Fall 2021 | Volume 5: Issue 17
arts culture Autumn 2021
food
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shops 1
Spend the day MAKE MEMORABLE MOMENTS
Discover endless activities at Settlers Green in tax-free North Conway. Rent gear for your adventure at the REI Co-Op and shop outdoor brands like Columbia Sportswear and Regatta Great Outdoors at outlet pricing. Après al fresco at one of our local restaurants to celebrate a day well spent in the mountains.
White Mountain Hwy, North Conway, New Hampshire
settlersgreen.com
888-667-9636
THOUGHTS FROM THE PUBLISHER
FOUNDER/PUBLISHER/CREATIVE Dan Houde dan@wiseguycreative.com MANAGING EDITOR Cam Mirisola-Bynum SALES MANAGER Chris Pacheco ads@mwvvibe.com DISTRIBUTION / CIRCULATION Mt Washington Valley Vibe is published four times annually and is available for pick-up, free of charge, in over 250 locations throughout the White Mountain Region of New Hampshire and into the communities of Western Maine. MWV Vibe is also available at many New Hampshire Welcome Centers throughout the state. MWV Vibe can also be found in select retail shops, dining establishments, lodging properties, and grocery stores throughout the same area. If your business, or one you know, would like to make MWV Vibe available to customers, please contact us.
I received a call recently from the leader of a group of photographers from California who travel each year around the country to various locations known for their fall scenery. This year, they chose North Conway and the White Mountains to set up as basecamp for their week-long stay. They hoped to find a guide/ photographer who could show them the most scenic areas and possibly some lesser traveled ones as well. “We were hoping to visit some old farms and barns, maybe some historic churches with classic white steeples, old stone walls, and definitely some covered bridges ... oh, and we love shooting around water. Will all of those be possible to see during our stay?” Well, you can probably guess where this story is going. Foliage season in New England can certainly be something special. But the wow factor definitely gets turned up a “notch” when you consider some of the idyllic scenes that span the landscapes around the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Officials with the Division of Travel and Tourism recently said they anticipate 3.2 million people will visit New Hampshire this fall. I can’t help but wonder what that translates to in photographs taken? Anyway, next on the long list of questions from my Westcoast group—you guessed it: “Can you bring us around to the very best spots for photos, but not where there will be lots of people?” Well, let’s see ... 3.2 million people divided by, according to the interweb, 6 million acres that comprise New Hampshire. Sure, I can do that. No really, I can! See, most travelers go to the easiest spots to get to by car—and are quite happy with what they find. But fortunately, we’re talking about the White Mountains. There are enough nooks and crannies to explore for even our curious, peace-seeking friends from afar. As a matter of fact, I’d be willing to bet that they come up with some pretty amazing photographs, quite possibly never captured before. The final question before we hung up the phone: “We hear such great things about the shopping in North Conway,” she said enthusiastically. Can you get us there without getting stuck in traffic?” “Well, I’m not a miracle-worker ma’am; that I can’t do.” She just laughed and said, “Okay, you’re hired anyway!” Whether you live in the Valley full time, part time, or are visiting for the first time, please be safe, be smart, and be supportive of those around you. Dan Houde dan@wiseguycreative.com
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Bernadette Donohue, Fryeburg, ME Bernie’s love of adventure, beauty, and people started her 35-plus-year real estate career. Creator of MWV Photo Contest/ Calendars for Charities and Hands of Hope cancer survivor banner, she continues to dedicate herself to bettering the lives of others with her positivity. Mike Cherim, North Conway, NH Mike is a trailwork-and SAR-volunteer in the WMNF. His passions are primarily hiking and skiing (plus biking and fishing)– and he also loves to write. He makes his living, however, running a local guiding company, Redline Guiding out of Intervale. Clem McAuliffe, Bartlett, NH Clem McAuliffe, owner of Vista Bev & Market in Intervale, loves beer. He loves talking about beer, reading about beer, writing about beer, and of course, drinking beer. All who enter the store quickly understand the benefit of asking, “Clem, what am I drinking today?” Christine Thompson, Jackson, NH Christine is an educator and grant writer. She spends most of her free time enjoying the outdoors or “doing theater” at M & D Playhouse. She believes that everyone has a story and she loves to be the one to discover it. Lauren Clem, Madison, NH Lauren has spent her weekends and vacations in the Valley for as long as she can remember. She enjoys meeting the people who make the area tick and any story that requires her to put on her hiking boots. When she’s not exploring the White Mountains, she writes for a local newspaper in her home state of Rhode Island.
Karissa Masse, Fryeburg With a background in ceramics and sculpture, Karissa has made her living teaching art, making pottery, and managing galleries since she earned her BFA from RIT in 1999. She has been the owner and curator of the historical League of NH Craftsmen Gallery in North Conway since 2006 and fully enjoys her creative life, enriched by the community and the beauty of the White Mountains.
Jordan Hewson, Chocorua Jordon Hewson of Designed Gardens has brought her love of all things floral with her two flower-filled companies, Designed Gardens and the new Designed Gardens Flower Studio in North Conway Village. Jordon has enjoyed garden coaching and teaching workshops in the greenhouse at the studio and loves watching the community embrace the horticulture side of the Valley.
Karen Elliott-Grinnell, HI Karen is a retired White Mountain Waldorf School kindergarten teacher, a forager, nature enthusiast, jewelry artist, and writer. She counts herself lucky to be friends with the folks at Chase Hill Farm. Having lived in the lakes and mountains regions for over 20 years, she currently resides in Maui, HI. She returns to NH for soul nourishment every chance she gets.
Phil Franklin, Bartlett, NH Phil has been a resident of Bartlett since 2014. He is the president the Bartlett Historical Society and is on the board of his local homeowners association. In a very active retirement, his interests include photography, hiking, and writing, along with enjoying his grandchildren.
Jason Cicero, Conway Jason has lived in the Mt. Washington Valley for 26 years. He is the boy’s varsity tennis coach at Kennett High School and has been playing tennis since he was 14, getting whipped by his best friend’s mom’s doubles team. He has two boys he loves to get outside with, and he appreciates living and playing in paradise. Hilary McCloy, Jackson, NH Hilary enjoys trail running, backcountry skiing, and mountain biking in the surrounding White Mountains with her partner Andrew and dog Squall. Hilary has a Doctor of Physical Therapy and owns her own practice.
Katelynn Gierlinger Katelynn is from Chautauqua County, New York and is currently working with Tin Mountain as an avian ecology intern. She received her associates in environmental science at Jamestown Community College and her bachelor’s at SUNY College at Brockport. While she has many favorite birds, two of them include the redwinged blackbird and American crow. Trish Chaput, Tamworth, NH Trish spent years vacationing in New Hampshire before moving to Chocorua in 2017. The mountains have been a welcome change after 7 years living abroad in London. She is a full-time health coach and loves exploring local trails, lakes and rivers with her husband, Jim, and their Siberian Husky, Roli. Additional Contributers - Dr. Trish Murray, writer - Cathy Ahern, writer
INTERESTED IN JOINING THE VIBE TEAM?
If you reside locally or have ties to the Valley and would like to offer your creative talents, please contact us at info@mwvvibe.com.
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FALL 2021 • CONTENTS 14 - GLASSBLOWER NATHAN MACOMBER
50 - GIVING KIDS THE NET ADVANTAGE
68 - HELPING DOGS HELP PEOPLE
FEATURES 14 GLASSBLOWER NATHAN MACOMBER
30 COLOR YOUR DIET FOR MAX BENEFITS
48 TIPS FOR HIKING WITH YOUR DOG
74 LUPINE: A TAIL OF SUCCESS
18 TRAINING TIPS FOR WINTER SKIING By Dr. Hilary McCloy, PT, DPT
34 CHASE HILL CIDER By Karen Elliott-Grinnell
50 GIVING KIDS THE NET ADVANTAGE
80 AMERICAN KESTRELS
22 RIDE NOCO STEERS AHEAD
42 WHITE MOUNTAIN BREWS & NEWS By Clem McAuliffe
56 VALLEY YOUTH GAINING AN EDGE
84 12 FEET FROM THE TRACKS
26 K. PEARE MEMORIAL SKATE PARK
44 TURNING BACK IS NOT GIVING UP By Mike Cherim
68 ACTS: HELPING DOGS HELP PEOPLE
By Karissa Masse
By Lemieux/McIndoe
Skate Park Committee
Dr. Trish Murray
GENERAL DEPARTMENTS 7 8 10 11 18 26 42 84
READER LETTERS SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT REAL ESTATE CORNER BOOK REVIEW ART GALLERY LISTING NON-PROFIT SPOTLIGHT BREWS & NEWS HISTORY IN THE VALLEY
By Kathy Ahern
By Jason Cicero
By Trish Chaput
By Christine Thompson By Katelynn Gierlinger
By Phil Franklin
By Lauren Clem
ON THE COVER “Jackson Village in Fall Color” Camera: DJI Mavic Pro II Wiseguy Creative Photography Location: Jackson, NH
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READER LETTERS
Send us your thoughts, suggestions, and questions to info@mwvvibe.com.
Hello Vibe! We just returned from two weeks in Chocorua, which I’ve adored from afar my entire life. We celebrated my 75th while there by tackling Mount Chocorua; and consider it to be the prettiest/grandest/most welcoming mountain in the (my) world. I wanted to praise you and Vibe, in hopes you’ll regularly praise your staff/contributors for producing an attractive, informative, appealing, engaging, quality publication one can hold in one’s hands in this post-print, new-world age when there are so few. Keep at it (with appreciation and encouragement). Phil Wagner, Philadelphia ------
Greetings! I read your summer issue and finally got around to compliment the Vibe staff on another excellent edition. As a retired publisher (medical journals), I know what it takes to find articles and photos that build interest and readership. Your photographs were excellent, and the writing and editing were superb. Congratulations to the staff at MWV Vibe. Tom Pizor, Jackson, NH ------
Well done! Really! Vibe is a stunner, really stands out, and is a pleasure to read. The little white church article in the spring edition was interesting to read and the photos were perfect. Thank you for continuing to cover the artists and farmers throughout the region. We also love the wildlife articles by Tin Mountain. Maybe an article covering the return of bald eagles in the region for a future article. Thank you!
Dear Vibe staff, we visit the Valley as often as possible and stay somewhere different each time. Picking up a copy of Vibe during each visit has become somewhat of a tradition, but on our last visit in July, our youngest son (age 10) was adamant that we find a copy right away. We’ve done the typical attractions many times, so we’re always looking for new things to keep us busy. Thanks to Vibe, we’ve found new places to hike, local businesses to dine at or visit, farms we never knew existed, and even found an amazing painting for back home at one of the galleries in Jackson. We all have favorite articles but wanted to ask about the “Home Among The Trees” article by local guide Mike Cherim. Is this a true story? It was so intriguing, but we had trouble knowing if it was a real story or not? Either way, please keep up the good work and keep the ideas coming! We love the Mount Washington Valley! Dina Stafford, Chelmsford, MA
From MWV Vibe Thanks for all the kind words, Dina! Mike Cherim’s “Home Among The Trees” certainly did generate some buzz—but it is, indeed, a fictional piece. We decided to not list it as fiction until the end of the story, as we found it to be more interesting not knowing. We probably could have done a better job at listing the story as fictional, and will make a note for next time. Thanks, again!
Cynthia Davis, New London, NH -----
Dear Vibe, someone left me a copy of your magazine on my desk. What a beautiful publication! I guess I’ve been living under a rock, as I’ve never seen it before. I will be watching for it from now on, for certain. Thank you again for gifting us the ad for North Fryeburg Community Chapel. It’s done so well, and we certainly appreciate it. The Chapel is a well-loved landmark in North Fryeburg, and it’s been a collection of community-minded folks such as yourself that has made this project possible. We are very grateful. Louise Maillett, Fryeburg, ME ------
Hello Vibe, just a quick note to thank you and your team for putting out such a quality magazine. We own a second home in North Conway, and I love sharing this magazine with all of our visitors. The articles are interesting and informative—and the photographs are beautiful. Vibe is a stunning publication and is a real asset to the area. I am saving all the back issues, so I have them on hand for reference. Are back issues available? We are missing a few, while some are a bit tattered. Congratulations! Joyce and Philippe Latapie, North Conway and Melrose, MA
From MWV Vibe Thank you for reaching out, Joyce! It’s hard to believe that Vibe has already been around for five years … and 16 editions have been produced. At this time, we have all back issues available, though limited on some of the earlier copies. Just let us know which edition you need and we’ll get a copy to you for the price of shipping. Autumn 2021
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SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Tell us about your unique Valley business at info@mwvvibe.com.
SIMPLYBETTER MOVEMENT THERAPY Do you have chronic pain, muscle tightness, balance, or sleep issues? Using applied movement neurology (AMN), SimplyBetter Movement Therapy can help you get back to the active life that gives you joy. AMN uses gentle touch, movement, and visual drills to resolve excess tension, inhibited muscles, post-concussion syndrome, pelvic floor dysfunction, and more. Jim Chaput is a master practitioner of AMN, a therapy system that uses functional neurology, complex movement, and muscle testing to identify what you need to break bad patterns and return to your best health. Treatments are available by appointment in Conway Village, Chocorua, and in some cases, online via video call. Jim will test your balance, muscle strength, and movement to set a baseline and get an understanding of your issues. He will then assess and reset your nervous system using gentle touch and muscle testing. As he works on different areas, he tests against your baseline to determine how much you have improved and whether issues require additional focus. Jim will then teach you movement drills that you can use to reinforce your treatment. Many people see significant improvement in just one session!
/simplybettercoaching HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: • Reduce or eliminate pain • Improve your balance • Restore pelvic floor function • Get the right exercises for you
For more information, call (603) 409-5366, or visit www.simplybettercoaching.com.
WHITE BIRCH BOOKS For books—bestsellers, local and regional favorites, selections for children and young readers, and staff recommendations, as well as bargain books and collectible titles— White Birch Books in North Conway Village is the perfect place to go. A gem of an independent bookstore, this store has been welcoming readers of all ages for almost 30 years. White Birch is well organized into fiction and nonfiction departments, with the second floor almost entirely dedicated to children and young reader sections. The store’s friendly staff prides itself on its customer service and is always happy to jump in with a recommendation, have a nice chat, or to order the specific book you want (whatever is not in the store can be easily ordered). They are all big readers and like to share their knowledge. In addition to the wide selection of books, White Birch boasts a huge array of cards for all occasions. Keep a special eye open for the cat cards—they are a store favorite! Plus, there are puzzles, games, art supplies, activity books, and other gift items. There is truly something for the whole family! Of course, the store is available even after hours and from afar through their website. It offers a look at all the store’s upcoming events, book groups, featured favorites, and, of course, online ordering.
/WhiteBirchBooks HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: • • • • •
White Mountain Independents member Full-service independent bookstore for the whole family Complete selection of local and regional titles Quirky, fun cards for every occasion Personal staff recommendations!
For more information, call (603) 356-3200, or visit www.whitebirchbooks.com. 8
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RAVENWOOD CURIO SHOPPE
Upon entering the grounds of RavenWood Curio Shoppe, you’re immediately welcomed by a funky and magical-looking, two-story structure that appears to be right out of a children’s folk-tales book. Inside, you’re treated to an eclectic assortment of artisan-made products from New England, the U.S., and Canada. Selections include unique pottery, jewelry, local art, mirrors, art glass, greeting cards, and metal sculptures. The shop also carries home décor, furniture, lighting, and more. Outside, explore pathways and perennials that house garden fairies, elves, and dragons, along with statues of all sizes, garden décor, and fanciful metal sculptures. You’ll find a multitude of artistries on display here. Less than 15 minutes from North Conway Village, RavenWood is located just across the covered bridge, beside the fire station, in lovely Jackson, NH. In warm weather months, a visit may be combined with a stop at nearby Jackson Falls or any number of local attractions; in winter, it’s across from Jackson Cross Country, one of the top ski-touring areas in the East, and five minutes to Living Shores Aquarium in Glen (next to Story Land). With a multitude of curiosities, rarities, and novelties on display, RavenWood truly is a memorable shopping experience, where the past and the present come together with whimsical and creative results. Be sure to include it in your next visit to the Valley!
/Ravenwood-Curio-Shoppe HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: • White Mountain Independents member • Open year round, seasonal hours • A fun shopping experience • Great selection of truly unusual gifts • Located in Jackson, NH
For more info, call (603) 383-8026, or visit www.ravenwoodcurio.com.
THE CHRISTMAS LOFT/TRICKS & TREATS The Christmas Loft is a magical family attraction with the best in holiday decor in an atmosphere that is fun for the whole family. Inside—in room after room—collectibles come to life in beautifully lit vignettes that evoke memories of your happiest holiday times and capture the magic of years gone by. Visitors walk through a life-sized animated New England Christmas village as they peek into all the shops, talk to the singing cow Bessie and all of her Christmas friends, see Santa flying above, and enjoy all the sights and sounds of Christmas. The Christmas Loft has the largest selection of holiday decorations in New England. From ornaments to all the most popular and unique collectibles and decor, there is something for everyone. In 2019, The Christmas Loft expanded with a new building, Tricks & Treats, which is a delightful combination of Halloween, candy, ice cream, toys, and many other fun and eclectic items. There is a spooky haunted Halloween room where animated decor offers frights around every corner while customers shop for all of their Halloween needs. The ice cream and candy shop is serving up original Crazy Shakes, delicious Annabelle’s ice cream, seasonal delights, and tons of nostalgic candy. And all of this can be enjoyed out on a stunning patio with beautiful views of the Moats.
/TheChristmasLoft HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: • White Mountain Independents member
• Animated life-size Christmas village • Incredible selection of holiday decor • Spooky Halloween store • Ice cream and candy shop with mountain views
For more information, call (603) 356-5253, or visit www.christmasloft.com. Autumn 2021
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REAL ESTATE CORNER By Bernadette Donohue
Helping Families Turn the Page Whether easy or hard, the transition from summer to scheduled classes, homework, sports, and extracurricular is as much an autumn tradition as is New England’s foliage. With one foot back in high school and one out the door, our family is also back to experiencing the excitement (and equally exhausting task) of finding good fit and affordable colleges. Having been through the process twice before, we do feel better equipped to handle expectations. As such, based on our past experiences, we also found that paying for expert college search guidance translates into less stress and more affordable opportunities. For me, helping families buy and sell properties during their many life transitions, comes with high expectations, heartfelt dedication, and service mindedness; what I expect when paying for professional guidance. The overwhelming feedback I receive from people I work with is that it is extremely valuable to have a knowledgeable and caring professional walking with them through the entire process. As one of the most expensive purchase decisions of people’s lives (although college expenses continue to gain ground), it magnifies the importance of being willing and able to help serve at a such a crucial point. Providing buyers and sellers with an overview of knowledge, understanding their personal limits and goals, and being able to share firsthand experiences, all translates into positive transactions and relationships. While some purchases or sales are a well-planned and carefully executed desire, others are happening with much less enthusiasm, sometimes abruptly. Many are exciting and fun, while others are tinged with sadness, perhaps due to life’s changing needs. In fact, every individual’s reason to buy and/or to sell, along with the uniqueness of the property itself, become part of a story and are an important part of a much bigger picture of why someone is opening or closing a literal door into their next chapter or journey. Recent examples being: ~ Buyers from the Cape considering buying a home in the Jackson community to retire to, but propelled by the pandemic to make their decision sooner because flights and pre-planned vacations were canceled. The new goal became having a vacation home that will also be a “perfect” primary home when they retire. ~ Buyer/seller, very busy locals whose goals were to buy bigger, in the same neighborhood, but had to figure out logistics of timing and negotiating with a difficult seller. ~ Buyers moving back from Florida to be closer to kids and grandkids. Looking for easy maintenance, some privacy, sunlight, and good space. Wanting affordable options and willing to own in
WiseguyCreative.com photo
NH or ME. ~ Sellers moving into a nursing facility,tinged leaving relatives to help clean; it involved weekends of yard sales, sweat, and determination. Deciding to take a less-than-full-price due to timing and not having to make needed improvements. ~ Buyer coming to New Hampshire after becoming an empty nester from the D.C. area, looking for a simpler life. Finding a hilltop hideaway with 20 acres of privacy and gorgeous mountain views. Excited to improve the property and be able to invite the veterans he works with to enjoy this serenity, too. ~ Sellers taking the opportunity that this unprecedented market offers to help make a very difficult decision to sell a little bit easier. From their much-loved summer home, which has brought so much joy, to now needing it to be part of this family’s fondest memories. ~ Buyers committed to the search to find a retirement home in the mountains of NH. But living out west, need expedience and guidance when homes come on the market—especially with multiple offers and above-asking bids in an area they are unfamiliar with. ~ Sellers whose homes need to be spruced up and staged to help show in its best light. Looking to sell for the most money so they can move closer to their son, who is in a state where the prices to buy are much higher. ~ Buyers who have traveled the world and are ready to settle down, wanting a home with hundreds of acres they can nurture in forest management so they can leave a legacy. Making their offer as if they are applying for a job to an elderly seller who lovingly passes the baton of her life’s work. On and on, from new beginnings to new endings, a career in real estate is a career in caring for people as well as their property. I am always honored and grateful to be part of people’s real estate decisions and journey. As the need for new and different housing is necessitated by life’s transitions, my best advice is to work with someone who you like and trust and who you believe will be your best advocate for now and possibly for years to come. Bernadette Donohue is a seasoned real estate professional. Bernie has dedicated her career and lifestyle to serving the community and helping clients reach their housing goals.
For a complimentary 2021 Guide of Tips for Buying or Selling, Bernie can be found in Badger Realty’s North Conway office, (603) 356-5757, (207) 542-9967. Bernie@BadgerRealty.com; www.berniedonohue.badgerrealty.com
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BOOK REVIEW By Laura Cummings, White Birch Books Haunted Hiking and Reading There are so many ways to tackle the hikes of the White Mountains and beyond. You can attempt the 4,000-footers, go for the 52 With a View, take the hikes geared for kids or for dogs, or just look for the ones that guarantee views or waterfalls. It seems that there is something for everyone … and yet, there is still room to fill a niche. Marianne O’Connor does just that with her book, Haunted Hikes of New Hampshire. This guide is great fun because it is part local history and part ghost story with the reward of a great hike or two. It’s one thing to know about elevation gain and difficulty level, but it’s also cool to add in hermits, UFOs, and ghosts. Each chapter in the book begins with the haunted story and then finishes with the hikes that are available in that same area. Once your haunted hike is done for the day, it would only be appropriate to continue the theme with a good book when you are relaxing by the campfire or
This guide is great fun because it is part local history and part ghost story with the reward of a great hike or two. It’s one thing to know about elevation gain and difficulty level, but it’s also cool to add in hermits, UFOs, and ghosts.
back at home. There are many books that would fit that bill. Practically the whole Stephen King canon would do the trick, but that’s too easy. A perfect book for the times that would freak anyone out while enjoying the great outdoors is Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay. In Survivor Song, Tremblay imagines a rabies-like virus that has transferred to humans. Spread by saliva, this insidious disease has a very short incubation period of an hour or less. Those infected lose their minds and only want to bite other people to spread the virus as much as possible before they succumb. At eight months pregnant, Natalie has been bitten. Autumn 2021
She has an hour to get the vaccine to possibly save her baby. She reaches out to her friend, Dr. Ramola Sherman, and asks for help to journey through the now hostile suburban landscape to reach the hospital. The two women must dodge infected people, government roadblocks, and an armed militia taking the law into their own hands. It is quite plausible how quickly society falls apart, making this a very current horror story. Switching gears entirely, Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth is the perfect book for those who get their scares from curses and hauntings. In 1902 at the Brookhants School for girls, two students— obsessed with each other and with scandalous writer Mary MacLane—start the Plain Bad Heroine Society to show their devotion. When they are killed by yellowjackets in the school orchard, the curse begins. The death of another student and a teacher follow before Brookhants is shuttered for good. Fast-forward to the present day, when an enterprising director decides to make a movie on the site of the old school. Featuring the hot young actress of the day, Harper Harper, the film is designed to be a movie within a movie. But things start happening on set. How much is production and how much is curse— and why is there always a persistent buzzing? Plain Bad Heroines is dark, haunting, and ghostly, but also funny at times as the narrator talks directly to the reader. But there is no doubt that there is a lingering feeling of malevolence once the last page is turned … and readers will never view yellowjackets the same way again! Both Tremblay and Danforth are New England-based authors, and their works are set in New England as well. Combining their books with a nice, haunted hike is a perfect recipe for a fall day.
