Current items of interest for Sandwich residents and visitors.
The Sandwich Central School 6th Grade Class just returned from their field trip to Washington, D.C.
The rest of SCS celebrated Read Across America and worked together to create cardboard ships!
Live Music
Live Music at The Corner House Restaurant Fridays 6 to 9 Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 4 pm to 9 pm, and Friday and Saturday, from 4 pm to 10 pm. Sunday 9 to 9, Brunch 9 to 1. 22 Main Street, Center Sandwich, info@nhcornerhouse.com, 603-284-6219.
Live Music at The Foothills Usually Thursdays and Sundays. Call for info. The Foothills Cafe and Curio, 25 Main Street, Center Sandwich, NH, 603-707-2424
It's looking like winter around here! Photo by Jeff McEvoy
Upcoming Events ~ April 2024
Workshops, Classes, and Camps
Dragonfly Yoga Barn Katie of Dragonfly Yoga writes: “Coming right up is our Ireland Retreat, April 23 - 30, and we still have one room left. Traveling with Declan and I is an adventure you won't soon forget--think pubs, music, amazing vistas, beautiful Irish villages and towns, and the food! YUM! Our Mexico Yoga Retreat has just been released! This one is November 2 ~ 9th, in gorgeous Chacala, Mexico, about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta at one of the prettiest retreat centers I've ever been to since I began offering retreats over 12 years ago.” Dragonflyyogabarn.com Located at 280 Bennett Street, North Sandwich. Contact dragonflyoga@gmail.com, or online at www.dragonflyyogabarn.com. Basket Street Yoga Led by Molly Powers Simmons, and located at 2 Basket Street, Center Sandwich. Contact Molly at 617-461-9512, or visit the website at 2basketstreetyoga.com for more information or to sign up for classes. Drop-in price: 15.00; 5-class pass - $65.00. info@2basketstreetyoga.com.
Eastman House Counseling and Yoga Offered by Heather Cameron. Located at 909 Holderness Road, Center Sandwich. Yoga class is held on Fridays, from 9- 10 am, Mindful Slow Flow. Slow flow yoga is a gentle practice which combines deep breathing, stretching and relaxed postures to bring restorative energy and serenity to your body and mind. Perfect for Fall! Preregister via email, eastmanhouse.heather@gmail.com.
Rec Department Activities The Sandwich Parks and Rec. Department is bringing back their Senior Striders program. The Sandwich Central School gym will be open Sundays from 2 – 4 pm for indoor walking. This is for folks hoping to stretch their legs and get their steps in on less icy terrain. Doors will be unlocked automatically from 2 until 3:15 pm every Sunday. Please carry in shoes to walk in, and change in hallway, as tracking in mud, snow and ice will make the gym floor very slippery. No ball or other activities allowed at this time; this is for adults only. The Sandwich Central School gym will be open Saturdays from 1:00 – 3:00 pm for kids in grades 4 – 8 for basketball shoot-around or other gym activities. Adult pickup basketball takes place on Mondays and Thursdays at 6:00 pm in the Sandwich Central School Gym. Indoor Pickleball meets at Sandwich Central School Gym on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings 5 – 7 pm. Beginner Music Jam ~ every Wednesday Hello, beginner to intermediate musicians. This is a reminder that we gather every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8pm at the Sandwich town hall for a free, fun-filled music jam. We play traditional, Celtic, oldtime, folk, and Americana tunes at a slow to moderate tempo. Bring your hobby out and start playing with others! It's fun and inclusive. Right now, we have fiddles, penny whistle, flute, guitars, mandolin, acoustic bass, piano, concertina, and an autoharp!! Sheet music available. Plenty of parking, and an elevator lift if needed. Listeners are always welcome, Never an obligation to attend. It’s free! For more information, contact Christine Woodman at woodperson67@gmail.com
Winter! Photo by Janina Lamb
Places to go; things to do...
Advice to the Players Open Mic Advice to the Players sponsors Open Mic Night the second Tuesday of each month at 7 pm, at the Samuel Wentworth Library, 35 Main Street, Center Sandwich. "Whoever you are, no matter how lonely"- we're looking for wordsmiths, song singers, piccolo players, that special little spark in your eyes when you juggle bowling pins and crack nasty your mama jokes. It doesn't have to be good, there will be guaranteed polite applause. And snacks. To RSVP or for more information, please contact Vicky Dworkin at Vicky.dworkin@gmail.com. Senior Meals Sandwich senior meals are held at 12:00 noon every Wednesday at the Benz Center, 18 Heard Road, Center Sandwich. Moultonboro senior meals are held Monday through Thursday at the Moultonboro Community Center (formerly Old Lions Club) at 139 Old Route 109. All are welcome at both locations. Coffee is ready at the Benz at 11:30! Please call 603-476-5110 for takeout orders or to sign up to have meals delivered.
