“Cheers to Children” Showcases Local Food, Wine, Music and Arts

DOVER—

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire is celebrating Dover’s vibrant arts and cultural community with a new fundraising event featuring wine, food, music and more. Cheers to Children will take place at the Museum on Friday, March 23 from 6-9pm. The event will showcase signature dishes of local restaurants, handpicked fine wines, live music and a vibrant art gallery show. The winning ticket in the Museum's 2012 MINI Cooper Car Raffle will also be pulled at this event.

“There is so much creative capital here in Dover,” said Justine Roberts, Executive Director of the Children’s Museum of NH. “Not only are there emerging technology companies and growing businesses of all types, but there are also great restaurants, galleries, studios and shops. Encouraging creativity is a core part of our mission, so we wanted Cheers to Children to have a distinctly local flavor that shows off some of the best things happening around us.”

At Cheers to Children, guests will be able to try specialty dishes prepared by chefs from the White Apron, Terra Cotta Pasta, The Farm, Kelley’s Row, Calef's, University of New Hampshire Catering and more. Dover Wine Company has hand-selected wines that will be poured by NH-based distributors Vinlandia, The Imported Grape, Southern Wine and Spirits, RP Imports, Crush Distributors, Horizon Beverages and Candia Vineyards. There will also be live music and everyone will get to enjoy the museum's new exhibit in Gallery 6, “Art Beyond Vision.”

All proceeds from Cheers to Children benefit the Museum's award-winning programs. Nearly 50 percent of the Museum's 93,000-plus annual visitors are admitted at reduced or no cost through programs like Story Explorers and the Exploring Our Way Autism Partnership Program. The Children’s Museum of NH is committed to providing critical resources for children, schools and families throughout New Hampshire.

To purchase Cheers to Children tickets, please visit www.childrens-museum.org or call the Children's Museum during weekday business hours at 603-742-2002. Reservations can also be made at the Museum’s front desk.

Photo Caption: On Friday, March 23, the Children's Museum of NH will host Cheers to Children, a fundraising event featuring the best of local food wines, music and art. (Courtesy Photo)

Broadway Actress Leads Local Teens in Performance

PORTSMOUTH—

Arts In Reach (AIR) an innovative performance and visual arts organization for teenage women, presented AIR Divas at the MIC at Garrison Players, Rollinsford, on Friday, March 2. Nineteen AIR teens spent their spring vacation learning songs and choreography, which they performed in a final showcase after less than a week of planning and practice.

The AIR Divas at the MIC program, which hosted young women, ages 13-18 from Rockingham and Strafford Counties, was directed by Tony Award-winning Broadway star, Susan Lamontagne. Lamontagne has toured the US and Europe with numerous productions and has worked with the teens at AIR for five years running. “We were thrilled to have Susan return once again to run this exciting program. Her experience and enthusiasm are second to none, the girls always love their time with her,” says AIR Program Director, Shannon Marshall.

Family and friends who attended the showcase enjoyed music that celebrated women, part of AIR’s year-long theme, “The Mosaic Woman.” With only four days of practice due to the Thursday, March 1, snow storm, teens covered tunes that ranged from Whitney Houston’s “I’m Every Woman” to “I’m A Woman” from the musical “Smokey Joe’s Café.”

“It was amazing to see the confidence and hear the voices that teens developed in less than a week,” said AIR Executive Director, Virginia Skevington. “Girls hit their notes and choreography and had a great time doing it in front of family, friends and AIR supporters.”

For more information about upcoming program enrollment, or to volunteer with AIR, please call Virginia Skevington of Arts In Reach (AIR) at 603-433-4278 or visit www.artsinreach.org.

Photo Caption: AIR teens pose for a group shot with show director and AIR Divas at the MIC teacher, Susan Lamontagne, former Broadway performer. (Photo courtesy of Sean Smith)

Rep. Frank Guinta To Host First “Empower, Educated, Engage Women’s Conference”

MANCHESTER—

Representative Frank Guinta (R, NH-01) is hosting a special conference designed to assist local women in finding jobs and furthering their careers. The inaugural “Empower, Educate, Engage Women’s Conference” will be held on Friday morning, March 16. The event is free and open to the public, and is part of Rep. Guinta’s ongoing “Getting Granite Staters Back to Work” jobs initiative. It will be held from 8:30am to 12:30pm in the New Hampshire Institute of Politics Auditorium, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester.

Participants can register by contacting Ashley Pratte at ashley.pratte@mail.house.gov or by phone, at 603-641-9536.

Several successful area business and professional women will share their insights and experiences during two panel discussions. The conference will conclude with a presentation on career success and coaching by Catherine Taylor of Heels and a Briefcase.

“It can be hard to find a good job in this economy,” Guinta explained. “Getting Granite Staters Back to Work means helping to get all of our citizens back to work. This conference will help New Hampshire women strengthen their skills as they network and advance their careers. When women succeed, all of New Hampshire succeeds. Just as its name suggests, I’m hoping participants will leave this conference feeling empowered, educated and engaged to take their personal goals to the next level.”