Come
apply for a Passport at the Pittsfield Post Office, 2 Elm St.,
Pittsfield, NH! Our Passport Acceptance Hours are 8AM-11AM/1PM-3PM.
Monday to Friday, No appointment required. Saturday, 8-12,
appt. required.
You
must present: evidence of US Citizenship, photocopy of Citizenship
evidence, photo ID, and photocopy of photo ID.
We have
a Saturday Passport Event scheduled for YOU! Saturday, April 21st,
8AM-2PM.
We can
take your photo, too!
REMINDER
NOW
EFFECTIVE BCEP WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING BRUSH OR LEAF AND YARD WASTE
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Per
Vote Of the District Committee
The
Merrimack County Stamp Collectors will hold its monthly meeting at
the Bow Mills United Methodist Church, 505 South St., Bow, on April
17, beginning at 1 pm. We invite all who are interested in
stamp collecting to attend, share their interest, buy, sell and
trade. Meet other collectors and learn more about their hobby
and enjoy the fellowship of others with varied interests in
Philatelic resources and issues. Gain new insight and
knowledge, sharing news articles and stories abut stamp collecting.
Learn of the latest cutting edge information on stamp collecting.
For more information call Dan Day at 603-228-1154.
April 10th, 7:00pm
Meals on
Wheels
Benefit
Program
“Mind to
Mind”
Prepare
to be amazed by Mentalist Preston Heller at the Pittsfield Senior
Center. Heller will not tell you what a mentalist does, he
will show you. Every audience member will have a unique, experience
with the “unseen.” Preston’s mind reading and mind influencing
capabilities will leave the audience in awe. This program is 100%
family friendly but is recommended for ages 12 and up. There is no
fee to attend, but there will be a free-will collection to benefit
Meals on Wheels.
Letter
Panther
Nation,
This
past season was a special one for our boys’ basketball program.
That
“feeling” you get as a player taking the floor was only intensified
by the love and support you provided us on a nightly basis.
You
provided us with the extra energy and enthusiasm we needed in times
of difficulty and showed us the love on nights when all the bounces
went our way.
On
behalf of the boys, the coaching staff, and the entire boys’
basketball program, I would like to extend our thanks and gratitude
for being by our side. During the season, you packed “The Pitt,”
during our tournament run at Plymouth State, you made it feel like
we were playing at home, and the support you gave us on that
memorable day on March 10th will never be matched.
On that
day, the boys may have been the ones who left with medals around
their necks, but everyone in attendance left with a sense of
COMMUNITY that will never be forgotten.
Your
love and support for our TEAM means more than you know.
Coach
Jay Darrah
Letter
Selectboard meeting 3/20/18
Organizational appointments for upcoming year: James Allard, Board
Chair, Wellness Coalition, CDC, Union negotiating alternate; James
Adams, Union negotiator, Planning Board alternate; Carole
Richardson, Budget Committee rep., Foss Scholarship; Gerard Leduc,
BOS vice-chair, BCEP rep, Budget Committee alt., Suncook Valley
Regional Town Assoc; Carl Anderson, Planning Board rep, Zoning
Administrator. Fred Hast appointed Citizen Rep. to BCEP.
Preparations are being made for the long anticipated resurfacing of
the state roads through town and the Safe Routes to School. We still
don’t know exactly when these will commence, but darn sure want to
have everything in place so there’s no hold ups.
Various
applications such as a parking waiver, timber tax, current use and
veteran’s tax credits were considered.
Chairman Allard highlighted some of his hopes for resolving in the
next year, including completion of street lighting project, paving,
filling vacant police positions, and satisfying the state
requirements for the Clark’s Pond (town pool) dam.
Carl
Anderson
From The Farm: Mud Season
Submitted By Carole Soule
Second
Mud Season is here. In February the ground thawed enough to
put up a fence to move the breeding hogs out of their slushy-mucky
paddock. Ice dams melted, we cleaned previously-frozen pens.
