REMINDER
Pittsfield School District To Hold Informational Sessions On Biomass
Central Heating System
The Pittsfield School Board is exploring the advantages and
disadvantages of developing a biomass central heating system – wood
pellets – for both schools in the district. Pittsfield citizens are
invited to one of the upcoming informational meetings to be held on:
· 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3, in the PMHS Lecture Hall
· 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 6, in the PMHS Lecture Hall
Please plan to join us for more information, as well as your
comments and questions, for one of the two informational meetings in
this week.
Pittsfield Fire Department Service News
October 2014
During the month of October, 45 of calls for emergency service were
received. Fire and EMS personnel responded to: 34 Medical
emergencies, 1 Building Fire, 2 Motor Vehicle collisions, 4 Fire
Alarm activations, 4 Service calls. 5 of the calls were overlapping
calls. 5
Mutual aid responses were provided to other communities and 9 were
received from other communities.
Trainings for the month of October were: SCBA training hosted by
Barnstead Fire-Rescue and Members attended an EBOLA seminar hosted
by Concord Hospital.
On October 22 the Department hosted a Fire Prevention open house.
Thank you to all who attended and to Barnstead Fire-Rescue for
delivering and staffing the smoke trailer.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the Fire
Department or to learn more about the Department please stop by the
station, call 435-6807 or visit us at
fire.pittsfield-nh.com .
SAFETY REMINDER: NEVER, leave food unattended while it’s cooking!
Craft Fair This Saturday
Quilt and broom: This beautiful handcrafted quilt and handmade
Shaker broom are just two of the many items on the Dorcas Guild’s
Silent Auction table. The Craft Fair takes place this Saturday at
the Congregational Church, 9-2. Bidding closes at 2 p.m.
Quilt and rack: Among many other special items, there are
handcrafted quilts, table toppers, a quilt rack, framed items and a
large woven basket in this year’s Silent Auction at the Craft Fair
sponsored by the Dorcas Guild of the First Congregational Church.
The fair takes place this Saturday from 9-2 with bidding closing at
2 p.m.
The Dorcas Guild’s annual Christmas Craft Fair at the First
Congregational Church, 24 Main Street, Pittsfield, is happening this
coming Saturday, December 6, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. It will feature many
local artisans with fine seasonal crafts of all types including
knits, decorative and quilted items, fresh greenery, gourmet
selections, Dorcas Guild crafts and much more. The Pittsfield
Historical Society also has a table at the fair.
And make your final bids on those special items on the Silent
Auction table. The auction ends at 2 p.m. on December 6. Luncheon is
available and offered by the Dorcas Guild. There is parking and a
wheelchair accessible entrance at rear of church; the courtyard
entrance at the front of the church will also be open. For more
info, call the church office at 435-7471.
Christmas Concert Scheduled
The First Congregational Church, 24 Main St., Pittsfield, is pleased
to present a Christmas concert Friday, December 12, 7 p.m. This
special concert entitled, “The Light Shines On,” will feature the
church’s Chancel Choir, the JuBellation Handbell Choir along with
The Inextinguishable Brass Quintet from UNH.
Be sure to include this free delightful concert for all ages in your
holiday plans. Parking and wheelchair accessible entry located at
rear of church. For more information, call the church office at
435-7471.
Pittsfield Players Auditions Announced For
Guys And Dolls, Jr.
The Pittsfield Players’ Kids’ Theater Workshop will present Guys and
Dolls, Jr. in February, and director Maye Hart will be holding
auditions on Sunday and Monday, December 14 and 15, at 4 pm both
days, at The Scenic Theatre, 6 Depot St., Pittsfield, NH. The
Workshop is open to kids between the ages of 8 and 18. Auditioners
will be taught a song and asked to sing in a group, or solo, and
we’ll be teaching some simple dance steps and reading from the
script. There are many parts for boys and girls, and Maye is also
looking for kids who are interested in running the lights, the
sound, and working backstage.
