro Friends of Music concert on Dec. 2.

Pianist Nyaho

Wolfeboro Friends of Music heralds the winter season and coming holidays with a spectacular program by pianist Dr. William Chapman Nyaho, to be given on Sunday, December 2 starting at 2 pm. Dr. Nyaho was last heard in the area in 2011. The concert will take place at Anderson Hall, Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro. 

The sonorities of Brewster’s Yamaha concert grand will sound forth as Dr. Nyaho opens with Bach transcriptions including “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” in the Myra Hess version. More transcriptions are slated in an enticing group of Gershwin songs embellished by the scintillating pianist Earl Wild published as “Seven Virtuoso Etudes”.

Dr. Nyaho promises selections such as “Fascinating Rhythm”, Embraceable You”, “The Man I Love”. Centerpiece of the concert will be Beethoven’s final piano sonata when we may expect these words of one reviewer of Nyaho, to be revealed: “Effortless technique, splendid rhythmic grasp and fullness of tone allowed his performance to reach great heights…” (The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, CA.). Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111 demands a dedication of purpose and wondrous attention as the final Arietta rises through a multiplicity of figures to end softly in a heavenly transcendence.

Dr. Nyaho is a productive musicologist, collector, publisher, since over the decades he has compiled and published with Oxford University Press, five performing volumes of piano pieces titled “Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora”. He introduces us to Robert Nathaniel Dett, born in Niagara Canada in 1882 and who died in 1943 after a fulsome career as composer, pianist, choral conductor, organist and music professor who performed at Carnegie Hall and at Symphony Hall in Boston. Attendees of the concert also will hear Dett’s piano suite “In the Bottoms (Suite characteristique)” in five movements marked Prelude (Night), His Song, Honey (Humoresque), Barcarolle (Morning) and Dance (Juba).

Further, the audience may view his five volumes of the Oxford publication during intermission, as well as obtain Nyaho’s CD’s ‘Senku’ and ‘Asa’ issued by MSR Classics. Chapman Nyaho’s performances have taken him to Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia as well as to Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center and Princeton University. He is a frequent guest at colleges and universities and serves in the capacity of adjudicator for national and international piano competitions. He is an active member of the Music Teachers’ National Association, currently teaches at Pacific Lutheran University and a beloved piano instructor at his home studio in Seattle.

Born in the U.S. but raised in Ghana, Chapman Nyaho says “One of my biggest mentors was Dr. Maya Angelou”. He met the famous poet and author through family and friends and was a regular guest at her home. “She taught me how to share my gift.” William studied at St. Peter’s College, Oxford University (UK), continuing at the Conservatoire de Musique de Geneve, Switzerland, the Eastman School of Music (MM), and the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his Doctor of Music Arts degree. Chapman Nyaho is the recipient of prizes from international piano competitions.

Tickets are available for $25 at the door, Black’s Paper Store and Avery Insurance in Wolfeboro; at Innisfree Bookshop in Meredith, by calling 603-569-2151; or visiting www.wfriendsofmusic.org. High school students with ID will be admitted free of charge; any child accompanied by an adult ticket purchaser will be admitted free of charge.

Sponsoring Chapman Nyaho’s appearance are Paul and Debbie Zimmerman, J. Clifton Avery Insurance, and the Taylor Community. Tickets are sold at the door if not purchased ahead at Black’s Paper and Gift Shop, Avery Insurance, or Innisfree Booksellers in Meredith.

Enjoy the Foliage on a Fall Hike!

Enjoy the Foliage on a Fall Hike! 

By Sarah Wright 

The foliage season is finally upon us, and there are beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red starting to pop up all around the Lakes Region. It’s the perfect time of year to enjoy a hike, with comfortable temperatures, and amazing views of the colorful leaves all around us. I enjoy hiking, what with two active boys of my own, but I consider myself a “recreational” hiker. I’m not looking for a strenuous workout—just a way to connect with nature and enjoy its beauty. There are so many great options in this area, but here are a couple of fall hikes that I’ve already checked off my list this year.  

Lockes Hill in Gilford is a favorite hike for my family. Down the road from Mount Major on Route 11, the views are similar (although at a lower elevation). It’s also a shorter loop trail at about 1.8 miles long. A small sign on the side of the road will indicate where the parking area is located. It’s not a busy trail, so parking shouldn’t be difficult. The last time we went, we noticed some locals walking their dogs, but we had the trail to ourselves for most of the hike.  

There are two trails to the top—the Quarry Trail and the Lakeview Trail. We usually take the Quarry Trail for the hike up. The trail is clearly marked, and there are signs posted along the way with nature facts about trees and animals. It’s a great way for kids to learn as they hike, and it gives them something to keep them occupied. The Quarry Trail runs along a small stream for part of the way, and by a still pond. It’s also the longer side of the loop, and rockier, so if you have younger children, you may want to choose the Lakeview Trail to the summit and then go back down that same way. My kids don’t have a problem on the Quarry Trail, but it’s definitely the longer way up.  

There is quite a bit to explore once you reach the summit. The views of Lake Winnipesaukee are beautiful, and there’s even a viewfinder that kids can look through to see the islands close up. In the summer, there are wild blueberries to snack on. On the way down the Lakeview Trail side, you’ll find another viewpoint, with large rock “chairs” created by hikers years ago. It certainly takes the idea of rock cairns to a whole new level! The trail then winds its way back and forth, zig-zagging down to the parking lot. Lockes Hill is definitely a fun time.  

East Peak of Copple Crown Mountain in Brookfield

Copple Crown Mountain in Brookfield (near Wolfeboro), is another great hike, with wonderful views of Southern New Hampshire from the clifftop outlook of the East Peak and partially obstructed views of the Belknap Mountains, the Ossipee Range, and the Lakes Region from the summit. I prefer the East Peak, with its endless rolling hills and mountains that spread out below you from the cliff and seem to go on forever. I could honestly admire that view for hours! The trail is about 2.5 miles altogether, and if leaves are wet on the ground, watch your footing. It’s a great hike, and one that certainly isn’t crowded. When we go, we might see one or two other hikers along the way, so it’s very peaceful. To get to the trailhead, follow Route 109 west from Wakefield for about a mile before turning left onto Governor’s Road. Then turn right on Moose Mountain Road, and after about 1.5 miles, the pavement will end. Shortly after that, you’ll find a sign for the Ellis R. Hatch Wildlife Management Area, and a small parking lot. Bring some water and a snack to enjoy at the top!  

This year, I’ve added a new hike to our list that we’ll try this month, and that’s West Rattlesnake Mountain, in Holderness. A popular destination, it’s a two-mile hike with a fairly easy incline that leads to a rocky outcropping with spectacular views of Squam Lake. It’s also one of the shortest hikes in the state that offers an amazing view, which is another reason that it’s so appealing. I’ve seen lots of views of Lake Winnipesaukee, but I can’t wait to take this hike and see the beautiful fall colors around Squam Lake! To get there, take Route 113 to the Old Bridle Path in Holderness. Don’t forget to bring your camera. 

This past summer, I hiked the Falls of Song waterfall trail at Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough, and I bought a map so I could return to experience some of the other wonderful trails on the property. Now that fall has arrived, I’m planning to hike the Bald Knob trail, and can’t wait to see the foliage from the summit!   

Now, before you set out for a hike on a beautiful fall day, it’s important to keep safety in mind, especially with fluctuating fall temperatures. According to www.hikesafe.com, there is a Hiker Responsibility Code, which was developed and endorsed by The White Mountain National Forest and New Hampshire Fish and Game. The code is also posted at all major trailheads in New Hampshire. It includes the following safety guidelines: 

Hikers enjoying summer in New Hampshire.

Be prepared with appropriate knowledge and gear. Learn about the terrain and weather conditions for where you are going. Know how to use your gear. 

Let someone else know your plans. Tell a friend what trails you will be hiking on and when you expect to return.  

Hiking groups should stick together, and not let anyone become separated. Pace your hike to the slowest person in the group.  

Hikers should always be ready to turn back if circumstances, such as changing weather, dictate. Know your limitations and be willing to turn back. You can always try again another day.  

Hikers should be ready for emergencies. Even on an hour-long hike, accidents can happen. Don’t expect to be rescued. Learn how you can help rescue yourself.  

Most people think to wear sturdy shoes and bring a water bottle, but there are 10 hiking essentials recommended by The NH Fish and Game Department. These include a map; a compass; clothing layers, including a hat; extra food and water; a flashlight or headlamp; matches/fire starters; first aid kit/repair kit; a whistle to call for help; a rain/wind jacket and pants; and a pocket knife. You’ll be able to relax and enjoy your nature outing, knowing that you’re prepared. Happy hiking and leaf peeping!  

Wintering with the Loons

Wintering with the Loons 

By Rosalie Triolo 

Photo courtesy of John Rockwood

Those hot, humid days of summer are waning and soon the cooler days of autumn will be upon us. With a change in temperature migratory birds fly south. Living here in the Lakes Region, the unmistakable honk of the geese flying in V formation overhead signals their departure to spend the winter in warmer climates. However, there are those birds, the House Sparrow, for one, who choose to stay and brave the cold of winter by storing fat during the days to keep them warm throughout the long, freezing nights.  

Photo courtesy of John Rockwood

And then there are the loons! Where do loons migrate to in autumn? Actually, they winter in the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean. If you drive along the coasts of Maine or New Hampshire in winter, you may recognize those small groups of dull grayish brown water-birds you see bobbing up and down on the ocean’s bleak frigid winter waves as loons. Their easily identifiable, striking summer plumage of black head with white belly and breast, a black and white striped ring around its neck and wing feathers dotted with white spots changes to its mottled winter features. Twice a day, when the tides roll in, the loons dive down to find food in and around the tide pools near shore.  

Loons begin to leave New Hampshire lakes from mid to late September. For those few weeks, with the help of binoculars, you will notice graying around the loon’s bill. A basic gray molt moves down the feathers and black feathers fall out. However, they do not shed the primary feathers on their wings. Harry Vogel, Senior Biologist and Executive Director of the Loon Preservation Center located on Lee’s Mill Road in Moultonboro, explained how most loons will stay on our lakes until mid-September, though there are a few who feel that maybe they can stay just a bit longer. Those are the loons who sometimes get caught in a dangerous situation, such as an early freeze. So how do we know when loons are in imminent trouble if they stay on the lakes a bit too long? Information gathered by biologists at the Loon Preservation Center or from reports of siting’s by Volunteer Observers tell us that even though the loon’s wingspan is up to five feet, their wings are comparatively small. Because the loon’s bones are very dense, their wings tend to hold a lot more load per square inch than any other bird, except for the swan whose bones are also very dense. Dense bones account for why the loon sits low in the water. Also due to the density of their bones, loons are less buoyant. Using their strong back legs to propel them enables the loon to dive deeper and for longer periods of time while looking for food. However, a loon needs a long runway of calm open waters and just enough tailwind to achieve lift-off. If ice begins to form, even a thin layer of ice would prohibit the loon from attaining the necessary lift to become airborne.  

“In early spring, when it is time for loons to return to the Lakes Region,” Harry Vogel describes, “the adult males leave the ocean waters first, looking for thawing waters of the northern frozen lakes.” He likened it to a reconnaissance mission. Loons, it is thought, mate for life and usually return to the same body of water as the year before. Living near or on one of the lakes in the Lakes Region, you may spot a returning loon, listen to its haunting yet comforting call which signals that spring is breathing new life into our surroundings. Loons prefer to build their nests close to shore, in quiet coves or in areas surrounded completely by water.  

Soon after mating, eggs are laid and it takes 26 days before an egg will hatch. Both male and female loons take turns protecting the incubating eggs. Baby loons are born with tufted grayish brown feathers. Both parents participate in raising their young. Unfortunately, 30 percent of all chicks do not make it through the first year. At two months, the chicks are diving and swimming like their parents and a grayish-brown plumage is visible. When they are capable of caring for themselves, the parents leave their young and will fly off to other lakes for a gathering of loons.  

A bit of Native American legend tell us that “Earth-Diver” was a name given to the loon by the Native American Chippewa Nation. The Chippewas make their home in the northern part of the United States and southern Canada. An important part of Native American myths, legends and folklore, loons are symbols of harmony, generosity and peace.  