It seemed as though Winter was over. Wrong. March brought
eighteen inches of snow cover to the muddy ground. Plowing was
hard and walking through the barnyard even harder. Getting
stuck was normal, but fortunately, I live with the best “un-sticker”
around; husband, Bruce.
US Mail
trucks were not designed to drive steep hills it seems, but the mail
must go through, right? Bruce extracted the stuck mail truck
from our hillside and retrieved our mail. A few minutes later
he found the same truck sucked off the road. This time of
year, on a dirt road like ours, the only safe place for a vehicle is
in the middle. Road shoulders are liquid with run-off.
Pull off the road slightly, and muck will pull vehicle wheels off
the road and not let go. During mud-season, when I see an
approaching car, I’ll pull into the nearest driveway. If there
is no driveway nearby, I’ll stop and wait for the other vehicle to
pass or until one of us backs-up to a safe spot.
Bruce,
the great “un-sticker’, pulled the mail truck out again but he’s
good at more than extracting vehicles. When working in the pig
paddock, I took one step too many and found myself cemented in 18
inches of gook. I couldn’t move. I could step out of my
boots but then had nowhere to go. Hero Bruce in his lace-up
white Bugs Bunny boots slogged his way out to me with two feed pans.
I stepped out of my footwear and put one sock covered foot in each
container. Using the pans like snow-shoes, I hobbled out of
the mud while Bruce recovered my boots. Friend Trish watched
the rescue, laughing at my plight.
It does
seem that March roared in “Like a Lion” … let’s only hope it “Goes
Out Like a Lamb.” We were expecting a litter of piglets and at
least a few calves by now. No babies have made their
appearance yet, but they will be here soon. You are invited to
visit with piglets and calves at the farm. Warmer weather and more
daylight should make farrowing and calving so much more pleasant.
Maybe the mud will disappear soon too.
Carole
Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm (www.milessmithfarm.com),
in Loudon, NH, where she raises and sells beef, pork, lamb, eggs and
other local products. She can be reached at
[email protected].
Pittsfield Food Pantry And Josiah Carpenter Library Benefit Concert
With Pianist Matthew Odell
7:00 pm
April 21st, First Congregational Church of Pittsfield
Pittsfield resident Matthew Odell has been hailed by Gramophone as
“brilliant …and playing with total commitment and real abandon.”
Mr. Odell will perform a New Hampshire premier of Fantasy by David
Conte, Three Etudes by Claude Debussy, Dreaming by New Hampshire
composer Amy Beach and Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 36 by
Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Mr.
Odell currently teaches at The Juilliard School in New York City and
has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center,
and throughout Europe and Asia. Recent concerts have included
a recital tour of France, Spain, and England and a performance
commemorating Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday at Lincoln Center
in New York. He frequently works with prominent composers and
will be releasing two recordings of new music this year.
The
concert is free, with donations collected to benefit both the
Pittsfield Food Pantry and Josiah Carpenter Library. Come and enjoy
a magical evening of music right here in Pittsfield!
TOPS
News
Pictured- Left to
right: Front row- Sandi Truscott, Pat Smith, Suzie Fife, Pearl
Demyanovich; Back row- Holly Brown, Catherine Snow, Jon Martin,
Mickey King, Joyce Pearson, Beth Odell, April Ellis.
Our
TOPS chapter recently held our annual awards banquet. Members were
recognized for achieving milestones in reaching weight goals.
This
year, Sandi Truscott was first place in Div. 3 for her weight loss.
Pat Smith was KOPS(Keep Off Pounds Sensibly) of the year for keeping
within her leeway. April Ellis was voted chapter Angel for the many
ways she serves the chapter and encourages members.
We had
a St. Patrick’s Day theme. Chapter members were given a
certificate with their weight loss for the year. All members
were recognized with a TOPS congratulations poem that went along
with the St. Patrick’s theme and a gorgeous potholder
(vegetable or fruit) fashioned and embroidered by Suzie Fife.
Suzie is also Angel of the year for nearing her goal.
