Dover Farmers Market at the Chamber Visitor Center

DOVER, NH – Beginning on June 8th, the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, located at 550 Central Avenue, will once again host the weekly Seacoast Growers Association Farmers Market every Wednesday from 2:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Dover Farmers Market, now entering its second year at the Visitor Center location, features over a dozen farmers and local area vendors, some vending their wares every week, and others rotating in and out to add variety to the Market. Shoppers can expect to find not only fresh produce, but also plants and cut flowers, eggs and dairy products, meat and poultry, maple syrup, and baked goods, as well as artisans selling hand made pottery, ceramics and other related items.

For those who endeavor to support local businesses, the Farmers Market is an ideal place to shop. The Seacoast Growers Association (SGA) is made up of farmers and vendors from Strafford, Rockingham and York counties, with all products sold at the Market being grown, produced and harvested in this geographic area.

“Once in a while, we’ll have someone come up to us in June and ask ‘Where’s the corn?’” notes Celeste Gingras of 45 Market Street Bakery in Somersworth, who also serves as the President of the SGA’s Dover Market. “Since everything at the Market is 100% locally grown, the offerings are seasonal and the selection varies from week to week. Once they understand that, our patrons love the idea that they’re buying produce that’s not only fresh, but also truly native to our little part of the world.”

For more information on the Dover Farmers Market, please visit the SGA’s website at www. SeacoastGrowers.org.

About the Chamber:

The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit association of businesses, professionals, individuals, and organizations working together to advance the economic well-being of its members and the community. For details on Chamber membership, a schedule of activities, and information on other programs, please call the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce at (603) 742-2218; write to 550 Central Avenue, Dover, NH, 03820; or visit www.dovernh.org.

Summer of Special Events Planned at Children’s Museum of NH

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in Dover is hosting a wide range of special events for families this summer. From a local foods farmer’s market to tender loving care for tattered teddy bears, the museum’s special events are all open to the public and included in the regular price of admission: $8 for adults and children, $7 for seniors age 65+, and free for children under one year old. During the summer, the museum is open to visitors seven days a week.

The Children’s Museum of NH is located in Henry Law Park on the Cochecho River in downtown Dover, making it an ideal day-trip destination. Several free outdoor concerts are held in the park each week, there is a playground and picnic area, and dozens of restaurants and shops are within an easy walk. More information on planning a trip to Dover can be found at www.dovernh.org.

This summer’s special events at the Children’s Museum of NH include:

Four on the Fourth

Monday, July 4

10 am – 5 pm

- Celebrate the Fourth of July with $4 admission all day long. This half-price admission applies to adults as well as children, and visitors are free to leave for lunch and come back in to play later!

Colossal Construction Day

Monday, July 11

10 am - 3 pm

- Can we build it? Yes we can! Join us for a day of design & engineering challenges for all ages. From buildings & bridges to vehicles & your own imaginative creations, the sky is the limit on Colossal Construction Day. Lego your Mind will be providing kids with LEGO building elements, axles, and wheels of all sizes to enable them to free build rolling creations that will be tested down a ramp for speed and distance.

Local Roots Food Fair

Tuesday, July 20

1-4 pm

- Discover the joy of eating local at this seasonal food fair, presented in partnership with Hannaford Supermarkets. The museum will welcome a variety of area farmers and local food purveyors for an afternoon of tasty sampling, hands-on activities for kids, and coupons and information for parents.

Bubble Science Day

Tuesday, July 26

10 am - 3 pm

- Parents and children can roll up their sleeves for some good, clean fun when the Children’s Museum celebrates Bubble Science Day. The museum’s large classroom will be transformed into a bubble laboratory where families can experiment with bubble shapes, colors and sizes, and build 3-D bubble shapes, walls and windows. In the museum’s Project Area, children can make bubble wands to take home, and parents can pick up hand-outs with more ideas for bubble play to continue the learning at home.

Teddy Bear Clinic & Tea Party

Wednesday, August 10

10 am – 12:30 pm

- Children are invited to bring their favorite stuffed friend to the museum’s annual Teddy Bear Clinic from 10 a.m. – noon, followed by a Teddy Tea Party from noon – 12:30 pm. This event is designed to not only be fun, but also help children who may be anxious about visiting the doctor. Volunteer health professionals will be on hand to issue each animal an ID bracelet, perform health check-ups, and conduct minor surgery on furry friends in need of repair. At the noontime tea party, guests will enjoy juice, animal crackers and fruit.

