Letter To The Editor
Northwood Brings Thanksgiving to the Nation
Sarah Josepha Hale’s 1827 novel Northwood, or Life North and
South provides the first detailed description of Thanksgiving.
It
was a festivity that had been celebrated for many years in New
England, but not nationally. The author wanted Thanksgiving to
be a national holiday to help foster unity in America during a
time of serious political strife. Her 30 year campaign was
ultimately successful when Abraham Lincoln issued his famous
Thanksgiving Declaration during the Civil War.
In
the novel, “The turnpike, leading from Concord New Hampshire to
Portsmouth, passes directly through the retired but romantically
situated town of Northwood, in the county of Rockingham.”
In
this little Yankee village, at a Thanksgiving celebration, a
Northwood farmer explains to an English visitor why it’s
important that Thanksgiving be a holiday not just for New
England, but for the country as a whole. It would be a day to
put aside our differences and remind ourselves that we Americans
have much to be thankful for.
The
farmer understands Thanksgiving to be “a tribute of gratitude to
God” for “the overflowing garners of America.” He hopes it will
be “universally observed” as a way to show thanks “for our
republican institutions, which are based on the acknowledgment
that God is our Lord, and that, as a nation, we derive our
privileges and blessings from Him.”
May
we all be grateful for our many blessings this Thanksgiving Day.
Michael Faiella
Northwood
Lakes Region Public Access Tv Serves Up
A
Delicious Thanksgiving Weekend!
Join Lakes Region Public Access Television this Thanksgiving
weekend for a bountiful buffet of creative, local programming!
From wonderful movies on Thanksgiving Day to LIVE coverage of
the “Light-Up Laconia” Holiday Parade, LRPA has the Lakes Region
covered!
On
Thursday, November 22, we’ll be serving up vintage movies,
cartoons and TV shows starting at 2:30 p.m. and running until
midnight. Screwball comedies! Bleak noir! Giant radiated
monsters! Poultry infomercials! Fred Astaire! If you’re looking
for something to watch that isn’t football, we’re the place to
be. Tune into LRPA and leave us on all day!
The
Thanksgiving afternoon lineup on Thursday, November 22:
2:30 p.m. 1963’s comedic Western “McLintock!” starring John
Wayne and Maureen O’Hara
5:00 p.m. 1965’s classic Kaijū monster film “Daikaiju Gamera”
(Gamera, the Giant Monster)
6:30 p.m. 1951’s musical comedy “Royal Wedding” starring Fred
Astaire and Jane Powell
8:30 p.m. 1940’s dramedy “His Girl Friday” starring Cary Grant
and Rosalind Russell
10:00 p.m. 1955’s daring film-noir “The Big Combo” starring
Cornel Wilde and Jean Wallace
11:30 p.m. A vintage episode of the Beverly Hillbillies
Plus classic cartoons and more!
Over the weekend, stay tuned for “LRPA After Dark”! Why go
shopping when you can stay home and give yourself the gift of
great, local TV? Join us at 10:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday
(November 23 & 24) for our “LRPA After Dark” presentation of
1937’s delightful screwball comedy “Nothing Sacred,” starring
Carole Lombard and Frederic March. “Nothing Sacred” is the story
of an ambitious newspaper reporter Wally Cook (March) who uses
the sad story of Hazel Flagg (Lombard), a small-town woman
supposedly dying of radium poisoning, to redeem his own failing
career. After Cook realizes that Hazel was misdiagnosed, he
convinces her to go along with the rouse – and hijinks ensue.
Carole Lombard often described “Nothing Sacred” as one of her
favorite films, and the critics heartily agreed. We think that
you will, too! So grab your popcorn and join LRPA after dark for
this witty and romantic gem from the past.
LIVE coverage of the “Light-Up Laconia” Holiday Parade! On
Sunday, November 25, LRPA will stream the “Light-Up Laconia”
Holiday Parade LIVE! You can watch over the internet from any
device – smartphone, tablet, laptop, computer or Smart TV. Join
us at starting at 3:30 p.m. at
http://livestream.com/lrpatv/holidayparade to catch the fun!
For more information about Light-Up Laconia, visit the Celebrate
Laconia website at
https://www.celebratelaconia.org/.
And
mark your calendars: It’s almost time for the annual Greater
Lakes Region Children’s Auction presented by CruCon Cruise
Outlet, Tuesday, December 4 – Saturday, December 8. Join LRPA
for minute-by-minute coverage all week long, locally on Channel
25, over Atlantic Broadband Channel 12 and also on Live Stream
at
https://livestream.com/lrpatv/ca2018. Or listen in with our
fantastic radio partners 104.9 FM The Hawk and 101.5 FM WEEI!
Stop by the Belknap Mall in Belmont to watch the action in
person. Bid high and bid often!
Letter To The Editor
Public Safety Complex Proposal
As
I sat through the briefing on the plans for the new Public
Safety Complex last night, I was reminded of the battle over the
school expansion project more than 20 years ago.
Before your time in Northwood?
Let
me recall for you the modular classrooms that sat between the
current entrance and Rte. 4. These two structures provided
needed classroom space as the student population grew.
Originally seen as “temporary,” they became more and more
“permanent” as the townspeople refused to pay to replace them
until ....
Until they became so moldy and decrepit that no one could make
the case that they were “good for another year.”
We
face a similar situation with the police station and the ridge
fire station. Both are woefully inadequate and unsafe.
At
the police station, there is no holding cell. Only a single
chair bolted to the floor.
At
the fire station, there is no sprinkler system and only one
(narrow) stairway leading to the bunk room upstairs.
There is a long list - for both buildings - of their failings.
And the legal/financial liabilities they present are
catastrophic.
I
was favorably impressed by the plans that are being developed by
the Public Safety Building Committee, and look forward to
reviewing them more closely when they are presented to the
Budget Committee.
This will not come cheap - and Trump’s steel tariffs are driving
up the cost of the metal building to house the fire trucks as we
speak. But as with the modulars, these buildings are NOT “good
for another year.”
Tom
Chase
Member of, but not speaking for Northwood Budget Committee