Kamilah Fucci crowned as Miss Strafford County 2011

STRAFFORD COUNTY —
Jazz Dancer Kamilah Fucci won the Miss Strafford County Crown on Saturday, Sept. 18 at the Portsmouth Christian Academy Theatre, winning a $2,500 scholarship and advancing to the Miss New Hampshire Scholarship Program that will be held in April 2011. Fucci is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and recently completed an internship at Rehab 3 in Somersworth.
“I am so happy and excited,” said Fucci. “This was such a fun experience to share with incredible finalists. I am honored to be representing Strafford County as Miss N.H. in 2011. This is a dream come true!”
The Miss Strafford County and Miss New Hampshire Programs are a part of the Miss America Organization which is one of the nation’s leading achievement programs and provider of scholarships for young women. It is a not-for-profit organization with a tradition of “empowering young women to achieve their personal and professional goals, while providing a forum in which to express their opinions, talent and intelligence.”
Judges consider the finalists talent, interview, evening wear, lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit, and an on-stage question in various competitions. Many additional, local young women achieved recognition during the contest. Brianna Hill, a Senior at Somersworth High School won the Swimsuit Award and was named First Runner-up. Meghan Loring, a Graduate of Spaulding High and the University of New Hampshire won the Interview Award and was named Second Runner-up. UNH Graduate Student Kacie Ferraro won the Overall Talent Award. University of New England’s Samantha Kelly of Rochester won the People’s Choice Award. Finalists Crystal Blair-Prince, a senior at Spaulding High, Devan Collins, a sophomore at UNH, and Kiki Frudikis, a senior at Dover High, also received scholarship awards.
Special guests at the ceremony included sailors from the USS Oklahoma, Portsmouth Christian Academy’s Grace MacLeod who performed the National Anthem, and Senator Jacalyn Cilley who presented a Service & Leadership Award to Aimee Hanson, a student at Empire Beauty School. The Senator also recognized Miss Strafford County 2010 Lissa Silk for her year of service to the community. Justin McIsaac of WHEB served as host and Miss New Hampshire 2010 Krystal Muccioli made a special appearance.
Fucci continues to aspire as she recently took part in the MS Walk on Sept. 26 in Keene, in honor of her father who has suffered with the disease for the last 20 years. FMI: www.missnh.com.
Photo caption: Newly Crowned Kamilah Fucci (left) is congratulated by Lissa Silk (right), the prior Miss Strafford County (Courtesy photo)

Apple Harvest Day to Feature Chefs’ Challenge

DOVER —
If there is one thing that most can agree on, it’s that we have all become more aware of and passionate about food. Don’t believe me? Take one minute to concentrate on nothing but food. Try to ignore the rumbling in your stomach... Now write down quickly all the various food brands, grocers, local farms, restaurants and celebrity chefs that come to mind. See! It’s mind blowing. Food is a fundamental need so it should be no surprise that we all seek different ways to enrich and enjoy it.
If you are a passionate foodie, then October 2nd The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce and The Communication Mill present a unique, live cooking event for you; The Seacoast Chef Challenge.
Much of the event format is based off of Food Network’s successful cooking show, Iron Chef America. Rather than a fully equipped stadium filled with exotic fruits, vegetables and mushrooms from all the world, we are providing these local chefs with only the bare essentials and support from local markets and distribution channels such Favorite Foods and M. Saunders Inc. These chefs will demonstrate creative cooking techniques and recipes featuring Apples as a featured ingredient.
At the Seacoast Chef Challenge there will be three rounds of competition. Chefs will compete one at a time starting at 9:30 am, 11:30 am and 2:00 pm. Each chef will have an hour to cook and plate their dishes before presenting to our judges. Chefs will be judged upon taste, uniqueness and plating using the same point scale as Food Network’s Iron Chef show. All dishes must put apples at the forefront of presentation and palate. The points will be tallied and the chef team with the most points at the end of the day wins.
The debut of the Seacoast Chef Challenge event will feature the talents of Chef Evan Hennessey of Flavor Concepts, Chef Jeremay O’Dette of Dante’s Pasta & Vino, Chef Brent Morrill along with JP’s Catering.
The Seacoast Chef Challenge was developed as a community event to create food and restaurant awareness, boost fan followings and improve business for local chefs, restaurants and food merchants.
Our sponsors this year have all been non-monetary and have lent their passion, expertise and energy simply to improve our local food economy and present local talents to broader audiences. The Seacoast Chef Challenge thanks its outstanding support from sponsors such as FIRA, Favorite Foods, M. Saunders Inc., Independent Restaurant Supply, Taste of the Seacoast Magazine and WXGR 101.5 FM (Who will broadcast a live ‘Gourmet Lounge’ from the event at Apple Harvest Day).
We encourage all attend this Apple Harvest Day on October 2nd because it will be fun for all ages. Who knows, you might just discover a new trick for your next dinner party!
For more information regarding Apple Harvest Day please visit dovernh.org.
Photo caption: Flavor Concepts, Evan Hennessy is one of the Chefs participating in the First Ever Seacoast Chefs Challenge on Apple Harvest Day on October 2nd. (Courtesy photo)