Patterns & Puzzles Day

Thursday, August 18

10 am - 3 pm

- Patterns are everywhere! Join us as we look at the world in a whole new way as we seek out patterns and get creative with exhibit-related pattern activities and take-home projects throughout the museum. Older children & adults will scratch their heads as they work to solve brainteasers and riddles sure to give your brain a work-out!

Build It. Fly It. Day

Tuesday, August 23

10 am - 3 pm

- Young imaginations will soar as children create their own flying machines using a variety of everyday materials in this high-flying challenge. Kids will learn about the principles of aerodynamics and flight as they test their creations in the museum’s two-and-a-half-story Build It. Fly It. exhibit. Whose invention will fly, flip or flop? Visitors can also try their hand at constructing some other simple flyers to test and take home.

The museum will also be staying open extended hours on the nights of Cochecho Arts Festival evening performances in Henry Law Park. On Friday nights between July 8 and August 12, the Children’s Museum of NH will remain open to the public until 7 pm to welcome families arriving early for the concerts.

More information on all of these events can be found at www.childrens-museum.org. The Children’s Museum of NH is open all summer Mon – Sat 10 am – 5 pm and Sun 12-5 pm.

About the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire

The not-for-profit Children’s Museum of New Hampshire is located at 6 Washington Street in Dover and offers two levels of hands-on, custom-created exhibits for children ages 1-12. Children can explore a wide range of subjects, from dinosaurs, music and aeronautics to world cultures, art and natural history. Open year-round, the museum specializes in creating family learning experiences and works closely with schools, social service agencies and educators. The museum also hosts a variety of live performances, workshops, classes and special events for families. For more information, please call the museum at (603) 742-2002 or visit www.childrens-museum.org

Children’s Museum of New Hampshire

6 Washington Street, Dover NH 03820

603-742-2002

www.childrens-museum.org

Dover Main Street News

We've got a lot of exciting news so please take a moment to catch up with all that is happening with Dover Main Street!!

First & Foremost we'd like to thank all of those who made our Dover Pride Clean-Up Day such a success! The weather was perfect, the turnout was great and downtown Dover is looking beautiful. The name of the event says it all, Dover Pride, and this was demonstrated by the over 300 volunteers who picked up trash, swept, weeded, raked, planted and mulched sites throughout the downtown.

Along with thanking our volunteers we would like to thank those businesses that generously supported this event. Centrix Bank was the event's underwriter, without them this event would not be possible. Reverie Design provided graphic design services. We would also like to thank the wonderful folks at Wentworth Greenhouses who donate to the beautification of downtown Dover year round and who assisted in providing plants for the facelift in Henry Law Park. In addition landscape designer Norm Fracassa of Fracassa Designworks generously donated his landscape design expertise to the Henry Law Park facelift.

Thank you to the Dover Kiwanis who kept our volunteers going all morning with their pancake breakfast. Thank you to Kaleo Coffee's mid-morning coffee delivery, as well as Seacoast Coca Cola Bottling Company's donation of soda and water to keep everyone hydrated. After all that hard work our volunteers were very thankful to Kendall Pond Pizza for donating pizza once again!

A big thank you goes to Dover's Community Services Department who assisted before, during and after the event. We greatly appreciate all of their hard work on this event and every day making our city look great. A special thank you to the city councilors and city staff who also participated in Dover Pride Clean Up Day; Mayor Myers, Councilor Carrier, Councilor Cheney, Councilor Weston and all City Department staff. Finally, thank you to site leaders who helped direct and oversee each site, your leadership is greatly appreciated.

And as always, we are continually looking for volunteers to help promote, maintain and assist with all of our programs. If you are looking to get involved at any level please feel free to contact me at director@dovermainstreet.org.

Cookbook Booksale at Dover Public Library

The Friends of the Dover Public Library will hold a special “Cookbooks Only” booksale for one week only at the library’s main desk from Monday, June 6 through Saturday, June 11. Prices will range from $.50 to $3.00 and the selection will include a large selection of softcovers and hardcovers, local community cookbooks, exotic foreign cuisines, and everything in between.

The Cookbook Booksale is open to all: a library card is not necessary to purchase items, but customers should come early for the best selection.

