Those Celebrating Birthdays are: April 10, Rebecca Walton, Michael
St. Laurent, Diane Lammott; April 11, Carl Hubbard; April 12, Julie
Snell, Helen Charron, Amber Valentyn; April 13, Curt Luksza, Jean
Jelley; April 14, John Genest, Jr., Kaela Marable, Laurie DePalma;
April 15, Madison Lawlor.
A Very Happy Birthday To One and All!
Celebrating Anniversaries are: April 11, Arthur and Linda Harnden.
Best Wishes!
Please
SAVE THE DATE
Friday, May 3 at 7pm at the Dell Lea in Chichester, Pittsfield Youth
Workshop Fundraiser, “Cinco de Mayo” Dance and Karaoke night. (We
are celebrating Cinco de Mayo early!)
CASH Bar, dancing, Karaoke singing and snacks will be available for
purchase.
We had a great turnout last year and hope that you can join us this
year. Please support PYW by attending the event.
Laughter Yoga
Presentation At The Pittsfield Circle Of Home And Family Meeting
“No poses, No mats, Just laughter exercises and deep breathing,”
says Marcia Wyman
of the New England Center of Laughter. “Many
people wonder if they have to stand on their heads and we definitely
don’t do that!”
Laughter Yoga was begun in 1995 by a Medical Doctor in India who
also did yoga breathing. He found laughter to be similar (deep
exhalations) and named his new holistic movement Laughter Yoga.
There are now 7,000 clubs in over 65 countries. Scientific studies
in the United States have shown that prolonged laughter improves
both the body and the mind. “It’s a great way to feel better and
stay better,” says Wyman. “And no side effects except joy and
feeling renewed and refreshed.”
The Laughter Yoga program is sponsored by the Pittsfield Circle of
Home and Family Group and will take place on Thursday, April 25 at 7
pm in the Bicentennial Room of the Pittsfield Community Center. The
program is Free and Open To The Public. The format will include
informational lecture and hands-on experience.
The Community Center is located at 74 Main St.,
Pittsfield. For more information about the program, please call Andi
Riel at 435-6346 or email at
[email protected].
School Lunch Menus
April 15 - April 19, 2013
PES
Monday
Everyone’s Favorite
Chicken Burger, lettuce, tomato and pickles, cucumber and tomato
salad, fresh fruit
Tuesday
It’s A Melt
Ham and Cabot cheddar melt, roasted sweet potatoes, peaches
Wednesday
Prince Of Pasta
Spaghetti and meat sauce, Caesar salad, pears
Thursday
Just Like Home
Roasted chicken, warm roll, potato wedges, apple crisp
Friday
Fresh Picks Pizza
Cheese pizza or chef’s topping, baby carrots, peaches
PMHS
Monday
Build Your Own
Sandwich
Build your own chicken sandwich, cucumber and tomato salad, fresh
fruit
Tuesday
It’s A Melt
Ham and Cabot cheddar melt, green peas, roasted sweet potatoes,
peaches
Wednesday
Prince Of Pasta
Spaghetti and meat sauce, Caesar salad, pears
Thursday
Just Like Home
Roasted chicken, warm roll, corn, potato wedges, apple crisp
Friday
Fresh Eats!
Ranch chicken sub, garden salad, fresh fruit
Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association Offers
I Am In Control
Presentation in Pittsfield
Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association is offering a free
presentation “Note to Self: I am in Control” on Thursday, May 2 from
12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at Pittsfield Senior Center, 74 Main Street in
Pittsfield.
Living with a chronic health condition can present many challenges.
Both physical and emotional factors can cause everyday tasks to be a
struggle. Discover approaches to overcome challenges while taking
charge and managing your chronic condition.
For more information, call (603) 224-4093 or (800) 924-8620, ext.
5815.
Letter
Dear Biking/Walking Enthusiasts,
There has been lots of talk over the years about establishing biking
and hiking trails in Pittsfield. I have recently found minutes to an
old Economic Development Committee (EDC) meeting from 2006,
discussing creating trails.
IT IS TIME to stop yakking about it and DO IT!
Creating biking/hiking trails is not a function of the EDC; however,
these trails do improve town image, health, and draw people into
town who are young, active and health conscious (and will likely
stop at town stores).
We need to set up a group of go-getters to jump start this process
of creating a trail system in Pittsfield.
