REMINDER
NH
Senate and
House of
Representatives Candidates Forum
Epsom
Public Library
Sunday,
October 28th 2:00pm
Do you
live in Allenstown, Epsom or Pittsfield? Are you concerned
about our roads, schools and taxes? Come and talk with your NH
Senate and House Representative candidates. The decisions
they’ll make will impact all of us every day! The candidates
forum is sponsored by the Friends of the Epsom Public Library and
the Greater Pittsfield Chamber of Commerce.
Letter To The Editor
Public
School Funding Position Statement
The
direct answer to "What will you do to make school property tax rates
fair and equal across the state?" is that NH must—must institute
school funding that is not based solely on property taxes. Property
values are inherently variable across the state and can never
provide for equity in our school districts. Other funding sources
must be found. No one favors broad based taxes such as sales or
income and that is fine so far as it goes. If we don’t want either
one of those then we must create some new revenue source that will
meet our obligations. Continued runaway growth of rental properties
that do not provide sufficient revenues to off-set the numbers of
children requiring education must be changed. This is obviously a
difficult question, but it must be faced and faced soon. These
unfunded children provide for the greatest growth in our school
systems. That cannot be sustained. I am not yet experienced enough
to understand all of the complexities of a funding model, but I know
that if the state accepts an appropriate level of responsibility,
then appropriate tables of distribution can be worked out so that
all school districts are funded at a workable and sustainable price
per student educated. State responsibility also needs to include the
particularly high cost of special education. No community should be
left to its own devices in paying for this very technical and
expensive column on the education invoice.
Sincerely,
J. C.
Allard
Letter To The Editor
Public
School Funding Position Statement
The
state’s 2017- 2018 adequacy grant was $3636 per student, with small
additional grants for low income, special education, children with
English as a second language, and third graders who cannot read at
the appropriate level. The average annual cost per year per student
in the state is over $15,000 (Pittsfield about $14,723). The
difference is passed on to the local property taxpayers. This
means that property poor towns pay a higher rate just to cover the
basic needs of students. This leads to teacher layoffs,
delayed upkeep and maintenance, less equipment, fewer books, and
losing talented teachers to other districts.
This
system discourages economic growth as businesses opt for lower
property tax towns and young families move elsewhere to avoid poorly
funded schools. Local officials are less apt to create
affordable housing to attract young families. As school
enrollment declines - higher cost per student.
The
state needs to establish a nonpartisan commission to devise and
implement a long-term education funding strategy for NH that works
for all towns. This commission would update the adequacy
grants as appropriate.
NH
needs to establish financial advisors to help all districts with
long-term planning regarding budgets, etc. We do not need to
“reinvent the wheel” across the state, what works in one town, may
work in others.
Is it
possible to have a teacher pay scale that applies to all districts?
More stable for teachers and might decrease moves for increased pay.
We need
a two-year school budget to coincide with the state two-year
budget.
If
unfreezing the grants, getting payback from 2015-present, and
dedication of some broad-based tax monies (such as increased
gasoline tax or increased cigarette tax) do not provide enough
relief, then another house or senate bill as CACR 7, might do better
if the right people are elected.
Miriam
Cahill-Yeaton, Epsom
Help For
Victor's Afflicted Hoof
Submitted By Carole Soule
Victor's hoof gets soaked
Victor
hobbled quickly ahead of me on three legs, his right front foot
swinging in the air. He had escaped through an open gate. Even on
three legs, he moved faster than me, but I had to get him back to
continue treating his infected hoof. Victor is a 6-month-old,
400-lb, red and white Hereford bull calf who was still nursing.
Three
weeks earlier Art Austin was cutting cordwood in one of our pastures
and said, “I think that young bull has a broken leg.” That can be
fatal for a four-legged animal, so we quickly moved Victor into the
holding pen where I could get a better look at him. Luckily he had a
hoof infection-not a broken leg. Cattle, sheep, and goats have
cloven hooves. In wet weather, bacteria can get between their two
toes causing a painful condition called hoof-rot. This infection
wouldn't kill him, but it was severe. Victor would not put any
weight on that foot, and his leg was swollen to twice its normal
size. I had treated hoof-rot before by applying a salve called “Foot
Cure.” Typically this treatment lives up to its name, and a foot is
put right in a day, or two...but it was not helping Victor.
I spent
the next two weeks on other remedies – soaking his foot in Epsom
salts, then copper sulfate, then Kopertox; nothing worked. It was
time to seek advice from a hoof and foot specialist – my farrier.
Farriers trim livestock hooves every day and usually have more
experience with foot problems than a veterinarian. Besides, a farmer
who calls the doctor for every little thing will soon be out of
business.