“Loons are a powerful force of nature.” The Chippewas tell the story of the bird they called the “Earth-Diver.” It is said, “The Creator spoke to all the animals and instructed them to find a way to create land, so they would all be able to move from water to this land. Taking up the task the animals went about trying to find ways to create land. None of the animals succeeded. All they could do was swim around in the water. The loon with his powerful legs and dense bones dove to the bottom of the ocean floor. Upon surfacing, he was saddened by the fact he thought he had not succeeded. But when he shook the water from his foot, a batch of mud fell from it and the Creator had dirt to form the land.”  

To learn more about the life of a loon, visit the Loon Preservation Center. Enjoy a “Forest Walk” on a short and easy loop, or “The Loon Nest Trail” which takes you on a walk through upland forests, marshes, and clear streams to a spot overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee. Written in a brochure by the Loon Preservation Committee, a quote by A.C. Bent in 1919 says, “Who has ever paddled a canoe, or cast a fly, or pitched a tent in the north woods and has not stopped to listen to this wail of the wilderness? And what would the wilderness be without it?”  

Indeed, what would the wilderness be without the haunting wail of the Loon?  

For more information about loons and the Loon Preservation Center and the work they do, visit www.loon.org. You can also call the Loon Center at 603-476-LOON (5666).

A Technically Timeless Adventure

Day Tripping 

A Technically Timeless Adventure 

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper 

I love old stuff. I always have. When I was a kid, the 1970s craze for digging up old bottles was on the rise and my parents joined in. I recall more than one summer Saturday spent studying the ground in all sorts of places, often deep in the woods, where my parents “had a hunch” that someone had, just maybe, had a dump pile. And in that pile, now covered with dirt and weeds, there would probably be old bottles. 

Jake and Cassidy at Techically Timeless

From old bottles, my parents moved on to attending auctions to buy old items. That led to yard sales and “trading” as my Dad called his deals with junk haulers and second-hand sellers. He had a yard sale almost continuously after he retired and there were many old, rusty, dusty things in those sales that today’s dealers would fight to get. Of course, growing up around antiques and rustic items kind of rubbed off on me, and over the years, attending sales and auctions is something I have enjoyed. 

Since the advent of such television shows as Great American Pickers, everyone has a new appreciation for old signs, rusted items and vintage décor. But not everyone has the gift of seeing something old and ready to be discarded, and envisioning it as something new.  

That ability to see something old and imagine it as something else is what led to a new and fascinating shop called Technically Timeless in Gilford, NH. 

During this past summer, I started seeing social media postings and photos of interesting items…lamps made from other things, furniture that might have once been thought good only for the junk pile now beautifully redone, and my favorite, drink coasters made from old circuit boards and encased in hard, clear plastic coating.  

Like many good day trip adventures, I set out with an open mind and the knowledge that I had no idea what I would find. Hopefully some good junk. Hopefully some beautiful items made from what was once tossed-aside chairs and tables and who knew what else. And hopefully whoever was making this stuff would be interesting to talk with. 

I scored on all counts when I stepped into the unique world of Technically Timeless. Part shop, part art gallery, part incredibly unique home furnishings destination and part studio where co-owner Jake Farrell turns every day, often unwanted things into new, fun pieces that adorn homes and make totally unique gifts. 

Jake Farrell in the shop

As I entered the shop, I was greeted by Cassidy Bisson, media director and curator of Technically Timeless. The first thing I noticed about Cassidy was the beautiful and one-of-a-kind necklace she was wearing. I could tell it was made by an artist, and it was a mixture of jewelry pieces that had once been something different. Cassidy laughed when I exclaimed that I coveted the necklace and said there were more pieces of jewelry in the shop. (And indeed, there is a selection of beautiful, unique necklaces for sale that are just right for a person who dresses creatively.) 

She was joined by Technically Timeless owner, Jake, who told me he has always been interested in art. He immersed himself in art classes in high school and comes from a family of artists. After a stint as a chef, he got into art once again and found himself working as a graphic designer in the printing field. “I worked on all sorts of things - production of some Hollywood films and digital media.” 

As time went on, his interests shifted to making things in a different manner. He made a unique bed for his step daughter, and people were starting to bring him all sorts of things, from door knobs to metal and wood, they no longer had use for but thought he might be able to transform into something new. 

Slowly, he realized this was his calling, and it could include a shop featuring the things Jake had reclaimed and given new life. Also, this might be a way to help other artists who did not, nor would they ever, fit into the mold of a typical artist. Thus was born Technically Timeless, a shop and studio like no other in the area. 

Jake uses the word transmuting, which he defines as taking one things and using it to create something else. It happens every day in the shop, often because a customer or a friend will bring Jake something they do not want but thought he might be able to use or transform into something new. 

Case in point is the incredible, unusual and very long sofa in the shop. Just glance at the sofa and you will be transported back to the 1970s when tan and burnt orange and plastic coverings were design elements of furniture. Jake laughs as he explains the sofa was once used in the waiting area of a Sizzler Steakhouse, which explains why the piece is so big, having to offer seating for many customers waiting to get a table at the restaurant. 

Today the sofa has been transformed by Jake and includes an end table just right for a lamp and books and magazines. While not for every décor, the sofa would fit well into a mid-century modern or funky, unique home.  

There are other pieces in the shop that Jake has “transmuted” into something new, such as a wonderful item that was probably once a standard little stand or bookcase. Now, it has a place for wine glasses and a surface for preparing drinks. With lighting that Jake installed, the piece is a fun alternative to a standard bar area. 

Cassidy handles the marketing and media relations for Technically Timeless and her style fit the business seamlessly. She is enthusiastic about everything Jake creates and clearly grasps the goals and mindset of the shop. 

When asked how they find things that Jake turns into something new and unique, he laughs as he says, “I don’t find things. Things just find me! I see things on the side of the road, at flea markets and yard sales.” 

The shop is a place for everyone, no matter a customer’s age or tastes. To see the things Jake has salvaged and made into something new, beautiful and useful is a treat in itself. “Our customers are a broad spectrum of ages. We had an opening gallery night and that crowd was younger. But we have people of all ages finding us and coming into the shop.” 

Indeed, the morning I visited, two women were browsing (and enjoying a sit-down on that cool, Sizzler Steakhouse sofa!). They were older people who well remember the décor of the 1960s and 70s and were finding a lot to like at Technically Timeless. 

Along with Jake’s creations, there is a large wall where other invited artists exhibit their work. “We plan to feature new work every six weeks. We will put out a call to makers and they can submit their work. If it fits the concept of the gallery, we just may feature them here,” explains Cassidy. 

For those who want to transform something they own into something new vs. discarding it, Jake can help. “We can work with any budget and take something you own, such as an old dresser and turn it into something new.” 

I was also intrigued by an area in the shop, where the metal objects of artist Matt Black (www.dumblucknh.com) are featured.  

As a lover of unique artwork, I am always drawn to the different, the daring, the colorful and art that makes a bit of a statement. The collage art on view at Technically Timeless by Andrew Hillman is unique, as well as beautiful. 

Also in the shop, there is a section that features lighting. I am always looking for lighting that is not the standard lamp; I found when I saw the variety of unique lights from Light-Q Creations. The lighting is described as Steampunk and re-purposed antique lamps and lighting fixtures and I pretty much loved every piece I saw!  

With holiday gift giving just around the corner, we all have someone our gift list who is super difficult to please. No ties, no standard earrings, no gift card will suffice for such a hard-to-shop-for person. But I think any of the things in Technically Timeless will knock the socks off the person who receives something from the shop as a gift.  

At a time when many of us are rethinking the number of things we toss out (and, if like me, feeling a bit guilty about all the “stuff” we seem to acquire), Technically Timeless certainly feels right. And beautiful and creative and often, just plain fun and a bit of a trip down memory lane. 

The shop is open during the winter on Wednesdays through Fridays from 11 am to 6 pm and Saturdays from 11 am to 8 pm. Always willing to chat about art, transmuting, antiques and creating something new from something used, Jake and Cassidy are also open by appointment on other days and times. There will be opening night receptions when new artists are featured; watch Technically Timeless Facebook and Instagram for updates or call 603-409-2033 for details.  

To see more creations, visit www.technicallytimeless.wordpress.com. And, you can find all sorts of photos and more on Facebook and Instagram @technicallytimeless. 

The Art, the History and the Beauty of Quilts

The Art, the History and the Beauty of Quilts 

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper 

Pam Weeks

Pam Weeks knows a lot about quilts. She is not only a person who can create a quilt, but her descriptions of the time periods, the people and even the fabrics used in quilting create images of various time periods in history. 

When you listen to Pam speak about inscribed quilts, wedding quilts, and presentation quilts, for example, and the years the quilts were created, you are catapulted back in time. There you are, in your imagination, sitting beside a Civil War era wife as she stitches fabrics together by the light of a fireplace or kerosene lamp, or you might imagine yourself in the 1970s when a young person is making quilts at a time when arts and crafts saw a resurgence. Perhaps, as Pam describes a particular quilt or time period, you imagine yourself among a group of women who stitched a quilt together in a church hall or someone’s living room. 

“I come from a long line of crafters,” Pam says. In the 1970s, Pam, who is originally from Gilford, New Hampshire, was making quilts. “I am a tenth generation NH resident and I love family stories.” 

With a college background in art education, Pam also loves the outdoors and was the first director of the Nordic ski program at Gunstock in Gilford. In the summer, she was the recreation director for Gunstock’s campground. Leading arts and crafts classes led Pam to do a quilting class. 

“I made my first quilt in about 1976 or 1977,” she remembers. Pam’s love of quilting and her interest in her family history led her on a quest to find a quilt made by her great, great, great grandmother. “I thought if I looked hard enough, I could maybe find a signature quilt made by her. Well, I got lucky and found a quilt with what I thought was her signature at an auction in Epsom, New Hampshire.” 

Pam laughs as she recalls that after doing further research, she discovered the quilt was made and signed by someone with the same name as her ancestor. Although it could have been a big disappointment, it got Pam even more interested in historic quilts and eventually led to her current job as the Binney Family Curator of the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts. 

As well as her job at the museum, Pam is a lecturer on the roster of speakers with NH Humanities. She travels to locations all over the state and beyond, giving talks on quilt-making and quilt history. Pam uses quilts to tell stories of the Civil War, women's history, and industrial history and her audiences always leave a program with a lot of knowledge and a sense of the fun Pam brings to her programs. 

“Historically, lots of people made quilts,” she says. While quilting remained somewhat popular in other places, it died out in New Hampshire until the craft revival of the 1970s, the time period when Pam made her first quilt.  

In her lectures, Pam invites audience questions and also encourages people to bring in a quilt they own. She can tell a lot about the time period a quilt was made (which is a question often asked by those who attend a lecture), by looking at the fabric in a quilt and the colors.  

“There were color fads throughout history,” Pam explains. “In the 1840s, Prussian blue was popular; the 1850s to 1870s saw a lot of quilts with a white background and red and green applique. The Civil War era saw many patriotic quilts and in the 1880s, charm quilts were popular, using different fabrics. In the early 1900s, quilts focused on the Colonial revival movement.” 

Pam adds that the Industrial Revolution started in England in the 1790s, making fabric much more available to the general public. The Revolution swept into America, and suddenly Americans also had greater access to fabrics.  

The notion that women made quilts out of whatever scraps they could find, such as worn-out clothing, is somewhat incorrect. Most people, according to Pam, were able to find and afford fabrics for quilting. “By the 1830s and 1840s, most people could afford fabric. Women were making quilts for everything from the utilitarian purpose of warmth to amazing, beautiful quilts kept for special occasions.” 

The quilts that were kept for use on a bed when an honored guest came to stay overnight are known as a show-off or show quilt. The quilt was placed on the top of the bed, and two to three blankets were under the quilt to keep the guest warm. Such a quilt also showcased the needlework skill of the maker. 

There is a picture many people have of quilting bees and sewing circles, where a group of women sat together working on a single quilt. All the women stitched the quilt pieces by hand, and the gathering was a social event as well as a practical project. While these events did take place, Pam says many women sewed quilts at home, on their own…on a sewing machine. 

“By the 1850s, the sewing machine was available and many quilts were machine pieced. For example, out of a group of 20 surviving quilts made during the Civil War, 11 have machine quilting on the surface,” Pam explains. “But women also quilted together at socials.” 

