Striking Back at Budget Cuts: Benefit Bowl-A-Thon in the Works

DOVER—
Dover Children’s Home, through the support of the Liberty Mutual Foundation, the Rotary Club of Dover, and WTSN/The BAY, is “striking” back at budget cuts by holding its annual bowl-a-thon at Dover Bowl on February 27 to raise critical funds for the 117-yearold program. A local non-profit, Dover Children’s Home has been providing outstanding care and a wide-array of life-changing services to NH’s most vulnerable children since 1893. With severely limited state funding and annual budget cuts, the Home enters each fiscal year with a deficit, creating an urgent need for fundraising and donations in order to bridge the gap. In July of 2010, the Home received its most recent cut of 2%, translating into a loss of thousands of dollars in funding.
The third annual Dover Children’s Home bowl-a-thon will be held at the newly renovated Dover Bowl at 887 Central Avenue in Dover on Sunday, February 27, with two 90-minute sessions to choose from: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. or 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Both candle pin and 10 pin lanes will be available. Bowling shoes and lanes fees will be provided for each participant. Prizes will be awarded to the four-person team that raises the most money; the four-person team with the highest bowling score; and the four-person team with the most creative team theme-wear. The members of each four-person team that raise a combined total of $800 or more will be entered into a grand prize drawing for an all inclusive 2-night stay for two at the Balsam’s Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch, NH. Valued at $1,260, this getaway includes lodging in the best available room; all meals, tax, and gratuity; and free use of all resort facilities including golf, tennis, or skiing, depending on the season.
“If we can fill every lane during both sessions with four-person teams and each bowler sets a goal of raising at least $100 in pledges, this event will make a huge impact on our budget,” says Donna Coraluzzo, the Home’s Executive Director. “100% of the proceeds from the event will be directly applied to the Home’s most critical operating expenses such as heat, food, and electricity. Based on the turnout during the last two years, we’re hoping for a full house again. We’re looking for teams of co-workers, neighbors, friends, youth groups, clubs, service organizations, league bowlers, and families. Everyone is welcome to participate... adults and children of all ages,” she adds.
Anyone interested in participating in this fun-filled event by bowling, pledging money, or sponsoring a lane can contact Donna Coraluzzo at dcoraluzzo@doverchildrenshome.org or call 742-4289, ext. 12 for more information. For more information about Dover Children’s Home, please visit our website at www.doverchildrenshome.org.
Photo caption: 2010 Bowl-a-thon team Seapoint Electrical Services of Dover “strikes” a pose. Pictured left to right: Front row: Jack and Corrin Kephart. Back Row: Mara Torres; Molly Kephart, Lynn Erikson, and Kristen Kephart. (Courtesy photo)

Chamber of Commerce Names Citizen and Business of the Year Honorees

DOVER—
The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce announces Chuck Cheney as the 2011 Citizen of the Year Award Winner. Winners of the Volunteer of the Year Award are the Officers and Firefighters of Dover Fire and Rescue. The 2011 Non-Profit of the Year is the Dover Moose Lodge, Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore takes the New Business of the Year Award and Holy Rosary Credit Union is the Business of the Year.
The Citizen of the Year Award, presented by Citizens Bank, recognizes individuals who have made major contributions of time and energy to the progress and betterment of the Dover community. The Business of the Year Award, presented by Public Service of New Hampshire, recognizes companies and organizations who have demonstrated leadership in the business community, have made substantial contributions to the quality of life in the greater Dover area and embody excellence, not only in their line of business, but through their daily interactions within the community. The recipients were selected from nominations submitted to a committee of Chamber, Business and Community Leaders. The Volunteer of the Year Award, presented by DF Richard Energy, recognizes individuals or organizations that have made a significant volunteer impact to the Chamber and the community at-large.
The awards will be presented formally at the Chamber’s Annual Awards Dinner, sponsored by Liberty Mutual, featuring entertainment, a reception, dinner and the award presentation beginning at 5:30pm on January 27. The evening will start with a Reception Hour with the award winners, presented by FairPoint Communications, and will be followed by dinner and the awards presentation at approximately 6:30pm.
The Hellenic Center in Dover will be the host of this annual event that is quickly becoming the premier social gathering of the winter season. Tickets can be purchased online at dovernh.org or by calling 603-742-2218. Individual tickets are $50 and tables of eight are available for $360. Additionally, individuals or companies interested in being listed as a ‘friend’ of the Citizen of the Year or Businesses of the Year may purchase an upgraded ticket for $250 that includes admission for two, recognition in the program and two cocktails at the event.
Additional sponsors of the Annual Awards Dinner include, Laconia Savings Bank and Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. Support is provided by Mister Oz Graphics, Infinite Imaging, Andrew Davis Photography and Sweet Meadows Florists.
Photo caption: Citizen of the Year, presented by Citizens Bank is Chuck Cheney. Mike Bolduc, Chair of Chamber Board; Chuck Cheney, Citizen of the Year; John Burke, Citizens Bank - Dover Branch Manager; Kirt Schuman, Chamber Executive Director. (Courtesy photo)

