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By RACHEL WACHMAN Concord Monitor
The scent of fried dough will waft through the air around Everett Arena as the Ferris wheel spins and children squeal with delight during the triumphant return of the Concord Kiwanis Fair next month.
Last year, the local nonprofit group had to cancel the annual eventdue to a delay in visa processing for the workers who staff the carnival, operated by Miller Amusements. The Webster-based company employs seasonal workers with H-2B visas, many of whom hail from Mexico.
This year, though, it looks like smoother sailing for the fair, scheduled for the weekend of May 14-17. This will be its 67th year.
Scott Miller said he expects the visas to come through in time, something he hopes for each year, but it’s never a guarantee.
“I guess that’s our biggest challenge right now is the labor force,” he said. “Without them, we can’t go forward.”
While the visa delays last spring coincided with an increasing number of immigration restrictions implemented by the Trump administration, Miller said that the uncertainty over H-2B visa process-
ing has existed for years.
“We’ve been using visas for well over 20 years,” he said.
“This is the kind of business we’re in, seasonal. And most people would rather have a year-round job. And then over the years, less and less people want to travel and do this type of work.”
H-2B visas permit U.S. companies to temporarily employ foreign workers for nonagricultural and non-specialized work. The landscaping, hospitality, tourism and construction industries commonly use H-2B visa holders in their seasonal labor force. The visas are administered based on a twice-a-year lottery system. Summer workers usually receive approval by April.
For over a decade, the Kiwanis Club has used Miller Amusements for its annual fair, which Kiwanis President Ken Georgevits described as the “kickoff to the summer.”
“Seeing kids smile, laugh, be happy, that s the Kiwanis Club’s priority one,” he said.
The Kiwanis Club is a nonpartisan, non-denominational group that strives to strengthen communities, with a focus on children. The club supports local scholarships, high school volunteer clubs, sports team sponsorships and more and around 60% of its annual revenue comes from the fair.
“In the absence of the fair, we have some backup funds,” Georgevits said. “The same thing happened with COVID. We didn’t have the fair for two
years at all. We had people make special donations.”
With reduced funds, they had to scale back the financial support provided to various groups and scholarships.
Beyond visas and the pan-
demic, the weather also plays a huge role on the success of the fair, but “there’s nothing you can do about that,” Georgevits said. Still, he always hopes for sunshine. Miller, for his part, is glad
“I’m just looking forward to another season and hoping it will be a happy
Monitor file
A rider spreads her arms while on the YoYo swing ride at the 60th annual Kiwanis Fair at the outdoor parking lot of Everett Arena in Concord.
High risks, high cost
By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN Concord Monitor
Firefighters formed a solemn corridor along the streets outside St. Joseph Cathedral, dressed in crisp navy coats and standing at attention as the casket of retired Manchester Fire Chief Andre Parent was carried slowly into the church.
The wail of bagpipes pierced the air. Bound by years of shared service and brotherhood, the firefighters raised their hands one by one in a final salute, paying tribute to a man they deeply respected and and whose dedication they would never forget.
Among them was Lieutenant T.J. Burkush, who worked alongside Parent for ten years and counts him as one of his first mentors.
He was a man that everybody looked up to,” Burkush said.
“He was the guy that would show up on the scene and everybody would know that it’s gonna be okay.”
Parent, 62, died on April 7 after a battle with stomach cancer, an occupational disease. His death came just one day after the state launched a pilot programto screen firefighters for cancer and provide early treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, firefighters face a significantly elevated risk of cancer due to repeated exposure to toxic chemicals, including benzene, “forever chemicals” and other carcinogens released when materials burn, as well as compounds found in firefighting foam. While it’s often assumed firefighters are most vulnerable to lung cancer from inhaling smoke during fires, re-
search reveals a more complex picture.
Firefighters face heightened risk for a range of cancers, including aggressive forms such as mesothelioma, a rare cancer affecting the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart. It is most commonly linked to asbestos exposure. A CDC study found that firefighters develop mesothelioma at roughly twice the rate of the general U.S. popu-
lation. They are also at increased risk for testicular cancer, with studies showing about an incidence twice as high as the general population.
Mark Wholey, director of the state’s fire academy, said New Hampshire’s $5 million investment in cancer screenings for firefighters is a step in the right direction.
KBy EMILIA WISNIEWSKI Concord Monitor
ris Blomback s 36 sea-
sons as general manager at Pats Peak have differed wildly in temperature and snowfall.
The latest winter season was very successful, he said; others have been so poor that Blomback has seen kids show up to the mountain in flipflops.
“We’ve seen it all,” he said. We just try and mitigate Mother Nature’s mood swings, if you will, with a robust snowmaking system.
That system has allowed for more stable operations at Pats Peak, where few thousand gallons of water produce as much snow as the mountain needs. Blomback said they have continually invested in the technology as a response to a warming climate and more unpredictable winters.
