■Upcoming Budget Committee Meeting and Public Hearings on the 2022 Town and Sewer Budgets and the 2022 to 2023 School Budget to be held on Jan.15 at St. John the Baptist Parish Hall. The Budget Committee Meeting starts at 8 a.m. followed by the Public Hearings at 9 a.m.
■The Town Hall will be closed on Jan.17 for Martin Luther King Day.
■The supervisor of the Checklist will hold Voter Registration Hours on Jan. 18 from 7 to 7:30 p.m. at the Allenstown Town Hall.
■Declaration of Candidacy for 2022 Town and School election begins on Jan.19 and ends Jan. 28. There are seats open for the School Board, School Offices, Town Boards and Offices. To see what positions are open please go to allenstownnh.gov for more information.
■Great news, the Allenstown Ice Skating Rink is just about ready to open. This project is the result of a collaboration of the Town Administrator, Highway Department and the Economic Committee. The rink is located on the field between Town Hall and ARD School. The hours will be Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., holidays and weekends will be from noon to 9 p.m. For more information go to allenstownnh.gov.
■The monthly market at St. John the Baptist will be held on Jan.15 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and on Jan.16 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. These items are at no cost.
■The Knights of Columbus will hold a Church Supper on Jan. 22 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Parish Hall. The meal is lasagna and the cost is $8, take out only.
■The Suncook Senior Center activities include: Bone Builders (9 to 10 a.m. on Monday and Wednesday), Bingo from (10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Monday and Thursday), Cribbage Club (10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday), Gentle Chair Yoga (1 to 2 p.m. on Tuesday), Tops Group (11 a.m. to noon), and Klunk from (12:30 to 2 p.m. on Thursday).
CLAUDETTE VERVILLE
485-4437
cverville2@comcast.net
■Declaration for candidacy for elected school positions can be declared with school district clerk, Alisa Mullen at Alisa.M.Mullen@gmail.com. Open positions are School Board, School Clerk, School Treasurer, and School Moderator. The filing period starts on Jan. 19 and ends Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. You must be a registered voter to declare candidacy.
■Chichester Central school is closed on Jan. 17 celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. day.
■The Board of Selectmen will meet on Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. at town hall.
■The Library under the leadership of Miss Caroline will have storytime at 10:45 on Jan 18. Music and Movement designed for ages newborn to four will be held on Jan. 20.
■Chichester Trustee of Trust Funds will have their monthly meeting on Jan 21 at 9 a.m. in the community room at the town hall.
■The Chichester School Board will meet on Jan.19 at 6 p.m. at the school.
■The Chichester Heritage Commission will meet Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Historical Building.
■The Filing period for declaration of candidacy for elected town positions begins on Jan. 19 and ends on Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. You may file with the town clerk during normal business hours for your name to appear on the ballot. Positions available are Board of Selectmen (three years), Trustee of Trust Funds (six years), Supervisor of Checklist (6 years), Library Trustee (three years), and Cemetery Trustee (three years). Office hours are Monday (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Tuesday (8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.) and Wednesday and Thursday (8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.). The town clerk will have special hours on Jan. 28 from 3 to 5 p.m., to accept declarations of candidacy. For questions call 798-5350.
■The school is offering counseling for the spring semester. Melissa Arnest, a graduate student of counseling at Plymouth State will be available Monday and Tuesday through the end of May.
■Officer Stacey Fiske from the Merrimack County Sheriff Department will be back in the school to present DARE to the 6th grade. Many activities are being planned.
■The Granite State 90 day Winter Challenge is available at the school.
■The Chichester Library received $5,351 from the Institute of Music and Library Services. The funds were allocated with the American Rescue Plan by Congress. The grant will be used for Sprouts backpacks which will contain educational material, Playaway tables for children, a flat-screen TV for library programs, Bluetooth stereo, and air filters with air quality monitors.
■Chichester Country Store is looking for energetic, self-motivated and friendly people to join their team in the store, deli and café. Call 435-7415 for more information.
