Dear Friends and Neighbors:

Greetings from our new normal!  Back in May we announced this season’s summer exhibit would be virtual and remote.  Since then, we have been very hard at work on the exhibit, and the time has come to reveal!

We are excited to announce our 2020 Summer Exhibit ~ Our Women of Sandwich ~ is now live!  Whether you visit us virtually or are able to go on our self-guided walking tour, we hope you enjoy it!  While the walking tour will remain the same throughout the summer and fall, our virtual exhibit will be updated weekly, and we encourage you to add to it!  Please read on to find out more.  

How will you know where to find these amazing women? We have created a map which is available on our website as well as a limited quantity available outside the Elisha Marston House.  Of course, you may also just “stumble” upon them as you move about town in the course of your weekly activities! And, again, all of the women are featured on our website, which you may view from the comfort of home!

We are also celebrating other women of Sandwich virtually.  We are featuring a few as part of our exhibit kick-off women right away on our website. We will be adding to this list of virtual vignettes as the summer progresses.  In fact, we welcome you to add a woman (or two!) to our special virtual exhibit by sending us a personal story…. a paragraph or several.  It need not be lengthy, but it is a wonderful way to acknowledge a Sandwich woman of significance to you.  It would be helpful if you could provide at least one picture of her too! In this way our celebration of Sandwich Women will continue to grow all summer!  We can also add your story(ies) to the women we are already highlighting.  The more voices, the better!  Email us at sandwichhistory@gmail.com.

Finally, we will have a little something extra associated with our exhibit this summer. Coming out July 31 and running through August 21 there will be a scavenger hunt format for children (11 & under) and a bingo format for adults (12 & up).  We hope this will encourage folks to visit our remote exhibit sites, our website, and celebrate the time of summer that includes Old Home Week! Stay tuned for more information on these and other virtual offerings that we may have this summer.
 
Although this “new normal” is uncharted territory, the staff and trustees of the Sandwich Historical Society are working hard to ensure that we continue to share Sandwich History.  Our Excursion Bulletin will be published as usual! Our Museum Shop is open online and features wonderful gift items, clothing, publications, and postcards.  Be well and we hope you enjoy Our Women of Sandwich! 
 
Abby Hambrook, Director
Geoff Burrows, President
Web:  sandwichhistorical.org Email:  sandwichhistory@gmail.com

The Exhibit Team would like to extend special thanks to the following for their help with our exhibit:
 
Property & Business Owners:  “Maple House” (David Patridge & Mallory Hathaway); Town Hall & the Old Fire Station (Sandwich Board of Selectmen & Fire Chief Ted Call); Parade & Fair Museum Buildings (Sandwich Fair Association President, Dan Peaslee & the Board of Directors); Baptist Meetinghouse & Methodist Meetinghouse (Trustees, Community Church of Sandwich); Samuel H. Wentworth Library (Director Nancy Fredrickson), Sandwich Home Industries (Manager Martha Nichols); Center Post Office (Trustees, Alfred Quimby Fund & the Postmaster); Tappan Chair Shop (Artisan Adam Nudd-Homeyer); and the Corner House Inn (Lexi Townsend)
 
Pictures (to date):  Carl Hansen, Sue Greene, Abby Hambrook, Wendy Ritger, Deb Kerr, David Crory, Joan Cook, Trecia McEvoy, Susan Lirakis  and Geoff Burrows.
 
Map:  Bob Dustin and Jim Hambrook 

Ole Anderson writes: Hi all, There will be an Old Home Week this year, but it will be different than years’ past.  Old Home Week is Sunday 8/9 – 8/16.  We are doing our best to create activities and events for the community to safely engage. Many of the groups who usually offer events and activities are working on dynamic planning in order to deliver a safe and meaningful experience for community members.

I can say with certainty that there will not be an Old Home Week Brochure. The nature of planning for the week with attention to Covid-19 guidelines and recommendations, or the potential of rising confirmed cases in our area, make it necessary for each group to have the ability to adjust their event rather than feel committed to what is published in a brochure weeks in advance.  

We will be populating the town website with a schedule at sandwichnh.com. This page is currently blank, but as events and activities are confirmed, we will add them, starting on July 14.  We will try and post on the SandwichBoard as each new activity and event is added. We will certainly post an update if an already posted event has been modified or canceled.

