Thanksgiving Eve Service
Everyone is welcome to join in for a community-wide Thanksgiving Eve
service, Wednesday, November 22, 6:30 p.m. at the First
Congregational Church, 24 Main Street, Pittsfield. It’s a good way
to meditate, count your blessings and give thanks. Special music
provided by Linda Stasiak, soloist, and the JuBellation Handbell
Choir. Parking and wheelchair accessible entrance are available at
the rear of church (Chestnut Street). For more information, call the
church office, 435-7471.
Church Fair Is Coming Saturday
This great handmade quilt is just one of the items on the
Dorcas Guild’s Silent Auction table. Don’t miss the Christmas Fair –
this Saturday from 9 to 2 at the First Congregational Church,
24 Main Street, Pittsfield.
The
Christmas Fair and Bake Sale at the First Congregational Church, 24
Main Street, Pittsfield, is happening this coming Saturday, November
18, from 9 to 2. Sponsored by the Dorcas Guild, this fair is the
event you won’t want to miss.
The
Guild has been busy crafting all those special festive gifts
including mittens, hats, aprons, quilted items, ornaments and
special gourmet and baked goods. Don’t forget the “Unique Boutique”
for outstanding values and the Silent Auction for those special
one-of-a-kind gifts. The Silent Auction ends when the fair ends at 2
p.m.; successful bidders will be notified at that time.
Bring
your friends and neighbors to shop and stay for a great corn chowder
and sandwich lunch with homemade pies for dessert. Parking and
wheelchair accessible entrance available at rear of church – enter
at Chestnut Street or come in through the courtyard entrance on Main
Street. For more info, call the church office at 435-7471.
Pittsfield School Board
11/2/2017
Submitted by Ralph Odell
The
School Board Meeting opened with public input from several parents
expressing concerns of bullying and student behavior. The Board
listened to the comments, is committed to follow up, and encouraged
any parent with concerns about student progress to bring those to
the Board. Later in the meeting the Board was presented with steps
in place to address the situation.
Administrative reports followed with Danielle Harvey reporting that
the school has been asked to make a presentation describing
curriculum reform at a National Educational Conference. Derek
Hamilton reported that $1,200 of food was damaged due to the recent
power outage. Tobi Chasse reviewed Special Education activities and
expressed concern that students may be better served if a room is
set aside allowing for greater individualized instruction. She also
described efforts to enhance family engagement. A College Fair is
being planned to allow seniors an opportunity to identify features
of various institutions within the state.
The
meeting continued in Non-Public session to discuss budget
preparation. The Board also agreed to address bullying as a priority
for the year.
Pittsfield Area Senior Center
On
Monday, November 20, from 9:00am to 12:00pm, the Pittsfield Senior
Center is having a Holiday Season Bake and Craft sale. This would be
a great time to pick up homemade pies, cakes, cookies, and other
items for your Thanksgiving gathering and do some Christmas
shopping. The donations help support the center with funding for
small items the center needs. The Pittsfield Senior Center is
located on 74 Main St. Pittsfield; it is in the same building as the
Pittsfield Community Center. If you have any questions please call
at 435-8482.
Are you
looking to make a difference in the older adult population?
Volunteers are needed to help at the Pittsfield Senior Center. One
in six seniors are not getting enough food and it has been proven
that these types of programs help prevent this and help seniors to
stay living independently in their homes. We need some dependable
volunteers that will be willing to serve food, wash dishes, and
other tasks. Volunteers make these programs a success! Please
consider helping out, we have a wide range of needs. Please call
435-8482 if interested.
Additional Departments Receive Turnout Gear Through 2017 Globe Gear
Giveaway
Thanks
to Globe and DuPont Protection Solutions (DuPont), two more fire
departments are each receiving four new sets of state-of-the-art
turnout gear. Since 2012, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)
has annually partnered with Globe and DuPont to provide fire
departments in need with gear to better protect our nation’s
responders. The latest recipients are the Tanglewood (TX) Volunteer
Fire Department and the Tuscumbia (MO) Fire Protection District.
The
Tanglewood Volunteer Fire Department is located in Lexington, TX.