Laura Cummings owns and operates White Birch Books, an independent, full-service bookstore serving the Mt. Washington Valley and beyond.
Celebrating 25 years! (603) 356-3200
PO Box 399 • 2568 White Mt Hwy North Conway Village, NH 03860 Just south of the park
info@whitebirchbooks.com www.whitebirchbooks.com
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Photography by Wiseguy Creative Media
The Colorful Craft of Glassblower, Nathan Macomber
By Karissa Masse
Breathing New Life into the Family Farm
I
t’s 5 a.m., the kids are still dreaming, and Nathan Macomber is summoned out to the 120-year-old barn for his early morning chores. But instead of milking the cows or feeding the hens, Nathan turns up the heat and prepares to shovel raw silica into his 2,400-degree glass furnace. The glass crackles and sparks as he shovels “batch” into the mouth of the blindingly white-hot furnace, and waits for it to melt into the
crystal clear translucent glass he begins each of his creations with. When it’s ready, he’ll gather hot liquid glass onto a blow pipe, like twisting golden honey onto a honey stick. Nathan is a glassblower, a profession not many can claim, but he’s carved out a life as an artist here in the Mt. Washington Valley, and he’s found success and fulfillment. Nathan and his wife Stephanie bought the Macomber family homestead
in the spring of 2002, though it had been in his family since 1949. They’ve been filling their home with children, pets, and colorful artwork ever since, including giant glass spiders that scale the exterior walls of the barn, and a barn door that features a 10-foot anime painting of Totoro from the 1988 Japanese film. “Totoro was my daughter’s first favorite movie. She had to watch it every single day for months on end.”
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Nathan’s work might begin as a blob of clear glass, but it will end up as a surprisingly brilliant piece of colorful artwork. His glass is playful and energetic, and he is not a bit shy with color. In fact, viewing his portfolio is a thrilling roller coaster ride. He blows colorful large bowls, drinking tumblers, decorative paperweights, and vases, all exploding with shocking hues. But most characteristic of his work are his rondels. Created Autumn 2021
by spinning out a large bubble of glass and opening it to a flat plate-like shape, these rondels become suncatchers for the window or dynamic pieces of assembled art. Mounted on twisting wrought iron stands, his colorful rondels become giant gongs or colorful blossoms on the vine. These assembled pieces have led Nathan to become a bit of a blacksmith too. His sister, Becky, worked for a blacksmith in Arizona and left her forge and anvil on
the farm with Nate when she went off to grad school. Of course he couldn’t resist. Now, in addition to housing his glassblowing studio, the old barn is also home to his blacksmithing forge. Nathan grew up in Westford, VT, but he recalls visiting his family farm as a kid. “Grampa died before I was born, but Gramma was here. Every other year another side of the farmhouse needed to be painted. We had these big family reunions 15
so we could all help paint the old farmhouse. They were like these huge painting parties.” His father’s parents were farmers in the 1950s. They had milk cows and huge vegetable gardens, sold hundreds of eggs to the local grocery store, and rented out bedrooms in the farmhouse to make ends meet. His mom’s parents were in the
now located) donated coats and boots to everyone in the family. The path to Nate’s career as a glassblower began while he was enrolled at Prescott College in 1995. “It’s not so much that I found glass, it’s more that glass kinda found me. I had no idea what I was getting into. I had never seen any-
glassblowing studio. He picked up every business card for every glassblower he could find and found his way to a cooperative glassblowing studio in Prescott. “I worked for no pay in this sketchy, crappy studio with absolutely no ventilation. It was crazy, just two raging glory holes and a furnace in this tiny cement room. Talk
hospitality business, and ran the Birchmont Inn (now the Red Jacket Inn), which burned to the ground in 1969. His grandparents lost everything, and the community reached out to help them. Carol Reed, a local and well-loved ski apparel store in North Conway (where Olympia Sports is
thing like it before. I’d done some stained glass, but that was totally different. Glassblowing was totally weird, really hot, fast, and scary! The tools, the sounds, the equipment—it was all just amazing.” He was in his early 20s and willing to work for free, just to get into another
about hot!” After that, he helped build a studio for Jim Antonius—and ended up managing it for him. Jim became his mentor and Nate apprenticed with him, writing independent studies to get his degree in glass through Prescott College in 1999.
Nate applied and became a juried member of the League of NH Craftsmen in 2003, opening the door to more opportunities, including selling his work in the eight craft galleries located throughout the state, and participating in the League’s Annual Craftsmen Fair, the oldest craft fair in the country.
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FINE CRAFT GALLERY
Deirdre Donnelly
Nathan Macomber
ABOVE: Nathan and his wife Stephanie bought the Macomber family homestead in the spring of 2002, though it had been in his family since 1949. Nathan would later add his glassblowing studio directly to the barn.
By the time he and Stephanie moved onto the Macomber family homestead, Nate already had the background he needed to get started. He knew what it took to build and maintain equipment, and the cost to run it all. Not wanting to get in over his head, they started small, and he built his own glassblowing studio attached to the barn. His parents Charlie and Robin built a house on a parcel of the land a few years later, so they live right next door. “We go over and steal sugar from them. We don’t even call.” He applied and became a juried member of the League of NH Craftsmen in 2003, opening the door to more opportunities, including selling his work in the eight craft galleries located throughout the state, and participating in the League’s Annual Craftsmen Fair, the oldest craft fair in the country. His family had a history with the North Conway League of NH Craftsmen Gallery, in particular. The North Conway gallery opened for business during the great depression, in 1932, and has been operating on its current premises since 1951. Sally Flagg, who owned the gallery from 1990 to 2006, knew Nathan’s grandmother on Autumn 2021
his father’s side, and Suzie Eastman, who worked at the League gallery for many years, knew his grandmother through their church. Well on his way to success, Nathan was accepted to show his work at the American Craft Council shows in Baltimore MD, and for a time sold his glass to galleries all over the country. He has phased down since then. “With kids, I don’t want to travel as much. Now I’m part time with glass and part time with the kids. Steph works full time, so I’m Mr. Mom. I do most of the grocery shopping, cook dinner, take the kids to doctor appointments, and I love doing it all. When I was doing glass full time, it started feeling like work, and wasn’t as much fun. Mixing it up with the kids is way more hectic, but it’s a lot more fun.” Another collaborative aspect of his creative life is a side business called Art From Ashes. This art glass business offers designs that incorporate a small amount of snowy ashes from a cremated loved one, right into the glass. Originally founded in 2006 by Jane Giat, Deb Brown, and Jenny Bourgeois in Amherst, MA, Art From Ashes brings together a handful of
Richard Roth
Jennie Blair
www.nhcraftsmen.com 603-356-2441 2526 Main St. North Conway Village
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glass artists who make these remembrance glass designs for humans and pets. In 2014, after six years of working with the group, Nate took over the business. Now, with the help of his wife Stephanie and his father Charlie, they continue to manage the business. Nathan Macomber’s glass is luminous and supple, with perfect clarity that lets the colors shine, pure and true. His colorful glass can bring life into a dark or drab room, just as he has brought new life to the Macomber farm, brightening it with his living art, centered around family. “Anyone who owns a farmhouse knows there’s always something falling down and needing to be fixed. The septic, the roof, the chimney, the foundation. Add battling the weather and raising a family, all while trying to make a living. But I can’t imagine any other place. It’s a great blessing. It gives back, too.”
MWV ARTISTS & GALLERIES
Please report corrections to info@mwvvibe.com
Louise Perry of Vintage Frameworks 28 Norcross Circle, North Conway, NH (603) 356-7711 www.vintageframeworks.com
Artworks* 132 White Mountain Highway, Chocorua, NH (603) 323-8041 www.chocoruaartworks.com
Main Street Gallery/MWVArts 16 Norcross Circle, North Conway, NH (603) 356-2787 • www.mwvarts.org
Bill Fein Gallery 106 Fein Lane, Center Conway, NH (603)-356-7943
Nathan Macomber Glass Studio 480 Eaton Road, Conway, NH (603) 447-1825 www.macomberglass.com
Cassidy Gallery* 28 Main Street (Majestic Theatre Building) Conway Village, NH • (603) 662-2074 www.cassidygallery.com
Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery 69 Maple Street, Center Sandwich, NH (603) 284-7728 www.patricialaddcarega.com
Cook Memorial Library 93 Main Street, Tamworth, NH (603) 323-8510 www.tamworthlibrary.org
Robert Gordon Gallery Kancamagus Highway, Conway, NH (603) 356-7943
Edge of Maine Art & Framing 182 Main Street, Brownfield, ME (207) 935-2817 www.edgeofmaine.com Erik Koeppel Fine Art P.O. Box 325, Jackson, NH (603) 383-7062 • www.erikkoeppel.com
Karissa Masse is owner and curator of the historic League of NH Craftsmen Fine Craft Gallery in North Conway Village, representing over 250 NH artists and craftsmen in the non-profit organization. She is also an artist in her own right, with a BFA in ceramics and sculpture from RIT. In addition to making pottery and managing the gallery, Karissa developed an extensive craft education program, and teaches alongside numerous pottery and craft educators in the community studios. Karissa’s work at the North Conway League of NH Craftsmen Gallery continues to provide economic support to hundreds of New Hampshire’s craftsmen, and enriches the Mt. Washington Valley community with art, culture, and craft education. Nathan’s work can be found at the League of NH Craftsmen Gallery, 2526 White Mountain Highway, North Conway Village; www.nhcraftsmen.com; (603) 356-2441 or www.macomberglass.com.
Fryeburg Harbor Antiques and Fine Art Gallery 506 Harbor Road, Fryeburg, ME (207) 925-2848 www.fryeburgharbor.com Gallery 302 112 Main Street, Bridgton, ME (207) 647-2787 • www.gallery302.com
Roger C. Williams Fine Art 125 Main Street, Lovell, ME (207) 925-3380 www.rogerwilliamsfineart.com Skyforest Gallery 407 White Mountain Highway, Conway, NH (760) 770-3777 Surroundings Art Gallery 12 Main Street, Sandwich, NH (603) 284-6888 www.surroundingsart.com Stained Glass Shack Studio 63 West Main Street, Conway, NH (603) 447-4949 www.stainedglassshack.com
Gateway Gallery & Gifts 32 Exchange Street, Gorham, NH (603) 466-9900 • www.gatewaygallery.biz
St. Kieran Community Center for the Arts 155 Emery Street, Berlin, NH (603) 752-1028 www.stkieranarts.org
Harvest Gold Gallery 1082 Main Street, Center Lovell, ME (207) 925-6502 www.harvestgoldgallery.com
Virginia Moore Pet Portraits and Fine Art 83 Crossover Rd. Albany, NH 03818 (603) 520-8230 www.vmooreportraits.com
Jackson Art Studio & Gallery* 155 Ridge Road, Jackson, NH (603) 387-3463 www.jacksonartnh.com
White Mountain Artisans Gallery 3358 White Mountain Highway, North Conway, NH • (603) 356-6546 www.whitemountainartisansgallery.com
Jesse Mixer Metalsmith North Conway, NH www.jessemixer.com
White Mountain Photography 95 Main Street, located inside Snowflake Inn Jackson, NH • (603) 374-6050 www.whitemountainphoto.com
Karen Eisenberg Designs North Conway, NH • (603) 662-9887 www.kareneisenberg.com League of NH Craftsmen North Conway* 2526 White Mountain Highway, North Conway, NH • (603) 356-2441 www.northconway.nhcrafts.org
With These Hands Pottery* 397 Tasker Hill Road Conway, NH (207) 256-2522 www.withthesehandspottery.com * Direct supporters helping to make MWV Vibe possible
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JACKSON
ART CLASSES!
studio & gallery
ART GALLERY!
CONTEMPORARY ART & UNIQUE GIFTS FROM OVER 30 LOCAL ARTISTS Open Weekends with our “Artists at Work!” JOIN US FOR OUR FALL ART SHOW!
HANNA LUCY / COLOR PENCIL & INK
JUNE MCLEAVEY MIXED MEDIA
MELANIE BARASH LEVITT OIL CHRIS MUZERALL / OIL LORI STEARNS MOSAIC
CONNIE DEFLITCH WATERCOLOR LINDA MCDERMOTT/ OIL
JANET GILL/ PASTEL
SANDRA PEZZULLO/ OIL
NATHAN MACOMBER GLASS
CAROLYN HUDSON JEWELRY
JACKSON ART STUDIO & GALLERY (603) 387-3463 WWW.JACKSONARTNH.COM Autumn 2021
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Andrew Drummond photo
Fall Cross Training Tips for Top Ski Performance this Winter By Dr. Hilary McCloy, PT, DPT
W
hy do our legs burn when we take our first few runs skiing in the early winter? This is a question I hear often, but not until after someone has already started skiing and is hoping to quickly reverse the painful effects. The quad muscles in the front of our thighs take the brunt of the stress when skiing, due to the way we stand in ski boots and the forces that pull our bodies down the hill. This discomfort, and misinformation about of the risk of injury, can be factors in why people don’t pursue the sport. Whether you’re into alpine, Nordic, or backcountry, skiing is a sport that requires the body to be strong and move in a way that is not commonly found in other popular sports; so it’s a challenge to naturally train the body to be ready to ski each season. Strength and endurance are two components that help train our bodies to be more resistant to overload and keep our joints more protected. It’s worth your while to spend time prepping for the season. Plus, if your body is ready to ski, then the experience will be that much better. Now that we’ve stated the obvious about those first arduous runs down the mountain each season, the best path forward is to do some prep for ski season so that you can set yourself up to have decreased thigh burn, less chance of injury, and a more enjoyable season.
FOCUS: Quadricep muscles Our quads control the knees as we bend and straighten them, as well as acting as a shock absorber when skis move over terrain and make turns. Our ski boots have a slight flex in the ankle, which in turn, makes our knees bend—which means the quads are ALWAYS on when we are skiing. How to work ‘em Go hiking, biking, or running! Easy ways to recreate and get some important added benefits to skiing.
FOCUS: Back and core muscles Our core muscles hold our bodies up against gravity, which is pulling us down the hill; without strength we would crumple forward. These muscles help with skiing technique as the legs move side to side and the body stays relatively quiet.
How to work ‘em Mountain biking has similar gravitational pull on our upper body and back, so it’s great to tap into this. Yoga and agility sports also engage the core and back from quick movements.
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FOCUS: Gluteus muscles The glutes work to help control the hinge of our hips as we try to get forward and control the gravitational pull; these work in tandem with the back and core muscles. The quads and the glutes should work together, as wellm because they both straighten our hips/knees as well as control bending. How to work ‘em Hiking, trail running, or HIIT workouts classes often engage the glutes. Lunges are debatably fun—but work great!
FOCUS: Single-leg balance exercises These are very important because we don’t spend much time working on this during the summer, and feedback tells me that these are what people respond well with most often to improve their skiing control and experience. Our legs are long, which makes it a long lever arm to control, but if you can, then you can be more precise in your turning and movements.
Healing Dimensions Massage Therapy “Bridging the Mind and Body through Touch”
How to work ‘em Any exercise or activity that requires balance is beneficial—this includes yoga, ball sports, and hiking.
FOCUS: Power and agility These movements can sound daunting, but that is what is happening and needed during a ski turn. The legs and body are constantly absorbing and pushing at all different speeds as we make each turn. We love skiing because of its dynamic, changing nature on every run, so our bodies need to be able to be reactive and change with the terrain and conditions. How to work ‘em Jumping and bounding work the muscles quickly and powerfully. Pick-up sports or HIIT workouts will help address this.
Julie Sargent, LMT- NH Lic. # 3358 Member AMTA, Nationally Certified
www.JulieSargentMassage.com (603) 502-5326 24 Pleasant St. Conway, NH
There are so many more specific exercises that you can start to do as you begin to prep for your winter season. I recommend getting a jump on it by the middle of October and spend six to eight weeks building your strength. I have worked with clients of all ages, from teenagers to seniors, who all benefit from working at different levels. It’s wise to consider prepping your muscles for ski season as a necessary part of ski season. As a physical therapist and avid skier, and for an extra level of safety, I recommend finding someone who can guide you through these progressions and exercises. For even more intense ski conditioning, consider one of these classes this fall:
Powder Hour with Hilary Begins October 11 and available all winter; online only. For additional information go to www.hilarymccloy.com.
Ledge Brewing – Shred sessions with Erin Paradis Pre-ski season conditioning. Begins October 6 for six weeks every Wednesday. In-person only. For additional information, follow Ledge on Instagram @ledgebrew. Hilary McCloy, PT, DPT owns and operates a performance Physical Therapy clinic in Jackson NH that specializes in keeping active people of all ages healthy and happy with a focus in running, hiking and skiing. Find it at www.hilarymccloy.com.
Autumn 2021
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Photo by PC Brooks Curran (@brookscurran)
RIDE NOCO STEERS THE NEXT CHAPTER FORWARD
By Laura Lemieux and Dyane McIndoe
Ride NoCo becomes a driving force in hopes to build a world-class mountain bike community The 2020 season marked an important step forward for mountain biking in the Mt. Washington Valley. Thanks, in part, to timely fundraising and key partnerships with organizations such as White Mountain Trail Collective and REI, Ride NoCo was the driving force behind two major projects in the Hurricane Zone, which helped to address traffic flow and connectivity. Thanks to the trail-building talents of local trail builders, Tyrol Trails, Knight Ide, and Tulip Trails, along with volunteer and paid trail crews, the unique terrain around the Hurricane and Cranmore Mountain areas has been greatly im-
Valley and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In addition to building and maintaining local trails for all abilities, Ride NoCo works with the local mountain bike community as the liaison to land managers and owners to ensure future access of public and private lands. While providing educational opportunities and hosting events for new and experienced riders, Ride NoCo is also focused on providing positive, progressive growth in hopes to become a world-class mountain bike community. This season, the organization continues its focus on both new and restoration projects in the Hurricane and Cranmore Mountain areas, as well as Cathedral Ledge located on the Westside Road network. Funding will be provided by White Moun-
proved and is better-prepared for the increase in riding traffic that the area has seen in the past few years. Ride NoCo was created to build awareness of mountain biking and to progress the sport responsibly in the Mt. Washington
tain Trail Collective and Ride NoCo, while a capital fundraising campaign has begun in hopes to raise $50,000 for new trails in the Hurricane Zone, along with additional trail restoration projects throughout the Valley.
This season, the organization continues its focus on both new and restoration projects in the Hurricane and Cranmore Mountain areas, as well as Cathedral Ledge located on the Westside Road network.
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Red dotted line above shows Trail 2 “Return from Sendero” , a 1700-foot downhill-only trail in the Hurricane Mountain Zone descending from the junction of Sendero and Kettle Ridge to the Lower Flank Trail. Estimated trail length of 7,150 linear feet (1.36 Miles) with approximately 600 feet elevation loss at an average grade of 8%.
2021/22 TRAIL PROJECTS TRAIL 2 “RETURN FROM SENDERO” A 1,700-foot downhill-only trail in the Hurricane Mountain Zone descending from the junction of Sendero and Kettle Ridge to the Lower Flank Trail.
Project Details This route has been indicated in past maps and plans as “Trail 2.” Funding will be provided by White Mountain Trail Collective and Ride NoCo, while trail building is being completed by Tulip Trails. • Construction has begun and will be mostly complete this fall. • Riders will experience a machine-built, downhill-only, intermediate flow trail with opportunities for more advanced lines. • This project includes a new route from the southern end of the Lower Flank Trail to the base of Cranmore, moving traffic off of Cranmore’s Kandahar ski trail and onto a two-way access trail. Autumn 2021
This project further advances Ride NoCo’s goal to utilize Cranmore Mountain Resort’s parking area and alleviate traffic and parking at the base of Hurricane Mountain Zone.
Construction Details • Estimated trail length of 7,150 linear feet (1.36 miles) with approximately 600 feet elevation loss at an average grade of 8%. • Trail 2 will be a downhill-only; ascending will be prohibited. • Corridor is located entirely on Cranmore Mountain Resort property. It is located north of the resort on the hillside below the Kettle Ridge Trail and above the Lower Flank Trail. • Trail 2 will be entirely machine built with a majority of the tread being an excavated/graded natural surface, with some sections left “natural” with increased texture (roots/rocks).
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The above map shows the reroute of Half Day, which will not only increase sustainability and safety, but will also add approximately 1,250 linear feet of distance and access to some interesting terrain.
RESTORATION PROJECTS
Photo by PC Brooks Curran (@brookscurran)
Half Day Located on Cathedral Ledge in the West Side network, Half Day is an expert downhill trail that has safety and sustainability issues which will be addressed in a series of reconfigurations and restoration. The existing trail has substantial degradation on its lower half due to its overly steep pitch. Additionally, the trail entrance conflicts with the top of a
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2021 CAPITAL CAMPAIGN Ride NoCo is adding more trail riding and we need your help!
Photo by PC Brooks Curran (@brookscurran)
rock-climbing route, and the trail ends at a dangerous blind angle to the auto road traffic. The majority of the upper half of the existing trail will remain as is, with the exception of some basic maintenance to mitigate erosion. The benefits of this re-route go beyond the increased sustainability and safety. The new sections of trail will add approximately 1,250 linear feet of distance and access to some interesting terrain. Hikers and bikers alike will find this trail more accessible and visually stimulating.
Original Cranmore Connector The White Mountain Trail Collective (WMTC) will re-route and restore the original Cranmore Connector trail, used by both bikers and hikers. The work will be completed by early fall. The goal of this project is to restore erosion from heavy traffic. Additionally, a handful of re-routes will be added to make the climb on mountain bikes more palatable. Ride NoCo will assist WMTC as necessary.