Opening Scenes: True Grit

By Chip Schrader
Movie Reviewer
True Grit opens with a woman’s voice narrating about her father’s assassination over a black screen where a golden light slowly emerges. As the shutter opens, we slowly make out an old house front; the golden lights become recognizable as the porch light. A dead man’s body lays peacefully on the front yard as the snow falls. The scene then cuts to a man riding into the night.
This remake of the classic John Wayne movie uses the next two scenes to set the tone with some quick humor, including Rooster Cogburn being approached by fourteen-year-old girl Mattie Ross in his office, the outhouse, as he insists she come at a later time since he is likely to be a while. Mattie is a sharp-tongued, hard-bargaining young girl who puts the craggy old cowboy’s masculinity to shame. Hailee Steinfield‘s portrayal of Mattie shows her precocious mastery of rapid-fire dialog, complex phrasing, and a cool delivery that might just put her out there as the next “It Girl,” particularly when thinking back to Kirsten Dunst’s Oscar-winning performance in “Interview with a Vampire” at only a couple of years younger than Steinfield.
Jeff Bridges plays Cogburn in his second Coen Brothers’ Western, given one considers “The Big Lebowski” a modern day spoof on westerns, among other genres. While many of film’s best known actors only play themselves no matter their role, note Tom Cruise playing a German with an American accent in “Valkyrie,” Bridges is barely recognizable with his eye patch and gravelly voice, and this role is vastly different from “the Dude” he portrayed in “…Lebowski.”
Matt Damon and Josh Brolin hold up the supporting roles with equal transformative and gritty skill. Josh Brolin is a villain that is at first disarming, as unwitting as he is, but quickly reveals the wolf beneath his mask. This is a far more interesting villain than his character in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” and he is convincing as that old school, bullet chewing killer. Damon will likely land another Oscar if he delivers performances that are as versatile as LeBeof, a Texas Ranger who can be funny, sincere, and brutal all within one shot.
The sepia interior shots look as if they are shot through a whiskey bottle, and the bleached exterior shots out on the prairie frame Cogburn as he continually rattles off anecdotes to his young companion. The use of muted and even stripped color is highly reminiscent of the groundbreaking cinematography of the Coen Brothers’ “O’ Brother Where Art Thou” where digital technology was used to make the lush southern greenery appear golden and past season.
The use of color, angles, light, and panoramic shots make True Grit the most stunning cinematic experience of 2010, and will likely hold its place through 2011. The most memorable shots come from a scene where Cogburn throws pieces of corn bread into the air and shoots them to prove his eye is sharp. The low angle shot from behind him in his duster aiming to the sky is the imagery of a classic movie poster, and would make an amazing comic book cover.
Bottom line, True Grit is a must see. The acting is fun and believable, the action and story line are engaging, and the scenery is intoxicating. The only weakness is the minor lag in conflict for the first part of the film. This could easily be a sidestep to the conventional Hollywood scriptwriting which caters to attention spans that have shortened and craves “reality” T.V. Black humor, shootouts with antique weapons, and a snowy and dusty landscape make this a homespun classic to watch with Old Grandad. 5 out of 5.
Photo caption: (Courtesy photo of True Grit)