This leads Pam to speak about a quilt she deems “remarkable” at the Ashland (New Hampshire) Historical Society. The quilt is on display at the Society and is called an autograph quilt because about 406 people from the town signed the quilt. (Volunteers at the Society went through the archives and were able to identify 48 of the signers and even found on a town census map from the 1890s where the signers lived in Ashland.) 

Signature Quilt at Ashland Historical Society

One of the quilts Pam has learned of are remembrance or presentation quilts, which might be made by church members and given to a pastor when he was retiring or leaving the church. “These types of quilts celebrate a person’s civic or religious work,” Pam says. 

Pam has collected quilts from many areas and she has seen quilts in private collections. She says her collection is modest and she uses it specifically as examples of quilts made at various times, and in many colors and fabrics, for her lectures.  

A big part of Pam’s lectures show that an initial interest in dating or finding out more about a quilt can lead to new hobbies or interests. Perhaps, for example, you own a quilt made primarily in blue colors. You are curious about that blue, and when and why it was so popular. You research it and learn about the Industrial Revolution and manufacturing history. This might lead to further interests, proving that quilts are a gateway to finding out about our past and leading us to other interests. 

When Pam invites attendees to her lectures to bring in a quilt they own, she asks that they share whatever they may know about the quilt. Sometimes the owner knows very little or maybe only that it was made by an ancestor. With years of studying quilts, Pam is skilled at dating quilts by fabrics, colors and fads, as mentioned above. She will arrange quilts in chronological order and talk about how fabric was made and local mills that served as manufacturers of fabrics. 

Certainly Pam knows a great deal about Civil War era quilts and she has even co-authored (with Don Bell) a well-respected book on the subject titled “Civil War Quilts.” 

One of Pam’s lectures is called “Jane Stickle Revealed”. In the 150th anniversary year of the making of the beautiful Jane Stickle quilt, Pam was invited to examine and do further research on the iconic Civil War quilt. Her lecture reveals the results of her research and sheds light on the life of a Vermont farm wife who made the incredible quilt. (The Stickle Quilt is made up of 169 five-in. blocks, each in different patterns, with an amazing 5,602 pieces surrounded by a unique scalloped border.) 

Another lecture focuses on quilts made for use by soldiers during the Civil War. These quilts are very rare. Only 17 such quilts are known (so far) to exist, and Pam has studied most of them in person. In her lecture, she outlines the origins of the U.S. Sanitary Commission at the beginning of the Civil War; the roles women played on the home front, and on the battlefield and features the stories of 14 actual Civil War soldiers’ quilts. 

Over the years Pam has seen thousands of quilts, and some, she says, belong in museums. If you are the lucky owner of a quilt (especially an older quilt), there are some things you should know and do to protect your prized possession. 

First, inspect the quilt to see if it is structurally sound enough to be displayed. Obviously, if the quilt is coming apart or looks fragile, hanging or displaying it in any manner is not advisable. If you do hang a quilt that is in good condition, display it in a place without exposure to direct sunlight. “And don’t display the quilt for more than two or three months at a time,” Pam cautions.  

Storing should be done by wrapping the quilt in a sheet and placing on a shelf vs. putting in a box. “Quilt fabric needs to breathe,” Pam adds. 

For someone who loves quilts and history, having a job as curator at a special place such as the New England Quilt Museum is a dream-come-true. As part of her job, Pam says she travels a lot and is in contact with people who have quilt exhibit ideas. “I get to see a lot of good stuff,” she says with a laugh. 

Currently, the New England Quilt Museum is featuring an exhibit called “The Fabric Collage Quilts of Susan Carlson.” Pam is clearly excited about the exhibit, which is up until December 30 of this year. (Carlson is known as a quilter extraordinaire who creates scenes with vivid colors in her large quilts.)  

Pam’s job is interesting, and because eight exhibits take place every year at the museum, she meets many quilting artists and continues to see collections, both private and public. “A lot of people collect quilts because they recognize their artistic value,” she says. 

Although she moves in the most respected of quilting communities, meeting all sorts of artists and experts, Pam remains down-to-earth and proud of her Lakes Region roots. Family is certainly important to her, and she speaks once more of the thing that got her interested in quilting so long ago. 

With a bit of the thrill of the hunt excitement in her voice, she says, “I sure would like to find another quilt with one of my ancestor’s names on it…” 

To learn more about Pam’s lectures via the NH Humanities, visit www.nhhumanities.org. To learn more about the New England Quilting Museum, visit www.nequiltmuseum.org. For information about Pam weeks, visit www.pamweeksquilts.com.

Great Hurricane of ’38 Gives a Coat of Many Colors

Great Hurricane of ’38 Gives a Coat of Many Colors 

By Barbara Neville Wilson 

On September 21, 1938, when Jane McLaughlin Walsh was 16 years old, she stood with her brothers and sisters in their backyard and watched, unbelieving, as the strongest wind she had ever felt tumbled full-grown trees to the ground.  

She didn’t know what she was watching that afternoon—no one did. After days of rain, the morning had dawned clear and breezy, yet suddenly there they were, unsheltered, in the midst of what has come to be known as the Great Hurricane of 1938. 

Two days after the storm, Wolfeboro’s Granite State News reported, “A hurricane, which for duration of intensity, with the amount of damage done, has hit New England and New Hampshire, that exceeds anything known during more than four hundred years of history of the sections since the Colonists first landed.”  

Damage in the Lakes Region was limited to property and utilities. This electric pole across from what is now Kingswood Regional High School in Wolfeboro was damaged when a large maple tree fell. Courtesy Wolfeboro Historical Society

Though the reporters’ words seem breathless and tangled to our modern ears, there is no doubt that this hurricane was the strongest anyone alive had ever experienced in the Lakes Region, and its ramifications would be felt for years…even now, 80 years later. 

Hurricanes are rare. In fact, this storm was the first to reach New England in at least a generation, and the very first Category 2 to ever make land. With a gust that measured a monstrous 186 mph, its sustained winds took full advantage of 400 years of Colonial economic activity. 

In decades since, much has been made of the fact that the storm came upon the New Hampshire region with no warning, and, in fact, some foreknowledge may have avoided the injury and death of humans and animals, and perhaps some property damage could have been avoided. However, the bulk of the horrific damage was caused by trees broken and uprooted which downed powerlines, and crashed through buildings, vehicles and public works.  

Ninety-year-old Charles Hatch, now living in California, reports he felt glee as he watched the wind work in Wolfeboro. Nine years old at the time, he was fascinated to see the carnage from the window of his family’s house on the corner of School Street. “I watched three trees being blown down on Union Street outside our house. It was a little boy’s dream.” 

Nearly 2.7 billion board feet of lumber, the equivalent of 1,000 square miles of forest were downed throughout New England by the gales of the hurricane. Fearful that drying in place would cause rot of a valuable resource and unquenchable forest fires, the federal government called in members of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps to help local workers process downed trees.  

The Granite State News reported, “The federal government will buy all of this timber to place in lakes and ponds, where not used generally, and gradually work this timber into the market in the next few years without disarranging the market.”  

In his History of Wolfeboro, NH, 1770 - 1994, Q. David Bowers reports, “The WPA set up log-buying depots, first filling Back Bay, then Johnson Cove (then called Wolfeboro Cove) in Winter Harbor, and finally, much of Crescent Lake. It was found that by immersing logs in water they could be preserved to await later sawing into lumber…” 

Charles Hatch says, “The hurricane aftermath was as interesting as the storm. For years after…the Wolfeboro Back Bay was completely filled with logs…you could walk from one side of the Bay to the other on these logs.” 

At the time, Wolfeboro had its own power plant, and since everything was tied together, “When these logs were milled and when the blade hit a tough knot, the town electricity would dip.” He laughs across the years, “You would be watching a musical in the movie theater and when the blade hit a knot, it would slow the movie projector down and the music would change key, or the actor’s voice would suddenly become a bass.”  

Bowers reports, “In April 1941 all of the ‘hurricane timber’ stored in Wolfeboro waters was purchased by the New England Box Company, and operators of two portable sawmills were hired to process the logs. The last log went through the mill at 2:15 p.m. on October 24,” more than three years after the Hurricane of 1938 had struck.  

Interestingly, so much timber falling during the Hurricane of 1938 is said to have been a direct effect of the early industrial age and the westward migration of the mid-19th century 80 years earlier. Farmland cleared meticulously by first European settlers was often left to seed when its owners left the farm for the factory and the gold field, and what is a first species to grow? The quick-growing, shallow-rooted white pine—easy fodder for hungry hurricane force winds.  

Jane McLaughlin Walsh (second from left) remembered standing in her yard with her siblings watching the Hurricane of 1938 tumble trees around them. (Courtesy Mary Collins)

Perhaps more interesting still? You are reading this as we come upon near-peak foliage in the Lakes Region, a time of high economic activity when tourists flock to glimpse our jewel-tone leaves. Stephen Long tells us we can thank the Hurricane of 1938 for that: “New England’s largest hurricane was followed by its largest logging job, and this one-two punch brought about the forest that we see today. When the towering canopy of white pine blew down, what was left were the seedlings and saplings of deciduous hardwood trees. If they hadn’t been blown down in 1938, those pines might still be there, holding the ground until they died from wind, disease, or logging. Instead, the mix of maple, birch, and oak that relished the new sunlight (having been released from the shade of the pines) grew vigorously. This new forest closely approximates the species mix of the original forest that had greeted the settlers, and its vibrant display of turning leaves attracts leaf peepers from around the globe.” 

(Smithsonian Magazine published Steven Long’s “The 1938 Hurricane That Revived New England’s Fall Colors” in its October 2017 issue. Additional information for this story was gleaned from the archives of the Wolfeboro Historical Society with special assistance from Gene Denu and Mark Lush.) 

Love’s Labour’s Found

Love’s Labour’s Found
 

Sandwich-based Theater Group Brings Shakespeare to the Region 

By Mark Foynes 

For nearly two decades, Advice to the Players has mounted big productions in a small but special place nestled in the foothills of the White Mountains. Since 1999, the Sandwich-based theatre group has specialized in bringing the works of William Shakespeare to the people of the region. 

A scene from a recent performance, Love's Labour's Lost, an ATTP production; Diana Evans Photo

Sandwich is a town of about 1,300 year-round residents, so it’s not a place you’d expect to find a thriving non-profit theater. Especially one as innovative and education-focused as Advice to the Players (ATTP). 

Jessie Chapman is the organization’s executive director. She grew up in the area and has a long connection with ATTP, having attended several of its acting workshops prior to earning degrees from Plymouth and Brooklyn College. Since 2007 Chapman has been working with ATTP in various capacities - as an actor, a teacher, and an administrator. 

The organization is quite multifaceted. The core of its mission is to mount the kind of high-quality productions for which you’d ordinarily need to travel to Concord or Manchester - or perhaps even Boston.  

This past season featured three major productions, which included King Lear and Love’s Labour’s Lost. Regarding the latter play, which completed its run last month, the ATTP website summarized: “The King of Navarre and his three companions swore off the company of women for three years to study and fast - but then the Princess of France and her three brilliant ladies arrive on a diplomatic mission and all is for naught. A hilarious comedy about love, principle, and the battle between the sexes.” 

Chapman said that each season ATTP also features a contemporary-era play that draws inspiration from one of the Bard’s works. The 2018 season featured a new play called The Taming. In it, the central character, the beautiful Katherine, “has political aspirations to match her beauty pageant ambitions. All she needs to revolutionize the American government is the help of one ultra-conservative senator's aide on the cusp of a career breakthrough, and one bleeding-heart liberal blogger who will do anything for her cause.” 

Chapman said visionary founder Caroline Nesbit launched ATTP nearly 20 years ago. Having taught theatre at the progressive Community School in Tamworth for many years, she came to recognize that there was an unmet demand for quality drama in the area, and for Shakespeare in particular. 

Since Nesbit’s establishment of the non-profit theatre group, its mission has expanded to encompass other types of programming such as improv and music. 

“I continue to draw inspiration from her example,” Chapman said. 

For her part, Nesbit remains very much involved as ATTP’s artistic director, an instructor, and an actor.  

In addition, ATTP helps inspire young people to appreciate live performance through a series of workshops that are integral to their approach to theatre. 

