Those Celebrating Birthdays are: November 17, Stacey
Longval; November 18, Irene Gagnon; November 19, Allison Quigley;
November 20, Mark Selesnick; November 22, Joan Riel, Paul
Richardson, Kim Trudeau, Andrew Ward.
A Very Happy Birthday To One and All!
Celebrating Anniversaries are: November 17, Robert
and Stephanie Hetu.
Congratulations!
Come one, come all to the Christmas Fair at the
First Congregational Church, 24 Main Street, Pittsfield this coming
Saturday, Nov. 19 from 9 to 2. Sponsored by The Dorcas Guild, this
fair is nothing short of fantastic. There are many handcrafted
items, aprons, mittens, hats, artwork, jewelry, toys and special
gourmet and baked goods. Don’t forget the "Unique Boutique" for
outstanding values and the "Silent Auction" for those special gifts.
Come to shop and stay for a delicious corn chowder
and sandwich lunch, with homemade pie! One of the area’s terrific
fairs, this one is not to be missed.
Try-outs for the Hooptown - 5th and 6th Grade Boys
Traveling Basketball Team will be on November 20th at the High
School from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm. Try-outs are mandatory. If there are
any questions, please contact Coach Jay Darrah at
[email protected]
The 9th Annual Holiday Fair will be on Saturday
November 19, 2011 from 9 am – 2 pm at Pittsfield High School.
Admission is free. There will be lots of vendors and local crafters
as well as raffles and a silent auction. There are still some spots
available for vendors. If interested contact Jay Darrah at
[email protected].
The Kennedy House
Gift Baskets and More
90 Shackford Corner Road
Center Barnstead, NH
Open House
Friday, November 25th thru Monday, November 28th
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Nancy Boyd Kennedy
269-3421
The Pittsfield Historical Society will be doing the
fall clean-up of Lyman Park on Saturday, November 19th at 8:00 am.
Any help in getting this done will be greatly appreciated. See you
there.
Pittsfield
Elementary School Technology Fundraiser
Use the coupon in this week’s Sun when you pay for
your delicious hot pizza on Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at Village
Pizza, Town Pizza, or Jack’s Pizza to help the PES Technology Fund.
Gary Evans as Don Quixote and Robert DiGregorio as
Sancho Panza ride along a road in LaMancha in The Pittsfield Players
production of Man of LaMancha, which will run at the Scenic Theatre
in Pittsfield again this weekend on Friday and Saturday, November 17
and 18. For ticket reservations, call 435-8852 or go to
www.pittsfieldplayers.com and click on the TicketLeap button.
Save The Date: Pittsfield Christmas Tree Lighting
Celebration
And Children’s Store
Please mark your calendars and save the date,
Saturday, Dec. 3, for the annual Children’s Store (9:00-Noon at PES
GYM) and Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration (4-6 pm at Dustin
Park). These events are sponsored by the Greater Pittsfield Chamber
of Commerce with lots of help from other community organizations,
businesses, churches and community members.
Donations (of new and gently used items) are being
collected for the Children’s Store. (Please note that we are unable
to accept any clothing) We are also accepting donations of gift
bags, tissue paper, tags and tape. Donation boxes are available at
Moo-Veez Galore, Post Office, Northway Bank and Citizen’s Bank.
Watch the Sun for more information or visit
www.pittsfieldchamber.org. If you have questions, please contact
Andi Riel at 435-6346.
On Saturday morning November 5 a crew of dedicated
volunteers cleared small trees and brush from the far right side of
Pittsfield Youth Athletic Park and hauled nearly a dozen loads of
debris to the dump. The area will be used for installation of a
batting cage. Pictured are Harry Vogt, Bill Provencal, Darrell
Wages, Susan Carbon, and Sylvia Wallace. Thanks everyone for a
successful morning of clean up.
Letter To The Editor
To Everyone of my Representatives from the President
all the way Down to my Town Selectmen:
I read in the Monitor November 1st, "Treasury to ask
for $305 billion". It is my understanding the Treasury Dept. is
projecting the Government borrowing at $305 billion in the current
quarter and starting in January, $541 billion for the next quarter.
