TheLaker_Dec_4_23

December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 1

Your Guide to What’s Happening in NH’s Lakes Region

FREE

Celebrating 40 Years December 4 • Vol 40 • No 32

Tastes of the Season ,

Skiing History, & Holiday Events

Inside This Issue... Find More Hidden Gem | Page 3

‘Cue the Grill | Page 8

What’s Up | Pages 14-17

Hope Never Loses | Page 24

Page 2 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023 WOLFEBORO 603-569-3128

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December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 3

A Hidden Gem in Brookfield – Seabrisket Bakery

By Rosalie Triolo Tucked away on Moose Mountain Road in Brookfield, NH is the Seabrisket Bakery, not your ordinary bakery.

It is the home of DJ and Rick Surette.

Welcoming me into her kitchen, the aroma of freshly baked bread, and the rich sweet scents of pies just out of the oven, brought back childhood memories. Of course, grandma’s kitchen was not equipped with commercial-size appliances, or standup multi-level cooling racks.

DJ was putting the finishing touches on the freshly baked maple pecan Schnickens, which look very similar to a rich, maple, nutty version of the cinnamon bun piled high with a maple syrup pecan topping. She described the culinary preparation of a laminated dough that she used to make the Schnickens. It involves many thin layers, sometimes as many as eighty layers of dough. separated by butter made by continually folding and rolling the dough. The result of which is a light flaky dough.

Baklava, Scones, and Croissants are made with laminated dough to bring out the rich flavor and flaky texture of the finished product. Kouign Amann pronounced, “queen ah- mahn” is a Celtic French pastry originating in the Britany area of France. Although similar to a croissant made by layering butter and dough followed by folding and rolling the dough, the Kouign Amann dough is layered with butter and sugar, making the texture flakey, yet chewy.

Twelve years ago, DJ and Rick

ered their property was filled with an abundance of sugar maple trees. They built a sugarhouse. Tapped the sugar maple trees. Made maple syrup, and sold the fruits of their labor at the local farmers’ markets. Often the maple syrup would sell out before the close of the market. DJ decided she also needed to offer a variety of homemade baked breads, pies, scones and cookies. She signed up for the King Arthur Bread Baking course in Norwich, Vermont for Professional Bread Bakers, and Croissants. She would now present a variety of homemade baked goods to sell together with the maple syrup at the farmer’s market.

The sound of a timer alerted DJ that biscuits were ready to be removed from the oven. Opening the oven door, the enticing scent of warm biscuits drifted into the air. She pulled a tray of fluffy light golden-brown biscuits and placed them on a rack to cool. They looked and smelled divine. A multi-tasker, it is quite amazing how DJ can carry on a conversation about local berries, while popping trays of muffins and biscuits into and out of ovens, and discuss pie crusts made by hand. It resembles a well choreographed dance.

All DJ’s pie crusts are made by hand.

She prepares a variety of fruit pies using local blueberries. Her apple pies are a blend of a variety of 5 or 6 different types of apples from Heirloom to Granny Smiths. Heirloom apples, Red

moved from a seaside town in Massachusetts, and purchased a home in

the small friendly town of Brookfield, New Hampshire. They soon discov-

• Bakery continued on page 4

Wishing Everyone A Merry Christmas & A Happy & Healthy New Year!

Looking Forward to Our Store Re-Opening Summer of 2024

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Page 4 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023 • Bakery continued from page 3 Delicious, Honey Crisp and Cortland, are characterized by flavor, texture, size, diverse shapes, and firmness to soft. Spicy apples are a blend of both spicy and sweet as in Golden Delicious apples. The green-skinned Granny Smith apples have a strong taste and acidity. The Honey Crisp and Cortland apples are similar. Both are sweet, yet a bit tart. DJ’s cherry pies as well as her summer peach raspberry pies are filled with delicious fresh fruit. When you cut into DJ’s fruit pies, the crusts do not wind up sinking into the fruit, of which there is only a token measure of berries. DJ’s flakey pie crusts rest atop generous amounts of fruit fillings.

Eppies, better known to the French as Épis de Blé is a twisted long loaf of bread made to resemble stalks of wheat, when pulled apart become individual rolls. French Batard bread, crusty on the outside, chewy and fluffy on the inside is a delicious warm addition to a dinner party. Also, Batard can be used to make sandwiches or toasted with butter. A bite into its crusty outside reveals a chewy and fluffy texture on the inside. In the future, DJ will be trying out new bread recipes. German and Swedish Breads – Thirty different kinds of breads.

Fall and Winter are busy seasons for DJ. She is busy baking Thanksgiving pies, and this year she made 70 pies to be picked up the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Scones and

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rolls are also popular orders to go with breakfasts or dinners. DJ’s pumpkin pies are unique. She begins by roasting the pumpkin in a wood-fired oven. She slices the pumpkin, purées and seasons it to fill her flaky homemade pie crust.

DJ sells pies by the slice or whole. She relates the story of a woman, who came into the bakery and ordered one slice of pumpkin pie. After tasting a piece of the pie, the woman bought the whole pie.

Christmas time is a busy time of year for practically everyone. DJ bakes a German Chocolate Cake for Christmas, and her Carrot Cake is also very popular at Christmas. For the past few years, a chef from Boston has bought between eight to ten of her Carrot Cakes for family and friends, and this year he added eighteen pies to the list.

Especially popular during the Christmas Season, and a labor of love, Būche de Noël, the Yule Log roll cake, with butter cream frosting is a fancy, real French Christmas Cake. DJ commented, “Making Būche de Noël is similar to working on a science project. The timing and temperature have to be exact.” Some of her popular cakes are the Triple Layer Mousse Cake made with four layers of flourless chocolate cake draped with ganache.

Before Seabrisket Bakery, DJ and her husband Rick had traveled around the country competing in barbeque contests. A favorite of theirs was a brisket BBQ. A team of two, DJ and Rick’s team was small in comparison to the larger teams of 6 to 15 members. But “The Little Engine that Could” won money and returned home with prized trophies. You may have already fig-

ured out how they came upon the name Seabrisket. DJ and Rick lived in a town by the sea in Massachusetts, and they loved BBQ briskets, thus Seabrisket – Seabisquit, “The little horse with the big heart,” who between 1935 and 1940, the depression years won 33 of his 89 races.

Seabrisket Bakery is located at 66 Moose Mountain Rd., Brookfield, NH 03872 For more information of what’s baking at Seabrisket, go to DJ@seabrisket. com or call 603-832-3090 (No Texts Please). For the holidays Seabrisket will be opened December 2, 9, 16 and 23. When you email DJ, you will automatically be on her email list to receive information about the various baked goods she is currently offering and activities. The bakery will be closed in January, but will reopen around the second week in February for Easter orders. You will be kept abreast of activities, and delicious baked items for sale.

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December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 5

‘Presbybop’ Jazz Quintet in ‘A Joyful (Jazzful) Holiday Concert’ Wolfeboro Friends of Music continues its 88th season with one of America’s most unique and soulful jazz ensembles, ‘The Presbybop Jazz Quintet’, back by popular demand! This encore concert takes place at The First Congregational Church, 115 South Main Street, Wolfeboro, on Friday, December 8, 2023, at 7:00 PM. Since 1993, the Presbybop Quintet has offered jazz that brings listeners completely to life. Founded by pianist Bill Carter, the band is a consort of professional musicians from New York and eastern Pennsylvania. Their collective resumes sound like a who’s who in the international jazz scene. The Quintet has toured nationally, including the main stage at the Chautauqua Institution, and have been joyfully received wherever and whenever they perform.

They have released eleven recordings; the most recent included a jazz requiem for choir and jazz quintet that Carter composed as a syncopated response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

They are excited to return to Wolfeboro for a toe-tapping evening of Holiday jazz. Since two of the band’s albums feature holiday music, listeners

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of the capable Mr. Carter,” says Michael Bailey in ‘All About Jazz’ magazine.

This is the third of eight concert performances comprising the current season running from Sept to May, 88 years of artistic excellence in service to NH’s Lakes Region!

(Business partners support the Wolfeboro Friends of Music: Paul Zimmerman Co. season sponsor, Meredith Village Savings Bank and J. Clifton Avery OF VINYL WRAPPED COMPOSITE DECKING Insurance, show sponsors.)

Tickets are available for $30 at the website: www.wfriendsofmusic.org; at Black’s Paper & Gift Store and Avery Insurance, Main St. Wolfeboro, and at the door on the day of the concert.

High School students with ID will be admitted free of charge. Children accompanied by an adult ticket purchaser can expect to hear familiar songs of the standard and not-so-standard melowill be admitted free of charge. For season - including a medley of music dies of the Christmas Season. “Fragile more information, visit: www.wfriendfrom “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Incarnation, is a collection Don’t miss this great opportunity to of carols presented with a swinging sofmusic.org hear these outstanding musicians! (the and reverent style, all translate very band’s leader just happens to be a Preswell to the jazz vernacular in the hands byterian minister- thus their music is ‘Heavenly’) “Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet honor the Christmas Season with a Dining Out in the thoughtful collection of

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Page 6 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023

Yester year Ski Time in the Lakes Region…Where It Began

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper “If everyone skied, there would be no more wars.”

— Hannes Schneider, pioneer skier As winter kicks off, ski season is upon us. You will know it’s ski time when you hear skiers talking about when their favorite ski area has opened for another season of downhill fun.

Along with the more extensive ski areas in the Lakes Region, smaller mountains were springing up in the early years of skiing. One such area in the burgeoning Waterville Valley area was Campton Mountain, built in 1969 and located within Waterville Estates as a semi-private ski area.

Campton Mountain Ski Area was among the amenities of the Waterville Estates community, at 1,505 feet elevation, with 313 feet of vertical terrain, making it an authentic vintage New Hampshire ski facility.

Some knew the ski area was Locke Waterville or Mad River Run; no matter what it was called, it had a chairlift, and one trail had a rope tow on the lower area.

An ad from a November 1969 Boston Globe reported the amenities at Campton Mountain would offer a family ski area with double chair lifts.

This was not to be a mountain for

Skiing at Gunstock, circa 1950s. seasoned skiers and no one else but also a place for family ski fun.

Because it was essential to get the word out about the ski area, in its kickoff season, free skiing was offered for a few days in March 1970 when the Challenge Cup race enlivened Campton.

A mountain with a long ski history is Abenaki in Wolfeboro. Lift service at Abenaki began in the 1940s. It has the distinction of being one of the oldest ski areas in the country and in operation.

The Hersey family allowed the use of their hill to anyone who wished to

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use it for skiing, and by 1940, a rope tow was installed, and a base lodge was built, complete with a stone fireplace.

As with many other areas, Abenaki was idle during World War II. After the war ended, night skiing was added for the 1946 – 1947 season to lure skiers back to Abenaki. In 1970, a ski jump was added and used for quite some time.

An extensive history of Abenaki shared by Judy Breuninger states that the original trails on Poor Farm Hill were cut and used during the winter of 1936 by the Abenaki Outing Club. The club was new, interested in promoting winter sports in the area, and knew alpine skiing would draw visitors. The Outing Club members were Wolfeboro and Tuftonboro residents who likely wanted to help the local economy by bringing skiers to the area.

Winter carnivals and snow sports were also popular, offering a festive way to endure New Hampshire’s long, cold, and snowy winters. The Abenaki

Outing Club began sponsoring winter carnivals and added lights and night skiing.

Skiing continued to dominate Wolfeboro each winter, and by the 1960s, ski teams of local youths made use of Abenaki. A rope tow was expanded, and trails widened. Only some ski areas offered night skiing then, so the lighted nighttime trails made Abenaki popular.

Another addition was the Carroll F. Hersey Memorial Ski Jump, installed in the 1970s. The Kingswood Ski team used the jump for quite some time.

As with many smaller slopes, Abenaki experienced sporadic operations due to years of lack of snow and the cost of running such an area. In 2005, the Friends of Abenaki helped restore the site with a rope tow and snowmaking machinery.

In the Bristol area, the Mayhew Turnpike Ski Tow offered a chance to practice if you were new to skiing.

Bigger areas, such as Tenney Mountain in Plymouth and Ragged Mountain in Danbury, were full-fledged slopes, but beginner skiers might first try their skills at Mayhew with its small rope tow. Mayhew was in operation from the 1950s to the early 1980s. It was a genuine community effort, with the Lions Club providing volunteer labor and grooming often done by snowmobile.

The potential for a Bristol ski area was explored in the 1940s, and according to an article in the Dec. 8, 1949, issue of the Bristol Enterprise newspaper, Dartmouth College ski coach

• Yesteryear continued on page 7

December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 7 • Yesteryear continued from page 6 Walter Preger inspected many sites in the town for potential as a ski area. The article went on to say the Mayhew site was accessible and that “Bristol needed better skiing for both its residents and for visitors.”

The best-known ski area in the Lakes Region is undoubtedly Gunstock in Gilford. The area thrives year-round, with summer as well as winter recreation.

At its start in 1937, the area (initially called the Belknap Mountain Recreation Area) was a project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) crafted during the Great Depression. The WPA brought needed jobs to many, and the creation of the Belknap Area was one such undertaking.