The Friends of the Library are still accepting additional cookbook donations for the sale, so if you’re cleaning out your kitchen bookshelf, please bring your old cookbooks to the library’s main desk before June 6. The sale will take place during regular library hours: Monday---Wednesday 9am to 8:30pm; Thursday---Friday 9am to 5:30pm; and Saturday 9am to 1pm. Proceeds from the sale will help the Friends of the Library continue to fund special library programs, museum passes, equipment, and furnishings.

Seacoast Business Roundtable

On June 15, the Business and Industry Association, in partnership with the Exeter Area, Greater Dover, Greater Portsmouth, Greater Somersworth and Hampton Area chambers of commerce, the New Hampshire High Technology Council and New Hampshire Business Review, will host a policy development roundtable with business and opinion leaders on the Seacoast. The roundtable is an open forum for business leaders to talk about their top challenges and concerns and help shape the BIA&#39s legislative and regulatory agenda for the upcoming legislative session.

The Seacoast Business Roundtable will be held June 15, 10 - 11:30 AM at Pierce Atwood, Pease International Tradeport, 1 New Hampshire Avenue, Suite 350. There is no charge to attend the roundtable, but registration is encouraged.

We hope you will join us for an engaging and worthwhile discussion of top issues facing businesses on the Seacoast.

To register, call 603.224.5388 x100 or click here.

Survivor of Rwandan Tragedy named Recipient of St. Thomas Aquinas Lux in Tenebris Award

The St. Thomas Aquinas High School Lux in Tenebris (“Light in Darkness”) Award was established in 2006 to honor members of the St. Thomas Aquinas High School community who have made significant and enduring contributions to humanity. Humanitarian acts aimed at alleviating suffering and helping to build a just world lie at the heart of this award.

This year’s recipient is Beata Umugwangwali, parent of three St. Thomas Aquinas graduates, Roger ’99, Gloria ’02 and Doris ’08. A native of Rwanda, Beata and her children fled their homeland during the genocide of 1994. Her husband had been killed on his way to the hospital; he had been transporting his father who had suffered a heart attack. After a year in Burundi and Kenya, Beata and her children and her sister – with no more than the clothes on their backs – came to New Hampshire in March 1995. Their arrival was made possible by Catholic Charities and the parish of St. Thomas More in Durham.

Almost alone, Beata knew she simply had to start over. But starting over was not easy – she didn’t speak English and her nurse’s credentials were not recognized here; she kept her family together by cleaning rooms in hotels.

Understanding the importance of education, Beata went back to school, learned English, earned her LPN license and made a life for herself and her family in the United States.

However, Beata’s story is not merely one of survival, nor even of overcoming the odds…her accomplishments are far more than that. In 2005, she returned to Butare, Rwanda to show her children where she grew up. She was devastated to see the condition of the school she attended as a child, and at that moment, she committed herself to restoring the school to its previous glory.

Through Habitat for Humanity, Beata and friends raised nearly $100,000 in two years. They repaired abandoned and destroyed school buildings, creating new classrooms, fixing bathrooms and equipping some schools with a computer lab to teach English using the Rosetta Stone computer program.

Even after the graduation of her children, Beata has continued to share her experiences with the students of St. Thomas Aquinas. A few years ago, STA Social Studies teacher Jennifer Duprat asked Beata to give a presentation to one of her classes.

“She is such a compassionate person,” said Jennifer. “She never focused on placing blame for the genocide, but instead her focus was on moving forward and helping people rebuild. She first worked incredibility hard to give her family a new life here in the United States. She faced incredible adversity, but new gave up. Then she set about helping to rebuild in her home country, Rwanda.”

These days, Beata is a nurse in the Endoscopy Department at Wentworth Douglass Hospital, and in 2009, she was honored with WDH’s President’s Award for her contributions to the hospital and to others. Her three children all graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School and have since gone on to college. Beata made great sacrifices to send her children to St. Thomas Aquinas; she wanted her children to grow in their Catholic faith, and the continuity of a Catholic education was important to the lives of her children -- children who themselves had suffered the great tragedy of the Rwandan genocide.

Beata’s children have inherited more than their mother’s courage. They, too, have also committed themselves to aiding the schoolchildren of their mother’s home. Over the years, they have raised money for school renovations, uniforms and school supplies in Rwanda.

Principal Kevin Collins spoke of Beata’s passion for serving others.