Only second to $569 billion in October quarter 2008. And we wonder
why there is no confidence. They had to include another $19 billion
because revenues are down.
Now I must admit I build stonewalls most days and am
not around high finance. I learned a lot of what I know going to
school in Pittsfield until I was 14.
In 5th grade I faked sick to go lay down in the
nurse’s office. There was a bookcase. I picked up Dr. Doolittle and
started to read about his animal friends and took off on a wonderful
adventure. I graduated from Pembroke Academy. After having spent the
last four years working on my social skills, I joined the Navy and
had two years of equipment and communications training. I spent the
next three out of four years learning about the United States Code
of Military Justice.
What I’m getting at is I don’t have about ¼ the
education that the representatives have that are actually voting for
this unsustainable borrowing. I cannot fathom why this country
cannot turn this ship around.
Please send in Ron Paul.
Dan Schroth Piermarocchi
PS: I have a better chance finishing my Nottingham
project before Thanksgiving than the super committee assigned to
start dealing with this has in coming up with anything meaningful.
What a joke. $1.2 trillion less borrowing over a decade. Is that a
goal?
Local Artist Accepted Into NH Art Association
Local Artist and Pittsfield resident Shawn Smith has
been accepted into the New Hampshire Art Association. Mr. Smith
submitted pen and ink portraits that were viewed by a panel of
judges and voted in with overwhelming praise and fanfare.
The Artist has exhibited locally with successful
shows in Concord at the Rowland Studio Art Gallery and Solo exhibits
at the Chichester and Epsom Town Libraries. Most of his works are
portraits of local towns people and friends and family.
Smith studied Commercial and Fine Art at Notre Dame
College after serving as an infantryman in the U.S. Army. Shawn now
lives in Pittsfield with his 6 year old son Ethan. His daughter
Danielle recently graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University and
his daughter Taylor is attending New England College in Henniker.
If you would like to learn more about the Artist and
view his Artwork you can friend him on Facebook or email him at
[email protected]
Letter To The Editor
Dear Fellow Citizen:
Just a clarification…
Ordinarily when police officers work on special
detail (flagging) there should never be a tax impact. However, such
is not the case in this particular instance.
In March, you the voters approved $15,000 to be used
for police "special" details. As a matter of fact, a warrant article
was proposed to establish a revolving fund for the purpose of police
special details and for the periodic purchase of a police cruiser,
with all police special details revenue to be deposited into the
fund. After much discussion on the floor, it was determined that
this would not be in the best interest of the town due to inadequate
accountability and loss of general fund revenue. Therefore the
warrant article was overwhelmingly defeated.
On June 7th the Board of Selectmen authorized the
transfer of the police special details budget line to the police
overtime general operating budget line. This transfer allows the
police department to spend an additional $15,000 above and beyond
the approved operating budget (approximately .06 per thousand on the
tax rate). Moreover, $22,407 has been spent in the special details
line, despite the transfer. While there will be offsetting special
detail revenue received from the vendors in at least this amount, in
reality the initial $15,000 budget appropriation would be available
to offset the tax rate if it were not for the fact that it was
transferred to the overtime line, which is a non-revenue generating
budget line.
Sincerely,
Linda Small
Pittsfield
The Victory Workers 4H club food drive was a great
success! Thank you to all who donated this year. Donations were
brought to the Pittsfield Food Pantry.
Study Finds No Evidence Of Health Problems From Burn
Pits
By Lisa Daniel, American Forces Press Service
Submitted By Merrill A. Vaughan Commander
American
Legion Peterson-Cram Post 75
Pittsfield, NH 03263
An Institute of Medicine study released Oct. 31
found no evidence between exposure to burn pits in Iraq and
Afghanistan and long-term health problems.
A 14 member committee of the institute, the
nonprofit health research arm of the National Academy of Sciences,
could neither prove nor disprove that service members’ exposure to
burning trash piles in Iraq and Afghanistan could cause long-term
health problems, and recommended that more studies be done, a
summary of the report says.
