Community Grows With Garden

By Sydney Jarrard

Staff Columnist

ROLLINSFORD—

The Rollinsford Garden and Local Sustainability Club (RGLSC) is reaching out to the seacoast community to help families and friends come together over good, clean and fresh garden food. It may not sound easy for the many of us who lack a garden space and whose produce is limited to what we find in the grocery store, but it’s now possible to pick fresh veggies from the garden in the morning and have them on the table for dinner.

While owning a nice plot of land on the Seacoast isn’t a realistic goal for all of us, the RGLSC is making home gardening easy for community members. The Club’s large garden space, located on Foundry Street in Rollinsford, is in its third year of providing raised garden beds, outfitted with soil and organic compost, for residents, for only $25 for the entire growing season. Members have the opportunity to grow all kinds of produce—from lettuce to tomatoes to peppers—while meeting neighbors, learning about sustainability and improving those green thumbs.

The inception of the community garden began in 2008, when a group of friends came up with an idea that would allow them to grow fresh produce all summer, even though they didn’t have the space to build their own gardens. Some may say it was Michele Small who had the first inspiration, but it was a team effort among Patrick Gale, Jameson Small, Jaclyn Giordano, Jenny Connerty, Matt Anderson and Roy Small, that got the plan moving. They began working with the town of Rollinsford to see what small land areas might be available for purchase, and they were lucky enough to find a beautiful 14-acre space to use on the Salmon Falls River. What they didn’t know was that the land ran deep with clay, and a garden wasn’t possible to build. In order to use the land, they would have to construct the garden differently—they had to build the garden upwards, on raised pallets. By 2009, the garden had 23 raised beds that the friends made available to the public, and has grown to 28 with plans for family-sized beds in the near future.

It’s not without the public’s help that this garden project has grown to its current size. “Facebook has become a large part of the way we communicate with the fans of the RGLSC and our gardeners,” says Jeanette Gagne, secretary for the RGLSC board. “We share photos of the gardens, upcoming events and see what other people are interested in.” They also share with community members to remind them of Club meetings, which take place twice a month at the Rollinsford Public Library. With the 2012 goal of increasing membership and generating community awareness, the garden actively recruits people who want to get involved by donating time or resources, be it teaching the group a craft, sharing garden secrets or helping keep the space green.

The community has been very responsive, with many of the beds already rented—and one even being rented and then donated back. Captain Tim Pinkham and June Whittier Pinkham of Rollinsford donated a raised bed for the 2012 growing season for the members of the Rollinsford Community Garden to share as an herb garden. Whittier Pinkham explains, "Community gardening—what’s not to love? It is good exercise, produces nutritional, delicious food, brings people together and it’s good for the environment. We should all know where our food comes from.”

The RGLSC has also thrown some great events for the community’s participation in the past, from Rollinsford’s Got Talent in the summer to the Haunted Gardens in the fall. “Hay Down, Hoe Down in August is the most fun,” says Gagne. “The food is all organic, healthy and delicious! The bands are great and we host some of the very best vendors around. The garden is at its most beautiful and people stroll throughout with their fresh corn on the cob, while the children laugh and play, the live music is on stage and people hula-hoop in the green grass. It’s an event enjoyed by all.”

It may only be the start of spring, but the garden already has a plan for April with the second annual Duck Race on Sunday, April 29, where people from all over the area meet up at the falls behind the Rollinsford Mill Building to watch 100 yellow rubber ducks race down the falls to the finish line. The race is followed up by an egg hunt and bunny-petting at the garden site.

New plans for the garden are in the works every week, with the help of the local community and an exciting summer right around the corner. In just three years, the garden’s success has exceeded all expectations, but Gagne and the garden team are eager to continue growing and educating the community. Says Gagne, “Our goal for the garden is that the community may continue to have a place to garden together on this beautiful site.”

Dover Chamber Sweepstakes Event Set for April 27

DOVER—

$10,000 Grand Prize Highlights a Night Packed with Entertainment

The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce will hold their 11th Annual Sweepstakes and Auction, underwritten by Federal Savings Bank, on Friday, April 27 at 6pm at the Dover Ice Arena. This year, Sweeps will “Swing into Spring” with a golf theme, complete with a mini golf course and an Optishot simulated golf range that will have attendees swinging the night away.

