Arts In Reach Presents TABLESCAPES

PORTSMOUTH—
It seems fitting that Arts In Reach (AIR), an organization that challenges teenage girls to express themselves through art, is challenging regional designers to expand their creative boundaries and create over-the-top tabletop designs at a new event dubbed TABLESCAPES, to be held November 4-6 at the Jarvis Center in Portsmouth, adjacent to Portsmouth High School.
TABLESCAPES will open with a preview gala on Friday evening, November 4, featuring the first opportunity to view the stunning table designs, savor hors d’oeuvres, enjoy light jazz music and mingle with celebrity guest judges. Judges will present awards Friday evening for their selection of Best of Show, Over-The-Top Tabletop and Best Theme Interpretation, while attendees can cast their vote throughout the weekend for the People’s Choice Award.
Demonstrations will take place all weekend with ideas that will make entertaining easy while at the same time adding pop and panache to your party. Many of the demos are hands-on and give attendees the chance to taste or try a technique. Susan Tuveson presents “Discover Your Inner Chocolate” on Saturday at noon. Susan uses chocolate to teach foodies to identify how their mouth, olfactory senses and brain interpret flavors. At 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, attendees can meet Eileen Behan, author of “For the Love of Food.” Ms. Behan will show how to zip together fabulous appetizers. Sunday presenters include Nancy Briggs Guilmette of C’est Cheese. Nancy provides great step-by-step ideas for serving cheese for dessert. Jay Curcio of The White Apron and Kevin Powell of Vinilandia NH Wine Distributors will be doing a wine tasting and food pairing while demonstrating how to create a lavish party on a budget on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. On Sunday at 1:00, meet author and illustrator of the “Fairy House” books, Tracy Kane, and join in building a winter fairy house. Tracy’s demo is followed by “Finishing Touches: The Art of the Cupcake,” presented by Portsmouth Baking Company. Other demos include napkin folding, gift-wrapping and holiday decorating. TABLESCAPES will provide entertaining inspiration for every season. For a full schedule of interactive demonstrations and complete designer list visit www.airnh.org/tablescapes.
TABLESCAPES is the brainchild of Darcy Horgan, President of AIR’s Board of Directors. Darcy envisioned an event featuring imaginative, artistic, high-design, and genuinely over-the-top designs for your dining table. She rallied a group of AIR supporters and formed a committee who recruited some of the area’s most respected floral, home, party and entertaining designers to contribute their design expertise to an event that will not only inspire you to entertain but will also raise money for an organization that empowers teenage girls.
“TABLESCAPES will raise the artistry of your next party” Darcy Horgan states enthusiastically. “My intent was to come up with an event that reflected the arts based mission and cutting edge programmatic style of Arts In Reach. Just as we ask the teen girls in our programs to express themselves freely in their art, writing and performances, we reflectively asked the designers to present table designs with a complete open mind. The only limitations for the designers were the ceiling height and the size of the table. Beyond that, we simply asked that they WOW visitors with inspiring table designs, floral creations, unique centerpieces, and innovative entertaining ideas.”
TABLESCAPES opens with a Preview Gala on Friday, November 4, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Preview Gala tickets are $75. The event continues on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday are $15 Advance / $20 At the Door (Students and Seniors $15 at the door). Children accompanied by an adult are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased at www.airnh.org/tablescapes or by calling 603-433-4278. Demonstrations are included with the price of admission.
Arts In Reach (AIR) is an innovative non-profit organization based in southern New Hampshire with a mission to empower teenage girls through mentoring and the arts. AIR provides progressive performing and visual arts programs during afterschool hours and school vacations for girls between the ages of 13 and 18 in Rockingham and Strafford Counties. AIR commits to making programs accessible to lower income youth by charging no fees and assisting in transportation. Girls develop confidence and gain key life skills such as collaboration, goal-setting, leadership, and communication while discovering new and creative means of self-expression. AIR envisions a community in which all young women are respected, supported, and enriched throughout their teenage years.
Photo caption: Arts in Reach recently held a Walk-a-Thon around downtown Portsmouth, pictured here. The organization is challenging regional designers to create entertaining “tablescapes” at an upcoming event by that name. (Courtesy photo)

