Great (Local) Gifts this Holiday Season All Aboard the...

kearsargemagazine.com • Winter 2013/2014 • Kearsarge Magazine 45

Winter 2013

Kearsarge Magazine’s annualholiday shopping guide

Kearsarge Magazine’s annualholiday shopping guide

Great (Local) Gifts this Holiday SeasonAll Aboard the Wilmot Express!Toymaker Hal Liberty

Great (Local) Gifts this Holiday SeasonAll Aboard the Wilmot Express!Toymaker Hal Liberty

by Laura Jean Whitcombphotography by John Sherman

Yes, Virginia, you can spend all your dol-lars at locally owned, and sometimes family owned, shops. There are some great items, often made miles from your home, maybe even made by someone you know. Or how about a local service, like a massage? We’ve done the research for you — read on for some ideas for local gifts this holiday season.

Nostalgic for home? Now you can wear a piece of the Lake Sunapee/Kearsarge area as jew-elry. Sunapee Graniteworks offers The American Bead Collection and, specifically, a Beads of New Hampshire line. You can purchase a lovely gray granite bead, from the bedrock of Sunapee, or a black bead (the Black Pearl), created from black pearl granite originally mined in Sunapee Harbor in the 1800s. The new Mt. Kearsarge Bead (pictured here) is crafted from plum quartz and available exclusively at Artisan’s in New London. The beads are universal, fitting most sterling add-a-bead bracelets, and Sunapee Graniteworks offers a new bead every month. Learn more at www.americanbeadcollection.com or www.artisansnewlondon.com

Great (Local)

Gifts

kearsargeunwrapped.com • Winter 2013/20144646

2013 Holiday Shopping Guide

These beads rockSUNAPEE, NH 03782

NEW LONDON, NH 03257

Growing up in Queens, N.Y., Brian “Bear” Alexander could often be found on the fire escape with his hibachi. “I’d grab sauces, mix them together, and make my own,” he recalls.

Seven years ago, someone gave him a family recipe for barbecue sauce, and it got him thinking…and developing his own sauce recipe. In 2008, Alexander created the perfect test market in his own backyard: Rib Wars, a potluck barbeque competition held in Danbury, N.H. “There were 100 people and 12 competitors,” he says. “I kept working on my sauce, and finally won in 2010.” The first place trophy, topped with a pig, proclaims: The Best Ribs We Know Of.

Alexander began bottling his sauce, Bear’s Backwoods Smokehouse Barbecue Sauce, in December 2012 with help from former Rib Wars competitor, Rocco Saccento, owner of Red Barn Farm in Newport, N.H. Now you can buy the winning sauce for your own barbecue. Bear’s Backwoods Smokehouse Barbecue Sauce starts with crushed, then slightly pureed, tomatoes and is combined with liquid smoke and spices. The secret ingredient? “I use pineapple juice, because I’m not a big fan of vinegar-based sauces,” says Alexander, owner/creator of Bearoc Bottling Co LLC. “It caramelizes well, and changes the flavor profile.”

Bear’s Backwoods Smokehouse Barbecue Sauce is all natural with no preservatives. There are four versions: mild, medium, hot and “an extra hot for the bold few who think hot isn’t hot enough,” says Alexander. A bottle retails for $8. Contact him at (603) 927-4103 or pick up a bottle at Red Barn Farm.

kearsargeunwrapped.com 47Winter 2013/2014 • 47


Great grillingWILMOT, NH 03287

Gluten free. Vegan. Eating healthy. Eating local. Great tast-ing. Each option, on its own, is a challenge. What if you wanted three options? All five? You might think it was impossible…until you sampled the granola from Courser Farm Kitchen in Warner.



Emma Courser Bates started her business by baking gluten-free items for her aunt’s and uncle’s café in Warner. They were a big hit, but it was the granola that people lined up for. Gluten-free oats? Check. Fruit with no sulfates? Check. Vegan chocolate chips? Check.

She started selling her granola at farmers’ markets in 2011, and kept customers happy throughout the winter with a granola CSG (instead of community supported agriculture it is community supported granola). Now seven flavors — from maple nut to lavender blueberry — are available online and at 14 retail locations. You may see two more flavors this holiday season: coconut date and the seasonal pumpkin gingerbread.

