Around Concord Spring 2024

We bring you along on a bird-watching adventure

ROGER

MICHAEL

Diplomates,

Fellows,

Spring: Time to connect, create

Owning something old and restoring it can be both a pain and a joy.

That was the case for Richard Stevens and his wife Bethany Brenner, who bought a historic home and barn on Iron Works Road in Concord in 2015.

A builder by trade, Stevens painstakingly restored the 250-year-old single-family home that had sat vacant for years back into a thing of beauty and pride.

Anthony Pelillo, owner and operator of Dark Side Customs in the city’s South End, is an artist who works in metal not wood – namely old automobiles and motorcycles. Photos from inside his shop show the fruits of his labor, shiny machines that are the envy of any motorhead.

This edition of Around Concord magazine is filled with stories of effort, vision and achievement.

Take Erin Doonan’s knack for event planning that has become a catering business on wheels called Pours and Petals. If a wedding is in your future, call Doonan, who can handle the flowers, the drinks and the menu.

Or Alison Murphy and Alyssa McClary who opened Penumbra in downtown Concord in 2020 and want to brighten homes with the perfect plant.

Even learn about the love of birdwatching through the eyes and lips of Devin Guilfoyle, a guide at the Audubon Society.

We hope you enjoy this edition and all it has to offer. Happy spring!

Jonathan Van Fleet Editor

PUBLISHER

Steve Leone

DIRECTOR SALES & MARKETING

Sean McKenna

EDITOR

Jonathan Van Fleet

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Allie Ginwala

Hannah Sampadian

CONTRIBUTORS

David Brooks

Ray Duckler

Geoff Forester

Sruthi Gopalakrishnan

Eric Rynston-Lobel

Catherine McLaughlin

James Spain

Michaela Towfighi

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Deb Spaulding

OFF to the RACES

Whether it’s your first couch-to-5K or the year you go for a marathon, the time to start planning is now

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

As the snow melts and the days lengthen, it’s time to trade in those ski boots for running shoes. The Concord area will once again host a number of road races in 2024. From 5Ks to half marathons, there will be an array of options for runners to lace up their shoes and head to the starting line.

This is just a sampling – think of it as a head start. Search around for the race that’s right for you on sites like Millennium Running. Or pop in to Runner’s Alley in downtown Concord where they always know what’s on the schedule. Here are some of the notable road races in the area this year:

April 13: Dirty Paws 5K Fun Run

This race begins across from Pope Memorial SPCA at the Banks Humane Education Center and heads toward St. Paul’s School before looping back.

Concord Monitor file

Each spring, the Rock ’N Race fills the streets with runners, music, spectators and food. This year’s race is May 8.

Sponsored by Pope Memorial SPCA, proceeds from the race go toward homeless pets and organizations that help prevent cruelty to animals.

May 8: Rock ’N Race

This 5K raises money for the Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care. It begins in downtown Concord behind the State House on N. State Street, heads south toward New Hampshire Hospital, loops around and heads back northeast to downtown.

Last year’s race featured 2,900 participants who raised over $328,000.

July 13: Angels 5K Road Race & Fitness Walk

Hosted by the Loudon Lions Club, this race begins at Merrimack Valley High School in Penacook and honors the memories of those who have been lost in the community. Money raised funds scholarships given to students at MVHS.

Participants run north up Community Drive and turn right onto Merrimack Street before looping back south on Penacook Street and north up Village Street back to MVHS. This is the sixth of nine races

ABOVE: Bill Luti was a lover of community and athletics and he fused the two perfectly. The annual race is still held in his honor.

LEFT: Some runs are serious. Others are equal parts sport and spectacle. There are plenty of options from April to November. Choose the race that’s right for you.

in the 2024 Northeast Delta Dental Capital Area Race Series.

July

20:

Bill Luti 5-Miler

The 57th running of this race honors Coach Bill Luti, who died in Dec. 2019 at 98 years old. Luti devoted his life to coaching youth athletics and overall fitness, and this event celebrates his legacy with a run through St. Paul’s School’s campus. He organized the inaugural race in 1968 then known as the ‘Concord 5-miler.’ It was named in his honor in 1984.

It is the seventh race in the 2024 Northeast Delta Dental Capital Area Race Series.

Oct.

20:

New England Half Marathon

Near the end of prime running season, this half marathon kicks off at Gould Hill Farm in Contoocook and starts off heading south into Hopkinton, before veering east. The runners run around half the perimeter of White Park, through Grappone Park and back south where they’ll cross the finish line in front of the State House.

