Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm will be holding its annual open house on March 28th and 29th from 9:00-3:00. Participate in a free tour of the sugar house and enjoy samples of freshly made maple syrup. Syrup, candy, popcorn, nuts, cotton candy, and hot sauce will be available for purchase. Also, enjoy a Pancake breakfast any time of day. Contact the farm at 942-7005 or visit our web site: www.sugarmommasmaple.com for additional information.

The Northwood Board of Selectmen announces the hiring of David L. Stack of Concord as Town Administrator. David comes to Northwood with eighteen years experience as Town Administrator in Pembroke and holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of New Hampshire. David succeeds Paul A. Martel who has been the Town Administrator since July 2007 and will retire on April 9.

The Northwood Board of Selectmen announces the hiring of David L. Stack of Concord as Town Administrator. David comes to Northwood with eighteen years experience as Town Administrator in Pembroke and holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of New Hampshire. David succeeds Paul A. Martel who has been the Town Administrator since July 2007 and will retire on April 9.

Letter To The Editor

After attending the School District and Town Meetings, it seems evident to me that the time has come for Northwood voters to adopt the provisions of SB2. Based on the questionable actions of the Town Moderator (Robbie Robertson) during these proceedings property taxpayers may have to pay at least an additional $686,000 in taxes.

This increase does not include the anticipated reduction in state revenues to the town or the likelihood that selectmen will not be able to tap into the town’s rainy day fund by $1,000,000 like they did in 2007 and 2008 in an attempt to offset the increases in both the school and town budgets.

Voters at these meetings can no longer be assured that democracy will prevail and that their vote will be counted. For example, at the recent town meeting voters voted overwhelmingly (141 to 53) or 73% to keep spending at the same level as last year. However, when the moderator allowed other votes to override the will of the people, their vote was voided. We later were informed that Robert’s Rules of Order had been replaced with “Robbie’s” Rule of Order.

With the town’s budget increasing close to 50% in just 5 years or more than 9%  per year, more voters need to have a say in the cost of their local government. Also, our school district’s budget increase has been 36% during that same 5-year period or 7.2% yearly.

For towns and schools districts that have adopted SB2, research has shown they operate more cost effectively and with a much larger voter turnout. Rather than government by a few (a.k.a. oligarchy), under SB2 voters are able to vote all day while the polls are open.

Let’s bring democracy back to Northwood by voting at the polls next year to implement SB2.

Sincerely,
Jim Hadley
Northwood, NH

Letter
Every Vote Counts

For many years I have heard, “there is no reason for me to vote, the outcome will not change.” Well folks, times have changed. At the School District meeting a motion was made to substantially reduce the operating budget. When the final votes were tallied, the count was 108 to 108. The motion went on to be defeated and the proposed budget was passed.

During the March 10 elections, the Selectmen’s race tallied 204 –203, at the end of the evening.  One mere vote separating Selectman Curley and I. Selectman Curley requested a recount and after careful review of the ballots we each gained one vote. I was declared the winner.

I wish to thank the 205 people who voted for me and I hope to earn the support of the 204 voters who chose my opponent. Your vote truly does count. Mr. Curley has worked tirelessly in Town and as a result of his efforts we all can call Northwood a better place to live. Thank-you.

Bob Holden
Selectman

Harvey Lake Woman’s Club

The Harvey Lake Woman’s Club Book Scholarship applications are now available at the Coe Brown guidance office. All young women graduating from Coe Brown this year, are eligible. The scholarship money will be given directly to students after their first semester grades are received.

A book has been published and donated to the Chesley Memorial Library in conjunction with Women’s History month. The book is “Girls Think of Everything” by Catherine Thimmesh. The subject is adventures through the years by women.

A comfort pillow workshop was held on Friday, March 20. These pillows will be delivered to Concord Hospital Oncology Center to be given to recovering breast cancer patients.

The next meeting of the Harvey Lake’s Woman’s Club will be held April 7, 2009 at the Northwood Congregational Church Fellowship Hall. For this annual reciprocity meeting, surrounding GFWC-NH clubs are invited to attend a tea and entertainment provided by Coe Brown’s music department. As always, all local women are invited. Members are asked to bring finger foods for the tea and items for the raffle and non-perishable items for the Northwood Food Pantry. The Harvey Lake Women’s club, a member of GFWC-NH and GFWC-International, is a service organization. The subject of the club is to promote socialbility and culture and to be a power for good in the community.

Questions may be addressed to Genevieve Rogers, Club President at 942-5580.

IEBF ’09

It’s just about spring (finally!) and that means it’s almost time for Northwood’s Third Annual International Edible Book Festival!

What is an Edible Book Festival?
On the first of April each year cities around the world participate in the International Edible Book Festival, or IEBF for short. Festivals are held in many countries including Brazil, Germany, Japan, and Russia. Entries are displayed in edible form, often using wit such as 20,000 Leeks Under the Sea, Spamlet, Don Quicheote, Booklava, and Frank and Stein. Edible books may include anything from a scene or character from a book, book covers, or book structures. As long as the entry is made from food items, there is no limit!

But what is an edible book?
An Edible Book is edible art that has something to do with books or literacy. An edible book can be anything- a favorite scene from a book, the cover of an interesting book, a favorite character. The only requirements are that an entry must be edible and must relate somehow to books. Still not sure? Check out some of our past entries on our website. Who can enter? Anyone and everyone can submit an edible book to our Edible Book Festival! We hope that everyone who is interested will enter the festival. You can team up with friends or make an entry yourself; businesses and schools are also invited to submit an edible book to Northwood’s Third Annual IEBF!

