North Country Health Improvement Summit targets obesity prevention strategies
NORTH COUNTRY -- Obesity prevention and creating workable strategies that can help individuals improve their health —at home, at school and in the workplace — are the focus of the 2nd Annual North Country Health Improvement Summit, to be held on Tuesday, June 18, at the Highland Center in Crawford Notch. Organized by North Country Health Consortium, the summit brings together community leaders, healthcare professionals, government officials, businesses, educators, policy makers and private citizens in a daylong conversation about improving the health of people living and working in Coos and northern Grafton counties.
Following last year’s summit, three working groups representing three geographical regions — western Coos, Berlin/Gorham, and northern Grafton County — have met on a regular basis to address the health factors most affecting their communities and residents. All three groups identified obesity prevention as critical to sustained good health, and have worked collaboratively to create a North Country Wellness and Community Resource Guide as the best first step. The summit will continue that work by identifying changes that individuals can make, both in diet and physical activity, that are doable and that have been shown to systematically improve a person’s health.
“Setting goals and making small changes can effectively lead to better health. This year’s summit sets out the strategies that communities and individuals can utilize to make those important changes,” said Nancy Frank, Executive Director of NCHC.
The summit agenda includes a screening of the film “Weight of the Nation: Challenges”; a panel discussion of programs that have worked well during the past year around the region; and an afternoon work session based on the film’s discussion trigger questions, which focus on four areas: worksite wellness, creating a healthy school environment, healthy eating and drinking, and physical activity.
The conference includes a healthy lunch, along with the opportunity to take a yoga class or participate in three different options for walks/hikes for varying abilities in Crawford Notch.
Registration is $30 per person. Deadline to register is June 11. Learn more and register at www.nchcnh.org or contact Kate McCosham, NCHC/NNHAHEC Program Specialist at (603) 259-3700, ext. 231 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
Following last year’s summit, three working groups representing three geographical regions — western Coos, Berlin/Gorham, and northern Grafton County — have met on a regular basis to address the health factors most affecting their communities and residents. All three groups identified obesity prevention as critical to sustained good health, and have worked collaboratively to create a North Country Wellness and Community Resource Guide as the best first step. The summit will continue that work by identifying changes that individuals can make, both in diet and physical activity, that are doable and that have been shown to systematically improve a person’s health.
“Setting goals and making small changes can effectively lead to better health. This year’s summit sets out the strategies that communities and individuals can utilize to make those important changes,” said Nancy Frank, Executive Director of NCHC.
The summit agenda includes a screening of the film “Weight of the Nation: Challenges”; a panel discussion of programs that have worked well during the past year around the region; and an afternoon work session based on the film’s discussion trigger questions, which focus on four areas: worksite wellness, creating a healthy school environment, healthy eating and drinking, and physical activity.
The conference includes a healthy lunch, along with the opportunity to take a yoga class or participate in three different options for walks/hikes for varying abilities in Crawford Notch.
Registration is $30 per person. Deadline to register is June 11. Learn more and register at www.nchcnh.org or contact Kate McCosham, NCHC/NNHAHEC Program Specialist at (603) 259-3700, ext. 231 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 May 2013 18:38
Hits: 9
CBA to host biike-a-thon/yard sale/Silent Auction this Sat.
Community Bible Academy of Berlin invites the community to the Amy Howry Memorial Bike-A-Thon Fundraising event this Saturday, May 18.
The day includes a huge multi-family yard sale, sponsored students riding their bikes, a bake sale, a silent auction, and opportunity to buy some lunch. Everything gets underway at 9 a.m. and will continue until 2 p.m. Local businesses have generously donated some great items for the auction. Here is a list of the businesses and items donated to date: Greetings Jewelers – Men's Bulova Watch, Gorham Hardware – Berlin Hockey Cap, Sears – Flexhead 7 Piece Ratcheting Wrench Set, Kelley's Auto Parts – Black & Decker 45 Piece Screwdriver Set, Jay’s Quick Lube - $25 Gift Certificate, Gill’s Flowers - $50 Gift Certificate, Maureen’s – Cappelli Handbag and Scarf, Evolve Salon – Certificate for Cut & Style, Color Wellness Kit, Toni's Pizza - 2 T-Shirts, Savoir Flare - $10 Gift Certificate, Pictorial History of Berlin, Sanel Auto Parts - 9 Piece Precision Screwdriver Set, Labonville - Fleece Vest, The Inner Glimpse - Carry Bag, Crooker Cycle Sports - 2 Airius Bicycle Helmets, Scroggins - Webkinz, Motorcycle Snowmobile Service - Harley Davidson Caps. Make plans now to stop by and place your bids on any auction items before 12 Noon. There will be other items added to this list by Saturday. Winners will be notified at the completion of the day’s events. All proceeds will go directly to the operating budget of Community Bible Academy.