Funny Girl: A review of Tina Fey’s Memoir ‘Bossypants’

By Chip Schrader

Book Reviewer
Tina Fey started off as an actress on television ads. She eventually landed a spot on Saturday Night Live’s writing staff, a move that evolved into Fey taking the seat of greats Chevy Chase, Kevin Nealon, and Dennis Miller as the anchor of the SNL news. Now, she has her own show, 30 Rock – a parody of the behind the scenes antics of Saturday Night Live – a movie career, and a hilarious memoir “Bossypants.”
“Bossypants” begins with Tina’s childhood, a surprise pregnancy, puberty, her father’s mild racism, and Summer Showtime. Summer Showtime highlights Fey’s coming of age in this teenage theater group where she catches the actor’s bug, and her friend comes out of the closet at a grand party that ends the summer. From these experiences she learns, “Gay people were made that way by God, but not solely for my entertainment.” A perfect example of Fey’s no holds barred documentation of her life.
As her star rose, Fey became an unwitting glamour icon. She unravels the sense of irony she feels with the light in which the public sees her. Chock full of blemishes, imperfections, and earthly human habits, Fey charms women readers proving she is just one of them, and male readers that there is a Tina Fey in every man’s wife.
Her recollections of the magazine photo shoots, adoring and snarky fan letters, awkward adolescence and motherhood dispels any myth of beauty one might hold of her. However, perhaps intentionally, Fey’s assessments of her self-image reinforce the deeper beauty of modesty and humanity with which she is truly gifted.
The only sure bet out there rests in the fact that nobody can get through “Bossypants” without emitting at least one hearty belly laugh between every five or so pages. She covers the challenges and pitfalls of working with men – particularly comedians with fixations on bodily functions – she has a memorable chapter of fashion advice for her daughter, and lets us in on the showbiz secrets and the Sarah Palin spoofs that made her a household name.
“Bossypants” is sharply written, and as the author, Fey is well aware of the phrase “too much information,” and relishes her disregard of the social mores that inspired the phrase. The anecdotes all seem to have a punch line, which to less gifted people can grow wearisome, but Fey is the funniest woman on earth.
Some chapters are straight ahead anecdotes and retellings of her life’s events, and others are checklists, script snippets, and outlines of witty observations and lessons she has learned in an ordinary woman’s extraordinary life. The honesty that anchors her humor is what makes her a winner. She is not afraid to admit to who she is, and she is a bold role model for any “Sarah plain and tall” who aspires to something greater. The candor, wit, humility, and finely crafted and inventive narrative make “Bossypants” a winner.
288 Pages, Reagan Arthur Books; 1st Edition (April 5, 2011).
Photo caption: (Courtesy book cover image)

Plans Progress for Hampton Christmas Parade

HAMPTON—
Yes, Virginia, there will be a Christmas Parade in Hampton this year!
Despite a small rumor to the contrary, the 2011 Hampton Christmas Parade is scheduled to march along a two-mile stretch of Lafayette Road on Saturday, December 3 beginning at 1 p.m.
The popular annual event is being organized by Experience Hampton, Inc. and the Hampton Recreation and Parks Department. This year’s parade theme will be “Hampton… One Beautiful Town.”
Local businesses and organizations are invited to enter the parade, and marchers and floats are welcome. Applications for parade entries are available at the recreation office on Winnacunnet Road, or online at experiencehamptonnh.org.
Donations are also being gratefully accepted; those wishing to help fund this year’s parade can make out a check to “Experience Hampton” and drop it off at the 401 Tavern on Lafayette Road.
Volunteers are also needed in a number of ways, from safety to fundraising to float building. For more information, contact Experience Hampton, Inc. at parade@experiencehamptonnh.org.
Photo caption: (Courtesy photo of a past parade)

Frisbie Memorial Hospital First in the Nation to Install High Quality Imaging at Low Radiation Dose