For example, its summertime Shakespeare Drama Camp, which offers “Performance-Based Programs for All Ages” takes place in late July. For children aged five to seven, the program introduces participants to the art of theatre through game playing; for kids from eight to 12, they can build on some basic elements by learning and performing a Shakespeare play; and for youth ages 12 to 15, they learn voice, movement, and stage technique. There’s also a Young Players’ Practicum in August for young thespians 13 and up, allowing them to further hone their skills and perform in an ATTP production alongside professional actors. 

“There’s a real mentorship aspect to it,” Chapman said.  

She noted ATTP’s youth programs offer “a place where teens can find their voice.” She added that the summer workshops and the opportunity to perform with professionals combine to serve as “something of a proving ground.” 

Chapman added that many of the youth form strong bonds with ATTP, go off to college, and return to Sandwich after getting some professional on-stage experience, in effect creating a talent development pipeline. 

While it might seem like it would be an uphill slog to attract top professional talent from the region and beyond, Chapman said that it’s really not difficult at all. She cited a variety of reasons. Firstly, the timing of ATTP’s program helps fill gaps in actors’ work schedules. Additionally, the organization is networked with professional groups like the Shakespeare Theatre Association Actors Equity Association; these types of organizations often will refer actors to small organizations like Advice to the Players. And since ATTP has been inspiring young talent for 19 years, the theatre group has established a strong alumni network, with many former students having gone on to establish stage careers of their own. 

“With the actors who started here, there’s a particular sense of giving back,” Chapman said. 

In addition to educational programs that it offers onsite, ATTP has traveling outreach programs to schools year round. The website describes the in-school workshops as being designed to “engage students with Shakespeare’s stories and language in a variety of ways accessible to multiple learning styles. Our on-your-feet imaginative approach succeeds with students who have tons or no prior experience with Shakespeare—and everywhere in between.” Some schools take advantage of these traveling programs as a way to orient students prior to a field trip at attend an ATTP performance.  

Chapman added that an equally important part of ATTP’s mission is its commitment to community engagement. “Pretty much every play has a mix of professionals, actors from right here in the area, and students from our workshops,” Chapman noted. She added that there’s a remarkable amount of acting talent right in the immediate area. 

While there are mainstays of the organization’s philosophy and approach, ATTP has evolved over time. 

Its opening of the Arts Center at 12 Main in Center Sandwich a few years back has allowed the organization to expand its programming, which now includes live music and improv nights. The venue also features gallery space to exhibit the works of local visual artists. 

The Open Improv Meetup at the Arts Center at 12 Main runs from January through June and takes place on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 6 to 8 pm. These impromptu gatherings are open to teens and adults; a $5 donation is recommended to help defray facility expenses. 

These are open sessions. According to the ATTP website, “[N]o experience or reservations needed, just show up... and do some improv!” 

In the same way, the site continues, “You don’t need to have done any improv before or even stepped on a stage! This is a just-for-fun program, for actors, comedians, storytellers, and none-of-the-aboves, and we’re all learning together.” 

The Concert Series at the Arts Center at 12 Main features musical performers playing in a wide variety of genres. The 2018 season, which ran from the end of June through August, featured classical piano, Celtic, jazz, lounge music, and Klezmer. 

Like the improv nights, admission is by donation. In addition to its weekly summer concerts, ATTP hosts intermittent off-season performances in the fall, winter, and spring. 

As for the organization’s name, Advice to the Players derives from a famous speech in Hamlet where the Danish prince offers counsel to a group of traveling actors by exhorting: 

“You must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness. O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who (for the most part) are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb shows and noise. I would have such a fellow whipp’d for o’erdoing.” 


Shakespeare’s Hamlet continued: 

 “Be not too tame neither; but let your own discretion be your 

tutor. Suit the action to the word, the word to the action; with 

this special observance, that you o’erstep not the modesty of 

nature” 

 “This emphasis on nature seems to be in perfect harmony with our philosophy,” Chapman observed, noting the scenic beauty of the local landscape. 

2019 will mark ATTP’s 20th anniversary season. Tickets go on sale one month prior to opening night. Soon, ATTP will be updating its website, advicetotheplayers.org, although Chapman confirmed that Taming of the Shrew and Measure for Measure will be part of the schedule. For more information, call 603-284-7115.  

If you or a child or grandchild want to perform: A hallmark of ATTP is its high level of community involvement. Chapman said the organization holds open auditions each spring in Sandwich. Dates have not yet been set, but will be announced with plenty of lead-time. 

To support the ATTP mission: The theatre group is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization that describes itself as a “unique company of theater professionals, enthusiastic community members and energetic teens that has been performing Shakespeare and offering workshops in New Hampshire's Lakes and Mountains Region since 1999.” To fulfill its mission of cultural engagement, ATTP derives revenue from individual donors, corporate and foundational sponsorships and grants. Online donations can be made at advicetotheplayers.org/donate. 

As an aside for the orthographically astute:
The careful reader may have noted the alternating spellings and usages of theater and theatre. Chapman explained that both are correct - depending on the context. She noted that the word theater refers to the actual building; the actors therein practice the art of theatre. One therefore goes to the theater to enjoy and experience theatre). 

It’s Apple Picking Time in the Lakes Region!

It’s Apple Picking Time in the Lakes Region! 

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper 

“Surely the apple is the noblest of fruits.” 

• Henry David Thoreau 

This is the time of year that apple orchard owners throw open their doors and invite an eager public to pick apples. For many, it marks the changing of the seasons from summer to fall. Farmers have been tending their apple orchards for months, through a variety of weather conditions. 

Apples are now ready for picking and families can enjoy an afternoon spent at an orchard with apple picking, wagon rides to the orchards, live music, cider donuts, baked goods and more! 

It’s apple picking time in the Lakes Region

Cardigan Mountain Orchard in Alexandria (in the Newfound Lake area) is a wonderful orchard in a country setting; the original orchard trees were planted in the 1930s, producing a variety of apples. More trees have been planted over the years and it is a very scenic, must-visit-every-autumn Newfound Lake location. The orchard is open for pick-your-own apples with about 15 varieties. Choose from Macs, Gravenstein, Honey Crisp, Red and Golden Delicious, Empires and more. The orchard is in a beautiful setting with views and an old-fashioned atmosphere. Cider donuts are available during apple-picking season. The orchard is located at 1540 Mt. Cardigan Rd. in Alexandria; call 603-744-2248. 

The orchard owners also operate the Cardigan Country Store and the Orchard Bistro at 231 Lake Street in Bristol. The store takes one back to the days of old when country stores were the meeting place in every town. The store features apples, produce from local farms, creative work from artisans and craftspeople, as well as baked goods, preserves and more. The Orchard Bistro serves breakfast and lunch and on Friday and Saturday nights, dinner also is served. The store and Bistro are open year round and the orchard will be open until approximately Halloween (call for updates).  

Butternut Farm in Farmington has many varieties available of pick-your-own apples, including Macs, Cortlands, Honey Crisp, Gala, Fuju and more. They’re open every day except Mondays, from 9 am to 5 pm during the picking season. For the latest apple updates, call 603-335-4705. To reach the farm stand, call 603-231-6066. Purchase apples or other treats at the stand, such as tasty homemade pies, donuts, apple cider, and other items. The orchard has a cider house with cider samples; you also can bring your own growler to fill with cider. Butternut Farm is located at 195 Meaderboro Road in Farmington and online at www.butternutfarm.net.  

Surowiec Farm at 53 Perley Hill Road in Sanbornton has been in the Surowiec family for many years. There are a number of varieties of apples available, including Macintosh, and Cortlands, Honey Crisp, Macouns and more. Cider and delicious homemade cider donuts also are available. The farm is open seven days a week from 9 am to 5 pm and can be reached at 603-286-4069 or at www.surowiecfarm.com.  

Stone Brook Hill Farm in Gilford has apple trees on over 12 acres. It is a great farm, with a friendly, relaxed atmosphere and beautiful views. Visitors can choose from several different varieties of apples including Macintosh, Cortland, Ginger Gold, and more. Enjoy an old-fashioned hay wagon ride into the orchard to pick your apples (on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 2 pm), and then return to the farm stand and choose from a beautiful selection of mums and pumpkins for your fall decorating, among other items. Before you leave, don’t forget to buy some delicious cider. The farm is located at 128 Glidden Road, off Route 11A, and is open Wednesday through Sunday. For details, call 603-293-4300 or visit www.stonebrookhillfarm.com.  

DeVylder Farm at 563 Pleasant Valley Road in Wolfeboro began planting apple trees over 38 years ago, and they offer popular varieties for pick-your-own, including Macintosh, Macoun, and Empires. The farm offers fun hayrides on Saturdays during apple picking season. Come back later in the fall as well, because the farmstand will be open until the day before Thanksgiving with baked goods, veggies and more. (Their pies are delicious!) The farm is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm. Call 603-569-4110 for further information.  

Smith Orchard at 184 Leavitt Road in Belmont has apples from trees that were planted in the late 1920s; these trees produce great fruit! If Macintosh, Cortland, and Red Delicious apples are your favorites, you won’t be disappointed. The farm also has over 2,000 semi-dwarf trees that produce large, colorful, and tasty apples. Open Wednesdays through Sundays from 9 am to 5 pm, you can visit Smith Orchard at www.smithorchard.com or call 603-524-1674 for more information.  

It is apple-picking time at Hackleboro Orchards at 61 Orchard Road in Canterbury. This great orchard has been around for over 25 years, growing high-quality fruits and vegetables. Available for pick your own are Macintosh, Cortland and more. Tractors pulling hay wagons take visitors to the orchard on weekends for fun apple picking. The farm stand offers baked goods, maple syrup, and many other items as well. Call for hours of operation and details at 603-783-4248. 

Meadow Ledge Farm at 612 Rt. 129 in Loudon has something for everyone, from apples (in store and pick-your-own), to pumpkins, produce, crafts, baked goods, gift shop items, mums, and of course, their famous made-while-you-watch cider donuts. While you wait for the wagon to take you to the orchard, enjoy the music of live bands; the schedule of music favors bluegrass, country and folk, and snack on your cider donuts while sitting at a picnic table. The family farm has been operating since 1974 and every year has a great variety of apples. Call 603-798-5860. 

If you are out for a drive to look at the foliage, plan your trip around a visit to Romac Orchards at 1149 H Road in Acton, Maine. The orchard offers a lot for families, from apple picking in the orchard special events. Call 207-608-5443 or visit www.romacorchards.org.

Building With Care…and Building Correctly

Building With Care…and Building Correctly 

Story & Photos by Kathi Caldwell-Hopper 

There is a correct way and a not-so-correct way to care for an old house or other structure, but if you want to learn how the experts do it, there is no better place to go than Canterbury Shaker Village. 

Stonewall work at Shaker Village

The former home of over 300 Shakers, a religious sect that thrived in the 1800s and eventually lost membership for various reasons, Canterbury Shaker Village (CSV) exemplifies the Shaker belief that work was a form of worship and that everything should be built to last. According to CSV’s Marketing and Development Director, Maggie Stier, the Shakers believed in making their home a heaven on earth, and that meant making things to the highest standard, even if it took longer. There was no scrimping on materials or workmanship when it came to building the many structures where they worshipped, lived and worked. 

That attention to quality, and the notion that God is in the details and designs of the buildings is everywhere at Canterbury Shaker Village; it offers inspiration for those who are considering purchasing or already reside in an old home. Maggie suggests that there are certain things to observe and learn before beginning to renovate or repair a historic structure. 

Some background on the Shakers is helpful to understanding their building practices. “This property was the farm of Benjamin Whitcher, who invited the Shakers to the property. It became their village in 1792, the same year that the meetinghouse was built,” says Maggie. “The oldest buildings that were on the property prior to the arrival of the Shakers are now gone, and most of what is here now dates to the first 50 years or so of the community. 

“By 1840, most of the village had been built,” explains Maggie. “The number of surviving buildings today is less than half of what was here at the Shakers’ peak, however. Of the original land holdings of nearly 3,000 acres, the Village now is about 700 acres, including fields, orchards, woods, and even surviving dams and mill ponds.  

Maggie explains that the Shakers built for the long-term, and had many skilled craftsmen within their Society, but also turned to outside help if they needed it. They were constantly improving their village by adding or reconfiguring buildings and they were in the forefront of adopting new technology as it became available. These days, although all the Canterbury Shakers have passed on, the property operates as a non-profit historic site with tours, exhibits, events and a variety of classes and workshops. Maintaining the buildings is a central part of the non-profit’s mission, and that’s a big task because there are 25 historic buildings in their original locations, more than any of the other 18 major Shaker villages that existed in the Eastern U.S.  

