REMINDER
Citizen
of the Year
It is
time to make nominations for Pittsfield’s 2018 Citizen of the Year.
Please let us know who you feel deserves this honor for their
actions and activities benefiting our town. A panel of former
Citizens of the Year will decide from the nominations submitted who
will get this honor. Please send your nomination as to who and why
your nominee should be honored to:
Citizen
of the Year
PO Box
173
Pittsfield, NH 03263
Nominations must be received by June 13, 2018. Thank
you.
The
Suncook Valley Area Lions Club (serving Pittsfield and Barnstead) is
collecting gently used items for the Town Wide Yard Sale.
Spots are available (for $10) for other groups or individuals to set
up with the Lions Club at Northeast Earth Mechanics on Barnstead Rd.
If you have any items you’d like to donate or for more information,
please contact Laurie Vien at 435-5052.
Congratulations to Cleon Kip Riel for being accepted to attend
the National Human Genome Research Institute’s at the National
Institute of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland. Kip will
spending much of the summer at NIH focusing on Genomics with special
concentration in using CRISPER/CAS9 to knock in or out genes.
CRISPER allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify
gene function. The protein Cas9 is an enzyme that acts like a
pair of molecular scissors, capable of cutting strands of DNA.
For
over a century, NIH scientists have paved the way for important
discoveries that improve health and save lives. In fact, 153 Nobel
Prize winners have received support from NIH. Their studies have led
to the development of MRI, understanding of how viruses can cause
cancer, insights into cholesterol control, and knowledge of how our
brain processes visual information, among dozens of other
advances.
The
National Institute of Health's mission is to seek fundamental
knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the
application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and
reduce illness and disability.
South
Barnstead Cemetery Association annual meeting will be on June 10,
2018 10:00 AM at the South Barnstead Church, Route 126, Center
Barnstead, NH.
BCEP Holiday Reminder
The
facility will be closed on Monday AND Tuesday, May 28th and 29th in
observance of Memorial Day. When a holiday falls on a normal
day of closure, the facility will observe the following day as its
holiday.
This is
no different than the Federal guidelines when the holiday falls on a
Sunday, the following Monday is observed as the holiday.
2018 Yard Sale
Registration is open for the 21st Annual Yard Sale!
This
multi-town event is open to any address in The Greater Pittsfield
Chamber of Commerce member towns of Barnstead, Chichester, Epsom,
Gilmanton (all), Loudon, Northwood, and Pittsfield. The event will
take place Friday, June 1st through Sunday June 3rd, with advertised
hours of 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Participants can register their address for
a small fee that helps offset the costs of this event. Individual
registration is just $5, and multifamily or group registration is
$10. There is also a community Yard Sale site at Dustin Park in
Pittsfield on June 2nd, registration required with a $5 fee. As
always, the fee is waived for non-profits.
Registration forms are available online at
www.PittsfieldChamber.org and will also be printed in the
Suncook Valley Sun. Completed registration forms should be mailed
with payment to GPCOC, PO Box 234, Pittsfield, NH 03263 by May
25th.
Choose
to participate Friday, Saturday, Sunday or all three for one
registration fee. Multifamily and group locations are enhanced in
the listings. Days of participation are noted on the map and address
listing as they are marked on your registration form. Advertised
hours for the Yard Sale are 8 a.m. – 2 p.m., but participants should
remember this is YOUR Yard Sale. If you choose to open earlier or
stay open later you are certainly welcome to do so.
Participants are welcome to post signs, but check your town rules!
Also, participants should check with their town office regarding
town rules regarding yard sales.
Questions: Contact [email protected]
Merrimack County: One Of Four Counties Nation Wide Chosen By The
National Association Of Counties To
Participate In Leadership Lab
The
National Association Of Counties {Naco) partnering with the Kresge
Foundation has just announced they have chosen four counties in the
United States to participate in the Advancing Cross-System
Partnerships
Leadership Lab. Merrimack County along with Boone County MO,
Missoula County
MT, and Fairfax County, VA will participate in developing plans and
strategies to enhance cross-sector efforts to improve outcomes for
justice-involved populations.