So I
consulted my farrier who suggested antibiotics for the swelling. For
more specific guidance, I sought out a dairy farmer. Dairy farmers
have twice-a-day contact with their cows at milking time, and
because milk production can be more stressful on an animal than just
grazing (like beef cattle do), the dairy farmer is extremely
attentive to each cow's health; right down to and including those
cloven hooves.
At the
Deerfield Fair I discussed Victor's condition with dairyman Ben
Marston, who suggested that, besides keeping Victor's hoof clean and
dry, I should scrape open the infection and dab on some
Oxytetracycline. He had treated one of his cows with a similar
problem, and after six weeks the cow was healed. Oxytetracycline
comes in a bottle and is supposed to be injected into a muscle, but
Ben recommended that I just squirt 2cc's directly into the wound.
So I
hosed off Victor's hoof, soaked it, scraped it, and then applied the
Oxytetracycline. All along, Victor took exception to my nursing. He
would knock over the bucket of Epsom salt water and a couple of
times he kicked the Oxytetracycline bottle out of my hand. He would
often swing his foot away from me or drop to his knees, hoping I
would leave his sore foot alone. Victor was alone in a pen during
these twice-daily treatments, but afterward, he got some quality
time with his mom.
Despite
his best efforts to resist, after three more weeks Victor started to
improve. Now the swelling is gone, and with a slight limp, Victor is
on his way to full recovery.
Dairy
farmers know their cows. I seek their advice, not just for hoof-rot,
but for bloat, indigestion or mastitis. They know all kinds of
things. One of them even told me why milking stools have only three
legs: “Because the cow has the udder.”
I never
said they were experts on comedy.
Carole
Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, in Loudon, N.H., She can be
reached at [email protected].
Pittsfield’s History Of Fires And Firefighters
On Thursday, October 25, Larry Berkson will present a
brief overview of his new series of books on Pittsfield’s fires and
firefighters. This three-book series entitled “Great Fires and
Great Issues of the Nineteenth Century,” “The Twentieth and
Twenty-first Centuries,” and “Great Fires and Firefighters of the
20th and 21st Centuries” will be available for sale. Each
volume costs $15 and Larry will also be available to sign copies and
answer any questions.
The
books cover topics such as the first fire wards, organization of the
early fire companies, participation in early events, equipment
developed and used, and responses to major fires.
Please
join us on Thursday, October 25, at 7:00 p.m., at the Historical
Society, 13 Elm Street, Pittsfield.
Dorcas Guild Plans Christmas Fair
Mark
your calendar! The Dorcas Guild of the First Congregational Church,
24 Main Street, Pittsfield, will hold its annual Christmas Fair,
Bake Sale and Luncheon Saturday, November 17, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There
will be many handmade items to choose from as well as gourmet
products, baked goods, “Unique Boutique” and the wonderful silent
auction. Corn chowder and sandwich lunch with homemade pies will
also be available. Plan to be there for this handcraft goldmine!
All
silent auction bids will be due by the close of the fair, 2 p.m.,
November 17. The successful bidders will be notified at that time.
Plenty
of free parking is available in the rear of the church (enter on
Chestnut Street), and the church is wheelchair accessible. For more
information, call the church office 435-7471.
Victory
Workers 4-H club has installed its new club officers for 2018/19.
The officers are, President Austin Ladd from Epsom, Vice
President Trinity Bond Loudon , Secretary Olivia LaValley Epsom,
Treasurer is Owen Mahanns from Center Barnstead, Reporter
Emma Baker from Pittsfield.
Another Donation To The Historical Society’s Building Fund
Alma and Judge John Korbey.
Judge
John Korbey and his wife Alma, have recently made a contribution to
the Historical Society’s Building Fund. Judge Korbey was a member of
the sate judiciary for three decades before retiring a few years
ago. He was the presiding judge of the Salem District Court, later
the Circuit Court in Salem. The Korbeys resided in Salem until
recently when they moved full time to York, Maine. They have been
generous contributors to other projects in Pittsfield, notable the
Pittsfield Youth Athletic Park. Judge Korbey was a colleague of
Susan Carbon, formerly of Pittsfield for many years. The Historical
Society greatly appreciates the Korbeys’ contribution.
Sanderson Trust Makes Major Donation To Historical Society Building
Fund
Scott Brown and Cara Marston (not pictured Katie
Bachelder).
The
Trustees of Trust Funds have once more generously contributed to an
important project in Pittsfield, the building of the Pittsfield
Historical Society’s new headquarters and museum. To be built
on the old Washington House Lot at the top of Factory Hill, the new
headquarters and museum will enable the Society to display many
artifacts, large and small, that currently are stored off-site, or
so crammed in our existing space that they are not visible to the
many guests and visitors we have each month.
