Amherst Citizen
THE AMHERST CITIZEN • 1
V O L U M E 2 6 – N U M B E R 1 0
JUNE 2018
Postal Customer
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PRSRT. STD. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 10 Amherst, NH ECR WSS
www.amherstcitizen.com • JUNE 2018 •
AM H E R S T , N E W HAM P S H I R E ’S C O M M U N I TY N E W S PAP E R
Souhegan High School
Class of 2018
SHS Class of 2018 Valedictorian Melody Chen (right) and Salutatorian Eliza Mastergeorge. More on pages 7, 8
Four for the Fourth! Plans are well underway for another successful Fourth of July! Taking over the running of the celebration from Nancy Head, retiring this year after twenty years as chair, is the Four for the Fourth Team made up of Gretchen Pyles, Jennifer Eccleston, Kim Ayers, and Leslie Bennett. All experienced Fourth of July people, the team is moving ahead with enthusiasm and new ideas! Starting off the Fourth of July Celebration will be the fireworks, events, and band concert on July 3, all under the watchful eyes of Kim Ayers and Leslie Bennett. Kim and Leslie, both familiar with running July third events, have lined up great fireworks, a band concert, Hot Air Balloon rides, a band featuring African drumming, the Roaming Railroad, Krickey the Clown face painting, and new food items to supplement the hamburgers and pizza! Granite State Credit Union is once again a generous donor to the fireworks. It promises to be a good evening! Heading up the Village Green activities is Gretchen Pyles. Gretchen, previously in charge of the Green organization, has expanded her duties to include responsibility for the planning and oversight of everything that takes place on the Village Green with the exception of the Reviewing Stand Ceremony that ends the parade. Many of the same organizations that have been on the Village Green in the past are expected to return again this year along with new ones. Gretchen is working closely with
Amherst Middle School Girls Are Div. II Track & Field Champions After two years in Division I the Amherst Middle School girls track & field returned to Division II and won their 8th championship in a row (DII) in convincing fashion placing first in all but three of the events. Caitlin Cooper, 8th grader, led the charge with 30 ½ points with a 1st in the 100, 200, and anchored a come from behind win in the 4 x 100. She also placed 2nd in the long jump. Masho Primmer, 7th grader, completed the season undefeated in the 800, and also came in 1st in the 400 while anchoring the winning 4 x 400 relay. 8th grader Chloe Trudel, also completed the season undefeated in the 1600, winning with a seasons best time of 5:29. She placed 2nd in the 800 and ran 3rd leg in the winning 4 x 400. Newcomer to the team this season, Emma Herrero, 8th grade, won the long jump on her last attempt with a season’s best performance and her only 1st place finish all season. Herrero placed 4th in the 100, 3rd in the 200 and passed several runners on her blistering leg of the 4 x 100 leading to that win. Only a sixth grader, Ashereka Primmer came in 2nd in the
Nipmugs Questers Anne Krantz (on left), chair for suncatcher fundraiser, and Katrina Holman, chair for preservation & restoration project, with the 19th-century manuscript map depicting school districts of Amherst, N.H. that will be restored thanks to proceeds from suncatcher sales as well as a grant from The Questers International.
Ava Bawell hands baton to Emma Herrero
high jump and 4th in the 800 with her season’s best time. Lucas Martins and Nolan Dickinson, both 8th grade, led the boys to a hard fought 2nd place finish. Lucas won the long jump with a leap of 18’ 3” his best ever and Nolan won the 800 with a season’s best 2:22.
Volunteers Help to Clean Up Amherst
Iconic Mike’s Auto serves as this year’s Nipmug Suncatcher available for sale on the Amherst Common, July 4th.