Maye will be rehearsing the show after school two
days a week and on Saturday afternoons. The show will run the week
before February vacation, February 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21. If you
have any questions, contact Maye at
[email protected].
Dickens Carolers Warm Up Audience For Christmas
The Dickens Carolers include
wonderful voices from Piccolo Opera Company dressed in old fashioned
costumes.
The Pittsfield Players’ will be presenting their annual free
Christmas concert at the Scenic Theatre on Friday, December 5 at
7:30 pm. It’s a great way to kick off the Christmas season in
Pittsfield. This concert is presented free to the public thanks to a
donation to the Players from The Sanderson Fund. Bring a canned good
or other non-perishable food and it will be donated to local food
banks.
This year, Piccolo Opera will be presenting The Dickens Carolers,
who will bring “A Victorian Christmas” to life on stage. This
festive production will include holiday carolers in authentic and
beautiful costumes, engaging holiday readings and of course, singing
the glorious Christmas carols of ages past. “A Victorian Christmas”
production will have something for everyone., including a
sing-along. Come and enjoy a Victorian Christmas postcard come to
life! Tickets will be available at Jitters on Main Street, and, if
there are any left, at the door on the night of the performance.
Doors will open at 6:30 pm, so come early to get a good seat and to
participate in our raffles and enjoy some hot chocolate and other
Christmas goodies.
Catherine Martinez, who played the role of Nellie Forbush in the
Players’ recent production of South Pacific, will be appearing with
the company on stage, along with her mother, father, and brother,
Christopher. Don’t miss this great Christmas tradition of carols at
The Scenic Theater!
Pittsfield Middle High School
The
PMHS Drama Club is hard at work rehearsing for their annual
performance of Ed Monk’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol. The cast
of new and veteran performers are excited to bring this classic
tale of reformation to life once again for all to enjoy. In two
magical performances, the high school lecture hall is transformed
into a cozy and warm theater where the original characters of
Charles Dickens’ imagination are brought to life by talented actors
and actresses that range in age from 8 to 18. The cast includes
Quinn Boyce as Ebenezer Scrooge, Jack Tobin as Bob Cratchit and our
youngest actor, Thomas Dunagin, as the unforgettable Tiny Tim.
Returning in their ghostly roles are Christopher Marcotte as Marley,
Shelby Averill as The Ghost of Christmas Past, and Raquel Sheridan
as The Ghost of Christmas Present. The story will unfold with the
guidance of the narrator, Brynne Gaudette, as she introduces you to
a full supporting cast of characters who will warm your heart and
remind us all of the magic and spirit of Christmas.
Performances are on Friday December 12th at 7pm and Sunday December
14th at 1pm.
Seating is limited and both shows sold out early last year, so call
Anne Banks or Josh Shawver at 435-6701 to reserve your tickets.
Ticket prices before December 5th are $8/adults and $5/students.
Tickets prices after December 5th ,if available, are $10/adults and
$8/students.
Departments In KY And TX Receive New Turnouts Through Globe
Gear Giveaway Program
Globe, DuPont Protection Technologies (DuPont), and the National
Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have announced the fifth round of
winners in the 2014 Globe Gear Giveaway Program. Hargett Fire Rescue
in Kentucky and Medina Volunteer Fire Department in Texas will each
receive four sets of new Globe turnout gear.
The Globe Gear Giveaway is a partnership between Globe, DuPont, and
the NVFC to help struggling departments obtain the gear they need to
protect their firefighters. So far 11 departments have been awarded
gear in 2014, with two more winners to be announced in December.
Departments are selected through a competitive application process
managed by the NVFC. In addition to the gear, Globe also provided
200 volunteer departments with membership to the NVFC and offer all
NVFC members a discount on the new CLASSIX® SE turnout gear.
“We are very pleased to partner with Globe and DuPont to help
volunteer departments obtain gear and resources they need to protect
their firefighters,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “This
is the third year of the Globe Gear Giveaway, and almost 250 sets of
gear have been awarded to departments across the U.S. and Canada.
