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News & Views

Photo of Sandwich Village by Joe Janis

Meet Our Members: Summit Window Cleaning

4/5/2025

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What are your names and what is the name of your business?
Our names are Kaleb Phelps & Liz Brennen and our business is Summit Window Cleaning LLC.
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How did you get to Sandwich, NH?
Kaleb grew up in town and lived just outside the village for the majority of his childhood, but we moved to Sandwich together in 2022. Kaleb’s grandparents, mom and aunt had visited Sandwich in the late 70’s during a Sandwich Fair weekend and fell in love with the town and people. His grandparents vowed to move their family here someday and did so in 1980. Kaleb’s mom grew up in Sandwich, attended Sandwich Central and Inter-Lakes High School, traveled a bit after college but ultimately decided that Sandwich offered Kaleb the best community to grow up in and moved back to town in 1998. Kaleb and his two younger siblings, Phoebe & Roley Hoag all attended Sandwich Central School and then graduated from Inter-Lakes High School where Kaleb and Liz met, became close friends and later started dating. Liz grew up down the road in Center Harbor, so Kaleb picked her up for school on the way by. Liz’s parents often took her for drives through Sandwich, parking at a friend's house nearby so they could swim at the potholes and a trip to Sandwich wouldn’t be complete without driving down to the creamery for some ice cream. Liz has many memories of having dinner at the Corner House, sitting on the couches next to the fireplace, and of course attending most, if not all, Sandwich Fairs, Halloweens to trick or treat, and Third of July Fireworks. Like many people who grew up in Sandwich, Kalebs first job was at the Corner House working for Don Brown where he started as a dishwasher, shortly later being promoted to a busser and for the majority of his time, a waiter. ​
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How did your business get started?
Back in highschool, Kalebs friend suggested that he work with him during the summer for a window cleaning company based out of Sandwich. Kaleb decided to apply and got the job. The owner at the time noticed that Kaleb was a natural with the squeegee, was fast and very detail oriented, never leaving a streak behind. Kaleb loved the job and went back for a second summer before graduating highschool. The owner decided to sell the company and Kaleb worked with the new owner for another three summers through college. Liz graduated from NHTI in 2018 with her Hospitality & Tourism Degree, working at Mill Falls at the Lake in highschool, the Lakes Region Tourism Association during college and Riverwalk Resort at Loon Mountain after graduation. Kaleb attended UNH and transferred to Plymouth State University, graduating in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. After wanting a change from the hotel industry and being interested in starting a business, Liz noticed that there was a need for a window cleaning company in the Lakes Region that was professional, reliable, local, and involved in the community. She knew that with Kalebs window cleaning experience and her customer service skills, as well as what they learned in college, that they could take a chance and start a window cleaning company themselves. Summit Window Cleaning was started shortly later in March of 2019, completing their first job the day after Kalebs college graduation.
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Tell us about your business. What do you do and offer as a service? 
We offer interior & exterior window cleaning, screen cleaning and house cleaning to homes and businesses around the Lakes Region & White Mountains. For interior window cleaning, we use the standard mop and squeegee method, only needing the occasional ladder for those sometimes high, tricky, hard to reach windows. For the exterior, we usually use our 3-stage water purification system that is connected to a water-fed brush that we can extend up to 30 feet in the air. No squeegee needed? Nope! So what does this mean? We filter your water until it’s 100% free from any minerals, dirt or dust. Once we successfully scrub off all of the major dirt, debris or anything else that may have found its way onto your windows, we fully rinse them down with the pure water, leaving no streaks or drops behind!
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What is the most fun and satisfying aspect of your work? 
Of course, as many know, window cleaning is very satisfying to watch! Taking on dirty windows and turning them into shiny masterpieces everyday is not only just satisfying, but it’s extremely rewarding too. One of the things we love most about our business is that every day is different. One day we could be on the lake, the next up in the mountains, and later in the week down in Meredith cleaning another local business, sometimes all three places in one day! We’ve had the opportunity to see a lot of different houses and properties around the state, and have met and talked with so many people with all different backgrounds. In result, we’ve made a lot of new connections, being one of the things we love most about what we do. Another fun thing about Summit is that we’re a family business! Kaleb’s brother, Roley, started working for us when he was 15 years old. Roley’s now turning 20 this May, has worked for us for the last 5 summers and is planning on coming back this Spring. Also, our amazing head house cleaner, Dana, is Kalebs cousin! It’s been really fun working alongside both Roley & Dana and we are grateful for all of their hard work and dedication to Summit's success! ​
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What is the hardest thing about your work?
Like what a lot of other business owners struggle with in our area, one of the hardest things that we deal with is how seasonal we are. A big chunk of our clients have a second home in the area, so sometimes they only need their windows cleaned in preparation for the summer. Our window cleaning operating months are early April to early December, leaving 3-4 months of the year where it’s too cold to clean windows, and there just isn't a huge demand like there is in the warmer months. We decided to offset the seasonality of window cleaning by adding year around house cleaning and snow shoveling in the Winter so we can still offer work to our employees and stay busy when it gets cold! This has worked out really well for us and we appreciate the support from everyone here in town! 
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What are your goals and hopes for the future?
A goal we’ve always had was to eventually move to Sandwich, and now we’re here! Next, we have a goal to buy or build our dream home in town, but right now it's a matter of waiting for the right property during this crazy market! We plan to continue to own and operate Summit Window Cleaning and see what else life has in store for us!
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What else can you tell us about yourself, your business, and your life in Sandwich?
Last year, Liz & Kaleb became the Vice Presidents of the Sandwich Business Group and love working with all of the other local businesses in Sandwich and surrounding towns. For the group, Liz created and maintains the Discover Sandwich Instagram account where she posts pictures, events and business highlights from around town. She also became the Market Manager for the new Sandwich Farmers Market coming this summer! Liz started another Instagram account, Explore Lakes Region, where she posts videos and pictures of businesses around the Lakes Region in hopes to help promote and bring more business to them. Going along with her passion for photography and supporting small businesses, she has recently started another endeavor, Liz Brennen Photos. Summit Window Cleaning has won Best Window Cleaners in the Lakes Region for the last six years in a row and they hope to win again this year. Kaleb & Liz got engaged in Croatia in 2022 and finally got married last Fall on the pond in Quimby Park after 10 years of dating and truly love everything Sandwich! They feel beyond grateful to call this special community home and are looking forward to their future here in town with their dog Jack and two cats, Oscar & Lulu. If you’re in need of any window cleaning or house cleaning, you know who to call! ​
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​Trout in the Classroom