■The Chichester Conservation Commission and volunteers have developed great trails for winter use at Shaw’s Pasture on Main Street. People are enjoying cross country skiing, snowshoeing and winter hiking. Parking is available with guided signs.
■The Chichester Central School Ram Record News meeting has changed to Mondays from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. at the school.
■The Chichester Supervisors of the Checklist will be meeting on Jan. 18 at the Grange Hall from 7 to 7:30 p.m. to register voters and make corrections, additions and deletions of the voter checklist. Residents removed who had not voted since April 1, 2017 who wish to register should bring required documents. Applicants, please bring a photo ID, proof of Chichester residency and proof of U.S. citizenship. Applicants who do not bring proof with them may register if they sign an affidavit attesting to their qualifications. The updated voter checklist will be posted in the town hall as well as the library. Due to the Covid surge please wear masks.
■The Chichester Fire Department would like to remind anyone experiencing any kind of emergency that is an immediate threat to life or property, to call 911. Do not call the fire/police station for a need of a fire truck, ambulance or police officer.
EVELYN PIKE
broomtailfarm@hotmail.com
■The Town Clerk and Selectmen’s Office closed on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. /Civil Rights Day.
■The first day to file a declaration of candidacy with the Town Clerk is Jan. 19 (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and the last day is Jan. 28 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The Town Clerk’s Office will be open additional hours during Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Office will not be open for vehicle registrations or property tax payments during these additional hours. For more information please, visit epsomnh.org/voting-elections.
■The Supervisors of the Checklist will be in session on Jan. 18 from 7 to 7:30 p.m. at the Town Office Meeting Room. Change to party registration may be accepted per RSA 669:5.
■The Conservation Commission will meet on Thursday at the town office at 6 p.m.
■The Town Hall Renovation Committee Informational Session will meet on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Epsom Central School cafeteria
■Join in our library contest for children in 4th through 8th grade sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Answer the prompt, “what does the library mean to me?” in any way that you would like: essay, picture, video, comic, sculpture, etc. Due Jan. 21 to Mrs. Wall at ECS or Mrs. Camidge at EPL.
■The book discussion group will meet on the first Saturday of each month at 9:30 a.m. See you on Feb. 5 to discuss “Be Frank with Me” by Julia Cliaiborne Johnson. Plenty of copies are available at the library.
■The next Matinee Movie is on Jan. 19, “Respect.” This film follows the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a young adult singing in her father’s church choir to her international superstardom. This true story tells of her journey to find her voice and become the Queen of Soul. Jennifer Hudson stars. Rated PG-13
■An art exhibit and reception, now through Feb. 26, will display Brandy Patterson’s contemporary abstract art. The reception will be on Jan. 22 from noon to 3 p.m.
■Happy birthday wishes today to Nathan Davis, my wonderful brother in law on Wednesday.
TERRY RIEL
rielt397@gmail.com
■The Pittsfield Parks and Recreation Commission Winterfest Celebration for 2022 continues on Jan. 17 from 1 to 3 p.m., at the Candy Bar Bingo Pittsfield Community Center Function Room. Please check the Pittsfield Facebook page for information.
■Supervisors of the Checklist Session will be held on Jan. 18 at the Town Hall from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Pittsfield Supervisors of the Checklist will be in session to register new voters and make necessary corrections. Changes of party registration will be accepted.
■The Suncook Valley Rotary Club will meet on Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. If you are interested in attending the meeting, please contact Fallon Reed at Fallon.Reed@gmail.com or Jessica Drouin at Jessica26drouin@gmail.com for location information.
■Celebrate the new year with the Josiah Carpenter Library’s newest StoryWalk, “Snowmen All Year,” by Caralyn Buehner. The story features a young boy’s dream of building a snowman that never melts. Maps can be picked up in the mailbox attached to the community bulletin board on Main Street at Dustin’s Park. As you return to the library on Main Street to read the last page of the book, stop in to pick up a free gift!