Please know we are doing our best to create safe, fun, and interesting events and activities; however, this means many of the traditional Old Home Week events will not be able to take place this year.  Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work on Sandwich’s 122nd Old Home Week.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ole Anderson, Sandwich Parks and Recreation Director, 284-6473, sandwichrecreation@gmail.com

Center Sandwich, NH: July 4th, 2020 – Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery is pleased to open Sandwiched in Seasons, an exhibit of new work by artist, Kathryn Field.

Field is a painter, sculptor and art teacher who lives and works in Sandwich, NH. Follow Field through her spring and summer walks, hikes and swims into intense fall color and icy winter streams.  Each painting is a personal experience, and adventure in color, light and shadow.  This series is an exquisite testimony to the artist’s talents.  

Preview Field's work at her website or even better visit Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery at 69 Maple Street in Center Sandwich, NH.  We will open July 1 for the summer.  Though there is no opening reception to meet the artist this year, the paintings will be on exhibit until July 25th.  Gallery hours are from 10 to 5 Monday through Saturday and 12 to 5 on Sunday.  For more information about the artist or the gallery please visit the website or give us a call at 603 284 7728.

We hope that you are well. On June lst we continued the process of exploring potential COVID-19 driven Town budget reductions (reduction in paving expense, workforce, etc.). We will proceed thoughtfully and will not compromise essential services.

On Sunday, May 31, we honored Police Chief Wyman with a drive-by celebration in appreciation of his 20 years of exemplary service to our Town. Thank you to the many town residents, family members, and law enforcement colleagues from across the state – and beyond - who showed up with signs, balloons, cards, and heartfelt praise. You might have heard the full Fire Department and Law Enforcement sendoff escort. We are deeply grateful for his years of proactive leadership and deep commitment to the very best principles of community policing.

 On Monday, we held swearing in ceremonies for our new Police Sergeant, Karl Koch (pronounced “cook”),  and the promotion of Staff Sgt. Shawn Varney to Chief. We truly appreciate the tremendous community affirmation in support of Police Chief Varney.

We are finalizing our plans for our beaches and summer recreation. This has required more study and taken longer than any of us would wish, thank you for your understanding.

 Roads, road drainage, and the Transfer Station continue to occupy much of our time. We approved the $2+ million yearly Tax Anticipation Note (TAN) that provides us with necessary working capital until property taxes are collected. Each week the Selectmen report on what the residents have shared with them so that we can provide community responsive leadership.

 Please support our local businesses and nonprofits as we look to get our local economy back into gear. We will all need to pitch in, work together, and observe safe protocols.  Respectfully, Joanne Haight, Leo Dwyer, Todd Horn, Board of Selectmen

The Sandwich Selectmen write: Hello all: Thank you to all residents who participated in the recreational spaces survey!  It is great to hear how committed this community is to using public spaces in a safe and fair manner. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be implementing modifications to beach policies this year with the understanding that we must remain flexible in this time of ever-changing circumstances. All policies are subject to change, however we understand residents are eager to begin summer planning. Community cooperation is essential to ensuring effective policies and is greatly appreciated in advance!

Please wear a mask when moving to and from vehicles and maintain distance from anyone that is not in your household (per CDC guidelines). Please do not come to the beach if you or a member of your household is sick. As we seek to keep facilities accessible to all residents, please be mindful of the large at-risk sector of our population.

 No Lifeguards on Duty: swim at your own risk at all times!  No inflatables, but lifejackets and foam noodles are allowed.  There will be no picnic tables and no swim raft, but we will have swim lines. There will be no swim lessons this summer.

The Beach parking area will be for beachgoers only. Please use roadside parking or the trailer lot across the street from the beach for boat use including rooftop launches (kayaks, canoes, etc.) Beach games will not be allowed (spikeball, frisbee, bocce, football, Kan Jam etc.)

As always, facility stickers and/or guest passes are required for use of the town beaches. Parking policies will be strictly enforced. Beginning June 17th, Beach Attendants will staff the town beach at Squam 7 days a week 10:00 am - 5:30 pm to assist in implementing the following procedures. The Beach will be open regular hours 7:00 am to 10:00 pm.
 
Upon arrival, beachgoers will give their name and the number of people in their vehicle to the beach attendants. Attendants will note the arrival time, and assign the group a number. Beach goers will have a two-hour time limit when beach is at capacity. If the beach reaches capacity, an attendant will give group members a fifteen-minute notice. Attendants will determine capacity based upon parking and discretion, taking into consideration beach space and CDC guidelines. If the beach does not reach capacity in two hours, beachgoers may stay until capacity is reached. However, if capacity is reached, the time limit will be counted as when beachgoers arrived, not when the beach reached capacity. Beachgoers may attempt to return two hours after they leave.
 