A bag of Courser Farm Kitchen Granola retails for

$7.95. Learn more at www.courserfarmkitchen.com

Yum in a bowlWARNER, NH 03278

Susan Lanphear was a chemist, working in research and development for more than 20 years. Her skin grew more and more sensitive to certain chemicals and various products, so she did her own study and tried many natural ingredients. “Turns out honey was the best ingredient,” she says. “Honey is rich in vitamins and minerals. It has natural antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. It is safe for sensitive skin and will not cause allergies. You can be allergic to bee stings, but no one is allergic to beeswax or honey!”

In 2009, she started her company, S Formulators, using honey as the base of her products, such as lotion (in a unique jar candle), hydrating spritzer, soap, lip sooth-ers, shaving bars and sugar scrub. “Honey has natural cell rejuvenation properties that will eliminate fine lines and wrinkles, as well as treat eczema, dry skin and acne,” says Lanphear. “I have one woman who hunted

me down when she ran out of her bee silk cream to buy more because people asked her if she was getting Botox treatments!”

Another favorite: the bee cool herbal hydrating spritzer. Keep it in the fridge for an instant refreshing feel-ing. Find S Formulators products, including a cute travel pack, at Allioops! in New London and other retail shops listed online at www.sformula-tors.com. A portion of the profits is donated to the Honeybee Research Fund.



Soothers for sensitive skinHENNIKER, NH 03242


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program at Concord Hospital. “People with chronic pain sometimes feel forgotten by the medical com-munity because it seems all we can offer them is medication,” she says. “The patients I worked with were grateful to have learned about a vari-ety of tools to help ease their pain.”

Gift certificates (a great holiday gift) can come in any denomination. Learn more at www.rubadubsmobilemassage.com or www.sunapeelakemassage.com

event, like a baby shower or girls’ night out. “Massage reduces stress, improves sleep, reduces pain, lowers blood pressure, improves joint mo-bility and range of motion, and even improves mood,” says Bermacchia, “and it just feels good.”

If you need more than a relax-ation massage, perhaps you have chronic pain, Bermacchia is able to provide complex trigger point and deep tissue therapies at her Newbury practice. She believes in the power of massage; in fact, she was part of a group that set up the massage

If you’ve sat on a sled lately, you know that those plastic toboggans can quickly slide out of control. Just one slight lean to the left, or right, can propel you dangerously off the track. So when Bill Herrick cleaned out his storage shed and found an old surfboard, he had an idea. “I cut off the tip of the surfboard. I fashioned three steel runners from construction strapping material and fastened them on the bottom, and on top I added two handles from sheet rock trowels,” the Elkins, N.H., resident says. “The Sleboggan was born!”

How does it work? You lie down on the sled, and place the Sleboggan in front of you. Holding the two handles, you use the device to steer and control your plastic sled. You can also place your feet outside of the sled and drag your boots in the snow for extra control.

After many test runs, Herrick improved the design and developed the Link 1 Limited Signature Edition: construction bracing is permanently affixed to the bottom by fiberglass and the entire bottom is coated with fiberglass resin for a slick, smooth surface.

This year, he’s introducing the Griffin Sleboggan, “which is lighter, has a more curved tip and the runners on the bottom are attached differently,” Herrick says. “Looking down at the top of the two Sleboggans the changes would not be apparent, except for the design, but those who have had the opportunity to try the prototype Griffin believe it is easier to use.”

Both models will be available this winter. Learn more at www.sleboggan.com

When Deborah Bermacchia was a nurse, she would give her patients back rubs to help them relax. Now she’s a Usui Shiki Ryoho reiki master therapist and a Kriya massage thera-pist with a private massage practice, Sunapee Lake Massage, in Newbury, N.H., and co-founder of mobile mas-sage company, Rub a Dubs Mobile Massage, based in Bradford, N.H.

Rub a Dubs will come to your home for an individual massage, couples massage, holiday party or

Stress reliefNEWBURY, N.H. 03255 BRADFORD, N.H. 03221

A new winter sportELKINS, NH 03233




At the Gallery of Gifts at the Library Arts Center (LAC), you can buy a present and support the arts. Just look for items — like this delicate, knitted dove by Nancy Parssinen of Newport — with purple tags.