The Hurricane Mountain Zone is home to over 10 miles of gravity-fed and technical terrain, including 6,561 feet of descending trail riding. Donate to our current projects, which include a new 7,120-linear-foot trail from the junction of Sendero and Kettle Ridge to the base of Cranmore and additional trail restoration projects. Help Ride NoCo reach their fundraising goal of $50,000 by filling out the donation form on their website. For every $1 given, White Mountain Trail Collective will match up to $38,000! Corporate sponsorships are welcome! Contact chris@ridenoco.org for more information.
Funding provided by White Mountain Trail Collective and Ride NoCo. These are restricted funds are for trail building only. All donations go toward Ride NoCo trail projects.
Construction Details Slated to begin in Spring 2022, trail building by hand will be completed by IdeRide, with additional assistance from Ride NoCo trail crew and volunteers. This trail is located on White Mountain National Forest land.
• The problematic, lower section of trail has an average grade of 30% and has no grade reversals to shed water. The re-route will have an average grade of 14% and utilizes the terrain to shed water from the tread frequently. Frequent grade reversals will result in minimizing erosion from water. • The trail is designed to manage riders’ speed in such a way that requires minimal braking. This will greatly reduce wear on the tread surface from bike traffic. The exit of the trail onto the auto road will be moved to a point that allows for greater visibility. Riders’ speed will be controlled by a slight rise in grade and a turn before the exit. • A 250-foot re-route at the entrance will eliminate conflict with the rock-climbing route. Ride NoCo is a membership-based 501c3 organization and the trademarked brand of The White Mountain Bike Coalition. For additional information, visit them online at www.ridenoco.org, or their social media channels at www.facebook.com/RideNoCo and www.instagram.com/ride_noco Autumn 2021
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NON-PROFIT SPOTLIGHT
Kevin Peare Memorial Skate Park An update from the Skate Park Committee The Kevin Peare Memorial Skate Park committee has been raising funds to build a free skate park for nearly four years in the Mt. Washington Valley. The skate park will be in memory of Kevin Peare, a Conway, New Hampshire native who passed away unexpectedly in 2017. Kevin’s love of skateboarding and teaching it to anyone who wanted to learn
An estimated groundbreaking for the skate park will be June 2023. The skate park will be a state-of-the-art concrete skateboarding park, between 8,000 to 10,000 square feet (or a 1/4 acre). It will be free to the public and be owned by the town of Conway. The group will stay on to oversee maintenance. spearheaded the direction of the project. It was his dream to have a skate park in his hometown and a safe place to practice the sport. After Kevin’s passing, his older sister, Caren Peare, reached out to the Tony Hawk Foundation (now The Skate
Project). The Skate Project seeks to foster lasting improvements in society through the development of free, quality public skateparks in low-income communities throughout the country. The Skate Project director, Alec Beck, has been guiding the group on how to build a skate park since that time. Along with Kevin’s mother Anna and sister Caren, Erin Russell has been there since the beginning. They have worked tirelessly to keep the organization’s vision on track. Four years later, there continues to be a solid group of volunteers keeping the vision of a skate park on the horizon. The group met with town officials with a proposal for a skate park to be built in the Mt. Washington Valley. It was brought in front of the selectmen and voted on unanimously. The selectmen voted to build the skate park off the new recreation path that runs from Cranmore Mountain to the cul de sac behind Walmart in North Conway off Hemlock Lane. This land was taken by the state of N.H. to build the proposed bypass in the 1990s; now the land is being returned to the town because the bypass is no longer happening. A professional skate park designer and builder have been chosen. Kevin’s sister and mother chose a design that closely resembles Tetuán Skate Park in Madrid, Spain. Nicole Licari Robertson from Pillar Design Studios personally visited the park in Spain and is designing it. Artisan Skate Park Builders was recommended by the Tony Hawk Foundation and will be working with town engineer, Paul DegliAngeli. According to him, as of July 2021, an estimated groundbreaking for the skate park will be June 2023. The skate park will be a state-of-the-art concrete skateboarding park, between 8,000 to 10,000 square feet (or a 1/4 acre). It will be free to the public and be owned by the town of Conway. The group will stay on to oversee maintenance. They have created an after-school program curriculum, “Skateboarding 101,” working with Project Succeed. The children are taught safety first. Then they are taught to build a skateboard, then finally learn to ride it. They leave the program with the skateboard they built. This will be something the group will continue once the skatepark has been built. They also are planning on offering classes and
summer programs or camps. In other news, the group has now become their own non-profit 501(3) C. They have raised $60,000 by grassroots fundraising and donations by holding family-friendly and affordable fundraisers. Each January they have The Skateboard Art Show at the Conway Public Library; once a year they have The Battle of the Bands and The Wicked Rides Car Show, to name a few. They sell merchandise such as tee shirts, hoodies, ball caps, and stickers on their website—and they have donation cans in businesses around the Valley. To learn more about the fundraisers going on or to donate, you can go visit the website: www.goskate4kev.com. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to: The Kevin Peare Memorial Skate Park P.O. Box 210, Conway, NH 03818 (603) 986-6436 Email: Goskate4kev@aol.com Alec Beck Programs Manager Tony Hawk Foundation
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Winter is calling… plan your adventure!
SnowCoach Tours • Cross Country Skiing Snowshoeing • Tubing • Fatbiking
greatglentrails.com Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire (603) 466-3988
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Book your tour today! SnowCoachNH.com
Call or check our website for early season deals on gear from great brands, including:
Salomon * Fischer * Swix * Rossignol
COLOR YOUR DIET FOR MAXIMUM BENEFITS Dr. Trish Murray
There’s no doubt about it: fresh whole foods, including fruits and vegetables, are by far the healthiest foods to incorporate into your diet. Whether you’re five, 25, 45, or 95, consuming a colorful array of fresh foods ensures a diversity of nutrients in every meal!
I
f you’ve sat down to dine on a monochrome meal of white food, you’ve likely ingested loads of starchy carbohydrates, while a plate of brown food is likely deep fried and dripping in added fat. While healthy fats and lean protein have their place, consider incorporating all the colors of the rainbow throughout your daily meals: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. These colors naturally occur in an assortment of fruits and vegetables. The “Rainbow Diet” is one of the most foundational healthy eating concepts for any age.
The concept is simple:
The Rainbow Diet is an approach that you can sustain as the foundation for a healthy lifestyle. It is not intended to be a temporary quick fix. If you are currently eating a Standard Amer-
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The Rainbow Diet in a Nutshell
Putting better quality fuel in your tank can improve your physical and mental health, giving you more energy to get the most out of every day.
ican Diet (SAD), filled with processed, packaged food that is loaded with calories but lacks nutrients, it may take some time to migrate towards this way of eating—but it’s worth it! Putting better quality fuel in your tank can improve your physical and mental health, giving you more energy to get the most out of every day.
• •
Eat real food (fruits and vegetables) including all colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Aim for at least one serving of each color every 48 hours.
Avoid trans fats, hydrogenated, and saturated fats in processed foods and vegetable oils. Fat is not the enemy it was once thought to be during the low-fat craze that started in the 1960s. Our brain needs fat to function! That said, you want to include the right types of fat in your diet. Healthy fats include extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), olives, coconut oil, coconut milk, avocados, nuts, and seeds. Eat 2-3 servings of protein a day (a piece of beef, pork, chicken, or fish the size of the palm of your hand, 1-2 eggs, or a serving of plant-based protein). Decrease all grains to 1-2 servings a day (bread, pasta, rice, oatmeal, cereals, etc.).
Limit sweets to one per week (yes, that does read ONCE per week!).
Naturally Colorful Foods are Packed with Nutrients! The best sources of color come from whole, non-processed fruits and vegetables, which are rich in phytonutrients. Fill your plate with more of the following: •
Reds: beets, cherries, pomegranates, cranberries, radishes Red foods contain the nutrients lycopene, quercetin, and hesperidin. These nutrients can help with lung and breathing
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problems, protect DNA from damage, and decrease risk of prostate cancer. Oranges: carrots, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, oranges, butternut squash
Yellows: summer squash, lemons, ginger, pineapple, bell peppers Orange and yellow foods share the nutrients zeaxanthin, flavonoids, lycopene, potassium, vitamin C, and beta-carotene (a form of vitamin A). These nutrients help lower cholesterol, decrease risk of cancer, promote collagen formation for healthy joints, and decrease damaging free radicals. Greens: asparagus, avocados, broccoli, kiwi, spinach Green foods contain the nutrients chlorophyll, lutein, calcium, folate, vitamin C, fiber, and beta-carotene. These nutrients support optimal detoxification, lower blood pressure, normalize digestion, support good vision, and boost the immune system.
Blues: blueberries, blackberries, black currants, blue corn Purples: plums, grapes, eggplant, purple potatoes, purple cabbage Blue and purple foods share the nutrients resveratrol, flavonoids, quercetin, vitamin C, fiber, and zeaxanthin. These nutrients slow the aging process, decrease inflammation, protect and strengthen the lining of arteries, and decrease toxic stress. Autumn 2021
o the ave t s k than sts we h 4 1 0 ue e2 0! 0 Sinc of our g 0 , e 48 8 onag , 1 patr ver $ ile local ! o d h s te rthw nization o dona w o t ga le or b a t i char
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Phytonutrients are produced by plants to protect them from damaging agents in their environments and are responsible for the color, flavor, and smell of a plant. There are over 25,000 different phytonutrients that come from plants, and these protective chemicals can protect us from environmental dangers in the same way they protect the plant!
“RAINBOW DIET” Guidelines
Stock up on produce and skip the foods that come processed and pre-packaged. In addition to added sugar, excess calories, and unhealthy fats, these shelf-stable foods tend to contain synthetic coloring. Take a closer look at the food label and list of ingredients. Artificial food dyes such as Yellow 5 and Red 40 are man-made and have been linked to cancer, as well as hyperactivity, allergies, and irritability in children—a population much more sensitive to the harmful effects of these chemicals. Eat less of the following foods, packed with synthetic food dyes:
Avoid trans fats/hydrogenated fats and saturated fats in processed foods and vegetable oils.
Skip the Artificial Food Coloring
Candy • Sugary cereal • Frozen desserts • Flavored drinks
Eat with Your Eyes! While the taste, texture, smell, and temperature of your food are important to a pleasant dining experience, have you ever considered the color of your food? Instead of sitting down to a bland and unappealing dish, ensure that each meal is bright and colorful. Before we even taste one bite of food, we first take in all the visuals of our food with our eyes. Make your meals look almost too beautiful to eat! Add some of each color for a rainbow of flavors and nutrition.
Tips for Incorporating More Colorful Ingredients
Here are some tips to try for feeding picky eaters, children, and those who aren’t yet routinely eating a wide selection of colorful produce: • • • • • • •
Start with a smoothie! Smoothies are an excellent way to include a variety of fruits and vegetables in one meal or snack. Prepare your produce after shopping. When you come home from the grocery store or farmers’ market clean, chop, and properly store fruits and vegetables so that they are easy to eat on the go or utilize while cooking.
Provide children with whole, fresh fruits and vegetables for snacks, as they are a great source of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, water, and fiber. Add finely chopped vegetables to soups, sauces, and stews.
Bulk up your salad with fresh fruit and/or roasted mixed vegetables over a bed of greens. Lay out family-style meals with a selection of fruits and vegetables of every color.
Pair vibrant fruits and vegetables with healthy fat sources like nuts and olive oil and lean protein sources such as beans and grass-fed meat, and limit the consumption of grains and sweets. This combination will provide the right balance of nutrients, calories, and muscle-building potential for children and adults to thrive on. Dr. Trish Murray is a highly accomplished physician that has been certified in internal medicine, osteopathic manipulative medicine, energy medicine, and functional medicine. She is the founder of Discover Health Functional Medicine Center in Conway, New Hampshire and has collaborated with four other wellness professionals to create Discover Health Movement Membership. For more information, visit www.discoverhealthfmc.com. Discover Health Functional Medicine Center 24 Pleasant Street, Conway, NH • (603) 447-3112
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Eat real food (fruits and vegetables) including all colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Aim for at least one serving of each color every 48 hours.
Eat healthy fats: - Extra virgin olive oil - Olives - Coconut oil and coconut milk - Avocados, nuts, and seeds Decrease all grains to 1-2 servings/day (bread, pasta, rice, oatmeal, cereals, etc.)
Eat 2-3 servings of protein a day (serving size is a piece of beef, pork, chicken, or fish the size of the palm of your hand, 1-2 eggs, or a serving of plant-based protein powder)
Limit sweets to one per week (yes, that does read ONCE per week!)
SIMPLY DELICIOUS SMOOTHIE Yield: 1 serving Ingredients: • Handful of mixed greens
• 1 – 2 Tbsp yogurt (dairy, almond, or coconut-based) • 1 Tbsp nut butter (peanut, almond, or cashew) • ½ - ¾ cup frozen berries • ½ banana
• Enough milk (dairy, almond, or coconut-based) to cover the other ingredients
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth, drinkable consistency. Serve immediately. For more smoothie recipes, check out this online smoothie course: www.members.discoverhealthfmc. com/product/smoothie-course
TUCK ‘EM, CHUCK ‘EM, OR LOV ‘EM! Winterizing Techniques for Your Outdoor Annuals, Herbs, and Houseplants, By Jordon Hewson Some people tuck their plants in for winter or toss them into composting. But here’s how to bring them indoors or share them with a friend!
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ntegrating houseplants and greenery into your everyday environment is a very helpful experience in many beneficial ways, especially in the winter season. Plants make people happy, a scientific fact. So let’s try and bring our plant life inside!
the house. Bring them onto the porch from the exposed garden and tuck them in with a pillowcase or frost cloth at night. Temps below 40 degrees can be your determining temp to start soon. Reduce watering and fertilizing, too!
Some plants are hardier than others at this time of year. Some herbs tend to like cooler weather, such as rosemary, bay, and sage, for example; while the parsleys, basils, and cilantros are more fragile. Many plants prepare themselves for winter by taking cues from the environment, days are shorter and the temperatures are cooler. As we put to bed our outdoor garden spaces, potted annuals, and herbs, we have an option to toss them into the compost pile or continue their potential growth through the winter months. The first step to bringing your outdoor plants in is to acclimate them to their new temperature; they need to “cozy up,” we call it. Start acclimating the temperature of your plants by moving them closer to
All plants can struggle to acclimate to a new level of dry air and low humidity. They have been conditioned to stand the heat, cold, rain, drought, and now, when they may be thriving most in the cooler weather, they need to come inside to get warm. To protect them from dry, heated indoor air, you need to provide them humidity. We suggest a water tray filled with pebbles and water to allow an adjustment to new humidity, air flow for the plants to settle into their new environment. Indoors also has lower light and UV strength, so grow-lights are an option as well.
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Tips for bringing your outdoor herbs, houseplants, and annuals inside to thrive for the winter months ahead. TRANSPLANTING TECHNIQUE Tools to proceed: gloves, clippers, a small trowel, serrated knife, and pots 1. 2.
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Set up a space to get dirty; leave the mess outside if you can. Use a potting bench, a tarp, or you can do this right in the garden. If you are repotting your herbs and annuals, it’s best to transplant them into a larger pot, maybe one that matches your kitchen decor. If you are reusing an old pot, clean it first with one-part bleach to one-part water. This will rid any pest, bugs, fungus, or bacteria that harbor in old clay and pottery. Gently turn your plant upside down and let the plant and soil fall into your hands and pull the pot upright. This method protects the root structure and stems from breaking. Remove any leggy branches, spent blooms, crispy leaves, etc. Look under the leaves for pests! If you see any, wipe down with neem oil. Washing leaves is a method to remove any insects, lingering bugs, pollen, and dust from the summer season. Stimulate the roots by using your knife, or fingers, to gently massage and loosen soil. Remove the top 1-2 inches of soil and prepare your new pot with 1-2 inches of new soil at the bottom. Adding new soil to the top and base will provide extra nutrients. Make sure to water thoroughly and place in a sink or bucket to drain. Find a place in your home that has a sunny, but indirect, light source.
If you notice that the first two to three days that your plant is looking weak or droopy, transplant shock is normal, the name sounds worse than it actually is. It is common for plants to go through this process to get accustomed to their new environment. It is safe to start fertilizing again three to four weeks after transplanting. An organic blend of nutrients is recommended, which can be found in your local plant supply store. Share the Love! Take a sample cutting to share with a plant friend. Sharing your plant is a very special, timeless way to connect friendships, family heirlooms, and expose plant-based inspiration to anyone. To do this, put cuttings directly into water to let them root, and then plant in soil.
MOUNTAIN VIEW SERVICE CENTER Servicing all Makes and Models
ASE Certified NAPA Autocare Cindy & Dennis Drootin MANAGEMENT TEAM
(603) 323-8135
307 WHITE MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY CHOCORUA, NH 03817
MOUTAIN VIEW SERVICE CENTER Servicing all Makes and Models
Buying new plants in the winter is fun, too! Make sure they get wrapped up in transport to protect them from the cold. Support your local, small shop, plant providers. New and unique varieties are usually found in these little gems!
DESIGNED GARDENS
Professional Garden Design, Installation, & Maintenance 2757 White Mountain Highway No. Conway, NH • (603) 387-6497 DesignedGardensNH.com Winter 2020/21 Autumn 2021
Jordon Hewson of Designed Gardens, has brought her love of all things floral with her two flower-filled companies, Designed Gardens and the new Designed Gardens Flower Studio in North Conway Village.
ASE Certified NAPA Autocare Cindy & Dennis Drootin MANAGEMENT TEAM
(603) 323-8135
Open Dailyat atHIGHWAY 11am Open Daily 11am 307 WHITE MOUNTAIN (603) 733-5550 (603) 733-5550 CHOCORUA, NH 03817
6 1464 Mountain Valley Blvd, Highway No Conway White Mountain 13
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CHASE HILL CIDER Biodynamic & Delish By Karen Elliott-Grinnell
It’s about beauty, sustainability, the Earth, community, and keeping traditions alive. It’s about creating a space that is healthy and harmonious.
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nyone fortunate enough to have visited Chase Hill Farm, a unique piece of land atop Chase Hill in Albany, NH, may have noticed that this place has a certain energy, this place just feels … good. Walking through the fields here, I have felt the pace of my mind slow down and I am able to breathe easier. I can immerse myself in the rhythm of small farm life geared to a seasonal cycle. There is always real work to be done (I always volunteer to collect the eggs!), and it feels effortless to be present in the moment. There is a sense of harmony and peace to this north- to northeast-facing slope with its upper and lower horse pasture, large vegetable garden, chicken coop, pond, and its apple orchard. The stunning view of The Moats, Cranmore Mountain, Kearsarge, and Mount Washington beyond is never the same twice—the clouds, shadows, and seasons are always in motion. Follow the panorama, and the view to the east shows Pleasant Mountain in Maine and beyond. Chase Hill Farm is the home of Beth (Chase) Thomas and Malcolm Thomas. Beth’s great grand-
father purchased the property in the 1890s as a summer home for the family. The sense of roots and tradition can still be felt here. Beth, a retired White Mountain Waldorf School kindergarten teacher, has hosted many children on field trips to her farm, and many will remember pulling carrots or picking apples and pressing them in the hand-cranked press for a fresh cider treat. Malcolm, “Kim,” is a fine woodworker and craftsman (he led the building project of the Tin Mountain Conservation Center), and both are farmers in the Yankee tradition of small home farms. The animals at Chase Hill farm include four Welsh cob mares, 20 chickens, two cats, and one elderly corgi. The Thomas’s current passion is the production of a hard, dry cider from their many heritage cider apple trees. What makes Chase Hill Cider so unique is that they plant, grow, harvest, ferment, and bottle their own holistically grown apples and produce a blend of 7% hard cider that reflects the hands-on craftsmanship, which truly earns the definition “artisanal.” To quote Beth, “We’re obsessed!” If obsession
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yields excellence, then I for one, am all for it. The cider is luscious, lightly effervescent, crisp, dry—and with a heavenly round apple flavor unlike any other cider I’ve tasted. Both Beth and Kim emphasize that the venture is about so much more than a product. The impulse behind this labor of love is stewardship of the Earth, and in particular, this piece of family land. “It’s about beauty, sustainability, the Earth, community, and keeping traditions alive. It’s about creating a space that is healthy and harmonious. You can feel it.” says Beth. Beth and Kim both attended biodynamic agricultural training with Gunther Hauk of the Pfeiffer Institute in Spring Valley, NY. Biodynamic agriculture is a system of farming that follows a sustainable, holistic approach which uses only organic, usually locally sourced materials, for fertilizer and soil conditioning, and also bases farming activities on lunar and planetary cycles. The Thomases employ these practices on their farm and the orchard is maintained without pesticides. Kim describes their approach to cider production: “The seasonal progression is the magic. The excarnation of the spring and summer and the slow introspection of the autumn and winter develop the cider as a statement of the year. The trees are well adapted to the location and are varieties chosen for their resilience. The trees are fed farm-generated Autumn 2021
North Conway Village (South of the Park) (603) 356-3200 WhiteBirchBooks.com
WHITE MOUNTAIN INDEPENDENTS WhiteMountainIndependents.com North Conway, NH • (603) 307-1035 35
Malcolm Thomas photos
compost inoculated with the biodynamic preps.” [Explained as: medicinal herbal preparations that are transformed through a unique process that fosters growth of beneficial bacteria and fungi and strengthens the quality of the compost by stabilizing nitrogen and other nutrients.] “The trees rest during the depths of winter, preparing for a spring resurrection.” Meanwhile, the
ples fully express themselves. Temps in the 60s work well a week or so after pitching the yeast. It is a tumultuous time as the yeast initially devours the sugar and froth is formed. We call this the “naughty” phase. Fermentation slows, the airlocks are put on, and the temps are dropped to 40 or so until the fermentation slows further; and reduced even lower to the low 30s through the win-
batch of last autumn’s cider is developing its unique qualities that reflect the specific terroir and vintage. The cider making process starts with harvest, which is often a family affair, Beth and Kim’s youngest son, Owen, daughterin-law Hilary, and their now three-year-old grandson Chase, gather together to pick apples and help get the harvest in. (Bless the younger generation, who also handle social media, for the fledgling cider business.) After harvest, the apples are pressed into juice and yeast is added.
ter months. The magic is in the apples, and the varietal mixture defines the finished cider’s qualities and, hopefully, complexities. The cider develops its subtle flavors in the cold and dark of winter. Yeast consumes the natural sugars produced when the apple ripens and ages. The by-products are carbon dioxide (CO2), alcohol, and over 200 aromatic esters. These esters are responsible for the notes and aromas within the bouquet (brilliant, interesting, or even disgusting!). They are responsible for the finished cider’s aroma profile. The longer the cider is left sitting on the lees (the spent remains of yeast cells), the drier the final product. A racking of the cider off of its lees is done during the fermentation process when the desired dryness is achieved that does not overpower the developing aroma profiles. By late March/April, the remaining lees of spent yeast and particulates have settled out and clarified—and the cider is ready for bottling.
Biodynamic agriculture is a system of farming that follows a sustainable, holistic approach which uses only organic, usually locally sourced materials, for fertilizer and soil conditioning, and also bases farming activities on lunar and planetary cycles. The Thomases employ these practices on their farm and the orchard is maintained without pesticides.