Overseeing the maintenance effort is CSV Manager of Buildings and Grounds, David Ford, who is a timber framer and craftsman. 

David and Maggie are of one mind when it comes to the best approach to caring for the buildings of CSV. “We follow the guidelines for the treatment of historic buildings issued by the National Park Service,” says David, and that means that those who come to tour the site can observe best practices in restoration and preservation. Because the history of each building is respected, the beauty of CSV remains. 

Attesting to the importance of learning the history of your building before you start work on it, each building at Canterbury has a sign on it indicating the year it was erected and the date of any subsequent major remodeling. “Knowing what period your building is helps you make decisions about what to keep and what you might change or eliminate,” adds Maggie. “Learn as much as you can about the building before beginning any repairs. And use a light touch.” 

An old doorknob, lovely and smooth with age

Before you undertake a major renovation or repair, you may want to get a professional to come in and do a walk-around the building with you. This is a step beyond a home inspection; use a restoration contractor for this job. He or she will be able to give you a list of priorities if you are thinking about doing upkeep on your old home.  

Each building at Shaker Village has signage with the date of construction

Maggie mentions the NH Preservation Alliance’s website as a great source for information, as well as a directory of specialists who can help. “The Secretary of the Interior’s guidelines aren’t required, but they offer the best overall approach on how to rehabilitate a historic house or building,” Maggie adds.  

You should keep in mind, if repairing, to honor what was there originally, such as the windows. When it comes to the subject of windows, Maggie and Dave have a lot to say; and very strong opinions as well.  

“It is important to save historic wood windows,” Dave stresses. “If installed and properly cared for, there is no need to replace old windows with new ones.” 

Dave is big into saving and when necessary, restoring old windows and frames to their original glory. There is nothing he seems to like better than old, wavy window panes, something you just cannot find in today’s windows. He admits to having a “window hospital” at CSV, which is a place where he stores and repairs old windows.  

Dave mentions that the old movie, “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” is a great example of taking on an old home’s repairs. “People think old homes won’t be energy efficient, but that just is not true. The first places to look for heat loss, rather than checking out your windows, is the roof and basement. That is where heat loss is most prevalent.” 

“The majority of my work is in the basement and on the roof,” he explains. “In these spots, you will find that water incursion is an issue. So, if you are living in an old house and want to keep things in good condition, look around for a sagging roofline and to see if the corners of your home are straight up and down. Fix any leaks. Add insulation. Then address the basement water issues and consider insulation there too.” 

Well made, simple and beautiful at Shaker Village

Modern insulation has improved, and homes are more air tight, which is another issue for Maggie and Dave. “Wooden structures need to breathe,” says Dave. “Buildings are just too tight nowadays.” 

When it comes to the upkeep of CSV, Dave is ever vigilant. He inspects the buildings periodically and winter is a time when he checks for leaks and any necessary repairs. In the winter, less than 1/3 of the buildings at CSV are heated, which isn’t a bad thing when a building isn’t inhabited. Because there are no public tours during the winter, there is no need to heat the buildings (most of the buildings do not have plumbing). Nevertheless, Dave inspects inside and outside for any winter damage and is careful with snow removal.  

Finally, Dave advises that siding issues should be addressed once the building’s roof and basement are sound. Retaining original siding material is almost always the best course of action, and if the original material can’t be saved, it should be replaced with a similar material, notes Maggie.  

“It is a testament to the way the Shakers built things, that often all that is needed is paint; historic clapboard siding is often of a superior quality and is almost always worth saving,” says Dave. He got a lesson in how well built the original structures at CSV are when he was scraping old paint in preparation for repainting the 1792 Meetinghouse. “I assumed, once I started scraping paint on the original clapboards, that there would be a lot of wood rot. I discovered that only a small percentage needed replacing. It is amazing how well the building has stood the test of time.” 

The original Meetinghouse was built with a tighter grained wood, which was older timber. “You need to harvest older wood to get lumber with a tighter grain, which is what the Shakers did. It has stood up really well,” he adds. 

Dave says every repair at the village is a process; you can’t just fix it as you would a modern building. The best product for maintaining wood? “Linseed oil,” Dave comments. 

As they talk about repainting an old building, Dave stresses that if you power wash your old home or building before painting, there is one big rule of thumb: “Power wash from above, not below.” This will save the outside of your building from getting water under the boards, which could ultimately create wood rot. 

Perhaps it was because the Shakers had lots of labor that they built things well. It was also likely because they weren’t in any great hurry to finish a job; they were doing it right the first time, as well as following the Shaker Millennial Laws, which specified such things as the color of all the buildings. “The meetinghouse was to be white; the work buildings yellow and the barns red,” says Maggie. 

But as the years went on, some Shaker buildings varied from that rule. For example, directly facing Shaker Road at CSV, there is a large brick building. It is four stories high and has dual porches at the separate entrances for men and for women. It was here that the Shakers interacted with the public; the buildings across the street where they lived and worked were strictly for Shakers. In the brick building were offices, a Shaker gift shop where handmade items were sold to “the World’s people,” and a kitchen and dining room where guests and workers from the outside world were fed.  

Although attractive, the brick building was more utilitarian and seemed to be less about maintaining the almost spiritual design and beauty of the buildings across Shaker Road. The first trustee building on the site was erected in 1831 and was meant as a place for dealing with the public. The current structure is the third such trustee building at that particular spot.  

“It is standard New England construction and well built. Today, it serves as office space,” says Dave. 

But the brick building has its own lessons to teach about maintaining a historic building. In the second half of the 20th century, the large structure was the living quarters for Eldress Bertha, Eldress Gertrude and other Shaker sisters. One can look at the restored linoleum covering the floors in some rooms to get an idea about the fascination the Shakers had for modern, labor saving products. As part of the building’s restoration, the many different styles of linoleum were carefully cleaned and preserved as a way to tell the story of the Shakers’ changing tastes and habits over time. 

The use of a Shaker building often evolved over time, and as such, changes were made to buildings to meet new needs. That’s true today as well. “When our staff or visitor needs change, we adapt the buildings,” says Maggie. For example, the former museum gift shop and admission area is now being used for educational programs and meetings, and the former Girls’ residence was used this past summer to house four artists in residence. These buildings are surprisingly adaptable, and we know that, in the past, buildings were often moved, repurposed, or dismantled and reconstructed.” It’s important not to give a false sense of history, however, says Maggie, “so all changes should be carefully thought through, and as historically accurate as possible.”    

The Shakers, explains Maggie and Dave, were famous for moving buildings or repurposing a structure. “They had a very fluid attitude,” Maggie adds. They rotated their jobs and when a building no longer was needed, they either found a new use for it, moved it or replaced it.” 

But always, paying attention to history is important. “Preservation is part of our mission,” says Maggie. “And preservation is a part of your life if you own an old home. If you are going to repair your house, you should know how to check the clapboard and roofline and original windows. And you should try to repair to honor what was there.” 

Dave chimes in when windows are mentioned, “It is very important to save historic wooden windows!” 

“It wouldn’t hurt to make friends with someone who has restored an old house,” Maggie adds. “And the National Park Service website has a best practices for restoration and the NH Division of Historical Resources provides information on caring for historic structures as well. 

“Additionally, if you live in a historic district that regulates changes you should get local approval before any work that would alter the appearance of your home,” she says. 

If you live in or are considering buying an old home, CSV and the Shaker philosophies have much to teach. They would likely be pleased to hear Dave say, “If you have questions, stop by the Village. I’m usually here, and I like to talk about old buildings.” 

Maggie jokes that you may find Dave in his window hospital at the village, salvaging and repurposing historic windows. Or dealing with any one of the many issues and projects that come with the territory of caring for historic structures.  

There is indeed a right way and a wrong way to care for an old home or building, and if you are confused where to start, come to Shaker Village. There, among the lovely and serene old buildings and the peace and quiet, you can really look at old buildings that were created long ago in a search for perfection, and carefully observe the way hey are cared for to keep them standing long into the future. Stewards of historic structures don’t really own their buildings; after all, they just take care of them until the next owner comes along.  

(To learn more, visit www.shakers.org or call 603-783-9511. Canterbury Shaker Village is located on Shaker Road in Canterbury, NH. Additional information for this story was provided by Maggie Stier.) 

Get Ready for the Sandwich Fair!

Get Ready for the Sandwich Fair! 

By Sarah Wright 

One of the most popular fairs in the Lakes Region is during Columbus Day weekend, and it’s an enjoyable experience for the whole family! I’ve been taking my boys to Sandwich Fair for years, and we always have a great time. There are rides, animal shows, tractor and truck pulls, 4-H exhibits, and plenty of delicious food It’ll be easy to see why it’s so popular. 

Animals are a popular part of the fair’s parade

Saturday, October 6 is Children’s Day and exhibits are open from 8 am to 6 pm, while the rides and midway open at 9 am, with ride specials running until 2 pm. See some unique cars in the Antique Auto Show, and enjoy the popular Antique Auto Parade at 1 pm, with prizes. There will also be an Antique Tractor Pull, and a Pedal Tractor Pull for children. Animals are featured in the Open Goat, Horse, and Beef Shows, and in the Miniature Horse Demonstration. The 4-H Dog Show will introduce a new “Stuffie” class this year for children too young to enter their own real dog. Children can enter their favorite stuffed dog instead, and a 4-H’er will be on hand to help them experience the fun of competition. Children will also enjoy watching the amazing Joe Howard, Magician, or receiving a playful balloon creation from Mo the Clown. The Granite State Disc Dogs will be on hand to show off some amazing jumps, with Ox and Steer Log Skidding, Pig Handling, and a Hand Milking Demo to round out the day. I’m curious to see what strategies the pig handlers use. I’m also excited to see Roderick Russell, the Mentalist and Sword Swallower. The 60’s Invasion Band will provide the soundtrack for the day of fun at the fair.  

Sunday, October 7 is not only Family Day, but it’s the most popular day, so arrive early! Exhibits are open from 8:30 am to 6 pm, and the rides and midway open at 9 am. You’ll see beautiful Gymkhana horses and the Single Horse Twitch event. More animals will be featured in the 4-H Goat Show, the Miniature Horse Demonstration, the Open Dairy Show, Horse Pulling, an Open Swine Show, and in a Sheep Shearing Demo. There will be another Antique Tractor Pull and Children’s Pedal Tractor Pull. Don’t miss some talented axe skills at the Woodsmen’s Field Day event. The Grand Street Parade will thrill onlookers at 1 pm, with this year’s theme being “Salute to the Troops.” There will be entertainment throughout the day, provided by MC Professor Paddy Whack, the Don Campbell Band, and the Stuck in Time Band. Other events will include the juggling and comedy of Jason Tardy, balloon creations by Mo the Clown, 4-H Livestock Talks where you’ll learn about the hard work and dedication that goes into raising animals, and Animal Fence Talks, a Team Wagon Competition, Oxen and Steer Trained Pairs, and a Hand Milking Demo. It’ll be another action-packed day at the Sandwich Fair! 

Finally, on Monday, October 8, there will be special pricing for seniors and free admission for members of the military who bring their identification cards. Exhibits will be open from 8 am to 5 pm, with rides opening at 9 am. Many animals will be featured in the 4-H Beef, Horse, Sheep/Open Sheep, Dairy, Working Steer, and Swine Shows. There will also be Ox Pulling and an Oxen Cart Obstacle Course. 4-H’ers will be on hand for Livestock Talks and Animal Fence Talks, and a Working Steer Cart Class Pull. Other pulls on Monday will include the popular Pickup Truck Pull and The Sugar Hill Snubbers Lawn Tractor Pull. For me, the most entertaining events are the Women’s Skillet Toss, and the equally fun Gentlemen’s Keg Toss (don’t worry, they’re empty!). Enter these crowd-pleasing activities and flex your arm muscles. Entertainment on Monday will be provided by MC’s Professor Paddy Whack and Joe Howard, with catchy tunes by the Ossipee Mountain Boys Band and Annie and the Orphans. Mo the Clown will be on hand again to made balloon creations for eager kids, and delicious treats will be auctioned off at the Baked Goods Auction.  