“There have been few tragedies as overwhelming as the Rwandan conflict, certainly in my lifetime – indeed in the history of humankind. For someone to have survived the horrors of that event is evidence of courage; to have returned to help rebuild is evidence of compassion. The world has too little of either…and to possess both is proof positive of God’s goodness in the world,” said Collins.

The Lux in Tenebris Award will be presented at the St. Thomas Aquinas High School graduation ceremony on June 5th at noon.

Previous St. Thomas Aquinas Lux in Tenebris Award recipients include: Erin Mone-Marquez (class of 1989), Skip DeVito (parent of three STA graduates), Sister Catharine Goodell (past faculty member), Sister Georganne Pearson (current faculty member) and Gregg Hayward (class of 2000).

Located in Dover, NH, St. Thomas Aquinas High School is a coeducational, Catholic high school community where young people are called to be challenged academically, to stretch their hearts spiritually and to embark on a journey to make a difference. For more information, visit STA at www.stalux.org or call (603) 742-3206.

Christopher MacDonnell Joins Laconia Savings Bank’s Cash Management Team

Christopher MacDonnell, Vice President – Cash Management for Laconia Savings Bank

New Hampshire – May 31, 2011 - Laconia Savings Bank is pleased to announce that Christopher MacDonnell has joined their Cash Management team as part of the Commercial department. In his capacity as Vice President of Corporate Cash Management, Christopher works with customers to set up sweep accounts, ACH origination, lock box and electronic/online services.

Christopher joins Laconia Savings Bank with more than 17 years of banking experience.

Christopher is a graduate of the University of Maine with a Bachelors of Arts degree, a graduate of Northern New England School of Banking at the University of New Hampshire and also a graduate of the New England School of Banking at Williams College.

For more information or to contact Christopher, call (603)527-3206 or e-mail him at MacDonnell@laconiasavings.com.

Laconia Savings Bank, founded in 1831, provides deposit, lending and wealth management services to families and businesses throughout New Hampshire. With 19 community offices within the state and assets exceeding $1 billion, Laconia Savings Bank is the largest independent bank in New Hampshire. Because Laconia Savings Bank is a mutual organization, it doesn’t answer to stock holders and can focus on the success of its customers, communities and employees. Throughout its 180 year history, Laconia Savings Bank continues to be a strong and stable financial organization. For more information, call 1-800-832-0912 or visit www.laconiasavings.com.

City of Dover seeks input on sustainable development Planning Department

Dover residents are invited to provide input on sustainable development in the City during a special presentation on Monday, June 6, at 6 p.m.

The presentation, which will be held at the Media Access Center, Room 306, 61 Locust St., is the first phase of federally funded technical assistance the City of Dover will receive from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a Building Blocks grant.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced recently that Dover is one of 32 communities, out of 354 applicants, selected to receive technical assistance under the Sustainable Communities Building Blocks program. The City of Dover Department of Planning and Community Development applied for the program as part of the Sustainable Dover initiative launched in March.

“The technical assistance will provide an initial assessment of the barriers and regulatory gaps in the current Dover land use ordinances to work towards achieving community goals under the Sustainable Dover initiative, and will help to identify potential incentives that could be adopted to move the City towards a more sustainable future with expert advice on implementation strategies,” said Christopher G. Parker, Director of Planning in Dover.

Michele Alexander, Sustainability Coordinator for Dover, added, “To achieve full value from the program the public, community and business leaders, elected officials, City Council, board and committee members, and other stakeholders are urged to participate. The program will help the City identify and consider amendments to our land use code to make sustainability-related improvements, but all change has numerous impacts which need to be considered. The immense benefit of this program is that it will provide expert-led facilitated discussion to ensure an outlet for stakeholders to provide feedback, suggestions for improvements and to identify and address concerns at the initial stages of the process.”

The Energy Advisory Committee is overseeing the City’s sustainability planning efforts. More information on the Sustainable Dover initiative can be found on the City of Dover website, and the Sustainable Dover Facebook page.

For more information please, contact the City of Dover Department of Planning and Community Development at 516-6008.

INTERNET SPURS SMALL-BUSINESS RENAISSANCE

Old-School Photo Lab Finds Broader Customer Base with 120processing.com

As people turn back to 'analog' photography, 120processing.com is using the Internet to create and serve a virtual community of lovers of film.

