Eugene Byrne Plays Pivotal Role in Revival of Popular Seacoast Irish Festival

DOVER—
For a relatively small city in a very small state in America, Dover, New Hampshire has played a remarkably large role in the world of Irish music and entertainment.
Home of the late and legendary Tommy Makem and two of his sons, Conor and Shane, local musician and Dublin native Eugene Byrne is also proud to call Dover his home, and recently demonstrated his passion for the community through his recent efforts to revive the Seacoast Irish Festival, which he affectionately dubbed “The Biggest Little Irish Festival in the World.”
On Saturday, June 12th, over 1,000 spectators - including Dover Mayor Scott Myers and New Hampshire Governor John Lynch - ignored the weather forecast the way New Englanders so often do, and made their way to the Rotary Arts Pavilion in downtown Dover to enjoy a misty day of music, dancing, nostalgia and celebration. For their efforts, they were treated to a show that will be remembered for many years to come.
“I’m simultaneously humbled and thrilled to have had this opportunity,” comments Eugene. “I love Dover, I love Irish Music, and I love to entertain, and this was a chance to combine all three. I’m also pleased to have been able to play a part in honoring the music and the lives of some very close friends – brothers, really – who’ve passed on in recent years, so the idea of this year’s Festival being billed as a tribute to Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers made it extra special for me.”
What made the event even more special for Eugene was the presence of some close family members. Eugene’s son, Kevin Byrne, took a turn on stage in the afternoon, and returned with the rest of the day’s musicians for the rousing finale that capped off the evening. To top it off, Eugene led the adoring crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to his mother-in-law, Mary, who turned one hundred on Friday.
“She’s my mother-in-law, but I call her my mother,” remarked Eugene from stage, and it was clear to all in attendance that the bond between this particular “mother” and son is one that means a great deal to both of them.
Eugene’s contributions to this year’s Festival were not limited to performing. He worked closely with the Festival Committee to assemble an all-star lineup of entertainers that included not only Byrne himself, but also his son, Kevin Byrne, The Makem & Spain Brothers, Schooner Fare, The Shaw Brothers, Bradigan, Patsy Whelan, Sunday’s Well, The McTeggarts and a host of other prominent musicians, dancers and other entertainment.
“Tommy Makem has often been called ‘The Godfather of Irish Music,’ and Eugene himself is similarly referred to as its Grandfather,” notes Chamber Executive Director Kirt Schuman. “Given that sort of ‘founding father’ status, it’s truly amazing that Dover has been the home to both of these legendary performers. Eugene’s dedication to the revival of the Festival has been evident from day one of the planning process. We’re very lucky to have someone like Eugene playing such an active role in our community.”
Photo caption: Local Musician Eugene Byrne played an instrumental role in the 2010 revival of the popular Seacoast Irish Festival, which was held on Saturday, June 12th at the Rotary Arts Pavilion in downtown Dover. (Courtesy photo)

Frisbie Hospital Auxiliary Presents Scholarship Winners

ROCHESTER—
Frisbie Memorial Hospital Auxiliary presented their Annual Student Scholarships on May 26th to four deserving area high school seniors who plan to enter the healthcare field. Auxiliary President, Bette Jane Meulenbroek, and Scholarship Chair, Mary Lou Donatello, presented the scholarships to the following recipients: Kayla Wheeler and Jerrica Chambers of Spaulding High School, Liana Tetreau of Prospect Mt. High School, and Devin Rowe of Coe-Brown Academy. Kayla will attend the University of New England and plans to become a nurse. Jerrica will attend the University of New Hampshire and plans to become a physician’s assistant. Liana will attend D’Youville College and plans to become an occupational therapist. Devin will attend Colby Sawyer College and plans to become a nurse.
Each FMH Auxiliary Scholarship is given in the amount of $2,000. For more information on this program, please call the Mary Lou Donatello at (941) 412-4288 or email at mld1@metrocast.net.
Photo caption: Scholarship students with their parents: Front Row Students (left to right) — Kayla Wheeler, Jerrica Chambers, Devon Roe and Liana Tetreau. (Courtesy photo)

