The Valley Voice by Tom Eastman [09/19/2008]

Memorial climbs, corn maizes and annual White-Lewis Concert

The September month of giving in the valley continues this week with several charitable and/or community events worthy of support.Topping the list are the dedication of the Gary Millen Stadium at Kennett High Friday night prior to the Kennett High-Plymouth Bobcats Football Game at 6:30 p.m. For more, more, see sports scribe Lloyd Jones' story on today's front page.The following day is Jen's Friends' 11th annual Climb Against Cancer at Cranmore Mountain Resort Saturday, Sept. 20. Looking ahead to Sept. 20, the 11th annual Jen's Friends Climb Against Cancer returns to Cranmore Mountain Resort Sept. 20 for the benefit of the local cancer organization that helps patients and their families. For more information, go to www.jensfriends.org. Yours truly will be emcee-ing the event again this year (I filled in for my brother Steve in 2006, and am more than honored to take on the assignment once again in Steve's memory). I am told the theme for this year's climb is Friends as in, ya gotta have friends in this life to get by in life and to face life's challenges. A definite ayuh to that!Also happening this weekend is the Conway Scenic Railroad's annual Railfan's Weekend, Sept. 20 and 21. Call 356-5251 for the scoop on all the special runs, including by the Conway Scenic's new Buddliner.Also this Saturday and Sunday, the Sherman Farm in East Conway will host its second annual Corn Maize, Sept. 20 and 21 and continuing weekends through Oct. 26 . The Shermans last year came up with the idea of making the maze a corny oversized reproduction of the state's bicentennial coin, which depicts the Old Man of the Mountain, the state's emblem which slipped off its perch off Cannon Mountain in Franconia Notch May 3, 2003.Phyllis Sherman and Kathy Sherman have revealed at a media day Sept. 16 that this year's theme is ... the UNH and UMaine hockey team emblems, owing to the farm being located on the Maine-New Hampshire border and that team rivalry being so intense.In keeping with that theme, a portion of Saturday's opening proceeds will benefit the Mount Washington Valley Youth Hockey Association, and a portion of opening Sunday's proceeds will benefit Kennett High Ice Hockey. Team members will be selling raffle tickets to hockey tickets to a future Maine-UNH hockey game at the Verizon Center.New this year is a corn cannon corn will be blasted out the nozzle of the cannon at (non-human) targets yet to be announced. For more information or to make reservations, call 455-5471 or go to www.cornfieldmaze.com.Also on Saturday, Tin Mountain Conservation Center is holding a Trail Work Day at its Nature Learning CenterBald Hill Rd in Albany from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Other upcoming work days include Oct. 11, Nov. 15, and Dec. 13. Call 447-6991, or visit Tin Mountain on the web at www.tinmtn.org.MUSIC NIGHT IN JACKSON SEPT. 21: Organizer Liz Carleton tells us the annual Peter Lewis and Peter White Musical Scholarship Concert will return to the Shannon Door Pub in Jackson Sunday night, Sept. 21.Expected to perform are Rod MacKenzie, Kevin Dolan, Simon Crawford, Davey Armstrong, Jon Deveneau, Marty Quirk, Tom Dean, Alana MacDonald, Thom Perkins, Dick Tilton, Jane and John Hively, Jeremy Dean, Jamie Johnston, Jon Sarty, Dave Cochran, and Norm Smith.A partial list of prizes Lift tickets- Attitash and King Pine; and gift certificates to such establishments as Gift Settlers' Green, Irving, Inn at Crystal Lake, Stonehurst; Applebees, the Muddy Moose and China Chef, and hand-painted glassware donated by Dayle Gilbert and a gift basket from Fields of Ambrosia.The concert honors the memory of the late Peter Lewis and Peter White, two British musicians who came to the valley via Bermuda to became fixtures of the local music scene with such others as Rockin' Rod MacKenzie, formerly of Scotland and now of Florida, Dave Armstrong of Dennis and Davey of Friday nights at May Kelly's fame, and Kevin Dolan and Simon Crawford, who play regularly at the Shannon Door Pub in Jackson.For more information about the Sept. 21 Peter Lewis and Peter White Musical Scholarship at the Shannon Door, go to www.LewisandWhiteMusic.org or call 383-4211.On Sept. 25, as part of its Attitude Thursdays, the Red Parka Pub will host a benefit for Brian Lessard, who was injured in an auto accident last month. Audio Kickstand will perform, there will be a silent auction, and lots of other great food and events will take place. Call 383-4344 for further information about this bound to be great fund-raiser for Brian.Also on the 25th, the Mount Washington Valley Children's Museum is hosting a party to celebrate the opening of its new Treehouse exhibit, which was made possible by grants from the Ham Foundation, the Goldberg Foundation and the Getz Foundation. Looking ahead, the museum will host a non-scary children's Halloween party Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For further information, call 356-2992. In other fall happenings, Coldstone Creamery on the 25th from 5 to 8 p.m. will present an ice cream social to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Stop by and enjoy some great ice cream while aiding a great cause!Ability Plus Inc. is presenting the Scott Factor Golf Tournament