Sail Portsmouth Commemorates War of 1812 Bicentennial

The Pride of Baltimore II (courtesy photo)

 

PEIRCE ISLAND –

Sail Portsmouth 2012 is all about American history.  The Piscataqua Maritime Commission, which organizes the annual event, are thrilled to welcome the Pride of Baltimore II, a reproduction of an 1812-era topsail schooner privateer, and Providence, a replica of the first command of John Paul Jones.

“We are a totally non-profit, volunteer organization that exists to promote the maritime heritage of the region,” said Donald Coker, chairman of the PMC.

This year's festival is July 13-15. Once again it will be held at the Fish Pier at Peirce Island.

Pride of Baltimore II is Maryland’s working symbol of the great natural resources and spectacular beauty of the Chesapeake Bay region. She is a Baltimore Clipper, fast enough to evade the British battleships in 1812, while armed with cannon and crews willing to fight.  Since this replica was commissioned, this 157' vessel has sailed more than 200,000 miles and visited 200 ports.

In 1775, a year before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Colony of Rhode Island bought and refitted the schooner Katy. She was renamed Providence and in May, 1776, she was the first command of John Paul Jones. Providence participated in sixty engagements with British ships and sank or seized forty enemy vessels.

Portsmouth's own Gundalow Company has launched a new vessel this year, called Piscataqua. She will participate in Sail Portsmouth's Parade of Sail and be located near the pier where she will take passengers on day sails. Gundalows were the equivalent of today’s tractor-trailer rigs, carrying cargo between ocean going schooners and the growing towns in the region. The weekend features day sails, the popular Parade of Sail, deck tours, a Captains' reception, exhibits, food, music, and souvenirs.

The tall ships started coming to Portsmouth in the mid-1980’s.

“There were two generations,” Coker said of Sail Portsmouth’s history. “There was the Maritime Heritage Commission – it was called – that brought class-A tall ships. These are the big boys. They came from Germany, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina – all over the world.” After three or four years, the MHC disbanded.

“We picked up in 1998,” Coker said. ‘And we’ve been doing it every year since then.”

Folks can relax and daydream on a two-hour day sail, or be a passenger in the thrilling Parade of Sail into Portsmouth harbor accompanied by tugs, fireboats, private boats, and cannon salutes.

For people who want to witness the majesty of the Parade of Sail on Friday morning, good viewing spots are Four Tree Island in Portsmouth, Great Island Common and Portsmouth Yacht Club in New Castle, and Fort Foster in Kittery.

Megan Lyman, Miss New Hampshire 2012, will visit Friday at 3 p.m. Under the tent, there are maritime exhibitors, fresh food from Seaport Fish, and souvenir merchandise.

The New England Brethern of Pirates will be roaming about as well. Dine and chat with the captains and crews at the Captains' Reception on Saturday evening. The Piscataqua River Brass performs at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Fish Pier.

Through a co-promotion with Strawbery Banke, the Sail Portsmouth ticket will also get you half-price admission to many historic sites.

To purchase tickets for a day sail or to ride in the Parade of Sail, please go to www.gundalow.org. For more information, visit pmcportsmouth.org.

Mark Wentworth Home Celebrates a Century of Caregiving

Deborah Rodier, executive director of the Mark Wentworth Home, speaks at the 100^th annual meeting (courtesy photo)

 PORTSMOUTH –

The Mark Wentworth Home, a non-profit assisted living community in the heart of Portsmouth’s historic south-end, recently celebrated its 100th year of operation with the 100th annual meeting of the board of incorporators.