“Purple Tags is something Fran [Huot, program coordinator] came up with,” says Kate Niboli, executive director. “When artists enter their work they can choose to donate an item or two or more as ‘purple tag’ and, when those items sell, 100 percent of the sale goes to community programming. The purple tag items have be-come, in a way, a fundraiser of their very own — usually raising around $1,000 or more. It is amazing how those

Supporting the artsNEWPORT, NH 03773

donations add up!” Parssinen has served on the boards of the Richards

Free Library and the LAC for a number of years, and still volunteers with both. “I knit for pleasure. I donate items to the Library Arts Center so that I have something to knit. They get items to sell, people get fun things to buy, I get credit for the donation on my income taxes,” she says.

This year Parssinen will be donating more dove ornaments as well as mice, dogs, cats, mouse Santas, squirrels, alligators and a fox family. Turn to page 32 for the dates of this year’s Gallery of Gifts, or go online at www.libraryartscenter.org

Do you have 20 family gifts to buy? Or 30 em-ployee gifts? Or how about 100 customer gifts? Three Rivers Wreath Company can help, by creating, packaging and shipping a fresh-cut balsam fir wreath to everyone on your list.

With 30-plus years of wreath making experience, Kirk Weyant selects the freshest greens daily for use by Three Rivers wreath makers. The wreaths are fashioned with double-needled balsam tips, and includes pine cone clusters, holly berry bunches and a large, six-loop, red velvet bow.

Special quantity pricing is available; learn more at www.3rwc.com

It’s not unusual to see a spin-ning wheel at a craft fair or farmers’ market. What is unusual is seeing a big, fluffy bunny sitting on the lap of the person behind the spinning wheel. But you might just see Mandy Fraser of Fraser Farm Fibers in Hopkinton, N.H., doing just that. Fraser raises angora rabbits and creates hand-knit goods from their fur.

Twenty years ago, she brought home her first two rabbits. Now she breeds angoras to be “spinners’ rabbits.”

“The various angora breeds (German, French, English and Giant) are crossed to bring out the best qualities of each,” says Fraser. “The ultimate goal is a rabbit with high wool yield and low matting.”

When you see one contentedly snuggled on Fraser’s lap, looking a little fluffier than usual, it’s because it is time for the angoras to molt, or

From bunny to youHOPKINTON, NH 03229

The fragrance of New EnglandFRANKLIN, NH 03235



shed, which they typically do every three to four months.

“Some people prefer plucking it (pulling it with your fingers), while others shear the fiber off (cut with scissors),” she describes. “I personally prefer plucking for one main reason; when a rabbit is shorn the shorter un-dercoat is cut also. These short fibers get mixed in with the longer, more desirable fibers. When spun and knit, these short fibers will not stay in the twist and will shed.”

And that’s what she does — care-fully plucks fur from the rabbit on her lap, and turn the fiber into hats, mittens, stuffed animals and baby jackets. Learn more at www.fraser-farmfibers.com


Alice Ogden has been making baskets of all sizes for more than 30 years. Every year, for the past 16 years, she creates a collection of basket ornaments, called “From My Tree to Yours.” This year one of her tiny baskets was chosen as the League of NH Craftsmen’s annual ornament.

Woven in Winter is a miniature, woven black ash basket with a white oak handle. It is embellished with a shimmery sage-colored ribbon on the front, and has a golden thread for hanging on a tree or wreath. The open weave allows the decorative lights of a Christmas tree to shine through it.

Woven in Winter ornaments are sold exclusively by the League of NH Craftsmen’s Retail Galleries and on the League’s online store (www.nhcrafts.org). Each ornament is numbered as one of a limited edition, and sells for $24.50.

Timing is everything. Susan Sadonsky was waiting to pay for a gift in a New Hampshire gift shop when the owner hung up the phone and said, “I cannot believe I just lost my fudge person. That is a great seller here. I don’t know what I am going to do.”

Sadonsky and her husband, Mike, used to own a candy store, Pleasant Sweet Shoppe in Claremont, N.H., so Susan introduced herself and offered their expertise. “We supplied the gift shop with what we thought was an adequate supply, only to find they needed more in a short amount of time,” she recalls.