Foothills Café and Curio Foothills Café ‘Mud Season’ Hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 8 am until 9 pm, serving breakfast, lunch, and then dinner. And Sundays, from 10 am – 5 pm, with music from noon to 2:00. Closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for March and April. Nancy Blaine, Foothills’ owner writes, “We are always available for Private Events! Consider us for your office party, family party, rehearsal dinner and more. Contact us at info@thefoothillsofsandwich.com” The Foothills Café and Curio is located at 25 Main Street, Sandwich. 603-707-2424. Corner House Restaurant The bar addition at the Corner House is complete as are the upstairs pub renovations. Owner Sam Kachmar writes, “The Corner House is more than just a restaurant; it's a gathering place, a hub where neighbors become friends and stories are shared over plates brimming with flavor.” Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 4 – 9, Friday and Saturday 4 – 10, Sunday 9 – 9 with brunch from 9-2. Corner House offers Winter/Mud Season specials such as ½ price appetizers on Thursdays, $5.00 drafts on Sundays, and Burger Night on Tuesdays. Friday evenings from 6 till 9, the Corner House hosts fantastic local musicians in the pub. Corner House is now hiring all positions. Call CJ at 603-345-0803. 22 Main Street, Sandwich, NH 03227, email: info@nhcornerhouse.com (603) 284-6219 Papa Beans Ice Cream Maple Season is underway and this year marks the 25th year Brad Streeter has been collecting sap and processing syrup! There will be many nights of boiling, and if you see steam coming from the stacks please swing in. We will do our best to post on Facebook page. Ice cream freezer is stocked with lots of pints and ice cream sandwiches. Papa Beans Ice cream and Young Maple Ridge Sugarhouse are located at 301 Wing Road, Sandwich. papabeansicecream@gmail.com.
Sandwich Creamery Opens at New Location The Sandwich Creamery, founded in 1995, is open for self-serve ice cream and cheese, made right here in Sandwich. Hours are 9am – 9 pm every day. Located at 2 Maple Ridge Road, Sandwich.
Design and Build Animal Prosthetics with 4-H Ages 12+ | FREE | email <gregory.hufford.unh@gmail.com> for link to sign up. Mondays of April 15, 22, and May 6, 13, and 20 | 3:30 to 5:30 pm, Moultonborough Public Library. Join 4-H for a hands-on program series at the Moultonborough Public Library! Over five sessions, youth ages 12+ will design and create model prosthetic limbs for animals and then share their hard work at a fun family showcase. We ask that participants attend all sessions to the best of their ability. Snacks will be provided. Spaces are limited, so sign up! In addition to signing up for the workshop, we ask that all youth have an account in 4-H online (free to create) before the first session.
Friends and Fiber Group The Friends and Fiber Group meets every Wednesday evening from 6-8:30 pm. During most of the year, the group meets in the Community Room of the Samuel H. Wentworth Library. The Fiber Group welcomes all abilities and ages of fiber enthusiasts (and those wanting learn or just visit). Come with your knitting, crocheting, spinning, felting, rug hooking, embroidery, sewing or other fiber arts-related or hand-held project to work on. There is no charge and the group is casual and welcoming. While there is no formal instruction, if you have a question about your project, there is usually someone in attendance who can provide assistance. Winter weather may change the meeting.
In the Round In the Round, a community discussion group for the past 23 years, meets weekly in Sandwich. Doors open at 8:30, discussion begins at 8:45. The discussion generally runs until 10 am, or a bit longer. The topic is always thought provoking and related to what people are thinking about these days. In the Round welcomes all points of view, reasonably and respectfully considered. Anyone who wishes to join in that spirit of dialog is invited. Various viewpoints are welcomed. Everyone is welcome.
Sandwich Wood-share Sandwich Woodshare is a grass-roots, all-volunteer program to procure firewood and distribute it to local residents who would otherwise be cold. This project is not intended to meet all of its clients’ heating requirements, but rather to serve as a stop-gap measure to cover urgent needs between fuel deliveries. If you are a Sandwich resident in need, please contact Mark Longley, Sandwich Wood-share Coordinator. 603-284-6294, or email marklongley@sbcglobal.net.
Photo by Franz Nicolay
Worship
North Sandwich Friends Meeting The community is always welcome at in-person Meeting for Worship every Sunday at 10 am. For more information contact Susan Wiley, seeksusanatmyfairpoint.net or 603-677-2634.