Like Blomback, a majority of ski industry professionals in New Hampshire say they’re concerned about climate change’s effects on skiing in the state, with more than half expressing that the industry is not doing enough to address
the crisis, according to a new study from UNH’s Carsey School of Public Policy.
The study gathered 68 responses from a 15-question survey, which found that 85% of respondents were either concerned or alarmed about how climate change could affect the ski industry.
The results were much higher than the national average of 54%, calculated by the authors of a similar study from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication in 2024.
“I think it’s important to recognize how others feel around your circle professionally,” said Elizabeth Burakowski, a research associate professor in UNH s Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space who co-authored the survey study. It s really encouraging to know that there’s a lot of people in that community and within the industry itself that feel the same way.”
The study s idea was born out of an internship Burakowski guided for ColbySawyer College senior Jacklyn
major changes in snowfall pattern, season length and temperature. Burakowski said that winters with less snow could see visits decline up to 20%.
The study highlighted several climate-driven initiatives by Ski NH, including regulary educating ski industry members, conducting research into electric vehicles and supporting legislation to push for business solar arrays. Despite these measures, more than half of survey respondents, 51%, thought that the state’s ski industry is not doing enough to address the climate crisis.
canvas,” he said. “I think we’re always working to reduce our footprint on what it takes to run our operation, whether that’s from a dollars sense or if that just makes environmentally more sense.”
Tracy, who has skied since she was two years old. Tracy wanted to understand what industry professionals thought about shorter winters and less natural snowpack.
“We came up with the idea to combine my passion with my academics,” she said. “Ski-
ing has always been a big part of my life and given me a big sense of community and passion that I hope others can have as well, even as we face the consequences of a warming climate.”
In response to the survey, most industry professionals said they noticed moderate to
Blomback has, personally, come to the opposite conclusion he said that the state is doing a pretty adequate job in addressing the crisis. Pat’s Peak has a page on its website called Green Peak, where it outlines its sustainability practices since 2014.
I think every area realizes that the environment is our
Ski NH found that the state ranks sixth in the nation for snow recreation activity, with about 2.8 million people visiting ski areas annually and spending approximately $384.2 million collectively, mostly during the ski season from December to April. Tracy said the study was an important first step in understanding climate change attitudes in New Hampshire. Both she and Burakowski would like to see further research done, including outside of the Granite State. To read the entire study,
By RACHEL WACHMAN Concord Monitor
Five gallons of corn chowder could practically feed an army and cooking such a large quantity of food takes ample time, ingredients and kitchen staff.
Yet that is exactly how much chowder Constantly Pizza recently donated to the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness’s Souper Fest.
Brothers John and Dave Constant have run the downtown pizzeria for the past 36 years, broadening their sense of family with every slice they serve because, for them, everyone deserves a smile and, if necessary, a helping hand.
“We try and do the best we can to help people out, said Dave. “We can’t always do everything, but we try to do our very best for our community, for Concord, the Greater Concord area.”
The brothers receive three to six requests for donations each week, and they’re not alone. Small businesses like theirs can sometimes be inundated with charitable asks.
Constantly, which began by supporting Little League teams decades ago, gets queries from customers, nonprofits, sports teams and more, with people asking for food, gift cards to raffle off and sometimes monetary
contributions toward a specific cause. At Rock ’n Race next month, the pair is planning to provide 50 pizzas and 600 cookies to support Concord Hospital’s Payson Center for Cancer Care. It s kind of the way we were raised, to help people out,” said John.
The pizzeria prioritizes local causes or ones with community ties. If they can’t meet a request, often they ll offer an alternative, like gift cards rather than a cash donation. They recently raised $1,535 for the Special Olympics by donating 20% of all proceeds from a designated night to the endeavor.
“I think our business model, by helping our community, has made us this successful today because of that, said Dave. Our success is due to that. It’s not really due to the marketing. It s due to giving back to our community.”
They find that the support they show for different organizations often earns them new customers. But that’s not why they do it they contribute because they can. If someone reaches out because a local child has lost a parent, they’ll give gift cards to the family to assist with food, John said. During the pandemic, they provided several thousand dollars in gift cards to staff at Concord Hospital. Following the 2023 killing of a security guard at
A helping hand
New Hampshire Hospital, they gave each employee there a gift card as a show of solidarity.
Not every business takes the same approach. And as the Constant brothers acknowledge, the donation requests can be a lot to manage, especially while keeping the normal business operations steady. Yet Concord’s small businesses overwhelmingly show up for the customers they serve.
For Sarah Glaude, who coowns Social Club Creamery alongside her husband, fielding donation requests, like all things, requires balance. They’ve begun setting aside funds each quarter to respond to requests, although the pair receives far too many to fill them all. It’s an experience Glaude suspects most downtown businesses have to maneuver: “I think people would be shocked at how many re-
quests, like if we did a survey of all the downtown businesses and added them up all together, of how many you get in a year.