They founded Mountain View Fudge in 2001, and soon they had

wholesale accounts throughout New England. Locally you can find Mountain View Fudge at farmers’ markets in New London, Claremont and Newport; The Naughty Vine in Claremont; and Ben’s Sugar Shack in Newbury. They also offer a fundraising program to any group, organization or individual that has a need to raise money. “We even personalize their orders by using their own tins, mugs, baskets, etc.,” she says.

Mountain View Fudge can make 63 different flavors, and usu-ally offers 12 to 28, including the best selling peanut butter and choc-olate; chocolate walnut; chocolate; and penuche. Contact Mountain View Fudge at (603) 542-2051 or email [email protected]


Woven in winter SALISBURY, NH 03268

Sweet treatsCLAREMONT, NH 03743


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Dexter’s Inn, Trails & Restaurant is a country estate near Lake Sunapee and Mount Sunapee that combines the charm and hospitality of

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It was a meeting of different gen-erations that would prove to be the start of something special. Anthony Baker, 6, and Marjorie Overman, 96, met during Christmas in 2012. The two were introduced when Anthony’s mother, Jesse, created and orga-nized The Giving Tree, an event to demonstrate to her children the true meaning of giving during the holiday season.

Residents at Elm Wood Center, a nursing home in Claremont, N.H., were asked to write down one pres-ent they would like to receive and their requests were then hung on a Christmas tree hosted at Claremont restaurant The Java Cup. Area residents chose names from the tree and bought the corresponding gifts. In a week, all 70 names were chosen and presents had already begun to pile up under the tree. On Christmas Eve, Anthony, his family and other volunteers delivered the gifts to Elm Wood residents.

Overman recalls how Anthony walked up to her with her gift. “He came right over and talked to me…and brought his sister and mother, and I met the whole family. It was so wonderful. I didn’t expect anything like that,” she says.

Jesse says the event demon-strated to her kids the importance of community, especially during the holidays. “We’ve always participated in a lot of community events,” the 31-year-old mother says. “This year, we were driving by Elm Wood, and I thought, ‘This is one place that you

never really hear about.’” Jesse spoke to the recreation

director, Andrea Beattie, and asked her if there was a need. Beattie told her how many of her residents did not have families anymore, and how the feeling of being alone can be amplified for them during the holiday season.

Beattie, who has been the rec-reation director at Elm Wood for

five years, says she has never been approached with this type of request before. “I was a little shocked,” she says. “Each year we have a Christmas party and every resident gets a pres-ent, but this time, they were able to request something they really wanted.”

“It was humbling to have the community come together like this and it did our hearts a world of good.

The Giving TreeClaremont, N.H., residents demonstrate the true meaning of Christmas.by Katelyn Turnerphotography by Jesse Baker

Elm Wood resident Marjorie Overman holds a picture drawn by Anthony Baker just for her.



A lot of times, people forget about us. But some of the presents — such as a bird feeder and a CD player — were things residents wouldn’t typi-cally get unless it was from a family member,” says Beattie, adding that some of her residents don’t have chil-dren or grandchildren, and to have children in the nursing home makes it a more meaningful experience.

“Just watching the residents’ faces — children bring a calmness that you can’t change,” she says. “It’s just so innocent and joyful and fills the entire building.”

Phyllis Muzeroll, 57, partici-pated in The Giving Tree because Christmas is a sad time for her. She’s lost most of her family and helping others allows her to focus on the true meaning of the season. “This really proves the old adage, ’Tis bet-ter to give than to receive,” she says.

Muzeroll says that when she received the invitation to participate she was impressed that the idea was born out of Jesse Baker wanting to show her children the value of doing nice things for others. “That’s not a message being taught by a lot of par-ents these days, sadly, so I wanted to support her project and help give her children an invaluable lesson.”

Muzeroll lost her mother five years ago, and says that Christmas was her favorite time of the year. “Participating in this event let me realize that the giver gets so much more in return,” she says.

In addition to Muzeroll, Linda and Steve Floyd, owners of The Java Cup, stepped up to help with The Giving Tree. The Floyds have owned the coffee shop for four years, and have always raised money for com-munity causes. They’ve fundraised for the Claremont Animal Rescue and Treats for Troops, and, one year, bought gifts for two families who were down on their luck during the holiday season.