Congratulations to all our members as we continue on our journey to
losing weight together. Our chapter meets on Tuesdays 6:30 at
The Joy Church, 55 Barnstead Rd. Pittsfield. Please come and
join us. Call Pat 435-5333 or Beth 435-7397 with questions.
Letter
Voters
of Pittsfield,
I would
like to thank you for your support in my recent election to Board of
Selectmen. I am honored to have your confidence and support.
The
challenges are many and the decisions are sometimes difficult to
make, and should be based on a common sense solution. I
believe it is imperative to always base these tough decisions on
doing the right thing for the town. Once again, thank you for
your support.
Best
Regards,
Jim
Adams
Support
Concord Regional VNA – Attend Passion For Caring
Concord
Regional VNA's Passion for Caring is Wednesday, May 9 from 5:30 to 8
p.m. hosted by Company C, 102 Old Turnpike Road in Concord. Proceeds
from this event benefits the greatest needs of the agency.
Enjoy
hor d’oeurves and refreshments, chat with friends and colleagues,
and browse our silent auction items while listening to music from
the Jazz Dogs. Maureen Gilbert-Thibault, RN, is being honored with
the Kay Sidway Award and Susan Heinecke is being named the Donor
Recognition Award recipient. The Eugene and Anne Slusser/Concord
Regional VNA Scholarship recipient will also be presented.
Additionally, Company C is donating 20% of all sales during the
event to support Concord Regional VNA.
Reservations for the Passion for Caring benefit are available for
$50 per person. Make your reservations at
www.crvna.org or call (603) 230-5664.
Special
thanks to Company C, the host sponsor of the event, and The
Prescription Center/Northeast Pharmacy Services, leadership sponsor.
Pittsfield Selectmen Raise Awareness For Meals On Wheels Program And
The Needs Of Seniors
Submitted By Carol Schiferle
Selectman Carole
Richardson packing meals with volunteer Bessie Garcia.
Carole Richardson
delivering a meal to Pittsfield resident Helen Schoppmeyer, with the
MOW driver, David Gregoire
The
Pittsfield Area Senior Center is very thankful to Pittsfield
Selectmen Board Member, Carole Richardson, who joined the center in
honor of the 2018 March for Meals Community Champions Week.
Community Champions Week was celebrated March 19-23. Across
the country, Meals on Wheels (MOW) programs enlisted elected
officials, local celebrities and other prominent figures to deliver
meals, speak out for seniors, and raise awareness for the power of
Meals on Wheels. Carole went out Wednesday, March 21, with David the
senior center’s MOW driver, to deliver meals to all the Pittsfield
clients.
Since
2002, Meals on Wheels programs from across the country have joined
forces for the annual awareness campaign to celebrate the successful
public-private partnerships and garner the support needed to fill
the gap between the seniors served and those still in need. The
goals for the Meals on Wheels programs are to deliver nutritious
meals and provide a wellness check to homebound seniors and adults
with disabilities. The objective is to enable participants to age
independently in their own homes with the dignity and respect they
deserve. In 2017, hundreds of thousands of meals were delivered in
Belknap and Merrimack counties.
The
Pittsfield and Barnstead Meal on Wheels program is supported by the
Community Action Program of Belknap and Merrimack counties. In 2017,
the Community Action Program served 271,609 meals, 1663 people. The
Pittsfield Area Senior Center served 12,046 meals with 65 people
being served. The program only receives about 65% of its
funding from state and federal entities. The other 35% of the funds
are raised thru donations for the meals and doing fundraisers such
as the Meals on Wheels walkathon that is taking place on Saturday,
May19, 2018 at NHTI in Concord.
For
more information on how you can volunteer, contribute or speak out
for the seniors in Pittsfield and Barnstead please call the center
at 603-435-8482 or the Community Action Program of Elderly Services
at 603-225-3295. The Pittsfield Area Senior Center would like to
thank Carole Richardson for accompanying David, the Meals on Wheels
driver. The participants felt like they truly had their voices
heard, while at the same time raising awareness of our seniors’
needs.