If you’re a big fan of the rides at the fair, consider going to the Friday Night Ride Preview on October 5, from 4 pm to 9 pm. Ride as many times as you like for just $20. My kids love the rides, with the bumper cars being their favorite. While they’re on the rides, I’m usually enjoying a caramel apple. It’s a fall tradition for me. We also enjoy looking at the interesting photos in the photography exhibit, and like to see which photos won a ribbon. There’s a Lego competition, too, and it’s cool to see the young entrants’ creativity. We also make sure to walk through the building with a variety of different chicken breeds and adorable bunnies on display. Children are amazed at the giant, award-winning pumpkin that sits nearby. It makes for a great photo-op! We never miss the Women’s Skillet Toss event, either. Traditionally, we’ll share a bag of fried dough nuggets, getting powdered sugar on our shirts while we marvel at the strength of the competitors. I’m looking forward to the memories we’ll create this year at the fair! Don’t miss it! 

The Sandwich fairgrounds are located at 7 Wentworth Hill Road at the junction of Routes 109 and 113, in Center Sandwich. The Fair offers free parking in a large lot off Squam Lake Road, and additional free parking is available at locations on Route 113. Fair organizers ask that you leave dogs at home, since they are not allowed at the fair.  

The rides and midway will remain open after the exhibits close, until the crowds thin out. For more information, visit the Sandwich Fair’s Facebook page or www.thesandwichfair.com or call the fair office at 603-284-7062.  

Something’s Brewin’ in Wolfeboro

Something’s Brewin’ in Wolfeboro 

Local Couple Offers Specialty Coffee Roasted on the Shore of Back Bay 

By Mark Foynes 

 “It all begins with the beans,” explained Troy Lucas, co-owner of Lucas Roasting Company, a purveyor of high-quality coffees based in Wolfeboro. 

Jennica and Troy Lucas are co-proprietors of Lucas Roasting Company

Troy loves talking coffee. He’s the master roaster for Lucas. If you walk into his establishment, which he runs with his wife and business partner, Jennica, you will likely walk out knowing a lot more about coffee when you leave. 

Troy has been roasting coffee beans for about 17 years. He explained that it started out as a hobby, somewhat akin to home brewing.  

“There was a lot of good coffee out there, but nothing that quite suited my taste,” he said. “It’s something I’m passionate about and learning the art of roasting the best quality beans was something I immersed myself in once I got started,” Troy added. 

While he did solicit tips from master roasters as he was getting started, Troy said he is “largely self-taught.” He said he would take copious notes after each batch was roasted to document the qualities of each variety of coffee beans. https://www.lucasroasting.com/

 

Back to School: the Lakes Region’s Schoolhouses

Yesteryear 

Back to School: the Lakes Region’s Schoolhouses 

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper 

If you wish to see a real one-room schoolhouse and to experience what education was like long ago, there are many examples in New Hampshire. In the village of Andover, there were once a number of small schoolhouses, each serving a region of the town. In the 1800s, there could be many hamlets within one town, and without transportation, students could not be expected to walk miles to a distant schoolhouse, thus small buildings were erected and teachers - sometmes the local minister or his wife - stepped in to educate youngsters. 

The Tucker Mountain Schoolhouse remains in Andover to show what education was like long ago and it is open through October and run by the Andover Histosrical Society. The schoolhouse was built in 1837 and served the local community until 1893, when a fast dwindling student population led to its closing. According to information at www.andoverhistory.org, “it stands today in its original setting and location, in very good condition, looking much as it did when it was in active use.” 

The schoolhouse, like most of its era, was a single room, and it measures about 16 feet by 18 feet. An “ell” or shed that serves as a weather-protective entrance to the school building was also the place for storing firewood. Another necessity was a small closet in the shed with the two-hole privy. The building is of post-and-beam construction, made of hand-hewn timbers fastened with trunnels, and it sits on a foundation of unmortared granite stones. The walls are sheathed with vertical planks, covered externally with clapboards. 

Once you were at your desk, you were expected to sit quietly and in place; the pupils’ heavy plank desks were (and still are) bolted to the floor. Those who visit will see that the floor slopes downward on two sides toward the center of the room, increasing visibility for the pupils in the back rows (a frequently-seen design detail in the schools of this time). The interior walls are covered with wide pine boards painted flat black to serve as chalkboards.  

The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now a museum exhibiting details of a way of education that no longer exists.  

In the 1830s, Ashland, New Hampshire, like many New England towns, was likely a remote spot. The town was fortunate to have as a resident, Miss Nancy Perkins, as a teacher. Perkins saw the need for a school in the area, and rolled up her sleeves and started a private high school in the Vestry of the town’s Baptist church. The school was in session from 1836 to 1847, according to Ashland, New Hampshire Centennial 1868 to 1968. She was said to be a wonderful teacher and parents and students alike sang her praises. Indeed, she must have been a good teacher with a love for passing on knowledge because she eventually married Oren Cheney and together, they helped found Bates College. 

Schooling was certainly different from what we experience today. In the 1880s in Ashland, grammar school students were required to take an exam written by the school board each term. Pupils had to answer 60 percent of the test questions correctly in order to advance to the next grade. Old schoolhouses – usually consisting of just one room — were a part of the American landscape for decades. Ask any older person and it’s a good bet they once attended a one-room schoolhouse. These charming little buildings were every town’s answer to education and local children from age 5 to 15 or more all sat in one room, taught by a single adult woman or man.  

Conditions in many village schools were par with the rest of society’s housing at the time: a woodstove warmed the space and students were often expected to split and carry wood to feed the heat source; a bucket of water served as refreshment and another was for washing hands. Outside, usually hidden behind bushes, sat the outhouse. 

A very unusual school was in session at Canterbury Shaker Village in Canterbury in the 1800s and into the 1900s. The Shaker religious sect welcomed and cared for many orphaned or foster children over the years and they were given excellent educations at the Shaker school. The one room, one-story school was erected in 1823. As the population of Canterbury Shaker Village expanded, with it came more children and in 1863 he school was expanded to become a two-story structure. Area children were allowed to attend the school as well as Shaker children. 

In Sandwich, NH, the Lower Corner School was a place of learning in the mid and late 1800s. Most towns were in remote spots and many families lived in even deeper rural areas. Small schools were built to serve children in various rural locations.  

The Lower Corner School began in 1825 as the John Quincy Adams School. At that time, according to information at www.sandwichhistorical.org, citizens in Sandwich voted a tax of $193.70 to build a schoolhouse. The school was small with a plank door, tiny windows that were placed high and underpinnings of stone. A big fireplace heated the building. Four-foot wood fed the fire that kept teacher and students warm during the cold winters. Fireplaces are notorious for providing uneven heat and this one, as a former student recalled, provided heat that “burned the face while the back was freezing.” Students who sat at the back of the room took turns moving to the front to share the warmth during the day. 

In the 1880s the school was renamed the Lower Corner School. By the 1930s an addition brought indoor toilet and storage facilities to the school and a playground. In 1944 the school closed and students traveled to the Center School in the town.  

Children in the Cook settlement in Moultonborough had a schoolhouse near a spring. The school building was modest in size; one child who attended the school was said to be the envy of all the other students because he could coast down from his home to the schoolhouse door in snowy winter weather, according to Moultonborough to the 20th Century, a publication of the Moultonborough Historical Society Bicentennial Issue 1963. As the year progressed, school children had quite a walk to get to school – down a steep hill, through fields and over stonewalls and fences. Even with the arduous walk each day, some students were said to have good or perfect attendance.  

The Village School in Moultonborough was the site of learning for many years. During the early part of the 1900s the school was located opposite the Moultonboro Town House and was a one-room school. By 1913 the town improved the school as the population grew. An assistant teacher was hired in the 1920s and the school was divided and two regular teachers were hired. A jacketed stove was secured for the school and a note in town reports for 1923 stated, “The new stove makes it possible to have the rooms comfortable as far as the heat is concerned.” 

In 1925 a new school had been built and housed elementary school aged children. In her book, I Remember Moultonboro New Hampshire by Frances A. Stevens, she recalled being a student at the school in the late 1920s. “As I remember, when this school was first built there was a big stove with a jacket around it in the back corner of the room. In the winter when it was real cold she would have us gather around the stove for our classes. It wasn’t long before they put in a furnace with steam radiators.” 

On the other side of Lake Winnipesaukee, schooling was seen as a necessity in New Durham. The town’s original land grand specified that a portion of the community’s money be set aside for a schoolhouse. In 1779 the town raised money to hire a town school teacher and for some years after, money was voted for schooling. At this time there were no school houses in the town and school masters were hired who traveled from town to town boarding with different families. These men would teach the children of the area the basics: reading, writing and spelling.  

By the 1800s schools were built in New Durham. In the late 1800s, improvements were made with the installation of blackboards, iron stoves and desks. In 1906, the annual report of the school board stated that “We cannot expect a woman to teach in a town paying $6.50 to $7.50 for 24 weeks in a year when she can obtain $8.00 to $9.00 per week for 34 to 36 weeks in the year. She will most certainly choose the latter.” 

According to The History of New Durham, New Hampshire by Ellen Cloutman Jennings, the original 14 New Durham schools had shrunk to just seven with a school budget of about $1,000. Teacher’s salaries, supplies and repairs came out of this budget and the board closed schools when necessary if enrollment dropped drastically. 

Further north in the Plymouth, NH area, the village of Dorchester had a small schoolhouse that was built in 1808 and originally called the North District School. It was used as a one-room school for area children until 1926. The school's last teacher was Lena Bosence Walker. 

According to www.livingplaces.com, “…the 1808 Schoolhouse, a single story clapboarded structure, its gable front capped by a small gable-roofed cupola and set above a rock wall foundation.” 

At excellent preserved one room schoolhouse is part of the Wolfeboro Historical Society on South Main Street. The Society owns The Clark House Museum Complex of structures at the site, including the Pleasant Valley School. 

The one room school was built about 1805 on land in South Wolfeboro in the area known as Pleasant Valley according to information at www.wolfeborohistoricalsociety.org. Known for some time as District #3 School, some residents called it the Townsend School, because it was close to the home of Reverend Isaac Townsend, Wolfeboro’s first minister. (Perhaps the reverend visited the school and probably taught religious classes to the children.) 

The school was crude by today’s standards, as were most in New England. Local children learned to make due. All grades were taught in the one room. The enrollment of students ranged from 20 to 50. In 1959 the schoolhouse was moved to its present location at the Clark Museum Complex. (To tour the schoolhouse museum during seasonal hours, call the Wolfeboro Historical Society at 569-4997.)

A Local Institution Perseveres

A Local Institution Perseveres
 

By Mark Foynes 

An iconic local bakery’s legacy can be summed up in three letters - “Yum.”  

Okay - let’s revise - six letters - “Yum Yum.” 

The Yum Yum Shop’s original location

One “yum” is not enough to encapsulate the experience of what has become a confectionary mainstay of downtown Wolfeboro. 

Generations of seasonal visitors and year-rounders were disappointed to learn of the Yum Yum Shop’s closing following the passing of long-time owner Lou Kelly a few years ago.  

Lou passed away at the age of 78 in 2015. But his son, Peter Kelly, kept the business running through the following season as folks expressed their ongoing support. In the fall of 2016, however, the Yum Yum Shop announced that it was closing. 

Soon thereafter, signs began appearing outside of the bakery bearing slogans like, “We Need the Yum Yum in Our Tum Tum.”  

Folks who posted on local forums and Facebook groups began wondering out loud what a post - Yum Yum Wolfeboro would be like. None of the scenarios seemed particularly positive. 

Former owner and late Louis Kelly at work the Yum Yum Shop

Given this outpouring of support, Peter Kelly felt compelled to reopen the Yum Yum Shop in 2018. 

So, after being shuttered for a year-and-a-half, the Yum Yum Shop in downtown Wolfeboro is again serving up baked goodies and ice cream confections - continuing a 70-year legacy spanning three generations.  

“It just seemed like the right decision,” Peter Kelly said. 

The Yum Yum Shop re-opened in May and had a Chamber of Commerce-sponsored ribbon cutting on July 2 - right before the town’s iconic Independence Day Parade, which draws a few thousand spectators to downtown. 

As always, thanks to Peter, a trip to this South Main Street landmark will yield a trove of goodies.  