Kim explains: We experimented, one year, with yeast strains, and decided that a champagne yeast was best for what we do … slow and cold. It is a strong and fast-acting yeast, which is best for cold fermentation. We wait until late in the fall for the final apple harvest; we have late varieties. The sugar levels increase with the cold. The fermentation room also chills down and we can open windows as needed. We ferment in stainless steel tanks and glass carboys to let the ap-
The apples the Thomases grow include regionally resilient varieties as well as European heritage cider varieties that cover the
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Mead, Cider, and Teas SAP HOUSE MEADERY The Sap House Meadery is an award-winning meadery located between the Lakes Region and White Mountains of New Hampshire. Their hand-crafted meads are available in stores and restaurants across New England and their tasting room and Mead Pub in Center Ossipee, NH is open year round. Center Ossipee, NH • www.saphousemeadery.com
Over 20 locally owned & operated restaurants Almost There
Merlino’s Steakhouse
Albany • 603-447-2325
Barley & Salt
N. Conway • 603-356-1037
Black Cap Grille
N. Conway • 603-356-6006
New!
Effingham Falls, NH • www.nhkombucha.com
Cafe Noche
N. Conway • 603-356-4747
Oxford House Inn
New!
Christmas Farm Inn Jackson • 603-383-4313
Deacon Street
N. Conway • 603-356-9231
Delaney’s Hole In The Wall
Fryeburg • 207-935-3442
Priscilla’s
North Conway • 603-356-0401
Red Parka Steakhouse & Pub Glen • 603-383-4344
Shalimar Of India
North Conway • 603-356-0123
N. Conway • 603-356-7776
Shannon Door Pub
N. Conway • 603-356-6862
The Shovel Handle Pub
Horsefeathers
Joseph’s Spaghetti Shed Glen • 603-383-6680
J-Town Deli & Country Store
Jackson • 603-383-8064
Max’s Restaurant & Pub at Snowvillage Inn Eaton • 603-447-2818
ALPINE GARDEN WINERY The Alpine Garden Winery is the first of its kind in the Mt. Washington Valley, offering natural wines and ciders of wild fermented, foraged and local fruit. Pioneering local viticulture for over a decade, founder Ryan Classen presents his first iterations of boutique ciders at Alpine Garden Camping Village & Winery in Bartlett.
Hart’s Location • 603-374-6131
Conway • 603-447-5050
Chef’s Bistro
N. Conway • 603-356-6381
Notchland Inn
N. Conway • 603-356-2225
NEW HAMPSHIRE KOMBUCHA COMPANY New Hampshire Kombucha Company owner and brewer, Moselle Spiller, has been bottling the effervescent probiotic fermented sweet tea traditionally called kombucha available exclusively at The Tamworth Farmer’s Market since 2015. In 2021 her company originally named Mo’Bucha rebranded to New Hampshire Kombucha Company as they ramp up for exciting moves in 2022 including a nano brewery in Effingham Falls and branching out beyond the farmer’s market into local stores. You can find Moselle and her seasonally rotating flavors of kombucha at the Tamworth Farmers Market every Saturday from 9am to noon.
Moat Mountain Smokehouse
Jackson • 603-383-4211
Jackson • 800-677-5737
Thompson House Eatery Jackson • 603-383-9341
Wildcat Tavern
Jackson • 603-383-4245
302 West Smokehouse & Tavern
Fryeburg • 207-935-3021
In addition, the VO also donates over $13K in member gift certificates to over 180 Organizations/Charities in the MWV area, each year! We also strive to work with local farmers and local producers of high quality products whenever possible.
theValleyOriginals.com ★ The Valley Originals is a 501 (c)3 Non-Profit Organization ★
Bartlett, NH • (603) 662-5660
Autumn 2021
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range of bittersweet, bittersharp, sharp/high acidity, high flavor, all-purpose, and winter keeper. The varieties in the orchard include the familiar Macintosh, McCoun, Honeycrisp and Winesap along with the more obscure cider varieties of Dabinett, Gnarled Chapman, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Golden Russet, Black Oxford, and Foxwhelp, just to name a few. Currently there are 50 trees in the main orchard (mostly on standard rootstock) and 100 four-year-old trees in the new plantings (all semi-dwarfs). In the spring, the sight of the orchard in bloom against a clear blue sky lifts the spirits. Beth noticed that this past year on the farm the honeybees were back in droves, after having been scarce for
The presence of a healthy bee population is testimony that nature is in balance, a goal of biodynamic agriculture.
the past decade, along with myriad native pollinators that have been doing their work beautifully. The presence of a healthy bee population is testimony that nature is in balance, a goal of biodynamic agriculture. When asked what their vision is for the future of the farm and cider company, Kim replied, “For the trees to grow and produce successively more fruit, to continue to grow high-quality fruit to be fermented and bottled locally for a local community to enjoy. For the farm to continue to be self-supporting and be an active, contributing, and inspiring community member. I hope that successive generations engage with the Earth and flourish with its bounty.”
Beth added, “My hope for the future is that the entity of this place, farm, woodlands, pond, pasture, continue to nourish the people who live and visit here, as well as the wild plants and animals that share this special place. This is the New Hampshire that feeds the soul.” Find additional information at www.chasehillcider.com or on Instagram @Chase Hill Cider. Chase Hill sells cider locally in stores, and online, with a delivery or pick-up-at-the-farm option.
Available at the following locations: • Concord Food Co-op, Concord, NH • Max’s Restaurant & Pub, Eaton, NH • Moulton Farm, Meredith, NH • The Foothills Cafe, Center Sandwich, NH • The Local Grocer, North Conway, NH • The Purple Tomato, Lincoln, NH • Thompson House Eatery, Jackson, NH • Veno’s Specialty Food and Meats, Conway, NH Save on shipping cost with local pick-up. Cider shipping supplies are environmentally friendly. They are made from 100% post-consumer compostable molded fiber and corrugated cardboard. Full-case discount is available.
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Lodging, Dining, and Endless Outdoors www.thelodgeatpleasantpoint.com 145 Pleasant Point Rd, Lovell, ME (207) 925-3008
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Western Maine & New Hampshire Lakes & Mountains Carol Chaffee, REALTOR® www.carolchaffee.com (207) 240-1641 • (800) 450-7784 39
By Clem McAuliffe
THE REDEEMING ROSTER OF THIS FALL’S FERMENTS
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f cleanliness is next to godliness, then brewers have a golden ticket to the gates of heaven. Nothing is more crucial to a brewer than cleanliness. The first thing they teach an apprentice brewer is how to clean fermenters, holding tanks, beer lines, etc. You get the picture. Don’t let the laid-back attitude, blue-collar work ethic, and farmer-like attire fool you. Beneath the big beards, tattoos, and rubber wellies are fastidious men and women who treat their workspace like a delivery room. First, you disinfect, then there’s a big mess, something beautiful is born, everybody celebrates, and then back to cleaning. I like to think that every time you pop a beer open, a brewer gets their wings. And, if that’s true, I must be close to sainthood. Now, let’s see what these angels on earth have created for us this fall. Brother Mason of Saco River Brewing will be blessing us with another batch of Ancient Galaxies. This 8% DIPA is
brewed solely with Galaxy hops and is quite simply heavenly. A wet-hopped lager is in the works that is made with Maine hops, Maine grain, and is insane in the membrane. Plus, don’t miss their Harvest Fest on Sunday, October 24, featuring a delicious Dunkel debutante, live music, food trucks, and local artisans. You’ll want to get tickets early through their web store or at the brewery. With the new canning line up and running, Saco River Brewing will be able to expand on their already impressive selection of sacred suds. Hallelujah! Reborn is Moat Mountain Brewery’s righteous Opa’s Oktoberfest. Designated to draught only last year, Opa’s is back in the can, proving that prayers can be answered. This secular seasonal ale pairs perfectly with everything from brats and pretzels to bread and wafers. Local fave, Flavah of the Day, is the rotating hop NEIPA that stays hazy and gets cozy with Amarillo and Citra hops. Then, setting the table for winter is
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the big guy we all bow down to, Moat Imperial Stout. Roasty, toasty, and boasting an impressive 8% ABV, this dark angel will raise you to a higher consciousness and then lay you down in a comfy manger. The newest brewery in the Valley, Ledge Brewing, has great news for the congregation. God willing, they will be dispatching some 16-ounce missionaries later this fall! Until then, you’ll have to mosey down the mountain and visit Ledge on Route 16 in Intervale. Their fall favorites, Foxhound Brown and Hobo Joe Coffee Stout (with cold brew from Frontside), are on tap. The latest beers also include a fresh-hopped IPA, Ties that Bine, featuring locally grown hops and a Rye IPA, Wise Guy. A new Marzen Octoberfest, Ledgetoberfest, will debut on October 2 with live bands, food trucks, and games. Cody, the head brewer, is humble as a monk and never acts like his wort doesn’t stink. Thank you, Ledge, for providing an awesome respite from the chaotic chores of life. With each passing month, Tuckerman Brewing Co. will be offering new brews. September brings in Fall Line Rye IPA. A dry, crisp IPA that matches the leaves we love to rake—and the sarcasm with which I say that. Their American stout honoring the height of Mr. Washington, 6288,
Brother Mason of Saco River Brewing will be blessing us with another batch of Ancient Galaxies. This 8% DIPA is brewed solely with Galaxy hops and is quite simply heavenly. A wet-hopped lager is in the works that is made with Maine hops, Maine grain, and is insane in the membrane. will be looking for a guiding hand to deliver it to a friendly face. Preferably your own; it’s less messy that way. October promises a pair of limited-release beers. An imperial hoppy brown ale in collaboration with Ales for ALS and a chocolate orange porter. Available for a short time, and only at the
Autumn 2021
Ledge Brewery, the Valley’s newest small craft brewery located off of Route 16 in Intervale, has just released a brew called Ties That Bine, a fresh-hopped pale ale brewed with whole-cone hops from @thehopyard in Gorham, Maine. Head brewer Cody also added locally picked fresh Zeus hops grown by neighbor Paul Doucette. One sip of Ties That Bine reveals a roundhouse kick to the pallet of piquant hops that are slow to submit to the caramel malt infrastructure. In the photo above, Paul samples some Ties That Bine fresh out of brite tank. Better act fast, though as the brew was just released at the end of September and may be gone by the time the leaves finish hitting the ground.
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brewery, so don’t be late to the gate! November starts with the sensible session IPA, First Tracks; 4.9% ABV and zero IBUs lets you get your legs under you. Then, Tux tempts us with a seasonal fall cider made with apples from Poverty Hill Orchard. Fittingly, they tuck us into bed with Night Mission nitro coffee stout, brewed in collaboration with Ski the Whites Coffee Roasters. Make mine a grande! December dishes out Doublehead, a double NEIPA style bursting with tropical and citrus flavors of biblical proportions. I confess I might not be able to wait until Christmas to open the pint of pastoral paradise. October 31 marks the first anniversary of the Hobbs tap room and production brewery. It’s amazing how time flies when you’re sampling God’s work. The additional brewery has
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Then, Tux tempts us with a seasonal fall cider made with apples from Poverty Hill Orchard. Fittingly, they tuck us into bed with Night Mission nitro coffee stout, brewed in collaboration with Ski the Whites Coffee Roasters. Make mine a grande! kept a steady flow of flagship brews and allowed Hobbs to expand their coolship and barrel-aging program. The barrel cellar is slowly being filled with funky and unique wild-fermented, Lambic-style beers, as well as a variety of barrel-aged ales.
COPPER PIG BREWERY
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WHITE MOUNTAIN BREWERIES
REK’•LIS BREWING IRON FURNACE BREWING
• Over 500 Craft Beers • Make Your Own 6-Pack • Just South of Storyland
LEDGE BREWING WOODSTOCK INN BREWERY ONE LOVE BREWERY
LEDGE BREWING COMPANY
MOAT MOUNTAIN BREWING SEA DOG BREWING
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TUCKERMAN BREWING
779 ROUTE 16, GLEN, NH (603) 383-4800
TWIN BARNS BREWING CO.
HOBBS TAVERN & BREWING
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Their popular rum or bourbon barrel-aged maple scotch ale, Sugar Moon, will return in the springtime. The rum version is truly the nectar of the gods. Smooth, silky, and warming, Sugar Moon is worth the wait. In the meantime, keep an eye out for their first bourbon-barrel imperial stout to be released in early winter, 2021. Amen to that! Rek’•lis is singing to the sour choir with their fruited tart ale, Party in Your Mouth. PIYM packs a perplexing plentitude of pomegranate and passion fruit. One hundred and sixty pounds, to be exact! This beer starts sweet, swallows tart, and finishes with a tannic bitterness. Sounds a lot like my exes! Thank God those days are long gone and Party in Your Mouth is right here. In addition to their fresh brews, great food, and super chill atmosphere, rek’•lis has added a billiards room to their summit bar. I can wait for heaven, but I can’t wait to rack ‘em at rek’•lis. Woodstock Inn Brewery sent out their latest NEIPA, Dream Catch, brewed with Galaxy and Idaho 7 hops. Made in partnership with Trout Unlimited, a group dedicated to the protection and restoration of the cold-water fisheries, including the Pemigewasset and Beebe watersheds,
and the promotion of fly fishing. Dream Catch won’t leave you in limbo looking for flavor salvation, and at 5.6% ABV, you can enjoy them until the second coming. While you’re waiting, Woodstock Inn can provide you with food and shelter. They feature 40 uniquely styled rooms and suites, an award-winning restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with multiple bars and live music on weekends. Once you have tried them, I’m sure it won’t be your last supper there. I want to thank all the people at the breweries that take time to pass down their scriptures for me to transcribe onto my papyrus. I especially want to thank the readers for their support and not judging my sins. I also want to thank Dan Houde, Vibe founder and publisher, for his eternal patience and giving me the opportunity to connect us all. May the wind always be at your back May the sun shine warm upon your face And rains fall soft upon your fields And until we meet again, May you always have a beer in hand
Clem McAuliffe, owner of Vista Bev & Market, loves beer. He loves talking about beer, reading about beer, writing about beer and, of course, drinking beer. All who enter the store quickly understand the benefit of asking, “Clem, what am I drinking today?”
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Turning Back Is Not Giving Up
By Mike Cherim
The value we place on our time and our egos must remain in check. The agenda cannot be paramount. Common sense, prudence, and sound judgment must rule the day when on the mountain.
S
cottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, and early advocate for the preservation of America’s wilderness areas, John Muir (1838–1914), is touted as being the “Father of the National Parks.” You are likely already quite familiar with one of his more popular quotes: namely, “The mountains are calling, and I must go.” This oft-repeated statement helps us relate to the allure of the mountains and their effect on our hearts, minds, our very beings, and even our souls. If you’re reading this article right now, it is very likely you at least partially understand this phenomenon, as you love the mountains yourself—a lot—and we will hypothesize that you either live among them or you like to visit them often. (If not, welcome to our pretty little world.) Muir —who was also known as “John of the Mountains”— conveyed with his famed statement that the mountains pull us to them on an emotional level. He may or may not have realized that the very mass of the mountains literally draws us to them. The pull of an object by an unseen force, the greater the mass, the greater the pull. It’s a physics thing, like gravity as but one example. So, if the force is literally a strong, physical thing, and it’s enhanced by the powerful emotional forces Muir
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conveyed, it suddenly becomes quite clear just how hard it is to resist that pull. We get it. But, that said, sometimes one must resist the urge, as appending Muir’s statement with “… no matter the cost, even my life or the lives of my rescuers is worth it” is decidedly uncool. And unacceptable. That is the inspiration for this article.
YOU’RE PROBABLY NOT A QUITTER … PROBABLY
First of all, let’s repeat the title of this article: “Turning Back Is Not Giving Up.” We understand it’s a competitive world out there, rich with ego, the photos for Instagram must be taken, and the investment of one’s valuable time simply cannot be frittered away or wasted in an offhand way as David Gilmore of Pink Floyd sang. But, again, turning back is not giving up. If you hike, turning back is inevitable, someday. And it’s okay. Really. The mountains will be there another day. They, whoever “they” are, have told us this time and time again. Turning around is better than so many other options. It’s not quitting the sport, or being weak, or lacking fortitude—though to be fair, it can be. Instead, it is yielding to a feeling, an acknowledgment of something beyond us, something we can’t control. It may be a mental challenge, just as it may be one that’s physical. Maybe a
bit of both, or maybe neither. Turning around can be something as simple as a reaction to the weather. The value we place on our time and our egos must remain in check. The agenda cannot be paramount. Common sense, prudence, and sound judgment must rule the day when on the mountain. This is not telling you to not be competitive or show your driven nature. Seriously, it’s okay to peak bag, completing lists of mountains and trails. The U.S. Forest Service wants this, in fact. These activities—such as exploring the myriad trails, hiking the 4,000-footers, or grabbing all the 52 With a View peaks—promote dispersed usage, which is helpful in reducing people-clumping and the impact that creates. This is a good thing. For fear of being too repetitive, we will say it again: your case of “summit fever,” even if trying for some record, an FKT (fastest known time), or anything like that, simply cannot be allowed to get in the way of your better judgment. That said, to their credit, most people who attempt FKTs and the like are usually pretty experienced—though stuff can happen to them, too.
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JUDGMENT IS AN EXPERIENCE-BORNE SKILL
The problems associated with a dangerously excessive drive and dogged determination getting in the way of turning back and making the right call is often experienced by newer hikers or even non-hikers simply visiting the area, and not the ultra-athletes you may think we mean. Thanks to how close everything is here in the White Mountains, those uninitiated with the mountains are finding themselves in the position of making what can be their own life and death decisions. A prime example is the family who decides to walk to the Crystal Cascade 10 minutes from the AMC’s Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. From there, feelin’ it, they continue their stroll another two-plus miles to the Hermit Lakes. We’ve seen it before. There they fill up the family water bottle and proceed into Tuckerman Ravine. They walk, in awe, onward and upward. Before you know it, they end up on the summit looking for a ride down. Or they make it down themselves. Harmed, or unharmed, all are viable options. For most, it’ll be fine. The mountains spare most fools, as we once overheard. They will do all of that we’ve mentioned, they will not turn back, possibly tempting danger a lot more than they will ever realize. Not wiser or feeling as lucky as they should. Probably just tired—that was more than they thought it would be—the kids passed out in the backseat. The family heads home. After shaking off that thing we did yesterday, the photos quickly go online. Others, friends and family, in awe, follow suit. “We have to do that, too,” say the Joneses. Though we’re not picking on tourists, per se, poor decision-making infiltrates real outdoors people, too. To some, it’s just unclear that turning around and not making the summit or whatever fill-in-the-blank goal they have, looms large as a viable option and a sometimes very wise choice. A necessary choice.
WHEN YOU SHOULD CONSIDER TURNING AROUND
Or maybe we should be asking if we should consider going on. In any case, what follows are circumstances or factors when considering turning around needs to become the central option on the table.
(603) 356-0039 · 2101 Wht Mtn Hwy, North Conway, NH Hours: Tuesday - Friday 9AM - 5PM Saturday 9AM - 4PM, Sunday 12PM - 4PM Closed on Mondays 45
MOUNTAIN WEATHER
The forecast in the Valley is not the same forecast as it is for the mountain. Using Mount Washington as an example— thanks to its notorious weather—we know this to be true, simply from gazing at it from the North Conway Village. In town, it’s hot and sunny, barely a breeze
warning at all. That’s because the weather on the mountain can go into overdrive quickly, ramping up zero to 60 in seconds, just like a muscle car. To be successful, one needs to study the forecast for peaks at higher elevations, as well as the Valley. Then one needs to better understand not just the phenomenon of difference, but
ate a “turnaround time” meaning that if we haven’t reached the summit or whatever objective we have in our crosshairs for the day, we turn around, regardless. This is one of the “Five Fundamentals.” While we do pack well and we certainly hike with all the essentials, including at least one headlamp, we want to be off the
what they feel, and what they see if they can. If you look to the west, do it, as that is where the weather usually comes from.
mountain before dark. Even if our objective is a grand one known to take many, many hours, starting in the dark and coming out in the light is still preferred. If something goes wrong, being cast into darkness is not going to help you on any level. So, if you hike something, know what you’re in for. As a general rule-ofthumb—book time—a person will need about three minutes to hike one-tenth of a mile, and about three minutes to hike 100-feet of elevation.
As a simple rule, to be safe, don’t hike alone without the right knowledge and experience, and never split up your group. Go in together, stay together, leave together.
is felt. Up there, however, it’s different. A cloud shroud tells us the summit is foggy, or it’s sunny and clear, but the lingering snow tells us it’s a lot colder up there, and/or the presence of lenticular clouds over the Wildcats being indicative of high winds possibly capable of knocking a person off their feet; and thanks to wind chills, also making it colder still. We are also told by “they” that mountain weather is not only a lot different, but that it is also subject to changes, both dramatically and without much in the way of warning. Sometimes there is no
WILD & RESCUE MEDICINE From people who have done what they teach
NAVIGATIONAL CHALLENGES
As mentioned under the “Mountain Weather” heading above, the summit may be in a cloud shroud at times—a thick and pervasive fog masking the landscape, making it feel cold, and significantly limiting visibility in some conditions. Most notably, it’s when there is snow or rime ice up there—to a few feet. Literally. Fortunately, visibility is often variable, meaning: if you wait a few minutes it may very well improve on its own. That said, if you’re standing at treeline, however, and visibility is diminished by clouds— especially if rime ice is forming or if it’s actually snowing—this is a cue to turn around and try again another day. If you don’t know where you’re going, don’t go.
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As guides, we sometimes announce to our guests that they are halfway there when standing on the summit. Much to our amusement, some have looked up after hearing this. There’s no more up, but you’re not done, either, until you’re safely off the mountain. If going back the same way you came, this means the summit is exactly halfway. That said, going down is less demanding on the cardio aspect of hiking, so for many it is somewhat easier to descend. Also worth noting, however, is that on our joints, descending is sometimes more painful, slower, and even more dangerous, particularly if battling fatigue toward the end of a long and demanding day. Standing on the summit, a hiker is hopefully only a quarter or a third of the way through their energy reserves.
TIME, OR THE LACK THEREOF
On the mountain, guiding or not, we cre-
A MEDICAL NECESSITY
Quite simply, if feeling injured, ill, or not quite yourself, you may need to turn around and save the hike for another day to simply avoid needing a backcountry medical response. There can be many possible reasons for this broad category, but in the end, what’s required is a solid level of self-awareness, a keen observation of others in the party, and a willingness to admit it and call the hike as needed. Everyone wants to be a tough guy and not be the one, but hopefully, this article will change your thinking in this regard if this is you.
THE UNWILLING OTHERS
As a SAR (search and rescue) volunteer, two common threads are often part of the tapestry of events that make up a rescue. The first is that some people go it alone. This, as has been proven time and time again, can be fatal. One’s knowledge, experience, and honest self-awareness, particularly during the colder months and shoulder months (roughly September through May), become critical. The second common thread is that people splitting up on a hike often leads to issues. At best, these circumstances can create anxiety and uncertainty. As a simple rule, to be safe, don’t hike alone without the right knowledge and expe-
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rience, and never split up your group. Go in together, stay together, leave together.