Commissioner Bronwyn Asplund-Walsh along with Merrimack County Jail
Superintendent Ross Cunningham, NAMI President Kenneth Norton and
Riverbend Director Peter Evers will travel to Nashville, TN July
13-16 to participate in the program to advance cross-system
partnerships with other counties. Through their participation
in the leadership lab, Merrimack County will assist the National
Association Of Counties and the Kresge
Foundation in creating communities where people thrive.
For
more information please contact Ross Cunningham, Superintendent of
the Merrimack County
Department of Corrections at (603) 796-3600
American Legion Peterson-Cram Post 75 News
Submitted By Merrill Vaughan, Adjutant
To the
good citizens that read this article, it comes with a heavy heart
that this coming Memorial Day observance, May 27, 2018, may be the
last public observance, as we may close effective July 2, 2018.
That
meeting will be a special meeting that will see if we can gather at
least two members (must be current) to hold the offices of
Commander, Finance Officer, and, if I am asked to step down then, we
need a third body for my position of Adjutant. There will be
more coming out on this as the time moves towards July, so I will
not add anything else here about it until then.
On
Memorial Day Sunday, May 27, 2018 we will hold our Memorial Service
with the First Congregational Church, 24 Main Street, Pittsfield at
10:00 AM. The Reverend David will be hosting us, as in the
past, his congregation has always welcomed us with open arms.
I personally cannot think of a better way to hold this, possibly our
final, Memorial Day observance.
Post 75
is conducting a 50/50 drawing that will be held on July 2, 2018 at
the Post Home at the end of our special meeting. How can you,
the public, play with us? Send whatever amount you want to donate
(we are a 501c non-profit organization, your donation is tax
deductible). Once we receive your donation, we will send you a
letter, advising you of when your check was received, the amount of
your donation and when it was deposited in our account. If we are
allowed to stay open, it is hoped that we can, re-energize our Post
75 Robert O. Moulton Scholarship award beginning with the class of
2019.
If
anyone has any questions on the Legion, the Post, or criteria, feel
free to contact Post Adjutant Vaughan at his cell phone
603-340-1375.
Letter
To The Editor
To my
Pittsfield neighbors,
I moved
to within 500 yards of Pittsfield 36 years ago, and have followed
the fortunes – and misfortunes - of the town since then. While
admiring the flower-basket lined streets, the Pittsfield Players,
and the Balloon Rally, education funding has thrown a shadow over
the town.
As
Pittsfield struggles to afford to educate its children, its voters
should pay special attention to what's been going on in the
Legislature. Senate Bill 193 sought to divert money from public
schools for the use by a few to send their kids to charter, private
or parochial schools. It finally failed - but not without a
last-minute effort to sneak it through.
I quote
the letter in the Concord Monitor (5/12/18) by Susan Seidner of
Pembroke:
"I read
all of the letters opposing Senate Bill 193 (the Voucher Bill). I
agreed, but all of the writers left out one important detail. The
senator who added the (original) bill on to House Bill 1636 at the
last minute was John Reagan. It was a sneaky move that showed
profound disrespect for the people and the process. Let's respond to
his action by voting him out in November.... He is not friend to New
Hampshire citizens" - or Pittsfield.
And, I
would note, that this effort to divert money from public schools -
under the banner of "school choice" - has been the top priority of
Governor Sununu's second year. And Pittsfield voters may not want to
reward him with another term either.
I look
forward to attending the school-funding workshop June 13, led by
lead attorney in the Claremont lawsuit, Andru Volinsky, announced by
Superintendent John Freeman in the 5/9 Sun.
Tom
Chase, neighbor
Northwood
Letter
To The Editor
The
Pittsfield Beautification Committee will once again be participating
in the Town Wide Yard Sale on Saturday, June 2nd, and Sunday, June
3rd (8 am to 2 pm). We will be set up at Nancy and John Barto’s
house at 515 Dowboro Rd., Pittsfield, just 3.5 miles from the center
of Town. Donated items are welcome (no clothes or heavy
furniture please).