Pittsfield Elementary School PTO Holds Literacy Event
Submitted By Melissa Babcock, PES PTO
On the
evening of March 16th, PES PTO organized a family-friendly literacy
event to celebrate the national program ‘Read Across America.’ This
national event was started in 1997 as a reading motivation and
awareness program sponsored by the National Education Association
(NEA). According to their website, NEA states that motivating
children to read is an important factor in student achievement and
creating lifelong successful readers. Research has shown that
children who are motivated and spend more time reading do better in
school. NEA's Read Across America also provides NEA members,
parents, caregivers, and children the resources and activities they
need to keep reading a priority all year long. More ideas can be
found at
http://www.nea.org/grants/resources-to-get-reading.htm
At our
local event, held in the PES cafeteria, the PTO was joined by more
than 20 volunteers from various community organizations and had over
FIFTEEN craft and activity stations for OVER 70 kids and their
families to participate in. Mrs. Lemay and Mrs. White even had
a table sponsored by Title 1 and were giving away FREE books to each
family!
Each
participant received a “passport” upon entering and got their
passports stamped at the various stations. When their
passports were complete, they were able to return to the
registration table for a free gift and a participation certificate
provided by community member, Fallon Reed.
Another
highlight of the event was the four guest readers who read their
favorite Dr. Seuss stories to small groups of students and their
families in the library. Superintendent, Dr. John Freeman,
kicked off our book readings with an all time classic, “Cat in the
Hat.” He was followed by Linda and Dave from Pittsfield Fire
and Rescue who read, “Green Eggs and Ham.” The most attended
reading, of course, was the “Foot Book,” read by various players of
the PMHS Boys Basketball Team! The readings were finished up
by Mr. Hamilton who read, “If I Ran the Zoo.”
Technically, each year Read Across America Day is celebrated on
March 2nd, in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, which made the theme for
our event SUPER SIMPLE. Even though the date fell during
vacation week, we still wanted to celebrate the excitement of
reading! The teachers and administration jumped on board with
the idea of celebrating and promoting reading and they worked with
their classes to decorate their classroom doors with favorite book
themes. Pictures were posted on the school district’s Facebook
page for community members to vote for their favorite. Mrs.
Cormier’s kindergarten class had the most votes and received a
certificate for $250 scholastic dollar/points to use to purchase
more literacy materials for their classroom! Even though
voting is over, for those interested, the amazing door displays can
still be seen on the Facebook page.
Since
our literacy event was taking place the same week as Town Meeting,
the PES students had a little vote of their own during Learning
Commons, too! Ms. Mara had various Seuss books on display and
students had the opportunity to vote on their favorite. They
also got “I voted stickers” just like at the real polls!
A
special thank you to ALL the volunteers who helped make our event
happen—Fallon Reed, Leslie Vogt and Heather Dunigan from Josiah
Carpenter library, Lisa Harper from PYBA, Ammy and Emma Ramsey from
Girl Scout Troop 10540, Marissa McClellan and Minni Plante from
Pittsfield Parks and Recreation Committee, Mrs. Lemay and Mrs. White
from PES Title 1, Jay Darrah and students from the PMHS Boys'
Champion Basketball Team, Dave Simpson and Linda Brown from
Pittsfield Fire and Rescue, Katie Nikas from UNDERSTOOD.org and PES
PTO, Dr. Freeman and Mr. Hamilton from the Pittsfield School
District. THANK YOU everyone, we look forward to the next event!
PTO
would also like to thank all families who came out to our event.
We were pleasantly surprised by such a huge turnout and definitely
have plans to make the event even better next time! Our group
is always looking for new volunteers and helpers—we meet the second
Tuesday of each month at 6pm in the PES Library (most often, child
care is provided). There are also many
“behind-the-scenes-tasks that we need extra hands for that wouldn’t
require attending meetings. Please reach out if you’re
interested in helping in some capacity,
[email protected]
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