6/17/2024

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On Friday, May 24th, the Upper Multiage students of Ms. McCarty-Drapcho and Mr. Watson’s classes at Sandwich Central School released over 80 Eastern Brook Trout fry into the Cold River in North Sandwich. The Upper Multiagers were joined by Green Mountain Conservation Group members and Americorp volunteers to participate in their most successful release to date. 
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The fourth and fifth graders accepted their role as citizen scientists in January 2024 when they received a shipment of Brook Trout eggs from the New Hampshire Fish and Game, Berlin NH fish hatchery. From that point on, under the guidance of Kayla Croteau of the NHF&G and Tara Schroeder of the Green Mountain Conservation Group, the students caringly raised the trout until they reached their fry stage and were ready to be released in the wild. The students’ responsibilities included testing the aquarium water quality daily, checking the water temperature, and feeding the young trout.
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​The Trout in the Classroom program has become a tradition at Sandwich Central School, one that allows the students to learn many interesting facts about the Eastern Brook Trout, New Hampshire’s state freshwater fish, and a species of concern. The importance of this project is not lost on the student participants and will hopefully inspire some to become future Fish and Game conservation officers and aquatic biologists.  ​
Photographs are courtesy of Tara Schroeder, Green Mountain Conservation Group. 
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Artists on the Porch & Lakes Region Guest Artist space at Center Sandwich Fine Craft Gallery

9/6/2023

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Our next Artist Demonstration on the Porch will be Saturday, September 16, 2023 from 10:00 to 1:00. League of New Hampshire Craftsman Larry and Victoria Elbroch will demonstrate their process of combining Larry's photography of trees with Victorie's printmaking. Together they create beautiful, amazing prints in addition to their own individual work. Hope you can stop by and meet the artist!​
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Photographer Larry Elbroch, along with his wife Victoria, both juried artists in the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, will be demonstrating their process on the Gallery Porch on September 16th.
Sandwich Home Industries, which will be celebrating its 100th birthday in just two years, is offering something new this fall, a Lakes Region Guest Artist space in the Gallery. 
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The brainchild of Sandwich resident Mary Coolidge, the Home Industries was founded to help local craftspeople on the eve of the Great Depression earn an income from their work. The building supplied a space where local craftspeople could display and sell the fine crafts they made at home and where they could teach others, so traditional NH crafts would be passed down through the years. When the League of NH Craftsmen was formed a few years later (with Mary Coolidge as its first president) those goals expanded to craftspeople throughout NH.
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Continuum II by Larry and Victoria Elbroch- a work that combines photography and printmaking.
Four years ago the SHI Board of Directors re-dedicated itself to the original mission of supporting local artists and the local economy, at first by expanding opportunities for all local artists to display and sell their work and to teach classes. We’ve expanded the number of artists at Artisans on the Green, and sought new classes and porch demonstrations by local craftspeople. We are thrilled now to be able to offer a space in our Gallery to these folks. 

On Thursday, August 31, the Gallery welcomed visitors to a reception for local artists. It was received with great enthusiasm from both artists and visitors alike. Local Guest Artists' work will be available in the Gallery through October 9th, after which the Gallery is closed for the winter. We have SO MANY talented artists in our local area! Do stop by! 

​The Board of Directors for The Sandwich Fine Craft Gallery
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The Sandwich Fine Craft Gallery at 32 Main Street in Sandwich, is open 7 days a week until October 15, 2023. Hours are from 10:00-5:00 Monday thru Saturday and 12:00-5:00 on Sundays. We hope you will stop in and check out the amazing work of artists from all over the state of New Hampshire! ​
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​Sandwich Historical Society Opening Day, 2023

6/4/2023

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Please join us for Opening Day festivities at the Sandwich Historical Society, on Saturday, June 24th, from 12pm-3pm.

There will be live Traditional Skills Demonstrations outside the Quimby Barn Transportation Museum, and the opening of the Annual Exhibit in the Elisha Marston House. We will also show the rare 19th century curtain painting of Mount Israel in the upper level of the Grange Hall. 

All of this, plus an outdoor food grill near the demonstrations, outside of the Transportation Museum! First, Live Demonstrations of Traditional Arts, outside of the Quimby Barn Transportation Museum will feature:
 
Brian Stockman, of Tuftonboro, NH, has dedicated his life to the study and practice of a variety of traditional indigenous and colonial artisan craft media, and large-scale figurative sculpture. For our event, Brian will demonstrate the art of scrimshaw carving. His work is in numerous private and public collections.
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Carved antler by Brian Stockman from his FB page.
Alli Plourde, from Durham, NH, is a seasoned potter and figurative sculptor working in clay who currently teaches art at Oyster River HS, and formerly at Holderness School. Alli will demonstrate throwing functional pottery on the potter’s wheel. She has a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Master’s degree from RI School of Design, and is a member of the NH Potters’ Guild. ​
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Mug by Ali Plourde. Photo from her Instagram page.
Tina Greenfield, from Rensselaer, New York, will be sharing her skills in decorative painting, often known as “tole” painting. It is the folk tradition of embellishing household utilitarian objects with surface paint to transform that object into one of beauty. Ms. Greenfield has been painting in this style on wood and metal for close to thirty years, and has received both regional and national recognition for her work. Her pieces have been shown at the Library of Congress and the White House, as well as at several New England conventions in this field.
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Two painted boxes by Tina Greenfield. Photo by Franz Nicolay.
Corey Slater, from Ashland, NH, is a second-generation pack basket weaver. He will be showing and creating backpack baskets out of traditional materials. They are especially loved among mushroom collectors. Corey has been making custom heirloom pack baskets for people worldwide for about ten years.
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Backpack by Corey Slater. Photo from his Instagram page
Second, the Annual Exhibit entitled, “Tiny Treasures, Great Joys”, will open its doors as well. It highlights and celebrates vintage, handmade dollhouses, and other unique, miniature objects from our vast collection; In the Wentworth Room of the SHS.
 