Its 16 firefighters serve a population of 1,500 residents over 48
square miles and also provide mutual aid to three neighboring
departments for structural fires, grass fires, and vehicle
accidents. The department is predominantly self-funded and relies
heavily on grants and donations for their equipment, repairs,
upgrades, and daily operations, which leaves no funding for new or
updated gear. One-third of their personnel have only wildland
personal protective equipment (PPE), and the rest of the
firefighters are outfitted with structural PPE that is over 10 years
old and not compliant with current recommended safety standards.
One-third of their personnel have only wildland personal protective
equipment (PPE), and only 10 of their 16 firefighters are outfitted
with structural PPE that is over 10 years old.
“Our
goal as a volunteer fire department is to continue to grow, train,
and improve our capabilities for our community,” said First
Assistant Chief Guy Hall. “Our department will greatly benefit from
the gear provided by Globe by giving a few of our firefighters
up-to-date gear to grant better protection on fires, thus allowing
them to be safer and more effective when protecting our community.”
The
Tuscumbia Fire Protection District (TFPD) is located in the middle
of Miller County, MO, and protects 55 square miles with a population
of 1,100 permanent residents. In addition to providing mutual aid to
surrounding departments, the TFPD sees an influx of over 1,000
transient residents who come into the district to work at the area
nursing home, court house, and school. They also have three daycare
centers, five major churches, and the county health center in their
service area, along with a service station that has 7,000 gallons
worth of fuel storage. Two major state highways run through the
district, which makes it a major thoroughfare for Fort Leonard Wood
Army Post and Whiteman Air Force Base.
The
TFPD successfully applied for an Assistance to Firefighters Grant to
obtain 10 new sets of PPE. However, that was over 10 years ago and
now their gear is outdated and considered obsolete according to
recommended safety standards. “Receiving this gear will greatly
benefit us as well as the citizens we serve and the several other
fire departments for which we provide mutual aid,” said TFPD
Training Officer Jeremy Phillips.
Additional awards through the Globe Gear Giveaway will be made
throughout 2017. A total of 52 sets of gear will be distributed to
13 departments in need. Globe also provided NVFC memberships to the
first 500 applicants. Stay tuned to the NVFC web site, Dispatch
newsletter, and Facebook page, as well as the Globe Facebook page,
for additional information and announcements regarding the Globe
Gear Giveaway.
The Pressing Party
Submitted By Carole Soule
At the
pressing party, each person took three to four-minute “shifts”
turning the crank that ground the apples into mush. Six bushels of
apples waiting to be ground sat on the picnic table; there was a lot
of grinding to do. After the grinding comes the pressing which
squeezes the apples into cider. One more step, straining, and the
DIY (Do It Yourself) cider was ready for sipping.
The
centerpiece of this operation was a manual cider press worked by
three, or more people. One person cranked, another fed in the apples
and a third pushed the apples into the grinder to turn them into
mush. Once the small bucket was filled with apple mush two people,
using a board for leverage, turned a screw to compress the apple
mush extracting the cider which was then strained through
cheesecloth and poured into gallon jugs ready to drink. The work
looked hard (I just watched and took pictures) but the cider was
sweet and golden.
There
was an abundance of apples this year, for most farms. Unfortunately,
a micro hailstorm hit one orchard, Hackleboro Orchard in Canterbury,
in the spring. This storm missed neighboring orchards but hit
Hackleboro hard, damaging apples and pears. It’s odd how one orchard
can lose its crop to weather and another, just minutes away, escapes
harm. If your apple trees escaped damage this year you might want to
try DIY cider.
Do you
know the difference between apple cider and apple juice? Apple cider
is made from apples that have been pressed into raw juice. It takes
about 1/3 bushel of apples to make one gallon of cider that must be
refrigerated. Cider ferments over time and can turn into “hard
cider,” which is alcoholic. Apple juice has been made into a
concentrate, then water is added back to it, and it is pasteurized
so it can’t ferment. Pasteurization makes apple juice shelf stable
and available unrefrigerated year-round.