This program is having an immense impact on the safety and readiness
of our nation’s volunteer firefighters.”
Located in rural Eastern Kentucky, Hargett Fire Rescue serves an
area of 57 square miles and responds to about 120 calls per year.
With a 25% structure fire ratio, the 18 volunteer firefighters rely
on their gear to protect them. However, finding the funding to
replace aging gear has been a challenge. The community is
financially strapped and does not provide the tax base to adequately
fund the department, nor enough donations to meet the needs of the
department.
The volunteers of Hargett Fire Rescue continue to serve their
community with what they have available, but safety is a big
concern. The four sets of new Globe turnout gear will be a
tremendous help to the department as they work to make sure all of
their firefighters have the proper protection to do their job.
“We appreciate the efforts of the NVFC, Globe, and DuPont to assist
struggling departments with this generous program,” said Robert
Forehand, Chief of Hargett Fire Rescue, which also received an NVFC
membership from Globe. “We look forward to enjoying the benefits of
NVFC membership and appreciate the corporate responsibility of these
organizations to reach out to struggling departments and communities
such as ours.”The Medina (TX) Volunteer Fire Department has 15
active volunteer firefighters and 20 support members. Volunteers
respond to about 100 calls per year ranging from structural fires to
high angle and swift water rescues. The department is funded
entirely from donations, without any assistance from the county
government. Often the volunteer firefighters need to leave their
paid jobs to respond to a neighbor’s emergency.
“It’s not uncommon for these dedicated souls to forgo their normal
means of income to respond to an incident, but they answer the call
with great pride and a genuine sense of urgency,” said Ilona Culp,
President of the Medina VFD. “We’re constantly evaluating ways to
defray the costs these men and women absorb because they are often
the community’s first and only line of defense and make the
difference between good and bad outcomes.”
All of the gear the Medina volunteers wear are over 10 years old and
don’t meet current safety standards. “Morally, we cannot send poorly
equipped firefighters to the scene unless they have the gear they
need to mitigate an already unsafe situation,” said Culp. “Turnout
gear is the primary tool that enables a firefighter to withstand an
unforgiving environment.”
With the new sets of Globe gear, the department will be able to
equip almost a third of their active firefighters with state-of-the
art turnouts. “The financial challenges we face are mitigated by the
generosity of companies like Globe and DuPont and extends the
resources we have to accomplish our mission,” Culp said.
The final gear awards of 2014 will be made in December. Stay tuned
to the NVFC’s Dispatch newsletter, web site, and page on Facebook
for the announcement.
Obituaries
William H. Stiles
William H Stiles, 83, a former science writer at Harvard University
and later a carpenter in Pittsfield died at home on Shaw Road,
November 24th following a sudden illness.
Born in Marlborough, MA, the son of William H and Grace (Morse)
Stiles, he graduated from Marlborough High School in 1949.He was
summa cum laude graduate of Northeastern University in 1954. He
served in the US Army Medical Corp in the 37th Ambulance Train Co.
in Germany. He entered graduate school at Harvard and received his
Masters in 1958. He spent 11 years as a science writer writing news
releases and articles on science research results.
He and his partner, Robert Lemur, bought an old farm in Pittsfield
in 1965. He took a year when they moved here in 1969 and studied
carpentry. The farm became a gathering place for friends,
adolescents and students to socialize and enjoy a wide range of
games. He maintained the gardens and the grounds around the farm.
He is survived by a niece, Joan Sullivan, 2 nephews, Michael
Sullivan and James Sullivan, all in California.
A Memorial Visitation will be held Saturday, December 6th at the
Perkins and Pollard Memorial Home, 60 Main St. Pittsfield from 2-4
PM. His cremated remains will be scattered at a later date on Lily
Pond, a few hundred yards from his home.
Donations in his memory may be made to Pittsfield Middle High School
23 Oneida St. Pittsfield, NH 03263.
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