Community Bible Academy is a NH licensed private school, providing the area with another choice in education. CBA offers a low teacher-to-student ratio in a Christian environment that promotes learning. There will be information available at the event to answer questions anyone might have about the school.
CBA is located at 595 Sullivan Street in Berlin. Call 752-4315 with any questions.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 May 2013 15:25
Hits: 8
Global Journey summer camp now accepting registrations
BERLIN -- A Global Journey, children’s summer camp previously sponsored by the TCCAP is now our own staff-led business. We are in the process of filing for non-profit status, but due to our time constraint, this summer we will be under an LLC. We are in our fourth season and are now accepting registrations. Fliers and registration forms will be delivered to all local schools for distribution, so parents - keep an eye out. Camp starts Monday, June 24, and ends Friday, August 23, and will run Monday-Friday throughout the summer (excluding Thursday, July 4).
Camp will be held at the Community Bible Church (downstairs in their school room) in Berlin every Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (extended hours available for a nominal fee). Cost is only $20 a day or $80 for the week per child with a discount available for multiple family members in the same home attending.
This year, we’ll be journeying though history. Each week, we’ll be exploring a different country with every day of the week focusing on a different significant date in the history of that country. We’ll be learning through hands-on lessons, crafts, games, and activities with a major emphasis on creating. Another piece we’ll be adding this year is the cultivation of community involvement and the idea that they can and should make a positive impact around them.
A Global Journey takes children ages 5-12 to various continents on our globe, studying cultures with fun-filled and hands-on activities (both individually and in groups). In summers past, children celebrated Independence Day in the United States; then it was off to France, Ireland, Spain, Ecuador, and China We worked together creating Eiffel Towers, building Titanic ships and floating them in the stream, making an Egyptian Sphinx, and painting Pablo Picasso art. Alongside the hours spent in building and painting these creations, important cultural facts and trivia were taught. On Fridays, we created team display boards reinforcing all we’ve learned from the week, as well as made entries in our own Global Journey Journals. This summer promises to be another great journey.
Snack, lunch, and beverages are provided daily. Fridays include a kitchen activity in which children prepare and cook their own lunch consisting of cultural foods found in the country they are studying that week. This seems to be a real treat for most of the children; they are so proud of their accomplishment and ultimately get to enjoy eating their meal together.
Camp will be held at the Community Bible Church (downstairs in their school room) in Berlin every Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (extended hours available for a nominal fee). Cost is only $20 a day or $80 for the week per child with a discount available for multiple family members in the same home attending.
All registrations and daily/weekly fees must be mailed in or brought to the Global Journey Office prior to child being dropped off at camp. Subsequent weeks’ fees can be brought in to the CBC during camp hours but must be in before said week of camp. All checks can be made out to Global Journey Camp, LLC.
Camp will be held at the Community Bible Church (downstairs in their school room) in Berlin every Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (extended hours available for a nominal fee). Cost is only $20 a day or $80 for the week per child with a discount available for multiple family members in the same home attending.
This year, we’ll be journeying though history. Each week, we’ll be exploring a different country with every day of the week focusing on a different significant date in the history of that country. We’ll be learning through hands-on lessons, crafts, games, and activities with a major emphasis on creating. Another piece we’ll be adding this year is the cultivation of community involvement and the idea that they can and should make a positive impact around them.