Any beachgoers who biked, walked, or are dropped off will abide time limits. Drop-offs and walk/bike-ins will not be allowed when beach is at capacity.

We ask that folks follow CDC guidelines for social distancing at the Potholes and Bearcamp Pond. Please limit visitation duration and do not attempt to enter when these parking areas are full.
 
As these policies are subject to change, full cooperation is key to assessing whether future modifications to beach policies are necessary. We are eager to facilitate the enjoyment of sunshine and our local facilities during these difficult times.

If you have any question or comments, please direct them to Sandwich Parks and Recreation Director Ole Anderson at: sandwichrecreation@gmail.com

As you can imagine, our response to COVID-19 dominated our weekly meeting on Monday the 11th. With the professional insights of Dr. Paul Simmons – the Town’s medical advisor - and other local and state resources, we are working our way through a time of uncertainty and anxiety. Balancing public health, economic welfare, tradition, routine town business, and all that we hope for each summer is tricky.

The biggest take-away was that we need your understanding and support as we apply the best judgment of our state and local leaders. We appreciate the flexibility and open-minded, open-hearted spirit of our community.
 
We will communicate regularly, understanding that we might have to change direction on some policies as circumstances shift. We are developing a survey to learn more about what our residents hope for this summer. Managing expectations will be a challenge as we will likely face significant budget challenges.

We also have a heavy load of normal Town business to address as each Town Committee works through modified protocols of distancing and Zoom meetings. Thank you to our many extraordinary volunteers upon whom we rely. Your service is what makes our thriving community possible.
 
Our meetings, agendas, and minutes are all public and can be found on the Town’s website.

We observed all recommended protocols (masks, distancing, limit of ten) and met in person upstairs in Town Hall this week but will return to virtual meetings on May 18th. We, also, remain flexible!
 
In addition to our usual department and committee business, we worked to complete the hiring process and plan a smooth transition as Chief Doug Wyman retires on May 31st.
 
The Town’s recreational facilities currently remain open. We need your help and support here: please maintain social distancing and appropriate hygiene (hand washing/sanitizer, etc.) Currently, we are not recommending having the swim raft in the water nor will picnic tables be placed on the beach as both compromise social distancing. We continue to research what makes the most sense for typical summer activities and events including Old Home Week. We will keep you posted and appreciate your patience! These are difficult and complex decisions.

Courtney Delaney, the Town’s new Administrative Assistant, started her training with both Jennifer Wright and Cathy Graham. We are excited to have her on our team.
 
Please do not hesitate to contact us or the Selectmen’s Office if you have any concerns or questions. 284-7701  tos@cyberpine.net

Stay safe and stay well, Respectfully, Joanne Haight, Leo Dwyer, Todd Horn, Sandwich Board of Selectmen

The Sandwich Board of Selectmen is studying how best to allow its residents to enjoy all that summer brings to our little town, while also making sure everyone is safe. They are following State protocols during this time of COVID-19 but also need to establish their own guidelines, specific to Sandwich. This survey was established to gather information from our residents on your thoughts on how best to keep our beaches and recreational facilities open and safe this summer. This Survey will close on Sunday 5/24.

We are looking for ideas representing all generations; if more than one person in your family would like to take the survey, please make sure they use their individual e-mail address. If other members of your household will NOT be filling out this survey, please include their perspective in your responses. Please do not take this survey multiple times! 
We estimate it will take 10 minutes to complete.
Please share this survey with anyone you may know who is not on the SandwichBoard.  We are hoping to get input from as many residents as possible.    There will be a link on our town website  on the Parks and Recreation page. http://www.sandwichnh.org/departments/parks_and_recreation/index.php

Some important information:

• You can complete this survey with whatever kind of email you have. No gmail required
• Nobody but town officials will see your responses.  
• You should get a confirmation that you’ve submitted your response, please let us know if that does not happen – send an email to sandwichrecreation@gmail.com 
• You will also have the option to have a copy of your responses sent to you if you would like to have them,
• Survey will expire on 5/24

Survey Link: Sandwich Public Recreational Spaces Survey

Thank you!
Ole Anderson
Sandwich Parks and Recreation Director
sandwichrecreation@gmail.com