The board of incorporators is a 120-member board of local citizens who have an interest in the home and who provide oversight for the formation of the board of trustees.  At its recent annual meeting, attended by ninety of the home’s incorporators, the following new incorporators were inducted: Glenn Costigan, Maura Fleming, Ronald Furst, Cynthia Harvell, Daniel Lajoie, Alan Lincoln Linda Pasakarnis, John Randall and Joan Sweeney. The following board of trustees and officers were voted in for another term: president  Ray Ambrogi; vice president Cynthia Knapp; treasurer Susan Tober; secretary Karen Freda; trustees: Donald Bliss, Lis Connors, Joseph Diament, Jay Gibson, Ruth Griffin, John Hebert, Joan Nickell, and Diane Share.

Executive director Deborah Rodier addressed the group, saying “The mission of the Mark Wentworth Home remains the same as it was one hundred years ago, and that includes continually contributing to the community around us. With the support of the many members of the home’s corporation, we are poised to provide opportunities for our residents and staff to grow and to meet the needs of the Seacoast senior population for another one hundred years.”

The Mark Wentworth Home is a senior living community designed to create a culture of successful aging through age-in-place assisted living and state-of-the-art dementia care. A welcoming landmark to seacoast and New Hampshire seniors since 1911, the Home has a deeply-rooted tradition of providing a nurturing environment and personalized service for its residents.

6th Annual Americana Festival Held in Portsmouth

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Slaid Cleaves, who will perform at the Americana Festival (courtesy photo)

PORTSMOUTH –

The 6th Annual Americana Festival at Prescott Park will place the spotlight on an eclectic group of performers with a varying degree of ties to the Granite State. Slaid Cleaves, the Makem & Spain Brothers, the Hanneke Cassel Trio, and Dan Walker will perform on Saturday, July 14, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Always a favorite of fans and staff alike, the Americana Festival showcases the broad lines and rousing remedies that run thickly through the lifeblood of roots-laden music. The festival also coincides with the Portsmouth Tall Ships, held at the pier adjacent to Prescott Park.

Festival goers will gather in abundance to welcome home Seacoast staple Slaid Cleaves, who moved from Maine, to Austin, Texas a number of years ago. His returns are very limited, and performances coveted amongst the scene. Cleaves, who headlines this year's Americana festival is a troubadour with serious credentials.

"I'm glad I found Slaid Cleaves, because my life would have been poorer without him. You'll feel the same, I think, when you listen to this beautifully crafted album (“Everything You Love will be Taken Away”). Listen, go to one of Slaid's shows, take a friend, and pass on the news: not all the good guys wear hats," says Stephen King. The Maine author writes the liner notes for the album.

And speaking of local favorites: several pieces of the Makem & Spain Brothers take residence in Dover. Playing acoustic instruments and singing tales that may be heard sitting 'round the fire, the Makem and Spain Brothers are continuing on the Celtic folk traditions of their famous forefathers. Every generation has a few acts that define where a musical genre is going, performers so confident in their chosen field that they are able to completely embrace the genre and yet introduce something new to it. In Irish folk music today, that act is the Makem and Spain Brothers.

Hanneke Cassel captured her 1997 U.S. National Scottish Jr. Fiddle Championship here in the Granite State and went on to study the instrument on scholarship at the Berklee College of Music down in Boston. She is a decorated performer and songwriter with other prestigious credentials including the 2008 USA Songwriting Contest.

Rounding out the Americana Festival's lineup is one of the most incendiary and playful singer/songwriter/guitarist's on the Seacoast today - Dan Walker. Walker's playing is of the highest quality in both musicianship and entertainment value.

“The Americana Festival lineup is stacked from top to bottom this year,” says executive director Ben Anderson. “I couldn't be happier with the way it looks on paper, and I know I'll only add to that happiness when I see it on our stage. We're all in for a treat.”

All events offered at the Prescott Park Arts Festival are presented free of charge with a suggested donation of $5 - $10. Audience members are permitted to bring chairs, or rent those offered by the festival. For more information on the festival, or to see a full schedule of events, visit www.prescottpark.org or call 603-436-2848.