According to information at www. gunstock.com, the Belknap County Legislative Delegation got support for the project from representatives in Congress and the Senate. It would span the Belknap Mountain range and offer skiers a chairlift, four rope tows, cross-country trails, camping facilities, hiking trails, and a main lodge.

Gunstock quickly became quite popular with great mountain trails and eventually boasted four ski jumps.

Jump competitions brought famous athletes from around the country and elsewhere to try their skills at Gunstock.

One such competitor, Torgeir Tokle, an award-winning ski jumper, was from Norway but had been living in America and competing in the sport,

winning at Gunstock. When war was on, he became an American citizen and enlisted, serving in the 10th Mountain Division.

In the 1950s and 1960s, expansions added chairlifts and more to Gunstock.

As the years pass, Gunstock thrives, and the recreational area’s future is bright.

Many ski enthusiasts wanted to come to Gunstock and other ski areas, but during the Depression and after, few had cars. Even if you did own an automobile, a trip in winter with possible snowstorms and unreliable cars made a two-hour drive from Boston to New Hampshire’s ski areas quite a risk.

Skiing was greatly helped by the advent of the snow trains, which started running from larger communities to New Hampshire’s Lakes Region and points north to the White Mountains in the 1930s. A trip to and from Boston on a snow train offered it all: inexpensive travel and also a chance to meet new people and talk about skiing. The snow train atmosphere was quite party-like, with singing and socializing.

According to “A History of the Boston & Maine Railroad: Exploring New Hampshire’s Rugged Heart by Rail”

by Bruce D. Heald, the first snow train was offered to the public in 1931. The Boston & Maine Railroad advertised its first “Sunday Winter Sports Train” to Warner, New Hampshire, in January 1931. It was popular, and more snow trains began to travel to all areas of New Hampshire in the winter of 1931, among them the Belknap Mountain Recreation Area in Gilford.

By 1937, skiers lined up at Boston’s North Station to catch a snow train to

Gilford. Specific ticket windows were marked as “Snow Train Ticket” areas, where you could buy a ticket to the ski slopes of New Hampshire. There were many passengers, but the cars were kept orderly and uncrowded. Passengers brought their skis, snowshoes, ski poles, and outdoor gear, but there was room for everything. A Service Car on the snow train offered ski and winter outdoor equipment for sale and rent.

As the train pulled out of the station promptly at 9 a.m., passengers were excited. Once in Laconia, they got off the train with their ski equipment and

spent the afternoon skiing at Belknap Mountain. They returned by 5 p.m. when the train took passengers back to Boston.

No matter the year or how a skier got to the many large or small slopes, as the snow began to fall and cover the landscape, everyone knew it was ski time.

Some of those old ski areas are gone now, but others remain. Some have been revived, while others, such as Mayhew in Bristol, live on in the memory of people who once strapped on skis and hit the slopes.

Explore the World of Evergreen Plants Join the Newfound Lake Region Association (NLRA) as we explore the world of evergreen plants during Newfound Nature Station, a free program that connects youth and families to the natural world. This event will be held at Grey Rocks Conservation Area at 178 N Shore Road, Hebron, NH on December 12 from 1 pm to 3 pm and December 16 from 10 am to 12 pm.

Plant survival in a wintery world takes a number of forms- those plants that don’t shed their leaves in fall face the weight of more snow & ice and have to find ways to limit water loss. While we might think of pine trees first, these hardy winter companions come in all shapes and sizes. Join us as we take a closer look at the variety of evergreen plants at Grey Rocks, learn about their cold weather adaptations, and make a craft to take home. This program is free and open to all.

Newfound Nature Station, along

with other family programs and events, is part of NLRA’s year-round work to encourage residents and visitors to enjoy the natural beauty around them, learn more about the environment and how to protect it, and fall in love with the Newfound Watershed. By connecting the people of Newfound to the wonders around them, NLRA works to inspire the next generation of stewards and fulfill the mission of protecting Newfound Lake and its watershed.

Along with programs like Newfound Nature Station, NLRA maintains Grey Rocks Conservation Area in all seasons as a place for people and wildlife alike. It offers walking trails, a picnic area, fishing alcoves, and a non-motorized boat launch and is frequented by wildlife like loons, turtles, and bald eagles as well as people. Learn more about NLRA including other upcoming events at NewfoundLake.org.

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Page 8 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023

‘Cue

The

Grill

Great Holiday Desserts

By Kelly Ross Today is a great opportunity to share some great dessert ideas for the biggest holiday there is. There is no doubt that Christmas dinner can be as epic as the one on Thanksgiving.Here are few options to look at, including a fun fudge as well as cookie recipe for those swaps as well as things to pick at while at home, and then I have 3 amazing after dinner desserts that are all very decadent and delicious. If you want to get your sweet tooth on, keep reading.

Let’s start off with an amazing and quite original fudge recipe that has a great Christmas look and flavor to it.

For this one, we bust out cranberry and white chocolate for the main characters.

This delicious fudge is sweet, creamy, and very indulgent. This is one of the best fudge options for the Christmas season. You can put this together in 10 minutes but does need to set for 3-4 hours or overnight. This will get you 20 awesome hunks of fudge with only 6 ingredients.

Cranberry White Chocolate Fudge 3 cups chopped white chocolate 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 14 oz 2 tbsp butter 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup dried cranberries ½ cup chopped pistachios, or other nut of choice In a large bowl, combine chocolate, condensed milk, butter, and vanilla.

Microwave on high in 45-second intervals, stirring well each time, just until smooth. Stir in the cranberries and pistachios, pour mixture into an 8×8-inch square pan and spread it into an even layer. Refrigerate until set, a few hours, or overnight. Slice into squares and serve. Is that easy enough for ya? Got to love these kinds of recipes. If preferred, raisins or other dried fruits work great, but for this time of year, I suggest using cranberries although adding a few things is never a bad thing.

It’s cookie time for all of you who love to do those cookie swaps out there.

This recipe, like the last, also busts out the white chocolate but a key ingredient to bring out the Christmas flare to them is they are topped with crushed candy canes for an awesome holiday look to them. They are soft, chewy, buttery and amazingly simple like the last one. This recipe will get you 18 cookies and prep/ cook time combined is a bit over a half hour.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies 1 cup butter, room temp 1 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp peppermint extract 2 cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt 7 regular sized candy canes crushed, separated 1 1/3 cup white chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray. Add 5 candy canes to a zip lock bag and crush into small pieces. Set it aside. In a large bowl or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and white sugar together until light and fluffy. This usually takes about 3 minutes. Add in the egg, peppermint extract, and vanilla and mix till well incorporated. In a separate large bowl whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix till combined. Fold in 1 cup of the white chocolate chips and the crushed candy canes with a rubber spatula. Scoop 3 tbsp worth of dough into a ball and

place on the baking trays 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. The cookies will still look a little soft but will stiffen up once cooled to room temperature.

While cooking, crush the 2 remaining candy canes. After the cookies are removed from the oven, top with extra crushed candy canes and remaining 1/3 cup of white chocolate chips and gently press them into the cookies. Let cookies cool on the tray until they are at room temperature.

OK, so let’s transition from simple and 2-3 bite sizes eaten by hand to the very decadent desserts that will make the perfect ending to a fabulous Christmas dinner. For starters, this one is a basic vanilla cheesecake but like the fudge, this has cranberry as well but cranberry sauce, which gives it a great look that will open many eyes at the table. There’s a lot to be said about wild and extravagant cheesecakes, but sometimes basic is just what the doctor ordered. So simple with a touch of cranberry sauce swirled within makes for a great Christmasy-looking dessert, and of course, it’s yummy, which is always

• ‘Cue the Grill continued on page 9

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December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 9 • ‘Cue the Grill continued from page 8 the most important factor. This is again very simple to prep as you can have it ready for the oven in less than a half hour, but like any cheesecake, it takes a while to cook, and more so to be refrigerated to let it set. I suggest making it the day before you plan on serving it. It will get you 10-12 slices of awesomeness.

Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake 5 oz graham crackers, about 8-9, broken into pieces 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1 ¼ cups plus 2 tbsp sugar 2 lbs cream cheese at room temp ¼ tsp kosher salt 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 4 large eggs, room temp 1 cup cranberry sauce Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap exterior of a 9-inch springform pan, including bottom, in a double layer of foil, ideally heavy-duty foil. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter and 2 tbsp sugar and pulse again until mixture has the texture of wet sand. Press firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until set and darkened slightly, 10-12 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to let cool completely. Reduce the oven temp to 325 degrees. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 ¼ cups sugar in a slow, steady stream. Beat in salt and vanilla.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition and

scraping down sides of bowl as needed, but do not overmix. Place springform pan in a large, shallow roasting pan. Pour filling onto crust. Dollop the cranberry sauce, 1 tsp at a time, over the

filling, then swirl sauce into filling with a skewer or toothpick. Transfer roasting pan to oven. Carefully pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of springform pan.

Bake until cake is set but still slightly wobbly in center, about 1 ¼ hours.

Carefully transfer springform pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate, uncovered, 6 hours, or loosely covered, up to 1 day. Before unmolding and slicing, run a knife around the edge of cake. When slicing, dip a very sharp knife in hot water and after each cut, wipe the blade with a paper towel and dip knife in water as needed as the hot blade cuts it so much better. Refrigerate if you have any leftovers.

Where the cranberry swirl cheesecake is a simple and basic cheesecake, let’s go to a more exquisite recipe with this one. This bad boy brings a delicious breakfast pastry mentality to it as this one is a cinnamon roll cheesecake, and wow is it awesome. This is very thick and creamy with a streak of cinnamon running through it and is finished with a cream cheese icing. That doesn’t sound awful now, does it? Not only an amazing dessert, around the holidays, go ahead and splurge with this at breakfast. Prep time is very similar to the last one as it’ll be in the half-hour range and cooking time is 1 ½ hours. Again, I suggest making this the day before serving it, or at minimum, making it in the morning for dinner service. Plan on a dozen slices, give, or take.

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake For The Crust 1 ½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs, or graham cracker crumbs ¼ cup sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon • ‘Cue the Grill continued on page 10

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Page 10 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023 • ‘Cue the Grill continued from page 9 5 tbsp butter, melted For The Cheesecake Filling 24 oz cream cheese, room temp 1 cup sugar 3 tbsp all-purpose flour 1 cup sour cream 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 tsp ground cinnamon 4 large eggs, room temp For The Cinnamon Filling 1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar 5 tbsp ground cinnamon ¾ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup unsalted butter, melted For The Cream Cheese Frosting 2 tbsp cream cheese, room temp 6 tbsp butter, room temperature ½ tsp vanilla extract 1 ½ cups powdered sugar 4–5 tbsp heavy cream To make the crust, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan on the bottom and the sides.

Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool. Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil like the last one so that water from the water bath cannot get in. Set prepared pan aside. Reduce

the oven temp to 300 degrees.

To make the cheesecake filling, add the cream cheese, sugar and flour to a large mixing bowl and beat on low speed until completely combined and smooth.

Be sure to use low speed to reduce the amount of air added to the batter, which can cause cracks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Beat on low speed until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly to combine after each addition until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined. Set it aside.

To make the cinnamon filling, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in melted butter until well combined.

Sprinkle about ¼ of the cinnamon filling over the crust, then spread about 1/3 of the cheesecake filling over the cinnamon mixture. I like to drizzle it over the cinnamon filling. Repeat layering the cinnamon filling and cheesecake filling two more times, for a total of three layers of cinnamon and three layers of cheesecake filling. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon filling over top of cheesecake.

Place the springform pan inside another larger pan. Fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway

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up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

The center should be set, but still slightly jiggly. Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for 30 minutes. The cheesecake will continue to cook, but slowly begin to cool as well. Crack the door of the oven for 30 minutes more to allow the cheesecake to continue to cool slowly. This process helps prevent cracking. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and water bath and set the cheesecake aside to cool to about room temperature, then refrigerate until firm, 4-5 hours or overnight.

To make the frosting, add the cream cheese and butter to a mixer bowl and mix until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and mix until well combined. Add the heavy cream, as needed, and mix until well combined. Carefully remove your cheesecake from the springform pan by running a knife along the outside to make sure it has loosed some and set it on a plate or serving platter, then pipe the frosting in a spiral design over the top of the cheesecake. Slice as described in the last recipe. Store the cheesecake in the fridge until ready to serve. Make sure all leftovers are refrigerated. Enjoy!

As much as I love a good cheesecake, this dessert is most definitely my favorite to make during the winter and at Christmas. Granted, not everyone

loves a good bread pudding, but I dare ya to say that after eating this one. Most complaints I hear when telling me why they aren’t a fan of bread pudding, it’s usually all about the texture. It is what it is, but I still dare ya to give this one a shot before condemning it. This is not the usual bread pudding as the inside has caramel and raisins, but the true kicker here is the cream sauce that goes over it. This sauce is truly phenomenal and a perfect match with the pudding.