Community Church of Sandwich Two churches joined together and became Federated (yoked) in 1933. Although we are still affiliated with both the American Baptist Church (ABC) and the United Methodist Church (UMC) denominations and use both church buildings, our membership is ecumenical. In the spring and summer months we worship at the Baptist Meetinghouse on Church Street and in the fall and winter months we worship at the Methodist Meetinghouse on Main Street.
Our ministries include, but are not limited to, an Annual Dessert Auction with proceeds going to a different mission each year; A Prayer Shawl Ministry where prayer shawls are hand made and given away to anyone needing extra care and comfort; Helping once a month make lunch for Isaiah 61 Café in Laconia. Our Spiritual Growth opportunities include, but are not limited to, a weekly Book Group, Bible Study, and yearly retreat.
We also offer community events like the Annual Ice Cream Social for people to gather before the fireworks at the Fairgrounds and some years we offer an Awareness Festival with a particular theme. Our first year was on Human Trafficking in New Hampshire and the following year we focused on the Homeless in New Hampshire. Each event raised monies to help with these causes.
For the children in the community, we offer things like pumpkin carving in the fall, Easter Egg and cookie decorating before Easter, helping build box sleds for the Box Sled Race in the winter, etc. We have a children’s message during each time of worship. Our mission is basically to reach out to the community with a ministry and message of the love of God. Worship is every Sunday at 10 AM and literally ALL are welcome! Church Office :603-284-6151 sandwichchurch@gmail.com
Town Business
UPCOMING ELECTIONS FOR 2024: Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - State Primary Election Tuesday, November 5, 2024 - State General Election Polls open at 8:00 am for all State/Federal Elections (10am for Town Election); Polls close at 7:00pm. LAST DAY TO CHANGE PARTY AFFILIATION: JUNE 4, 2024 will be the last day registered voters can change their party affiliation prior to the September State Primary Election. New voters may continue to register until election day, as permitted by law. http://www.sandwichnh.org/departments/town_clerks_office/elections/index.php All elections are held on the second floor of Town Hall located at 8 Maple Street, Sandwich, NH. It is important to note that the Town Clerk/Tax Collectors Office is always closed on election days.
Town offices contact information: Alison Gage, Town Clerk/Tax Collector, tctc@sandwichnh.org Town Clerk’s office hours: Tues & Thurs 8:00am to 5:30pm Courtney Delaney, Town Administrator, may be reached during regular office hours, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday from 7:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. e-mail: townadmin@sandwichnh.org Kelly Cox, Administrative Assistant, may be reached during regular office hours Monday, Tuesday, Thursday from 7:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. e-mail: adminassist@sandwichnh.org Website: sandwichnh.org Town of Sandwich 8 Maple Street, PO Box 194 Sandwich, NH 03227 P: 603-284-7113
Fire Permits Required Permits are now required for all outside burning. With a permit, you can burn brush or untreated, unpainted wood up to five inches in diameter. Burning hours are between 5pm and 9am. The fire must be completely out by 9am. Permits may be obtained on-line at https://nh.burnsafeamerica.com or Google 'nh fire permits'. There is a $5.50 fee for permits obtained on-line. I encourage everyone to obtain a permit this way. Sandwich fire permits can also be issued at Town Hall during regular business hours, at the Central Fire Station at 23 Wentworth Hill Road if someone is there or at Ben Adriance's, the house next to the Whiteface Fire Station. If you would like a seasonal cooking or campfire permit, please contact me at 603-284-6450 or 603-387-7104. If you have any questions about fire permits or outside burning please contact me at the above numbers. Remember, a 'controlled' fire can escape quickly and cause damage and endanger lives. You are responsible once you strike that match. Jim Mykland, Forest Fire Warden, Town of Sandwich. Sandwich Transfer Station 2023-2024 facility stickers are required for use of the Transfer Station (and swimming facilities). Stickers are available for purchase at Town Hall, by mail or by drop box. Transfer Station use is strictly prohibited for vehicles without stickers/passes (even for longtime residents!). Sandwich Transfer Station hours are Sunday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 8 am to 4 pm. Please arrive at the Transfer Station at least 15 minutes before closing to allow for unloading and closure for the day. Kevin and John appreciate being able to close on time. Reminder: if you are recycling larger cardboard, please be sure it is cut to a maximum size of 4' x 4'. Larger pieces jam up our compactors! After-hours DROP BOX for the Town Clerk/Tax Collector There is a new after-hours DROP BOX located at the back entrance to Town Hall. If leaving a payment, kindly include the bottom portion of your tax bill and a self-addressed stamped envelope if you would like a receipt mailed to you. You can also visit our website: www.sandwichnh.org. Scroll down to Tax Payment Kiosk to view/print your receipt. The Town Clerk/Tax Collector’s Office will maintain regular business hours on Tuesday and Thursday, processing all transactions (Motor Vehicle Renewals, Vital Records, etc. in addition to Tax payments).