I took
home a gallon of cider from this “pressing party” and I also took
home two bags the apple mush/pulp to feed to my pigs. The bags from
three pressings fed fifteen of my pigs who someday will be bacon.
Can you imagine sipping hard cider while munching on a BLT where the
B (bacon) is from an apple fed pig?
Not
everyone has a press to make cider but it’s worth looking for one,
especially if you have an apple tree in your backyard. Don’t waste
those backyard apples; make cider and let it ferment into hard cider
if that suits you, then give the apple pulp to a hog or cattle
farmer to feed his critters. You’ll love your DIY cider and the hogs
will love the pulp.
Carole
Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, in Loudon, NH, where she
raises and sells beef, pork, lamb, eggs and other local products.
She can be reached at [email protected].
Letter To The Editor
To the
good citizens of Pittsfield,
The
Town of Pittsfield received our petition on October 26, 2017.
To be
decided at Town Meeting 2018. Are you in favor to advise and beg the
seletmen to remove the position of building inspector? Instead, form
a committee to come up with something that does not discourage
investment in Pittsfield and tries to help people.
God
save the people.
I am
really surprised at the cross section of voters that signed this
petition. I don’t think I’m out on the fringe this time. People
recognize that the way this position was written, it did not
include: 1. a conflict of interest clause; 2. any certification,; 3.
review #1 and #2.
The
Town will vote on what many of us see as the biggest problem in town
at the Saturday meeting in March. I hope we can make it that long.
Dan the
Stoneman
Notes From Windy Hollow
Vivian
Lee Dion, Contributing Writer
A nearby
drive to Pittsfield is fruitful.
My
calendar has notations of things promised, places to go, and of
course, doctor appointments. I spent one day visiting and
keeping a watchful eye on Emery, a friend’s husband, while his wife
was away at a conference. Emery has early stages of
Alzheimer’s and loves to putter around the yard. The abundance of
autumn leaves keeps him busy. At noon, we had a delicious
lunch of homemade soup with ham sandwiches. I was happy to help, but
I realized the demanding responsibilities of someone with memory
problems. It is not easy.
The
next day, my calendar was marked, “Get ready for company.” House
cleaning, grocery shopping, and other things made the day fly by. I
was up at four in the morning baking a cake, and all I could think
of having a bear attracted to the smell of the baking cake.
Guess my imagination got the better of me because I envisioned
seeing the black bear come crashing through the picture window.
Luckily, nothing happened.
The
Mah-Jongg players were fun, and the game is quite challenging. Our
ages range from late sixties to early nineties, yet we enjoy getting
together, chatting, and playing the game. It’s not just the
game of Mah-Jongg that we love; it’s the connection, conversation,
and support of friends. We talk about family, health, friends,
and ourselves. My vanilla bean cake served with chocolate ice
cream was a big hit. But, when they left in the afternoon, my
recliner was calling me, and a little nap did wonders.
When
the week-end finally rolled around I was ready for a short ride.
Who says the Sunday ride is a thing of the past? It was just
what I needed to get out of the house, see the remaining foliage,
and be with my husband and son. We headed south on Route 28
and was pleasantly surprised that the road work in Barnstead is
completed. What a perfect job on that long sloping curve.
The road now has an easy turning lane, a wide expansive,
unencumbered roadside view, and new guardrails. Looks like
traffic will go smoothly in that stretch of highway, thanks to the
DOT crew.
We
ended up taking Upper City Road which is a right on Route 28 in
Pittsfield. The numerous fields, farms, and woodlands bring back
memories of my grandparents’ house in Chester, New Hampshire. They
lived on a dirt road, and sometimes sat at the kitchen table
watching cars come up a long hill before turning into their drive.
They knew company would arrive within minutes.
At the
Appleview Farm and Ice Cream Parlor on Upper City Road, we saw cars
parked along the side of the road, and families enjoying an autumn
open house. We stopped, and relaxed on the porch and watched
everyone having fun. Children were playing games, parents
gently pushing swings for their little ones, and families standing
in line for a free hayride. Then we spent some time picking out
pumpkins and apples before heading back to the car. As we continued
our ride, we came upon Rollins pond where a couple was leisurely
paddling their red canoe. Later, we took a right on Route
129, then to Province Road, where the autumn foliage was colorful
along the roadside. Returning to Route 28, we were like horses
drawn to the barn, and headed home.
