The public is invited to a remembrance of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution on Nov. 3 at 3 p.m., hosted by the NH Friends of Hungary and Rep. Peter Somssich. Our special guest will be the Honorary Hungarian Consul for New England, Ga’bor Garai. A short presentation will take place in the lobby of the NH State House in Concord followed by a reception and social gathering in the cafeteria where light refreshments and coffee will be served. Attendees who have either direct or indirect family experiences connected to the 1956 Revolution are encouraged to share these remembrances at the social gathering. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, but also the 32th anniversary of the year 1989, that ended with the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of many communist governments including Hungary’s. The 1956 revolution began on Oct. 23 with a demonstration supporting democracy in Poland. During a 10-day period of battles with Hungarian Freedom Fighters the Soviet troops at first withdrew, but later returned to suppress the revolution. Thousands of Hungarians were tried, tortured and executed and over 200,000 Hungarians (2% of the population) fled the country, 47,000 to the U.S. The year 1989 saw a reform-minded Hungarian government creating democratic institutions, and joining both NATO and the European Union. During the 2021 session, the NH House and Senate both endorsed a resolution (HCR5) expressing concerns about the authoritarian direction of the current Hungarian, Polish and Hong Kong governments.
Join New Hampshire Audubon and collaborators from UNH Cooperative Extension and the Xerces Society for a webinar panel discussion on “Creating Pollinator Habitat” on Nov. 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. The panel discussion will share best practices around establishing pollinator habitat in New England. Discussion topics will include techniques for creating pollinator meadows, native plant selection, benefits to pollinators and invasives through the lens of insects. Presentations by the panelists will be followed by an open Q&A by the audience. Panelists include Marc Nutter, NH Audubon; Alina Harris, Xerces Society; Emma Erler and Matt Tarr, UNH Extension Cooperative Extension. On Nov. 20 from 10 a.m. to noon, they will gather at the McLane Center in Concord to view the progress of converting one acre of an old field to a pollinator meadow. NH Audubon with the help of our collaborators are using a variety of techniques across one acre to better access what preparation methods work best at this scale. The field trip will allow participants to see and more fully discuss the details of field prep and seeding. These events are free and open to the public. Registration is requested. This project is being funded by the State Conservation Commission’s Moose Plate Grant Program. To learn more and sign up, visit us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GWSmHhZNSRSnwEsSiy0pzQ.
Webster residents Tara Gunnigle and Jon Pearson will receive the 2021 First Amendment Award from the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications at the 19th annual ceremony on Nov. 9. U.S. Representative Liz Cheney will be the keynote speaker at the event. Gunnigle and Pearson regularly attend select board meetings in Webster. They sought revenue and tax records, property deeds and sealed minutes in relation to a land sale. Those documents were the basis of an investigation that found the sale was illegal.