The race has rolling hills, starting at 748 feet of elevation and dropping to 276 feet by the end.

Fast faves

Tanya Frost knows one thing for sure the Capital Region has so much to offer, it’s pretty hard to pick favorites. A Concord native and Concord High School graduate, Frost is the V.P. of Development for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central and Northern New Hampshire. She loves working with an organization that provides services for youth and children. Community-mindedness is essential for Frost, and she loves meeting new people. She serves as a Rotarian in Bow, where she currently lives, and has spent a lot of time over the years working with different organizations in the area. She’s particularly proud of being accepted into the Leadership Greater Concord program, put on by the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce. Some of her favorite things to do are spend time with family and friends, whether that means going to her son’s sports games or hosting a game night at home, and exploring all that Concord has to offer. Here’s her list of Concord favorites you should check out too.

It’s showtime

I love the addition of the Bank of NH Stage to our downtown. This venue is great for a variety of events and I’ve been to it for concerts, networking events, work events and more. I love how versatile it is and look forward to utilizing it for future work needs as well as attending other functions there.

Enjoying the greens of Beaver Meadow

I took up golfing in recent years, and I love the accessibility that Beaver Meadow provides in our community. Phil and his team are always so friendly and welcoming, as well as helpful with my newbie questions.

Where to eat? How about ... everywhere!

I would love to pick a restaurant, but there is no way I can pick just one. Plus I have many friends in so many of them, be it they work there, or own it, or support the organization I work for. I would be beside myself if I offended anyone.

City of art

The Concord Farmers’ Market and Concord Arts Market in the summer months is always great to walk around and not just buy local, but meet the people who are producing the goods. I love fun accessories like scarves and sunglasses, but earrings are one of my favorite things to change day-to-day and the artisans do not disappoint.

Uniquely Concord

I want to pick a favorite store, but there are just so many great new ones in town, especially downtown. For my family and me, Cobblestone is a staple. From the home decor to gnomes for all holidays (I’m a sucker for a cute gnome, even to my husband’s dismay), to gorgeous flower arrangements. And I love that I can go into the back cooler and pick flowers to create my own centerpieces for my family gatherings at my mother and stepfather’s home!

Sarah Seeley Photography

Penacook’s Erin Doonan, 25, started her now blooming mobile catering and drink business straight out of college and in the thick of the pandemic. While they offer a wide menu and slate of services, flavored lemonade has been a signature draw for people since its early days.

DRIVEN TO SUCCEED

Erin Doonan of Penacook has turned her love of food, planning and gardening into Pours and Petals, a mobile drink, floral and catering business

Story, Page 18

“I have my absolute dream job owning my dream business. So I’m just gonna keep rolling with it.”

By CATHERINE McLAUGHLIN

Erin Doonan’s lifelong love of event planning sprouted early.

“I remember always planning my birthday party months in advance. One was over and I was already planning next year’s,” she said.

That passion has now blossomed into Pours and Petals, Doonan’s mobile drink, floral and catering business. Out of a sage-green camper she renovated herself, Doonan aims to bring a curated and cohesive atmosphere to private events. Rather than just providing a menu, she said, it means catering an experience.

Beyond its “bar, bites and blooms,” Pours and Petals creates an aesthetic vision, Doonan said. “It’s not a transactional experience. We’re not just there to give you a drink.”

The business is a lemons-intolemonade story. Coincidentally, that’s also a signature offering.

On the cusp of her graduation from the University of New Hampshire in the spring of 2020, Doonan knew where she wanted to go next. With an event planning degree within reach and past internship experience under her belt, she was deep in the interviewing process for a place on the events team at Disney. When the pandemic hit, that opportunity dried up, and she found herself living at home, thirsting for her next chapter.

Having always had a dream to someday start her own business, Doonan dove in. She bought and renovated a 1960 camper and launched the following summer. As a lover of party planning who had worked previously in food service, Pours and Petals combined all of her skills and passions into one endeavor.

“I have my absolute dream job

Pours & Petals is a mobile “bar, bites and blooms” caterer led by Erin Doonan. Food and drink is their signature. They also provide floral arrangements, and guests can arrange their own bouquets to take home.

owning my dream business,” said Doonan, now 25 and living in Penacook. “So I’m just gonna keep rolling with it.”

At first, fairs, festivals and other public functions were the main event for her team it’s what made fla-

vored lemonade a trademark. While those are still many of the stops the camper makes in a year, the private events side of her business has grown, Doonan said.