The report further states that ambient air pollution
may pose greater health risks than the abundance of chemicals
emitted from military burn pits.
The study was done at the request of the Veterans
Affairs Department after some service members, veterans and Congress
members expressed concerns about the safety of people who were in
the vicinity of the burn pits, especially in the early days of
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, when the contents of the pits
were less regulated.
The committee focused its research on air samplings
from a burn pit in Balad, Iraq, where safety questions were raised.
The samplings were taken in 2007 and 2009. Because there is
virtually no data on health outcomes from the chemical mixtures
found at the pit, the committee sought information on similar
chemical exposures to people most like those in the military:
firefighters -- including those with exposure to wildland and
chemical fires -- and incinerator workers. They determined, however,
that the information still was insufficient to draw a conclusion
about an association between the air samplings and long-term health
outcomes.
The issue has been studied extensively in the past
few years and there has been no finding of a causal relationship, R.
Craig Postlewaite, the department’s chief of health assurance, said
in an Oct. 27 interview with American Forces Press Service and the
Pentagon Channel.
"The toxicology isn’t there; the science isn’t
there," he said.
Still, Postlewaite said, the department is committed
to studying the matter, and will do further studies with VA to
provide for longer follow up with exposed troops, a better
assessment of exposures, and to fill in data gaps.
.
"We acknowledge there could be short-term, acute
health effects" from the burn pits, he said, and it is plausible
that some people could be adversely affected in the long term -- but
the studies have yet to show that.
The military stopped using burn pits in Iraq in
2009, Postlewaite said, and is drawing down the number in
Afghanistan. In both areas, he said, no other options were available
for waste removal, especially early on in military operations there.
"We now have strict regulations about what can go into burn pits and
where they are located," he said.
The committee found that local air pollution may be
more of a factor in health problems than the burning pits.
"The committee’s review of the literature and the
data from [Balad] suggests that service in Iraq or Afghanistan --
that is, a broader consideration of air pollution than exposure only
to burn pit emissions -- might be associated with long-term health
effects, particularly in highly exposed populations such as those
who worked at the burn pit or susceptible populations -- for
example, those who have asthma -- mainly because of the high ambient
concentrations of particulate matter," the report says.
The Defense Department routinely analyzes air, water
and soil samples before troops deploy, but sometimes that is not
enough, Postlewaite said.
"We send our people all over the world, and
sometimes they end up in situations where there is a potential
[environmental] health risk we have little control over," he said.
Related Sites
Institute of Medicine Burn Pit Study
http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Long-Term-Health-Consequences-of-Exposure-to-Burn-Pits-in-Iraq-and-Afghanistan.aspx
Institute of Medicine
http://www.iom.edu/About-IOM.aspx
DOD Continues to Study Dust, Burn Pit Health Effects
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=64748
For more retiree news and information, please visit www.retirees.af.mil.
Holiday Fair This Saturday
We are entering the peak of the Christmas shopping
season. Why not avoid the crowds in the big city stores and make the
rounds of the great church fairs instead?
This Saturday, November 19, put St. Stephens Holiday
Fair at the top of your list to visit. The church is right on Main
Street in Pittsfield and will be open from 9 am to 2 pm.
You will find a wide assortment of gifts to satisfy
just about everyone on your list plus a variety of things to enhance
your holiday entertaining. This year, you will find a number of
gorgeous arrangements and unique items perfect for decorating. And
don’t forget to pick up a pie from the Bakery for your holiday
feasts.
St. Stephen’s is well-known for its outstanding
Silent Auction, so you might want to stop by a couple of times
during the day to be sure you are high bidder on that perfect item.
If you time your last visit to be present at 2 pm, you will be on
hand for the announcement of the high bidders as well as for the
drawing of the winning ticket for the bounteous holiday dinner
basket raffle.
Holiday shopping can indeed be fun and economical
when you visit the local fairs. And you will be helping to support
church outreach programs for those many people who need a boost in
these tough times.