The
contribution of the Trustees, drawn from the Sanderson Fund,
provides another huge step towards making our vision for the largest
and most accessible local museum in southern New Hampshire a
reality. The Sanderson Fund was created to support projects
that promote the best interests of Pittsfield, and this project
clearly will be a great improvement for our town.
The
Historical Society is very grateful to the Trustees, Scott Brown,
Cara Marston, and Katie Bachelder, for their generous support of our
new headquarters. With contributions like this, we are well on
our way towards our planned groundbreaking in the spring.
Building Camelot
Submitted by Maggie Faneuf
Camelot costumer Cathy Williams fitting Sir Lancelot for his
costume.
Set designer Jim Hart (kneeling) working on one of the trees for
Camelot with Vicki Watson and Kevin Kennedy.
Most of
us have been there – in a theater or auditorium awaiting a
theatrical performance. The audience is buzzing with conversation
and laughter, anticipating the entertainment.. Then the
overhead lights blink on and off several times, announcing the
impending start of the show. House lights dim and then fade
into darkness, and suddenly the stage is alive with lights and
actors. The show has begun! Also watching, but from
behind the scenes, are two key players vital to the show’s success
and enjoyment: the set designer and the costumer.
When
the Pittsfield Players present CAMELOT on November 9, 10, 11, 18,
and 19, the audience will see a forest, a castle, a throne, and
beautiful royal costumes bright with color and magnificent material.
Jim
Hart, the set designer, does a great deal of thinking and
researching long before the set is under construction. He leafs
through theater books and observes other companies’ sets, such as
the New London barn’s production of CAMELOT this past summer.
He then adapts these into his own creative ideas. One of the
biggest problems for Jim is the small stage in the Scenic Theater.
“One of my first questions,” Jim said, “is, ‘What can we do with
very little wing space and no fly space?’” Plus, he smiled, “We have
to keep the fire Department happy.”
The set
for CAMELOT includes both a forest as well as the inside of Arthur’s
castle. Usually, Jim has a strict plan on paper, calculating where
to store moving set pieces, always keeping in mind the very limited
backstage space. This is the first time he didn’t do that plan
However, he envisioned everything. “I had to create things I’d never
done before; for example massive trees that have to roll around.
(The trees in the forest eventually roll around to become pillars in
the castle.)
While
the audience obviously sees only the outside of the trees, the
inside construction is ingenious to someone not familiar with
set-building. Construction includes lightweight discs (the bottom
one with wheels) vertical boards, Masonite (cut and bent) chicken
wire stapled to the Masonite, and then, finally, burlap secured onto
the chicken wire The final step is applying a coat of mortar over
the burlap. Voila! A tree is built. Actually, not just one,
but six rolling trees.
As far
as the king’s throne is concerned, its design is not on paper. “It’s
up here,” Jim grinned, tapping his head.
The set
is not the only thing to be built for the show. Costumes for both
King Arthur (Bill Schultz) Guenevere (Catherine Martinez) and
Lancelot (Kevin Kennedy), as well as over 20 other actors, are
personally created, sewn or adapted from other costumes by Costumer
Cathy Williams.
Cathy
began her theatrical career in Ohio as an actress in such roles as
Anna in THE KING AND I and Sarah in GUYS AND DOLLS. It was there
that she begain to notice that costumers weren’t costuming
larger-sized actors. One day when she was appearing in KISS ME
KATE, she noticed a rather large actress playing the part of a
princess, but in a very plain dress. Cathy said, “Let me take
that home and see what I can do.” The costumer (who had learned to
sew in 4-H) was born.
A huge
challenge in costuming, she said, is that the dresses in the 20's
and 30's, for example,were very slim. So costuming a show such
as CAMELOT is not a matter of walking into the wardrobe room and
selecting an outfit. Preparing for the show, she began looking
for patterns early on and collected them, even Renaissance patterns.
With a limited budget, she has to be especially creative. “For
material, I looked for beautiful embossed curtains, and from them I
made Arthur’s jacket, as well as dresses for the ladies-in-waiting.”
Guenevere’s queenly dress and princess dresses for the
ladies-in-waiting were made from patterns. “If I don’t like a
certain pattern, I use four or five patterns and adapt them into one
I like.”
Although she loves acting, she finds a wonderful reward in
costuming. “Costuming helps an actor bring the character to life.
To see people on stage being able to move with the choreography and
feeling comfortable with their costumes makes me feel really good.”