End-of-War Parade Offers Jobs for Veterans

PORTSMOUTH –

New England’s 1st “Welcome Home” End of the Iraq War Parade is on Sunday, July 8, at 2 p.m. The parade is to celebrate the return of military personnel and the end of the Iraq War by thanking the recently returned veterans (from Iraq and Afghanistan) and everyone who supported them during deployment. New Hampshire’s Governor John Lynch is expected to co-grand marshal the parade with several Gold Star families.

The parade will coincide with a Job & Services Fair that will be attended by the Veteran’s Administration, the New Hampshire Employment Security, and private businesses looking to hire veterans. This New England Parade is co-sponsored by the Parade Committee and the City of Portsmouth.

These two major activities are occurring for one main objective, organizers say, to pay tribute to all veterans and active military for protecting the United States, here at home and abroad, and to welcome them home. The parade participants include military and veteran’s organization representing New England. A partial list of these organizations participating in the parade include:

A contingent of Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans; American Legion Posts; Veterans for Peace; Gold/Blue Star Families; Pease Greeters; NH Fire Fighters Pipes & Drums; Bektash Shriners Mini- Kars; Leftist Marching Band; FairPoint Communications; Portsmouth Democrats; Bektash Shriners Drum & Bugle Corp., Shriners; Patrol C; Seacoast Peace Response; Portsmouth Brassworks; Bektash Cycle Patrol; and, Vintage Cars.

“The Iraq war has officially ended, and this generation of veterans deserves to be welcomed home with the same fanfare as generations in the past. That is why we welcome everyone to participate and make this a positive New England wide event,” says Josh Denton, steering committee president and Iraq war veteran. The Leftist Marching Band, a liberal group, was hesitant about joining the parade, Denton said, but they joined in, as did several veterans for peace groups. “There are no high school bands available in July,” Denton said. “So this is really good for us.” The parade will begin at 1 Junkins Avenue, at the tennis court parking lot, and will make a 1.3 mile loop around the city, ending where it began.

SNHU Co-Sponsors Summit on Environmental Sustainability

 

Scott Chamberlain, Bri Stockley, Kaitlin Sampson, Grace Findlen-Golden and Kyle Coumas at the Halki Summit on Environmental Sustainability held outside Istanbul, Turkey (courtesy photo)

By SYDNEY JARRARD

Staff Columnist

MANCHESTER - From June 18 through June 20, Southern New Hampshire University co-sponsored the Halki Summit, a forum on global environmental responsibility and sustainability, which took place outside of Istanbul, Turkey.

The symposium aimed to highlight the ways values and belief systems can influence conserving the earth’s resources and proactively reversing climate change, with the intent of having participants leave with new ethics and principles to implement toward environmental sustainability in daily life. The items on the agenda covered biodiversity and conservation, energy and climate change, and corporate responsibility and sustainability.

Southern New Hampshire University is not new to the idea of environmental responsibility. As the first carbon-neutral campus in the state, the college’s initiatives have extended into daily life for students and faculty. Programs include the “One Earth. One Bottle.” campaign, which gives students a free stainless-steel SNHU bottle in exchange for committing to no longer buying bottled water. A community garden has been developed for those who don’t have easy access to yard space, a bike sign-out program for students is available, and the school has made a fifty-year commitment to using wind and water energy. For SNHU President Paul LeBlanc, the summit was a clear next step for the college.

More than a year in the making, the forum was an invitation-only event, gathering seventy world-renowned theologists, journalists, scientists, educators, business people, and attendees on a small island in the Sea of Marmara. “It was meant to be in intimate conversation. That’s what made it special,” said LeBlanc.

Four students accompanied the college’s president and several staff to the Holy Theological School of Halki and Halki Palace Hotel on the island of Heybeliada to facilitate and attend the conference. Students Scott Chamberlain, Kyle Coumas, Kaitlin Sampson, and Bri Stockley were accompanied by Provost Patricia Lynott, professor Michele Goldsmith, and President Paul LeBlanc, as well as LeBlanc’s wife Pat Finland, daughter Hannah, and niece Grace.