ROCHESTER—
Frisbie Memorial Hospital has announced the installation of a powerful and compact Computed Tomography (CT) system offering improvements from earlier CT models in diagnostic capabilities at low dose levels – up to 40 percent lower compared to an average medical facility – and designed for sustainability and ease-of-use. General Electric’s (GE) Optima CT660 enables fast, high performance imaging for patients in a variety of clinical settings, including cardiac, neurological, emergency room and routine CT scans. The Optima CT660, which is scalable up to 128 slices, replaces Frisbie Memorial’s 64-slice CT scan.
To publicly announce the installation of this new cutting-edge technology, representatives from GE Healthcare will be arriving from locations throughout the country to be onsite at Frisbie Memorial Hospital on October 26, 2011. This official launch recognizes Frisbie Memorial as the first facility in the United States to install the Optima CT660 system. In addition, Frisbie Memorial Hospital will be designated as GE’s official Optima CT660 “show site.” Hospitals nation-wide will have the opportunity to visit Frisbie Memorial to learn more about the Opitma CT660’s advanced diagnostic capabilities.
Already in use at hundreds of sites across Europe, Latin America and Asia, Frisbie Memorial is the first hospital in the United States to install GE’s Optima CT660 that is both ecomagination and healthymagination-certified, two of GE’s global initiatives aimed at transforming healthcare delivery through innovation, partnerships and sustainability. As a result, Frisbie Memorial Hospital patients now have access to quality CT imaging with a reduced dose of radiation.
“Frisbie Memorial Hospital is committed to providing our patients with the highest quality CT images at the lowest radiation dose possible. This new scanner gives us the latest tools available to accomplish that,” states Carrie Aubut RT(R) (CT), Lead CT Technologist at Frisbie Memorial Hospital. The lower dose was confirmed during acceptance testing by Frisbie Memorial’s Health Physicist, Arthur Savard, Ph.D., DABMP, Cardinal Medical Physics Services. His report stated, “Radiation dose was remarkably low. I would suggest doing pediatric patients on this unit.”
Moreover, from an operational standpoint, this new equipment makes good business sense for Frisbie Memorial.
“The Optima CT660 is an ideal replacement for our VCT 64. No room or wiring changes were needed. It provides safer scans, faster patient set-up and uses less electricity. Our scanning quality and efficiency go up, and operating costs go down. Exactly what we need to do in this economy,” said Dean DeMaster, RT(N), CNMT, MBA, Director of Imaging Services at Frisbie Memorial.
An ecomagination-certified product, GE’s Optima CT660 is also among the world’s most energy efficient Volume CT systems, using about 60 percent less energy than earlier scanners. Additionally, its lighter weight reduces transportation costs while its environmental design addresses refurbishment and end-of-life recycling. In line with Frisbie Memorial’s Go Green initiatives, which include hospital-wide recycling and energy conservation efforts, all components of the Optima CT660 are completely recyclable at end of life.
GE’s Optima CT660 features advanced tools to use less radiation while enhancing imaging quality. Standard on the Optima CT660, “Dose Check” technology notifies and alerts CT users prior to scanning if the estimated dose is above their institution’s set values, requires explicit user authority checks when estimated dose exceeds the alert value, enables specifically-defined pediatric and adult alert values, and provides for audit logging, review, and protocol change control capabilities. Frisbie Memorial currently uses GE’s Featherlight software so that pediatric patients receive low-dose radiation.
Photo caption: Frisbie Memorial Hospital will be the first in the United States to install General Electric’s Optima CT660 computed tomography system. (Courtesy photo)

Legends, Lore and Mystery with New England Curiosities’ Roxie Zwicker

RYE—
Families can get together for a hauntingly good time at the Seacoast Science Center on Thursday, October 27 at 5:30 p.m. The evening will kick off with a family-style dinner. Children will then Trick-or-Treat around the darkened Center, using bags they have decorated.
Then, two different age-appropriate activities will be offered. Young children can enjoy supervised seasonal stories and games at the Center. Older children (appropriate for ages 8 and up) can walk to the Odiorne Family graveyard with their parents, where Roxie Zwicker awaits. She will tell us about the hidden-away graveyard: the oldest in New Hampshire! She will regale us with local legends­—suitable for the season and the family. Be among the first to hear the specially prepared tales Roxie will tell based on research about the graveyard and legends of Odiorne and our coast.
This is the first of the Center’s Heritage Dinner Series to be planned just for families. Costumes are encouraged, but remember to dress for the weather and the walk! Some flashlights will be available, but best to bring your own. This is a rain or shine event: it may be entirely inside if necessary.
As founder of New England Curiosities, Roxie has been sharing her stories of New England legends and lore since 1993. She has captivated national audiences in person, as well as on television and radio. She will be autographing her books (available in the Nature Store) this evening.
The cost for evening is $10/adult, $5/child for members; $15/adult, $6/child for non-members and includes beverages and family fare. Please send checks made payable to Seacoast Science Center, 570 Ocean Blvd., Rye, NH 03870 or contact Nichole at 603-436-8043, ext. 26 or n.rutherford@seacentr.org to sign up.
Photo caption: (Courtesy photo of Roxie Zwicker)