From weddings and showers to family and corporate parties, Pours

Erin Doonan

and Petals is booked most weekends of the warm seasons. Doonan even bought and is currently working on a second camper, doubling the size of her business.

The camper is the home base for bartending, food service and the additional services the “petals” of Pours and Petals, Doonan said. Grazing tables, tapas and tacos are the most popular food offerings, and Doonan’s team also provides baked goods and specialty cupcakes. In addition to doing florals for an event, attendees can also create their own flower bouquets to take home.

Hosts getting all of those elements through Pours and Petals streamline the communication, and the fees, associated with coordinating with a handful of different vendors, Doonan said. It also gives her the chance to bring a cohesive personality to each of the elements of the party like with one client’s southwestern disco-themed wedding, with mirrorball decorations and drink accents galore.

Though originally from Chelmsford, Massachusetts,

Grazing tables and tapas are the most popular food offerings, but Doonan also offers specialty cupcakes, donuts and other baked goods.

Erin Doonan

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Doonan’s family spent summers on Lake Winnisquam, and she became a New Hampshire resident in 2016. Pours and Petals travels across those two states.

Starting her own business right out of college has been both demanding and rewarding, Doonan said.

“When you’re a small business owner, you wear so many hats,” she said. “It’s also very rewarding getting to see where your business has grown, rather than working for someone else.”

Doing corporate events for brands she has always loved, like Anthropologie and Stonyfield, were both personally thrilling, Doonan said, and a testament to how far Pours and Petals has come.

Eventually, Disney did call her back with a job offer. She turned them down.

“I feel extremely lucky to be where I am. I have something so special up here, and I’ve always wanted to be my own boss,” Doonan said. “It would be silly of me to give that up.” ◆

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PLANTING

A PURPOSE

At Penumbra in downtown Concord, the owners have built a store that’s about plants – and so much more

By MICHAELA TOWFIGHI

Alison Murphy and Alyssa McClary now say they are plant people. But when the couple opened Penumbra in March of 2020, they weren’t so sure.

The intention of their store – just tucked away off of Main Street with large white paneled windows – was to be a one-stop shop for gifts. Their tagline, “thoughtful goods and plants” came with the vision that a customer could come to the store, purchase a knickknack like a plant, sticker or pair of earrings, match it with a card, and walk out with a curated gift.

“We wanted to make a place where you could buy something for someone that you can’t find someplace else,” said Murphy. “But that also was meaningful so you’re not just buying it for the sake of buying things.”

Plants would be a part of the business model, but not all-consuming. Then the pandemic hit.

The early days of any business are filled with hiccups and learn-as-you-go mo-

Geoff Forester

Alison Murphy, left, and Alyssa McClary started Penumbra in March 2020. The plantsrangefroma 2-inchzebratoanAudreyficustree. Thereareothergift items like jewelry, soap, candles, stickers and pins.

ments. But for Murphy and McClary, that trial and error were taken to a whole new level as a stay-at-home order was issued two weeks after they opened their doors.

At the same time, McClary, who was a nurse for nearly two decades, was furloughed. She knew nothing about plants, but had unexpected time to help Murphy figure things out.

“She was like, ‘what do you know about plants?’ and I was like, ‘oh nothing,’ but I am able to keep a human alive,” said McClary. “I got this.”

Penumbra is knownfor its plants, butcustomers often leave with jewelry, cards and stickers.

Now McClary has a whole routine to water the store’s inventory. She knows which are good in the window displays and others that need less light. And as she works her way around the shop, she’ll talk to the plants as she goes.

“There is a big piece of me that taking care of people is a thing that I’m good at, a thing that I like, and so the plants do fill that up for me,” she said. “You check on everybody, you water everybody.”

By the time the two reopened their doors to customers, they’d amassed an online following. Throughout the pandemic, McClary was posting photos of their inventory online and sending her “delivery driver” to complete orders. Murphy would get in the car and hit the road.

And this at-home false start gave them time to think through the mission of their store and space.

So there are many intentional touches now for customers that walk through Penumbra’s doors. The first starts with the outside of the space. From the street corner, a large rainbow flag and Black Lives Matter banner are visible through their large windows.

From behind the counter, Murphy and McClary watch as a number of queer couples notice their decor and walk hand in hand through the store’s front door.

Murphy and McClary know what it is like. The married couple got together in their 30s. Yes, Penumbra is a plant

Dive into Summer

Geoff Forester

store. But they also hope that it’sa haven for the queer community.

“We like to think we live in a progressive world but it’s not always safe,” said McClary.

So they knew the message they wanted to send through the window panes.