SO, IN SUMMARY …
At the end of the day, if you lack experience in the mountains, you will need to be honest, aware, and ready to wait until the time is actually right to make your move. Poor decision-making often affects no one but the hiker, but with a little imagination, you may be able to see how a little bad judgment could also affect the lives of many people. If you screw up in the mountains, will dozens of volunteers come to retrieve you? Yes, probably. If you screw up in the mountains, will friends and family be bummed? The answer to this is also probably a yes. Turning around when you should be turning around, and not a moment later, will help prevent affecting the lives of all these people. Don’t quit, but for now, do turn around—for them.
Mike Cherim, a North Conway resident, is a trailwork- and SAR-volunteer in the WMNF. His passions are primarily hiking and skiing (plus biking and fishing)—and he also loves to write. He makes his living, however, running a local guiding company: Redline Guiding out of Intervale.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO • Know the dangers • Do the research • Bring the right gear • Plan the day well • Know the weather forecast • Go with experienced others • Use your head/common sense • Get experience incrementally • Take related classes • Hire a guide for safety You also have the ability to purchase a Hike Safe Card, www.hikesafe.com, in New Hampshire. This card is similar to carrying rescue insurance, if you will, in that you may avoid being fined, even if somewhat negligent by lacking some the appropriate gear or making some other oversight (though gross negligence isn’t tolerated). That said, please realize that this type of insurance, while certainly recommended, will NOT save your life. It is NOT a get-out-of-jail-free card. Be careful out there, because ultimately, it’s on you—you may pay dearly no matter who gets the bill.
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TIPS FOR HIKING THE WHITES WITH YOUR DOG By Kathy Ahern
H
iking in the White Mountains can be an incredible and rewarding adventure–and who better to share it with than your loyal companion and best friend. Hiking with dogs provides many health benefits for both the pet and the owner, and watching them revel in the sights, sounds, and smells of the trails and forests can be invigorating. But before you hit the trail with your dog, make sure you’re well equipped to ensure a wonderful experience in the outdoors for both you and your pup … and others on the trail. HIKING ETIQUETTE It’s your responsibility to learn about the rules of each place you take your dog before you hit the trail. It pays to practice the National Parks B.A.R.K. rule wherever you hike with your dog. B.A.R.K. stands for: • Bag your pet’s waste • Always leash your pet • Respect wildlife • Know where you can go
K9 FIRST AID Be sure to pack basic supplies and first aid to help keep your pup safe. Accidents can happen, and you’ll need to be prepared when help may be miles away. The White Mountains are well known for diverse and rocky terrain, which in turn, can cause a lot of damage to the tender pads on their feet. Many dogs have had to be carried back down the trails because their pads were torn up so badly, they couldn’t walk back. Dog hiking boots are great means of preventing torn pads when hiking in the Whites, and can also be helpful in keeping the gauze on their paws if they do get hurt. FOOD & HYDRATION Some of the basic supplies you may want to include would be freshwater (dogs can get giardia), a collapsible water/food bowl, some high-protein energy treats for snacking along the trail, or dog food if staying overnight. IDENTIFICATION Be sure that your dog is wearing an updated and legible identification tag on its collar in the event that your dog happens to run off.
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Courtesy photo
Even though your dog may be well trained, it can happen, especially in unfamiliar surroundings. A reflective blaze orange bandana or light-up tag would be helpful when hiking at dusk or at night, and of course, remember to bring a leash. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THEIR CONDITION When planning a hiking trip with your dog, make sure that your dog is in good physical condition. Do not assume that because you have an active dog at home, that they can handle long distances or more difficult trails. Many unconditioned dogs can become tired, overheated, and injured if they are not in shape and may need assistance to get back down. Young puppies and older dogs should stay on easier, shorter trails. A LITTLE HELP FOR OUR FRIENDS Need a little help carrying some of the supplies? Let the pup carry some of these lighter items in their own backpack ... they can handle it. There are a variety of dog backpacks in all shapes and styles. Be sure to find one that fits your dog properly and won’t chafe or rub their skin. Hiking with your dog can be a very bonding and memorable experience. Being well prepared is always key and can help make any trip into the White Mountains more enjoyable for both you and your dog.
Four Your Paws Only LLC 1821 White Mountain Highway North Conway, NH www.fouryourpawsonly.com (603) 356-7297
Autumn 2021
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GIVING KIDS THE NET ADVANTAGE
By Jason Cicero
Tennis Makes a Return to the Mt. Washington Valley
I
don’t remember exactly when I fell in love with tennis. It was possibly in the early 1980s when I was passing through the house some midsummer afternoon for a snack between a wiffle ball game and a bike ride or something. Someone was watching a match on
television, and I was struck by the image of the bright green surface and the pure white uniforms the players were wearing. The court wasn’t a red and green hardcourt like every other tennis court I had ever seen, but rather, grass. Short, green, vibrant grass. This was Wimbledon, of course; one of the four professional tennis major tournaments, sometimes called grand slams. The others are the Australian, French, and U.S. opens. Wimbledon (also referred to as The Championships) is the only major tennis tournament played on grass, and is played at the All England Tennis Club in London. The French is played on red clay, while the
Australian and U.S. opens are played on hard courts.
Big Names of Tennis Of course, there are many other tournaments played throughout the year, but surfaces are generally aligned to the upcoming major. I was probably watching John McEnroe or Ivan Lendl, perhaps Jimmy Connors or Chris Evert or Martina Navratilova. I don’t recall, but I do know that these players became heroes as I grew as a fan. The 1990s brought Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Monica Seles, and Steffi Graf. The early 2000s gave rise to the stars of today who
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Photos by Wiseguy Creative
him in the US Open last month. There are a slew of young American women at the top of the game as well including Jen Brady, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, and Sophia Kenin to name a few.
Advantage Kids Finds the Valley These young players—some already stars, some soon to be—are part of a resurgence in the popularity of tennis, both nationally and locally. Here in the Mt. Washington Valley, the tennis clubs are loaded, private courts are booked, lessons are being taken on every court around, and kids are picking up racquets and being exposed to the game more and more. This increase in popularity is due, in part, to the arrival of Advantage Kids to the area. Advantage Kids (AK) was founded as the Lakes Region Tennis Association in 2012 by business educator and tennis coach, Bob Ronstadt. The name was changed to Advantage Kids in 2016, in part, to account for the expansion of the vision of the group. Tennis would remain the primary focus, but yoga was added to the program to expose kids to elements of flexibility, balance, and mindfulness.
Match-play tennis was added to the Advantage Kids program in 2021 in response to older kids developing more skills and needing a next-level option. Matches were played each Monday and Thursday evening at the Jon Judge Kennett High School tennis center. Pictured here are Turner Viger, Cole Fournier, Gavin Helvie, and Shea Allen.
are getting ready to pass the torch to the next generation—Venus and Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic. It’s been amazing to watch these great players maintain such an elite level for so long. It will be sad to see them go, but there is a tremendous number of talented young players beginning their rise. If you haven’t followed tennis in a while take a look at Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece or the big Italian Matteo Berrettini. And of course Daniil Medvedev, who stopped Djokovic from winning all four majors in the same calendar year for the first time in 52 years by beating Autumn 2021
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Local tennis lover Kent Hemingway, from the beautiful hills of Tamworth, brought the AK program to the Mt. Washington Valley in 2019. He and his team of coaches and instructors have now grown the involvement to over 90 young athletes ranging in age from six to 16. Advantage Kids is New Hampshire’s only National Junior Tennis and Learning organization (NJTL), an organization founded by tennis legend Arthur Ashe in 1969. The mission of AK is to combine tennis and social-emotional learning to empower kids on and off the courts—giving them advantages that will lead to a lifetime of success. Founder Bob Ronstadt believes that they “teach the values that tennis teaches about life; perseverance, discipline, ethical behavior, how to deal with victory and defeat, and much more.” In the first year of the program, there were about 100 kids involved, and this year there were over 1,000 statewide.
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Photos by Wiseguy Creative
AK has also recently expanded its offerings to include a Mindful Mentor program in Derryfield that connects young mentors with at-risk kids and a college advisory program that helps kids gain access to colleges and programs that they may not otherwise have been able to. Local tennis lover Kent Hemingway, from the beautiful hills of Tamworth, brought the AK program to the Mt. Washington Valley in 2019. He and his team of coaches and instructors have now grown the involvement to over 90 young athletes ranging in age from six to 16. Partnerships with the Brett School in
Fourteen kids have participated in this program each Monday and Thursday evening at the Jon Judge Kennett High School tennis center. They have played competitive singles and doubles matches; they’ve learned scoring, strategy, and sportsmanship, and they have grown their game each week.
Tamworth, Freedom Elementary School, Kennett High School, North Conway Recreation Center, Eastern Slope Inn, Fryeburg Recreation, and the Jackson Tennis Club have created plenty of opportunities for kids to access the program. All participants are exposed to quality tennis instruction as well as yoga—and there is still no cost to participate! In addition to instructional tennis and yoga, a new program was added this year: match-play tennis. This was in response to older kids with more skills needing a next-level option.
It requires athleticism and fitness, but it’s really the mind game that is most intriguing to me. To remain focused over several hours and to move on from mistakes quickly while battling the demons that want to undermine your confidence is a true challenge. It’s rewarding to help young athletes understand how to balance emotions and fatigue and gamesmanship—and all of the other elements to a successful tennis match. It’s also a sport (outside the pro-level) in which the players call their own lines. Much like golf, honor and integrity are the key. This is taught at
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL TOUGHNESS I have personally enjoyed working with our local youngsters in the tennis and yoga and the match-play formats. Tennis offers such a unique combination of physical and mental toughness.
Partnerships with the Brett School in Tamworth, Freedom Elementary School, Kennett High School, North Conway Recreation Center, Eastern Slope Inn, Fryeburg Recreation, and the Jackson Tennis Club have created plenty of opportunities for kids to access the Advantage Kids program. All participants are exposed to quality tennis instruction as well as yoga—and there is still no cost to participate!
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The Advantage Kids program in the Mt. Washington Valley has now grown to over 90 young athletes ranging in age from six to 16. All participants are exposed to quality tennis instruction as well as yoga and match play.
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Photos by Wiseguy Creative
Many of the photos in this article were taken at the Jackson Tennis Club, a USTA Community Tennis Association and non profit founded in 1968, located at 24 Valley Cross Road in Jackson, NH. With two red-clay courts and facilities, the club has over 140 members and volunteers, and promotes tennis for men, women, juniors, and families along with programs, such as USTA Next Generation Advantage Kids™. LEFT: Pictured at the historic Eastern Slope Inn, in North Conway, (from left to right) are Advantage Kids coaches Diana Doyle, Chris Chaffee, Justin Chaffee, Michelle Phillips, Kent Hemingway, Jason Cicero, and yoga instructor Christie Ann Rochette.
every high school match and the matchplay kids have heard it and demonstrated it well at KHS also. The kids will tell you that when you cannot make a definitive call of in or out, the call goes in favor of your opponent. I love watching them struggle internally for a moment when they are faced with this inevitable decision, because they almost always make the appropriate call. The Valley’s Tennis Future The tennis community in the Valley is currently working on a new winter venue since the last vestige (the indoor racquet
club at Cranmore) of the Volvo was recently torn down. This would help bring camps and clubs to the community, as it would not only allow tennis year round for locals and winter visitors, but provide an indoor option in case of rain for those groups here specifically to hit the courts. Tennis is a game that’s easy to learn, challenging to master, and can be played at any age. It requires agility, speed, coordination, fortitude, and strategy. If you’ve never played or haven’t in a while, hit up a friend or three and find a local court or club. Or take a lesson with a local pro; there are plenty of talented ones. Consid-
er donating some time or money to the Advantage Kids program, and keep these kids developing their game and their lives into something worth watching. Looking for a club or lessons? You don’t have to be a member for a lesson; pros can come to your favorite court as well. Play, clinics, tournaments start in May and open through October. Stay tuned at www.jacksontennisclub.org. www.jacksontennisclub.org www.bridgtonhighlands.com
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No Shortage of Tennis History in the Valley The Mt. Washington Valley has a rich history, thanks to a very popular professional tournament. At the end of July every year, from 1973 to 1984, the Volvo International brought the top names in the men’s tennis game along with tens of thousands of fans from across New England and beyond. The proximity and access to the players would be unheard of today. And to see the greatest in the world at their craft right here in our small town was a true gift. The tournament spent its first few years at the Mount Washington Resort before moving to Cranmore Mountain in 1975. It was played on a red clay surface, which ultimately led to its relocation from Cranmore. The U.S. Open, the last major tennis tournament of the year, is played the two weeks before and after Labor Day. The playing surface today is a hard court known as DecoTurf®, but from the years 1881 to 1974, it was played on grass. For a short window—from 1975 to 1977—the surface (and location) was changed to red clay before changing once again both surface and location to the hard court we know today in Flushing Meadows, New York.
This timeline is important, because the high-level edge that professionals today are looking for means that they must train and prepare on the same surface as the major tournament that is next on the calendar. The major tournaments have the most exposure, the most prize money, the most prestige. So with the surface change for the U.S. Open, combined with the evolution of today’s athlete, the top players could not risk losing their preparation edge by playing a clay court tournament before the big show in the Big Apple just weeks ahead, which had switched to the hard courts. There are still some memorabilia around, as well as stories in the minds of those who attended in those days; and I’m sure they would tell you that “the Volvo” was something special, indeed.
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The unique marketing poster above promoted the 1983 Volvo International tournament played on the outdoor clay courts at Cranmore Mountain, which was part of the 1983 Volvo Grand Prix. José Luis Clerc won the singles title. Volvo’s sponsorship of the Grand Prix expired after the 1984 season. The one-of-a kind poster can be seen at the Jackson Tennis Club, in Jackson, NH. The acrylic painting below, by late artist Charles R. Selmi, who owned art galleries in West Dennis, MA and Conway, NH, was on display for over 20 years on the walls of the recently razed Mt. Cranmore Tennis and Recreation Club. The 4-foot by 8-foot artwork featured a unique landscape scene of the stadium, which was used exclusively by the Volvo International Tournament from 1974 to 1984. Paul Schuepp, current President of the Jackson Tennis Club, painstakingly dismantled the wall in order to save the painting just two days before the Cranmore Indoor courts were razed. The future home of this painting has yet to be determined. Stay tuned at www.jacksontennisclub.org.
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Photos by Wiseguy Creative
How Valley Youth Gain a Competitive Edge
By Trish Chaput
The Mt. Washington Valley is a haven for sports enthusiasts of all ages ... and around here, we start ‘em young! If you’re looking to help your kids gain a competitive edge in their sport of choice, read along as we unlock the keys to success and highlight local businesses helping kids achieve their goals.
W
hen kids show promise in a specific sport, it can be tempting to encourage specialization. After all, practice makes perfect—and we all enjoy being good at something. For optimal performance, more of the same isn’t always better, and too much of a good thing can be detrimental. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), kids who participate in a variety of sports and physical conditioning activities are more likely to succeed in sports and typically suffer less injuries than those who specialize early in life. The American Academy of Pediatrics also suggests that sport specialization should be discouraged before adolescence. “Variety is the spice of life,” as the old adage goes. Whether on
the field, down the slopes, or in the arena, practice develops sport-specific skills. Athletic success also depends on strength and conditioning, accessory work, sleep, good nutrition, and proper hydration.
Diversify to build a solid foundation
Successful athletes employ a training program that develops fundamental fitness, including strength and power, endurance, agility, balance, and coordination. “Diversification is key to creating a well-rounded athlete, not just a sport-specific athlete,” says Coach Carl Iacozilli, of SportFit New England. Daily stretching, core exercises, drills that build cardiovascular endurance,
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and weight training are examples of accessory work that can support performance in a variety of sports. In addition to polishing their strengths, an effective training program helps athletes address their weaknesses. For example, an NFL quarterback spends huge amounts of time throwing the football to perfect this skill. To play his position effectively, he also must be able to move quickly, change direction, evade tack-
Rest and rejuvenate
lers, run with the ball, and slide on the field. He needs a strong core and good balance to stabilize himself while carrying out these maneuvers. A diverse training program boosts his chances of success. Our body is a complex system in which everything is connected. Focusing too heavily on just one muscle group or a limited set of movements causes imbalances that can lead to injury. Very few sports utilize just one area of the body. Well-rounded, foundational training programs help young athletes become stronger, more balanced, and more resilient. This approach will serve them well for years to come!
and repair. Rest days are a good time to enjoy some more relaxing activities such as recreational hiking, biking, or swimming. When young athletes start a new sport or first resume training after a break, they may experience muscle soreness for a few days. Two days after a workout or training session is often the worst of it. This is known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and is normal. Active recovery activities such as walking, jogging, or gentle stretching may be helpful to encourage blood flow and healthy recovery. Some of us grew up with the “no pain, no gain” mindset around working out, but there is a better way. Teaching young athletes to listen to their body and pay attention to signals will serve them well for years to come. Children and adolescents can be particularly vulnerable to overtraining. If a young athlete experiences extreme muscle soreness for more than 48 hours, they likely overdid it. In this case, some time off is warranted to give the body a chance to recover. There is a fine balance between pushing one’s boundaries in an effort to improve, and respecting one’s fitness level or physical readiness. A well-trained fitness professional, such as an athletic trainer or coach, can help find the right exercises and optimal training schedule to optimize performance and recovery.
A life of all work and no play makes Jack or Jill a cranky kid! Proper rest is important for active bodies. According to Sleep Foundation guidelines, research suggests student athletes require at least nine or 10 hours of sleep per night. In addition to good quality sleep, sufficient breaks from intense training allow muscles and connective tissues to rebuild
“Getting an athlete to dig deeper than they thought they could and seeing their results—there are a lot of life lessons there.” - Coach Carl Iocazilli, SportFit New England
Young athletes can expand their capacity in any sport through a combination of: • Strength training: lifting weights or using some kind of resistance • Endurance: running, rowing, biking, or other aerobic activities • Gymnastics: bodyweight exercises and balance • Mobility: increasing flexibility, stability, and improving range of motion
Fuel your body with healthy, wholesome food!
For peak performance, you need to put high-quality fuel in the tank! Young athletes need food that nourishes their growing bodies. It’s best to get away from the standard American diet (note the acronym, SAD), which tends to be laden with processed foods and simple, fast-burning, sugary carbohydrates that can leave kids feeling sluggish and make it more difficult to recover from physical activity. It may seem that kids can get away with eating junk food for a while, but insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and obesity are on the rise in youths. On the flip side, some young athletes may feel pressure to meet certain physical expectations regarding weight or appearance. Drastic changes in weight or an extreme obsession with diet can be a sign that a young athlete’s seemingly healthy habits are taking an unhealthy turn. Young athletes should be encouraged to eat a well-balanced diet composed of colorful fruits and vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. This will keep their brains firing on all cylinders while providing their muscles and connective tissues the necessary energy for training and performance. (For more insights on healthful eating at any age, see Dr. Trish Murray’s article on page 20.) Autumn 2021
Develop balance, strength, and flexibility
As young athletes go through different stages of development, there are bound to be awkward periods. Just as kids get the
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hang of balance and coordination, they may go through a growth spurt and find themselves in a gangly, awkward phase where they suddenly feel as if they have two left feet. Activities that gently challenge their balance system while enabling them
properly. This is essential to reduce risk of injury and enable safe, sustainable progress. Coaches who focus on proper progressions through fundamental movement provide young athletes with a foundation of
to connect with their body can help them be successful. Gymnastics, resistance training, weightlifting, CrossFit, yoga, running, boxing, hiking, skateboarding, skiing, and paddleboarding all require coordination, strength, flexibility, and balance that can translate to other sports. Flexibility is great—having strength and stability in the full range of motion is even better. Building strong muscles, dense bones, and robust connective tissue helps prevent injuries, improve performance, and decrease recovery time.
skills that enable them to train safely and effectively. It may take a bit of extra time at the beginning but will lead to better results in the long run. Locally, there are several programs working to help youth athletes develop a well-rounded training program. We’ve highlighted a few below.
“When you see kids set a goal and work hard to meet it, the look of pride on their face, the mental resilience, and confidence they get from that is so rewarding.” - Coach Aimee Moller, Swift River CrossFit
Stay safe—work with a trained professional
Getting out of one’s comfort zone to try new things can help prepare young athletes for the physical and emotional demands of competitive sports. That said, some young athletes may be tempted to push their limits too far during training and may risk injury without proper instruction. Instructor-led classes or individual work with a personal trainer, can create a safe space to try new things, test limits, and explore personal capacity and performance. A knowledgeable coach in a supportive environment will teach proper form and technique. He or she will also guide athletes to know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it
SWIFT RIVER CROSSFIT CONWAY, NH
CrossFit focuses on preparing for the unknown and unknowable through “constantly varied, functional movement executed at high intensity.” Athletes participate in a coach-led warm-up session followed by the “workout of the day” (WOD), which may consist of aerobic movements (e.g., running, rowing, stationary biking, or jumping rope), bodyweight movements (e.g., pushups, pull-ups, sit-ups, step-ups, box jumps, or walking lunges), or weighted movements (e.g., weightlifting with barbell, dumbbells, or kettlebells). All workouts can be scaled to accommodate an individual’s abilities, skills, or proficiency.
GRACE MURDOCH ROY • 17 YEARS OLD • CONWAY, NH
ATHLETE PROFILE
TRAINING VENUES Swift River CrossFit, Seacoast Fencing Club FOCUS SPORT fencing, mountain biking, backcountry skiing
Grace started training at Swift River CrossFit (SRCF) in the spring of 2019 after hearing rave reviews from family friends. She specifically wanted to improve on perceived weaknesses, like running, and become a better fencer. CrossFit has increased her strength, endurance, and explosiveness. Since
building a solid foundation of fitness, Grace can focus more on tactical measures during fencing bouts. In July 2021, Grace advanced out of the pools for both USA Fencing Summer Nationals and her third USA Fencing Junior Olympics. For Division III Women’s Epee, she won four of six
bouts, earning a seeding of 29th overall (with 95 competitors). Her increased strength has also been a great asset when backcountry skiing and mountain biking. In everyday life, SRCF has helped Grace set personal goals based on her own work and performance, not that of competitors.
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At a CrossFit gym (known as a “box”), workouts are led by trained coaches who focus first on proper mechanics and consistency before intensity. There is a strong community element and members are very supportive of one another. The class performs the WOD at the same time, with encouragement along the way from peers and the coach. Each athlete goes at their own pace and it’s common for the last person to be cheered on by those who have already finished. CrossFit athletes are encouraged to set personal goals and celebrate “PBs” (personal bests). Coaches encourage athletes to safely challenge themselves or to dial it back a bit, if warranted. At Swift River CrossFit in Conway, family memberships foster shared interest and invite friendly competition between generations. With members ranging in age from 11 to 72 years, Swift River CrossFit has several options for youngsters. “Kid’s Class” (temporarily suspended during the pandemic) typically includes 12 to 15 kids between ages of six to 12 years, split into two age groups and run by two coaches. “Teen Titans” currently has 13 middle schoolers enrolled and there are five teens participating in the adult classes. Teen members at Swift River CrossFit participate in a variety of other sports, including fencing, soccer, baseball, football, basketball, and cross country. Some have been inspired to try new things, such as Spartan Kids (obstacle course) races. Others aren’t involved in school sports at all and have found their opportunity to participate in fitness through CrossFit. At Swift River, kids learn life skills that include teamwork, discipline, and how to be a good sport. Owners/coaches Aimee and Paul Moller have seen fantastic growth in youth participants. “In addition to physical conditioning, kids are developing neurological fitness, confidence, and mental resilience,” they said. Aimee and Paul shared how rewarding it is to see youth members set goals and then put in the work to reach them. These benefits are also recognized by parents, who tell them, “Keep doing what you’re doing with these kids!”