How did this all get started?
The International Edible Book Festival is a creation of Judith A. Hoffberg and Béatrice Coron. April 1st, the traditional day for Edible Book Festivals, is the birthday of French gourmet Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), famous for his book Physiologie du goût, a witty meditation on food. April fools’ day is also the perfect day to eat your words and play with them as the “books” are consumed at the festival. This festival is a celebration of the ingestion of culture and a way to share a book; it is also a reflection on our attachment to food and our cultural differences. Librarians Danielle Fortin and Sarah Hebert discovered the website for the Edible Book Festivals (www.diffusionadage.com/livremangeable) in 2007 and a new tradition was born! We hope to keep hosting Edible Book Festivals well into the future.

 
How to register and When is the IEBF?
If you would like to submit an entry for our Edible Book Festival grab an entry form from the library or from the library’s website! We would like all forms returned to the library by March 27. This year’s Edible Book Festival will be Saturday, April 4 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm at Northwood’s Town Hall. Participants should bring their entries to the library on Thursday April 2, between 11:30 and 7:30. Entries MUST be at the library before 7:30pm. Viewing and voting of the books will take place from 2:00pm to 3:00. We will begin tallying the votes and eating the books at 3:00! Everyone is invited to attend, whether they submit an entry or not! We hope to see you there! If you have any questions please call the library at 942-5472!

Center School to Hold Parent Cooperative Preschool Auction

The 9th Annual Dinner Auction will be held on March 28th at Lake Shore Farm in Northwood. A homestyle baked stuffed chicken dinner with all the fixings at 5:30 p.m. will be followed by the auction at 7:00  p.m. The dinner requires advanced tickets, but all are welcome to attend the auction.

There will be many exciting items to bid on, including 4 Disney Park Hopper passes, Holiday Inn overnight stay, weekend of camping at Jellystone Park, 2 rounds of golf at Nippo Lake, ski lift passes to Pats Peak, passes to Six Flags, Strawbery Banke, Santa’s Village, Squam Lakes Science Center, See Science Center, Chucksters, and the Music Hall, autographed Jodi Picoult book, and gift certificates for area restaurants and other businesses. With so many diverse items, there will be great bargains and lots of fun.

The Center School is a preschool located next to the Northwood town hall in the old American Legion building. It is indeed a small one-room school house! Since it is a parent cooperative preschool it is up to the parents to raise money for items such as playground equipment, classroom supplies, and any building repairs. The annual auction is the school’s biggest fundraiser. Local businesses are contacted for a donation to our school, a non-profit organization, which we then auction off. Thank you to all who donated items or services for the auction, last year as well as this year. We are hoping this year’s auction will be our biggest yet! This year’s proceeds will be used for sorely needed new windows for the 200+ year old schoolhouse. The windows would help us to become much more energy efficient.

For more information or to purchase tickets for the dinner call the Center School at 942-7686.

Northwood Area Farmers Market Association

The Northwood Area Farmers Market Association is pleased to announce the award of a $500 grant from the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food.  The grant will be used for outreach to local farmers and for signs and advertising for the Northwood Farmers Market this summer.

The market will begin on Thursday, June 4th, 2009, and run weekly through Thursday October 1st, from 3-6:30 p.m., at the parking lot at the corner of Rts. 4 and 202/9 in Northwood.

Join us to meet your neighbors, both vendors and shoppers, as we celebrate the local bounty and promote a sustainable local economy.  Visit us on the web at http://northwoodfarmersmarket.blogspot.com/

Pastor's Corner: True Security

By Pastor Ted White
Where do we find our security? What makes us feel safe? When are we content? Life in itself is so fragile. We could breathe our last breath today. None of us are assured of tomorrow. Surely finances can be very fleeting and health can change at any moment and then what?

We are told in 1 Timothy 6:7 that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” Everything of this world is temporary, but we are also told in verse 8 that “if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” Unfortunately, we live in a culture where the tendency is to think more is better and that is not necessary the case. So many have climbed to the top of this world’s ladder, having so much that this world has to offer only to find an emptiness. Many have even committed suicide because of that emptiness that materialism cannot fill.

God’s Word also tells us in 1 Timothy 6:9 that those who “want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” So many people make it their aim to get rich and there are those who will do whatever it takes to get to that aim. Yet, there are temptations that go with riches and many people give in to those evil desires. There are traps that go with riches as well and many are snared, bringing ruin and destruction not only to themselves, but to many others as well—even to a nation. You don’t have to look too far in our culture to see how this is being worked out.

Why is this? It is because “the LOVE of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10). The love of money is some people’s god. They will do whatever it takes for money and this leads to all kinds of evil. Again, you don’t have to look too far to see this being worked out in our culture or other parts of the world. This eager attitude to make money will eventually lead to grief of some sort.

How do we escape this love of money? We make sure we love God above all things, including money or other forms of wealth. This doesn’t mean some people won’t be wealthy, but we need to recognize where that wealth comes from. In Deuteronomy 8:17-18 we read that it is the Lord God that gives the ability to make wealth and not by the power and strength of our own hands. There are no self made men, God is the one who makes them.

We get our security, safety and contentment only in the Lord God almighty. Won’t you trust Jesus? He came because He loves us more than we can possibly imagine! To do so go to www.newhopenorthwood.com or call 942-7729 or to find peace with God http://www.billygraham.org/SH_StepsToPeace.asp or http://www.simplysharejesus.com/