On average, Social Club receives three to five charitable asks a week, but during the holiday season, that number skyrockets. Because of that, we ve actually had to be super thoughtful and intentional with who we choose and how we choose to support different organizations,” said Glaude. We tend to prioritize causes that we feel personally connected to, so whether that s somebody on our team, our customers, or something that aligns with us and our values personally.
Halfway through the month of April, they’ve donated $350: $100 in gift cards for teacher appreciation week and $250 toward a local marathon runner. Cash donations don’t always feel financially feasible, however.
More often, Social Club will donate a tray of cookies or, like Constantly, offer gift cards. But even cookies require ingredients, and ingredients cost money and take effort to prepare.
“On one hand, it creates
more of a time constraint, because somebody might have to stay a little bit longer or spend extra time, like time is money, right? she said. So our baker might have to spend extra time making donation cookies, where she could be making other types of products that we sell.” Local nonprofit InTown Concord recently published information on social media promoting alternatives to asking small businesses for cash or product donations. The organization listed production costs, staff time, marketing and lost profit margins as some of the potentially detrimental impacts businesses can experience. Some of those alternatives include collaborating with a business on a fundraiser, creating a percentage-of-sales partnership like what Constantly did with the Special Olympics and utilizing a business as a donation dropoff spot. Online donation-request forms can also go a long way in reducing the amount of time staff spend fielding requests on different platforms, InTown stated. Still, part of what makes
Firefighters honor retired Fire Chief Parent
“It is the number one cause of line-of-duty deaths in the profession,” he said. ” It was something for years that people just assumed was a high frequency of people that we work with who passed away.”
The first phase of the statewide pilot program includes 1,203 cancer screenings.
Wholey said the slots filled within 48 hours of opening, which he called evidence of the “willingness and excitement” among the state’s firefighters to participate.
The two-year pilot screening program is only open to active firefighters and those participating in the New Hampshire retirement system. It is not open to volunteer firefighters.
After Parent’s cancer diagnosis, Burkush said the retired chief advocated for early cancer screenings, and there was also a stronger push for prevention within the department. It was instilling, especially in our younger members, our newer people, that there are ways to do what you can to lower your risk, but also just to maintain healthy lifestyles and to advocate for that care with your own primary care doctors,” Burkush said. “We can’t just focus on the cancer screenings that we get from the state, albeit fantastic. We want everyone, when they’re
not in there for those cancer screenings, they’re still taking steps and advocating for it.”
Frontline exposure
Reducing firefighter deaths from cancer depends not only on early detection but also on everyday practices within the profession, since there is virtually no environment free from exposure to carcinogens.
Wholey said that many common materials, such as carpets, couches, televisions, curtains and automobile parts, contain plastics that become carcinogenic when burned.
“Every single one of those is the same threat to a firefighter, said Wholey.
Since the link between firefighting and cancer was established in recent years, departments across the country have taken their own steps to limit toxic exposure.
Concord Fire Chief John Chisholm said his department explored the ‘clean cab’ model, in which contaminated turnout gear and breathing apparatus are kept outside the fire truck, rather than riding alongside firefighters.
But that approach has created operational challenges, particularly around keeping air packs accessible.
He said the department had to move the air packs back inside the truck, but he hopes to find a workable solu-
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Many newer firehouses minimize contamination by having separate washers and dryers dedicated solely to turnout gear, and a growing number of departments have replaced PFAS-laden firefighting gear with safer alternatives, despite the steep cost.
PFAS-free protective gear can cost around $5,000, compared to approximately $1,000 to $2,000 for standard gear.
Wholey acknowledged that supporting firefighters places a high financial burden on municipalities but said the investment helps improve their overall well-being.
“With the funding available, the possibilities to modernize and make advancements in our profession truly are endless, he said.
the relationship successful is when each party is willing to meet the other where they’re at.
The Concord Food Co-Op has systems in place to respond to donation requests, namely the Round-It-Up program, where local nonprofits can apply to receive a month’s worth of donations made by customers who opt to round up to the nearest dollar for that specific cause upon check-out.
Other co-ops utilize the same system, said Marketing Manager Rachel Becker. In the seven years the Concord Food Co-Op has been doing Round-It-Up, the grocery store has raised and donated $229,117 to local nonprofits. In March, over
3,100 people rounded up for NH Mutual Aid, raising a total of $1,510 for the organization.
The Co-Op receives many donation requests outside of the program; Becker estimates between two and five asks come in each week, although it can vary. It s her department s job to sift through them. As they do so, there are considerations to weigh.
“What can we give that will make a difference? Like, every little bit counts, said Becker. “But I think in these situations, it’s really about how can we make a difference in the niches that we tend to live in, of supporting local, supporting initiatives that are around food security and then environmental things.
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