Tickets
for the show may be obtained by going to the Pittsfield
Players’ website,
www.pittsfieldplayers.com or by calling 435-8852 to make a
reservation.
Members
from the Victory Workers 4-H club held their first promotional event
a Fall Festival at Duane's Family Farm in Barnstead on October 13th.
The day included animals, crafts, games, bake sale, and luncheon.
Those members making this a success were Derek & Austin Ladd,
Charlie & Faith Mewkill, Owen Joubert, Owen and Avery Mahanes,
Addison Babcock, Taylor and Keagan Huse, Anna Vyce, Josh Jeremiah
and Faith. Chapman. The Victory Workers are just finishing up their
garden projects, candy bar sales and BCEP fall garden project.
National Red Ribbon Week
Submitted By John Freeman, Superintendent of Schools
Pittsfield School District
According to national statistics, children whose parents talk with
them regularly about drug use are 42% less likely to use drugs than
those whose parents don’t talk with them about drug use. However,
only about 25% of teens report having drug use conversations with
their parents.
Since
1985, the importance of having drug use conversations with children
and youth has been strongly encouraged by the National Family
Partnership, most obviously through their sponsorship of National
Red Ribbon Week. Our Pittsfield students will be commemorating Red
Ribbon Week this week, so this is an ideal time for parents to have
a conversation about drug use.
This
year’s Red Ribbon Week theme is Life is your journey. Travel drug
free. Parents who would like some ideas about having drug use
conversations are encouraged to take a look at the resources
available from the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Hampshire on the
organization’s website: drugfreenh.org.
Parents
might also consider taking the National Red Ribbon Campaign Pledge
on that organization’s website: redribbon.org. The pledge
includes five elements:
1. As
parents and citizens, we will talk to our children and the children
in our lives about the dangers of drug abuse.
2. We
will set clear rules for our children about not using drugs.
3. We
will set a good example for our children by not using illegal drugs
or medicine without a prescription.
4. We
will monitor our children's behavior and enforce appropriate
consequences, so that our rules are respected.
5. We
will encourage family and friends to follow the same guidelines to
keep children safe from substance abuse.
Here’s
a chance to increase the odds that your child or youth will be less
likely to use drugs – 42% less likely – by having that critically
important conversation this week.
Letter
To the
good Citizens of Pittsfield,
I went
to a zoning board meeting the other night.
I feel
like I have bee Pritchforked (sic). That's like when you have
someone who has too much to do with your community's land rights.
You feel like you're in pain.
Anyway,
I found a 4'X16" old piece of plywood in the mud. Dried it up. Built
a frame for it. Soon, maybe Sunday, I will paint it and print my new
repeal zoning message which is repeal zoning, get treatment, get
freedom, get back.
Get
treatment: Let's see, we are in the worst medical problem I've ever
known. Get rid of the zoning ordinance. Get treatment opportunities
in Pittsfield. Get freedom. When you control the land, you control
the people. Just ask the Native Americans about that.
I would
rather the people have opportunity, than the protection.
Get
back. To where we used to be.
Just
dreaming again,
Dan the
Stoneman
Obituaries
Reuben
True Leavitt
Reuben
True Leavitt 92, died October 13th at Presidential Oaks, following a
brief illness.
He was
born in Pittsfield, the son of Reuben Towle Leavitt and Helen Maude
(Osgood) Leavitt and lived there all his life.
Prior
to his retirement, he owned and operated Dustin’s Store in
Pittsfield. He was a Navy Veteran of WWII and was a long time member
and past Commander of the Peterson-Cram American Legion Post.
He also was a member of the Corinthian Lodge F&AM Masonic Lodge in
Pittsfield. Reuben, a member of the Pittsfield Rotary Club at the
time, was a founder of the Pittsfield Hot Air Balloon Rally, which
began as a Bicentennial event and became an Annual event having just
celebrated its 36th anniversary.
Reuben
is survived by a son, Jerry Leavitt and wife Dotty of So. Berwick,
ME; two daughters, Shelley Rill of Rochester and Kim Foster and
husband Peter of Pembroke; seven grandchildren and six great
grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Doris (Bockus) Leavitt
and a son Jackson Leavitt
A
Memorial Service with Military Honors will be held on Saturday,
October 27th at 11::00 AM in the First Congregational Church, Main
St. Pittsfield. The Rev. David Stasiak, Pastor will officiate.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to The
Pittsfield Historical Society – Building Fund C/O Larry Berkson, 34
Connemara Drive, Chichester, NH 03258.
The
Waters Funeral Home, David Pollard, Director, is assisting with
arrangements.
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