It’s a cooked sauce that needs to be refrigerated to chill so I usually make the sauce at least a few hours in advance of making the pudding. Oh yeah, did I forget to tell you that it’s a vanilla cream sauce that is finished with Jameson Irish whiskey “if” that’s your thing, but it can easily be eliminated if you don’t want it. It’s just a hint of it so you can taste it, but it is hardly overwhelming. The prep is maybe 30 minutes, and the cooking process is more like an hour. When it’s done, pull the sauce out of the fridge and drizzle over each portion and watch the smiles, and listen to the moaning sounds of happiness. This will feed 8 for sure.

Caramel Raisin Bread Pudding w/ Irish Whiskey Cream Sauce For The Irish Whiskey Cream Sauce 3 egg yolks 1/3 cup of sugar 1/3 cup of milk • ‘Cue the Grill continued on page 11

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December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 11 • ‘Cue the Grill continued from page 10 1 cup of heavy cream Pinch of salt ¼ cup of Jamesons Irish Whiskey ½ tsp vanilla For The Bread Pudding 1 loaf of quality homemade-style bread, as in an English or Italian loaf, 1-1 ¼ lb ½ cup raisins ½ cup sugar mixed with 1 tbsp cinnamon ¾-1 cup of caramel sauce 4 cups (1 qt) of milk 1 cup sugar 7 eggs 1 tsp vanilla Let’s start with the sauce. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until well blended. In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, milk, and salt. Bring to a boil,

then reduce to low heat. Whisk ½ cup of the cream mixture slowly into the egg/sugar mix, then slowly whisk back into the saucepan. Continue whisking over low-medium/low heat until sauce begins to thicken about 5 minutes. It’s important to whisk lightly for the duration. Do Not Let It Boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and Jamesons and chill. Every 20-30 minutes, check on it and give it a stir until it has chilled.

Once cold, cover it until it is game time to eat.

For the pudding, in a saucepan, combine milk and the sugar. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly, making sure the sugar dissolves. Refrigerate it until it cools or pop in the freezer to quicken things up, stirring occasionally to help it cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brush a 2 quart or bigger casserole dish with melted butter or pan release spray.

Trim the crust off the bread and then cut the loaf into 1-inch cubes. Evenly arrange half the bread cubes in the buttered dish. Sprinkle with half the raisins, drizzle half the caramel, and sprinkle with half of the sugar/cinnamon mix. In a bowl, whisk the eggs until light in color. Slowly whisk the cool milk mix into the eggs until blended. Whisk in the vanilla. Pour half of the custard mixture over the bread. Press down until it is absorbed. Add the rest of the bread, the rest of the raisins and caramel sauce.

Pour in the rest of the milk/egg mixture and again press down on it to help the bread absorb it. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar mix over the top. Like with the cheesecakes, place the pan into a larger pan and pour hot water into the outer pan about halfway up the casserole dish and bake for 45-60 minutes. A knife inserted in the middle should come out

slightly moist but not wet. It should spring back when touched. Pull it from the oven and out of the water bath and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Spoon portions into individual bowls and serve with the sauce either over each portion or put the sauce in a gravy boat and let everyone sauce it themselves. You “may” want to double up on the sauce recipe as I’ve seen many friends and family go heavy-handed with it…. with good reason I might add.

Another food chapter is in the books.

I’ll see you again in a couple of weeks with more food fun but until then, keep those taste buds of yours smiling from ear to ear. If you care to touch base with any questions or feedback, feel free to touch base at fenwaysox10@gmail. com.

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Page 12 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023

24th Annual Holiday Basket Fundraiser for L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pantry For the 24th year, the Wolfeboro Rotary Club and L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pantry will hold their joint Holiday Basket fundraiser to benefit the Food Pantry. Since 1999, the Holiday Basket has been the Food Pantry’s largest annual fundraiser, with its proceeds going to provide food to families in need in Wolfeboro and surrounding towns.

The event will begin on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, and run through Saturday, December 9, 2023. Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Verani Realty has once again offered its office at 22 South Main Street to serve as a dropoff point for donations during normal business hours. Donations may also be dropped off at the Rotary Christmas Tree Sale at the Clark Museum Com-

plex at 218 South Main Street from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Friday through Sunday, mailed to L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pantry at P.O. Box 476, Wolfeboro Falls, N.H. 03896, or made online at lifeministriesfoodpantry.org.

The Food Pantry operates on a drivethrough basis on the first and third Wednesdays of every month. It distributes sufficient food to prepare twelve meals per week for each family member, as well as basic household necessities, such as cleaning and personal hygiene items. It provides vouchers for the purchase of milk and fresh produce. During school vacation periods, the Food Pantry offers additional food for children through its Vacation Station Program. It also provides food for

families living at the Families in Transition Hope House.

As of November, the Food Pantry has distributed 216,228 meals, an increase of fifty-six percent over the same period in 2022. During its most recent distributions, it has averaged more than 160 families, as the number of clients has steadily increased during the year. Thus far in 2022, it has served 367 households and 968 individuals.

The Wolfeboro Rotary Club, founded in July 1927, is part of Rotary International, a humanitarian service organization that brings together business and professional leaders in order to provide community service, promote integrity, and advance goodwill, peace, and understanding in the world. The

Holiday Basket is just one of its annual events that support charitable causes in the community.

Now in its thirty-eighth year of operation, L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pantry was founded in 1985 as a joint outreach of seven Wolfeboro churches. Its mission is to provide access to food security to members of the community in need with dignity and respect.

The Holiday Basket makes up a major portion of the Food Pantry’s annual budget. We are fortunate to live in an extremely caring community, whose generous support enables us to provide for our neighbors in need. We thank you for your past contributions and ask for your assistance in making this another successful Holiday Basket.

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center offers a monthly program for homeschool students on the first Thursday of the month from November through April. Programs are for ages 4 to 6 or ages 7 to 10.

The monthly homeschool programs allow students to learn about the natural world through hands-on activities and

investigations. Each monthly program will wrap up with a visit with one of the Science Center’s live animal ambassadors. Take-home activities are provided to continue the learning after each session.

Homeschool activities take place both indoors and outdoors so participants should dress to be outdoors with

insulated boots, hats, gloves, jackets, and warm layers. Advanced registration is required and participants can register for one program or the whole series.

The Science Center’s monthly homeschool programs are on the first Thursday of each month through April from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Topics include: Ages 4-6 Topics December 7: Animal Survival Needs January 4: Habitat – Where Animals Live & Why February 1: Weather – How Organisms Respond to Seasons March 7: Weather – Measuring Sunlight April 4: How Organisms Change the Environment

Ages 7-10 Topics December 7: Be A Scientist – Dendrology January 4: Be A Scientist – Ecology February 1: Be A Scientist – Ornithology March 7: Be A Scientist – Mammalogy April 4: Be A Scientist – Entomology The cost for the homeschool program is $12 per member child per session or 15 for non-member child per session.

An adult must participate with children at no additional cost.

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December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 13

TUBACHRISTMAS Returns to Wolfeboro The nineteenth TUBACHRISTMAS concert in Wolfeboro will be Saturday, December 9, from 2 to 3 pm at a new location, the First Congregational Church, 115 South Main Street. Bring your family and friends and enjoy this free public concert of holiday music and traditional carols, which will be performed by a low brass ensemble.

The concert features the low brass instruments, such as tubas, baritone horns and euphoniums, usually seen at the back of the band. Donations will be gratefully accepted and will go directly to the L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pantry to help provide food and other necessities for area residents.

The Wolfeboro TUBACHRISTMAS concert is a regional event with players from various community, uni-

versity, and school bands, as well as professional musicians, both working and retired. Any low brass players interested in performing should contact the local TUBACHRISTMAS co-coordinator or visit TUBACHRISTMAS at www.tubachristmas.com. According to the conductor, “The arrangements are wonderful, very fresh, and appealing, for they focus upon the melodic capabilities of the instruments and their rich, mellow sound when played together in close harmony. For the audience, it’s very much like listening to familiar music being performed in an interesting new way, quite warm and welcoming.”

Harvey Phillips, a renowned tuba virtuoso and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Indiana University, School

of Music, founded TUBACHRISTMAS in 1974. He conceived it to honor the great tubist and teacher, William Bell, who was born on Christmas Day in 1902. The famous American composer, Alec Wilder, agreed to arrange a few carols for low brass ensemble, and the very first concert was held on the Ice Rink Stage of New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza in December 1974, with over 300 participants. Since then, the popularity of TUBACHRISTMAS has grown considerably among performers and audiences alike, and in 2022, concerts are scheduled in cities and towns across America, plus several foreign countries. Claudia Bissett, who holds a Masters degree in Musicology from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, is joining us this

year as the Conductor of the Wolfeboro TUBACHRISTMAS. She is a member of the Strafford Wind Symphony, the Cate Park Band, and is also the flute soloist at All Saints Episcopal Church in Wolfeboro.

The public is invited to attend the Wolfeboro TUBACHRISTMAS concert, which will begin at 2 pm in the sanctuary of the First Congregational Church on Saturday, December 9. If you have never been to a TUBACHRISTMAS performance before, you are in for a musical treat, so mark your calendar, bring your family, invite your friends! For more information about this concert, contact the local TUBACHRISTMAS co-coordinator, Joe Ewing, at (603) 569-3861 or the TUBACHRISTMAS website.

Light Beyond Darkness: Pemi Choral Presents December Concerts The 100-voice Pemigewasset Choral Society (Pemi Choral) shines a light upon the holiday season with a repertoire of songs that celebrate the Light Beyond Darkness that we each seek during this darkest part of winter. The three-concert series will be performed at Gilford Community Church on December 7, Moultonborough Community Auditorium on December 8, and at Silver Center for the Performing Arts, Plymouth, N.H. on December 10. Admission to all concerts is by donation at the door.

The concerts will include several pieces that celebrate the special significance of light during the darkness of winter, such as Light of a Clear Blue Morning arranged by Craig Hella Johnson, True Light by Keith Hampton, Oh

Watch the Stars by Moira Smiley, Stars I Shall Find by Victor Johnson, as well as many other pieces and holiday selections.

“The winter solstice, when daylight starts becoming longer, is sometimes referred to as the rebirth of light,” says Pemi Choral Music Director Will Gunn. “I chose musical pieces that also celebrate light, and should be uplifting as we approach the solstice and the holiday season.”

Will Gunn was named the 2023 Choral Director of the year by the NHACDA (NH American Choral Directors Association). Collaborative pianist Laura Belanger accompanies the chorus.

Celebrating its 50th year, Pemi Choral continues to grow in membership

and in attracting enthusiastic audiences. We are 100 voices with one goal— to spread the joy of choral music! The chorus will perform a specially commissioned piece in honor of its 50th season at its Spring 2024 concert series. Detailed information can be found on our website at pemichoral.org.

The Pemi Chorus is a regional community chorus based in Plymouth, NH, with a wide-ranging musical repertoire.

Members come from more than 25 communities throughout the Lakes Re-

gion, Central New Hampshire, and the White Mountains. The chorus boasts a diverse range of ages from high school students to age 80. They perform concerts in December and May, and welcome new members at the beginning of each semester. For more information, please visit pemichoral.org, find us on Facebook and Instagram, or email us at pemichoralsociety@gmail.com.

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Gifts for Everyone

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For those on your list or something for you!

What’s UP

your guide to what’s happening in NH’s Lakes Region...

Please call ahead for event listings updates. Information and schedules subject to change.

Through Dec. 4, ArtWorks Charity Silent Auction, benefits White Horse Recovery and MWV Eaters & Growers, bid online for goods, services & art, ArtWorks Gallery/CCAC, 132 Rt. 16, Chocorua, 323-8041, www.chocoruaartworks.com.

SHOP OPEN THRU DECEMBER 17, 2023

Through Dec. 15, Extending Ecology – Making Meaning with the White Mountains, exhibit at Museum of the White Mountains, 603-535-3210, www. plymouth.edu/mwm.

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Through Dec. 31, Art for New Hampshire Home exhibit, 4 p.m., The Lakes Gallery at Chi-Lin, 135 Eastman Rd., Laconia, 603-556-9384, www.thelakesgallery.com.

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Dec. 6, 9 & 10, Festival of Trees, Wright Museum, Center St., Wolfeboro, www.wolfeborofestivaloftrees.com.

Dec. 6, Plymouth Square Dance, 7:30 – 10 p.m., caller: David Millstone, Barn on the Pemi, 341 Daniel Webster Highway, Plymouth, howe.gen@gmail. com, 603-481-0789. (Also Jan. 4, Feb. 1, March 7 & April 4.)

Dec. 7, Post Modern Jukebox – Life in the Past Lane, 8 p.m., Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia, 899-657-8774, www.coloniallaconia.com.

Dec. 8, Brad Upton comic, 7:30 p.m., Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia, 800-657-8774, www.coloniallaconia.com.

Dec. 8, Eileen Ivers – A Joyful Christmas, 7:30 p.m., Flying Monkey, 39 S. Main St., Plymouth, 603-536-2551, www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

Dec. 8, Once an Outlaw, 8 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, 603-225-1111 ext. 15, www.ccanh.com.