If you are tired of the talk, without action (as I
am), email me at
[email protected] or
call 435-6573.
Sincerely,
Ted Mitchell, Chairman
Economic Development Committee
Skiing In Pittsfield - Part III
Watson’s Wide View Recreation Area
In 1964, 15 workers from the Greater Pittsfield Ski Club cleared
brush and a large number of trees to make room for a rope tow on the
Charles Watson Farm on Catamount Mountain. Murray Tasker of
Northwood had a bulldozer and cleared the stumps. Also known as the
Suncook Valley Ski Area, the slope was 300 yards wide, 1,500 feet
long, and ran parallel to Route #107.
The tow was engineered by Vernon Leduc, the rope coming from the
Lace Factory in Barnstead Parade. It was powered by the take-off on
Charles Watson’s farm tractor. Flood lights were installed for night
skiing. The area was inspected and approved by the State.
By 1965, a warming shed had been built by a group of volunteers,
which included Wayne and Olga Emerson, Gene Lane, Charles Morrill,
III, Edward and Theresa Stanley, Murray and Esther Tasker, and
Charles Watson. Charles Watson built a brick fire pit with a chicken
brooder house canopy to provide warmth. The building also had a
counter from which hot dogs, hot chocolate and hamburgers were sold.
That year some of the town’s leading ski enthusiasts were involved
in the club’s leadership, among them Charles Abraham, Manager of the
A&P, who served as president, Arnold Wells, owner of Barney’s Store,
vice president, and Olga Emerson, clerk at Bartlett’s Department
store for many years, secretary-treasurer.
In 1966, the tow continued in operation. In mid-January parents,
teachers, skiers and non-skiers met at the “lodge” to generate ideas
about how to promote skiing among youngsters. In February Ray Watson
reported that skiing conditions were great and that there had been
large and enthusiastic crowds at the area. The tow was still
operating two years later when, in September 1968, interested
citizens met at the Watson Area to discuss the coming season.
During these latter years a lack of snow became a problem.
Eventually, the operation was forced to be shut down. Exactly when
this took place has not been learned.
The Grammar School Ski Area
Skiing behind the old Grammar School, now the Town Hall, likely
began not long after the building was erected. However, by the time
the author went to school there, 1948-52, sliding on cardboard or
sleds was the practice, not skiing. Much later, when the Greater
Pittsfield Ski Club was organized, it had Public Service of New
Hampshire install a large flood light at the bottom of the hill so
that skiing could be done at night.
In 1964 the high school had a ski team, the first in a decade, which
used the area for practice. Apparently the team was short lived and
there is no mention in Pittsfield High School Yearbooks about a ski
club until 1976 when a group of 12 boys and girls formed a club
under the direction of Miss Hertzfeld. From all accounts, that was
the last high school ski club.
Ski Lessons
After the Greater Pittsfield Ski Club was organized, it arranged for
lessons to be given to its members and to Pittsfield students. For
example, in 1965 an instructor from Alton was hired to give
intermediate and advanced ski lessons to those who joined the club.
That year Marion Freese and Ann Carpenter gave lessons to children
in grades one through four. Olga Emerson gave instruction to
students in grades five through 12. John Barto also gave lessons.
Many of the lessons were given on the hill behind the Grammar
School. Others, it appears, were given at the Watson Ski Area.
Similarly, in January and February of 1968 intermediate and advanced
ski lessons were given under the direction of the Penny Pitou Ski
School. Beginning in January 1969, two instructors from the Pitou
School gave lessons on Tuesday nights from 5:00-8:00 p.m. The
lessons were primarily given on the hill behind the Grammar School
but some were given at the Watson Ski Area.
Conclusion
In conclusion it seems that skiing received intermittent support
from the Pittsfield community throughout the first three-quarters of
the Twentieth Century. A few determined individuals at various times
devoted considerable effort to make the sport accessible to the
residents of our small town. However, the irregularity of the annual
snow fall and the advent of huge recreation centers with chair
lifts, snow-making machines and all sorts of amenities simply made
small town ski areas unsustainable and thus most vanished from the
state. Pittsfield’s were among them. Today those skiers from
Pittsfield spend their time at Gunstock, or at more difficult slopes
of northern New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.
Letter
Response to Letter: Education or Indoctrination from SVS 3/27/13.