The four students chosen to attend come from the student ambassador program at SNHU, an elite group of just 12 students who attend school events, alumni events, and act as the face of the school. LeBlanc knew that they would be an asset to the conference, both in organizing and executing it, but also by learning what they could from the speakers and bringing that knowledge and insight back to SNHU.

In Turkey, the summit was co-sponsored by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and has been labeled “The Green Patriarch” for incorporating environmental concerns and ethics into his spiritual views. The nickname was made permanent by Time Magazine in 2008, when they declared him one of the world’s most influential people for joining environmental concerns with spirituality. Over the past two decades, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has facilitated more than ten educational events, and was eager to work with SNHU for the Halki Summit. LeBlanc was introduced to the Patriarchate through local contacts and began the process of organizing the summit fourteen months ago.

In addition to the presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, several important keynote speakers and panelists attended the conference, including primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall, journalist and environmentalist Bill McKibben, chairman and co-founder of Stonyfield Farm Gary Hirshberg, and Jim Hansen from the NASA institute for Climate change. The speakers were very involved with attendees at the summit, with Jane Goodall even having breakfast with two of the (somewhat star-struck) SNHU students. “These luminaries sought out our students,” said LeBlanc.

The students weren't just there to enjoy the conference, but were deemed the “live coverage team” and sent to work, taking photos, blogging, Tweeting, videotaping, and doing interviews throughout the sessions. Prior to the start of the conference, two of the students, Chamberlain and Coumas, were sent to the airport to help welcome attendees and get them to the ferry to the island, and Sampson and Stockley were checking guests in to the conference and setting things up.

At the conclusion of the summit, the SNHU team spent three days exploring Istanbul, visiting the big sights – Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, and the Grand Bazaar – and finding family in a place so far from home. Having put four of their children through college at SNHU, the Alagoz family welcomed the ten New Hampshirites into their home for an evening of food and celebration. “It gave the students a window into Turkish life that tourists wouldn’t get,” said LeBlanc.

The response to the summit, from both attendees and presenters, speaks toward its effectiveness.

Student Kaitlin Sampson was already interested in environmental sustainability, but the opportunity to see new parts of the world has influenced her course. Majoring in hospitality and tourism, she hopes to focus more on the environmental hazards that tourism has on our valuable earth. Bill McKibben’s comments especially struck home with Sampson. “The world can’t put all of the responsibilities on the youth, but at the same time, we need to start educating the youth,” she said.

LeBlanc was thrilled with the progress made at the summit. “It exceeded our expectations,” he explained. “The richness of the cross segment of conversation and the presence of our young people made it very special.”

LeBlanc is hopeful to coordinate another version of this symposium within the next couple of years. In the meantime, SNHU continues with its green initiatives, including installing a 4.5-acre solar field for the school’s use. Based on conversations with Jane Goodall, the students and LeBlanc are actively working to get the Roots and Shoots program started on campus, which teaches young people about environmental responsibility.

And the conversation from the Halki Summit isn’t quite over. Videos and photos are becoming available on the Halki Summit website, as well as SNHU’s site. With the Summit having been broadcast online, comments are still rolling in. Finally, from the articles and feedback from the panelists and attendees, a publication will be printed to document this important step in the conservation effort.

Dover’s 4th of July Celebration Offers Something For Everyone

Dover legends, Gazpacho, will headline Dover’s 4th of July celebration, 

the opening event in the 2012 Cochecho Arts Festival.

DOVER –

The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce will host Dover’s 4th of July celebration in Henry Law Park on Wednesday, July 4.  The celebration will feature two stages of entertainment, sponsored by Federal Savings Bank, carnival amusements, children’s activities, food vendors and an eight-pound hot dog eating contest.    The event is scheduled to kickoff at 2 p.m. and will conclude with the Liberty Mutual fireworks display set to begin at 9:15 p.m. 