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Dec. 8, Presbybop Jazz Quintet, Joyful (Jazzful) Holiday Concert, 7 p.m., First Congregational Church, Wolfeboro, tickets: Wolfeboro Friends of Music, 603-569-2151, www.wfriendsofmusic.org.

Dec. 8, Wolfeboro Farmers’ Market, 3 - 6 p.m., local farm-raised meats, vegetables, eggs, baked goods, maple syrup, honey, artisanal products, held at Maker’s Mill, 23 Bay St., Wolfeboro, 603-391-5661, wolfeborofarmersmarket@gmail.com.

Dec. 8-10, Santa’s Village & Craft Fair, visit with Santa and his elves, Tapply-Thompson Community Center, 30 North Main St., Bristol, www.ttccrec. org, 603-744-2713.

Dec. 8-23, A Christmas Carol, Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St., Rochester, 603-335-1992, www.rochesteroperahouse.com.

Dec. 9, Annual Gilford Village Candlelight Stroll, 5 – 7 p.m., games, tour the historic Rowe House, horse-drawn wagon rides, visit with Santa, s’mores at the bonfire in Village field, carolers, cookies, cocoa, craft making, hundreds of lit candles illuminating the village, 603-527-4700.

Dec. 9, Candlemaking: Bayberry Candles, 10 a.m. – noon, workshop to make tapered bayberry candles, Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center, 928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, www.prescottfarm.org., pre-register: 603366-5695.

Dec. 9, Canterbury Indoor Community Farmers Market, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Canterbury Elementary School gym, baked goods, produce, crafts, www.canterburyfarmersmarket.com.

Dec. 9, Frosty, 1 & 3 p.m., Chubb Theatre, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 603-2251111 ext. 15, www.ccanh.com.

Dec. 9, GoldenOak, 8 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, 603225-1111 ext. 15, www.ccanh.com.

Dec. 9, Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra presents Christmas Belles, 7 p.m., Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia, 800-657-8774, www.coloniallaconia.com.

Dec. 9, Matt Fuller, Piano Nights, 6 p.m., Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery, 72 Main St., Meredith: 603-253-7968, www.hermitwoods.com.

Dec. 9, Nature Crafts: Holiday Workshop for Kids!, 1 – 3 p.m., workshop to make tapered bayberry candles, Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center, 928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, www.prescottfarm.org., pre-register: 603-366-5695.

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Dec. 9, The Met: Live in HD, Florencia en el Amazonas, 12:55 p.m., Bank of NH Stage at Capitol Center for the Arts, 16 S. Main St., Concord, 603-2251111 ext. 15, www.ccanh.com.

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Dec. 9 & 10, Christmas Belles, 7 – 9 p.m., Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, holiday music with guest artist Sheree Owens, vocals, 12/9 at Colonial Theatre, Laconia; 12/10 at Inter-Lakes Auditorium, Meredith, www.lrso.org.

Dec. 9 & 10, The Nutcracker Ballet, Wolfeboro, by the Northeastern Ballet Company, tickets: www.northeasternballet.org.

December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 15

What’s UP

your guide to what’s happening in NH’s Lakes Region...

Dec. 10, Capitol Jazz Orchestra Holiday Pops, 4 p.m., Chubb Theatre, Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, tickets/info: www.ccanh.com, 603-225-1111.

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Dec. 10, The Rock and Roll Playhouse – Music of Dave Matthews Band, 12 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, 603-225-1111 ext. 15, www. ccanh.com.

Dec. 10, TUBACHRISTMAS, 2 - 3 p.m., First Congregational Church, 115 South Main St., Wolfeboro, info: Joe Ewing, 603-569-3861.

Dec. 12, Nature Station: Exploring Evergreens, 1 - 3 p.m., Grey Rocks Conservation Area, 178 North Shore Rd., Hebron, 603-744-8689. Also on Dec. 16 from 10 a.m. - noon.

Dec. 13, Artistic Explorations, Christmas Gnomes, noon – 1:30 p.m., League of NH Craftsmen Meredith Fine Craft Gallery, 279 Daniel Webster Highway, Meredith, 603-279-7920, www.meredith.nhcrafts.org.

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Dec. 13, Eyes on the Sky: Geminids Meteor Showers, 5 – 6 p.m, Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center, 928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, www. prescottfarm.org., pre-register: 603-366-5695.

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Dec. 13, Outreach Pass and Rail Night, 5 - 8 p.m., Gunstock Mountain Resort, 719 Cherry Valley Rd., Gilford, www.gunstock.com, 603-293-4341.

Dec. 14, Buzz Ball, 7 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, Chubb Theatre, 44 S. Main St., Concord, tickets/info: www.ccanh.com, 603-225-1111.

Whether you visit us in person or shop online, receive 15% off your purchase of $50 or more* December 1-31

Dec. 14, Vintage Vocal Quartet, 6 p.m. dinner & drinks, showtime 7 p.m., Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery, 72 Main St., Meredith, tickets/info: 603-2537968, www.hermitwoods.com.

*Excludes sale and consignment items

Gift Shop Hours: Thursday - Saturday, 9am - 5pm (Online shoppers visit www.loon.org and use code HOL2023, for in store purchases bring in this ad)

Dec. 15, Comedy Night with Juston McKinney, A Year in Review, 6 p.m., Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery, 72 Main St., Meredith, tickets/info: 603-2537968, www.hermitwoods.com.

Share your love of LOONS this holiday season!

Holiday CardsOrnamentsStocking StuffersApparel & More

Dec. 15, Holiday Film Series, Elf, 6:30 p.m., Flying Monkey, 39 S. Main St., Plymouth, 603-536-2551, www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

THE LOON CENTER 183 Lees Mill Rd, Moultonborough Winter Hours: Thu - Sat, 9am-5pm Hiking trails open dawn-dusk, daily.

Dec. 15, Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy Present: A Celtic Family, 7 p.m., Chubb Theatre, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 603-225-111, ext. 15, www. ccanh.com.

www.loon.org

Dec. 15, Scotty Austin, formerly of Saving Abel, 8 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, 603-225-11115, ww.ccanh.com.

STONE VENEER PATIOS WALKWAYS RETAINING WALLS EXCAVATION DRAINAGE LAWN INSTALLS PLANT INSTALLS TIMELY SERVICE FULLY INSURED

Dec. 15, Wolfeboro Farmers’ Market, 3 - 6 p.m., local farm-raised meats, vegetables, eggs, baked goods, maple syrup, honey, artisanal products, held at Maker’s Mill, 23 Bay St., Wolfeboro, 603-391-5661, wolfeborofarmersmarket@gmail.com.

Dec. 15-17, A Christmas Carol: The Musical Ghost Story, Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia, 800-657-8774, www.coloniallaconia.com.

Dec. 15-17, Ho Ho Ho! The Santa Claus Chronicles, The Village Players, 51 Glendon St., Wolfeboro, 603-569-9656, www.village-players.com.

Dec. 15-31, Cinderella, Lake Winnipesaukee Playhouse, 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith, tickets/show times: 603-279-0333, www.winnipesaukeeplayhouse. org.

Dec. 16, David Lockwood, Piano Nights, 6 p.m., Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery, 72 Main St., Meredith: 603-253-7968, www.hermitwoods.com.

Dec. 16, Family Craft Day, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Belknap Mill, 25 Beacon St. East., Laconia, 603-524-8813, www.belknapmill.org.

Dec. 16, Holiday Yeast Breads, 10 a.m. – noon, learn to make sweetbreads, Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center, 928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, www.prescottfarm.org., pre-register: 603-366-5695.

Dec. 16, Mr. Aaron Holiday, 11 a.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, 603-225-1111, www.ccanh.com.

Dec. 16, Nature Crafts: Make Your Own Decorative Yule Log, 1 – 3 p.m., Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center, 928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, www.prescottfarm.org., pre-register: 603-366-5695.

Dec. 16, Safe Haven Ballet presents The Nutcracker, 4:30 p.m., Chubb Theatre, 44 S. Main St., Concord, tickets/info: www.ccanh.com, 225-1111.

Dec. 16, Skate with Santa, 2 – 4 p.m., Pop Whalen Ice & Arts Center, Wolfeboro, www.wolfeboronh.us.

Dec. 16 & 17, Twelfth Night, 5:30 p.m., by Advice To The Players, at Castle in the Clouds, Moultonborough, tickets/info: www.advicetotheplayers.org.

Dec. 17, Open Mic Night, 7 p.m., Advice To The Players, at Samuel Wentworth Library, Sandwich, www.advicetotheplayers.org.

Dec. 17, Safe Haven Ballet presents How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 4:30 pm, Chubb Theatre, Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, tickets/info: www.ccanh.com, 225-1111.

k c i N l l a C ior Service!

For Super

Page 16 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023

What’s UP

your guide to what’s happening in NH’s Lakes Region...

Invites You to Visit

Tuesday - Saturday :: 9:30 - 5:30 Advent Calendars • Holiday Cards NH Gifts • Framed Art, Prints and Photos • Lake Bags • Much More!

603-536-4396 584 Tenney Mountain Hwy Plymouth, NH 03264

Dec. 17, Safe Haven Ballet presents How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 4:30 p.m., Chubb Theatre, 44 S. Main St., Concord, tickets/info: www.ccanh.com, 225-1111.

Dec. 20, White Christmas, Strafford Wind Symphony Concert, 7 p.m., Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St., Rochester, 603-335-1992, www. rochesteroperahouse.com.

Dec. 21, The Free Range Revue, 9 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, 603-225-1111, www.ccanh.com.

Dec. 22, Charlie Brown Jazz Christmas, 7 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, 603-225-1111 ext. 15.

Dec. 22, Holiday Film Series, It’s a Wonderful Life, 6:30 p.m., Flying Monkey, 39 S. Main St., Plymouth, 603-536-2551, www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

Dec. 22, Wolfeboro Farmers’ Market, 3 - 6 p.m., local farm-raised meats, vegetables, eggs, baked goods, maple syrup, honey, artisanal products, held at Maker’s Mill, 23 Bay St., Wolfeboro, 603-391-5661, wolfeborofarmersmarket@gmail.com.

Dec. 23, Christmas With the Celts, 7:30 p.m., Flying Monkey, 39 S. Main St., Plymouth, 603-536-2551, www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

SHOP FINE CRAFT

Beautiful Gifts for the special people on your list.

SHOP in the Gallery or ONLINE

The Gallery is looking for another team member Give us a call!

279 DW Hwy. • Meredith • 603-279-7920 • Meredith.NHCrafts.org • Mon - Sat: 10-5 • Sun: 12-5 Like us on Facebook so you can see other beautiful things made by NH’s finest artists ~www.facebook.com/nhcraft

Happy Holidays!

Dec. 23, Michael Gallagan, Piano Nights, 6 p.m., Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery, 72 Main St., Meredith: 603-253-7968, www.hermitwoods.com.

Dec. 26, 27 & 31, Comedian Bob Marley, 8 p.m., Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St., Rochester, 603-335-1992, www.rochesteroperahouse.com.

Dec. 27, Katie Dobbins Music & Hermit Woods Winery Present Songwriter Roundup, 6 p.m., Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery, 72 Main St., Meredith, tickets/info: 603-253-7968, www.hermitwoods.com.

Dec. 28, Randy Roos’ Hall of Mirrors, 6 p.m., Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery, 72 Main St., Meredith, tickets/info: 603-253-7968, www.hermitwoods.com.

Dec. 29, Led Zeppelin, 8 p.m,, Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St., Rochester, 603-335-1992, www.rochesteroperahouse.com.

Dec. 29, Zach Nugent’s Dead Set, 8 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, 603-225-1111, www.ccanh.com.

Dec. 30, Craig Fahey, Piano Nights, 6 p.m., Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery, 72 Main St., Meredith: 603-253-7968, www.hermitwoods.com.

Dec. 30, Hypnotist Frank Santos Jr., 8 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, 603-225-1111, www.ccanh.com.

Dec. 30, Saturday Afternoon Music Series with John Irish, 3 – 6 p.m., Pistol Pub at Gunstock Mountain Resort, 719 Cherry Valley Rd., Gilford, www.gunstock.com, 603-293-4341.

Thank you to all my customers

Dec. 30, Soapmaking 101, 10 a.m. – noon, workshop learning to make soap, Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center, 928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, www.prescottfarm.org., pre-register: 603-366-5695.

for a great year!

ONGOING ArtWorks Gallery & Fine Crafts/CCAC, art, shows, workshops and events, open year-round with seasonal hours, 603-323-8041, 132 Rte. 16, Chocorua, www.chocoruaartworks.com.

Belknap Mill, 25 Beacon St. East, Laconia, gallery and textile museum, events and programs, 603-524-8813, www.belknapmill.org.

Canterbury Shaker Village, walking trails, Shaker Rd., Canterbury, 603-7839511, www.shakers.org.

Castle in the Clouds, Rte. 171, Moultonborough, 603-476-5900, www.castleintheclouds.org.