Chamber of Commerce & Dover Listens to Host Candidate Forums

DOVER—
The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce will present a series of candidate forums for residents to gain knowledge about candidates running for public office in the November 8th elections. There will be forums dedicated to the School Board, City Council and the Mayoral races.
The Chamber of Commerce Mayoral Candidate Forum will be held on Monday, October 24 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at the Dover City Hall. The City Council Candidate Forums will immediately follow, beginning at approximately 7:00 p.m. Each Ward, as well as At Large Candidates, will be separated into their own forums.
The Chamber of Commerce School Board Candidate Forum will take place on Thursday, October 27 at 6:00 p.m. at the School Board Chamber in the McConnell Center, room 306.
In addition to the Candidate Forums, on Tuesday, October 25, Dover Listens will be hosting Community Conversations from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Rivermill at Dover Landing. The conversation format will give candidates the opportunity to hear from constituents about what they would like from their representatives.
At the Chamber of Commerce Forums, candidates will be given the opportunity to make opening and closing statements and will be asked a series of questions developed by the Forum Committee. The Dover Listens Community Conversations will be more of a small group, facilitated dialogue between residents and candidates.
Don Briand, News Director of WOKQ 97.5 will moderate this year’s Chamber of Commerce forums. All Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forums will be broadcast live on Dover’s local Channel 22 with multiple rebroadcasts likely.

Third Annual Pizza-Tasting Event Benefits Children’s Museum

DOVER—

On Saturday, November 5, pizza aficionados of all ages can cast their votes for best regional pizza restaurants at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire’s third annual PizzaFest and Holiday Auction. The event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Children’s Museum of NH in Dover and is generously sponsored by D.F. Richard. Attendees will be able to sample different varieties of pizza from local purveyors, then vote for their favorites. All proceeds benefit the museum’s innovative education and outreach programs.
Seacoast area pizza restaurants will be serving up both cheese and specialty pizzas for guests to sample and judge in the categories of Kids’ Choice Cheese and Grown-Ups’ Choice. A judging panel will crown the Judges’ Pick for Best Pizza, Best Crust and Most Creative Toppings. This year’s judging panel will include a student from the Culinary Arts program at the Regional Career Technical Center at Dover High School.
Eight pizza restaurants are already confirmed for this year’s event: Dover House of Pizza, Kendall Pond II, La Festa Brick & Brew Pizzeria, Papa Gino’s, River Bend Pizza & Subs, Roger’s Restaurant, Smiley’s, and Uno’s Chicago Grill.
In addition to all the pizza tasting, there will be activities for children including games, interactive exploration of exhibits and face painting. This event is family friendly but adults on their own are also welcome, as this is a great opportunity to start holiday shopping.
This year’s Holiday Silent Auction will offer dozens of great gift ideas for family, friends, business associates and more. Items up for bid will include ski passes to Cranmore Mountain Resort, an overnight at the Inn & Spa at Mills Falls, a one-week kids’ kayak camp donated by Portsmouth Kayak Adventures, a $500 certificate toward a solar installation from Revision Energy, family portrait packages from Goldsmith Photography, vehicle maintenance certificates from Bill Dube Ford, $50 of Usborne Books and much more.
The cost of the Children’s Museum PizzaFest and Holiday Auction is $10 for adults, $7 for children age 10 and under, and children age two and under are free. Advance reservations are required as space is limited. Reservations can be made by calling the museum at (603) 742-2002 during regular weekday business hours or making payment at the front desk.
Photo caption: The proprietors of Kendall Pond II in Dover will be serving up slices at the Children’s Museum of NH’s PizzaFest for a third consecutive year. (Courtesy photo)