Going
on roads that we hadn’t traveled, the scenic views, and our harvest
of pumpkins and apples certainly made our ride enjoyable.
Vivian
Lee Dion of New Durham is a writer and speaker.
THANK
YOU to all who donated to the Scholastic “All for Books” drive.
We collected just over $630 and were able to distribute 126 vouchers
to students who wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to
choose/purchase a new book from the book fair.
PITTSFIELD, you are amazing! A huge shout out to the local
businesses who allowed us to leave collection boxes at their
locations for two weeks- Danis Supermarket, White Sage Boutique,
Mike’s Meat Shoppe, Jack’s Pizza, Pittsfield Town Hall, and Jitters
Cafe. Thank you all for your support of our children’s education.
Pittsfield Christmas Tree Lighting and Children’s Store Celebration
Save
the Date, Saturday, Dec. 2 – the Greater Pittsfield Chamber of
Commerce will sponsor the annual Christmas Tree Lighting and
Children’s Store Celebration.
The day
begins with the Pittsfield Elementary School PTO sponsored Breakfast
with Santa. Breakfast will be served for $3.00 per person or 2
for $5.00 between 8:00-9:30am in the PES Cafeteria. Photos
with Santa will be available for $1.00 each. This is a
fundraising event for the PTO. Then after a hearty breakfast
kids can shop at the Children’s Store at the PES Gym from 9:00-noon.
The Victory Workers 4-H Club will be hosting a Cookie Walk at PES
during the Children’s Store – parents will have an activity to keep
them busy while the kids shop.
Volunteer “elves” will assist shoppers up to age 16 in purchasing
gifts for their parents, siblings, teachers or friends. The
Store is open to CHILDREN ONLY – sorry, no adults allowed.
Most of the items are new or nearly new and can be purchased for
$1.00 or less. Some items are more expensive. There is
also free gift wrapping available.
Anyone
interested in donating items (new or nearly new), Christmas wrapping
paper, GIFT BAGS (the wrappers love gift bags), tags or tape may
drop them off to the various donation boxes at Pittsfield Post
Office, Pittsfield Town Hall, Northway Bank and Epping Well Co.
People always ask what items are needed – the kids like to buy
jewelry, picture frames, gloves, socks, hats, “appropriate” coffee
mugs, knick-knacks of all kinds, unburned candles, small tools,
flashlights, stuffed animals, calendars- those are just some ideas.
We cannot take any clothing or electrical items.
Monetary donations are gladly accepted to help defray some of the
costs associated with the event. Please make checks payable
to: Greater Pittsfield Chamber of Commerce and mail to Greater
Chamber of Commerce, Attn: Children’s Store/Tree Lighting, P.O. Box
234, Pittsfield, NH 03263.
The
celebration continues at DUSTIN PARK from 4-6pm (on Sat., Dec. 2)
The Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration is fun for the whole family
and is a great community event. There will be FREE horse drawn
wagon rides, Holiday music by the Joyce Family, cookies, cocoa,
popcorn, and candy canes to enjoy. Inside PYW (Pittsfield
Youth Workshop) there will be a Gingerbread House Display and
raffle, visit with SANTA (who will arrive via Firetruck around 4pm),
Free pictures with Santa and feel free to bring your own camera.
HOT chili, chowder, and soups will be available for a donation of a
canned or packaged food (or purchased for a few dollars) to benefit
our LOCAL FOOD PANTRY.
HOLIDAY
STORY TIME from 4-5:30pm at the Park St. Baptist Church basement
(beside PYW) – on Sat, Dec. 2 – All ages are welcome to come and
enjoy some Holiday stories.
Get in
the Holiday Spirit and DECORATE A WREATH and enter it in the
Decorated Wreath Contest – decorate it anyway you’d like- drop it
off at PYW (Dustin Park) by 3:45pm (on Sat, Dec. 2) and the public
will vote for the best one! Winner will receive a $50 CASH
PRIZE.