If you
can’t make it to the Yard Sale but would like to make a monetary
donation to the Beautification Committee, please send a check
payable to: The Pittsfield Beautification Committee, c/o Tine Fife
1394 Upper City Rd, Pittsfield NH 03263. Collection boxes can also
be found at Bell Brothers, Jack’s Pizza, Mike’s Meats and Danis
Market.
For
2018, in partnership with the Rotary Club, we have been asked to
design and install 3 gardens at the BCEP Solid Waste Facility.
So please come to our yard sale and help support our wonderful
gardens in Pittsfield!
See you
at the Yard Sale!!
Carol
Lambert
Secretary
Pittsfield Beautification Committee
Our TOPS chapter
recently celebrated Royalty for the month of March. The top
weight loss winners received a certificate, and those receiving
honorable mention had blue flowers. These ladies all shared the
things they did to achieve this award. They inspire the whole
chapter. In recent weeks several members have shared
informational articles regarding healthy eating. These articles have
fostered discussions about what has been difficult and what has been
helpful to members. We would love to have you join us.
We meet Tues. 6:30 at The Joy Church, 55 Barnstead Rd. Pittsfield.
If you have questions, call Pat 435-5333 or Beth 435-7397
From
The Farm - A Piglet Dies
Submitted By Carole Soule
I held
her close. Her heartbeat was strong but fast. Her rasping breath was
sucking air in then pushing out as she fought for life. She was
dying because of a mistake I made; one I could not reverse. She
might have died anyway… but my decision ensured it.
Two
days earlier, I fed this little piggy a new formula which was too
rich for her fragile system. The other five piglets dealt well with
the new feed, but this piglet went into shock with extreme diarrhea.
As she shivered in my arms, I finally called the vet who suggested
feeding her Pedialyte, a hydration liquid for human babies. After
just a few syringes she recovered, falling asleep in my arms. I put
her in a sling and walked around like a pregnant lady with the baby
pig slung on my belly.
To keep
her calm and encourage her to rest, I held her close at night,
sleeping with her curled in my arms. Always restless and
struggling to breathe, she tilted her head and rested it in my hand.
In this position, her breathing eased, and she stayed calm.
Holding her close, I breathed slowly to help her relax and sleep.
Twenty-four hours later she was much-improved and well on the way to
a full recovery when I made my biggest mistake. I needed to do farm
chores, so I put her in the bathtub with a towel and bathmat to give
her solid footing. Two hours later Bruce found her flopping around
in the tub. The towel had slipped away and in her efforts to stand,
she must have had many seizures. Before she ran around the floor,
but now she could not stand. She had no balance.
Sleep
is a wonder-cure for piglets. Although it helped her in the
beginning, this time it didn't work. I carried her in the baby
sling, and she slept for a while but when she woke the seizures
started. As I sat with her on that second day, tears streamed down
my face; I knew I had to do what was right for her. She was fighting
for each breath and having regular seizures. She was only a piglet,
but what a fighter. Close to death at least three times, each time
she fought back; but this time I knew it was time I let her go. The
last forty-eight hours had been more than any piglet should have
endured.
As she
sat in my lap, her raspy breath and spasming legs told me she would
not make it. I kept giving her liquids and made her comfortable but
saying good-bye to this little fighter was hard, and I'll never
forget her heroic fight.
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].
Graylag
Hosts Native Plant Walk June 2
Pittsfield — Join botanist George Newman at 10 AM on Saturday, June
2, for a tour of the wildflowers and other native plants at Graylag,
a peaceful woodland preserve on the shore of Wild Goose Pond.
Graylag is located at 320 Clough Road, Pittsfield, NH.
George
Newman is a horticulturist, botanist, and naturalist who has been
cultivating and propagating native North American plants for over 60
years. Participants in the two-hour walk should wear sturdy walking
shoes and be prepared for a variety of different terrains. If
interested, please register by emailing
[email protected] or
calling 603-435-5209. Space is limited, so RSVP is strongly advised.
Graylag
is a 300-acre property that also includes seasonal guest cabins,
hiking trails, and frontage on pristine Wild Goose Pond. For more
information about Graylag, visit
www.graylagcabins.com.
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