At a Theater Near You

By Chip Schrader
Movie Review Editor
Ben Affleck’s “The Town” opens with an aerial shot of Metropolitan Boston, and cuts to a busy street that is about to be the epicenter of a bank robbery. The masked villains charge inside the bank dumping Blackberries into a fishbowl to be drowned in water after the standard “get on the floor” commands. As a shaken Bank Manager named Claire Keesey tries to get the combination right, one of the robbers consoles her with a touch, reassuring her to take her time.
The thief with a delicate touch is Doug MacRay, played by Ben Affleck, who also shares the screenwriting credit for “The Town.” Doug is a lifer in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the Boston suburb famous for being a breeding ground for bank robbers, and like McKray, survives within the stranglehold of the Irish Mafia.
Afleck plays a gritty role with a strongly understated charm. But, from the first scene, we are dared to consider him to be the good guy, while the manipulative FBI agent and his felonious brotherhood are swimming in sleaze. The tough guys are out muscled by the women who often suffer at the hands of these men, namely Blake Lively’s portrayal of Christa Coughlin.
While the story is strong and engrossing, the romance that brews between villain and victim is ultimately forgettable. There are few clever lines or tender moments that convince viewers that MacRay and Keesey have any chemistry. The film at the forty five minute point holds a solid three and a half out of five rating carried by the acting and anticipation of the next action scene.
The turning point for the film is a car chase that follows an armored car heist. This chase scene rivals those from any Steve McQueen’s or Al Pacino’s film, and begins the neck breaking ride. The near misses and near hits are puzzling, brutal, and riveting. From here on, the audience is in the front seat with MacRay as his back story fills out to a complete character.
Many good films have twists, but the best films give you details that develop into sharp turns that are both logical and unexpected. MacRay’s life is a story that unfolds, it doesn’t twist, and his depths are endless as are the conflicted emotions of his love interest Keesey.
Every caper must end with a big heist. MacRay’s crew is slated to heist Boston’s crown jewel, Fenway Park. This coup de grace of heists presents one of the many elements in “The Town” where cinema hasn’t taken us. As the heist proceeds, there is much to go wrong, and old ties scorned. And the details that were once delivered as casual conversation turn into lynch pins that will make or break this plot of plots.
Bottom line. The romance, as stated was forgettable, it needed more memorable moments that brought MacRay and Keesey together, and to show more of Affleck’s charming side. The police had to take some stretching leaps to get their suspects, but this was a forgivable detail. Some of the supporting cast needed some entertaining quirks to reveal what makes them tick, and to bring some more lively dialog. However, the flaws really end there.
While the dialog doesn’t pop, it is realistic and it serves the story with staunch loyalty. The characters and imagery are dank and gray, but the story of Charlestown and its people is hardly rosy, so the muted colors and gritty shots fit the story. The action and suspense are so good they suffocate, and the conclusion just might be classic.
The story is tight and every scene has a purpose, there is no flab or filler to carry the film to two hours.Jeremy Renner’s Cagney-like portrayal of Coughlin adds some color, and the previously mentioned Blake Lively’s portrayal will draw attention to her as we might see her move closer to top billing in future films outside of the adolescent themed “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and “Gossip Girl” series.
As far as Affleck, he needs to keep the goatee shaved and ditch the schmaltzy Hollywood roles to write his own material suited to his stone face delivery. Hack job cinema like Armageddon and Gigli will not do Affleck justice. “The Town” will make every Ben Afleck naysayer reconsider, and may put the name “Gigli” out of their vocabulary once and for all.
Rating: 4 out of 5, and will likely get better ratings with multiple viewings.
Photo caption: Movie poster of Ben Affleck’s “The Town” (Courtesy photo)