Received wisdom is that the Internet is bad for small businesses, but Steve Frank—owner of Photosmith in Dover—is taking the other side of that bet. For more than 30 years, Frank has processed film and printed photographs in the same location on Central Avenue. But the digital photography movement has profoundly impacted his business. Though Photosmith has offered an array of digital services to serve the new market, the fact remains that the average customer—a parent of school-aged kids, say, or a realtor—is not spending as much on photography services as he once did.

Though Photosmith has always been a ‘Main Street’ business—many have been its customers for all thirty years—Frank has reached out to the Internet with another brand. Inspired by the resurgence of film photography, he has established www.120processing.com to target a new generation of film users. Through the website, people all over the country can print a pre-paid mailer to send their film to Photosmith and receive their processed film and prints back about a week later. “This way, you can get film processing of the same quality and with the same attention to detail you expect from a good independent lab, no matter where you are,” Frank said.

120processing.com also offers scans and CDs for those who want to store or share their images digitally, and in fact Internet sharing is an important piece of 120processing.com’s business model. Though there might not be enough film enthusiasts to support a photo lab in any given community, the Internet makes possible the creation of a virtual community that stretches across the country. To foster such a community, 120processing.com has established itself on Twitter and Facebook. Frank is also sponsoring a collective of ‘analog’ photographers, Lo-Fi Revolution, which has a presence on Facebook and on Tumblr.

Though the business model has changed, Frank says, the essence of Photosmith has not. “We’re just taking the independent photo lab and making it virtual,” he says. “We still believe in customer service and good work.” No surprise, then, that Frank’s blog is called “The Old-School Photo Lab.”

Dover Dines ’11 Restaurant Week Take a Bite Out of Dover

Dover, NH has claimed its place on the map as the place to find fine dining at a reasonable price. In an effort to promote the fabulous restaurants Dover has to offer, Dover Main Street and the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with in conjunction with Reverie Designs and PortsmouthNH.com, along with support from Foster's Daily Democrat, The Shark, Seacoast Media Group, The Wire and Taste of the Seacoast, are all very excited to announce Dover Dines ’11!

June 4-11th will be a week of fine dining at a great fixed price with each participating restaurant offering a 3 course prix fixe dinner for $15.95 or $21.95, many restaurants will also offer a $7.95 two course lunch. “This is a great opportunity for people to get out and rediscover a restaurant they might not have been to in awhile or to support a few of their favorites without breaking the bank.” says Carrie Eisner, program director for Dover Main Street.

With 11 local restaurants participating, from a full range of cuisines and tastes, event organizers and Dover Main Street board members, Mike Cartelli and Martha Mason are looking forward to a successful event. “There really is something for everyone being offered this week. We hope people will take advantage of the event and try a couple of different places throughout the week.”

Restaurants participating are Alexander’s Italian Restaurant, Blue Latitudes, Cartelli’s Bar & Grill, Harvey’s Bakery & Coffee Shop, The Farm Bar & Grille, Krave, Kelley’s Row, La Festa Brick & Brew Pizzeria, Orchard Street Chop Shop, Three Chimney’s Inn and The Weathervane Seafood Restaurant. With participation from most of Dover’s fine restaurants, you are bound to be treated to a great meal at a great price.

Molly Hodgson Smith, Executive Director of the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce notes that “It’s the perfect week to come to Dover for dinner with family and friends, or lunch with co-workers. The fixed price menu gives you the opportunity to sample all the unique and interesting restaurants in the city at a very affordable price. Now more than ever, it is important for everyone to be supporting locally owned businesses in our community.”

For more information visit the Dover Dines website dedicated to the event through www.WeShopDover.com or by calling the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce at 603-742-2218 or Dover Main Street at 603-740-6435.

Dover Main Street is a not for profit downtown revitalization organization of volunteers who operate under the auspices of the National Main Street Center, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Dover Main Street mission is to preserve the past, promote the present, and facilitate the future. Volunteers are always welcome and needed to assist in planning and completing their many projects. To find out more information, to sign up as a volunteer, or to donate to the Dover Main Street Program, please contact the office at 740-6435 or email director@dovermainstreet.org.

The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit association of businesses, professionals, individuals, and organizations working together to advance the economic well-being of its members and the community. For more information, call 603-742-2218, e-mail info@dovernh.org, or visit www.dovernh.org.