Chapman Sanctuary and Visny Woods, nature trails open for hiking, 740 Mt. Israel Rd., Center Sandwich, 603-284-6428, www.chapmansanctuaryvisnywoods.com.

Chocorua Lake Basin View Lot, mountain views, benches for seating, free, www.chocorualake.org.

Sal’s

Advanced Auto Inc 486 Center St, Wolfeboro (603) 569-7763

Country Village Quilt Guild, meets first and third Wednesday of each month, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m., Public Safety Building (back entrance to Police and Fire Dept.), Rte. 25, Moultonborough, countryvillagequilters@gmail.com.

Dam Brewhouse, events, 1323 NH Rte. 175, Campton, 603-726-4500, www. dambrewhouse.com.

Freedom Gallery, artwork/exhibits by area artists, 8 Elm St., Freedom, call ahead for hours: 610-762-2493.

December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 17

What’s UP

your guide to what’s happening in NH’s Lakes Region...

Freedom Village Store, variety of goods from artisan items to baked goods and more, 11 Elm St., Freedom, call for info/hours: 603-539-3077, www.freedomvillagestore.org.

Hiker’s Club, Castle in the Clouds, Rte. 171, Moultonborough, 603-476-5900, www.castleintheclouds.org.

In the Round, Sundays, 8:45 a.m., thought-provoking topics related to tolerance, Benz Center, Sandwich, 284-7211.

Indoor Pickleball, 5 p.m., Sandwich Central School gym, Sandwich, every Tues., Wed. & Thurs., parksandrec@sandwichnh.org.

Kirkwood Gardens, free, open to public year round, Rt. 3, Holderness, tour the gardens, info: www.nhnature.org, 968-7194.

Morin Agency Wishes You A

Happy Holiday

Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild, meets second and fourth Wednesday of each month, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., First Congregational Church, 115 Main St., Wolfeboro.

A second group meets first and third Tuesday of each month at Community Center, 22 Lehner St., Wolfeboro, www.llqg.net.

Lakes Region Art Association, exhibits and classes, Suite 300, Tanger Outlet, Rte. 3, Tilton, 603-998-0029, www.lraanh.org.

Lakes Region Curling Association, fall & winter leagues, matches at Pop Whalen Ice & Arts Center, Wolfeboro, Sundays 4:30 – 6:30 p.m., 84 S. Main St., 603-569-5639.

Laverack Nature Trail at Hawkins Brook, nature trail on boardwalk, free, trail starts to the left of Meredith Village Savings Bank, Rte. 25, Meredith, 603279-9015.

League of NH Craftsmen Meredith Fine Craft Gallery, handmade crafts and art for sale, workshops, 279 Daniel Webster Highway, Meredith, 603-279-7920.

Loon Center, walking trails, 183 Lees Mill Rd., Moultonborough, 603-4765666, www.loon.org.

Makers Mill, a variety of workshops, classes in arts and crafts and more, Makers Mill, 23 Bay St., Wolfeboro, 603-569-1500, www.makersmill.org.

New England Racing Museum, open Saturdays 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 922 NH Rte. 106 N., Loudon, www.NEMSMUSEUM.com.

NH Farm Museum, old-time farm events, tours, 1305 White Mt. Highway, Milton, 603-652-7840, www.nhfarmmuseum.org.

Open Mic Nights, 7 p.m., third Fri. of the month, Samuel Wentworth Library Community Room, Center Sandwich, by Advice To The Players, thataudaciouslady@gmail.com, www.advicetotheplayers.org.

Outdoor Nature-Based Storytime for Young Children, Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.

- 1:30 p.m., Cook Memorial Library, 93 Main St., Tamworth, 603-323-8510, www.tamworthlibrary.org.

Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center, 928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, www.prescottfarm.org. Call ahead for event information and to inquire if pre-registration is necessary: 603-366-5695.

Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm, events, tours, 58 Cleveland Hill Rd., Tamworth, 603-323-7591, www.remickmuseum.org.

Rug Hookers, 10 a.m. – noon, meets Tuesdays, Tuftonboro Free Library, 221 Middle Rd., Rt. 109A, Tuftonboro, 603-569-4256.

Sculpture Walk, tours of outdoor sculptures around downtown/lakeside areas of Meredith, free, Greater Meredith Program, maps: 603-279-9015.

Song and Jam Circle, community-created jams and song circle, third Monday of each month, Runnells Hall, 25 Deer Hill Rd., Tamworth, free, bring your favorite instruments, Arts Council of Tamworth, 603-584-2712, www.artstamworth.org.

Tamworth Farmer’s Market, Saturdays, 9 a.m. - noon, 30 Tamworth Road, Tamworth, www.tamworthfarmersmarket.org.

Tamworth History Center, 25 Great Hill Rd., Tamworth, contact for open hours: www.tamworthhistorycenter.org.

Tuftonboro Country Bluegrass and Gospel Jam, every Tuesday, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m., donation requested, Old White Church, Rte. 109A, Center Tuftonboro, across from Tuftonboro General Store, 603-569-3861.

Ukulele Club, second & fourth Tuesdays of each month, 6 p.m., 2718 Wakefield Rd., Wakefield Corner, 603-522-3189.

Wolfeboro Farmers Market, local farm-raised meats, vegetables, fresh fish, fruit, eggs, baked goods, maple syrup, honey, artisanal products, held at Maker’s Mill, 23 Bay St., Wolfeboro, Fridays until Dec. 22 from 3 – 6 p.m., 603-3915661, wolfeborofarmersmarket@gmail.com.

Wolfeboro Table Tennis, meets every Wed. from 4 – 6 p.m., in basement of All Saints Church, Wolfeboro, all skill levels welcome, $5 admission charge each week, info: 603-520-5651.

24 Mount Major Hwy. PO Box 1372 Alton Bay, NH www.MorinAgency.com info@MorinAgency.com

Page 18 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023

The Abenaki Tower and Trail Association Unveils a New Historic Roadside Marker!

The public recently attended the dedication and unveiling of the Abenaki Tower and Trail Association’s (AT&TA) official New Hampshire state historical marker on Thursday, October 12 in Melvin Village, NH. The Association, founded in 1924 in Boston, is an all-volunteer non-profit based in Tuftonboro. The group owns an 80-foot-tall wooden observation tower in a forest overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee. Since its creation, the Abenaki Tower has been visited by generations of people. Our guestbook shows we have had visitors from many parts of the United States as well as many international visitors.

The tower offers stunning views of the Lake Winnipesaukee region. The tower is open to the public year-round and free of charge. From the top deck, visitors can see all the way to Vermont, dozens of miles away. The Association maintains the Abenaki Tower and its grounds and supports community events, including numerous events related to the Association’s upcoming centennial in 2024. More information is available by visiting the website at: www.abenakitower.org, or its Facebook page.

The newly installed official New Hampshire state historic marker recognizes the native Abenaki history of the Abenaki Tower property. Several representatives of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation were in attendance, including Sherry Gould, NH House Member, and member of the Nulhegan Band.

The marker reflects three years of hard work by Association volunteers, led by Gary D. Burnett, former secretary of AT&TA, to shepherd the process through the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. The unveiling ceremony included speeches

by Gary D. Burnett; David D. Burnett, President of the AT&TA, Sherry Gould of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation; Don Berry, the President of the Lakes Region Conservation Trust; Pastor Kevin Van Brunt of the Melvin Village Community Church; and Nancy Black, Regent of the Winnipesaukee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution as well as Representative John McDonald, Tuftonboro selectmen William Albee and Robert Murry, and representatives of the Tuftonboro Conservation Commission and the Tuftonboro Historical Society.

2024 NH Wildlife Calendar Available ‘Tis the season for holiday savings, and for a limited time only, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s award-winning wildlife calendar is just $10.00!

Take advantage of this special offer by December 4—and enjoy free shipping and handling too. The 2024 NH Wildlife Calendar features close-up images of native wildlife and includes hunting, fishing, and recreational season dates for the Granite State. Last year’s calendar sold out, so don’t miss this opportunity to buy one for yourself or the nature lovers in your life.

The 2024 New Hampshire Wildlife Calendar will be available at the sale price of $10.00 only through December 4, so get yours today. Visit www. wildlife.nh.gov/shop-and-support/

shop-wild-nh

to

purchase calendars online, or stop by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive in Concord, NH, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., Monday–Friday (excluding November 23-24). Thank you for supporting conservation in New Hampshire.

SAVE THE DATE: Shop WILD Saturday is set for Saturday, December 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH. Join us for all your gift-giving needs including Fish and Game logo merchandise, gifts from outdoor-focused Granite State artisans, wildlife demonstrations, Law Enforcement K-9s, and holiday fun.

December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 19

Historical Society Compiles Book of Vignettes Long before Archie Comics creator Bob Montana settled in town, he wowed local residents with his artistic talents as a child…

Tales of Bear Island’s legendary “Aunt Dolly” Nichols added local color to a 19th century steamboat travelogue…

Instead of a “Curse of the Bambino,” it might have been Babe Ruth’s wife who cursed the Boston Red Sox, keeping them from winning World Series championships for 86 years.

These and other stories are now compiled into a new publication released by the Meredith Historical Society, just in time for the holiday season.

Morsels of Meredith History: Assorted Musings and Vignettes features over a dozen captivating essays by historians John Hopper and Rudy VanVeghten that also delve into such topics as the town’s origins, Meredith Neck’s intriguing history, and a local 1780s petition for secession.

“This is a must-read for local his-

bour,’ and explore profiles of notable residents like Eleazer Bickford, Leander Pynn, and others.”

This and a selection of other books about Meredith’s unique history are sold in the Museum at 45 Main Street, which is open for holiday shopping on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those attending the society’s annual membership meeting on December 5 at Hart’s Restaurant may purchase the new book

Gallery & Fine Crafts

at half price. To reserve a place at the dinner meeting, RSVP by December 1 to 603-279-1190 or MeredithHistoricalSocietynh@gmail.com.

Morsels of Meredith History is the latest project helping the historical society fulfill its mission to preserve, develop, and promote the knowledge and awareness of the unique history of Meredith, New Hampshire, to all interested parties.

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: 10% OFF

ArtWorks Gift Cards until Dec. 31

tory enthusiasts,” said Society President Karen Thorndike, “and it makes an excellent stocking stuffer. Readers of Morsels will uncover the debate over ‘Centre Harbour’ or ‘Senter Har-

Paintings & Photography in all sizes, Jewelry, Pottery, Unique Cards, Wall Hangings, Fused Glass, Scarves, Hats & Mittens and More!

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Hours: 1 100-5 pm, Thurs. to Mon. • Jan./Feb.: 10-5 pm, Fri. to Sun.

Owner Retiring

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Dinnerware (from front) Dinner Mug Starting at $25.00* Cereal Bowl Starting at $17.00*

Salsa Bowls Starting at $25.50* Each Salsa Bowl holds a generous 3-cups, the flat bottom and wide opening make this dish ideal for scooping salsa or dip with a chip.

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Lunch Plate Starting at $22.00* Dinner Plate Starting at $30.00* Salmon Falls tableware is wonderfully collectible. Although the individuality of hand decorated patterns and the special quality of salt glaze may lend to slight differences in finished pieces, we make every effort to match tableware as closely as possible when we ship. We know you will be pleased. All tableware pieces are safe in the microwave and dishwasher.

Page 20 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023

Sinfully Delicious Nutrition

By Thomas P. Caldwell Nutrition need not be boring.

What if you could enjoy a Peanut Butter Oreo smoothie and not worry about it being unhealthy?

A visit to Remix Nutrition in downtown Laconia makes that possible.

“All the shakes have very similar macronutrients,” Jennifer Corriveau attests. “They all have 24 grams of protein, 21 vitamins and minerals, and they’re all under 300 calories. So certain things will vary a little bit, depending on if your adding fruit or if there’s a topping, but I keep it all right under that 300 mark just so if you’re coming here to make a healthy choice, you’re not leaving feeling unhealthy; but you kind of feel you’re cheating because you’re like, ‘Peanut Butter Oreo?’ It’s as good as it sounds.”

Jennifer is the owner of Remix Nutrition, which operates out of the CAKE Theatre in Veterans Square, and a similar shop, Integrity Nutrition, in Con-

cord. Both ventures grew out of her home business as an independent distributor for Herbalife, a plant-based nutrition firm that offers protein shakes, weight-management programs, nutritional supplements, sports nutrition products, and personal care items.

“I’ve actually been involved in my health and wellness coaching business for 10 years, so this kind of stemmed out of that,” Jennifer says. “I did it very part-time for many years, and had the opportunity after getting laid off from a job to take over my Concord store, and I never looked back.”

Two years ago, a year and a half after

renovating and reopening the Concord store, she opened Remix Nutrition in Laconia.

“I grew up in Concord, born and raised,” she said, “and I moved to Laconia about a year ago full-time, and it’s been

great.”

Now that she is living in Laconia, she needs only a small staff here, with a larger number of employees at Integrity Nutrition.

“They’re much busier,” she said of the Concord location, “but that store itself has been there for 11 years; I’ve owned it for three and a half.”