Mrs. Polizotti paints our public schools with such a broadly
critical brush, that I am compelled to respond. She sites examples
of singular events drawn from around the country to portray our
schools as institutions of radical political/cultural
indoctrination. What follows is an attempt to respond to her claims
with fairness and accuracy.
DICSIPLINE: Whether it’s toy guns, foul language, violence, or
substance use/abuse, we would be well served to fully support,
better equip and better pay our guidance counselors, teachers, and
Para-professionals. Providing more comprehensive student outreach
over implementing stronger disciplinary policies.
SEX ED: Birth control is the #1 BEST form of Poverty Prevention.
Every independent study of abstinence programs proves them to be
ineffective in slowing teen pregnancy rates. Same-sex relationships
are a part of our society and they are made up of American citizens
with rights. Our schools should be teaching lessons in social
justice through the modern-day civil liberties struggle for equal
marriage rights.
CHURCH & STATE: Do we really want our PUBLIC SCHOOLS, run by the
state, to be in charge of teaching our children sacred personal
traditions and spiritual beliefs? To insert specific religious bias
into our public schools is to turn them into the indoctrination
institutions that you are accusing them of being. We see examples in
Iran, Pakistan, Nigeria, etc. where the state dictates religious
practice to the detriment of their citizen’s personal freedoms.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Mrs. Polizotti statements about our public schools
read more like a Tea Party critique of popular American culture
rather than the astute observations of a concerned Pittsfield
resident. Is this just a thinly veiled attempt at forwarding a
conservative political/social agenda at the expense of the
credibility of our public schools?
Jason Isabelle
Pittsfield.
Pittsfield Historical Society Antique Appraisal
The Pittsfield Historical Society held a similar event on Sept. 18,
1983 - just about 20 years ago! The article began... “Have you ever
wondered if Uncle Ephraim’s ice-axe that you uncovered in the barn
attic is worth anything? Or if Great-aunt Phoebe’s garnet and gold
earrings might be valuable? Wonder no more.
“If you bring them - or any other treasures - to the Appraisal Day
being sponsored by the Pittsfield Historical Society and the
Pittsfield Area Arts Council...”
Returning to 2013, the Pittsfield Historical Society will host Frank
Eaton of Variety Auctions in Epsom for an antiques appraisal at its
April 11 program from 4-6 PM.
Spring has arrived so take to your attics and basements and treasure
hunt in your own home, and perhaps Mr. Eaton will surprise you and
your worth! Not only what its value, but what it IS!
The fund-raising event will be held at the lower level of the
Pittsfield Community Center. Each attendee is invited to bring one
item for appraisal, but if time allows, additional appraisals may be
conducted. A $5 fee per item will be charged at the door, where
numbers will be handed out and called in order.
Home-baked refreshments will be offered for sale. The event will be
extended beyond the 2-hour time limit if necessary.
21st Century Business Exploration & Career Fair
Hosted by
Pittsfield Middle High School
Thursday, April 18, 2013
8 am – 12:00 pm
Developing career awareness and promoting a sense of community with
the help of local professionals.
The business leaders of Pittsfield and surrounding areas and
servicemen and women from the various branches of the military will
be sharing their professional journeys, career expertise, and
helpful hints on being successful in the 21st Century with the
students of PMHS. This business exploration and career fair is
designed to expose students and community members to the
professional career opportunities in our community, inform students
of the necessary skills required to be considered a qualified
employee candidate, and teach students how to be best prepared for
the continually evolving business world. Students in grades 9-12
will develop, in advance, guided questions to help them embark on
their business/career exploration as well as be engaged in rich
conversations with professionals involving education requirements,
technical and professional skills otherwise known as “soft skills”,
suggestions for a successful employment experience, and tips
including “what to do and not to do” at an interview. In addition,
we will have representatives from NH Employment Services to provide
employment services to our visiting community and students.
Participants will have available: advertisements, product/service
materials, and business cards for students to bring home and share
with their families. Set up begins at 7:30 am.
If you are a local business and would like to get
involved in this invaluable experience, please contact Sheila Ward,
PMHS Extended Learning Opportunity Coordinator, at 435-6701 X1117 or
[email protected].
TOPS News
Submited By Terrie Azotea
Well, I think that Spring is on its way finally. It sure was a cold
week this past week, and I thought to myself, is it ever going to be
nice temps again?
We want to get out there and start walking on our Tuesday nights. I
guess we will just have to bundle up and do it. So, if you see us
out walking, give us a wave and we will be sure to wave back at ya.