Performances will begin at the Rotary Arts Pavilion at 2 p.m. with the Garrison Players’ performing their very own rendition of the Declaration of Independence.  Following the Garrison Players will be NorthEastern Ballet Theatre’s “Stars & Stripes” performance at 3:30 p.m. and a patriotic concert from the New Hampshire Army National Guard’s 39th Army Band at 6 p.m.

Entertainment on the River Stage, located in Lower Henry Law Park, will start at 3 p.m. with a performance by Tricky Dick’s Magic Show, followed by Matt Randall’s Black Belt Academy at 4 p.m. Mr. B’s Taekwon Do is at 5:30 p.m. and two performances from Americana Roots Rock performer Dan Walker are at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.  Capping off the July 4th celebration will be local legends, Gazpacho, taking the River Stage at 7:30 p.m. for a “totally awesome 80’s experience” that will continue throughout the Liberty Mutual Fireworks. 

“We are so excited about the full day of activities we have planned in Dover for the 4th,” said Stephanie Bolduc, July 4th committee chair.  “July 4th is a special day and through the support of Liberty Mutual, Federal Savings Bank, the City of Dover and countless donations from community members and organizations, we have been able to assemble a day that has a little something for everyone and will be remembered by all who attend.” 

Throughout the day Vertical Entertainment will have a climbing rock wall, simulated bungee jump ride and other carnival amusements in operation.  The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire and Paint Along Dover will be on site with arts and crafts for the kids and Lauri Thompson will be offering face painting. 

Deputy Dogs of Dover will be holding a hot dog eating contest of epic proportions at 4:30 p.m.  Teams of three will compete against one another to see who can eat a gigantic eight-pound hot dog, with bun and chili, in the fastest time.  The contest is $50 per team of three and all proceeds go directly to the Dover Children’s Home.  The winning team will go home with trophies and local gift cards.

For more information on Dover’s 4th of July celebration, contact the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce at 603-742-2218.

Winners of First Granite State Beacon Award Announced

Congressman Frank Guinta posed with recipients of the first Granite State Beacon Award, Jennifer Turco Beaudet of Goffstown on the left, and Florence Wiggin of Stratham on the right.  The award was presented during the Women’s Job Fair in Manchester. (courtesy photo)

MANCHESTER –

The recipients of the very first women’s “Granite State Beacon Award” was presented during the Women’s Job Fair in Manchester. The inaugural award is shared by Florence Wiggin of Stratham and Jennifer Turco Beaudet of Goffstown.

“A beacon gives light to others,” Representative Guinta said. “The Granite State Beacon Award recognizes New Hampshire women who are actively working to improve and expand opportunities for women, and who also serve as positive role models.  For some women, success is measured by professional accomplishments and advancement in the workplace.  For others, it’s offering a helping hand to neighbors through civic and charity work.  For many women, success includes raising happy, confident and proud children and nurturing them along the path to adulthood.  Because of the many contributions made by Florence and Jennifer, New Hampshire is a better place to live, work and call home.”

A total of thirty-seven women were nominated for the award by members of Guinta’s Women’s Advisory Committee. Nominees included business executives, artists, community and civic activists, charity volunteer workers, small business owners and many others.

Florence Wiggin was selected for her wide array of community work. Besides being involved in her family’s egg business, she is a volunteer with Stratham Community Church, helps with the International Medical Equipment Collaboration, serves on the committee planning Stratham’s 300th birthday celebration and the Stratham Library’s centennial committee, serves on the New Hampshire Friendship Chorus Band, and somehow finds time to also serve on the Stratham Heritage Committee.

Jennifer Turco Beaudet was chosen in recognition of her remarkable story of overcoming repeated adversity. She is a survivor of both cancer and dating violence, and volunteers a great deal of her time and energy to help women who are struggling against both of those challenges. As a law school student, she also worked at Poverty Law Clinic as a Shelter Legal Services volunteer, and is currently with the Manchester office of Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer PC.