SPORTFIT NEW ENGLAND AT CORE FITNESS - EAST CONWAY, NH Among popular youth sports in the Mt. Washington Valley is, of course, alpine ski racing. Like many athletes, competitive skiers need a combination of balance, agility, strength, and power in all different planes of movement to be successful. SportFit New England develops and coaches the dryland conditioning program for The Mount Washington Valley Ski Team. With a focus on sport-specific performance and using a combination of balance, agility, flexibility, and resistance training, SportFit New England works with athletes from many different sports Under the guidance of sport performance specialist Coach Carl Iacozili, SportFit New England works with athletes as young as 11 and 12 years old through high school and college. Autumn 2021
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ATHLETE PROFILE
ELLA DEAN • 13 YEARS OLD • INTERVALE, NH
TRAINING VENUES CORE Fitness with SportFit New England, MWV Ski Team FOCUS SPORT Alpine ski racing, field hockey, track & field Photo by MDK Photography
Ella started racing for the Cranmore Race Team when she was eight years old, and will compete for the Mount Washington Valley Ski Team next year. Carl Iacozili has been Ella’s ski coach, and she also started to train with him last summer through SportFit New England in an effort to increase her
strength for the ski season. In addition to helping her gain strength, Coach Iacozili also helped her understand the connection between hard work at the gym and performance on the snow. Ella ultimately achieved her goal of placing in the top 20 in the state for both GS
MYLES HARRIGAN • 18 YEARS OLD • CONWAY, NH
and slalom. She continues to work with Coach Iacozili in the off-season. When she is not skiing, Ella plays field hockey and is on the track and field team at the middle school.
ATHLETE PROFILE
TRAINING VENUES Saco Valley Gymnastics FOCUS SPORT Free-style trampoline (known as G-tramp), alpine skiing, track & field
Harrigan Photo
Myles enjoys free-skiing, running cross-country and track, but his true passion is free-style trampoline, known as G-tramp or garden trampoline. It all started at age seven when Myles attended Saco Valley Gymnastics and discovered the trampoline. He literally flipped out! Four years ago, Myles acquired his first trampoline. He put his gymnastic skills to work, focusing on creativity and difficulty of tricks to become a talented free-style trampolinist.
Harrigan Photo
Myles was one of 75 people selected nationwide to participate in the 2019 GTGames in San Diego, where he placed third. While continually honing his free-style tramping skills, he produces and posts his videos on Instagram and TikTok to an ever-growing audience. He can be found on Instagram and TikTok at Malls_Hargin and YouTube as Myles Harrigan. Recently, Myles was recognized by YouTube influencer (and GTramp Athlete) Tanner Braungardt as the best freestyle trampolinist in the
country among his peers. The Freestyle Trampoline Association hopes GTramp will become a sanctioned sport, providing a pathway for these athletes to take their skills to the next level!
Myles was also interviewed by NH Chronicle, which aired in late September, 2021 on WMUR. Go to www.wmur.com/chronicle and search Myles Harrigan.
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ATHLETE PROFILE
MADDIE MCGRATH • 18 YEARS OLD • NORTH CONWAY TRAINING VENUES Saco Valley Gymnastics, Swift River Crossfit FOCUS SPORT Dance, Tina Titzer’s Dance School, Act One Dance Company
competitions, and in the top three for all-around and individual events at local and state gymnastics meets. Two years ago, Maddie suffered a devastating ACL tear, requiring three surgeries. While her knee recovered, she focused on conditioning and has come back better than ever. Years of training and dedication enabled Maddie to achieve her goals in gym-
Training for athletes is adjusted to meet in-season or off-season needs. For example, resistance training may get dialed down a notch once ski season arrives, but once young athletes have a good foundation, some light maintenance trainAutumn 2021
nastics and dance. She recently started CrossFit, which has helped increase her strength and improve her performance in gymnastics. Maddie also enjoys coaching gymnastics and looks forward to enjoying many years of competition ahead.
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Coach Iacoziii, works directly with Coach Richie Scanlon, Head U19 coach of the MWV Ski team, in the gym at CORE Community Fitness three times per week to prepare athletes for the race season. On days off, the athletes have an app they use to follow their program. For skiers involved in other sports, or athletes that cannot train in person, SportFit New England offers remote training opportunities. Using an app on their phones, athletes can get the benefits of a seven-day-a-week custom training program tailored to support their needs in other sports and at the appropriate intensity for their off-season or competitive season. Remote athletes are also able to stay in contact with a coach through a weekly video meeting to adjust their program as necessary. Coaches at SportFit New England focus on proper movement and form before adding any weight during training. “If someone can’t even do a proper push-up, there’s no sense doing a bench press with a loaded barbell,” says Coach Iacozili. He cites a strong core and good body awareness as keys to success, along with good programming. “Everything we have our athletes do is focused on activating the specific muscles we’re looking to engage in their training exercises and in their sports,” he says. This includes warming up the right parts of the body in the right way.
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Maddie has been dancing since she was two-and-a-half years old and training at Saco Valley Gymnastics since she was six years old. Early on, Maddie discovered a love for contemporary dance and blending her acrobatics skills with lyrical movements. As a competitor for over 10 years, she has consistently placed in the top three in her age category in regional and national dance
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NOAH DAY • 13 YEARS OLD • BROWNFIELD, ME
ATHLETE PROFILE
TRAINING VENUES Swift River CrossFit, Hitters Count FOCUS SPORT baseball, soccer, cross-country running, skiing Photo by Rachel Sharples
Noah has been playing baseball from a very young age. He is entering his fifth year with the River Rats organization out of Saco, Maine. In the off-season (if there really is such a thing) he likes to run and play soccer. Over the last couple of years, he has also started
working out at Swift River CrossFit. Whenever Noah goes to the gym for his workouts, he arrives early to work in the crossover symmetry station where he can do a series of warm-ups with resistance bands. This accessory work helps him build strength for pitching.
MERRIK IACOZILI • 14 YEARS OLD • FRYEBURG, ME
For the last three years, Noah has competed in the Perfect Game World Series in Marietta, GA and hopes to continue to build his strength so he can keep competing at a higher level.
ATHLETE PROFILE
TRAINING VENUES CORE Fitness with SportFit New England, MWV Ski Team FOCUS SPORT Alpine ski racing, football, mountain biking Photo by MDK Photography
Merrik has been skiing since he was two and discovered his love of racing at five years old on Nastar courses. Training off hill and in the offseason has really helped his results. He made State Championships all four years that he competed on the Cranmore Race Team. He has continued to improve
with additional training, including a top-10 finish at Champs this year.
Merrik has trained in the gym with Carl Iacozili of SportFit (also his dad) for more than four years. Learning proper lifting techniques early on has helped him lift heavier weights safely and
properly without injury. He has also learned that hard work pays off. Merrik says, “I don’t think I could be as good of a skier if I didn’t learn to work hard both on and off the snow.” He is looking forward to joining the Mount Washington Valley Ski Team this season as a first-year U16.
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ATHLETE PROFILE
CHARLIE MURDOCH ROY • 14 YEARS OLD • CONWAY, NH TRAINING VENUES Swift River CrossFit, Seacoast Fencing Club
FOCUS SPORT fencing, mountain biking, backcountry skiing
Charlie started training at Swift River CrossFit (SRCF) in the spring of 2019 and quickly fell in love with the sport. He was excited to join the SRCF team at the inaugural Spartan obstacle course racing event in Loudon. In July 2021, Charlie competed at the USA Fencing Summer Nationals and won his first bout at the USA Fencing Junior
Olympics after lots of fencing training and six days a week at SRCF. CrossFit has increased Charlie’s confidence in tackling new athletic pursuits for fun—from trail races to Spartan events. Recently, Charlie is most proud of completing the Murph Challenge with a 20-pound weight
ing is all that’s needed to maintain their strength. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), with qualified instruction and proper technique, resistance training can be a safe, effective, and enjoyable stimulus for strengthening muscle and bone in children. The benefits go beyond the physical. Coach Iacozili points out that when young athletes are well conditioned, their confidence soars and they feel ready physically and mentally for whatever they encounter in a match, game, or race.
SACO VALLEY GYMNASTICS & TRAINING CENTER - CENTER CONWAY, NH
Saco Valley Gymnastics engages kids from three to 18 years old in age-appropriate skills training and strength work at every level. At the start, the Tumblebugs (the youngest group of three- to five-year-olds) learn to develop motor skills. At five to six years old, kids learn foundational movements that safely build strength through cardio work, bodyweight training, and flexibility exercises. Gymnasts in the seven- to 11-year-old group are able to start learning more complex movements, such as rope climbs and pull-ups. The oldest group, 12- to 18-year-olds, have good body awareness and are able to build strength by adding light ankle and wrist weights to some of their basic floor movements or other foundational exercises. For some kids, gymnastics is their primary sport. For others, it is just part of their athletic portfolio. At Saco Valley Gymnastics, training includes exercises to build core and Autumn 2021
vest (an annual event memorializing Lt. Michael Murphy, featuring a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, and another 1-mile run), and placing in the top 400 globally (of 1,300+ competitors) in his first-ever CrossFit competition, the 2021 CrossFit Games Open.
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ADDITIONAL YOUTH TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE MWV Kennett High School • Conway, NH Kennett High School - physical education Vaughn Beckwith - Football Coach/P.E. Director
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strength. Conditioning stations are set up to ensure that skills-work and strength go hand in hand. Coaches consistently focus on good mechanics and safety. All these elements help improve kids’ fitness levels and their performance in competitive gymnastics as well as other sports. Knowledgeable coaches ensure young gymnasts are learning new skills with safe and effective progressions. Gymnasts practice weeks of drills to ensure mastery before progressing to more difficult maneuvers. Coaches use skills
“Being in the gym builds confidence, self-esteem, and helps kids succeed in everything they do.” - Coach Brooke Barron, Saco Valley Gymnastics
charts to emphasize individual goals and foster a positive learning environment by rewarding athletes’ efforts and behaviors. As a coach and former gymnast herself, Brooke Barron says, “Kids in gymnastics really learn their body. They have an increased level of confidence, as well as an understanding of their boundaries. Building their confidence at such a young age gives them the ability to go out and try new things.”
Encourage your kids
The height of a pyramid is limited by the size of its base. A balanced lifestyle is the key to success in youth sports—and in life. Good quality sleep and nutrition, varied exercise, the right amount of challenge and FUN are all pieces of the puzzle. If you’re the parent or grandparent of a young athlete, encourage them to
The goal of Kennett High School physical education classes is to provide students with the ability to live an active lifestyle. This goal is accomplished by offering a variety of classes that focus on different components of fitness. Kennett’s P.E. classes are considered games-based education, developing skills, and learning offensive and defensive concepts of team, net, and stringing games. Weights and cardio classes focus on developing a foundation of knowledge and understanding of strength and conditioning principles. Wilderness is adventure-based education, utilizing low- and high-ropes courses. Strength training is a critical component in the development of athletic ability. “At KHS, we are fortunate to have such great facilities,” explains Coach Vaughn. “The weight room has a variety of equipment that is appropriate for individuals who have limited experience with strength training as well as the ability to teach more advanced Olympic-style exercises.” Mountain Center Physical Therapy and Sports Rehab • Conway, NH Colby Locke MS, ATC, LAT - Director of Sports Medicine and Kennett High School Athletic Training Mountain Center Physical Therapy has three clinic locations and provides athletic training and strength and conditioning services to three area high schools: Kennett High School, Inter-Lakes High School, and Fryeburg Academy. They work with patients of all ages to meet their functional and daily goals. “Our goal at each high school is to provide knowledge and experience of strength, stability, mobility, agility, endurance, hydration, nutrition, sleep, stress management, and lifestyle,” says Colby. All these factors have an impact on the number and extent of injuries sustained during in-season play. Mountain Center trainers strive to help young athletes understand body mechanics, body awareness, and create reasonable expectations for their bodies and athletic goals. (603) 447-2533 • www.mountaincenterpt.com/athletic-training ROCKIN’ FITNESS • Madison, NH Fitness Boot Camp, Conway Boxing Club, and S.A.F.E. Programs (self-defense anti-bully fitness education) with Coach Elwood McLlarky At Rockin’ Fitness in Madison, the mission is to provide a clean, safe, and enjoyable environment for exclusive coaching services through quality education and training for men, women, and children of all fitness levels, interests, and backgrounds. Classes are all devoted to helping develop character, confidence, and physical health through both team work and individual achievements. The Teen’s Conway Boxing Club Classes build strength, coordination, and balance, while helping young athletes get in the best shape of their ever-growing lives. As Coach Elwood says, the Conway Boxing Club and S.A.F.E. Programs at Rockin’ Fitness are “giving our community a fighting chance and a place to get fit, active, and aware, while building strength, skills, and confidence.” (603) 733-9601 • www.rockinfitnessnh.com
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explore different activities and find things that interest them to complement their sports pursuits. Encourage diversity and expose them to new challenges. Find a knowledgeable fitness professional to guide youn,g athletes with proper training. Helping kids improve their overall fitness, listen to their body, and strive to reach personal goals enables them to succeed in the present and provides them with a strong foundation for the future. Trish Chaput is a Precision Nutrition Level 2 certified professional. She is the health coach at Discover Health Functional Medicine Center in Conway and a partner of the Discover Health Movement Membership. Trish loves helping her clients identify simple steps to improve their diet, sleep, exercise, and overall well-being. Contact “Coach” Trish: (603) 447-3112 Discoverhealthcoaching@gmail.com
Hobbs Street, Conway, NH (603) 662-0095 Swift River CrossFit www.swiftrivercrossfit.com Instagram: @swiftrivercrossfit
East Conway Road, Center Conway, NH (603) 733-5503 Saco Valley Gymnastics & Training Center www.svgymnh.com Instagram: @sacovalleygym
Eastern Avenue, Center Conway, NH (603) 986-1736 SportFit New England at CORE Community Fitness www.facebook.com/sportfitnewengland Instagram: @sportfitnewengland
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Training Dogs for a Life of Service By Lauren Clem
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Mt. Washington Valley’s ACTS: Helping Dogs Help People
or individuals who use a service dog, the freedom and independence the relationship provides is incalculable. Along with performing essential tasks for their owner, service dogs offer a sense of companionship and, for many, an emotional stability that comes from facing life with a fourlegged partner at your side. But the process of transforming a rambunctious puppy into a working service dog is a lengthy one, and only certain organizations are equipped to oversee it. In the Mt. Washington Valley, Assistance Canine Training Services, or ACTS, has been accomplishing this task since 2007, training and preparing dogs for a life of service all over the country. The organization trains service dogs to assist with mobility issues, as well as facility dogs that offer therapeutic services to larger populations. Their mission of “helping dogs help people” rings true in the Valley, where the dogs form close relationships with volunteer puppy raisers and community members as they complete their training.
HISTORY OF ACTS
Center Tuftonboro resident Dorothy Hyde-Williams founded
ACTS in 2007 in memory of her son, Nate. Nate died in a bicycle accident at the age of 23, and the initial idea for the organization grew from that tragedy. At the time, Hyde-Williams was serving as a volunteer puppy raiser for NEADS, a service dog organization based in Massachusetts. Robin Crocker, a longtime ACTS volunteer and former chief administrator, also began her service dog involvement with NEADS before becoming a founding board member of ACTS. Today, Crocker puts in 40 volunteer hours a week as the ACTS director of canine development, and oversees the organization’s training at Telling Tails Training Center, the business she owns on Route 302 in Fryeburg. Crocker explained that in the beginning, ACTS provided service dogs for a variety of disabilities. As the years went on, they began to specialize in dogs for mobility issues and facility dogs that work with children, medical patients, or other populations in need. ACTS provides service dogs all over the country and has about 15 in training at any given time. “One year we had named our dogs for states, and the big joke was that Montana went to Wisconsin and Indiana went to Idaho,” Crocker said.
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LEFT: One of the many jobs of a school facility dog is to help make school more fun! Students look forward to seeing facility dogs at school; these dogs help boost students’ moods, reduce students’ stress, listen to students reading, and make everyone in the building feel loved. In this photo, puppy raiser Rebecca Skelton looks on as her dog Hunter gets some love and attention from Joseph, Hadley, and Caroline. Hunter is four months old and currently in training. ABOVE: Robin Crocker instructs puppy handlers while their dogs practice “stay” in designated corners. Along with attending classes at Telling Tails, ACTS dogs take field trips into the community to learn how to interact in public. ABOVE RIGHT: High-schooler Marina Legere from Fryeburg, is currently raising Gem and has already helped to raise another puppy.
THE TRAINING BEGINS
The process of training a service or facility dog begins at the age of eight to 10 weeks, when the dog goes to live with a volunteer puppy raiser. For ACTS, puppy raisers are usually local residents who commit to at least six months of caring for a dog and overseeing their basic training. After a brief period at home to settle in, dogs and their handlers begin attending weekly training class at Telling Tails, where they learn basic skills such as “stay,” “nudge,” and “place.” The commands get more complex as the dogs get older, with dogs graduating from puppy class and advancing to a general group after about eight weeks. Sally Burke, one of the organization’s board members, has served as a puppy raiser since 2017. Burke, a former Boston resident, had her first glimpse of the impact assistance dogs could have when she and her former pooch Gertie joined the Healing Paws program at Boston Medical Center. The program connects trained therapy dogs with patients, allowing Burke and Gertie to visit individuals as they recovered in the hospital. “By doing that, I saw the huge impact these dogs had on people,” she said. After moving to the Mt. Washington Valley full time in 2016, Burke wanted to get more involved in the community. She heard that ACTS was looking for volunteers and attended a class to see if puppy raising was right for her. Her first placement, Dusty, was a chocolate Labrador. Dusty lived with her for 18 months before being placed with a University of Maine professor who uses a wheelchair. Since then, Burke has raised a second dog, Flora, and is in the process of raising a third. The most difficult part, she said, is letting the dogs go when they’re ready for their placement. While raising a service dog requires a significant time commitment and patience on the part of both dog and human, Burke Autumn 2021
said giving them up at the end of their training period doesn’t get easier regardless of how many times she does it. “It’s not something that you get used to, but it’s just knowing they’re going to go off and do really good things. There’s just this little piece of you knowing that’s why you did it,” she said. Burke said she has family with special needs, and knowing that a service or facility dog could go off to help someone like her family members through life is what makes it worth it. “It’s what they can do. I don’t need to do that, but I can do it through a dog,” she said. It helps that ACTS, with dozens of current and former puppy raisers spread out throughout the Mt. Washington Valley, has become its own support community. During a Thursday morning training in July, Burke joined six other handlers and their pups to practice basic commands. As Crocker instructed, handlers walked around the room while their dogs practice “stay” in designated corners. While the commands might seem basic, Crocker explained, they’ll serve as the foundation of what a dog needs to accomplish during its service. “Fetching is huge for people in wheelchairs,” she said. “They drop things, they can’t pick them up.” Along with attending classes at Telling Tails, ACTS dogs take field trips into the community to learn how to interact in public. They practice activities like going through airport security and riding the train in North Conway to prepare for future scenarios with their owners. Crocker said the organization has close relationships with local businesses and works with them to give their dogs-in-training an authentic experience. “We’re super careful about what’s acceptable and what isn’t with our puppy raisers when they’re out, and I think the local businesses appreciate that,” she said. ACTS relies on positive reinforcement methods in their training, something Crocker said the service dog industry was 67
Courtesy photos
far ahead on in the 1990s. A former inn owner, she got into dog training and opened Telling Tails after finding her passion through training service dogs. The organization uses purpose-bred dogs, usually Labradors and golden retrievers. Many of their dogs come from the ABC Breeding Cooperative, a co-op of service dog breeding programs organized by Assistance Dogs International. They also purchase or receive donated dogs from local breeders, but Crocker said they’re very selective in who they’ll accept. ACTS recently launched its own breeding program, and they hope to breed more of their own dogs in the future. “We’re breeding for selective traits. Enough drive
ments. Some students raise a puppy on their own, while others choose to do it in roommate pairs. The students commit to attending a weekly training class taught by Packard, with the classes continuing remotely during school breaks. “They’re really serious about it,” said Crocker. “I think we attract the students who have an educational mission related to what we do.” For ACTS, the arrangement fulfills a basic need. Over the years, Crocker said, they’ve tried to figure out how to bring more puppy raisers into their program. Most of their volunteers in the Valley area are retired, with fewer young people involved. “Puppy raisers are a huge re-
to want to work, but they also need to be calm and confident,” she explained. ACTS is one of two organizations in New Hampshire to be accredited by Assistance Dogs International, the gold standard for service dog organizations. The other, Little Angels Service Dogs, relocated to Bartlett in 2019 after more than a decade in California. Accreditation is a years-long process that involves every part of the organization, including dog training, administration, facilities, placement methods, and interaction with clients.
source for us. They’re also a little bit of a scarce resource. We don’t live in a highly populated area,” she said. In the cases where young people do raise puppies, they tend to be highly successful. At 17, Marina Legere, a high school student from Fryeburg, is one of the younger volunteers in the puppy-raising program. Legere said she wanted a dog, but as she nears the end of high school, getting her own dog longterm wasn’t practical. Instead, she raises puppies for ACTS, housing them and attending training classes once a week. She recently started raising Gem, a puppy who’d spent time at UVM before returning to the Valley to continue training. “I love working with animals, so having an animal that goes everywhere with me is fun,” she said. “Everywhere I go, she goes. I raise livestock, and she comes out to the barn with me every day.” Crocker’s wish is that they get more young people in the area involved with ACTS. They’re also looking for a way to continue the UVM partnerships after Packard graduates.
ACTS is one of two organizations in New Hampshire to be accredited by Assistance Dogs International, the gold standard for service dog organizations. The other, Little Angels Service Dogs, relocated to Bartlett in 2019 after more than a decade in California.
Puppy raisers, Meg Clougherty and Hannah Kilmetis, are shown with puppy’s Gem and Flint at UVM.
GOING TO COLLEGE
Service dog, Aspen, helps Jeff Dickinson, a Franklin resident and advocacy director for Granite State Independent Living, open his front door. Kelley Brown, chairwoman of the ACTS Board of Directors, poses with her facility dog, Flint. Kelley and Flint work together at Molly Ockett School in Fryeburg.