The Laconia shop is open six days a week, Monday through Friday, 6:30

a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon. The Concord location is open seven days a week, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Jennifer says everyone has their own favorites on the menu, but she noted that those preferences are totally different in Laconia than in Concord.

“It’s funny, because we’re not that far [apart] from a regional standpoint, but there’s definitely a shift in terms of everybody’s top five teas and shakes. …

It’s really interesting to try to catch the trends.”

According to Jennifer, “Our top five are probably the Peanut Butter Oreo, Mint Chip Ice Cream, Orange Creamsicle, the Samoa Cookie is popular, and Cookie Dough. You can never go wrong with a peanut butter cup. My Concord store is totally different, other than Peanut Butter Oreo — that’s consistent across both stores. Everyone loves that one.”

Moultonborough Book Launch and Upcoming Events On Wednesday, November 29th, at the Moultonborough Public Library, local authors Cristina Ashjian and Jane Rice launched their Arcadia book Images of America: Moultonborough This open house and book signing event was generously sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Cristina Ashjian is chair of the Moul-

tonborough Heritage Commission and director of the Lake Winnipesaukee Museum, and Jane Rice was assistant director of the Moultonborough Public Library for 38 years. For this book, the authors have selected images from the collection of the Moultonborough Historical Society, from the postcard collection of resident Dick Wakefield, and

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The authors also plan book tables at holiday fairs and community events in early December. Upcoming events include the PTA Holiday Fair at the Moultonborough Central School on Saturday, December 2 from 9-2 and Christmas in the Village in Sandwich on Sunday, December 3. Please contact moultonborobook@gmail. com with questions or for more information.

December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 21

Living With Coyotes in NH: Throw Away Your Misconceptions

By Mark Okrant Many of us have preconceived notions about coyotes. These range from the comical cartoon character, Wile E. Coyote, to misguided images of relentless, bloodthirsty predators.

Eastern Coyotes are the product of migration and breeding with Eastern Wolves in Ontario. They are 8 to 12 percent Eastern Timber Wolf, part dog, and the remainder is coyote. Weighing thirty-five to sixty pounds, and five feet in length, they are nearly twice the size of their western cousins. The present population of Eastern Coyotes began to arrive in New Hampshire during the 1940s and 1950s, filling in a niche that had been created by elimination of wolves from the northeast. Several decades later, coyotes had established themselves as a vital constituent within the food chain. Today, there are approximately 5000 coyotes living in New Hampshire.

Coyotes are territorial animals. Their turf ranges in area from five to twenty-five square miles, which often places them near human enterprises, such as farms and housing developments.

While many of us live within the territory of a pack of coyotes, most of us will never come into contact with them. A coyote pack will establish itself where an ample food supply and at least one den site are available. Once they have located themselves in an area, a pack of coyotes will defend its territory against threats by outside packs as well as other predatory animals.

Coyotes living in captivity have exhibited lifespans of considerably more than a decade. However, among those living in the wild, the average lifespan is three to four years. This tells us a great deal about the perils of life for coyotes in the Granite State. At least half of a litter—four to six pups—will die from disease and other predators, especially

weasels. Adult coyotes must face the gauntlet of disease, trapping, hunting, and being hit by motor vehicles.

Coyotes are capable of thriving in a wide range of environs—urban, suburban, and rural areas. That they can do this is a tribute to their adaptability.

Unlike the wolves they replaced within the environmental niche, coyotes are generalists rather than specialists.

While wolves failed to adapt once their environmental setting was disrupted, coyotes are able to live anywhere and adjust to vagaries in the local food supply.

A period from January into March constitutes their breeding season.

During this time, the pack’s alpha female and her mate will procreate; then, after a sixty-three day gestation period, the female will find a den and give birth to her pups. The female will remain in her den until mid-May, while the male and the pack aggressively protect the pups against predators. Under most circumstances, the alpha female will be the only coyote to produce pups. This is the pack’s way of assuring that enough food is available for the adult members and its new generation.

Given the coyote’s well-deserved reputation as an adaptable hunter, it is only natural to be concerned about the clash between these animals that hunt twenty-four hours of every day and their human neighbors. Coyotes will prey on sheep, chickens, and other farm animals, and will take a small dog or cat that is left unprotected. Therefore, in the face of threats from coyotes, farmers and their residential counterparts have killed numerous coyotes, as hunting of them is allowed 365 days a year. According to longtime coyote authority, Chris Schadler, there is a better way to deal with the threat from coyotes—one requiring education about coyotes and common sense.

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All Through the House

Schadler’s interest in wild canids (mammals in the dog family) began in 1980, her first opportunity to work with a wolf pup. Following a master’s thesis on natural recovery of the Eastern Timber Wolf in Michigan, she spent decades teaching at the University of New Hampshire about conservation issues and wolf ecology. By this time, Schadler had moved to New England and began to focus on the Eastern Coyote. This is when things became very interesting.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Schadler decided to take up sheep herding, purposefully selecting a farm that had a history of coyote raids.

She was convinced that problems experienced by the previous owner were directly attributable to his misguided management practices. Armed with a keen understanding of coyote behavior patterns, Schadler soon implemented a humane management system that she hoped would avoid using lethal measures to protect her flock.

With apologies to Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, coyotes are wily animals. If they are presented with an opportunity for an easy meal, they will take it. Due to the limited attention by that previous farmer, the local coyote population had developed the habit of feasting on his sheep each spring.

Upon Schadler’s arrival, this intrusive pattern came to an end. Knowing that the neighboring coyotes had a 3 to 4 year lifespan, she realized it was possible to educate the entire pack to seek its meals elsewhere. She began by building a barn that allowed her to pen the sheep securely inside. To give the coyote pack further pause, she placed a kennel for her dogs adjacent to the barn. As a second barrier, she added a sturdy four-foot fence that served as a deterrent. Every day, Schadler walked

her dogs along the fence so they could mark the boundary. This served to remind the coyotes that circumstances had changed. In addition, Schadler painstakingly cleared away brush and vegetation from the area outside her fence, thereby eliminating the camouflage the coyotes had enjoyed as they scouted for an easy meal.

While Schadler refers to her system as “co-existence,” one might call this the ultimate example of common sense.

Coyotes are wild dogs that are disinterested in humans, and only attack barnyard animals because they have become easy prey. By eliminating any recollection of dining on sheep among a generation of coyotes, the problem largely disappeared. Consequently, for nearly two decades after implementing her strategy, Schadler did not lose a single sheep to coyote predation.

Here is an important, but lesser known, consideration: coyotes’ favorite meal is not sheep, nor family pets; it is rodents, including the Lyme-transmitting white-footed mouse. Therefore, by taking a humane approach in addressing what her predecessor regarded as an insurmountable problem, Schadler controlled numbers of vermin on her property. Most important, she solved the predation problem without any necessity to shoot, poison, trap, or use other ineffective means to eradicate the pack.

While Chris Schadler no longer operates a sheep farm, she has lost none of her enthusiasm for the oft-maligned and misunderstood Eastern Coyote.

She presently serves as New England representative for Project Coyote, a national organization that promotes co-existence with predators. For more information on the workings of this important organization, go to www.projectcoyote.org.

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Page 22 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023

Holiday Events Around the Area

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

The holiday season is here, and a festive spirit is in the air. Around the Lakes Region, events are planned to bring family, friends, and the community together to celebrate the season.

Whether through music, lights, or arts and crafts, there are many ways to enjoy the festive time.

There’s nothing like a room full

trees to underscore the beautiful season. A tradition for many families is a visit to the Wolfeboro Festival of Trees at the Wright Museum on Center Street in Wolfeboro. The charity benefit features a bevy of trees decorated by area organizations and businesses.

Enjoy music and refreshments while you admire the beautiful and uniquely decorated trees. The festival will occur on December 6 from 6 to 8 p.m., De-

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December 10 from noon to 3 p.m. For tickets and information, visit www. wolfeborofestivaloftrees.com.

Laconia has many events during the holiday season, such as the Light Up Laconia Holiday Decorating Competition; visit www.celebratelaconia. org for a list and more details.

At the Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center in Plymouth, Eileen Ivers – a Joyful Christmas happens on December 8 at 7:30 pm, followed by the Holiday Film Series with the movie “Elf” at 6:30 p.m. on December 15, and “It’s a Wonderful Life” on December 22, also at 6:30 p.m. Christmas With the Celts will be presented on December 23 at 7:30 p.m.

The Flying Monkey is located at 39 South Main Street in Plymouth. Call 603-536-2551 or visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

If you enjoy outdoor light displays, there’s nothing like the fantastic Gift of Lights event at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Route 106 in Loudon.

The family tradition of driving through 2 1/2 miles of dazzling Christmas light displays at New Hampshire Motor Speedway continues this year with the Gift of Lights presented by Ambetter & Wellcare. The annual event will spread 39 nights of holiday cheer with fundraising for the local community with more than 3.5 million twinkly LED lights on display through Sunday, Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve). Gift of Lights is open at 4:30 p.m. nightly, depending on weather conditions.

This year, the drive-through light

show will feature a 150-foot RGB Tunnel of Lights, arches, toys, numerous scenes, including the popular 12 Days of Christmas, and much more. Crews will spend over 650 work hours to set up more than 520 displays and 80 different scenes. Featured attractions will include the fan-favorite 130-foot-long infield entrance and exit tunnels with more than 25,000 lights and the opportunity to roast marshmallows and toast s’mores over open fire pits. For details and admission price, visit www.nhms. com or call 603-783-4931.

Music lovers will be in for a treat on December 9 and 10 when the Christmas Belles concert comes to the Lakes Region. Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra presents the annual holiday concert and this year it will feature vocalist Sheree Owens. A mix of traditional carols and modern holiday music by The Carpenters, Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Sarah Reeves, and more is scheduled. Planned vocal selections include Ave Maria / The 12 Days of Christmas / We Need a Little Christmas / Jingle Bells / My Favorite Things / Silent Night / The Christmas Song / White Christmas, and more.

The December 9 concert will occur at the Colonial Theatre in downtown Laconia at 7 p.m. The December 10 concert will be at Inter-Lakes Auditorium in Meredith at 3 p.m. For tickets and information, visit www.lrso.org.

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December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 23 3 p.m. The show will take place at the Chubb Theatre at CCA, located at 44 South Main St. in Concord.

The Capitol Jazz Orchestra will bring holiday music to the city on December 10 at 4 p.m. The show will be at Chubb Theatre at CCA, located at 44 South Main St. in Concord.

Have fun at the Buzz Ball on December 14 at 7 p.m. in the Chubb Theatre, followed by Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy: A Celtic Christmas on December 15 at 7 p.m., also at the Chubb Theatre.

On December 16, Mr. Aaron Holiday happens at 11 a.m. at the Bank of NH Stage at 16 South Main St. in Concord.

The Nutcracker comes to Concord on December 16 at 4:30 p.m. by Safe Haven Ballet. How the Grinch Stole Christmas, also by Safe Haven Ballet, comes to the theatre on December 17 at 4:30 p.m. Both Safe Haven shows will take place at the Chubb Theatre at CCA, located at 44 South Main St. in Concord.

A Charlie Brown Jazz Christmas fills the Bank of NH Stage on December 22 at 7 p.m.; the theatre is at 16 South Main St. in Concord, Many other shows are scheduled for 2023/20243; visit www.ccanh.com or call 603-225-1111.

If you’ve never seen The Nutcracker classical ballet, mark your calendar for December 9 and 10 for The Nutcracker in Wolfeboro. Presented by the Northeastern Ballet Theatre, the state’s premier classical ballet company, this show will delight the whole family.

For tickets and information, visit www. northeasternballet.org. Call 603-8348834.

Bring the kids to Santa’s Hut on Main

Street in Wolfeboro to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus and drop off a gift list. The Hut will be open is December 9 from noon to 3 p.m.; December 13 from 2 to 4 p.m.; December 15 from 3 to 5 p.m.; December 16 from 2 to 4 p.m.; December 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; December 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. and December 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 603-569-2200 for updates.

On December 9, attend the Christmas Spirit Open House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shop all over Wolfeboro, enjoy lunch, and listen to music. Call 603569-2200.

The First Congregational Church at 115 South Main Street in Wolfeboro will offer Presbypop in a Joyful (Jazzful) Holiday Concert by Wolfeboro Friends of Music on December 8 at 7 p.m. Call 603-569-2151.

Over 1,000 candles lit and displayed around Gilford village will create a magical atmosphere on December 9 from 5 to 7 p.m. The free event will offer hot cocoa, cookies, carolers, horsedrawn wagon rides, and every village road lit with candles to create a beautiful nighttime sight. Call 603-524-6042 for details.

At the Tapply-Thompson Community Center in Bristol, the beloved Santa’s Village is slated for December 8 to 10 (12/8 from 6 to 8 p.m.; 12/9 & 10 from 2 to 5 p.m.). The child-centered event has been happening every year (this is the 69th annual) and includes a visit with Santa’s Elves as they work on toys and wrap presents. Enjoy one of Mrs. Claus’ famous cookies and more. There will also be a Craft Fair with many holiday gifts for purchase during the event. The Community Center is located at 30 North Main Street

in downtown Bristol. For information, call 603-744-2713 or visit www.ttccrec.org.