“We are going to be overtly like, ‘come here and be your queer self’,” said Murphy.

And when thinking about what they want customers to feel when entering the store, they considered themselves – two people who admit they’re shy – as the consumer.

“Well if we have a plant store that is not intimidating, that would be really nice,” said Murphy. “What if we made a place where you could go and ask a question that you feel might be silly, but we’re going to answer it and we’re going to figure it out together.”

So when a first-time plant owner walks into the store, Murphy and McClary can provide an easy recommendation. They’ll pot the plant for them and give instructions on when and how to water.

But at the same time if an expert comes by, looking to add to their plentiful collection, Murphy and McClary

will also pick their brains.

“When we meet those people, we’re like ‘tell me everything,’” said

McClary. “We’ve met so many fantastic people through the store like Calathea Sarah.”

Geoff Forester

Sadie Wentworth, 2, points to the plants at Penumbra while shopping with her mom.

The two laugh and admit they don’t know Sarah’s last name or much about her. But they know she loves ca-

latheas and can educate them about the plant every time she comes into the store.

7,000 Square Feet

Of Unique Treasures

And then the customers that are dragged in by a partner. There’sa place for them, too.

“We call it the spouse couch which is for just sitting on when your spouse is shopping and you’re waiting for them,” said Murphy.

Before Penumbra became Penumbra, the corner storefront was home to French’s Toy Shop. Murphy and McClary remember when the middle room in the shop housed Play Mobils. Today, they still refer to the space as that.

French’s was one of many Concord institutions that the couple now miss, alongside Caardvark’s, which was a stationary store that Murphy drew inspiration from. Years ago they sold paper goods and had a shop cat.

“That’s our dream,” she said. “But we can’t because we have so many plants.”

Instead, the couple has a store gecko who sits on the counter, Pumpkin, and five cats at home.

The legacy of stores in downtown Concord is one that Murphy and McClary hope to build on. When customers come to Penumbra they’ll leave with a recommendation for ice cream, coffee or clothes just around

Geoff Forester

The Penumbra storefront was home to previous downtown mainstays like French’s Toy Shop.

the corner.

“We like to collaborate with downtown. We know a lot of the other business owners, Concord has such a great community of lots of female business owners, and just business owners in general,” said Murphy. “I like to see it as like we’re all sort of like supplementing each other like lifting each other up.”

And in supporting local businesses, Murphy and McClary hope to serve as a launch pad for other entrepreneurs.

Geoff Forester

Murphy and McClarykeep expanding their business,from a new pop-up program to a new site in Goffstown.

They’ve now started a pop-up program within Penumbra to provide the space and resources for other vendors to sell items. Through May 15, Maria Devito Palmer Designs is selling hand-painted cards and prints.

The premise of the pop-up is that local artists and vendors can experience the fun part of owning a brick-andmortar store – crafting their inventory without having to

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worry about barcodes, utilities and hours in the shop.

“We’ll do all of those little pieces that maybe we don’t think of right away,” said Murphy. “But it will give people a chance.”

And Penumbra itself has also expanded. They’ve opened a second location with Apotheca Flowers in Goffstown –selling their flowers in the Concord store and plants in the cafe there.

It’s one of many ways McClary and Murphy are expanding what Penumbra is and means to customers. Together they’re leaning into the idea of “thoughtful goods”–which is painted in white letters along the walls of their Concord shop.

“Plants are our biggest seller but not the only thing that we’re selling so we get to figure out what else to sell which is so fun,” said Murphy. “We’re not just a plant store. We never were.” ◆

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Interested to try out birdwatching?

JUST WING IT

By RAY DUCKLER

It was cold, quiet and blue-sky sunny one day in February, when Devin Guilfoyle chose to speak bird.

He pushed air slowly from his mouth, creating an initial homemade sound with no vowels, then added a follow-up noise to complete the core sentence that he sends to birds.

“Pshhh, Pshhh, Pshhh.”

“Chit-Chit-Chit-Chit.”

It worked.

“Okay, it looks like there are two of them now up in the tree,” Guilfoyle said. “These are American goldfinches.”

Guilfoyle is a 26-year-old bird watching guide at the Audubon Society, where he also teaches in its educational programs.

RIGHT: A Tufted Titmouse. Photo by Rebecca Suomala.

He moved to the region in June of last year. He’s a native of the Albany, N.Y., region and would pass for a Dead Head, with long hair and beard. He’s been a bird brain for two decades, which is to say he can name a type of bird simply by hearing a tweet or a chirp floating through the dead branches in a wooded area.