While many ACTS dogs spend their entire training period in the Valley, others complete their journey to adulthood in much the same way as humans—by going to college. A few years ago, a Kennett High School graduate and puppy raiser by the name of Shelby Packard left for college at the University of Vermont. Packard convinced university officials to allow her to continue her puppy raising on campus, bringing her dog to class and to live in her dorm with her. Puppy raising has now grown into an official on-campus club at UVM, with around half a dozen college students raising ACTS puppies at any given time. After an initial period in the Valley, the dogs head up to UVM, where they live in dorm rooms or, for those younger than eight months old, off-campus apart-
MAKING A MATCH
As the puppies near two years of age, they live with Crocker for a few weeks so she can evaluate them and determine where they should go. ACTS trains both individual service dogs and facility dogs that serve a larger population, and the
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ETIQUETTE AROUND SERVICE DOGS Adapted from the Guide Dog Foundation
There are several guidelines people should follow when in the presence of a guide or service dog to allow for the safety of the dog and its handler. Disregarding these guidelines can distract the dog, which can create a dangerous situation for the dog and its handler. • Don’t touch, talk to, feed, or distract a service dog while they’re wearing their harness or vest. Allow them to focus on their owner. • Don’t treat the dog as a pet. Give them the respect of a working dog. • Address the handler, not the dog. Ask permission before petting the dog. • Don’t be offended if the handler says no to petting their service dog. • Don’t give the service dog commands. Allow the handler to take control, but offer assistance if asked.
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future placement will determine what type of training the dog receives in the final months. Service dogs receive training to perform tasks such as turning lights on and off, opening doors, and other tasks according to the future owner’s needs. The organization typically matches dogs with owners several months before their first meeting to tailor their training to the individual’s needs. “It’s important to us that the dogs end up in the right place,” Crocker said. Jeff Dickinson, a Franklin resident and advocacy director for Granite State Independent Living, received his service dog, Aspen, from ACTS in 2015. Dickinson, who has muscular dystrophy, said Aspen is his third service dog and the first to be trained by a professional service dog organization. The first two, Jake and Peaches, he and family members trained themselves with the help of a trainer. “I would have to say Aspen has been the easiest of all of them to have out in public,” Dickinson said. Dickinson got his first service dog in the mid-90s when there were fewer organizations training dogs for conditions other than blindness. Nowadays, he said, it’s more important than ever for dogs to have good training, since people’s expectations of service dogs are higher. In addition to the physical tasks, a dog can help fulfill the emotional needs of its owner. His first service dog, he said, came along right when he was beginning to use a wheelchair and made him feel more confident about going out in public. “There was a noticeable Autumn 2021
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case he needs her. “She loves everybody, but at the end of the day she knows that the primary place she needs to be is with me,” he said. As an advocacy director for Granite State Independent Living, Dickinson often visits the State House or Department of Health and Human Services. As a result, Aspen, like her predecessor, Peaches, has become something of an “emissary” for service dogs, interacting with state representatives and senators on a regular basis. Enforcement of service dog laws under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has become a hot topic in recent years as more people attempt to bring emotional support animals and pets out in public. Dickinson said the increase in non-service animals has made it more difficult for service dog owners like him who might have to keep Aspen from reacting to an aggressive dog in public. At the same time, he said, he understands how some individuals have an emotional need and thinks the ADA may have to be adjusted down the road. There is no formal service dog registry, which has made cracking down on “fake” service animals difficult for businesses and organizations. “There are times when I’ve seen dogs passed off as service animals that misbehave to a point that they give service dogs a bad name,” he said. Dickinson spent two weeks completing training with Aspen before she came to live with him in Franklin. He considers ACTS a “top notch” organization and speaks highly of their training and relationship with the community in the Valley. One of the things Crocker taught him, he said, was to use treats generously during Aspen’s training. Like humans, dogs expect to get paid for their work, and treats serve as currency. “One thing you do have to learn to live with? Slobber,” he said. “But that’s okey. It’s just love.”
SERVICE DOGS VS. FACILITY DOGS
difference in me and my interactions with folks when I started having a dog,” he explained. While service dogs can help break down barriers, it’s also important for members of the public to be respectful of their working status. Dickinson said the key thing to remember is that service dogs are not pets, and interrupting them while they’re assisting their owner could be dangerous to both dog and human. If you
While Aspen was assigned to Dickinson as a service dog, some dogs go on to assist an entire facility. Flint, a black Labrador, was assigned to work at Molly Ockett School in Fryeburg with ACTS Board of Directors chairwoman, Kelley Brown. Brown, a second-grade teacher, said she first saw the impact a dog could have in the classroom when she was volunteering for ACTS as a puppy raiser. “They love him. They are excited to come to school,” she said about her students. Flint participates as a “special member” of her class, and also works closely with students with special needs. A facility dog can make connections humans can’t, and sometimes makes
want to greet a service dog, he explained, say hello to their owner first and ask permission before interacting with the animal. Dickinson said the biggest challenge of having a service dog, for him, is taking care of her. Because of his condition, he’s not always able to perform all of Aspen’s daily tasks. Initially, he was afraid having others help him would weaken the relationship, but Aspen never strays too far from his side. Even when they’re at home and she has the run of the house, he said, she always finds her way back to sit by his feet or be in the same room in
the difference between a student who refuses to come to school and one eager to come in and interact with Flint. “When you’ve got a seventh grader sitting in a ball on the floor sobbing, and the dog comes up and starts licking the face, the sobbing just starts to dissipate,” she said. She and Flint were paired this past spring, one year after a pandemic altered the daily interactions of her students. “He was the life raft,” she said. “They could pet him, they could hug him, they could snuggle with him; whereas all year, I had to say don’t touch.”
Sally Burke pictured at Telling Tails Training Center with Granite.
While service dogs can help break down barriers, it’s also important for members of the public to be respectful of their working status. Dickinson said the key thing to remember is that service dogs are not pets ... . If you want to greet a service dog, he explained, say hello to their owner first and ask permission before interacting with the animal.
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UPRAWR: UNITED PUPPY RAISERS OF ACTS AND THEIR WAGGING RETRIEVERS As ACTS grew, they needed more puppy raisers to help train service dogs to adulthood. They found them at the University of Vermont, where Kennett High School graduate and UVM student Shelby Packard started a club to raise service dogs. Members of UPRAWR participate as general members and puppy sitters before applying to become puppy raisers with ACTS. The dogs live with the students in dorms or, for those younger than eight months old, off-campus apartments. They attend class with their humans and participate in all aspects of campus life. Student puppy raisers bring their dogs to training class once per week and attend virtual trainings during school breaks.
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Robin Crocker, ACTS director of canine development, said tapping into the college community has proved an invaluable resource for the organization. College students, she said, are just as adept as older adults—and sometimes more so—at training service dogs to respond to basic commands. “In most cases, the younger puppy raisers were really successful,” she said. ACTS has placed facility dogs at other schools and organizations around the region, including the Carroll County Child Advocacy Center and the Seacoast Cancer Center. Crocker said facility dogs have become a large part of what they offer in recent years. While facility dogs don’t have the same public access benefits as service dogs, they meet important needs for vulnerable populations. “I think we’re kind of quietly, gently—like our dogs—moving in and making a place better without a lot of pomp and circumstance,” Brown said.
DREAM DOGS
At 14 to 16 months old, dogs go through a temperament test to ensure they’re fit to continue training. After a dog graduAutumn 2021
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LITTLE ANGELS: CHANGING LIVES ONE DOG AT A TIME A second service dog organization has made its home in the Mt. Washington Valley in recent years, cementing the area’s reputation as a world-class center for service dog training. Little Angels Service Dogs was founded by Katie Gonzalez in San Diego, California, in 2006. Gonzalez initially ran the passion project out of her garage, later securing a 10-acre ranch where the dogs could be trained on-site by paid staff. Their connection to the Mt. Washington Valley region began in 2016, when Josh Drew of Bartlett traveled to California with his younger brother, Ryan, to pick up a service dog. Ryan has tyrosine hydroxylase deficiency, a rare neurotransmitter disease, and Little Angels was one of the few organizations that could provide a service dog for both his physical and psychiatric needs. Josh moved out to California to work for the company, and eventually was named executive director. In 2018, the organization opened a second location in Bartlett at the former Sky Valley Motel. The group, led by Josh’s family, spent several months building out the property into a new training facility where dogs and their trainers could live on-site. The following year, they officially relocated their headquarters to the East Coast and now operate two ranches on opposite sides of the country. Josh, who has a background in marketing, said Little Angels has received a warm welcome from the community, and regularly partners with local businesses and organizations.
Unlike groups that specialize in only one area, Little Angels trains service dogs for all areas of need, except blindness. These include mobility issues, pediatric autism, hearing assistance, and psychiatric needs, along with diabetic and seizure alert dogs. According to Josh, Little Angels is one of only a few organizations in the world that offers psychiatric dogs for civilians and children, as well as military veterans. “We utilize foster families in the Valley that keep bringing the dogs out in public, bringing them on field trips,” he said. In addition to foster families, Little Angels partners with the correctional system to help give their dogs 24-hour attention. As of 2019, the organization was placing approximately 22 service dogs per year across both its locations. The pandemic put a pause on operations, but Josh said they’ve continued to grow and hope to place at least 30 dogs in 2022. If they can’t meet someone’s needs within their time frame, Josh said, they encourage them to go to other Assistance Dogs International-certified organizations. In many cases, clients are willing to wait. Since moving to Bartlett, Little Angels has become a true family operation. Josh’s mother Darlene is the director of client relations, while Ryan also works for the organization and speaks with clients about his experience. “When we bring a client on, we tell them they’re not a client, they’re not a recipient—they’re joining a family,” Josh said. “That’s what we hear time and again: people are coming to us not just for the dog, but for the atmosphere they’re buying into.”
ates from ACTS training, usually around two years old, they go to live with their new owner. The organization has a follow-up procedure, checking up on the pair once a month for the first six months, and once a year after that to ensure there are no problems. After four years, the dog goes through recertification. In the event a dog does not complete its training, there is a third option. Puppies who test out of training due to temperament or other reasons are considered “dream dogs” and are placed in a suitable home. While not considered official ser-
North Conway resident, previously worked as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and brings her expertise in securing grants and donations to the position. “My biggest thing is making sure that we grow the foundation of what these volunteers have built, and make sure we can reach what their hopes are for the organization,” she said. Like many others, ACTS used the slow period during the pandemic to assess the organization’s future. Among their goals, they want to shift to having more paid staff to alleviate
vice or facility dogs, Crocker said the partial training received by dream dogs often makes them good candidates for group homes or families with children on the autism spectrum. Industry-wide, she said the attrition rate for service-dogs-in-training is about 50 percent. “I think it speaks to how very particular we are about what we place,” she said.
the burden on volunteers and also find their own location. They plan on growing their breeding program, all initiatives that will require additional funds and volunteers. “We’re always looking for involvement, whatever that might look like,” Brown said. In the meantime, they will continue serving as a resource to individuals across the country. ACTS currently places about three dogs per year and plans to increase that number to five or six. For residents of the Mt. Washington Valley, it’s an opportunity to be a part of something that will have an impact for years to come. “These dogs change people’s lives,” Metz said.
Puppies who test out of training due to temperament or other reasons are considered “dream dogs” and are placed in a suitable home. While not considered official service or facility dogs, Crocker said the partial training received by dream dogs often makes them good candidates for group homes or families with children on the autism spectrum.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
ACTS, an all-volunteer organization for most of its existence, hired its first executive director last February. Kathy Metz, a
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A Tail of Success for Lupine, Inc.
By Christine Thompson
The road to success for the owners of Lupine, Inc. was certainly a winding one. It was paved with ingenuity, resilience, a bit of good luck … and a really cool dog named Blaze.
D
ave Jensen and Scott Badger were roommates at Dartmouth College in the 80s. Dave graduated in four years, while Scott pursued a five-year engineering degree. After college, Dave started working as an assistant manager at a Pizza Hut and Scott worked for Snowmax International, a snow-making company. During a casual conversation with Scott’s father, the late real estate mogul, Dick Badger, Dick mentioned that a small local business, Valley Video, was for sale. Scott called Dave and asked if he might be interested in partnering with him and buying the business. Dave said yes and became the co-owner and manager of Valley Video in 1989. Scott eventually left his job at Snowmax when the video business became profitable enough to open another store. This same year, Valerie Meunier came to the Valley from France to spend time exploring in the U.S. and visiting with her aunt, Marie Meunier, from Wild Things gear shop. Valerie and Marie liked to rent movies, so they were frequent visitors to the video store. Scott’s dog, Blaze, a beautiful wolf hybrid, was a fixture at the video store, and soon became the store’s unwit-
ting mascot. Valerie was taken with Blaze, and with the help of her aunt, designed a dog collar for him using the same jacquard webbing Wild Things used for their own products, which had patterns woven into the material. That first collar was modeled after typical climber’s gear of the time. It had a three-pass buckle like those used on a climbing harness. Blaze, being the influencer that he was (before influencers were a thing), wore the collar in the shop. As Scott tells it, “Fifteen to 20 people a week would say ‘Wow, where did you get that collar?’ And that’s where the idea for Lupine was born.” In fact, the Lupine logo is a silhouette of a howling wolf, a touching tribute to his beloved Blaze. A few more prototypes were made, and Dave and Scott decided to drive to Portland, ME to try and sell the idea. Scott reflected, “Neither of us were sales people. We showed them our product and gathered it back in our paper bags and left.” That could have been the end of it, but three notable events happened that helped make Lupine the thriving business it is today.
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From national catalogue mailings to online sales, Lupine’s continued growth forced the need for more efficient productivity. Facing the typical challenges and growing pains of any business, Lupine turned their focus to production. The foundation that they laid helped them navigate through those difficulties.
Progress—Three Notable Events
The first notable event that changed the trajectory of Lupine was when ski rep, Andy Shaw, an independent ski industry rep whose lines included Vokl, stopped by the video store to say hi. Scott showed him the collar. Shaw, an accomplished salesman, agreed to see if he could stir up interest while vacationing on Cape Cod. He set up more than 20 accounts that week. Realizing that this could be a viable venture, they rented
the design of the collar. The webbing company they were using saw the potential in using the webbing for pet products, but knew Lupine needed help with design. They had a connection with a designer from TEVA, Nadine, and that is who Lupine has used ever since. Creating designs that work in webbing is a unique skillset that few other than Nadine possessed, and up until that point, the vast majority of nylon dog collars were solid colored. The
space above Video World and began the official work of production, assembly, folders, files, and accounts. Scott, Dave, and Valerie did all of it. Little did they know, they would eventually grow to a company with 80 employees. The second notable event involved
materials were plain and cheap, and for the most part, the pet industry had not yet caught on that there was a new breed of pet owners more interested in quality and style. Nadine’s colorful and fun designs, coupled with materials and components used by the climbing
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Blaze, a beautiful wolf hybrid, being the influencer that he was (before influencers were a thing), wore the collar in the shop. As Scott tells it, “Fifteen to 20 people a week would say ‘Wow, where did you get that collar?’ And that’s where the idea for Lupine was born.”
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When COVID-19 hit, Lupine shut down production for a few months, but web sales were still coming in. Once again, they had to adapt. Now, instead of pods of several employees, each pod is individualized so that each production worker is responsible for all components of productivity.
industry, made Lupine an industry leader from the start, if not in size, then in direction. From that point forward (1992), the first catalogue was printed and the first trade show attended. There was nothing else like it on the market and it attracted a huge amount of attention. Wholesale price lists were higher than most because of the creativity, design, and materials used. Selling retailers on the idea that there was a market for higher priced, higher quality products proved difficult, even though the customers were out there. The first stores willing to take the leap were independent stores. Lupine instituted a lifetime guarantee, which became one of the best marketing tools they had. The guarantee and stress-free exchange process brought them loyal customers (the writer of
rying snowboard leashes made by Lupine. The size and timing of their orders were most fortuitous, in that they helped Lupine limit the amount of bank funding needed to expand dog collar production, marketing, and sales. The Lupine team started sending national catalogue mailings, which proved very fruitful. They realized they could dial up their growth by the number of mailings they sent out.
this article may or may not have had a puppy that ate through a few leashes and can attest to the ease of the exchange process). The third notable event occurred as the business was growing. They started to explore different ways to expand the product. They looked at all the other possible items, but ultimately decided to keep their focus fairly narrow. They tried to market a few snowboard leashes. A Burton buyer got a hold of one and then, lo and behold, the Burton company was interested in car-
the driver of production and engineering. Dave had everyone on the team read the book, The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. The overarching theme of the book is that productivity is the key to success. “Productivity is defined as bringing you closer to your goal. Every action that brings you closer to your goal is productive.” With this in mind, they adapted the kanban method. Kanban is Japanese word which refers to a lean method to manage and improve work across human systems. This approach aims
Productivity Is the Key to Success
Threaded throughout all these events, Lupine and its owners had other successes: Valley Video was sold, Lupine relocated to a warehouse in Center Conway, Dave and Valerie were married in 1990, Valerie became CFO of Lupine in 1991, and Dave became
In addition to proving themselves to be a production powerhouse, Lupine also feels strongly that giving back is an integral part of living in a community. They focus their philanthropy on Tin Mountain Conservation Center, Conway Area Humane Society, and Jen’s Friends.
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to manage work by balancing demands with available capacity, and by improving the handling of system-level bottlenecks. In layman’s terms, Lupine did not adopt the “Laverne and Shirley” assembly line method. Instead, they used multiple pods of four to five employees. Each pod could do most (80 percent) of the aspects of assembly, and each worker within each pod could do each aspect of assembly. The result is more productivity and less bottlenecks. In 2010, Lupine started selling their products online, giving an overall boost to sale, and thus, a need for more productivity. Lupine faced the typical challenges and growing pains of any business, especially around production. The foundation that they laid helped them navigate through those difficulties—and it all worked really well until March of 2020 when COVID-19 hit. Lupine shut down production for a few months. Once again, all the elements that the team worked so hard to perfect sustained them. Even though the warehouse was closed for a few months, web sales were still coming in so, once again, they had to adapt. Now, instead of pods of several employees, each pod is individualized so that each production worker is responsible for all components of productivity. Lupine weathered the storm and has emerged stronger for it.
Giving Back in the Blueprint
In addition to proving themselves to be a production powerhouse, Lupine also feels strongly that giving back is an integral part of living in a community. They focus their philanthropy on Tin Mountain Conservation Center, Conway Area Humane Society, and Jen’s Friends. Wendy Holmes, Autumn 2021
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Decades later, Dave Jensen, Valerie Meunier, and Scott Badger, still work together daily and employ an average of 50 full-time staff from the Mt. Washington Valley.
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board member of the Jen’s Friends Cancer Foundation stated, “The cornerstone of Jen’s Friends Cancer Foundation is the continued support of local business, supporters, and our volunteers. Lupine has been a sponsor of our signature event, the Climb Against Cancer, for 16 years. We really appreciate their willingness to support us all these years, and help to keep our organization going strong during good times and bad.” Executive Director of the Conway Area Humane Society, Tim Westwig, echoes this sentiment, “Lupine is the most long-standing corporate sponsor CAHS has. Their monthly donations over the course of many years speaks volumes to their commitment to the community.” Lupine certainly has figured out the special sauce for success in the Mt. Washington Valley. Asked if he had any advice for any fledgling entrepreneurs, Scott stated, “Have faith that your customer wants quality! You can create a quality product, offer competitive wages and benefits; and you can be successful.”
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For more information, check out their website www.lupinepet.com.
Christine Thompson is an educator and grant writer. She spends most of her free time enjoying the outdoors or “doing theater” at M&D Playhouse. She believes that everyone has a story, and she loves to be the one to discover it.
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AMERICAN KESTRELS NORTH AMERICA’S SMALLEST FALCON by Katelynn Gierlinger
T
he American kestrel (Falco sparverius, “falcon of sparrows”) is North America’s smallest falcon, identified by their pointed wings and long tail. A popular sight among bird enthusiasts and casual observers alike, they are yearround residents to much of the United
sexes sport the well-known dark malar stripes below their eyes, slate-blue-bordered rufous crowns, and “false eye” patches on their napes. This tricks potential predators into thinking kestrels have “eyes in the back of their head” and will not be caught unaware. Males possess a
meadows of pastures and forest edges, kestrels require trees for nesting, as they are cavity-dwellers. This makes them unique among diurnal raptors, that typically nest from trees or poles with commanding views of the landscape. Kestrels lack the facilities to excavate
States. Despite their small stature, these birds-of-prey possess a personality that contradicts their size. Zipping and chattering over fields at high speed, hovering in place ready to capture their prey, or confidently surveying their territory from a solitary perch whilst bobbing their tail, these little raptors are quick to spot and easily identified, thanks to their size, unique habits, and colorful plumage. Both
light rufous back with light barring, contrasting beautifully against the slate-blue feathers above sharp black primaries. Females have variable brown hues, which helps them stay camouflaged, but have a heavy barring across their tawny back. American kestrels occupy a wide variety of open to semi-open habitats that range from grasslands to sparse woodlands. While they prefer the open
their own nest cavities and must rely on old woodpecker and natural tree hollows. They can also inhabit nooks and crevices of urban areas, but are less common due to lower habitat quality, and thus, poor reproductive success. Equipped with a beak and talons meant for capturing prey, kestrels will consume small mammals, snakes, frogs, and birds, but largely dine on insects (78 percent of their diet). The
DESPITE THEIR POPULARITY, AMERICAN KESTRELS, LIKE MANY AVIAN SPECIES, ARE FACING UNPRECEDENTED DECLINES OVER THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES.
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ABOVE LEFT: Tin Mountain avian intern, Katelynn Gierlinger, was able to capture a shot of these kestrel eggs; the white, downy chicks on the left were taken by Tin Mountain Avian Intern, Brian Stokes.
breeding season for Northeastern kestrels begins mid-April and extends into late-June/early-July. Courtship is demonstrated through intense aerial displays and feeding on-the-wing. As monogamous raptors, once a pair-bond is formed
population since the 1960s. Kestrels are increasing in abundance in a meager 10 percent of their current range, which spans the entirety of North America into portions of Mexico and Canada. Despite being considered a highly adaptable
number of breeding pairs has declined significantly. As part of its avian research efforts in the Mt. Washington Valley, Tin Mountain Conservation Center (TMCC) has expanded their nest box program to actively
it usually remains permanent. Despite their popularity, American kestrels, like many avian species, are facing unprecedented declines over the last several decades. According to the American Kestrel Partnership, the Atlantic Northern Forest region, where New Hampshire is located, has experienced a 69 percent decline in its American kestrel
species, the cause of the American kestrel decline has yet to be definitively uncovered. Multiple studies have investigated environmental correlations, including the emergence of the West Nile virus, competition with Cooper’s Hawks, and possible reductions in habitat quality, but none have proven significant. One factor stays true among all regions; the average
monitor kestrel nesting success. Of the 10 boxes put up in 2021 by staff and interns, four have contained nests with four to five eggs, which have since hatched into chicks that are close to, or already, fledgling from the nest! Nestlings reach their adult size 20 days after hatching and begin fledging around 27 to 32 days. Tin Mountain plans to intensify monitoring
AS PART OF ITS AVIAN RESEARCH EFFORTS IN THE MT. WASHINGTON VALLEY, TIN MOUNTAIN CONSERVATION CENTER HAS EXPANDED THEIR NEST BOX PROGRAM TO ACTIVELY MONITOR KESTREL NESTING SUCCESS
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Photo courtesy of Sam Swartley/National Audubon Society
The above map shows hot spots where data has been submitted during the 2020/2021 period. For additional information go to www.ebird.org/hotspots.