On December 9, have breakfast with Santa at the Masonic Lodge in downtown Bristol from 8 to 10 am.

A Luminary Walk at Slim Baker Lodge in Bristol will happen on December 15 and 16 at 6 p.m. Walk up the Worthen Trail to Inspiration Point, where you will find the path lit by ice luminaries. The event is free. Get information at www.slimbaker.org. The Slim Baker Area is located at 301 New Chester Mountain Road in Bristol.

From December 8 to 23, A Christmas Carol will be presented at the Rochester Opera House in Rochester. It just isn’t the holiday season without the

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beloved tale of bad-tempered old miser Ebenezer Scrooge and his journey to kindness in the Christmas season.

The Strafford Wind Symphony will perform White Christmas at the Rochester Opera House on December 20 at 7 p.m. This year’s performance will offer various traditional and newer arrangements that celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, and the New Year. The concert starts at 7 p.m.

The Rochester Opera House is located at 31 Wakefield Street in Rochester.

For tickets and information, visit www. rochesteroperahouse.com or call 603335-1992.

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Page 24 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023

Hope Never Loses

By Josh Shaw It’s Winter at Wolfeboro’s Abenaki Ski Area.

The scene is starting to take shape.

Snow has yet to coat Abenaki’s lone hill but the temperature signals that the ski area’s hibernation is nearly at its end. Inside Abenaki’s lodge, the tables are not quite full. Soon, they will buzz with laughter and conversation, stories told and memories made. Behind skiers, the fireplace will roar and invite skiers out from the cold.

Above the fireplace is an empty mantle. Where other lodges display photographs or mementos of nature, Abenaki’s mantle is barren, as it has been since the lodge’s construction in 2015.

A world of possibilities exists in that empty mantle. Anything could call it home. And soon, a set of skis will.

When they lay claim to that mantle, these skis will end a 94-year story of loss, grief, and hope.

Dr. Hermann Schütze was born on December 14, 1908, in Bad Kissingen, Germany. The spa town nurtured him, while nature and skiing became his first love.

In his twenties, Hermann bought an

original pair of Lettner skis whenever he wanted to indulge his passion.

Those moments were not as often as he would’ve liked due to his time in medical school, but whenever Hermann had the chance, he’d ski the Bavarian Alps and any other slope he could find.

Wherever Hermann went, the skis traveled with him. They watched over the next decade as he changed from a boy to a man -- overseeing his graduation from the University of Munich, his marriage to the love of his life, Ehefrau Wiltrud, the birth of their twin children, Hilla and Manfred, and finally, a return to Bad Kissingen where Hermann joined his parents’ medical practice in 1938.

By the time the Schütze’s settled down, the Nazi Party had their eyes on war. Though the Schütze’s refused to join or support the regime, their opinion mattered little to the war machine’s needs. During the summer of 1939, the call came for Hermann to answer the required military service.

Despite his misgivings about the Par-

• Hope continued on page 25

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December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 25 • Hope continued from page 24 ty, Hermann accepted the call on August 26, 1939 -- four months before the twins’ first birthday. Due to his medical training, Hermann was assigned to the German Luftwaffe as a flight physician and sent to France, 578 miles from his skis and family.

Knowing how much of his children’s early years he would miss while he served, Wiltrud and Hermann’s mother assembled a booklet for him, “Nur für Dich” -- (“Only for You”). The booklet’s drawings and stories of Hilla and Manfred’s adolescent adventures informed Hermann of everything he was missing. The entries range from the challenges of potty training to flower picking and the joy the children felt when letters from their father arrived.

“A letter from Dad has arrived. How happy we all are! Read what he writes about and how he passes the time. He sends a lot of greetings to the dear ones and an extra kiss for each of them,” one page wrote.

Though the letters continued as the years passed and the war escalated, “Only for You” maintained its whimsy, but reality struggled to do the same. In the summer of 1943, Wiltrud became sick with a then-incurable blood disease. She passed away at just 27 years of age. With Hermann still serving, the responsibility of raising Hilla and Manfred fell to Hermann’s 58-year-old widowed mother.

Away from home, life was just as troubled. Hermann’s opposition to the Nazi party meant a demotion from the Western Front in France to the Eastern Front in Russia. By 1944, Hermann was transferred to the Heeresgruppe Mitte (Army Group Centre) stationed in the Vitebsk area in Belarus.

On June 22 of that year, Hermann found himself on the front of Operation Bagration, a large-scale Soviet

offensive intent on collapsing Heeresgruppe Mitte. A series of Soviet tactical diversions in the months before the offensive pitted nearly 200 Russian divisions against 35 German divisions.

The operation devastated the German forces, and total German losses from the Russian offensive are estimated at 350,000.

Hermann miraculously did not count towards these losses. Somehow, he and other survivors of the maelstrom escaped to the outskirts of Vilnius in Lithuania. Their escape from the war wouldn’t last a month, however. While cooking one day in late August, the scattered German army came under fire from partisans. When the attack ended, Hermann’s whereabouts were unknown. One survivor reported seeing Hermann entering a wooded area in Vilnius with other soldiers. This August 20, 1944 report became the last known sighting of Hermann Schütze.

A month before Hermann’s disappearance, he wrote one final letter to his family on June 23, 1944. Its last line said, “I love you.”

Despite these reports, Hermann’s mother, now the lone guardian for her five-year-old grandchildren, continued to write “Only for You,” believing she might see her son return.

“My beloved, good Hermann! Difficult, sad weeks with many tears lie behind me. Finally, I have come to the point where I can live on in the firm belief that I will see you healthy again with us. Now, I want to be a good grandma, at least to the dear little children, and tell you about them in this booklet so that you can read again, in hopefully not too distant time, how their little everyday life takes place,” she wrote on September 5, 1944.

Eight months later, in May 1945, the German Third Reich surrendered to the Allied Forces. Shortly after, the United States Army entered Bad Kissingen to assist in the disarmament and demili-

tarization of West Germany. As part of this, the US commandeered the Schütze home and turned it into an officer headquarters.

During this “American time,” the Schütze’s relocated to an emergency apartment. Before moving, however, Hermann’s mother hid various family items in the attic. Hidden among them for the next 11 years of the American occupation were Hermann’s Lettner skis.

Dr. Steven Reinfurt always wanted to live in Germany. In the 1950s, he’d spent time in the country as a child due to his father’s job as a US Army transportation officer, but Germany became just one stop among many.

His father’s job meant the word “home” never became one place. Despite moving to America in his teenage years and settling in New Hampshire with his family, that sentiment followed Reinfurt into adulthood, with collegiate stops in Utah and California. A move to Idaho followed, but no matter where Reinfurt went, nothing stopped Germany’s call.

In 1983, Reinfurt had a chance to answer that call. The Department of Defense Educational Activity (DoDEA) came with a job opportunity asking if Reinfurt might be interested in moving to Trier, Germany. Despite Reinfurt’s excitement, there were other things to consider. Namely, what to

do with Sunkiss Elementary, a private state-accredited school he and his wife, Gloria, had founded. The two informed the DoDEA that, while interested, they needed a year to get everything in order before they could accept the offer.

The offer never went away during that year-long wait, but the promise of Trier did. Instead, the job asked the family to move to Bad Kissingen in Bavaria.

“Bavaria was even better. Trier was on the border, and the Bavarian opportunity was only 30 kilometers away from where my great-grandparents came from. So it really brought us closer to home,” Reinfurt said.

Bad Kissingen quickly became home for this next generation of Reinfurt’s, and the patriarch found the country lived up to his childhood memories.

But a few years into their stay, another move was necessary. A German neighbor of the Reinfurt’s felt their plight and noticed their friends, Hilla and Manfred Schütze, had a vacant apartment the Reinfurt family could fill.

Hilla and Manfred stayed in their childhood home since the US Army returned it to them in May 1956. Neither had married or had children. Instead, the two looked after one another.

Since their grandmother’s passing in • Hope continued on page 26

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Page 26 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023 • Hope continued from page 25 1957, they relied on their friends and community to fill the familial hole they lacked. The Reinfurts became the next member of that circle.

“We were always happy when we had children living in our house, and the two girls of the Reinfurt family were especially nice and sympathetic children, with whom we got on well from the beginning,” Hilla remembered.

Sharing a porch between connecting kitchens meant a constant sense of one another. Whatever the Schütze’s cooked, the Reinfurt’s could smell and vice-versa. Gloria remembers Manfred poking his head into the apartment at the smell of homemade cookies.

Moments like these became the foundation of a friendship between the families. Hilla and Manfred became like aunt and uncle to the Reinfurt’s children, while Steven and Gloria became the siblings the Schütze’s never had.

“Hilla and Manfred were their own family. But they never had siblings,” Reinfurt said. “We were their brother and sister who expanded their sharing of what the grander family felt like.”

While the two families shared much, the Schütze siblings remained secretive of their mother and father’s story.

It took years before the extent of Hermann’s history became known to the Reinfurt’s.

“We [Reinfurt and his family] were aware of pieces of the story because they came up naturally. We’d only known her father had gone to war but hadn’t come home,” Reinfurt remembered. “Then, one day, she called me over and asked if I would like coffee. She’d just made some pastries or

something. We sat down, and that conversation unfolded.”

It was a painful yet tender conversation, Reinfurt said. The culmination of these was a visit to the attic. There, blocked in the same wrapping they’d been in since Hermann last used them, Hilla introduced the Reinfurt family to her late father’s skis.

An avid skier, Reinfurt was amazed by the historic skis. But as a found sibling to Hilla and Manfred, he felt something more. He felt like he’d finally met the man he’d only heard stories of.

“What I remember is the moment of sharing and healing. We both gave each other a hug,” Reinfurt said. “My eyes don’t lie to me. The feel of the ski doesn’t lie to me. The spirit in the skis is phenomenal. They were put away carefully, correctly, and lovingly. And for all those years, it lovingly stood watching over their family.” What started as a two-year contract turned into a 28-year stay in the country, with 13 years spent under the Schütze roof.

Reinfurt’s daughters grew up in the country. To them, it was home.

Reinfurt had even put down more roots, joining the Bergwacht and Skiwacht alpine rescue/helicopter organization as a rescue skier.

But eventually, it was time for the family to return to America and New Hampshire. Reinfurt and his wife had become his aging father’s guardians.

Three months later, the couple became guardians to Reinfurt’s younger brother, Mark’s, estate after he’d passed.

With the DoDEA offering an “early out” retirement package, Reinfurt felt it was time to return home.

It was a period of change for Hilla, as well. Manfred had passed away in 2004, leaving Hilla alone for the first time. With just herself, she knew she’d

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It all seemed like destiny to Reinfurt.

Only Hilla could match his excitement at the possibility of housing the skis at Abenaki.

“It was a surprise and a pleasure for me when Steven wrote to me about his idea of giving the skis to the prestigious Abenaki Ski Area,” Hilla said. “What a story! How my father and my grandmother would have been amazed!”

However, Reinfurt had to earn the community’s trust before presenting his idea. Earning that trust meant applying his years of knowledge from the Bergwacht and Skiwacht to work at Abenaki as a volunteer ski patroller.

When Wolfeboro’s Parks and Recreation Director, Christine Collins, spoke to Reinfurt, she felt him overqualified for the job. “When I interviewed him, I was like, ‘Yeah, sounds great. But you might get bored here.’ But Abenaki is what he was looking for.”

It didn’t take long for Reinfurt to become a friendly face to Abenaki skiers.

Kids began to call Reinfurt “Patroller Steve,” and locals began to bond with the slope’s newest face.

“I feel like I’ve known him forever,” Sally Little, a local teacher and mother of two children on the Abenaki Ski Team, said. “You can feel how much he loves Abenaki,” she said.

The more time Reinfurt spent in Abenaki, the more he felt it had to be the place. Aynne de Beer, an administrator of the Abenaki Race Team and board member of the Friends of Abenaki, jokes parents drop off their kids at Abenaki at eight years old and pick them up when they’re 18. It only made sense, Reinfurt felt, that Hermann’s spirit watched over these families like he’d watched over his own.

With time, Reinfurt grew confident he’d gained the trust of Abenaki. Finally, he asked Collins if it might be possible to house the skis in the lodge. Reinfurt remembers her response, “Well, there’s nothing else there. That sounds like a great idea.”

Later that year, Reinfurt sought and gained official approval to display the skis from Wolfeboro selectmen. The 2019 meeting didn’t last long, nor was there any fanfare. No one in the room knew the moment’s significance to Reinfurt. The committee was onto the next item on their agenda. Yet as good as the moment felt, Reinfurt knew more work awaited him to ensure Hermann’s story didn’t die on the wall.

That work became hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Priorities shifted, things changed, and another two • Hope continued on page 27

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have to sell the family estate at some point. She also knew with no partner or children to inherit her family’s belongings, everything she owned needed a new home. In 2008, Hilla turned to Reinfurt and asked him something.