Please join us for this festive day. And stay tuned for other summer events hosted by your Sandwich Historical Society. 
 
—Franz Nicolay, 
with the Sandwich Historical Society
Programs and Education Committee
Summer, 2023
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Artisans on the Green ~ August 10th, 2023

4/19/2023

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Artisans on the Green is a one day fine craft fair on the green in downtown Center Sandwich. This event is sponsored by The Center Sandwich Fine Craft Gallery (aka Sandwich Home Industries) during our town's Old Home Week and it has been a tradition for many years.  Artisans on the Green will be held on August 10th from 10 am - 4 pm. 

There is still space for artists and craftspeople at our one day, well-attended fine crafts and art fair. We are looking for artisans who might be interested in securing a tent space for that day.  We are always excited to have new artists join us, both young and old.  A committee will review the applications and will select participating artisans.

Please read through the attached application and let me know if you have any questions. It is best to email [email protected] with questions.
If you are ready to apply, please download the form from our website, fill it out, and mail it in with your check.
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We just extended our due date for applications to May 15th. The last date to cancel is June 15th. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Ralph, the gallery manager at the number below or check out the Artisans on the Green info on the website. 
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Sandwich Home Industries
The mission of the Sandwich Home Industries is three-fold: to support local artists and the local economy; to provide a welcoming gallery and educational program for area residents and visitors to Center Sandwich; and to collaborate with the League of NH Craftsmen to nurture and promote the creation, use, and preservation of fine contemporary and traditional crafts in New Hampshire.
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Ralph Watson, Gallery Manager
League of NH Craftsmen
Center Sandwich Fine Craft Gallery
603-284-6831
centersandwich.nhcrafts.org
Open daily mid-May through mid-October
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Meet Our Members ~ Heather Cameron of Eastman House Creative Counseling & Yoga

2/18/2023

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Heather and Happe on the Kancamagus Highway
What is your name and the name of your business?
My name is Heather Cameron, owner of Eastman House, LLC dba Eastman House Creative Counseling & Yoga.

How did you get to Sandwich, NH?
That’s a long and lovely story. In 1983 my husband Ray, whom I was dating at the time, brought me to New Hampshire to meet his family for Thanksgiving. After spending Thanksgiving Day with extended family in Andover, MA, Ray learned that the Lakes Region had received some snow. Ray was excited to share his beloved Squam Lake and family history that was deeply woven into the fabric of Rockywold Deephaven Camps where he had spent most of his summers growing up. ​
We decided to venture north and hike up Rattlesnake Mountain, Ray’s Golden Retriever, Haller, joining us. Being an outdoorsy southern girl, I was overtaken with the natural beauty of the entire area. Ray chose the Ramsey Trail for our hike up Rattlesnake. Little did I know that there were other trails to meander that may have been a bit less strenuous. Our hike was exhilarating and once we summitted West Rattlesnake I took a deep breath and absorbed what I saw and felt. I was energized. Ray smiled as we took it all in and made the comment… “hmmmm, wow, you did it…” A month later on Christmas Day Ray proposed. 
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Heather and Ray enjoying the NH outdoors in 1983
Over the next 40 years our family, including daughters Hannah and Darrow, have spent time on Squam Lake vacationing at RDC. Summers brought annual rituals like pursuing the various businesses in charming Center Sandwich. As time went on, we began to ponder the next chapter of our lives and where we might want to spend our time. In the summer of 2017 during one of our familiar “what if” conversations, I offered the idea of retiring to New Hampshire. Needless to say, Ray was immediately on board and we began the exciting adventure of exploration. We had a lot of help along the way and ultimately knew that we wanted to live in the Center Sandwich community. 

In March 2018 we closed on our new home. Ray and I were fortunate to have bought Leo Dwyer’s fully and creatively renovated 1792 farmhouse on Holderness Rd. We were thrilled at the prospect of what lay ahead and began making plans. Over the next couple of years, we traveled back and forth from North Carolina and our work life there. Ray retired in 2020 and moved to NH permanently while I was figuring out my work exit plan. Then in late 2021 I finally arrived in Center Sandwich, making it my home.
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Eastman House
Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? 
My business is service oriented. I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (NH and NC), an Expressive Arts Therapist, and a Registered Yoga Teacher. I offer counseling for adolescents, adults and elders. My work with individuals is collaborative and holistic. It is based on an appreciation for the connectedness of the mind and body. It addresses all aspects of a person's health and well-being. This includes spirituality and sense of purpose, social connectedness, physical health and living an authentic life.

​In therapy, I create a safe, non-judgmental space that allows the individual's own healing wisdom to direct the work. I teach practical coping skills that address immediate concerns like overwhelming emotions and anxiety. I may invite clients to explore their creative nature through expressive arts-based therapy and yoga, providing another level of insight.
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The Barn Studio
In addition, I offer yoga classes in my barn studio as well. I explain yoga as an ancient Hindu philosophy that encompasses a variety of practices which most commonly include postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation, mantras, and lifestyle changes. In my practice I teach all aspects, generally with a focus on gentle yoga. Currently I provide three in-studio classes per week and may also hold virtual class opportunities when requested. I work with groups, and privately for individuals seeking deeper knowledge or those with specific needs.​
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Yoga in the Barn Studio
How did you get started in these professions?
In late 2003 my life took a sudden and dramatic turn, shaking up the foundation of what life had been, giving me an insight on defining a new focus and direction. It was then that I began to explore what this life meant and how I wanted to BE in it. I decided to investigate a graduate program in counseling with a certification in expressive arts therapy. I wanted to better understand the psychological aspects of the human condition and how healing can be accomplished through the use of various therapeutic interventions such as art. 