The well-manicured landscape and tidy exterior will welcome you and the aroma of fresh-baked treats shall tempt. A single bite will draw you over into a wonderland of turnovers, cupcakes, and artisan breads. A visit to the Yum Yum Shop can be either a dive into decadence or the ultimate test of will power for those sweet of tooth. 

What will you find at the Yum Yum Shop? 

Donuts? 

Yes, please. 

Ice cream? 

Yes please. 

Handcrafted pastries made with any and every berry imaginable? Blueberry. Blackberry. Strawberry? 

Umm...Yes...Please. 

Yum Yum Shop exterior

For half a century, Louis Kelly was the prime mover behind this landmark bakery. Lots of folks knew him as just ‘Lou.’ Many more knew him as “The Yum Yum Guy.” 

Lou was an artisan and a yeoman. He’d stir himself from slumber in the wee hours. Lou was working before dawn - well before a lazy sun could spread her tiny tendrils of light down upon the Bay.  

Lou made the dough. Lou prepared the confections. Lou made sure you’d get your yum. 

Come sunrise, it would be showtime - and the Yum Yum Shop was always ready. 

In spite of the fact that every confection that passed through Yum Yum’s doors bore the pride of Lou’s workmanship, he was initially a somewhat reluctant baker, according to his son, Peter Kelly. Peter re-opened the bakery last spring and is continuing forth with the family legacy. 

 “He actually had a degree in engineering,” Peter explained. He noted that his grandparents began having some health issues in the sixties, and that Lou agreed to help his folks out. 

Peter noted that, at the time, his father was a key player in designing the Massachusetts interstate highway system. 

 “It was a big job, one that could have put him on a different path,” Peter said. “But he had his priorities.” He continued, “Dad was incredibly loyal, so when my grandparents said they needed a little help, he was right there for them.” 

Originally, the Yum Yum Shop was located across the street, at the present location of the Art Place. The bakery occupied that space for nearly three decades, from 1948 to 1977. In that time, the business’ clientele grew and eventually outstripped the physical limitations of the facility. 

Peter recalls that customers were lined up out the door. “It was kind of crazy; Dad knew a bigger space was needed.” 

In the 1970s, there was a defunct Gulf station across the way on Main Street. The Kellys acquired the building and modified it to become their new home base. “It was the right move at the right time,” he said. 

Peter has fond memories of his father. “Even though he studied engineering and was on a certain career track, when he came back to help out, he was all in,” he noted.  

Locals who knew Peter’s dad might recall him as a little gruff. “Yeah, he did have a little reputation as being a bit rough,” Peter conceded. “But the kids that came in made him light up,” he noted.  

“When he saw them enjoy something he made, it made him so happy,” Peter said, hoping to continue the legacy. 

Peter continued, “[Dad] was really just a big wuss.” He noted this with the utmost possible respect. He added, “Dad kind of had the idea that it could be the worst possible day, but if a kid left with a smile on his face, that’s a good day.” 

Peter observed, “With my father, family always came first; his parents needed a hand and he did what he felt he needed to do and kept on.” 

(Personally, I can’t claim to have known Lou well, but I did know him. And I do know a lot of engineers. They design and build. Lou was an engineer and an architect who worked not in form but in flavor. To be sure, there’s a certain elegance to a pastry baked in the Yum Yum Shop. Lou was humble and businesslike when talking about baking. But you always got the sense that every popover or cupcake bore a certain pride of craftsmanship. The type that an architect would put into a structure like the Empire State Building or the Golden Gate Bridge.) 

“There’s definitely a legacy there,” Peter said. “Dad set the bar high.” 

While he intended to help out temporarily, some 50 years ago, as time went on, Lou became increasingly immersed in the bakery. 

While he wasn’t devising transportation solutions for a nation on the move in the 1960s, he was rather engineering mouth-watering confections that would earn the family business generations of loyal customers. 

For a while, the Yum Yum Shop seemed to be on the brink of a regional baking empire. Lou was able to negotiate a contract with the Demoulas family to operate remote bakeries throughout the region within the company’s expanding Market Basket grocery stores. 

 “I was pretty young back then, but I remember the late 1970s and 80s was a time of expansion,” Peter recalled. He noted that the remote bakeries were profitable and mutually beneficial for both the Kelly and Demoulas families. But it did not work out, so the Yum Yum Shop retrenched at its Wolfeboro home base, where it continued to thrive and serve a large local clientele. 

In the early 2000s, Lou considered retiring. 

 “I remember Dad thinking about getting out of the business. By that point, it was part of him, though,” Peter recalled, “so he just couldn’t.” 

Back in 2004, there were indeed rumors, but talk aside, Lou soldiered on. Until the end. 

After Lou passed in 2015, the fate of the Yum Yum Shop was a topic of online chatter. One online comment summed up the bakery’s legacy by saying, “Thank you Kelly family for the sweets ‘n treats over the years.” 

To help bridge the gap and get the bakery through the 2016 season (there’d been honor-bound agreements for some events that year), Peter took a hiatus from his sales post at Allstate to pitch in, just as his father had done a half century ago. 

And so the legacy continues. 

Peter said that he’d intended for the gig to be temporary. “We wanted to see things through - at least for the short term,” he summarized. 

And he did. Special orders were fulfilled. Daily customers were satisfied. 

And in late 2016, Peter planned to hang up the closed sign at the Yum Yum Shop for good. But Wolfeboro wasn’t about to let this happen. Peter said that the words of a young couple - Ashley and Spencer Samuelian - were vital. To date, they are key players at the bakery, providing support, while Kelly manages the day-to-day operations. 

“They have been super supportive, and we’re all so appreciative,” Kelly said of the Samuelians. 

After the shop’s initial closing, online began lighting up. Signs bearing beseeching messages appeared on the property.  

Peter is smart. He got the message. He had the opportunity to continue a family legacy and move it forward. And the community has responded. The Yum Yum Shop still draws. 

“It’s been a good season with people enjoying some of our traditional favorites and some of the new offerings,” Kelly said. 

“We might have a new twist to add to the things people expect, so please do stop on by,” he concluded. Peter hinted that chocolate will be involved. 

“We’ve gotten some requests and we try to be responsive.” he noted. 

The Yum Yum Shop has a Facebook page and is accessible at myyumyumshop.com. Upon entering, you will be greeted by mouth-watering images and the slogan, “We’re Back.” 

Seasons Turn on the M/S Mount Washington

Seasons Turn on the M/S Mount Washington 

Story & Photos by Barbara Neville Wilson 

It’s a bright, cheerful day that speaks contrast. The sun beats summer warmth, and the crisp blue sky and shadows whisper, “Fall is on its way.”  

I get a happy text from my friend Tatiana. She has found parking for “Gino’s ginormous truck” in downtown Wolfeboro—something rare in busy summer—and she is waiting for me at the Wolfeboro Town Docks. We are meeting the Motorship (M/S) Mount Washington. 

MS Mount Washington leaves Wolfeboro Town Docks

Passengers on hand to board the cruise ship hale from Port Orange, Florida; Siberia; Cape Cod; Wells, Maine; New Durham; Williamsburg, Virginia; Sri Lanka; and East Wakefield, New Hampshire. For most, this 2 ½ hour cruise is a rare treat, but for Ann Dingwell of Sugar Hill Retirement Community in Wolfeboro, it is an annual rite. How frequently has she been on the Mount Washington? “How long have I lived here?” she responds rhetorically and recounts weekend evenings dancing on the ship and annual tours with family and friends. 

“The Mount,” as she is affectionately called by locals, was smaller when Ann danced on it, and the Mount that once greeted trains at the Wolfeboro Docks was a different ship altogether. Like fall, the Mount is constantly changing, yet remains fixed in our memory as if an anchor.  

Tatiana and I turn aside to catch up. Having only been in the area three years, she is excited by the prospect of a cruise on Lake Winnipesaukee’s largest ship. She enjoyed a twilight tour on another vessel a year or two ago, but the larger ship and longer itinerary sounds heavenly on a beautiful afternoon, and besides, she’s doing research. 

Research? Yes. Tatiana and husband Gino began renovating their historic 19th century Top of the Ridge Farm in New Durham this past year, preparing to open it as a bed and breakfast, and, of course, Tatiana must be able to guide guests to wonderful things to do, doesn’t she? 

We board the ship and find seats under the awning on the second deck. Soon we feel the rumble of engines, and watch Wolfeboro recede as we leave the docks and head out into the lake surrounded by “80 miles of shoreline” says the narration over the intercom. We are on a return trip to Weirs Beach, it tells us. 

Many crew members have worked for the Cruise NH fleet for years. It is not uncommon to hear of generations of the same family rising through the ranks.

The friendly staff of the M/S Mount Washington make passengers feel special and cared for.

The narration continues, and we find out that, like Tatiana and Gino’s farm, the Mount Washington cruise ship has changed in form over the years, but its purpose and image in people’s minds remain the same. Built in 1888, it was bought from its owner on Lake Placid and brought to Lake Winnipesaukee in 1940 to replace the original Mount Washington steamship that burned in the tragic Christmas fire of 1939 at Weirs Beach. In 1946, it became the motorship Mount Washington when diesel engines replaced its steam engines. In 1982-83 it was actually cut in two, and a 24-ft. center section was added, but in each iteration, it remained The Mount, the largest ship to ply Winnipesaukee’s waters. 

Lake Winnipesaukee was named by native peoples thousands of years ago to mean either “Smile of the Great Spirit” or “Beautiful waters in a high place,” says the narrator practically in the same breath that it tells of the Europeans who claimed to have “discovered” the headwaters of the Merrimack River and claimed them for the Massachusetts Bay Colony at Weirs Beach, a place natives had been fishing for generations. Exactly who claimed what is unimportant, though, as we ride the waves, view the Ossipee, Sandwich and Belknap Mountains, learn about the “40 Islands” that are actually 13 and see a flotilla of Canada Geese poised to rise in the sky and head south for the season. 

We peer curiously at the huge homes tucked cheek by jowl and clinging to the shore of Governor’s Island. The land was once the site of a mansion built by colonial Governor Wentworth and later hosted a farming cooperative and, later still, an unsuccessful land development by Stilson Hutchins, founder of The Washington Post. Today, it has returned to its first use as the location of the “highest concentration of multi-million-dollar homes in the region,” says the narrator.  

The ship docks at Weirs Beach. While we enjoy looking at the gingerbread features and Victorian architecture of the NH Veterans Association cottages across Weirs Boulevard, dozens of sightseers wearing nametags and matching shirts board the ship. Soon we are underway again with an invitation to enjoy the buffet luncheon served below.  

“Look!” I point Tatiana to the illustration of the Mount Washington at the top of my plastic plate. The image almost makes me feel like a fancy passenger on an early 20th century ocean liner, and the colorful buffet strewn across the stern of the boat makes me feel no less pampered. A courteous staff offers tossed and fruit salads, green beans, fresh rolls, baked haddock, vegetarian lasagna, barbequed chicken, white rice and a selection of sweet parfaits and trifles, including a seasonal pumpkin. 

We lose ourselves in food and conversation, pausing only to hear disbelievingly about the five- to six-ft. waves that can appear in the currently glass-calm Broads, and the stories of grand hotels transferred to new homes across winter ice. 

Then suddenly it’s over! The narrator tells us we have re-entered Wolfeboro Bay. Surprised, we look ahead and there we see a Main Street every bit as picturesque from the water as from land. 

Honestly, we are a little sad our respite from daily life is ending. To prolong my jump back into reality, I pause to chat with Captain Paul Smith and Pilot Kevin Pettengill before disembarking.  

I smile when the day’s theme unfolds again. Captain Smith tells me he has been on The Mount for 33 years and is slowly decreasing the number of his cruises. He is “honored” however, he tells me, to be training Pilot Pettengill to take his place. You see, it was Captain John Pettengill, Kevin’s father, who trained him to captain The Mount decades ago!  

Old becomes new as seasons turn. 

Watch the seasons turn from the decks of the M/S Mount Washington any day from now through October 28. Information about sailing times and ports of call can be found at www.cruisenh.com or by calling 603-366-5531.  

Float Your Cares Away

Float Your Cares Away 

Story & Photos by Barbara Neville Wilson 

Float tech Stormy Leroux shows off the Float Pod as she trains a client on its features.

Feeling weightless… 

No. I wasn’t feeling “weightless.” I wasn’t FEELING anything. Let me try again. 