Gala Scottish Concert To Be Held Sunday, November
27th
Local glass artisan and fiddler Bruce Cobb will
again be performing with 40 or more musicians in the upcoming
Strathspey and Reel Society of New Hampshire’s 23rd Gala Scottish
Concert, held Sunday, November 27 at 2:30 pm in the Concord City
Auditorium.
Cape Breton Duo
Kicking off at 2:30 Sunday afternoon, November 27 at
the Concord City Auditorium, the concert stage again welcomes the
Strathspey and Reel Society ensemble of fiddles, cellos, accordions,
flutes/whistles/recorders, guitars and other instruments. Master of
Ceremonies Jeremy Bell will guide the audience through a two-hour
program of traditional music, dance, songs, and humor. Past
attendees have described this event as "the best thing about the
Thanksgiving weekend."
This year’s Gala guest performers follow in the
footsteps of dozens of major masters of the Scottish fiddle from
Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. Kimberley Fraser, though still in her
20s, already has had a distinguished career. She has traveled the
world, from Victoria to Afghanistan, performing at venues such as
The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., bringing Cape Breton music
with her wherever she goes. Dan MacDonald of the Cape Breton Post
says about Fraser’s versatility, "She has matured to become one of
the stellar players of the Cape Breton fiddle tradition, equally at
home at a house party, playing for a square dance, or on stage for a
concert in Bras d’Or or Boston, Scotsville, or Scotland." Kimberley
has shared the stage with the finest acts in Celtic music, such as
Alasdair Fraser, Martin Hayes and Lunasa.
Andrea Beaton’s Cape Breton heritage starts with
grandparents Donald Angus and Elizabeth Beaton and parents Kinnon
and Betty Beaton, all of who are accomplished musicians. Her uncle
Buddy MacMaster and cousin Natalie MacMaster have wowed generations
of audiences. Her music is at once her own and deeply rooted in the
tradition associated with the Mabou Coal Mines. And, like her father
and grandfather, she is a composer in the tradition, adding fine new
music to the island’s repertoire. Her first CD, "License to Drive ‘Er,"
earned a nomination as Roots Traditional Solo Artist of the Year at
the East Coast Music Awards. One recent listener mused about
Andrea’s playing, "There’s something indefinable about music’s power
to make people move. It’s nearly impossible to talk about it. But
you know it when you hear it. And Andrea Beaton has it."
Amazingly, these two fiddle masters find time to
stay sharp with some of the most fantastic step-dance footwork that
you will see anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. They break into dance
mode spontaneously and feed off each other’s energy.
Highland Dancing
Highland dance, whether a Fling, a Sword dance, or a
Lilt, displays the grace and artistry of the Scots. This year’s Gala
welcomes back the Highland dancers from the Calder School of
Highland dancing. Highland dances may have originally signified a
victory in battle, but today they showcase the dexterity and
graceful skills of the dancer, and the Calder School’s dancers are
some of New Hampshire’s finest.
Master of Ceremonies
Jeremy Bell calls himself simply "a man in a kilt."
But his exploits on stage, at whiskey tastings, and corporate events
across the country have endeared him to thousands throughout the
United States. Jeremy brings an irreverent Scottish sense of
propriety, along with his unique brand of humor, to every event he
hosts. He will surprise and delight you.
The magic of the 2011 Gala starts the minute you
approach your seat this year with a pre-concert audience warm-up by
Fellswater, a Boston-based Celtic performance group. Fresh off a
turn on the stages of the New Hampshire Highland Games, Fellswater’s
lively music will get you in the mood for the whirlwind that follows
at 2:30.
Tickets prices for this year’s Gala remain unchanged
from previous years and range from $20.00 ($22.00 at the door) to
$10.00 ($12.00 at the door) depending on the location within the
grand Concord City Auditorium. You can order your tickets online at
www.srsnh.org, or by calling (603) 673-5145.
A Wall To Remember: Earth Mover And Stonemen Create A Wall Of Art
In September 2011, David Docko out of Northwood and
Stonefence from Pittsfield started what they hope will be the best
stonewall clear across the state.