■On Jan. 18 at the First Congregational Church, the Infant Toddler Diaper Pantry will be open from 9 to 11 a.m. Each family receives one set of diapers/product per child in need, and one package of wipes per family. We use the parking lot off Chestnut Street. We will also be accepting donations of diapers and wipes, including open packages. Please call 435-7471 if you have any questions. Together we are making a difference.
■The Pittsfield Youth Workshop (PYW) has drop-in hours from 3 to 6 p.m. on Tueday, Thursday and Friday and from 1 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Lots of fun activities happening – stop in and check it out. In observance of MLK Day, there is no school on Jan. 17. PYW will be open 2 to 6 p.m. for a campfire and movie day. Please email Laurie Sweeney or Zach Powers at info@pittsfieldyouthworkshop.org or call 435-8272 for more information.
■Declarations of Candidacy for elected School District positions will begin on Jan. 19 and expire on Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. You may file at the office of the School District Clerk at the Town Hall during regular business hours. The declaration form will also be available to download from the Town and School District websites – pittsfieldnh.gov and pittsfieldnhschools.org. The open positions are: Board Member 2 (three years), School Board Member (one year) and School District Clerk (three years). The open town positions are: Selectman 2 (three years), Town Moderator (2 years), Supervisor of the Checklist (six years), Trustee of Trust Funds (three years), Library Trustee (three years), Cemetery Trustee (three years), Planning Board (three years), and Zoning Board of Adjustment (three years).
■For your convenience, snowmobile and ATV registrations may be purchased at the Pittsfield Town Clerk’s Office.
■Ice Fishing on Wild Goose Pond at Graylag Nature Preserve on Jan. 22, meet at the firepit! This program will provide an introduction to ice fishing, including tip ups and other ice fishing equipment, ice safety, fish identification, and rules and regulations.Led by Stu Stinchfield, a longtime friend of Graylag and the stonemason responsible for much of our land art, this will be an in-person, socially-distant event. The backup date is Jan. 29 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call us at (603) 435-5555 and to register, go to graylag.org/programs/ice-fishing.
■The library would like to remind people that they continue to offer delivery of library materials. If you’re homebound for any reason, or are simply avoiding all the cold, flu and covid germs swirling around, the library can come to you! For more information call 435-8406.
■The Pittsfield Senior Center is now located at Joy Church. Bingo will be every Monday and Thursday at 10 a.m. On Wednesdays at 10 a.m. are cribbage and other games. Please contact Carol Schiferle at cshiferle@bm-cap-org or call 435-8482 if you have any questions or if you need information.
■The Senior Center needs volunteers for different days of the week, and different times, depending on the task being done. The work is easy and gratifying and only takes one to two hours a week. Training is provided, if interested please call 435-8482.
■The town of Pittsfield’s Winter Parking Ban on town roads is effective now through April 15. This ban prohibits parking in or on the town’s roads or right of way between the hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
■The Town offices and Schools will be closed on Jan. 17 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr./ Civil Rights Day.
■The Executive Committee of the PHS Alumni Association would like to thank everyone for the many generous donations that resulted from the Fall 2021 newsletter fund drive. Over $4,000 was donated. We will be awarding scholarships to members of the Class of 2022 and will be planning an All-Class Reunion, thanks to the generosity of many Alumni members. If you did not receive a newsletter and would like to be on our mailing list, please email us at: PHSAlumni@pittsfieldnhschools.org. If you would still like to donate, you can send a check made out to PHS Alumni to PHS Alumni Association, Pittsfield Middle High School, 23 Oneida Street, Pittsfield, NH 03263. Or if you prefer, you can donate by going to paypal.com and send your donation to phsalumni@pittsfieldnhschools.org.
■If anyone is interested in joining the leadership committee of the Alumni Association (only four meetings per year), please email us at PHSAlumni@pittsfieldnhschools.org. We would love to have you join us.
■Happy Birthday wishes to Nate Davis and my brother-in-law, Peter Karwocki on Jan. 16 and to my wonderful husband Mark Riel on Jan. 19. I hope you all enjoy your special day.
ANDREA RIEL
435-6346
pittsfieldtowncrier@hotmail.com