“It was the best Christmas Eve

I’ve had in years,” says Linda. “It was just the most amazing experi-ence I’ve had in a long, long time. The residents were all thrilled with the presents; the kids were delightful. It was one of the best experiences we could have had on Christmas.”

Jesse Baker says that the whole event comes down to Claremont and the surrounding communities that provide for one another. “When you say, ‘I need something’ in Claremont, somebody always steps up and fills that need,” she says. “In my family, Christmas has never been remarkable, but my family always finds a way to make it special every

year, no matter what. And this year, this was the way we made it special. I think that’s a step in the right direction.”

Katelyn Turner moved back to New Hampshire after spending a couple years in our nation’s capital. She has a master’s degree in print and multimedia journalism from Emerson College and enjoys inter-viewing people and immersing herself in their stories. In addition to writing, the newlywed spends her time running road races and taking advantage of living back in the beautiful Upper Valley.

Ho, ho, ho! Presents galore underneath the Christmas tree at The Java Cup in Claremont.

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Explore Claremont

We had more than 50 entries, 500-plus votes from readers all over the United States, and four local judges weighed in. The result: seven amateur photographers received local fame and fortune (well, some really cool gift certificates). You, too, could be a winner. All you have to do is submit a digital photo in one of three categories (people, places or things). Readers will pick their favorite, and a panel of judges will pick their favorite as well as a grand prize winner.

There is no fee to enter the contest. The contest begins Jan. 1, 2014, at 12:01 a.m. and ends April 1, 2014, at 9 a.m.

Photo Contest!

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HOW TO ENTER

1. Visit our website (kearsargemagazine.com) for rules.

2. Email your entry to [email protected]. Be sure to include your name, city and state, and information about the photograph (see rules for details).

3. The contest begins Jan. 1, 2014, at12:01 a.m. and ends April 1, 2014, at 9 a.m.

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2012ENTRY!

T i m E F O R K E A R S A R g E m A g A z i N E ’ S



T

Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice. The toys went to children with incar-cerated parents, shelters in weather-ravaged towns, in Christmas baskets in Bradford and South Newbury, and a Christmas party at the Sullivan County Jail.

Liberty doesn’t make all those toys by himself. He has help from volunteers from the Parker Academy in Concord, the First Baptist Church of Bradford, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, and 4H, to name a few. And the toy workshop and luncheon at the Epiphany Church in Newport brought out a new group of volun-teers. Liberty taught adults and chil-dren how to build a toy from scratch during the November Toy Workshop.

Open the heavy wooden door and walk down the steps, and you’ve

here’s a steady stream of families visiting the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, a tiny stone church tucked into a corner of the Newport, N.H., town green. It’s not Sunday, and it’s not quite lunch time, so it must be something pretty special to draw a crowd. It is, in fact, someone special: toymaker Hal Liberty of Bradford, N.H., is offering a November toy workshop.

Liberty, a member of the Guild of NH Woodworkers and founder of Toys for Needy Children LLC, has been making toys since the mid-1980s. “I joined the Triangle Woodworkers Association in Raleigh, N.C., a group that made about 2,000 toys annually for the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots program. I made toys

until I moved to Bradford in 2005,” he says.

His new workshop was up and running in 2007, and delivered his first batch of toys to the Toys for Tots program. “I started making toys as a form of occupational therapy. I really got into it by designing new toys and building as many as I could,” he says. “I had a good life and want to help others.”

In 2012, he made 800 all-wood toys — cars, boats, planes and trucks designed for small children — and 400 wooden crosses. And his creations found a home with organizations that work with kids, such as Toys for Tots, the Red Cross, and Lake

Santa Claus Lives in Bradford, N.H.Toymaker Hal Liberty donates hundreds of wood toys to children in need.by Laura Jean Whitcombphotography by Paul Howe

Hal Liberty (right) lends a helping hand to a young participant at a toy workshop last year.


entered a toy workshop. There are no elves to be seen, unless you count the children deciding which “station” they wanted to work at: sanding the car bodies, putting together axels with wheels, or using a nontoxic finish to completed vehicles. After completing a task (or switching to various stations, depending on mood and woodworking skills), children could pick out a completed toy to take home and parents could treat the family to a $5 buffet lunch of soup, sandwiches, drinks and dessert.