My graduate school experiences were wonderful, challenging and life changing. After completing my graduate work in 2009, I had gained experience with treating cancer patients, their caregivers, and medical teams. I counseled women who had experienced domestic violence and sexual assault, and their families, as well as staff who worked with this population. Soon after graduation, I provided addictions counseling for opioid addicts at a methadone clinic, and later served as the clinical director for a day treatment center for children. Since then, I have continuously had a private practice where I hold gratitude for all my clients and their stories of hope, faith, resilience, pain, and their desire to live the life of their choosing.

Upon becoming a resident of Sandwich, my friend Leslie Jose informed me that Dragonfly Yoga Barn was offering a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training that fall. As I was in the midst of a huge life transition and having been a student of yoga, I decided to enroll. I was not sure where the training would take me. I hoped that my desires would unfold naturally. For a long time, I could see the potential intersection of counseling, expressive arts and yoga, so that is where I began. Once I completed the program it was clear that I enjoyed teaching yoga and that my desire to integrate yoga into my counseling practice would add value and benefit my client’s wellbeing and healing. 
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You can practice yoga anywhere! Heather standing on the Eastman Brook.
What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? 
Making a difference in the lives of others. That’s all that matters… I have so much fun practicing yoga with others and I gain satisfaction when my students feel successful and less stressed as a result of the practice, connecting mind, body and spirit.

What is the hardest?
Living in today’s world can be very difficult and for some it can feel scary, unsafe, and hopeless. When faced with a client who has reached a dangerous space of hopelessness one must reach deep and access the necessary training and resources to provide immediate assistance. That’s hard…

What are your goals and hopes for the future?
My primary goal is to continue to grow and develop my counseling practice. I hope to offer group opportunities in areas of need, workshops, and expressive arts events just to name a few. Additionally, I hope that my yoga classes develop and provide an outlet for students to achieve physical health, mental clarity, spiritual growth and expansion.

What else can you tell us about yourself, your business, and your life in Sandwich?
The business name Eastman House is a historic revival of our home’s identity. The Eastman House was named through the ownership of Nellie Eastman (widow of Charles Everett Eastman) who had inherited the property from her family named Watson (Dana). Although the earliest known owner and presumed builder of the home was Gilbert Hodgdon, the name Eastman House seemed to prevail for some time until the reference became lost. 

I thought it important to focus the business around the land and history associated with our property. Eastman Brook flows through the land as it has meandered to Squam Lake for thousands of years. Eastman House Creative Counseling & Yoga is located in our barn which was relocated from a property on Wiggin Farm Road in 2020. Rich Benton and his amazing team took care of the dismantle, transportation, and re-assemble of the barn. My husband Ray then took on the finishing aspects of the space creating a beautifully warm and inviting studio for counseling, yoga, and art-making. It was truly a labor of love.
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The Barn Studio outside
What does living and working in Sandwich mean to you?
It is as if I have come full circle, 40 years later. I am living my dream and so grateful for the new opportunities and friendships that have met me along the way. And what a place to land! The natural environment, flora and fauna, and the most interesting collection of humans… life is good!

Note: All photos are by Heather and Ray Cameron

Heather Cameron, MA, LCMHC, RYT200
[email protected]
828-964-0828
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Meet Our Members ~ Ashley Benes of Papa Beans Ice Cream

1/7/2023

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Ashley and Brad outside the Sugarhouse
Ashley and Brad outside the Sugarhouse.
What is your name and the name of your business?
My name is Ashley Benes and I am the owner of Papa Beans Ice Cream. 
 
How did you get to Sandwich, NH?
I grew up in the Lakes Region and my first time I can remember being in Sandwich was at the age of four going to the Sandwich Fair. This is where I experienced my first pony ride and my love for horses.  

When I was in my early 30s I taught lessons and volunteered for the local Mt Washington Valley Pony Club that was fortunate enough to use the fairgrounds for their practices. Around that same time, 2011 or 2012 I believe, I helped organize a 5K Turkey trot based out of the Sandwich fairgrounds as a fundraiser for the Pony Club. My father is an active member of the White Mountain Milers running club and I had dabbled in some races by this time in my life and was hooked. I went on to attend a 5k turkey trot from the Beach to Bar, Christmas Jingle Bell Run put on by a yoga studio, Booty Farm 5k, and the Old Home week triathlon.

 I remember thinking this is the kind of community I want to live in. When Brad and I started dating a few years back our first official date was hiking Mt. Israel and eating ice cream afterwards. As life partners and residents of Sandwich we find it important to enjoy the nature and beauty in our area as often as we can and our busy lives allow.
Ashley, Brad, and Chuck on top of Mt. Wiley.
Ashley, Brad, and Chuck on top of Mt. Wiley.
Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? 
I make small batches of homemade ice cream using local New Hampshire diary and source ingredients locally when ever possible to stir in the ice cream. We are located inside Young Maple Ridge Sugarhouse. You can purchase pints, half pints, ice cream sandwiches and ice cream cakes or pies. One of the most popular flavors is the Maple Bourbon Ice cream that is flavored from Maple Bourbon aged syrup made by Brad right in the Sugarhouse.
Inside Young Maple Ridge Sugarhouse
Inside Young Maple Ridge Sugarhouse.
How did your business get started?
 In the late 1980s my father’s construction business was taking a hit due to the economy. My parents decided to take a chance and open a homemade ice cream business they called Bobby Sue’s, located in West Ossipee where M & V’s gas station is located now.

At the age of 7, I knew that my ice cream tasting passion would continue. My favorite flavor then was peach with rainbow sprinkles. After a successful couple of years my parents sold the business and my father went back to construction. My father has opened a couple other homemade scoop shops in Conway area over the years and acquired a few nicknames: “Scoop Man” and “Papa Beans.”