Sandwich Town Hall. Photo by Janina Lamb
Misc. Items of Interest
Radon Detector Available at Library The library now has a digital radon detector that you can check out to learn if your home is safe from radon. Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that diffuses up from New Hampshire’s granite-rich substructure and seeps into our living spaces and water. This gas can have harmful effects on human health. Thank you, Mark & Peggy Longley, for your generous and important donation of our easy-to-use Airthings Corentium device! Give the library a call to learn more and/or to reserve the detector. 603-284-6665.
Driver’s Education Grants The Sandwich Children and Youth Fund offers grants of up to $800 per each cycle (school year, September 1st to June 30th, and summer session, July 1st to August 31st) for a total of $1600 per child per year. The grants can be used for programs such as: day/overnight camps, athletic programs and sports lessons, driver’s education, advanced educational programs, arts/music/dance lessons, licensed child care, student trips, lifeguard certification and college. The Fund for Sandwich Children and Youth is available to any and all residents of Sandwich. Students may be up to 26 years old, and must be children of legal residents of the Town of Sandwich. You can find out more at the town website at sandwichnh.org, and click on Boards and Committees, Trustees of Trust Funds. Doris L. Benz Community Center Joan Merriman writes: For those of you new to Sandwich, and perhaps planning a family gathering, class reunion, or some other sort of meeting let me introduce you to the Doris L. Benz Community Center. The Benz Center is a newly-refurbished, post-and-beam building at 18 Heard Road in town, which can easily hold 50 people. We have a kitchen stocked with silverware, cooking vessels and implements, dinnerware and condiments; a lawn with 2 new picnic tables, and a large parking lot. We have a very nice AV system, large screen, and free WIFI.
We are a nonprofit, and operate through donation. We ask for a small donation of $50 from Sandwich residents who want to use the space for social event—an incredible deal! The space is used as a meeting place by a wide variety of organizations -- no charge for nonprofit groups. Come and check us out -- call 603 284 7211 or email benzcommunitycenter@gmail.com for more information, or to make a reservation.
Sandwich Children’s Center To better accommodate the child care needs of our families, SCC will begin offering full day/full year child care starting Tuesday, September 5. We have extended our operating hours for the Toddler and Pre-School Programs: 8:00-5:00 for the local academic school year (Sept to June) and 8:00-4:00 for the summer (July-August). Our School Age Program (after school) will also be back and running at full capacity. Sandwich Central School has extended the kindergarten hours to 2:30, so kindergarten and school agers will be dropped off by bus at SCC after the end of the elementary school day. Because there has not been an increase in tuition for three years and to accommodate the costs of the extended hours, tuition for Sept 2023 - August 2024 has been increased by 20%. Financial support is available if needed. Our currently enrolled children will be given priority, then enrollment will be opened up to the general public. To secure your child's place at Sandwich Children's Center, please contact Mariah Sizemore, Acting Director, Sandwich Children’s Center for further information.
Historic Barn Preservation Easement The state of New Hampshire has a law designed to encourage barn owners to safeguard their barns. RSA79d provides for residents to receive property tax forgiveness of up to 75% off the assessed value of a qualified agricultural structure in exchange for the property owner's agreement to maintain the structure. If your barn is more than 75 years of age and can be seen from a public road or waterway, you probably qualify for the easement. The application process is quick and easy, but must be submitted to the town administrators by April 15th.Contact Mark Longley should you like more information about this program. marklongley@sbcglobal.net
Styrofoam Recycling Peggy Longley of the Sandwich Recycling Project writes: We had a successful Styrofoam Collection Day. Thanks to all the Sandwich residents who saved up their foam materials. Thank you! In the mean time, keep saving your polystyrene materials! The next collection in Sandwich event will be announced -most likely late February. Drop Offs: For small amount of foam, anyone can make deposits -2 large bins, 24/7 at 55 Cherry Valley Rd. Gilford. For questions or to make appt. for larger load drop offs, you can call Gilford Recycling director, Meaghan Theriault, 603-527-4783 or email: dpwdirector@gilfordnh.org
Woodshare Program for Sandwich Residents Mark Longley of the Sandwich Woodshare Program writes: Sandwich Woodshare is a grass-roots, all-volunteer program to procure firewood and distribute it to local residents who would otherwise be cold. This program is not intended to meet all of its clients' heating requirements, but rather to serve as a stop-gap measure to cover urgent needs between fuel shortages. We are currently disbursing up to 1/2 cord of free wood to those in need. You may pick up a voucher at the town hall or from Mark, the Woodshare Coordinator at (603) 284-6294 home, (603) 707-2046 cell.