several new event chairmen including the new chair of one of the biggest fundraisers that the committee has, the Hamburger Stand, and has planned a new activity following the Reviewing Stand Ceremony. She will also be in charge of the handicapped parking and the flow of traffic near the events. People having questions about any of these activities should contact Gretchen at nhpyles@yahoo.com” nhpyles@yahoo.com Jennifer Eccleston is in charge of the parade and Reviewing Stand Ceremony. Jen has been with the committee for several years in charge of the animals event, has helped with the parade organization and is an experienced parade participant. She is receiving strong support from Jim Janson, the Fourth’s Continued on page 6 u
AMHERST – Volunteers took to the streets of Amherst on the morning of May 5th, to aid in the town-wide cleanup day, in cooperation with the Amherst Conservation Commission. Blue trash bags were handed out prior to the event at the middle and high schools, the Amherst Town Library, Moulton’s Market, and Town Hall. Many of these locations were “sold out” of bags during the week leading up to clean up day! Blue bags and gloves were also distributed at three spots during the early morning of May 5th, where helpers were asked to bring their full trash bags back to at the end of the cleaning period for removal – thanks to the Amherst DPW. Armed with the blue bags, volunteers helped to clean up along busy main roadsides, scenic streets, parking lots, canoe ports, and more! By rough count, approximately 400 bags were distributed throughout the town for the cleanup effort. The Amherst Police Department was kind Let’s work together to ensure that our beautiful enough to provide extra eyes on safety for the community stays green. day: including distributing information about safe removal of syringes or other unsafe materials found, and watching for extra people along the roadsides. Driving along the roadways there Tuesday, June 19 6:30 PM - Amherst Town Common has been a noticeable improvement Tuesday, June 26, 7PM - Greeley Park, Nashua in the amount of trash dirtying our beautiful town in the days since the Tuesday, July 3, 8 PM - Souhegan High School cleanup; however, new litter has Wednesday, July 4 - Amherst Independence Day parade started to pepper our view of the Saturday, July 7, 7 PM- York Beach, ME green grass already. Saturday, July 28, 11:30 AM Keyes Field, Milford It is illegal to litter in the state of New Hampshire. Please keep all Tuesday, August 14, 6:30 PM - Amherst Town Common trash in your car until you can disFor more information: www.amhersttownband.org. pose of it properly. Clean up trash along the roadways, if possible.
Amherst Town Band Summer Performance Schedule
Nipmugs Questers Receive Grant to Restore Unique Amherst Map AMHERST – The Nipmugs chapter of The Questers International was awarded a grant of $910 toward the restoration of a one-of-a-kind map of the School Districts of Amherst, N.H., 1881. The work is to be done by Northeast Document Conservation Center of Andover, Mass. for an estimated total cost of $1840. The Nipmugs chapter, which was founded in 1976 in Amherst, N.H., and today has members from Amherst, Hollis, Merrimack, Mont Vernon and even Maine, raised the rest of the funds for the project through the sale of annual Historic Amherst
suncatchers, especially the 2017 limited edition which fittingly depicted one of Amherst’s schools. The Questers awarded a total of $95,953.39 in Preservation & Restoration grants in 2018, divided among 39 chapters in 19 states. Questers grants are made every other year, funded from members’ dues. Chapters must raise at least 25% of the project cost to be eligible for a grant. The Questers, a non-profit organization founded in 1944, is dedicated to the study, conservation and preservation of historic artifacts, buildings and landmarks.
Libraries Rock! Summer Reading Program for Adults The Amherst Town Library is rocking and rolling this summer with “Libraries Rock!” the summer reading program for adults! Mark your calendars for the Library’s six enriching lifelong learning programs in June, July and August. Chef Liz Barbour kicks off the programming on Thursday, June 21 at 6:30 p.m. with “Feasting from Your Instant Pot”. “Green Chemistry: The Missing Elements,” brings award winning scientist, Dr. John Warner, to the library on Wednesday, Jun 27 at 7:00 p.m. Is vacation on your mind? “Discover the National Park Services” with Steve Farrar’s amazing visual presentation on Thursday, July 12 at 7:00 p.m. Or, immerse yourself in a spectacular multi-media one-woman show with
Judith Kalaora performing, “Challenger: Soaring with Christa McAuliffe,” on Wednesday, July 25 at 7:00 p.m. Mystery lovers be sure to join us on Thursday, August 2 at 7:00 p.m. for “A Visit with Bruce Robert Coff i n—Aut hor and Detective Sergeant.” And, do not miss the lively finale with the four-piece band, “Sweet Wednesday in Concert,” on Wednesday, August 8 at 7:00 p.m. Relax with an excellent summer beach read, listen to a free downloadable thrilling story as you take a long walk, enjoy the cool climate of the Library or picnic in the beautiful backyard garden area. Enter to win grand prizes with each attendance to a program and each book read or heard.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Letters.................................. 2 Town News............................ 4 Library.................................. 5 July 4th Preview..................... 6 Schools................................. 7 SportsFolio............................ 9 Arts & Entertainment............. 11 Mont Vernon......................... 12 Next Issue: July 2018
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