Tickets are now on sale at the Chamber of Commerce or online at www.dovernh.org. Each ticket, which could win the $10,000 cash grand prize, is $100 and admits two people to the event. Only 250 tickets are sold and ten cash prizes will be awarded, giving attendees a 1 in 25 chance of winning at least $200.

In addition to the sweepstakes, the event will feature a sampling of delicious food from local restaurants, a wide-array of auction prizes, a live DJ and cash bar.

“People always come out to Sweepstakes for a chance at the $10,000 cash grand prize,” comments Event Committee Chair Toby Arkwell, of RW Insurance, “but we focus on making every aspect of the night entertaining, so even if you don’t win a cash prize, you still go home having a great time at the event.”

As is tradition, many Dover restaurants will be present at Sweeps as food service providers. The Orchard Street Chop Shop, Liberty Lane Catering, Kelley’s Row, The Meat House, Harvey’s Bakery, The Weathervane, Strafford Farms, UNOs and The Spaghetti Stain will all offer attendees a taste of delicious entrees and appetizers from their menus.

“The participation from local restaurants is a great aspect of the event,” commented Chamber Community Events Manager Michael Mengers. “Every year there are people who attend Sweeps simply to get a taste of all the great restaurant cuisine. This event would not be possible without the consistent support from the Dover restaurateurs.”

Don Briand of WOKQ will return as Sweepstakes emcee and will guide attendees through a night of live, silent and penny sale auctions. Auction items include a Boston Red Sox Package—Two Red Sox tickets, a Darnell McDonald autographed baseball and two Downeaster Train tickets to the game—a big screen flat panel television, movies for a year at Barnz’s Barrington Cinema, golf packages from the Links at Outlook, The Ledges Golf Club, Cochecho Country Club and much more.

Sweepstakes attendees are encouraged to dress in golf themed attire.

“Having guests dress for the occasion always adds another element to the event,” said Arkwell. “I hope everyone coming out to Sweeps searches the back of their closet for an old pair of knickers, argyle socks and a golf cap.”

For more information on Sweepstakes, please contact Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce Community Events Manager Michael Mengers at 603-742-2218.

Frisbie Memorial Hospital’s Rachel Eichenbaum Awarded

ROCHESTER—

Frisbie Memorial Hospital recently announced that Community Educator Rachel Eichenbaum, RN, as a recipient of this year’s Better Choices, Better Health Chronic Disease Self-Management Program Champion Award. The New Hampshire Chronic Disease Self-Management Program Network presents the award to Better Choices Better Health Leaders and/or Master Trainers who have demonstrated leadership and have acted as a motivating force to engage individuals and organizations.

Eichenbaum, who joined Frisbie Memorial in December 2011, has been instrumental in successfully launching the hospital’s Better Choices Better Health Chronic Disease Self-Management program (CDSMP). The CDSMP is a six-week class designed to help those living with or caring for a person with a chronic health condition, such as diabetes, asthma, back pain or any other persistent health condition.

Frisbie Memorial recently wrapped-up its first CDSMP class series, and has scheduled four additional series through June 2012. According to Jo~Ann Vatcher, RN, BSN, MS, director of education at Frisbie Memorial Hospital, “the evaluations from the [first class’] participants were ‘glowing.’” In fact one of the participants, who successfully completed the six-week class, expressed, “Frisbie Memorial Hospital has ‘hit one out of the park’ with the Better Choices, Better Health workshop!” and that “[The instructors] have a ‘wicked good’ sense of humor!”

According to the NH CDSMP Network, awards are bestowed upon those Program Leaders and/or Master Trainers who have assisted with the development and implementation of the Program, mobilized community workshops, mentored other leaders and/or facilitated practice change in their health care organization.

Eichenbaum has presented an overview of Frisbie Memorial’s Better Choices, Better Health Chronic Disease Self-Management Program to area community organizations and is scheduled to present a free Better Choices, Better Health Community Health Education Lecture on April 19 at Frisbie Memorial’s Community Education and Conference Center located on the hospital campus.