THE NORTHWOOD CRANKPULLERS SNOWMOBILE CLUB will be hosting a Snowmobile Safety Course on December 13th, 2014 (8am- 2pm) at the Northwood Community Center, 135 Main Street in Northwood.  For registration and to reserve your child’s spot (ages 12-15) please contact the club President Jeremy DeTrude @ 833-7063 as soon as possible as space is limited. There is no charge for this course, lunch will be provided and no riding gear is necessary; however please dress for the weather as we will be venturing outside.  Parents are encouraged to attend also. 

Northwood Santa’s Helpers

The Northwood Fire Rescue Association is accepting applications for the 2014 Northwood Santa’s Helpers. 

To participate in this program, you and your children must be residents of Northwood.  We assist families with children ages birth through 18 years old with Christmas gifts donated by local citizens and businesses.  Applications to be completed by parents or legal guardian are available at the Northwood Town Hall from either the front counter, human services director or the food pantry, the community bulletin board at the Northwood Post Office or at the Ridge Fire station.  Please complete and return as soon as possible to help our elves to prepare the gifts. 

Starting the first week of December, please look for our specially marked boxes at local merchants for your donation of a new unwrapped toy that will be matched to a child’s wish.   If you wish to make a donation please send to Northwood Santa’s Helpers, PO Box 353, Northwood, NH 03261.  Cash donations will be used to purchase winter clothing, boots, hats and mittens.  Gifts for the teenage group are appreciated, you are never too old for Christmas.

Thank you in advance for your support of this community program.

Northwood School 1st Quarter Honor Roll

5th Gr. High Honors

Megan Brieger, Skye Loto, Eva Roy, Parker Tatem, Anne Thoms

5th Gr. Honors

Kylie Bocash, Lucas Boulanger, Nicole Gaedtke, Seth Ireland, Makena Lee, Denzel Martinez, Kailynn Nicoll, Natalie Sinnamon, Myranda St. Onge

6th Gr. High Honors

Jennifer Bettencourt, Adrianna Bingham, Amelia Brackett, Addison Cox, Gabrielle Critchett, Porter Heigis, Brenna Roy

6th Gr. Honors

Jillian Bearden, Kaden Beliveau, Joshua Bowers, Liam Jozokos, Piper Leduke, Shelby Lefoley, William Moehlmann, Benjamin Peverly, Emma Pinard, Raina Skora, Darin Sweet, Luke Tkaczyk, Ty Votour

7th Gr. High Honors

Hunter Adams, Katherine Blake, Benjamin Brieger, Ryan Nester

7th Gr. Honors

Jaden Boulanger, Brianna Burke, Stone Compton, Matthew Davis, Makayla DeButts, Tyler Grogan, Ryan Hughes, Scott Ireland, Victoria Johnston, Sophie Laird, Evan Lentz, Dakota McPhee, Brynna Meeker, Ethan Meeker, Patrick Murray, Kendall Nester, Kelsey Pease, Rylee Rogers, Jacob Shutt, Mark Sommer, Elizabeth St. Laurent, Morgan Tatem, Elijah Tomlinson-Burrell, Samantha Troy, Samantha Welch, Isaac Wells

8th Grade High Honors

Alivia DiPrizio, Emma Tobbe, Megan Wimsat

8th Gr. Honors

Elijah Allen, Braelin Ash, Kylee Blad, Clayton Canfield, Dylan DeTrude, Taylor Edgecomb, Olivia Farrar, Alyssa Hill, Cooper Leduke, Lillian Marie, Lucas McCusker, Caleb Mihelich, Jonathan Moehlmann, Jacob Nesmith, Carly Ramsey, Jacob Rich, Zachery Sheehan, Noah Sinnamon

HLWC News

A big thanks to all the voters who bought snacks and baked goods at the November 4 election.  It added greatly to the HLWC scholarship funds.

The October 24 breast cancer workshop produced 59 comfort pillows to be delivered to Concord Hospital.  Thanks to the Northwood and Deerfield women  who sewed, stuffed, filled pillow cases and packaged for delivery.

The November 11 monthly meeting featured Rita Davis and her braided rugs, tote bags, and “boxes.”  Most of the women had no idea of the many different designs which could be created.

Mike Smith has volunteered to have a new HLWC sign made and hung at the Northwood Congregational Church where the club has met for a century.  The old sign will be stored at the Northwood Historical Society.

The club’s December 9 meeting will feature the traditional Christmas tea followed by a sharing of members’ favorite family Christmas recipes and then joining in a Christmas Carol Sing.  Don’t forget to bring your festive tea cup and plate, your contribution to the buffet; and as our tradition, hats, mittens, scarves and maybe warm socks for St. Charles Children’s  Home of Rochester. Joan Prue, former president of HLWC, will install the new officers for 2015-16.