“I would say that the species that first got me interested was the Indigo Bunting,” Guilfoyle said. “The males have a beautiful sort of bluish, teal color. I remember seeing that as a little five-year-old me. I couldn’t really comprehend how something with those colors could be natural.”

He invited a pair of individuals whose closest association with birds had come from watching reruns of Woody Woodpecker. The activity was called birding, the participants known as birders, although Guilfoyle said ‘birders’ and ‘bird watchers’ are interchangeable terms.

Guided birding tours are held year-

round at the Audubon Society, usually once per week. Guilfoyle said he leads about four or five people out this time of year.

He walked nearly a mile, powerful-

looking binoculars hanging around his neck, an app on his phone that identifies birds by their sounds, stopping every so often to erase the crunching sounds made with each

Geoff Forester

Devin Guilfoyleis a 26-year-old birdwatching guide at theAudubon Society, where he also teaches in its educational programs.

step on the frozen layers of snow.

He also had a bird bible, with enough photos and descriptions of birds to have impressed Hitchcock.

Guilfoyle listened, hearing nothing but the wind. Eventually, if he waited long enough, a bird, sometimes visible, sometimes not, began playing Guilfoyle’s song.

His career has been based on listening to sounds that everyone also hears without really hearing them. Sounds that have merely become part of a daily routine, with far more to offer when you stop to smell the roses.

Or see the wings flutter. Suddenly, Guilfoyle had his binoculars locked on to the finch.

“One of the great things about bird watching,” Guilfoyle said, “is that you can be here or anywhere. You can do it in your backyard if you want.”

The loop began in an open area, where the wind bit just a bit more. “So you get a lot of white-throated sparrows here,” Guilfoyle said. “They’re one of my personal favorite species.”

He said the white-throated sparrow loves the Granite State, remaining

here year-round because, unlike other birds, its food supply remains available during the cold months. No migration to Florida for this hearty fellow.

It didn’t take long for Guilfoyle to spot at least three different types of birds, once a guest learned to stand still to keep the bird calm and stationary, rather than crunching on the

snow with a very ill-timed step and watching the bird zip off.

He found the sparrow, the blackeyed junco, the tufted titmouse. Suddenly, on a tour like this, bird sounds were acknowledged, anticipated, exciting, part of a landscape boasting a kaleidoscope of colors and shades that contrasted off one another.

Birds with combinations of red, blue, yellow, orange and peach joined the tour. So did a bird with black eyes above a bright white breast. Birds have striped wings. Birds live with us. And, sometimes, birds listen to us.

“Pshhh-Pshhh-Pshhh,” said Guilfoyle, inviting other birds to join his class. “Chit-Chit-Chit-Chit.”

“It’s meant to mimic the sound of a baby bird,” he continued. “They’re likely to get a little closer to see what’s going on.”

Somewhere up high, in a 100-foot beech tree, a bird answered Guilfoyle with a chirp and a tweet. Guilfoyle, though, couldn’t find it.

That hardly mattered. Remember, Guilfoyle speaks bird.

“A white-breasted nuthatch,” Guilfoyle said. ◆

A Pileated Woodpecker. Photo by Rebecca Suomala.

A BarredOwl in Bow. Photoby Zeke Cornell.

CUSTOM CRAFT

Photography By GEOFF FORESTER

Anthony Pelillo wipes down the custom West Coast chopper CFL that he built from the ground up. The car is a custom 1991 Toyota MR2, and he did all the body and paint work and the modifications. Pelillo says he had lots of help with both projects.

Born and raised in Concord, Anthony Pelillo, owner and operator of Dark Side Customs, has been in the auto industry for over 20 years. From repairing minor dents and scrapes to reconstruction, auto painting, and custom bodywork, Dark Side Customs provides everything required to customize both cars and motorcycles. Take a look inside his South End shop.

Geoff Forester

Geoff Forester

Anthony Pelillo, owner and operator of Dark Side Customs, has been in the auto industry for over 20 years. From repairing minor dents and scrapes to reconstruction, auto painting, and custom bodywork, Dark Side Customs provides everything required to customize cars and motorcycles.

RIGHT: Pelillo stands in front of some of the custom skateboards he has designed and painted.

ABOVE: Pelillo holds a custom tailpipe for a motorcycle. He’ll later weld two ends of a tailpipe to make a custom piece.

Geoff Forester Anthony Pelillodons hispainting gearwhenhe entersthepainting room of his South End shop. Here, he workson acoatofpaint fora motorcycle project.