Radon Testing Radon gas is the leading natural cause of lung cancer and has other harmful effects on human health. New Hampshire is now offering free radon-in-air testing for all residences in the state. All you have to do is fill out an online application at http://aelabs.com/nh, and the analytical laboratory will send a test kit to your address. By the way, if your results are high, you may wish to consider radon-in-water testing. (Contact Mark at marklongley@sbcglobal.net for that.)
Tamworth Community Food Center Welcomes You Located at St Andrews Church, 678 Whittier Road, Tamworth, NH. General Questions: 603-960-4067. For Tamworth and Sandwich residents. Please review the following: Reusable bags are recommended: Wear a mask (masks available if needed); A volunteer will greet you; Shopping lists available on site.; Tables and chairs are set up for this; Volunteers will pack your items while you wait: The “free table” of miscellaneous goods is available. Tamworth Community Food Center, PO Box 141, Tamworth, NH 03886
Sandwich Climate Crisis Coalition The Sandwich Climate Crisis Coalition (SCCC) are an ad-hoc group of more than 60 concerned citizens and part of a growing movement of towns in New Hampshire who are responding to the Climate Crisis with a commitment to promote energy and environmental conservation and use of alternative renewable resources. More than 67 New Hampshire towns have either passed or are working on climate warrant articles. The key message: The more research we do, the more evident it becomes that our goal of 100% reliance on renewable sources of electricity by 2030 and for all other energy needs, including heating and transportation, by 2050 in the town of Sandwich will be very doable. We welcome all concerned and interested Sandwich residents and other towns to join our Coalition with Communication, Education, Legislative, Conservation, and Solar committees to choose from. Please email marklongley@sbcglobal.netif you would like to receive SCCC emails and/or join our membership. Visit our website: just google Sandwich Climate.org.
We Care We Care is a welcoming, all-volunteer group of neighbors who believe that all of us can play a meaningful role in taking care of each other and fostering mental health in our community. We are children, siblings, parents, grandparents, colleagues and friends, new and lifelong residents. For more information or if you are interested in joining us, please contact Dan Kusch, 568-3191 or Emilie Coulter, 707-6886.
Broadband Discounts Richard Knox of the Sandwich Broadband Advisory Committee reports: Hundreds of Sandwich residents likely qualify for discounts of $30 to $39.25 on their monthly bills for NH Broadband/Conexon internet service, thanks to two little-known federal subsidies for Americans with modest incomes. Since the sticker price for basic service from NH Broadband is $49.95 per month, the bottom-line cost for those who qualify for ACP is $19.95 and for Lifeline $10.70. This is NOT a scam! The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), run by the Federal Communications Commission, offers a $30/month subsidy to a variety of individuals. Sandwich residents on Medicaid health insurance automatically qualify.
So do families whose children participate in free/reduced school lunch or breakfast programs along with households getting SNAP (supplemental nutrition, formerly known as food stamps). Other automatic qualifiers: People on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), those on public housing assistance such as Section 8, veteran pensioners and survivors, and recipients of federal educational Pell Grants. Apart from these categories, households qualify for ACP if their yearly income is under $55,500 (family of four), $46,060 (three-person households), $36,620 (two-person households), or $27,179 (singles). A separate program, called Lifeline, offers an additional $9.75 a month for people whose incomes are lower – less than $37,463 for a four-person household, $31,091 for three people, $24,719 for two and $18,347 for singles. Lifeline recipients automatically qualify for ACP, bringing their total monthly subsidy to $39.75.
Sandwich residents who think they may qualify for these subsidies should visit www.affordableconnectivity.gov or www.lifelinesupport.org. If you know someone who may be eligible, please let them know about these important benefits. They can access the internet at the Wentworth Library and use the links above to learn more and apply online. They can call NH Broadband’s customer service line at 866-431-1029. If they need further assistance, they can call us – two members of the Town’s Broadband Advisory Committee – at the numbers below – and we’ll try to help. For the Sandwich Broadband Advisory Committee, Jeanne Ryer 603-491-2140, Richard Knox 603-284-6145