It was our first week with our new officers. Great Job!! We had
Royalty and those who lost had some good tips as how they did it.
Tips were: take the stairs more, drink extra water, yoga, watch your
portion sizes before you eat, and stay active with the walking.
So, I say to you ladies, Kudos. Best Loser of the week was April
with a nice weight loss. Great job to those who followed with a
loss. Keep up the good work.
Division awards were passed out and we talked about our upcoming
events. Tops is a great support weight loss group and we always
welcome new faces anytime.
I know that the time is coming when we will have to shed some
layers, and let’s be honest, who wants to sweat when you don’t have
to. So, if anyone wants extra help on a good weight support program,
come on out on Tuesday nights at 5:30 at the St.Stephens Church on
Main Street in Pittsfield. Any questions call Pat Smith @ 435-5333.
“Happiness consists in activity; such is the constitution of our
nature; it is a running stream, and not a stagnant pool.” ( John M
Good)
Hope everyone has a good week and see you all lighter next week!
Don’t miss the Pittsfield Players production of Ken
Ludwig’s 25th Anniversary of “Lend Me A Tenor.” Tickets, $12, are
available via Ticket Leap at
www.pittsfieldplayers.com;
by calling the box office at (603) 435-6291. Paul Smith and Kat
Abdelwahid play the firey couple Tito and Maria Thursday, Friday and
Saturday, April 11, 12 & 13 at 7:30 PM.
American Legion Peterson-Cram Post 75 News
The following were winners of the April meeting raffle: Al Nutter,
Chester Adams, Amanda Stewart; Henry Stapleton and Stockman;
congratulations to all. The Post continues to work on making the
Post Home accessible to one and all. Once these improvements are
finished, we have other plans to increase the use of the Post.
The Post will hold Memorial Day observance on Sunday, May 26 at 1 pm
at the Veteran’s Memorial on Main St; we are planning on improving
this vital remembrance of our departed comrades from all wars that
our nation and state have been involved in.
In June, the Peterson-Cram Post will hold its annual flag disposal
ceremony at the BCEP. Flags can be taken directly to the BCEP;
however, please DO NOT put your flag in the trash and garbage. They
will hold the flags for the ceremony.
For the first time in many years, the American Legion Peterson-Cram
Post 75 has awarded Bob Moulton the Member of the Year for 2013.
“Without Bob’s 35 continuous years, his willing to hold more than
one and sometimes two positions at the same time, the Post would
have been folded leaving Pittsfield without a Veterans Service
Organization” said Peterson-Cram Post 75 Commander, Merrill Vaughan.
“Thank you Bob for your service to the Local, State and Nation and
has guided our Post proudly” he concluded.
Letter
Dear Citizens of Pittsfield,
It is that time of year again. Please register your canine at the
Town Hall.
Prices are:
$9.00 for intact canine
$6.50 for spayed/neuetered canine
$2.00 for 1st canine for citizens 65 and older
If you are served a Civil Forfeiture Notice after the registration
due date, you will receive a fine of $25.00 per dog.
Any questions, call Animal Control Officer Anne Taylor at 435-7535
Ext. 17
466:1 Procuring License; Tag
Every owner or keeper of a dog 4 months old or over shall annually,
cause it to be registered, numbered, described, and licensed for one
year in the office of the clerk of the city or town in which the dog
is kept, and shall cause it to wear around its neck a collar to
which shall be attached a metal tag with the following information
thereon: the name of the city or town, year of issue of license and
its registered number. The tag and license shall be furnished by the
clerk at the expense of the city or town. Regardless of when the
license is obtained, the license shall be effective from May 1 of
each year to April 30 of the subsequent year.
Pittsfield
Police Department
Letter
Thanks,
The Pittsfield Master Plan wants to thank the 127 Pittsfield Middle
High School students for taking their time to complete the survey.
Your comments be taken into the future decision of leading the
town. Your ranking of all areas have already generated positive
comments from the Master Plan Committee.
For those households that have not yet mailed the survey yet, we ask
that you take the time to look it over and return it as soon as
possible. If you did not receive it, you can still complete it on
the Town Website Pittsfield Town Website then click on the
Pittsfield Master Plan Community Survey. The time to complete it is
less than you might think.
For a better Pittsfield tomorrow,
Merrill Vaughan, Member
Pittsfield Master Plan Committee
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