South End shop where he tackles car and motorcycle creations, some from scratch; TOP RIGHT: Some of the skateboards that Pelillo has created over the years. CENTER: A small metal motorcycle creation by Pelillo. LEFT: Pelillo has been in his shop for over 20 years.

Geoff Forester

TOP LEFT: Anthony Pelillo works in his

All thebikes built atDark Side Customsstart with anaftermarket frameor a HarleyDavidson frame. Themock up, mounting, paintwork and detail are all done in-house. Here are some of the finished bikes.

Courtesy

THIS REFURBISHED HOUSE

How a historic Iron Works Road property was reimagined Story, Page 40

Richard Stevens of Waldron Hill Builders has renovated the farm house on Iron Works Road in Concord, including the dairy barn that was built in 1912.

Geoff Forester

Concord history gets new life

By DAVID BROOKS

You can probably guess Richard Stevens’ profession from his first action when considering whether to buy one of the most historic properties in the city: “When we rolled up, my eyes went straight to the ridge on the roof, straight to the soffet.”

That’s right, he’s a builder and contractor.

Stevens, owner of Waldron Hill Builders, was describing how he eyed the huge gambrel barn next to the 250-year-old home at 84 Iron Works Road that he and his wife, Bethany Brenner, bought in 2015. He was checking the lines around the barn’s roof as a way to judge its underpinnings.

“A lot of these barns were built on an old log on a rock rolled into place on top of stone,” Stevens said. This kind of foundation looks intriguing but can slip as the decades roll past, turning straight lines into wobbly ones that portend bad things. Not so with this barn: “There are 24-by-24

Geoff Forester

Richard Stevens looks over at the 250-year-old home he restored on Iron Works Road. He plans on re-doing the side porch this spring as the last major renovation of the home. The chandelier is above the main staircase of the renovated home. He went with a black and white theme for the stairway.

At left is one of the two fireplaces in the home. Neither required work to the mantles. To the right is a chest that Richard Stevens found that now is in the classic barn that he also renovated and painted.

brick piers that hold up the structure down below. It was well built from day one and hasn’t moved.”

Like any property that has survived the centuries, this has a complicated

history. It was originally part of a farm that covered 340 acres – “it was basically the entire South End”– back when Concord was still known as Rumford. Now the 3-acre property

backs onto Russell-Shea State Forest, near Turkey Brook.

The house was built in the 1700s for the family of David Carter, one of the owners of the rolling mill and iron

Geoff Forester

A Photographic Memory

foundry that gave Iron Works Road its name. It changed hands at least three times, to the Abbotts, the Moores and the Cilleys, and a barn was added in

the early 1800s, before it was bought by the state in 1940. According to a historical review, the state used the property to supply New Hampshire

Hospital with food for a while but the house, barn and more recent connection between the two eventually became office space and then storage.

The property sat empty for several years before Stevens and Brenner took a chance; buyers were hard to come by because it can only be used as a single-family home, since it’s not connected to city water or sewer. Much of the buildings was a mess, Stevens said, with plaster falling off the walls, miles of old knob-and-tube wiring and outdated phone cables everywhere, and the layout a mishmash of styles. “The house was a mouse maze” and the ceilings had sheetrock over waferboard over original lathe and plaster, which required a lot of re-

“There are 24-by-24 brick piers that hold up the structure down below. It was well built from day one and hasn’t moved.”

Geoff Forester

Richard Stevens had to remove ceilings to expose the wood beams for both the living room, left, and for the shower head in the custom bathroom on the second floor.

moval for restoration or to raise low ceilings and expose some of the postand-beam construction.

So Stevens, his son Richard and some crew got to work and found that, as is often the case with old buildings, it had what builders call good bones. Centuries ago wood was often stronger and stiffer with denser grain because trees were older when harvested. “Today the material is so soft, it is produced so quickly, they’re pulling down smaller trees.” And modern products can have limitations: for example, there are no hollow-core doors.

The house and barn are on the historical register, which imposed limitations. “I couldn’t touch the windows, which was admittedly frustrating. 2over-2 Queen Anne windows had been installed at some point. I wanted to change that back into older Colonial – I wanted 9-over-9’s, although the original would have been 12-over12’s – but couldn’t.” Parts of the barn couldn’t be touched, either, although

Geoff Forester

Richard Stevens had to paint the front of the 1912 dairy barn attached to the 250-year-old farmhouse.

Richard Stevens searches everywhere, including Facebook Marketplace, to find antiques for the barn rafters.

the team was quick to remove the painted plywood that “took down the whole property aesthetically” and replace cracked plexiglass windows.