Since a young age I have always dreamed of owning my own small food business and had been brainstorming this idea for several years. I have a BS in Business Management from PSU and was working as Assistant Utility Manager for a water company the last 8 years and knew I was ready for a career change. My father had given me his ice cream machine and Brad offered to share his kitchen space at his sugarhouse. I began the process of filling all the requirements for a new business and inspections needed before making the big jump of leaving my office job. 
My parents, Bob and Sue, on the opening day of Bobby Sue’s Homemade Ice Cream in 1987.
My parents, Bob and Sue, on the opening day
of Bobby Sue’s Homemade Ice Cream in 1987.
What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? 
 Have you ever seen someone eat ice cream who is not smiling? The ice cream is not always the first thing guests look at when they arrive at Young Maple Ridge Sugarhouse. Often they are surprised by the assortment of maple syrup choices in glass & plastic bottles. Then they see the Maple Candy, Maple Sugar, Maple Cream, and Maple Bourbon Syrup.

What gets most of the attention is Brad’s evaporator, the 40-gallon barrels, stacked syrup drums, and the wooden bourbon barrel filled with syrup that is aging before being bottled. We love seeing people’s reactions to the sugaring process and the assortment of flavors of ice cream we have made. The ice cream sandwiches are a huge hit and many are thrilled to see our unique flavors.

What is the hardest?
The hardest part is not eating all the profits. Starting a business with unstable and rising product costs has posed a huge challenge for me especially in figuring out my own costs and pricing. I have attended many farmers markets and estimating what items to bring or have on hand has been difficult. Having the support of family, friends and community has allowed starting this business a little less hard.  Brad and his parents, Rae & Bob Streeter, are always available and willing to step in and help. My father is even finally sharing some of his secrets of success. 
 
What are your goals and hopes for the future?
I hope to have a successful sustainable business that allows connections with other small business and community. Anyone local that has ingredients that would pair well with our ice cream please reach out.
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Ice cream and hiking! Ashley on Franconia Ridge.
What else can you tell us about yourself, your business, and your life in Sandwich?
Being an ice cream eater, I must stay active and where else to do that than Sandwich. I am an avid runner, hiker, and in recent years gravel bike rider. I am a proud dog mom of Simon (14.5) and Chuck (2.5) and enjoy spending time in the woods with them and Brad. 

Sandwich offers so much for such a small town because of the compassionate people that choose to live here. I truly appreciate and value being able to eat while listening to local musicians at The Foothills and The Corner House, shop at the numerous farm stands on my way home, take a yoga class, and still be able to explore quiet trails and nature.

Ashley Benes
Papa Beans Ice Cream
301 Wing Road, Sandwich NH
603-393-6948
[email protected]
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Sandwich Historical Society receives Research Grant

12/21/2022

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Photo by Franz Nicolay
The Sandwich Historical Society has received a grant from Historic New England to do research on the authenticity and cultural context of the small grouping of Native American artifacts in our collection, and to create programming for the public related to it. We will seek the advice of cultural anthropologists, collegiate academic institutions, and Abenaki leaders in this assessment and planning. 
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This photo and the one below: A sampling of Indigenous Peoples artifacts within the collection of the Sandwich Historical Society. Photos by Franz Nicolay
Since its inception, the Sandwich Historical Society has primarily focused on the colonial and postcolonial Euro-American history of the town. We would like to explore, acknowledge, and document pre-contact and simultaneous uses of this land too. We wish to place in context the Indigenous Peoples, First Nation historical experience in the mountains and lakes region, as a foundational and inclusive element in our complete and evolving history.
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We are reaching out to the Sandwich community and beyond, with two questions that might assist us in our research, via crowdsourcing techniques: 
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1. Are there any residents with direct Indigenous lines in their family, with stories that would be pertinent to our town’s historical timeline and before our incorporation as a town?
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2. Do you have artifacts within your family that you would be willing to lend or allow us to document, or sites on your property we may photograph, for specific summer programming that would give us further insight on the Indigenous history of this town?

 If so, please feel free to contact Franz Nicolay at [email protected],
 on behalf of the Programs & Education, Collections, and Exhibition Committees at the Sandwich Historical Society. ​
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46th Annual Sandwich Christmas in the Village ~ Dec 3 & 4, 2022

11/28/2022

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Christmas in the Village 2019. Photo by Franz Nicolay

Everything you need to know about this year's Christmas in the Village!

For over 40 years, a two-day holiday fair and sale has magically appeared across the town of Sandwich on the first weekend in December. This year’s Christmas in the Village features 19 locations with over 40 participants, selling a wide variety of crafts, fine art, gifts, goodies, and holiday ornaments, greens and décor. 
You’ll find the holiday spirit everywhere with with many venues offering hand-crafted ornaments and holiday décor. 

Your Neighbors Flowers and Something Wild Farm is a collaboration between two North Sandwich Farms offering local and sustainably harvested spruce and fir Christmas Trees, table top trees, wreaths and other handmade gifts Saturday 12/3 & Sunday 12/4 9am to 2pm on both sides of the Green in Center Sandwich.

Pam Urda will have beautiful evergreen wreaths and centerpieces at Wayside Farm, Amy Brown will have holiday wreaths, kissing balls, centerpieces and ornaments at the Doris Benz Center, and Shirly Glines will show fresh holiday arrangements at the Sandwich Home Industries.

Craftspeople and makers will set up in small groups at various locations.  At Partridge Hill Farm, you’ll find four vendors in a spectacular barn, open only on Saturday 10am - 2pm only. Rachel Bartlett will have her hand thrown, high fired, functional pottery, glazed to reflect colors of the natural world. Macrame Christmas ornaments, winter paintings, & gnomes are available from Jodi with an Eye. Vicky Dworkin will bring her Fabrications:  fabric collage landscapes of local scenes; as well as table top Christmas arrangements from recycled and vintage materials. Laser Focused Designs & Gifts will have unique gifts ranging from charcuterie boards, earrings coasters, holiday ornaments & more. Custom orders are available to make your gifts more personalized.

​The Doris Benz Community Center will be open Saturday only 9 am- 4 pm, Little Apiary on the Hillside will have local raw honey, beeswax candles, honey based soaps, lotion bars & lip balm, as well as handmade patchwork quilts. You’ll also find hand-dyed napkins, dish towels & clothing, hand carved block printed, silkscreen and real leaves from Robin Cornwall and original photo card of flowers, animals and local landscapes by Jessica Kelly. 
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Christmas in the Village 2019. Photo by Franz Nicolay
Wayside Farm will be open Saturday and Sunday 10am-3pm, featuring pottery & wood-turned candlesticks by Ben Shambaugh, jewelry & quilled paper Christmas cards from Amanda Twaddle, Photography, prints & ink drawings by Liz Shelley and a variety of Christmas ornaments, bucket hats, Ukrainian eggs & hand-stitched pillows  by Wendy Shambaugh.  Get a reallyy sweet treat  of fudge and peanut brittle from Jennifer Simpson.