A
raffle for a (fresh) Christmas Tree will be held. Free -One
entry per person. The winner will be able to choose their tree
from the selection the Corinthian Lodge Masons will have available.
The
Highlight of the Celebration will be everyone gathering around the
Christmas Tree, singing Holiday songs and counting down to the
Lighting of the TREE.
For
more information, please contact Andi Riel at 435-6346 or email
[email protected]
or visit
www.pittsfieldchamber.org.
Obituaries
Henry
Adam Flanders
Henry
Adam Flanders “Bubba”, 40, Whitefield, NH, died on Sunday October
29, 2017 at his home.
He was
born in 1977 in Concord, NH to Henry John Flanders and Suzanne
Maura. He grew up in Pittsfield, graduating from Pittsfield
High School. Henry was a self-employed landscaper and mechanic
who enjoyed working on cars in his free time.
He is
survived by his fiance, Amanda Hannaford, of Whitefield, NH; a son,
Gavin Nason, of Wakefield, NH; a daughter, Amiah Johnson, of
Ossipee, NH; mother, Suzanne Maura, of Whitefield NH; father, Henry
Flanders, of Loudon NH; two sisters, Christie Brown, of
Deerfield, NH; and Amanda White Burrows of Milton, NH; a brother,
James White of Loudon, NH; two nieces, four nephews, six uncles, and
two aunts.
A
Celebration of Henry’s Life was celebrated on Saturday, November 11
at the Pines Community Center, Northfield, NH. In lieu of
flowers, those who wish may make donations to a fund for Drug
awareness https://dm2.gofund.me/a29uz-drug-awareness For more information
or to share memories and condolences go to
www.RossFuneral.com.
Herman
G. Fries
PITTSFIELD- Herman Gerhard Fries, 79, of Pittsfield passed away
peacefully at his home on November 7, 2017 with his devoted wife,
Sheila, by his side.
Herm
was born in West Peru, ME in 1937 and was the son of Gerhard and
Ingeborg Fries. He grew up in Bridgewater, MA where he
attended high school and went on to graduate from New England
College. Herm’s professional career began in the 60’s where he
worked for IBM during the formative years of the computer industry.
He would spend his entire career in the computer field working for
computer giants such as Digital, RCA, Sperry, and Unisys among
others. His later semi-retirement years were as an independent
contractor in the computer department for the Merrimack Valley
School District.
Herm
enjoyed a very active retirement. He cherished family gatherings and
watching his four grandchildren compete in a multitude of
activities. He loved getting together for family events, and
would never say “No” to any invitation to a dance recital, softball
game, football game, soccer game, scout event, or robotics
tournament.
He was
perhaps best known for his obsession with all things tennis.
He was previously a long-time member at the Concord Racquet Club and
Bow Brook Club, and more recently he obtained icon-status at Gilford
Hills Tennis & Fitness Club where he was at the epicenter of all
league activities. Herm played tennis until his final days and would
take on all challengers – recently competing with and against
players ranging in ages from 11 to 86.
His
greatest passion, however, was simply spending time with his beloved
wife of 52 years. The pair were married in Bridgewater MA in 1965.
They settled in Pittsfield in 1967 and would go on to have three
loving children, Lisa (Fries) Albright of Seabrook; Andrew Fries, of
Epsom; and Daniel Fries of San Diego CA.
Herm is
predeceased by his two older brothers, Rudolph and Burkhard Fries of
Bridgewater, and his younger sister, Marilene White of Prince Edward
Island. Along with his wife and three children, Herm is survived by
his two sons-in-law, Joe Jamonte of San Diego and Bob Albright of
Seabrook, daughter-in-law Lisa (Grainger) Fries of Epsom and four
grandchildren, Emily and Fuller Albright and Nathan and Lucas Fries.
Calling
Hours were held on Sunday, November 12th in the Still Oaks Funeral &
Memorial Home in Epsom. In lieu of flowers the family has asked that
donations be made to the American Heart Association, (http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/).
To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit
www.stilloaks.com
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