One of the fun parts, Stevens said, involved the huge transoms over the big sliding barn doors. “We bought old-school window sashes from a

camp on Lake Sunapee, reconstructed the (front) transom to match the rear. It took two days just reconstructing and installing the transom on the barn, to get it all dialed in and looking correct.” Also fun was the installation of not one but two chandeliers to accent different places.

Stevens and Brenner lived in the connector for a year and a half while fixing up the house, then moved and tackled the barn. Eight years on, the work is largely finished except for some trim because, Stevens admits, no renovation job is ever completely done.

Stevens says the whole project wouldn’t have been feasible if he wasn’t in the building and contracting business. “That made it possible – the subcontractor base that I work with, myself and my son physically doing the demo, the framing, the finish work, the painting. Had somebody come in and renovated what we did, I would say you’re looking at probably half-million-dollars to start.”

With the property right on Iron Works Road, it’s clear that people notice. “We’ve had more people stop in. On a hot summer night they’re walking, driving, see the lights on, ask if it’s OK to pull in.” ◆

Geoff Forester

EYES PRIZE on the

For spring athletes looking to celebrate in the spotlight, the hard work happens in the dim indoor light of winter

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

On Sunday mornings in the gym at Concord High School, there are no basketballs being dribbled or wrestling mats rolled out. Instead, you’ll hear the crack of the bat, the pop of a glove and ground balls chopping against the floor.

From 8 a.m. until noon each week from January until the season starts in March, Concord baseball and softball players come to these two-hour sessions to gear up for the upcoming spring season.

They’re open to any Concord High student, and there could be anywhere from 15 to 30 players at each session.

During the baseball workouts, head coach Scott Owen said they’ll utilize the gym, the two indoor batting cages in the school and indoor pitching mounds. In particular, he likes to use the two hours as a chance to work on individual skills that might be harder to address during the fast-paced nature of the regular season.

For example, if a player’s having trouble hitting curveballs, they have more time to get reps hitting curveballs off the pitching machine during these sessions than they would during a

Concord senior Delaney Duford practices bunting inside the big gymnasium on a winter weekend. The Concord High catcher has committed to play at Franklin Pierce University next year.

Geoff Forester

practice in April.

“We try to mix it up and just do different things, things that you might not be able to work on as much during the season,” Owen said. “It gives us an opportunity to really work on individual skills with kids and have the time to concentrate on those types of things with them.”

At the softball sessions, head coach Duke Sawyer said he likes to keep their drills to the basics, not knowing how many players will show up on a given week. With varied skill levels from freshmen who haven’t yet played on the JV team to seniors who started every game last season it’sa chance for the players to get some reps and feel more prepared for tryouts in March.

The softball team finished last year 20-1 and won the D-I state championship last June after beating Winnacunnet High School, 3-2. The Crimson Tide have reached the championship game in each of the last three seasons.

Meanwhile, the baseball team finished 2023 at 16-6, one win shy of reaching the D-I

Geoff Forester Concord baseball player Mitch Coffey bats off of a pitching machine in the lower gymnasium at Concord High School.

Concord baseball player KaleWashburn turns a double play in the big gym at Concord High School.

GeoffForester

championship game. As the seven seed in last year’s playoffs, the Tide pulled off an upset over No. 2 Exeter in the quarterfinals with a 5-4 extra-inning win.

But in the Concord High gym on Sunday mornings, the atmosphere couldn’t be more different from the high intensity of a playoff game. That’s precisely what makes these sessions valuable, though. With less pressure and more individual attention, it’sa great opportunity for the players to develop their games so when the playoffs do roll around again in May and June, they’re as well-positioned as possible for success.

“There’s no stress of the season, the need to get things done,” Owen said. “It’s nice and relaxed, just hanging out, working on our game.”

For the coaches, these are also valuable moments to help them get to know the players better, particularly kids they have less experience coaching.

“It’s a laid-back atmosphere. You have some time to talk to the kids,” Owen said. “I’m not engulfed in the practice plan and what we need to do to be better. It’s individual stuff and getting to know the kids and how they work and how we can best help them and make them the best players they can be.”

Courtesy Randy Raymond

This aerial shows Turkey Pond and Little Turkey Pond as I-89 was being built.

The lake that never was

Among all Concord’s bodies of water, few have demonstrated human ability to shape the landscape as much as the Great and Little Turkey Ponds. Maps at the beginning of the twentieth century depicted a body of

water that, as Bouton’s History of Concord explained in 1856, had “a fancied resemblance in its form to a turkey, with its ample body and bended neck.” Today the “turkey” is unrecognizable. Its head, Little Turkey Pond, is the same size as its body, and its neck, now the channel under Instate 89, has been stretched beyond proportion.