30th Annual Somersworth International Children’s Festival

SOMERSWORTH—
Main Street of Somersworth and the Noble Pines Park become an area of entertainment on Saturday, June 19th from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. With three stages on Main Street of continuous acts, you can enjoy kids entertainers to adult entertainment from Blues to Rock and Roll music. Also we will have lots of ethnic entertainers. There will be a large variety of kid’s activities, such as the Expo Tent with free hands-on demonstrations such as making kid’s crowns and learning about exotic animals from the Wildlife Encounters and actually being able to hold a snake. We also have an Early Childhood Play Area where the tiny ones can make bubbles and play in the sand or finger paint. There will also be a variety of all American and ethnic foods. Over 80 crafters will bring their ware for you to buy. Take a trip around the world and visit the World Cultural area, which will feature roughly 18 countries. This area includes groups from Brazil, Poland, China, Rwanda, Indonesia and many other countries with different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. They will demonstrate aspects of their heritage. As children learn about a country, they will have a passport stamped for that country. When they have stamps from all the countries represented, they will be entered into a drawing for many great prizes. In this area many of the countries will offer foods from their native lands. Then take a First Student bus up to the Noble Pines Park. There will be pony rides, a free petting zoo, llamas, food vendors and another stage of entertainment to amuse the children and the young at heart. The festival has a large variety of over 200 vendors, crafts, activities and food for the young and old alike. For more information call the Somersworth Festival Association office at (603) 692-5869.

Dover Chamber Names 2010 Educator of the Year

DOVER—
Cited as an “an individual that exemplifies every piece of our school’s mission and philosophy” and for her leadership not only within the school, but throughout the community, St. Mary’s Academy Kindergarten Teacher, Mary McKernan is named as the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 Educator of the Year. Underwritten by Liberty Mutual and Measured Progress, the program was developed to honor local educators who demonstrate excellence in education. Ms. McKernan will receive a $500 cash award to be used for educational purposes, as well as a special commemorative award designating her as the 2010 Educator of the Year.
Nominations for McKernan were received from parents, colleagues, administrators and students. St. Mary’s principal Bobi White commented in her nomination letter, “Mary is the strongest member of our team who constantly offers support and is a true team-player. Its hard to believe one person can accomplish all that she does.”
The selection of the Chamber’s Teacher of the Year is based on the following criteria. The teacher must: have daily contact with students and instill in them a desire to learn and achieve; understand the individual needs of students, encourage their talents, and build confidence and self-esteem; demonstrate a thorough knowledge of subject matter and the ability to share it effectively with students; be making a positive contribution to the community; and demonstrate participation and leadership in professional development activities and Foster cooperative relationships with his or her colleagues.
The Educator of the Year Award is selected annually by the Education Committee of the Chamber of Commerce. The committee’s goal is to work with local educational institutions and businesses to promote an educated workforce. “We were pleased with the amount of nominations we received from both public and private schools in the greater Dover area,” said Executive Director, Kirt Schuman, “The wide array of positions, from teachers, to teams, to librarians, represented by our nominees illustrates the strength of the educational opportunities available in our community and why Dover is rapidly earning the reputation as the Family Capital of the Seacoast.”
McKernan provides the ‘critical step’ in a child’s education and helps a child make the right choices early in their educational path. Beyond being a kindergarten teacher, she organizes ski trips for the students, coordinates staff volunteer opportunities, runs the summer and in home programs and lastly, even works to ensure that school sidewalks are cleared on snowy days.

Farmers’ Markets Open This Week

DOVER—
The outdoor farmers’ market season continues to pick up pace with the opening of the Durham, Hampton and Dover markets on June 7, 8 and 9, respectively. Markets are held rain or shine every week through mid-October. New locations in Durham and Dover, along with several new farms joining the mix, make this a banner year.
“All local, all the time” is how organizers describe these markets. The farmers, fishermen, foodies and artisans there grow, raise, catch and make literally everything you’ll see. And they all come from Rockingham, Strafford or York counties.
The season kicks off with an abundance of bedding plants, veggie transplants, hanging flower baskets, salad greens and herbs. Early birds in June also may catch asparagus, peas, radishes and even strawberries.
More than a dozen farms will bring a wide variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables to market this summer, including berries, sweet corn, tomatoes and melons. Local honey and maple syrup will also be available at some markets, along with eggs, goat’s milk cheese, yogurt and fudge, fresh-pressed and hard cider, and wine.
An impressive range of meats is available at markets this year, including naturally raised pork, chicken, turkey, duck, goat, beef and veal. And if you don’t feel like cooking, take advantage of the homemade soups, wraps, salads, pies, baked goods and meals to go. Pick up a bouquet of flowers at market, and turn your weeknight dinner into an occasion to savor!
Throughout the season, Farmers’ Markets will also feature surprise guest vendors, community groups and special activities.
Keep up with what’s in season—and what’s at market—by subscribing to the market’s weekly e-newsletter. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter, or get directions and access vendor lists online at www.SeacoastGrowers.org. Better yet, visit in person!
The Durham Farmers’ Market moves this year to the parking lot of Durham Marketplace at the Mill Road Plaza, 7 Mill Road. The market will continue its traditional day and time: Mondays from 2:15 to 5:30 p.m. This year, it will be held in conjunction with Durham’s “Main Street Mondays” program.
Hampton’s Farmers’ Market opens Tuesday, June 8. A dozen new and returning vendors will set up every Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m. in their traditional spot at the Sacred Heart Church School parking lot, 289 Lafayette Road/Route 1.
Dover’s Farmers’ Market opens Wednesday, June 9, in a new location: 550 Central Ave., in the parking lot of the Dover Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center. The Dover Farmers’ Market will again take place from 2:15 to 6 p.m. every Wednesday.
Photo caption: Farmers’ Markets in Dover, Durham, and Hampton open the week of June 7. (Courtesy photo)