HLWC is a service organization and a member of General Federation of Women’s Clubs-NH.  Its object is to promote sociability and culture and to make itself a  power for good in the community.  All women in the area are invited to join us.

Holiday Shopping-The Local Way

Before you head out to the big box retailers this holiday season, consider doing some or all of your shopping locally. If the thought of fighting traffic, crowds of people and waiting in long lines has you saying “bah, humbug” then it’s time to shop local.  The money you save on gas and, the time left for baking Christmas cookies will get you right in the holiday spirit and humming Jingle Bells.

The choices are endless and you will be supporting your neighborhood businesses. Gift certificates are always a welcome gift whether for services such as haircuts, pet sitting, lawn care, photography or merchandise available at one of the many unique shops: puzzles, locally produced foods, primitive gifts, local crafts, or antiques. Everything from tools to birdhouses can be found at the hardware store. Membership at the local fitness center will be appreciated for the health enthusiasts, particularly after the holidays are over. Restaurant gift certificates are appreciated by everyone, either for a relaxing night out or to give a break from cooking for a busy family.  If the favorite food choice is seafood, pizza, Thai or a breakfast plate of bacon and eggs, you will find these and many others nearby. With a little creativity and a closer look at your local businesses, your holiday season may be a little merrier this year. 

Your Suncook Sun advertisers are a great place to start looking for ideas. There is a list of local businesses under Files & Documents-Economic Development-at the Northwood website: www.northwoodnh.org   Shop local this year and have a joyous holiday season!

Letter To The Editor

Marxist America?

If you didn’t read into the Epson section of the Sun last week, you missed a very funny letter by Jack Kelleher suggesting that America has evolved into “a socialist State” along the lines of one advocated by Karl Marx.

As proof, he notes that the U.S. government is the largest single landowner.  While true, it makes me wonder to whom we should sell the White Mountains National Park, the Grand Canyon and most of Alaska.

He claims that the Federal Reserve “has complete control over our money and credit.”  This, of course, is not true.  Why, I bought heating oil yesterday without Janet Yellin’s permission.  On the other hand, I’m grateful for the Fed’s “quantitative easing” program that has helped our economy recover when other efforts at stimulating growth were blocked by the GOP.

And despite his assertion that “our economy has stagnated,” the slow but steady growth of the GDP proves him incorrect.  What has stagnated are the wages of the middle class, and more needs to be done on that score.

He is correct in saying that we have a “graduated income tax” – to which I say “hoorah.”  But many of our other taxes are regressive, falling more heavily on those less well off.

He also states that the U.S. has “a gigantic system of government run “public” schools.”  Again, I say “hoorah.”  A feature of most Third-World nations is the lack of education.  But we began to address that need before the Revolution.  And by the way, we also have lots and lots of private and parochial schools as well.  In fact, I didn’t go to a public school until I did my graduate work at UT-Austin.

So if this is Marxism, bring it on!

Comrade(?) Tom Chase

Northwood

Letter To The Editor

Regarding Tim Jandebeur’s submission in the The Suncook Valley Sun November 19, this was about the building of the stone fence at the Northwood Beach. Let me tell you what really happened. 

In September 2011 Steve Bailey, myself, and my sons, Justin and James, got some rock delivered by Dave Docko and started in. We got about one quarter done before winter hit. 

The next year I was alone, except for my dog, Baxter. Dave brought in more rock/fieldstone from Rolling Ray above Jenness Pond on Rt. 107 and real good flat rock from Mead Field.

The Town Road Crew has helped truck rock and clean up, when we needed it. Anyway, this Spring the was was about half done. In June I received a letter from the Northwood Selectmen asking me if they rounded up some volunteers, maybe we could schedule a couple of weekends, and finish the project up.  Well, I thanked them for the prompting and scheduled the next weekend.

My brother and I started a day early to reset the strings and do some prep work.

That first weekend I quickly learned my brother, Mark, and I had hit the jackpot. Their names are Tim Jandebeur, Joe McCaffrey, and Ron Piwowarczyk.

These three men made the difference. Bringing fieldstone, ledgerock, and split granite for the corners, tools, cutting blades, meals at the Northwood Diner, and labor.

I knew I’d have trouble with Tim Jandebeur, him being use to having his own way and me used to getting my own way. We settled on whatever made the project better. My brother and I got all the help we needed from these three men. We really were struggling before they showed up.

You will never know how much this means to us to have help with our dream.

Dan Schroth Piermarocchi