Learn More

Nevertheless, two clearly distinct Turkey Ponds exist. In the mid-twentieth century, even this was questioned. New Hampshire’s lakes had attracted tourists and boosted the state’s economy. Concord wanted to cash in. But the city had too little to offer; its lakes were minuscule relative to Lake Winnipesaukee, Squam and Newfound, and during the same era

‘Crosscurrents of Change” Concord, N.H. in the 20th Century’

This 400-plus page hardcover edition introduces you to the people who helped shape a city, and it takes you through tragedy and triumph with some of the defining moments in Concord history. To purchase a copy or to learn more, visit concordhistoricalsociety.org/store.

the city was limiting access to Penacook Lake, its largest and cleanest lake. This did not deter the Planning Department from proposing perhaps the most ambitious plan in its history.

In September 1945, the Board of Aldermen authorized the Planning Board to study the Turkey Pond area in preparation for a “Concord Lake” plan developed by planner Gustaf Lehtinen and Planning Board chair (and Monitor editor) James Langley. The Turkey River would be dammed west of St. Paul’s School and the two Turkey Ponds linked with Turee Pond in Bow, thereby flooding some of the region’s most extensive wetlands (synonymous with “wastelands” at the time). The lake would stretch five miles in length with an area of 2,290 acres and a 25-mile shoreline, making it the tenth largest in New Hampshire. A public beach and recreational facility was planned for the northeast shore between Clinton Street and Stickney Hill Road.

Not surprisingly, the project en-

joyed ample support from the Concord Monitor. The Monitor even solicited possible names for the lake from its readers; most of the names were combinations of “Concord,” “Bow” and “Hopkinton” such as “Co-

hobo,” “Hoboco,” “Conbowhop” and so forth.

This excerpt written by Gregory R. Kirsch is part of the chapter “The Land” in “Crosscurrents of Change.”

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Geoff Forester

Two men fish at sunset on Turkey Pond near St. Paul’s School.

Since arriving in New Hampshire in 2018, Journee LaFond has been serving both the LGBTQ and Black

foster a higher profile for better understanding in the state.

Moments frozen in time

A dog jumps for joy in the snow at White Park while on a walk with its owner during a January snowstorm.

John Stark guard

Abby Duclos (center) battles with Bow guard Juliette Tarsa on the floor during the first half of a January game.

Geoff Forester photos

communities to

TOP LEFT: Keith Nelson holds up his granddaughter, Mai, 3, as her grandmother Eliza Evans says hello after the trio finished Mai’s cross country lesson at The Concord Community Nordic Trails at Beaver Meadow Golf Course in February; TOP RIGHT: Kayitani Ndutiye was at the Green Street Community Center in Concord to vote for the first time in the New Hampshire Primary; MIDDLE LEFT: Some of the electronic candles with names of the homeless persons who died in 2023 are held during a vigil. MIDDLE RIGHT: WKXL General Manager Catherine Martinez in one of the radio studios at the Reddington Road studio in Concord; BELOW: Nordic Captain Chloe Gudas (center) leads the team in a crab walk with bands as the members warm up in the Concord High parking lot before going a 45-minute run in January. With limited snow cover, the team needed to find new ways to train.

As I quietly sit in the forest, upon a stone wall whose line is straight, I read the pages from my book, it is a special friend I await. My reading partner arrives on queue, as I turn my pages so very slow, it is a little grey squirrel, this special friend I do know.

He sits quietly beside me upon my wall, not caring what my printed words have to say, simply enjoying his free peanuts, in the shade on this summer day. The cool breeze is refreshing, my little friend is busy he will no longer wait, as I quietly sit in the forest, upon a stone wall whose line is straight.

James W. Spain

Share with us >> Do you have poetry or scenic images you’d like to share? Send them to editor@aroundconcord.com.

Wendy Spain

A THOUSAND WORDS

Contribute

Back in the swing

Cam Fortier hits an approach shot at the 5th hole at Beaver Meadow Golf Course last April. Fortier was playing with his St. John’s School classmates in a scramble game.

Geoff Forester

>> Welcome to ‘A Thousand Words,’ a quarterly feature that ends the magazine with an iconic photo. Share your image with us, and we may be able to use it in a coming issue. Only high-resolution photos are accepted, and despite the intent of the feature, we will need to accompany your image with a few words. So please send your photo and a brief description to editor@aroundconcord.com.