St Thomas Announces Lux in Tenebris Award Recipient

DOVER—
The St. Thomas Aquinas High School Lux in Tenebris (“Light in Darkness”) Award is established to give recognition to a person of the St. Thomas Aquinas High School community who has made significant, enduring contributions to humanity in keeping with the ideals and mission of St. Thomas, specifically with respect to service and sacrifice. These contributions are primarily seen as activities that promote the welfare of humankind, especially through the alleviation or elimination of pain and suffering and toward seeking a just world. Nominees who made significant, enduring contributions to humanity at the cost of personal risk and/or sacrifice are particularly considered for this award. The humanitarian activities may form a lifelong pattern or be expressed in a single, widely noted occurrence.
This year’s recipient is Gregg Hayward, St. Thomas Aquinas graduate from the class of 2000. Following St. Thomas, he attended the University of New Hampshire where he studied business. While at UNH, he became involved with a budding compost program on campus. This pilot project was part of the newly formed Office of Sustainability Programs at UNH. This program aimed to collect food scraps from dining halls on campus, and instead of tossing it in the landfill, have these scraps biodegrade into a rich soil called compost, which could help grow healthy local plants and foods. During Gregg’s two years of involvement with the program, it expanded to all of the dining halls on campus, and has since been adopted and run by UNH’s hospitality service. After graduating from UNH, Gregg worked for a season at a commercial compost operation in Burlington, Vermont called the Intervale. There he learned more about composting on a citywide scale, as the Intervale processed food waste from hundreds of businesses and restaurants in the area.
The following spring, Gregg began his service as a Peace Corps Volunteer. He spent two years serving as a Linking Income Food and Environment volunteer in the Southern African country of Zambia. Gregg’s primary work was in conservation agriculture development, so he taught a lot about composting, agro-forestry and animal husbandry, but also spent a significant portion of time on clean water and sanitation issues, and HIV/AIDS education. He became a part of the community and helped his new neighbors form and train three sustainable development groups. These groups helped start tree nurseries, improved beekeeping, as well as conservation farming practices in the area. He also laid the groundwork and helped secure funding for the digging/implementation of 12 drinking water wells in the area he worked. Gregg and many Peace Corps volunteers will tell you that they feel like they got far more out of the experience than they felt like they could provide to the community. He also fondly remembers many an experience where friends who had very little, would go out of their way to make you feel welcome, cared for and appreciated. What they may have lacked in material possessions, they made up for in community. The whole experience makes one look at our world through a very different perspective. Gregg found Zambia, and much of Africa to be an incredible place with very many fantastic, hard working, loving people.
Upon returning from Zambia, Gregg spent a year and half in the local area, doing marketing for Foster’s Daily Democrat. He then headed West on a road trip with his Dad out to Oregon, where Gregg now lives. Gregg spent a year as an Americorps volunteer working on a school-based recycling and compost program just across the river from Portland in Clark County, Washington.
Recently, Gregg was hired on by the local waste hauler, Waste Connections, to work as a Waste Reduction Specialist, working with the community and schools to help reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill. He continues to educate students about composting, and strives to empower the community to take action to help our environment.
The Lux in Tenebris Award will be presented at the St. Thomas Aquinas High School graduation ceremony on June 6 at noon.
Photo caption: Gregg Hayward is the winner of this year’s Lux in Tenebris award, given by St. Thomas Aquinas High School. (Courtesy photo)

First Parish UCC Sponsors Baccalaureate Service

SOMERSWORTH—
The communities of Somersworth and Rollinsford are invited to attend the Baccalaureate Service honoring the 2010 graduating Senior Class of Somersworth High School. The service will be held on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. in the Somersworth High School Cafetorium, 9 Memorial Drive. Baccalaureate, traditionally held prior to graduation exercises, is an optional, non-school sponsored gathering offered for graduating Seniors, their family and friends, as a time of reflection and celebration that intentionally includes a religious and spiritual focus. Local religious leaders will facilitate the program, which includes a message, involvement of class officers and class advisors, as well as special music. A new tradition begins as, after the service, Class Officers will plant a shrub on school grounds. An informal reception follows. First Parish United Church of Christ, 176 West High Street, Somersworth (692-2057) is the sponsoring organization of this community event.