The Epsom Library will be
showing the film “The Golden Years” on Wednesday, June 7 at 1:30
p.m. Forced by Britain’s pension crisis into a life of crime,
formerly law-abiding retirees Arthur and Martha Goode bumble their
way through a series of bank robberies. When their drinking
buddies want in, they start pulling more daring heists while staying
one step ahead of an old-time detective and his young sidekick.
At 7:00 p.m. that evening, June 7, the Dantes, Enhanced Acoustic
Duo, will present a musical evening of song. Area musicians
Don Duncklee of Epsom and Stan Arthur of Loudon will entertain you
with many of their favorite songs learned over 50 plus years of
playing music together. This promises to be a pleasant evening
of listening and humming along. Please join us.
Congratulations to Niklaus Bair of Epsom who was named to the
Champlain College Trustee’s List for the spring 2017 semester.
Students on the Trustee’s List have achieved a 4.0 grade point
average for two or more consecutive semesters.
Evergreen Lodge #53 and American Legion Post #112 are sponsoring a
Fishing Derby on Saturday, June 3 from 8:30-11:30am. This event is
free to youth ages 16 and under. Bring your favorite fishing pole
and bait. No lead weights! Some loaner poles and bait will be
available. Prizes will be given to the top 3 in each age group.
Refreshments will be available. Location is 251 Center Hill
Road, watch for signs. For more info call Gary Benner 736-4707.
Letter
To my
constituents in Allenstown, Epsom, and Pittsfield,
There’s no
legislative work this week, so I’m reporting on the status of my
bills this year. HB84, excluding hair braiding from cosmetology, has
passed the House and the Senate, and the House has accepted the
minor Senate amendment. HB291, removing veterinarians from those
required to use the prescription drug database, and HB650, adding
privacy protections to procedures of the board of psychiatrists,
have likewise passed and concurred. HB104, repealing the (never
enforced) commuter’s income tax; HB373, cleaning up some rulemaking
issues; and HB386, technical corrections to the education tax
credit, passed the Senate without amendments and, along with the
first group, are on their way to the Governor. HB81, on gold star
mother plates, has already been signed; however, my simple bill to
grant them to stepmothers has morphed into a study committee, since
the issue is more complex than I had anticipated.
HB117,
exempting standby generators from property taxes for the elderly or
disabled, was killed by the Senate as unneccessary, after the House
restricted it to the disabled. That’s allowed under current law;
I’ll have to try again to add the elderly. Maybe I’ll start at 80
years old; the House (average age 57, I saw somewhere) doesn’t
consider 65 elderly! HB209, adopting Atlantic time, was also killed
by the Senate – I’m not quite sure why.
HB298, on licensing for
plumbers and gas fitters, was retained in my committee for further
work, specifically on simpler licensing requirements for plumbers.
HB470, on storm water penalties, was killed in the House because a
number of representatives are opposed to keeping these cases in
district courts, rather than having a trial by jury in superior
court. HB577, privacy protections for number plate scanning devices,
was also killed in the House, because the committee didn’t see the
need for it.
Representative Carol McGuire
[email protected]
782-4918
Epsom Food Pantry
Good
Morning. As I said in my last article, I will devote this
edition to naming all our volunteers at the Food Pantry. They are as
follows: Jr., June, Eva, Alice, Diana, Pat, Liz, Cheryl, Ken,
Terry, Armand, Rita, Bob, and Janet. This list includes our
Board of Directors also.
Please be advised that this totally
wonderful group of folks would prefer that I do not use last names.
So Be It.
We had a busy week what with the Postal delivery, the
cleaning of the Pantry itself, curtains and windows for the summer
next. Remember the gardens my friends. We have two refrigerators
ready to fill.
Until next time,
Priscilla
The Van Horn Dollhouse
Comes To Life
By Christina Van Horn
The creation of this
dollhouse was a family affair.
Over 30 years, Ralph Van Horn of
Pittsfield built more than 250 pieces of 18th-century dollhouse
furniture from 1:12 inch scale kits. He meticulously constructed
each piece. The drawers open and close; the chairs and sofas are
upholstered; and he built a three-sided folding screen using a
museum gift card! He labeled and signed each piece. His wife,
Maureen Van Horn, crafted tiny books, and while traveling, always
kept an eye open for memento miniatures, such as a candlebra or a
bowl.
Ralph amassed quite a furniture collection, but he never
wanted to build a dollhouse. He passed that torch to his oldest
daughter Christina, who lived in California. With then-husband Dana
Milner, they immediately went to work building the shell of this
18th-century home.
Once Dana had completed the four-story shell,
and electrified it, Christina started interior and exterior
finishing. (She splurged -- the price shall remain undisclosed -- on
a handmade German chandelier, which is the only one that doesn’t
work). In a two-year period, she applied wooden siding, shingles,
windows, doors, flooring and moldings, always staying as true as
possible to 18th-century styles. She built the cornices and
wallpapered and painted rooms, decorated fireplaces and put together
the staircase. Christina set the dining room table with china and
flatware and tiny goblets. She had cross-stitched a depiction of the
Warner House in Portsmouth, which she had given this to Ralph many
years before the dollhouse was even considered. He had kept the
cross-stitch and it is now a part of the house.
BeaVan Horn,
Ralph’s mother, had given Christina dollhouse furniture over the
years that wasn’t the right period for the house. These pieces went
into the attic as no colonial house is without its upper “storage”
story. Bea made the red-and-white pillows. The canopy lace in the
master bedroom came from an heirloom nightgown given by Bea to
Christina, who had saved it.
Landscaping was difficult as the
dollhouse supply shop was located in California, not a haven for New
England foliage. The birdhouse, however, was created by Gilbert
Paige, formerly of Pittsfield, and Pittsfield Weaving donated the
rugs.
The dollhouse is now on display on extended loan to the
Epsom Public Library.
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