Early on, the event featured open studios and workshops, a tradition that continues today.  Field Fine Art, the studio of artist and sculptor Kathryn Field will be open Saturday 10am - 4pm and Sunday 10am - 3pm. At MuMandi Glass Studio, Ann Lambert creates colorful fused glass ornaments, dishes and more, open Saturday only 10am to 4-ish. Weaver Suzanne Rowan will have hand-woven items to wear and for the home, rug-hooking & other handmade treasures, also on Saturday only 10am - 4pm. The workshop of Will Lehmann Frames will open Saturday 12/3 10am - 4pm & Sunday 12/4 10am - 3pm. He’s been doing custom picture framing, custom woodworking & finishing for 49 years. Enjoy cookies and cocoa at Kindred Spirit Farm and shop  for hand-knit hats, hand-crafted felted soaps, jams, salsas, dog biscuits, & nesting balls for your fine feathered friends.Open Saturday  9 to 4 and Sunday 10 to 3.

Of course, the shops in Center Sandwich village will be open, and will also host special guest makers and sellers. The Sandwich Home Industries be open Saturday 10am - 5pm and Sunday Noon -5pm. Along with the fine crafts from The League of NH Craftsmen, you’ll find photography and photo cards from Susan Lirakis who also makes cozy Polartec hats, Marcy Greene’s handmade bags and accessories, small batch, hand-thrown stoneware pottery by Suzanne Weil and whimsical hand-knit Climate Critters from Anne Richards to benefit .
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Christmas in the Village 2019. Photo by Franz Nicolay
The Porch will be Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm with a selection of gifts, holiday decor, seasonal apparel, and antiques. Stop in to sop and enjoy complimentary home-made cookies and refreshments. Willow Pond Antiques & Goods is unique and whimsical shop featuring antiques and vintage item, home decor, local crafts and unique curiosities, with Sandwich’s own talented ANNE MADE crafts and homemade delicacies Saturday 12/3 & Sunday 12/4 10am to 5pm. 

Looking for an old or rare book? Hill Country Books will be open Saturday 12/3 & Sunday 12/4 10am to 4pm. The Sandwich Historical Society will also have books, along withcards, ornaments, Sandwich Fair posters, vintage travel posters, Sandwich Hoodies and Crews, magnets, White Mountain puzzles & more! Also showing at there are Hannah’s Handmade Crafts crochet holiday garlands, scarves and shawls and Kathie Fife Photography & Fabric Art - Fine Art Photography greeting cards, bookmarks, ornaments; art of New Hampshire’s nature, landscapes & historic sites, handmade fabric art gift bags, gift card holders, bowl cozies and napkins, hand-warmers & organic catnip toys. Custom orders available. Open Saturday & Sunday 10 to 3

Visit the Marigold Moon Wildcraft Apothecary for locally wild-crafted plant medicinals in the form of tea blends, tinctures, oils, balms, salves, and more.  Beverage teas available. And featuring books by MJ Pettengill, local author, historian & wildcrafter. Saturday & Sunday 10am to 3pm.

Feeling hungry? Stop by and warm up at the Ladies Aid Soup & Chowder Luncheon on Saturday from 11am -2pm at Sandwich Community Church. Or stop by the Doris Benz Center whose young pastry chefs have been busy baking up their specialties on Saturday from 10am to 4pm.  Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner, or just a cup of coffee at The Foothills Café and Curio, open Saturday 8am - 9pm and Sunday 9am -10pm and enjoy live Christmas and Celtic music by the CaravanBand from 10am - 2pm both days. 

Foothills Café will also be hosting local artist Blair Newcomb with oil paintings and card, and Fraser Design’s fabulous winter hats with a Polartec lining by Linda Danielovich. Art by toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarteners at the Sandwich Children’s Center, a fundraiser to benefit the Center. And before you leave the Fair, have your gifts wrapped and ready to go at Wrap-a-thon Fund Raiser to benefit Advice To The Players, Sandwich’s own Shakespeare Theatre

For more tasty treats visit the Young Maple Ridge Sugarhouse for Papa Beans small-batch homemade ice cream and pick some sweet gifts of maple syrup, maple cream, maple candy, maple sugar & maple bourbon syrup -all made on site. Open Saturday and Sunday 9am to 9pm.  Or stop by the Mount Israel Grange Hall Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning 9am to noon, and shop for local farm products, garlic, onions, herbs, squash, maple syrup, jams, beef, pork, baked goods & more from Chestnut Meadow Farm and Mountain Breeze Farm to take home.

Each venue has set its own hours, and some are only open on Saturday.  You’ll find everything you need to know about who’s selling what, where and when, along photos and descriptions of each participant offerings on our website http://sandwichchristmasinthevillage.com, including a printable map to plan your shopping tour. Email [email protected] for more information, or contact Julie Deak at 603-707-0140 or find us on Facebook.
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Meet Our Members ~ Carl Parker Hansen of Lower Corner Millworks

11/3/2022

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Parker Hansen took the photo and designed the logo!
​What is your name and the name of your business?
My full name is Carl Parker Hansen. Named after my father Carl, but not junior. To my closest friends and the government I'm Carl but I've gone by Parker my whole life. The name of my business is Lower Corner Millworks, named after our family home in the old brick store at the historic Lower Corner.
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The old brick store and post office at Lower Corner.
How did you get to Sandwich, NH?
My relationship with Sandwich goes back as far as I can remember. We summered in our small family cottage on Dinsmore Pond until we moved here permanently in 1999 to renovate the old brick store. My parents met in Sandwich in the early 80s doing theater with the Sandwich players in a production of Our Town.