The wall is built in front of David Docko’s gravel
pit on First NH Turnpike in Northwood. The wall will be
approximately 42 inches by 42 inches by about 185 feet long when
completed. The wall is built of two types of rock: ledge rock from
Deerfield, fieldstone from Northwood and fieldstone and ledge from
Pittsfield.
"God willing, we will see it through."
New Form Will Assist With Death Notifications
Submitted By Merrill A. Vaughan Commander
American
Legion Peterson-Cram Post 75
Pittsfield, NH 03263
Defense Finance and Accounting Service officials
report that survivors can now use a "fast form" to report the
passing of a retiree on the Internet rather than waiting on the
phone.
The DFAS Form 9221 for notification of death can be
processed quicker than faxed or mailed forms, said officials, and
they save paper and postage costs. Officials warn that if a survivor
doesn’t receive confirmation of receipt from DFAS within 48 hours of
submitting the form, they should call 800-321-1080.
The form can be completed and submitted online from
the privacy of a customer’s home, or with the help of a casualty
assistance representative. Submitting the form initiates all of the
same actions a DFAS customer care center representative would:
• The retiree’s account will be suspended to avoid
release of monthly payments.
• A Standard Form 1174 claim form will be sent to
the retiree’s arrears-of-pay beneficiary.
• If the decedent was enrolled in the Survivor
Benefit Plan or the Retired Serviceman’s Family Protection Plan, an
annuitant care package will be sent to the beneficiary.
The notification-of-death form is only for reporting
the death of a military retiree. Annuitant deaths must still be
reported to one of the DFAS customer care representatives at
800-321-1080.
To access the notification of death fast form, click
on the link at
http://www.dfas.mil/retiredmilitary/forms.html. For more retiree
news and information, please visit
www.retirees.af.mil.
Any military retiree that has a question on this,
please contact Merrill Vaughan at 344-0264.
TOPS News
Submitted By Terrie Azotea
This week at TOPS someone spoke on goal setting and
how to meet those goals. It’s good to set a goal you know you can
accomplish. For example: I am going to walk 3 times, or not eat
bread, or cut back on portion control. It’s good to set your goals
so that you can meet them and not have them so high you get
discouraged with yourself because you didn’t meet them. So I for
one, am setting a goal this week and hopefully it will work. Give it
a try!
We have another member who became a KOPS this week.
That is when a TOPS member has reached their goal weight and moves
on to becoming a KOPS. I would like to say KUDOS to you. Awesome
job.
Keep up the good work on filling the pumpkin faces
and it sure is nice to have a buddy to call too.
If anyone is interested in joining us, we meet on
Tuesday nights at St. Stephen’s Church, Main Street, Pittsfield. Any
questions, call Laurel Tiede at 269-8721 or Pat Smith at 435-5333.
They would love to answer any questions you might have.
Remember to set a goal this week and stick to it. I
challenge you to try it. Each day is a new beginning, so let today
be a fresh start. See you all lighter next week!
Silk scarves are some of the featured items at the
upcoming Dorcas Guild Christmas Fair November 19 at the First
Congregational Church.
Sue Bleckmann hand paints pieces to a child’s puzzle
in preparation for the Dorcas Guild’s Christmas Fair November 19 at
the First Congregational Church.
Pittsfield Listens: You Spoke, We Listened
We hope you will join us on Thursday, November 17th
from 6:00 to 7:30PM at the Pittsfield Middle High School Lecture
Hall to hear about the school district’s implementation plan for the
Nellie Mae Education Foundation grant. This is a chance for you to
hear firsthand how your input fits into the school’s plan for the
future. Superintendent John Freeman will be doing a short
presentation introducing the logic model and will highlight where
community input fit into the proposal There will be a short question
and answer period, followed by a brief discussion about the future
of Pittsfield Listens.
We strongly recommend that you attend and hope to
see you next Thursday! Feel free to invite a family member, friend
or neighbor – we are very excited to share our plan with the entire
community. Please RSVP by email to
[email protected] by Tuesday, November
14th. In addition, if anyone is interested in having a quick tour of
the school building please let us know – we will plan to set up a
time before the presentation.
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