A Global Journey takes children ages 5-12 to various continents on our globe, studying cultures with fun-filled and hands-on activities (both individually and in groups). In summers past, children celebrated Independence Day in the United States; then it was off to France, Ireland, Spain, Ecuador, and China We worked together creating Eiffel Towers, building Titanic ships and floating them in the stream, making an Egyptian Sphinx, and painting Pablo Picasso art. Alongside the hours spent in building and painting these creations, important cultural facts and trivia were taught. On Fridays, we created team display boards reinforcing all we’ve learned from the week, as well as made entries in our own Global Journey Journals. This summer promises to be another great journey.
Snack, lunch, and beverages are provided daily. Fridays include a kitchen activity in which children prepare and cook their own lunch consisting of cultural foods found in the country they are studying that week. This seems to be a real treat for most of the children; they are so proud of their accomplishment and ultimately get to enjoy eating their meal together.
Camp will be held at the Community Bible Church (downstairs in their school room) in Berlin every Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (extended hours available for a nominal fee). Cost is only $20 a day or $80 for the week per child with a discount available for multiple family members in the same home attending.
All registrations and daily/weekly fees must be mailed in or brought to the Global Journey Office prior to child being dropped off at camp. Subsequent weeks’ fees can be brought in to the CBC during camp hours but must be in before said week of camp. All checks can be made out to Global Journey Camp, LLC.
For more information, contact 603-915-6487.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 May 2013 19:26
Hits: 10
Mello Yellow Retro Band returns to St. Kieran Arts Center
BERLIN -- Mellow Yellow pays tribute to the '60s and '70s with truly authentic renditions of some of the period’s greatest songs. While other tribute bands just play the music, Mellow Yellow goes the extra mile to capture all the hey-man-peace-and-love-grooviness of the songs that helped define a decade.
With fanatic attention to detail, the members of Mellow Yellow do all they can to get inside the songs they perform. This attention to the essence of the music – as well as dazzling arrangements, outrageous costumes and groovy video visuals – results in not just a show, but a full-on, far-out experience of an era gone by. So c'mon down for a trip back in time! Those days may be over, but thanks to Mellow Yellow, the music -- and the spirit -- live on. The show begins at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 19, at the St. Kieran Arts Center, 155 Emery St., Berlin.
The cast of characters and musicians and taking you on a trip back in time are: Brad Daddy O (David Cooper): Vocals, Mellowyellowtron; Dusty Love (Linda Bassick): Vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, flute, trombone; Kenny Diggit (Ken French): Guitars, keyboards, vocals; Flip Funk (Brad Sourdiffe): Bass; and Franco Sunshine (Frank Zammiello): 1965 Slingerland Red Sparkle drums.
David Cooper grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and is a graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston and co-wrote and co-produced their numerous CD's, whose songs have been featured on CSI:NY, Veronica Mars, Joan of Arcadia, and many other television shows., VT in 2007, he went about putting together Mellow Yellow with the goal of creating the ultimate '60s tribute band. Linda Bassick has never met an instrument she didn’t like. In addition to her fiery vocals, Linda provides the guitar parts that round out the Mellow Yellow sound, and serves as the band’s one-woman horn section. In addition to performing and writing songs with a number of bands, Ken French is an accomplished recording engineer and video producer. Along with David, he is responsible for accurately recreating the many unusual vintage sixties sounds heard during a Mellow Yellow show. Sean Preece’s number one obsession is The Beatles and he can play almost every Beatles song on either drums or guitar. Brad Sourdiffe, as band historian, is a wealth of information and has read more album covers and remembers more obscure facts about sixties music than anyone.
"St. Kieran Arts Center is delighted to bring the fun Mellow Yellow Concert experience to the North Country! Remember to wear your beads and flower-power and bring your friends," said Joan Chamberlain, executive director.
This program is sponsored by Bryant Funeral Homes and Cooper, Cargill, Chant with the support of the NH State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation/North Country Region.
Upcoming performances include: Les Hay Babies Trio direct from Canada on Monday, June 24 at 7 pm; Jonathan Biggers, Organist, July 2, at 7 p.m. in a benefit concert for RESPONSE; International Musical Arts Chamber Concert, July 16, and the World Acadian Congress International Tour, July 18.
For more information and a complete listing of all 2013 events, contact the Arts Center at 752-1028, or visit our website: www.stkieranarts.org or the St. Kieran Community Center for the Arts Facebook Page.