BEST SPOTS FOR VALLEY BIRDING
by local birder Will Broussard DAHL WILDLIFE SANCTUARY: Just behind the L.L. Bean in North Conway, discover a paradise of river floodplain forest, reclaimed fields, and a pond-studded wood. A great location year round, you will likely encounter eagles, ducks, owls, and warblers. 1785 TRAILS AND FIELDS: Launching off from Intervale’s 1785 Inn, explore a mix of fields, forests, and riversides that play host to hawks, ducks, pheasant, and some less common field species such as the bobolink. POND TRAIL: Meander this large walking path in Conway to discover marsh-loving birds, such as herons, blackbirds, sparrows, and even loons on the pond itself. VALLEY CROSS ROAD: If you’re ready to search for thrushes, catbirds, warblers, and vireos, try searching the thickets of this Jackson locale. Bonus backyard birds include sparrows, finches, and cardinals.
efforts in the foreseeable future to better record egg and nestling data, assess how immediate habitat affects nest success, and track the progress of the local kestrel population. Those interested in installing nest boxes can find many resources on-
mediate properties (Rockwell Sanctuary, Dr. Michael Cline Memorial Forest), which are surveyed throughout the year to document the local avian community, avian life histories, and how seasonal changes affect habitat and abundances. Winter
line and are encouraged to monitor any boxes they put up. Not only will you get to witness the life cycle of another creature, but you will also assist in protecting these magnificent birds by tracking breeding parameters, causes of mortality, and behavioral phenomena. After all, population data originates largely from the observations and efforts of citizen scientists across the continent, a title anyone with a backyard and binoculars can obtain.
resident birds, or those that remain in the area year round, are color-banded during the winter months. These bright bands allow for reciting of previously banded individuals and observation of how behavior and dispersal patterns change as seasons progress from overwintering to breeding and back again. Other properties, like the Bear Paw Timberlands in Conway, NH, are surveyed during the breeding season. Bear Paw has undergone several years of selective timber cutting, which influences plant compositions and forest ecology, to understand how specific forestry techniques can influence forest breeding bird populations. Songbird banding during the summer months contributes to the study of species assemblages and population trends both locally and internationally. Tin Mountain also
THOSE INTERESTED IN INSTALLING NEST BOXES CAN FIND MANY RESOURCES ONLINE AND ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR ANY BOXES THEY PUT UP.
MONITORING BIRD POPULATIONS Tin Mountain has been monitoring bird populations in the Mt. Washington Valley since 2008 through wintering and breeding bird surveys, forest ecological monitoring, and banding. A large focus has been placed on Tin Mountain’s im-
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TIN MOUNTAIN CONSERVATION CENTER TMCC offers environmental education programs for school children, adults, and families that foster greater awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the natural environment. Programs, camps, and trails are offered at their 228-acre Field Station in Jackson as well as the Nature Learning Center in Albany, NH. SAVE THE DATE! Author Series: Scott Weidensaul, A World on the Wing Thursday, October 14, 7 p.m. Virtual Program Field Program: Fantastic Fungi I Have Loved and Known Sunday, October 17, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Rockwell Sanctuary, Albany Virtual Program: Bird Watchers Migration, a visual exploration Thursday, November 4, 7 p.m. Field Program: Exploration of Historic Livermore Saturday, November 6, 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Winter Greens & Wreath Making Saturday, November 20, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. or 1 – 3 p.m.
(207) 697-2277 Fish St. Fryeburg, ME
david@fishstreetdesign.com
www.FishStreetDesign.com
Virtual Program: Winter Bird Ecology Thursday, December 16, 7 p.m. Call or visit TinMountain.org for updates, to register for programs, and to confirm any changes in schedules and programs. Bald Hill Road, Albany, NH (603) 447-6991 • www.TinMountain.org works with the Loon Preservation Committee in monitoring Common Loons of the Mt. Washington Valley. The American kestrel nest box program is Tin Mountain’s most recent addition to their expanding avian research efforts. Katelynn is from Chautauqua County, New York and is currently working with Tin Mountain as an avian ecology intern. She received her associates in environmental science at Jamestown Community College and her bachelor’s at SUNY College at Brockport, where she majored in the combined aquatic and terrestrial biology and ecology program. She aims to work in avian conservation and has a passion for bird behavior. While she has many favorite birds, two of them include the red-winged blackbird and American crow. Autumn 2021
We have everything to decorate for fall.
Dog not included. Located at 2599 East Main St., Center Conway 447-5442 • Email: mcnsy@roadrunner.com www.mcsherrysnurseries.com 83
12 Feet From the Tracks The Story of Hattie Evans and Family by Phil Franklin
Imagine raising your family in the early 1900s in a house that was set just 12 feet off of the Maine Central Railroad tracks. This house was miles from the nearest neighbor, with no electricity or telephone, and every day and night, steam engines pulling freight or passenger trains rumbled past. This is the setting for a story of one incredible family who lived at the far northern end of Hart’s Location and thrived in a place that today we would consider to be a lonely and unlivable environment.
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or Hattie Evans and her husband Loring, though, this was home. Their children grew up knowing no other way and, as a result, their nuclear family developed very close bonds that have grown throughout their extended family. Today, as family members spread across the country, their bonds are strong, and the cousins still remember their roots. The heart of this family was Hattie Evans, “Mum” to her children, and “Grammie Evans” to her grandchildren. A Step Back in Time In 1875, the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad opened the rail line through Crawford Notch. Constructing this approximately 12-mile section of track was a monumental feat, given the steep
grade, tough granite, and need to construct two large trestles. This rail line connected Portland, Maine with lands to the north and west of the “White Hills,” today’s White Mountains. The track through the notch was divided into “sections.” Section foremen were responsible for the maintenance of tracks in their given section. Track section 129 was the last section of track as the trains reached the top of the notch coming from Bartlett. It was considered the most difficult section to maintain due to its steep grade. The section foreman in 1875 was James Mitchell. He and his family lived in a small “section house” by the tracks near the top of Crawford Notch. In 1887, the Maine Central Railroad began its takeover of the Portland and Ogdensburg. In 1888, Mitchell announced his
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LEFT: A steam locomotive pulls a passenger train over the Mount Willard Brook Trestle after passing the Mount Willard Section House (date unknown) (courtesy of Evans family). ABOVE LEFT: Hattie Evans (R) with her children Raymond (L), Gordon, Mildred, and Enola circa 1915 (courtesy of Evans family). ABOVE RIGHT: Mount Willard Section House site with ice house (small building, left), section house (center), rail car barn (small building, right) (courtesy of Evans family).
intention to resign, but the Maine Central Railroad enticed him to stay on by building a new, larger section house further down the tracks in the notch—still on section 129 and still right next to the tracks. The new Mount Willard Section House would be the living quarters for the section foreman and his family, as well as the track workers on his crew. Mitchell and his family lived in this new section house until 1898 when he finally retired and was replaced by Joseph Monahan. Monahan and his family lived in the Mount Willard Section House until 1903 when he was reassigned as the foreman of track section 128 (the section where the Willey house
Loring Evans was born on October 31, 1873, in Raymond, Maine. Loring’s father, John Evans, was a farmer and Civil War veteran. Loring was a track worker for the Maine Central Railroad. He had been offered a job as section foreman once, but turned it down; that was before he was married to Hattie. Upon the second offering of the foreman’s position, he accepted it; by then he was married to Hattie. Standish and Raymond are two towns separated only by a few miles along the shore of Maine’s Sebago Lake. Being close in proximity, the Smith and Evans families knew each other. In 1897, Hattie and Loring married. From the stories told of Hattie and
was located). Loring Evans replaced Monahan as the section 129 foreman. He and Hattie moved into the section house in the summer of 1903. Loring was dedicated to his railroad job, as well as his family. Hattie was equally dedicated to supporting her family and the railroad crew boarding at her house. Her spirit and dedication to raising her family while caring for the railroad crew are to be admired, for she was successful at both endeavors.
Loring, they were a close couple. In his new position as the Mount Willard Section foreman, Loring received $1.75 per day, worked six days per week, had a house for his family, and oversaw a crew of four men. Hattie had responsibilities also. Hattie cleaned the house, did laundry for the workers, herself and Loring, went on fishing, hunting, and hiking treks with Loring, and cooked for the rail workers. She made this remote mountain cliff house a home by planting her flower garden and decorating the house. She raised chickens and pigs. Her vegetable garden became a buffet for the deer and rabbits.
Loring was dedicated to his railroad job, as well as his family. Hattie was equally dedicated to supporting her family and the railroad crew boarding at her house. Her spirit and dedication to raising her family while caring for the railroad crew are to be admired, for she was successful at both endeavors.
Hattie Smith & Loring Evans Hattie Smith was born on February 17, 1872, in Standish, Maine. According to Virginia Downs in her book, Life by the Tracks, Hattie had a “stern upbringing” under the direction of her stepfather. She worked as a housekeeper, beginning at age 12, and would carry this strong work ethic for the rest of her life. Hattie’s father, George Smith, was a railroad engineer. He was killed in a steam engine boiler explosion in 1873. Autumn 2021
Children Bless the Evans Family In 1907, the Evans’ were blessed with their first child, Gordon. When it came time for his birth, a telegraph message was sent to North Conway, and Dr. George Horsley Shedd was transported by steam engine to the Evans house to deliver the baby. Hattie and Loring had three other children. Mildred Evans (Rob-
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inson) was born in 1908, Raymond was born in 1909, and Enola Evans (Ruggles) was born in 1911. All the children were born in the section house under the care of Dr. Shedd, with one exception. Enola was born in the house, but before the arrival of Dr. Shedd. Hattie gave birth to Enola by herself. Hattie had a dry sense of humor, and that characteristic came out in the naming of the Evans’ fourth child by spelling alone backwards: Enola. Tragedy on the Tracks When Hattie married Loring, she was pleased that he was a track worker, thinking he had a “safe” job. Still, all railroad work was notoriously hard and dangerous. The track crews were responsible for keeping the rail lines passable at all times. Being in the mountains, early snowstorms were a normal occurrence. Snow was cleared from the tracks by giant plows pushed by steam engines. The track crews needed to hand-shovel the rail switches. On Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1913, a westbound freight train came up out of Crawford Notch to the Crawford Yard (just east of today’s Crawford Station) where Loring
thought the helper engine was continuing westward with the freight train to Fabyans (today called Fabyan). Instead, the helper reversed direction and started heading back to Bartlett. In the process, Loring was struck by the engine and killed instantly. At the age of 41 years old, Hattie Evans suddenly became a widow with four small children living in the far reaches of Crawford Notch. She was informed of Loring’s death by family friend, Joe Monahan. While understandably shaken by Loring’s death, Hattie’s spirit and drive would not allow her to retreat from the duties she had performed for the rail crew boarding in the section house. Rather than pack up her family and leave the mountains, Hattie decided to stay in the section house to raise her family and continue to support the railroad workers. The Mount Willard Section House The “Mount Willard Section House” is an important part of this story, for it was a landmark in the area. The two-story house had grey clapboards and green trim. For those who remember seeing the house perched between the tracks and the edge of
At the age of 41 years old, Hattie Evans suddenly became a widow with four small children living in the far reaches of Crawford Notch.
and his crew were shoveling snow. The freight train was being pushed by a “helper engine” at the back of the train. Having a helper engine pushing while the main engine at the front of the train was pulling was a normal occurrence on the steep Crawford Notch grade. As the train passed the track crew, Loring apparently
the cliff below Mount Willard, it’s a memory that is not forgotten. From Life on the Tracks, we learn that the “homestead was constructed of sturdy hardwood … rooms were spacious and airy, bay windows on the track and valley sides flooded the house with light.” The floor plan for this 1,900-square-foot house shows a
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LEFT: Maine Central Track Section 129 crew pose with their three wheel hand car, Loring Evans (L), F. Lyons, M. Flynn, John Green (R) in 1904 (courtesy of Evans family). ABOVE: View of the Mount Willard Section House and Mount Willard Brook Trestle from road heading into Crawford Notch (today’s Route 302) (courtesy of Evans family).
basement with a stonewall foundation and utilitarian features. The first floor had a large kitchen with a coal stove and pantry, a dining room, a bedroom, and parlor. The chamber, or second floor, was divided into four large bedrooms. Two staircases were at opposite ends of the house. All the rooms were heated, with the exception of the kitchen and a basement room for the coal bin. The front porch faced the tracks. The trackside windows were covered with heavy screening to protect the glass from rocks that were thrown from the tracks by the rail plows in winter. From photographs of the building, it was a beautiful structure that rivals many of the new houses built today. The house stood proudly on the mountain’s edge for 85 years. With all of her children married and living on their own, Hattie Evans finally left the house in 1941. With the house empty, eventually vandals and unauthorized lodgers started targeting the house. All attempts to secure the house failed. In 1968, the railroad decided to burn the house—but put the burn order on hold because there was talk of a scenic tourist railroad possibly using the tracks. Vandalism and unauthorized use of the building continued. On December 13, 1972, after a snowstorm, the railroad burned the house to the ground. In September 1968, the four Evans children made one last visit to their childhood home. Before the house was burned, the railroad gave Raymond permission to remove the semi-circleshaped stained-glass window from the west side of the building. That window, plus other artifacts, are on display at the Littleton Historical Society Museum in Littleton, NH. Today, the homestead is marked by a large granite monument commemorating the Evans family members who lived there. The stone foundation contains some pipes that were presumably part of the heating system and the rusted old Autumn 2021
furnace. The flagpole, ice house, and another rail car barn are gone. Hattie’s flower garden is still maintained annually by her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Riders on the Conway Scenic Railroad’s Mountaineer train ride can see the homestead site. However, railroad officials maintain that it is illegal and dangerous for people to walk to the site on the railroad tracks.
The Railroad Is the Lifeline Living with your house only a few feet from the railroad tracks with trains moving by daily presented a different way of living than nearly any of us have experienced. The boarding rail workers, as well as passing train crews, kept an eye out for the Evans family. After the passing of their father, the workers—especially the new foreman, John Green— became surrogate fathers to the children. Workers made different toys for the children. Eventually, the boys worked on the track crew for a while. Just before winter, the workers slaughtered the pigs that Hattie raised, and stored the meat in the ice house along with venison taken in hunting expeditions. They also showed a great deal of respect for Hattie, minding their language around her and never abusing their privileges in the house. The family got to know the different engineers and conductors on the trains by the sound of the train coming along the tracks. Some engineers pushed their engines hard while others knew how to get their trains up the grade in an easier manner. Engineers also had unique rhythms in blowing the train’s steam whistle. At Christmas, the train crews dropped off bags of hard candies and nuts for the family. To access the Evans house, people either walked the railroad tracks from Crawford Yard, climbed a steep footpath from
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This photo shows the Evans children Raymond (L), Enola, Gordon, and Mildred circa 1914. Safety, when living this close to the tracks, was important. When the children were young, Hattie would tie a rope around their waists and to the flagpole or a front porch post so they couldn’t run on to the tracks.
a spot on Route 302 where John Green had a garage for his car (the Evans’ did not own an automobile), or used the trains. Groceries were ordered via a telegraphed message to stores in Bartlett. To deliver them, they were either carried up the footpath, placed on the front platform of a train engine and dropped off by the rail workers, or workers would bring them to the house via a handrail car. Coal to heat the house was supplied by the railroad. Water for the house came from a mountain brook,
Twin Mountain, or Whitefield, with the children often boarding at different houses in the town of their schools. The children used their surroundings for entertainment. They played along and on the tracks, but always needed to be mindful of oncoming trains. In the winter, they fashioned a ski and sliding slope on the mountainside above their house; in warmer weather, baseball was played at the homestead, with home plate being a rock by the porch; hiking adventures were
from spring through fall. Before winter came, a 1,000-gallon water tank in the basement would be filled. A steam engine would refill the tank from the engine’s tender. The children went to grade school at either the Bemis School, located on the grounds of today’s Notchland Inn, about 10 miles east on the tracks, or at the Fabyans School, about 10 miles west on the tracks. They were occasionally transported to Bemis School by Charles Morey, the property owner where the school was located. They were transported by train to Fabyans. Here’s the catch: the train didn’t stop at the Evans house. Hattie positioned the children about 40 feet apart along the tracks. Forty-foot spacing was enough distance for the conductor to lift one child, get them on the train and be ready to pick up the next child. When neither school was available, a teacher came to the house by train along with the Monahan girls, who lived in the section house down the tracks. High school was in Bartlett,
common, and there were plenty of things to do in the forest. The kids had a three-wheel cart that they rode up and down the tracks. When they were older, the boys would walk up the tracks to work at the Crawford House hotel or the golf course in Bretton Woods, where Raymond once caddied for President Warren Harding. “Play dates” for the children were arranged with the Monahans. Again, a train ride between the Evans and Monahan houses united the children. Safety, when living this close to the tracks, was important. When the children were young, Hattie would tie a rope around their waists and to the flagpole or a front porch post so they couldn’t run on to the tracks. This may seem extreme by current standards, but Hattie did what she needed to protect her children.
They were transported by train to Fabyans. Here’s the catch: the train didn’t stop at the Evans house. Hattie positioned the children about 40 feet apart along the tracks. Forty-foot spacing was enough distance for the conductor to lift one child, get them on the train and be ready to pick up the next child.
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ABOVE: Gordon Evans (L) with siblings Mildred, Raymond, and Enola in their last visit to their homestead in 1968 (both photos courtesy of Evans family).
“The Indomitable Hattie” In Life by the Tracks, the first chapter is titled “The Indomitable Hattie”—and for good reason. Hattie worked hard all her life. While living on the tracks, she cared for her growing family and a crew of railroad roughnecks. She was responsible for all aspects of the household, starting early in the morning and working until later in the evening, from preparing meals and washing clothes to doing the paperwork for the railroad. The children all grew up with a list of chores to do around the house. For Enola and Mildred, chores such as changing the bedding, cleaning the gas lamp chimneys, and cleaning the carpets were common. Gordon and Raymond got most of the outside chores, such as collecting the chicken eggs, cleaning the henhouse, and, in the spring, spading Hattie’s heart-shaped flower garden. All the while, Hattie would be working around the house. Hattie spent time hiking in the mountains with Loring, and then with her children. Sometimes these hiking trips would be hunting expeditions, and other times, just to get out for a while. When going on an excursion, Hattie would place her valuables in a culvert that was just west of the house. That culvert is still there today. Hattie was not shy about using a gun. On July 19, 1929, she shot a Canadian lynx that was prowling the area. She is credited with being the first women in New Hampshire to shoot a Canadian lynx. This lynx had been seen in the area by the railroad workers. Hattie spotted the big cat perched on a cliff above her house. According to grandson, Wayne Ruggles (and others), her third shot brought the animal down. She received a $20 bounty for her prize shot. Being responsible for all of the household operations, Hattie had daily and weekly routines. Each was designed to keep things running efficiently. Meals were prepared in an orderly way, with breakfast being readied the night before; Monday was clothes-washing day, and washed items were hung to dry in a certain order; the American flag was raised every day at dawn and lowered at sunset. In Life by the Tracks, Raymond’s wife Connie says of Hattie, “You never heard her complain once about the routine. She just went calmly, slowly, her way and everything got done. I never saw her flustered.” With all of her Autumn 2021
routines and daily chores, she still managed to take a moment to observe the world around her. Again, from Life by the Tracks, her son Gordon notes, “As busy as she was, my mother found time to enjoy the view she had from her kitchen. She would look out the window, watching the way the light would fall on the mountains at different times of the day … .” Her view extended down the length of the beautiful Crawford Notch. When the trains traveled by the house, the children would
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TOP: A view of the site today of the Mount Willard Section House and Hattie’s garden, still maintained annually by her grandchildren and great grandchildren. BOTTOM: The Littleton Historical Society Museum, Littleton, NH, has a scale model of the Mount Willard Section House on display, as the as well as the original stained-glass window from the Mount Willard Section House (all Phil Franklin photos).
be out by the tracks waving to the passengers or rail crews. Hattie, on the other hand, would be quietly behind them, never wanting to be in the forefront or attracting attention. She always dressed very neatly, wearing an apron to catch anything that might soil her dress. When the trains passed, if her apron was soiled, she would roll up it up so no one would see anything amiss. Even years later after leaving the mountain house, Hattie would dress wearing a hat and gloves to go shopping. Hattie was a frugal person. She knew how to make things last. For example, she reversed worn collars on shirts to extend their life; she cut out the worn part of a bedsheet and patched it with the good portion from another sheet. She conserved every penny. Yet, Hattie was a generous person extending kindness to hobos who happened by or the soldiers who guarded the Mount Willard Brook Trestle during World War I. Hattie was a unique, caring, and determined individual. Leaving the Mount Willard Section House As the Evans children grew up, married, and moved on, Hattie became lonely living by herself. Still, the children and grandchildren returned to visit Hattie on Sundays. Their close family bonds remained important, and nothing stood
in the path of their weekly reunions. Hattie’s children became successful in their own lives. Gordon and his wife Helen had a daughter, Eleanor. Gordon graduated from Whitefield High School and Gray’s Business School. A WW II U.S. Army veteran, he worked for Farley Glass Company and Soule Glass Company of Portland, Maine. He died in 1999. Mildred, a schoolteacher, married Stillman Robinson. They had three children, Ann, Craig, and Lynn. She died in 1996. Raymond and his wife Connie had three children, Vernon, Gene, and Brian. Raymond was also a WW II U.S. Army veteran attached to the Mountain Division, serving as a sniper instructor. He received a lifetime membership in the Appalachian Mountain Club for his many years of maintaining hiking trails. Raymond was employed by the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department and the White Mountain Fish Hatchery. He died in 2001. Enola married Vonley Ruggles. They had three children, Linda, Gary, and Wayne. Enola died in 1969. After Hattie left her house on the tracks for the last time in 1941, she moved to Portland, Maine to live with her daughter Mildred. While living in Maine, Hattie’s spirit and drive to keep active never stopped. At age 70, she worked for the
B&M Bean Company, picking over beans on the assembly line. Over the years, she also worked at the fish pier fileting the day’s catch; and she provided daycare for a family watching their children while the parents worked. Busy and active to the end, Hattie Evans lived a remarkable life. On June 14, 1954, Hattie died in Portland, Maine at the age of 82 years old.
Final Thoughts This story only scratches the surface of Hattie’s life. Hattie Evans has unintentionally become a legendary figure in our local history. She met hardships with an incredible will to persevere and recognized the lasting value of a loving family. The enduring part of this story, regardless of everything else, is the family, the bonds that keep them together, and their ever-present memory of Grammie Evans. Phil Franklin is the President of the Bartlett Historical Society, Bartlett, NH. This article is an abridged version of the original story printed in the summer edition of the Bartlett Historical Society newsletter, “The Historical Herald.” Permission to republish the story was given by the Bartlett Historical Society and Hattie’s local grandchildren.
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