Sept. 27. Scott, a parapalegic, had a love of all sports and believed that there wasn't anything he couldn't do. He played golf, tennis, skied,and kayaked just to name a few of his successes. This golf tournament will be held at Linderhoff Country Club in a four-person scramble format as Scott made his home at Linderhoff. Cost is 50 per player and includes dinner. Registration forms can be obtained at the Linderhof club house or can be sent to you on line. Please email duffyski@verizon.net or call 986-6781 to register. All proceeds from the tournament will go to Ability Plus.The White Mountain Cider Co. and Restaurant will present its annual open house and fall festival Saturday, Sept. 28, with bobbing for apples, pumpkin carving, pie contests and more. This year's event will benefit Angels and Elves of Mount Washington Valley.After all of that. it's time for the return of the Pumpkin People to Jackson Oct. 1 through 20, and the Fryeburg Fair, Sept. 28 through Oct. 5.Word had it that there was a good turnout (and once again tons of fantastic food) for the Story Land After Dark Sept. 12, and the Conway Area Humane Society's 11th annual Bark in the Park and the Walk for the Animals in North Conway's Schouler Park Saturday, Sept. 13.Total money raised for the event at press time was approximately $23,000. First-place fund-raisers this year include Hope Ullman with a total of $1,050 in the individual category, and Joy Tarbells Prudential Power Paws in the team category, who brought in a total of $2,300. Second-place individual winner was Jayne Geddes who raised $900. Carole Penza came in third by raising $405. Honorable mention was Kath Harris, who brought in $400. The second-place team, the Zebulins, raised $1,206.83 and Friends of Furries came in third raising $1,100. Paws for a Cause was the team honorable mention with a total of $701.All money raised goes to help the animals in the shelters care.After the Walk for the Animals, the Bark in the Park Pet Expo got under way with the police dog demos from Deputy Brittany Perley and Edge and Trooper De Luca of the N.H. State Troopers with Tyson. The carnival games, dog show, agility course, and the Best Friends Parade followed, and Bonnie Fogg the animal communicator was a popular addition this year. Meanwhile, Cranmore's Rocktoberfest Sept. 13 raised more than $500 for the 1935-founded Eastern Slope Ski Club, according to marketing director Kathy Bennett. Steve Lavoie and crew from N.H. Distributors handed out the steins, and Piper and the Chris Fitz Band rocked them as patrons enjoyed the beer and German food, inclcuding food and beverage manager Glen Harmon's mother's recipe fpr potato salad.We left that bash early on, as we had a Friends of Tuckerman Ravine board meeting at the Appalachian Mountain Club's Joe Dodge Lodge Saturday evening. That meeting followed the first of two volunteer trail days, during which 20 volunteers worked on the fire trail near Huntington Ravine. The big news is that in addition tot he Inferno Pentathlon in April, Friends of Tuckerman this year is presenting a Wildcat Wildfire event, which will be run an hour after the start of the Inferno. It will be an easier course, and will end at Wildcat Mountain, where hikers will make their way up the Polecat beginner trail, and then vault down probably the Wildcat and Bobcat Trails. Stay tuned for details as this will enable skiers and snowboarders who perhaps are not up to the challenges of the ravine to take on a more manageable trail at Wildcat for the final leg of the five-part race. Al Risch also says a second trail work weekend is slated for October. Go to www.friendsoftuckerman,org for the scoop. TOM ON THE TOWN (AND MAURY ON THE LAKE): Kudos to local swimming coach Maury McKinney, who tackled Lake Winnepesaukee Wednesday. Maury will share his insights about his grueling swim in a future issue of the Conway Daily Sun. He did the 21.5-mile swim as a fund-raiser for the White Mountain Aquatic Foundation, which is hoping to raise funds for a feasibility study to determine the desire for an indoor multi-generational swim facility here in the valley. Way to go Maury! For more information, call Maury at 662-7064or e-mail him at karmazoe@roadrunner.com...Tennessee Log Homes hosted a great monthly Chamber After Hours Tuesday evening, Sept. 16, at their beautiful log mansion off Glen ;edge Road. Approximately 130 people were there, with Cranmore's Kathy Bennett winning the fishing boat trip off Newburyport...Jon Sarty hosted a fun Hoot Night at the Wildcat Tavern that same Tuesday night, during which everyone from Mark Juhas and violinist fiancee Rebecca Kaplan to Thom Perkins, Kathy Bennett, Scot Montgomery and yours truly played. The Wildcat is featuring an all-you-ccan-eat buffet as part of the weekly Tuesday music extravaganza...Happy b-days to one and all, including Bridie O'Neil (9-22), the Irish innkeeper at the Kearsarge Inn, whose parents are visiting her all the way from Ireland en route to Vegas this weekend. Look for them at May Kelly's for the Celtic Seisiuns Sunday (that's Celtic as in Keltic, as opposed to the soft s as in Celtic a soft C Celtic Sessiun would, we suppose feature Johnny Most's favorite Celtic songs, as opposed to Irish tunes)...See you at Jen's Friends Sept. 20 and at the White-Lewis Concert at the Shannon Door on Sunday.