Awaking… 

No. I wasn’t “awaking” because I wasn’t asleep, per se. It was more like I became aware again…but that really sounds daft, doesn’t it? 

I’m usually pretty good with words. I can describe tangible objects: an amazing chainsaw wood sculpture by Carver Alex, for instance. Or how something looks, like the bird’s eye views of Winnipesaukee from “When Pigs Fly,” Richard Pierce’s Ultralight. But to describe how one feels when in a body temperature floatation tank? Words don’t suffice. 

Well, how about an image? They say a picture’s worth a thousand words.  

In the case of float tanks, however, no photos can do them justice. The photos shown here look strangely cold and otherworldly. When Float Tech Stormy Leroux first showed me the tanks at Meredith Whole Living, my mind instantly leaped to scenes from Star Trek. I imagined I was entering a new space and dimension, and perhaps that’s the best way to describe my adventure in the Float Pod: there is no comparison to anything you already know, but you immediately feel like you’ve been there before. 

Okay, maybe that’s a little over the top and you think I’m a bit “off,” but follow me on my trip and maybe you’ll find some sense of my meaning… 

I arrive on the quiet brick- and clapboard-lined Main Street of Meredith on a late summer afternoon. Having just turned away from busy Route 25 and the busy Winnipesaukee Dock, I am already primed for change, and the view of the quaint village of antique shops, barber shops, creative outlets, spas, and cafes brings calm. I cross an early 20th-century front porch, imagining the thousands of summer footfalls that have crossed these boards before, and enter a door at 48 Main Street, home of Meredith Whole Living Center on the second floor. 

The soft carpeted stairs point me to a reminder to silence my phone, and the warm smile of Esthetician Carrie Reed greets me at reception. She apologizes. Float Tech Stormy LeRoux is working with another client, but how can she make me comfortable in the Relaxation Room as my Float Tank is being prepared?  

I nod to another client looking cozy in terrycloth robe and sitting in a white-shaded Ekornes Stressless chair, sipping a caramel-colored beverage while reading. I glance at the credenza on the wall and see an assortment of herbal infusions with names like “Rejuvinate” made of wildcrafted applemint, hibiscus, and red raspberry leaf, and “Relax” comprised of lemon balm, chamomile and holy basil crafted specially for the Center by Sacred Tree Herbals, which is located downstairs. 

Given the choice, I opt to relax before my float on the second-floor veranda just outside. Furnished with nostalgia-inducing porch rockers, welcoming planters and a breezy view of old-fashioned store fronts, it’s just the place for me to turn off my world and fill out my health and wellness profile the Center requires before I float. 

The second-floor veranda or the indoor Relaxation Room is the first step to destressing in a Float Tank at Meredith Whole Living Center.

The questions are easy and straightforward, leaving me a bit of time to rock and relax before Stormy invites me to follow her to the float stations. Lights are dim in the hallway and she keeps her voice low so not to disturb massage and esthetic sessions going on in rooms on either side of the corridor. She shows me the large private restroom where I can change and re-enter the world after my session, and then gives me the choice of Float Tank or Float Pod for my session. The Float Tank looks to be about 6 X 8-ft. and is situated in a high-walled room within a larger room with glass-enclosed shower. The Float Pod is a covered egg-shaped tub that sits independently in a room. Given a choice, I select the Pod because I’m still just kid enough to be intrigued by the otherworldly glow of blue that emanates between lid and tank wall when the “egg” is closed. 

The concept behind the Float is the same in whichever environment I choose, she tells me. I will shower, then enter the Float Tank where 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts are infused in 10 inches of skin temperature water. A soothing mix of music will play at a volume I can adjust while I float isolated and uninterrupted for 60 minutes.  

After a very short training (where is the button for the lights inside the tank? Here is a water pillow to help my neck relax in this new sense of weightlessness), Stormy closes the door and leaves me. I look around in the simple, undecorated room. There is a neatly tied terrycloth robe hanging on the door, an Asian-inspired table with towels echoed in a wooden mat on the floor, a bowl for jewelry, and a remote. The rooms are kept at a steady 92 degrees, which is generally a temperature of comfort for most people.—if, however, I find it too hot or cold, the remote is provided for adjustments. In the corner is a shower shaped remarkably like the Transporter in “Star Trek.” Is it coincidence, I wonder? 

I slowly shower, mindful that the whole purpose of this session is to relax, then I step onto the warm tile floor and over to the egg-shaped Float Pod. I open the hinged hydraulic cover and blue light spills out. I step into the slightly viscous warm water. “It must be the effect of the Epsom salts,” I think. 

In a Float Room.

I believe it’s the last logical thought I form for the next hour, for after that, I remember only shutting the cover, turning the tank’s light off, adjusting the music, and letting my feet rise of their own volition. Granted, there were moments when I bounced a bit against a side, or slit my eyes open to see what I was “looking” at (most often my head was listing to port and I didn’t even realize it had moved), or roused myself enough to try out the float pillow, but overall, once I entered the pod, I was happy to simply exist. The music rose to no climax, the water temperature did not fluctuate, and my mind just rambled aimlessly. 

After a time I could never have estimated, the music trailed off and a woman’s gentle voice told me my session was over, that I should leave the tank where the cleansing process would soon begin. My mind slowly returned to the present, and I stepped once again onto the warm tile floor and returned to the shower and rinsed the salt from my skin and residue from my hair with scents of lavender. 

As I toweled off, I heard a rumble. The tank’s circulator had come to life. I watched fascinated for a few minutes as the currents swirled to sanitize the water with ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide, just as Stormy had told me it would. 

Reluctant, I wrapped the robe around me, picked up my belongings and walked lightly down the hall to the restroom where I enjoyed trying the samples of herbal and natural lotions, deodorants and scents provided. If my hair were longer, I also could have tried exotic hair products and coiffed it with hair dryer and straighteners provided. 

First brought to popular culture by scientist John C. Lilly in the 1950s, float tanks were forgotten for decades until they began to make a resurgence in the early 2000s. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, they have become almost a commonplace feature in upscale (read “very luxurious”) homes in Silicon Valley and throughout Europe.  

But what if you want to try out the floatation experience without the…well…STRESS of installation and maintenance in your home? Head over to Meredith Whole Living and float in your choice of Float Pod or Float Room at times convenient to you throughout the year. Meredith Whole Living is open Tuesday to Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm, and Sunday and Monday, 9 am to 4 pm. Visit www.meredithwholeliving.com; call 603-279-0007. 

Corina Willette: “Our” Artist Goes to School

Corina Willette: “Our” Artist Goes to School 

By Barbara Neville Wilson 

Corina Willette (left) at the Art Place. Photo by Barbara Wilson

If you had taken the traditional “Back to School” photo of a grinning Corina Willette on her first day of class last month, she might have been carrying the requisite box—but it would be a paint box. She may have been showing off new pencils—but they would be colored pencils. She was probably wearing new shoes—stylish walking shoes to carry her both on the paths of SUNY New Paltz, New York state’s flagship college for the visual arts, and along Manhattan’s West 57th Street where Galerie St. Etienne is located. 

Corina Willette (right) at the Art Place. Photo by Barbara Wilson

In higher education parlance, Corina is a “non-traditional” learner. She is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts as a 40-something year old and looks forward to complementing her natural talent, life experience and first non-traditional degree from the New Hampshire Institute of Art with lessons learned from renowned professors and a cohort of fellow students immersed in a variety of media; and on-the-ground, hands-on experience at the globally resonant Galerie St. Etienne. 

A 27-year resident of the Lakes Region who lived in a small town in Vermont for 19 years before that, Corina is like most students entering new schools: filled with equal parts excitement and courage, boldness and trepidation. She wants to take advantage of every educational and artistic opportunity offered yet admits that when confronted with the 95-degree heat of a commuter train, she really misses New Hampshire’s cool air. 

Perhaps you already know Corina’s work… 

 “Oh yes,” you say confidently. “I love her little paintings displayed front row at The Art Place in Wolfeboro, the little animals on unexpected backgrounds. She is a watercolorist.” 

Oil painting of a panda

 “Watercolorist? Oh no. I think her real love is oil,” a friend might reply. “Did you see her study of four women at The Kalled Gallery a few months back? All given the same piece of fabric, each styled it differently with only their body as canvas. She’s definitely a serious introspective oil painter.” 

 “But her multi-media work…?” your shy friend interjects. ‘What about the pieces on Barbara Gibbs’ outer wall? That gossamer. The gold leaf. The wallpaper-like patterns. Surely she’s talking through the layers…” 

Artist Corina Willette’s subject matter spans the whimsical to the classical in watercolor, oil and mixed media. (Courtesy photo) 

Corina Willette’s well water oil painting on canvas with gold leaf

It is precisely the variety in Corina’s work that makes Barbara Gibbs, owner of The Art Place and Corina’s former employer, shake her head and smile with respect. “She’s an interesting artist. Her little paintings of animals have a lot more to them than you first see…she uses different media [like gold leaf and textiles], and the patterns behind them make you wonder…there’s a lot going on in them. She’ll work on these little ones and then she’ll work on those big canvases. Life drawings. They’re oil, but she doesn’t apply it heavily. It’s almost like she uses the brush like a pencil.” 

In the seven years Corina worked at Barbara’s gallery, she played many roles: she worked behind the scenes; she framed; she did retail in the shop, and Barbara watched her grow. She “did everything great up front,” Barbara says, but through the years, the artist has also continued to develop more fully. Her “sense of humor has come out” and she’s been “reaching out and finding herself. I’m proud of her for taking on this new adventure,” but it’s just one of many adventures. As an artist, Corina has refused to stand still.  

Look at the roster of artists receiving support from the Governor Wentworth Arts Council, an organization dedicated to local arts education, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2018. Since 2007, Corina has received four of its scholarships to take classes, do workshops, and pursue her first Fine Arts degree. For Barbara, an artist’s continuing education shows they’re open, they want to keep expanding. “Whether a workshop or a formal process…any kind of education or hands-on [training]…solidifies you as an artist. It shows you haven’t closed yourself off, that you’re willing to learn…and that’s Corina’s personality. She wants it all. She’s doing it all. She’s very open.” 

Corina Willette’s “Stories We Tell Ourselves”

Corina credits the Arts Council and Barbara for helping her grow. It’s not easy to pursue art, make a living, and carve out time to continue to develop as an artist. “I don’t know many jobs that can be so supportive” as The Art Place, she says. She points to the flexibility Barbara allowed in her work schedule so she also could work at Galerie St Etienne, on tony West 57th Street in Manhattan, six to eight weeks a year. There she handles art, does registry work, fixes frames and—you can almost hear a breathless giggle in her voice—basks in the presence of gallery owners Jane Kallir and Hildegard Bachert, serious academics on the world scene of Austrian and German Expressionism. It’s truly a situation where it’s the “back woods mouse goes to the big city,” Corina says. Applying for the job after graduating from the New Hampshire Institute of Art in 2011 was a genuine leap from her comfort zone, but having just left school, she saw a desert before her. “I pursued it because I was desperate for more education, more background…plus…” —again, you hear that little giggle—"New York City is so interesting.” 

For the next two years Corina will call New Paltz, NY, home base. With a cohort of 20 or more fellow graduate students, she will explore her art in new ways. While she goes into the program describing herself as an illustrative artist engaged in figurative realism, she knows she will be sharpened and challenged by the other artists around her, only a portion of whom are equally engaged in creating art that “sees the world and tries to represent it as they see it” in (generally) two dimensions. She expects that little time will pass before her art starts to bear witness to the influence of the fine printmakers, photographers, ceramicists and sculptors also enrolled in the MFA program.  

Corina finds she is more creative when surrounded by other artists. When she first entered the New Hampshire Institute of Art, she says, “I felt like I was in my true soul community for the first time.”  

Now like a little kid standing on the doorstep for the annual “First Day of School” photo, she is excited by all the fresh opportunity offered at SUNY New Paltz and in the New York metropolitan area. She mentions how happy she is to be in this phase of life when her children are launched and she has more time before her. Women today are lucky, she says. “I think the world is newly open [to us] through opportunities like this. It shows we’re not passé.” 

See Corina Willette’s paintings in a variety of media at The Art Place at 9 North Main Street in Wolfeboro and follow the artist’s journey on Instagram at corinajwil.