First DAR meeting of 2019
Buntin-Rumford-Webster, Concord Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, will have its first meeting of the year Tuesday, March 12 at 2 p.m. at the Pierce Manse (14 Horseshoe Pond Lane). The program will be a welcome to new members and an orientation about the chapter, DAR and what to expect! March is literacy month and we ask that each person planning to attend pick a children’s book (new or used in good condition) to donate. We intend to collect children’s books to donate to local schools (community classroom) to promote a love of reading (promote education and citizenship). Some of us may volunteer in the schools to read. The Friends of the Baker Free Library book sale room is a place where you can purchase great used children’s books for 50 cents! Come to find out what the DAR is all about, and join us in supporting the book collection effort.
Nancy Shee
Grandparents discussion group
On Tuesday evenings in March from 5:30 to 7 p.m., join the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren group at Broken Ground School to discuss the joys and challenges of raising grandchildren and explore a variety of topics that help support this important parenting journey. A light family meal and child care will be provided. This program is for Concord families only.
Register with Ruth Christino at 225-0855 or rchristino@sau8.org.
Ruth Christino
Wrongfully Convicted program
A mere 19 years old at the time of his original arrest, Sean Ellis steadfastly maintained his innocence for the 1993 murder of a Boston police detective through three separate criminal trials, 21 years of incarceration and three years awaiting what would have been his fourth trial before finally being exonerated. Meet Sean Ellis and experts in the criminal justice field as we kick off Concord Reads 2019 with a panel discussion on Wrongful Conviction. In addition to Ellis, hear from Cynthia Mousseau, New Hampshire Staff Attorney for the New England Innocence Project; Gilles Bissonnette, Legal Director for the ACLU-NH; and Don Topham, Assistant Hillsborough County Attorney. Moderated by Jason Moon of New Hampshire Public Radio and host of the Bear Brook podcast. The event is Wednesday at 7 p.m. at NHTI (31 College Drive) in Grappone Hall Room 301. Parking is available at NHTI and the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center.
Nicole Schulze
Lunch with NH’s commissioners
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce invites members and the public to Lunch with New Hampshire’s Commissioners on Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 172 N. Main St.
Multiple New Hampshire State Commissioners will join the Chamber for an important panel discussion covering important topics that are impacting the state like the opioid crisis and what state leaders are doing about it from a corrections and mental health standpoint; the cost of legislative initiatives to protect public water sources; plans to redevelop Interstate 93 through Concord and Bow; and ongoing efforts to address workforce development, particularly as it impacts Concord’s small business and manufacturing community.
“Important decisions are being made, and we’re fortunate in New Hampshire to have access to this level of leadership who will meet and discuss the issues firsthand,” said Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce President Tim Sink. “The event includes a Q&A for attendees to ask questions.”
Invited panelists include Department of Business and Economic Affairs Commissioner Taylor Caswell, Department of Corrections Commissioner Helen Hanks, Department of Employment Security Commissioner George Copadis, Department of Environmental Services Commissioner Robert Scott, Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers and Department of Transportation Commissioner Victoria Sheehan.
The luncheon is generously sponsored by Unitil and costs $25 for Chamber members and $35 for nonmembers to attend (includes a full lunch). Online registration at ConcordNHChamber.com or call 224-2508.
Kristina Carlson
Poetry Out Loud Championship
Politics will take a back seat at the New Hampshire State House during the 2019 N.H. Poetry Out Loud Championship on Friday, when accomplished high school students from across the state convene in Representatives Hall and compete to represent New Hampshire at the national finals in Washington, D.C.
Students reciting at the New Hampshire state championship have won their high school group competitions and performed at the top levels of the four regional semifinals. At the championship, they will each present poems from an anthology curated by the Poetry Foundation. Competitors must recite at least one poem written before the 20th century and one that is 25 lines or fewer.
New Hampshire poet Kristen Ringman will perform several of her original works at the event. Ringman is deaf; American Sign Language interpreters will translate her work and all performances throughout the evening.
The 2019 N.H. Poetry Out Loud Championship begins promptly at 5 p.m. It is open to the public and there is no charge to attend.
Organized nationally by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation and led in New Hampshire by the N.H. State Council on the Arts, Poetry Out Loud has become a high-profile annual event at high schools across New Hampshire, with up to 10,000 students from 45 high schools and high school groups participating each year.
The program’s public speaking and presentation requirements help students become better candidates for success both in the workforce and in higher education. Participants consistently report that learning and reciting poetry is an experience that changes their lives.
To learn more about 2019 New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud, view a map of participating schools and find out how your school can be involved, visit nh.gov/nharts and click on the Poetry Out Loud button. For additional information, contact Julianne Gadoury, N.H. State Council on the Arts, at 271-0791 or julianne.gadoury@dncr.nh.gov.
Shelly Angers
Get tickets for Wild & Scenic film fest
The New Hampshire Rivers Council is bringing one of the largest environmental film festivals to Red River Theatres on March 29. The event begins at 6 p.m. with a reception, door prizes, raffle and more. Tickets are $15 for Rivers Council members or $20 for not-yet-members (ticket price includes a one-time, introductory one-year membership with ticket purchase). Please call 796-2615 if you are unsure of your past status. Tickets are available at nhrivers.org/film-festival.
N.H. Rivers Council
Visit Mary Baker Eddy’s house
The community is invited to visit the Mary Baker Eddy house at 62 N. State St. during March in observance of Women’s History Month.
Mary Baker Eddy’s life (1821-1910) stands as a remarkable story of courage and triumph against tremendous odds. She spent many years struggling with ill health, sorrow and loss. In 1866, a healing through spiritual means alone of an injury deemed fatal transformed her life. She discovered Christian Science, founded a church and worldwide religious movement and, by 1900, was one of the most notable women in America — her views sought by newspapers and magazines, her every move reported in the press.
Eddy lived in the Concord house from 1889 to 1892. It is one of eight of her residences which are now managed by the Longyear Museum.
Admission is free though donations are suggested. From November to May, the house is open with a 48-hour advance notice by calling 225-3444. Additional information can be found at Longyear.org or by calling (617) 278-9000.
Nancy Root
Hospitality training for new Americans
Ascentria Care Alliance, a Worcester, Mass.-based nonprofit that helps vulnerable families move through difficult transition times, has partnered with Duprey Hospitality as part of their Refugee Resettlement Program in Concord to help train new Americans in the hospitality industry.
Ascentria offers an eight-week hospitality course that takes place in the classroom for the first five weeks, then transitions them to internships for the remaining three. The students will be undergoing training at the Courtyard by Marriott and the Grappone Conference Center, both Duprey Hospitality properties, and Five Guys restaurant as part of a collaborative of local employers.
The course is part of Ascentria’s Refugee Resettlement Program and is free through a grant from the Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Education. While in the classroom, the students will learn about topics surrounding workplace expectations, interviewing for jobs and speakers will present on topics such as workers’ rights, sexual harassment and first aid. When they transition to the Courtyard by Marriott and the Grappone Conference Center, they will shadow several employees in different areas of the hotel and learn about hotel careers.
For more information, contact Kate Fleming, Communications and Marketing Director for The Duprey Companies, at kfleming@dupreyhotels.com or 333-2131.
The Duprey Companies