With fanatic attention to detail, the members of Mellow Yellow do all they can to get inside the songs they perform. This attention to the essence of the music – as well as dazzling arrangements, outrageous costumes and groovy video visuals – results in not just a show, but a full-on, far-out experience of an era gone by. So c'mon down for a trip back in time! Those days may be over, but thanks to Mellow Yellow, the music -- and the spirit -- live on. The show begins at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 19, at the St. Kieran Arts Center, 155 Emery St., Berlin.
The cast of characters and musicians and taking you on a trip back in time are: Brad Daddy O (David Cooper): Vocals, Mellowyellowtron; Dusty Love (Linda Bassick): Vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, flute, trombone; Kenny Diggit (Ken French): Guitars, keyboards, vocals; Flip Funk (Brad Sourdiffe): Bass; and Franco Sunshine (Frank Zammiello): 1965 Slingerland Red Sparkle drums.
David Cooper grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and is a graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston and co-wrote and co-produced their numerous CD's, whose songs have been featured on CSI:NY, Veronica Mars, Joan of Arcadia, and many other television shows., VT in 2007, he went about putting together Mellow Yellow with the goal of creating the ultimate '60s tribute band. Linda Bassick has never met an instrument she didn’t like. In addition to her fiery vocals, Linda provides the guitar parts that round out the Mellow Yellow sound, and serves as the band’s one-woman horn section. In addition to performing and writing songs with a number of bands, Ken French is an accomplished recording engineer and video producer. Along with David, he is responsible for accurately recreating the many unusual vintage sixties sounds heard during a Mellow Yellow show. Sean Preece’s number one obsession is The Beatles and he can play almost every Beatles song on either drums or guitar. Brad Sourdiffe, as band historian, is a wealth of information and has read more album covers and remembers more obscure facts about sixties music than anyone.
"St. Kieran Arts Center is delighted to bring the fun Mellow Yellow Concert experience to the North Country! Remember to wear your beads and flower-power and bring your friends," said Joan Chamberlain, executive director.
This program is sponsored by Bryant Funeral Homes and Cooper, Cargill, Chant with the support of the NH State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation/North Country Region.
Upcoming performances include: Les Hay Babies Trio direct from Canada on Monday, June 24 at 7 pm; Jonathan Biggers, Organist, July 2, at 7 p.m. in a benefit concert for RESPONSE; International Musical Arts Chamber Concert, July 16, and the World Acadian Congress International Tour, July 18.
For more information and a complete listing of all 2013 events, contact the Arts Center at 752-1028, or visit our website: www.stkieranarts.org or the St. Kieran Community Center for the Arts Facebook Page.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 May 2013 19:20
Hits: 12
Former Errol resident presented Meritorious Service Jewel
ERROL -- During the 2013 Grand Lodge Session it was voted to present Brother Bob Douglass with the Meritorious Service Jewel. This Jewel is awarded for outstanding service, by a member that is above and beyond the call of duty within and outside of the Independent Order Of Odd Fellows.
The Lodge was challenged with how to deliver this jewel in a timely manner as Mona Douglass (former moderator for the town of Errol) has been in the hospital for an extended period of time in Florida. Brother Bob has been traveling from their winter home in Zolfo Springs approximately 65 miles each way to visit Mona on a daily basis in Sarasota Fla., for a few hours to avoid heavy traffic.
Mona Skidgell, Past President of the Rebekah Assembly of NH, was present and as Acting Marshal at the Grand Lodge Session in Shelburne, NH. had offered to do the presentation on behalf of the Grand Lodge in Sarasota at the Complex Care Hospital where Mona is currently a patient when she returned to Florida. Under the guise of wanting to visit Mona and Bob in the Hospital and needing to know when Bob is at the hospital, Sister Mona Skidgell told them she needed to plan the trip (just over 300 miles from St. Cloud to Sarasota) and arranged the date to visit.
To the shock and surprise of both Bob and Mona, Bob was presented the Meritorious Service Jewel that had in fact belonged to Forest McKerley, on May 9, 2013.
The Grand Lodge of NH, commends Bob on this accomplishment as it is certainly well deserved and was proud that this presentation could be done in the hospital for Mona to enjoy as well.
Last Updated on Monday, 13 May 2013 18:50
Hits: 13