“The host of the toy mak-ing party, Hal Liberty, is a valued member of our congregation,” says Alice Roberts, rector. “He has an impressive toy building workshop at his home in Bradford, and he invites a variety of people into his workshop to help build: seniors, scout groups, the disabled, school children. We wanted to hold this event for several reasons: we wanted to put the spot-light on Hal, and we wanted people to see Epiphany Church.”

Paul Howe is a professional photographer based in Sunapee. See his work at www.paulhowe-photography.com

Volunteer or DonateAlthough Hal Liberty pays for most of the cost for the toys, he does get some wood donated from local lumber companies and one furniture company. You can donate, too. Just email Liberty at [email protected] for infor-mation about donating to Toys for Needy Children LLC.

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Deck the HallsHoliday note cards, picturing decorated mantels, raise funds for the Richards Free Library in Newport, N.H.text and photography by Ann St. Martin Stout

he holidays are often a time for fundraisers. The Richards Free Library in Newport, N.H., has come up with an idea to combine holidays with raising money — and the result is a great gift idea: note cards.

The library is housed in the historic and beautiful mansion once belonging to the Richards Family. The house, built in 1898, boasts eight unique fireplaces — four on the first floor and four on the second floor. The Friends of the Richards Free Library, an organization that has

been raising funds and supporting the library’s endeavors since 1955, came up with a plan to decorate and pho-tograph the fireplaces. Eight Newport residents, known for their creative design skills, were asked to adorn the mantels, hearths and areas surround-ing the now unused fireplaces.

On a weekend in mid-May, the library was unusually busy after hours. Boxes of Christmas décor, boughs, wreaths and other non-hol-iday items, such as carved birds and fly fishing rods, were carried in and

arranged to please the eye. Although the decorations were

removed soon after, local photog-rapher and Friends volunteer Paula Johnson photographed the results. The photos were made into note cards, sold in sets of eight with envelopes, as a fundraiser for the Richards Free Library. Here’s what you will see:

The grand carved wood fireplace in the Children’s Lobby, the foyer of the former mansion, was decorated by Ted Niboli, a retired teacher, and

The Children’s Lobby, which was the foyer of the former mansion, was decorated by Ted Niboli and his daughter Kate.

A wreath in the Oval Room was created by curling book pages.



his daughter, Kate Niboli, director of the Library Arts Center. The mantel is covered with boughs of evergreen with red beads and miniature lights woven throughout. Ornate candela-bras, each holding four white can-dles, grace each end of the mantel.

The Children’s Room, for-merly the front parlor on the south side of the home, was designed by members of Friends of the Library: Dottie Collins, Elaine Frank, Mary Lou McGuire and Library Director Andrea Thorpe. The arrangement is a collection of historic documents, artwork and artifacts from the life of Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879), author of Mary’s Little Lamb and editor of Godey’s Ladies Book. The Sarah Hale fireplace screen was painted by Susan Brown in 1997.

The fireplace in the Young Adult Room, once the game room, was designed by Glo Stetson, designer of window displays at the Newport Thrift Shoppe. The fireplace façade is marble and carved woodwork. An antique balance scale is joined by other antiques, including a wooden clock, candles and a school teacher’s hand bell, accented with pine cones and other natural items.

The fireplace of the Oval Room (once the dining room of the home) was designed and decorated by Fran Huot, program director at the Library Arts Center. Books, and items created from old book pages, complement library’s book-filled in-terior. The wreath on the mirror was created by curling individual book pages into a cone shape and assem-bling in layers.

Upstairs, you’ll find the first of the four fireplaces in the Andler Room, where the collection of non-circulating historic books as well as the books of the late Kenneth Andler are kept. Neal Boucher, former owner of a local inn, decorated the fireplace with ornaments from his personal collection of birds. Carved The fireplace in the Tomie dePaola Room has glazed ceramic tiles.

The Yeomans Room in the Richards Library is featured on a fundraising note card.


water birds, game and nongame species, sit on the mantel; a stuffed pheasant is on the hearth. A classic bamboo fly rod and reel in the back-ground giving it a sportsman touch, which is fitting as Mr. Andler was an outdoorsman and surveyor prior to becoming a lawyer and painter. The fish, a carved Northern Pike, hangs over the mantel.