My father owned and operated the only gas pump by the only "traffic light" in town. Generations of our family on the Howe side (my father’s mother was a Howe) have lived on Diamond Ledge and Howe Hill, including Rev. Chester Howe. My father has cousins who still live on Howe Hill in Sandwich. I had moved away to Portland, Maine in 2014 after college, but returned in 2020 to start my own cabinet shop. 
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Parker and his mother Nancy circa 1989. Photo by Carl Hansen
What got you started in this profession?
My father has always been a carpenter and cabinet maker, so growing up I would help him as much as I could. After gaining my degree in Environmental Studies from The University of Vermont, I pursued a career in teaching but after being waitlisted for grad school, I began working at a cabinet shop in South Portland, Maine.

​For five years I worked my way up to production supervisor at one of the largest cabinet shops in New England, while simultaneously attending Southern Maine Community College to earn an Associates Degree in Architectural and Engineering Design. I then saw an opportunity to return to Sandwich with the skills I had gained, to try my hand at running my own cabinet shop. I knew my father was retiring, as well as a few other cabinet makers/carpenters in town, so I felt that there would be an eventual void that needed to be filled. In the winter of 2020 I started Lower Corner Millworks.
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Lazy Suzans, photo by Parker Hansen
Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? 
Initially I began making signs and small wooden crafts like cribbage boards, catch-all trays, cutting boards, etc., but knew I wanted to be making cabinets and furniture. It took about six months but I eventually built my first kitchen for a client. I’ve made several tables and I was hired to fill an entire home with bookshelf built-ins, bunk beds, an entertainment unit and a full kitchen. I still provide sign engraving services, custom gifts and other misc. products, including 3D topographical maps, flight boards for breweries (a flight board is a serving tray for small glasses of beer or wine or spirits)  and the occasional cutting board! 
I also have a relationship with The Shaker Furniture Company to make furniture parts and I use a CNC router for some projects. A CNC Machine or Computer Numerical Control Machine is a computer-aided router that allows the user to program text or shapes to be cut out or engraved onto a designated material. In my case, I engrave signs into wood or signboard, cut out furniture parts out of wood, create 3D landscapes out of solid wood or cut cabinet parts out of plywood. ​
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Walnut Live Edge Slab Table, photo by Parker Hansen
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A full home renovation in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, photo by Parker Hansen.
​How did your business get started?
My business began pretty easy. Registering my LLC, acquiring start-up funds from The Wentworth Economical Development Corporation and finding a shop space to rent all happened very quickly. My first client was The Shaker Furniture Company, who hired me to make furniture parts before I even had my shop set up. 
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North Sandwich Cabinet Shop, photo by Parker Hansen
What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? 
The best part of my job is setting my own hours, deciding what jobs to take and basically just being able to do what I love every day. I could be working on a live edge table one day and then making a custom charcuterie board the next. The scope of my work is diverse, which I love. I also get to bring my dog to the shop which is probably the best part.
What is the hardest?
There are a few difficult aspects of my job. I make my own hours which is fantastic, but not having a "clock-in" time sometimes results in sleeping in a little longer than I should some days! Definitely the most difficult part of the job is juggling every task that goes into running your own business, specifically, bookkeeping. I cannot stress enough how boring yet important it is to keep track of all the ins and outs of my business and  I'm learning quickly that hoarding receipts in a manilla folder until tax season is not a great habit to get into. 
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Pippa and Parker at the shop, photo by Charlotte Chico
What are your goals and hopes for the future?
My goals when I started this adventure were pretty straightforward; to build what I wanted and continue the tradition of craftspeople in Sandwich. I had to leave Sandwich to really appreciate the town I grew up in. When I knew my father was retiring from his long career as a cabinet maker and carpenter, I knew that there would be opportunities to fill the void he left behind. 

The first year of operating I made four signs for local businesses, several large cabinet jobs, and a contract to provide Sandwich-based Shaker Workshops with furniture parts. I have made countless gifts and game boards for people I grew up around. I joked in my college essay that "Sandwich is a vibrant town full of carpenters and yoga instructors, where the post office parking lot looks like a Subaru dealership." Fifteen years after writing that essay, I find myself driving my Outback to the post office to pick up mail for my own woodworking business.     
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Cherry & Maple Chess Board, photo by Charlotte Chico
What else can you tell us about yourself and your business?
I'm learning something new everyday. Working in Sandwich means a lot to me. Personally, Sandwich has always been my home, whether it be summers as a small child, becoming our "new home" when I was in 5th grade or when I returned after years away. Creating my business in this small town full of hardworking men and women makes me very proud. Carrying on the traditions of these people is something I take very personally and I hope I can make my family and neighbors proud.

To learn more about Lower Corner Millworks visit: lowercornermillworks.com
or get in touch with Parker at: 603-986-8391, [email protected]. Facebook and Instagram people can search Lower Corner Millworks
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Meet Our Members ~ Sam Kachmar, new owner of the Corner House Restaurant & Bar

10/22/2022

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Sam Kachmar, new owner of the Corner House Restaurant & Bar, tells us how he came to Sandwich. Enjoy!
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Tell us about yourself: How did you connect with Sandwich, NH? What made you decide to live here?

I connected with Sandwich in the early 2000s. A family friend bought a piece of land up on Smithville Rd, and engaged SKA, my architecture firm based in Cambridge, MA to design a weekend home for them that they could eventually retire to. It looks out to Red Hill. Over time they decided to reside permanently up in Sandwich, so we added two wings on either side of the main structure.

​In going up for site visits to the land in Sandwich, I heard about the Sandwich Fair, and came up for that with my wife and kids. We visited Beede Falls, hiked with family friends, and really enjoyed being surrounded by nature. We found Sandwich to be such a special place that our family came to visit often the following year. 
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This residence was originally designed and constructed by SKA as a weekend home for close family friends. Designing this home was a big influence on our decision to make Sandwich part of our lives.
While here on a site visit my wife found a listing for a home down on Metcalf Rd.  We went and looked at a beautiful cove with a really run down cabin from 1970. We bought it. We thought about tearing it down and starting new, but we loved the bones of the house, so we worked to restore some of the mid-century detailing as well as providing modern amenities to the home.