“She said, ‘Steve, I have a question for you?’ After a long look, she said, ‘I want to ask you something. I want you to really think about it. Would you take the responsibility for my father’s skis and find a home for them?’”

Reinfurt’s first idea was to look in Europe. Keeping the skis in their native continent only made sense. But nothing felt right. Then, Reinfurt turned his eyes toward America. A similar struggle ensued. Still, nothing felt right.

Over his decade-long search, the skis became like a living presence for Reinfurt. Wherever they went needed to fit and match the man who skied on them.

The skis next home had to be perfect.

They couldn’t become just another pair of skis on the loom.

“I never lost hope. Of all the rescues I’ve ever done, there’ve been hellacious ones, the norms. But this is the most unique rescue I’ve ever done because it’s been the most time-consuming,” Reinfurt said. “I’d continue to put whatever’s necessary into this because the end product has so much good in it -- The power of a story and how it can oversee and affect other people. It only instills hope in them. And hope doesn’t lose.”

Reinfurt found his faith rewarded in the summer of 2018 when he visited Wolfeboro’s Abenaki Ski Area. The visit had no relation to the skis or his search for a home, Reinfurt insisted.

He was more curious about the hill just 40 minutes away he’d never visited.

After surveying the grounds, Reinfurt was invited into the lodge. Reinfurt felt stepping through the doors was divine intervention. As he talked and walked around the lodge, Reinfurt’s eyes fell on the fireplace. Above it, he noticed the empty mantle space and felt he’d finally found what we’d spent a decade looking for.

Leaving Abenaki that day, Reinfurt traveled down Center Street, five minutes down the road from Abenaki.

As he drove the street, Reinfurt saw Wolfeboro’s Wright Museum of World War II. The moment felt like his second sign of the day. For the whole ride home, Reinfurt felt everything intersect at Abenaki. It had to be the place.

Founded in 1930 by Wolfeboro locals, Abenaki is the oldest small ski area in America and one of the 10 oldest ski areas in the country overall. Its 1930 founding coincided with when Hermann Schütze would’ve skied on his Lettner’s.

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December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 27 • Hope continued from page 26 years passed. By 2022, little progress had come. Hermann’s skis stood in Reinfurt’s home rather than atop the lodge’s fireplace.

After the pandemic, Little found herself on a class trip to the Wright Museum. Seeing such love and dedication to World War II, its victims, and its survivors reminded Little of the skies’ absence.

“It’s a story you don’t forget because of the sacrifice, respect, courage, and love the family displayed by hiding and treasuring the skis for so long, despite the desperation and hardship they faced,” Little said.

Little asked Reinfurt the next time she saw him about the skis. Were the skis still going to Abenaki? And when?

The question renewed Reinfurt’s passion, “Two years fell off and last year and I’m saying, ‘How can I get back on track now?’ Then it was Sally who said, ‘When is it going to happen?’ She put me back on track.”

By the summer of 2023, Reinfurt pursued a date to push the decade-long dream into reality. That came on December 2, 2023. At Wolfeoboro’s Kingswood Art Center, Hermann’s skis were taken out of their wrapping for the first time since Reinfurt brought them to America almost a decade ago.

A military honor guard, organized

by Captain Anselm Richards of the US Naval War College, attended the event to pay tribute to Hermann’s life and his sacrifice.

“When you do the right thing -When you treat people with dignity, and you hold yourself to a higher standard than others, good things follow,” Richards said. “That’s what Dr. Schütze did, and good things followed in his

Abenaki Ski Lodge - courtesy photo stead. That’s what Abenaki is doing, and good things are coming for them.”

An international livestream ran during the event so Hilla, now 85, could witness the unwrapping and presentation of her father’s skis.

Though Hilla has been separated from her father’s skis all these years the man she has one memory of is still alive to her. Hilla still has all of her father’s letters from the war and photographs taken before and after his departure. Some of which she published in Nur für Dich in 2019. Yet despite everything she has left, the scope of what the war took from her and her brother is never lost on Hilla.

“This story is at the same time a story about war. It is the story of a young German doctor and family man who had to go against his will to an unfortunate war and lost his life. And we as a family lost our father,” Hilla said.

Before being placed in Abenaki, the skis will go through a restoration and rehydration process. Reinfurt and Walton Green, a colleague with a

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lot of summits. But you can do them in days. This has taken years,” Reinfurt said. “The responsibility of this journey will be with me for the rest of my life. I know my days are numbered. I respect the clock of life. I don’t have greater years. I have lesser years. And this journey will be the sustaining strength to go into my twilight hours.”

Wolfeboro’s Christmas Spirit Open House Fun, Festive Shopping!

Saturday, December 9 L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pantry collection 8-12 at Harvest Market. Lions Club will have hot chocolate and candy canes.

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like-minded love for vintage skis, will oversee both. During their conversations, Green asked Reinfurt if he’d ever want to ski on Hermann’s Lettner’s just once.

“I broke down and cried,” Reinfurt remembered. “I told him, ‘I’m only half a man. The man who skied these is far greater than I am. I could never pretend to be the skier of these skis.’”

“It’s probably the biggest summit I’ve ever climbed, and I’ve climbed a

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Page 28 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023

Fun Ways to Enjoy the Start of Winter Winter begins on December 21, 2023, and ends on March 19, 2024. Many people lament the arrival of winter, perhaps thinking the colder temperatures and shorter hours of sunlight will compromise their chances to have fun.

Even though particularly chilly thermostat readings or stormy conditions can hamper some plans, when people dig deeper they may find that even the coldest days present opportunities for enjoyment.

When winter begins, the following activities can make for an entertaining way to celebrate the arrival of the season.

• Build a snow creation. Use the first significant snowfall of the season to organize a snowman, snowwoman, or snow-animal-making event or contest.

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• Go sledding on the best hills. Sledding is a popular wintertime activity that doesn’t require too much equipment. Sleds can be purchased at sporting goods stores or toy stores. Sledders of all ages should consider wearing helmets to protect against injury if they will be traversing especially steep hills.

• Host a winter block party. Many cities and towns across North America participate in WinterFest events, which run the gamut from food and craft festivals to sporting events. Individuals can take cues from these type of activities and plan neighborhood festivals right on their streets. Neighbors can wheel out their fire pits or utilize

outdoor propane heaters to keep spots cozy. Hot cocoa and cider stations and warm treats can keep everyone from feeling too cold. Electric slow cookers can keep everything from soups to chilis to stews warm and participants can enjoy a buffet of hearty foods.

• Visit an ice rink. Whether a rink is indoors or outside, ice skating is a quintessential wintertime activity.

Skaters of all skill levels can take to the ice and enjoy some exercise and laughs. Check local rink schedules to take advantage of open skate times when hockey games or practices are not dominating the ice.

• Mark the winter solstice. The winter solstice, also known as the start of astronomical winter, is the shortest day of sunlight on the calendar. It occurs when either of the Earth’s poles reaches maximum tilt away from the sun. In the Northern Hemisphere, this occurs on December 21, 2023. Because there will be only roughly seven hours of daylight, take steps to make the fact that the sun will set at its earliest a little easier to swallow. Kids can run around outdoors with glow sticks, while adults can deck their homes in twinkle lights if they are not decorated for Christmas.

Lanterns, campfires and candles can be lit, and everyone can gather outdoors to chat and socialize.

Winter begins on December 21, 2023, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate this fun, if sometimes frigid, season. ~ Metro

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December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 29

4 Fun Facts About the Month of December December is arguably the most festive month of the year. The holiday season and all the gatherings with family and friends make the final month of the year a busy time. But a peek under the proverbial hood reveals that there’s more to December than the holiday season.

1. Armchair linguists might know that the Latin word “decem” means “ten,” which is a little curious given that December is the twelfth month of the year. So why isn’t December the tenth month of the year? Like other months on the modern calendar, including October and November, December once occupied a different place on the calen-

dar, namely the Julian calendar that was used prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. Back then, December was the tenth month on the calendar.

Though its position changed when the Gregorian calendar was adopted, its name remained the same.

2. It’s easy to overlook in a month populated by holidays like Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa, but the winter solstice is a significant day on the calendar as well. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the 2023 winter solstice occurs on December 21 at 10:27 p.m.

EST for the northern hemisphere. The winter solstice might not be sun worshippers’ favorite day of the year, as it’s

the day with the least amount of sunlight all year long. However, one positive to keep in mind is that, once the winter solstice occurs, each day thereafter experiences a gradual increase in daylight. That should give anyone yet another reason to celebrate in December.

3. December has historically been a month of firsts, particularly for women and politicians. On December 1, 1919, Lady Nancy Astor became the first woman to serve in the British House of Commons. Exactly 69 years later, Benazir Bhutto was nominated for the role of prime minister of Pakistan. Bhutto ultimately became the first woman to

be elected as head of a democratic government in a Muslim-majority country. Political firsts in December are not limited to events involving women. A year after Bhutto was nominated, Russia’s Mikhail Gorbachev became the first Soviet Russian leader to visit the Vatican and meet the Pope.

4. January might be the month people most associate with efforts to change their fortunes, but the birthstone of December also is considered a symbol of good fortune. The Farmer’s Almanac notes that one of the birthstones of December is turquoise, which some believe is symbolic of good fortune and success.

Pop Tops and Plastics Weather permitting, the next soft plastics recycling collection will be held Saturday, December 9 from 11am to 1pm. Volunteers from the Laconia/ Gilford Lions Club and the Green Sanctuary Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Laconia will be curbside in front of the little white UU Church at 172 Pleasant Street, Laconia to collect clean, soft, dry plastics. All plastics are sent via the Gilford Hannaford’s delivery point to the Trex Corporation in Maine to be repurposed as composite decking and outdoor deck furniture. There is no charge or fee to

drop off unwanted plastics.

At the same time as the plastics collection, the Lions and the UU Social Justice Committee are holding a pop top canned food drive to benefit the Community Action Program (CAP) food pantry. “Area food pantries are in serious need of donations” explained Lion Bill Chandler. “Esay access items are best, so whether it’s vegetables, pasta, soups, stews, or whatever, please choose easy to open pop top cans. Other easy access items like energy bars are also good selections.”

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Page 30 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023

The Many Benefits of Reading

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There has never been a better time to be a reader. Self-proclaimed book nerds and those who look forward to the next book club gathering can rejoice knowing that a good story isn’t the only benefit associated with reading. In fact, there are numerous health benefits to cracking a book.

• Reading slows cognitive decline.

Natural aging results in a decline in memory and brain function over time, but reading can help. According to research published in the journal Neurology, reading may help slow that process and keep minds sharp.

• Reading improves concentration and focus. Technology draws a lot of attention, and those fast processing times and almost instant gratification can shorten attention spans. Reading requires undivided attention and focus, which can improve one’s ability to concentrate.

• Reading produces a sense of accomplishment. Reading anything from a newspaper article to a novel helps people check off measurable goals. When done reading a given piece, the mental boost from finishing can enhance your mood.

• Reading is free entertainment.

Provided a person gets books from a library or a loaner from a friend, reading is free. It’s possible to educate oneself, travel to far off lands or even solve mysteries having making a major financial investment.

• Reading enhances literacy. Frequent reading introduces the reader to new vocabulary and information. This enhances both literacy and intelligence.

• Reading leads to higher intelligence later on. A study of 1,890 identical twins in the United Kingdom found that the twins who had early reading skills seemingly had more positive results for higher intelligence later in life.

• Reading can help a person relax.

Reading may help reduce stress and even induce relaxing feelings so that a person can drift off to sleep. A 2009 study by Sussex University researchers showed that reading may reduce stress by as much as 68 percent. Furthermore, reading takes a person away from screens (provided they’re reading paper books and not e-books), which can contribute to losing 20 minutes of sleep on average, according to research published in Pediatrics.

There are many reasons to curl up with a good book, as reading is beneficial to both mind and body.

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All Magic Foods Locations will be Open Christmas Eve and serving until 8pm. Canoe will be open at 12pm serving lunch till 3 pm and Dinner all day. All locations will feature a limited regular menu with specials.

Reservations Recommended We will be closed for Christmas and Boxing Day. Mon, Dec. 25 – Tues, Dec. 26 All our restaurants will be closed and will return to their regular schedules on Wednesday, December 27th.

As an added treat, Canoe will also be open on 12/27 at 4:30 despite being normally closed on Wednesdays.

New Year’s Eve (Sunday, December 31): Reservations Recommended All our restaurants will be open at 4:30 We will be offering a special holiday menu!

Rubbin’ Butts BBQ will be open from 11:30am to 5:30pm.

New Year’s Day (Monday, January 1 – Tuesday, January 2, 2024): All our restaurants will be closed. - We will be back to our regular hours starting on Wednesday, January 3, 2024 Canoe will also be open on 1/3/24 at 4:30 despite being normally closed on Wednesdays..

Gift Cards and More Info at our website: magicfoodsnh.com Call 603-707-6929 for all your holiday catering needs.

December 4, 2023 | THE LAKER | Page 31

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Page 32 | THE LAKER | DECEMBER 4, 2023

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