The master bedroom is directly above the oval dining room. It is now called the Tomie dePaola Room in honor of the local author and illustrator. The delicately colored white tiles of the fireplace are glazed ceramic, and the hearth is bordered with a row of tiles bear-ing a medallion motif. The Dickens village design, paired with stockings and other seasonal appointments, was decorated by Arthur Walsh, his daughter Victoria, and Margo Needham.

A smaller bedroom on the north side of the house is now called the Yeomans Room in honor of David Yeomans and Barbara Holden Yeomans, longtime benefactors of the Richards Library. The decora-tion of the fireplace in this room was done by Russell Currier. White snowflake ornaments and white candles fill the tree; the tree skirt and mantel scarf are embroidered linens. The cat figurines dressed in vintage attire add a touch of whimsy to the mantel. Currier created the wreath of evergreens with dried orange slices as well.

The final fireplace, located in what used to be called The Blue Room, used to be a bedroom. When renovations were done around 2006, the room was divided into a rest-room, elevator and a hallway which still contains the fireplace of white, blue and green interlocking design. The décor for this fireplace was de-signed by Connie Frappiea, a jewelry designer and home décor enthusiast.

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It is an airy scene of white branches and eucalyptus in a clear vase, with birds among the branches nesting in silver ladles. Balls of natural mate-rial and reflective glass are placed along the mantel.

The note cards are available for $10 at Richards Library at 58 North Main Street in Newport, as well as the Library Arts Center Gallery of Gifts next door. For information, call the Richards Library at (603) 863-3430.

Ann St. Martin Stout and her family take in as many library programs and other events as possible around their hometown of Newport. Ann’s other interests include three C’s: crafts, camping and conversation on the patio.

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The Wilmot ExpressThree local organizations bring Santa Claus to town.

by Laura Jean Whitcombphotography by Paul Howe

he holidays can feel stressful and rushed. You’d like to hear some Christmas Carols, but you have hours worth of gift wrapping to do. You’d love to take the kids to see Santa, but the time that Santa is in town is the only time you have to get the family’s haircuts scheduled. In Wilmot, N.H., three local organizations have made the holidays less hectic by combining their events into one fun afternoon of community celebration: The Wilmot Express.

“Various organizations in Wilmot have always held festive, well-loved holiday events,” says Rosanna Eubank Dude, director of the Wilmot Public Library. “But it seemed like many increasingly busy families were forced to pick and choose which events to attend. So we thought it would be a wonderful chance to do one holiday evening that wove all of our individual organiza-tions’ events together.”

The First Annual Wilmot Express started with a crafts and

coloring contest at the Wilmot Fire Department on Firehouse Lane. Many families stayed for the spaghetti dinner ($7 for adults and $3 for children) and a tree lighting ceremony.

Then it was time for pictures with Santa, taken by John Swindell of Kearsarge Studios, at the Wilmot Community Association (WCA) Red Barn on Village Road.

“The WCA entertained more than 120 folks. We decorated cook-ies, crafted letters to send to our deployed troops, and many sat for their photo with Santa,” says Patty McGoldrick, executive director of the Wilmot Community Association. “It was a delight to see the faces of all who attended brighten and smile with each turn of events — Santa on the fire truck, stories with St. Nick, cookies and a jingle bell to have as a keepsake. In an environment where technology and flash are so prevalent, it was a heartwarming night steeped in the traditional meaning of holiday fun — family, friends, community wishing each other well and extend-ing their kind words to the troops and, for some, making a donation to the Wilmot Food Bank.”

The last stop on the Express was

the Wilmot Public Library, where Pete Hilpl (also known as Santa) read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to kids snuggled up to their parents. For the 85 or so people who settled in at the library for story time, it was the perfect way to remember what the holiday season is all about.

“Wilmot is a special place to live. This was evident as all ages, from grandparents to newborns, spent an entire evening in some of the most spe-cial town buildings — the fire depart-ment, the community center and the public library,” says Dude. “We ate together, we sang carols together, we decorated cards and cookies together, and we read together. What better way to spend a holiday evening.”

The Second Annual Wilmot Express — sponsored by the Wilmot Community Association, Wilmot Public Library and Wilmot Volunteer Fire Department — will be held on Sunday, Dec. 8, starting at 4 p.m.

Kearsarge Magazine • Winter 2013/2014 • kearsargemagazine.com72

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