While we don't live in Sandwich full time, we do spend as much time as we can at our home during the summer when it's not rented out. In the fall, winter, and spring we enjoy being in the quiet of Sandwich rather than the busy scene of Cambridge and Boston. 
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What were you doing before you came here and what are you doing now?

I have been running the SKA Architecture Studio in Cambridge, MA since 2008. We design residential homes in Cambridge and the surrounding areas, and now that I have opened up an SKA office in Sandwich, we offer that same service in the Lakes Region of NH. 

SKA is pronounced  S…….K…..A, not skah, like the music. We utilize Virtual Reality in our work to allow our clients to experience their homes before they are actually built. This technique creates a reduction in variables and surprises during the construction process, and that makes our projects boring in the best way. When the project is complete, the clients say, "Wow, that looks just like it did in VR." 
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Sam and family after purchasing the Corner House and beginning repairs.
What made you decide to buy a historic business in the center of town?

I wanted to buy a building in Sandwich as I have loved the time spent up here over the last few years. 22 Main St became available and presented itself as a unique opportunity to house the Corner House restaurant, the Sandwich Creamery, and Sam Kachmar Architects (SKA). 
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The Corner House patio in the summer.
Where do you see the Corner House in the next few years? What are your hopes for the business?

I see the Corner House improving as a destination restaurant over the next few years. The building and land are in need of some significant maintenance and upgrades. We are planning to replace the roof with a solar roof, upgrade the insulation and HVAC systems of the building, replace rotted wood, etc, in an effort to bring the building back to the prominent status that it has held within the town for decades. 
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Good times at the Corner House bar.
What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your life here? 

One of the most fun and satisfying aspect of my life in Sandwich is to see people coming back to the Corner House and being excited to have the restaurant going again. Some people have described the Corner House as “Sandwich’s living room.”  That is a really nice moniker to have associated with the restaurant. 

There are so many ways I love being in this town. I love spending time at the Foothills with Nancy and Rebecca, and going to the dump to see John and Kevin. Old Home Week this year was a such a fun event for our kids. I really love walking out into the woods near our house, and just standing in the trees. It recharges my batteries. 
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What else can you tell us about your experience of Sandwich?

This town is brimming with intelligence, energy, thoughtfulness, and caring people. I’m happy to see high speed internet making its way into the town. Sandwich is such an appealing town that it has become a beacon for retirees from many parts of the country. As we move forward with high speed internet utilities, there is an opportunity for Sandwich to chart its course and redefine what kind of town it wants to be going forward. I love coming up here from the city. I can feel the stress of the city falling off my shoulders as I drive down 113 towards Sandwich. 
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Fall at Chapman Sanctuary and Visny Woods

9/27/2022

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Text and photos by Trish Bushmich
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After a very hot and busy summer, we are happy to welcome the next season here at Chapman Sanctuary and Visny Woods. Green foliage is quickly changing to the glorious colors of autumn, and the air is suddenly cool and dry and blustery. What a perfect time to hit the trails at CSVW.

New Benches: Take an extra-long moment to breathe deep the fresh air and take in the sights and scents of fall in New Hampshire. CSVW has installed two lovely benches for its members and visitors to sit and enjoy the views. Located on either side of the entrance to Trail 13, the benches at the top of the field look down over the pollinator garden, birdhouses and all the way to sparkling Teacup Lake. Give yourself a refreshing treat during this extra-gorgeous time of year. Get outside in nature at Chapman Sanctuary and Visny Woods. THANK YOU for signing in at the Visitor’s Kiosk.

Established in 1955, Chapman Sanctuary and Visny Woods (CSVW) operates as a not-for-profit nature, bird, and wildlife sanctuary in Center Sandwich, NH. It is a place for children, families, and adults to connect with nature and explore wildlife in their natural habitat across more than 225 acres of woodland trails, meadows and streams, of which CSVW owns 114 acres. 
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CVSW is open to the public year-round from dawn to dusk free of charge and depends on individual donations and grants for financial support. Located at 740 Mt. Israel Road in Sandwich.
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Teacup Lake
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Mergansers on Teacup Lake
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SHS opened on June 25th with traditional skills demo outside the Transportation Museum.

6/30/2022

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Thank you so much to those who came out to support live demonstrations of traditional skills, and the summer opening of the Sandwich Historical Society! We enjoyed your presence and participation. —Franz Nicolay, Programs & Education Committee.
​All photos are by Charlene Oulette, except where otherwise noted.
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Visitors enjoy SHS traditional skills demonstrations by Tina Greenfield, Suzanne Weil and Franz Nicolay, as SHS Opening Day on June 25.
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Tina Greenfield demonstrating traditional decorative painting. Franz Nicolay stripping bark from hardwood saplings in the creation of hiking sticks.
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Suzanne Weil gave a demonstration and showed her pottery. Photo by Franz Nicolay
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Geoff Burrows, president of SHS, speaks at the dedication of the “Slade Room,” housing the Concord Coach, at the Quimby Barn Transportation Museum.
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John Taylor, grill master for the day, along with Jennifer Wright, on SHS Opening Day festivities.
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Susan Davies, chair of the collections committee at SHS, and Lauren Hanson, Museum and Collections Coordinator, greet visitors at the Elisha Marston House.
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Helen Ingalls presents the antique, painted backdrop curtain of Mt. Israel to visitors. It was painted by Fred Quimby sometime after 1892, and resides in the Grange Hall.
Summer hours at the Elisha Marston Museum, Barn and Gift Shop will be Friday and Saturday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, from Saturday, June 25 to Saturday, September 3.  The Quimby Transportation Museum will be open every Saturday from 10:00 - 2:00 PM.  Our other buildings will be open during Old Home Week.  For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website:  http://www.sandwichhistorical.org or email us at [email protected].
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New Exhibit at Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery

6/28/2022

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The Mill, woodcut monoprint, 12 x 12 inches

The Mill, by Wendy Ketchum

July 9th through July 26th. Local artist, Wendy Ketchum, has created an intriguing series of woodcut monoprints based on 19th century New England textile mills.  Her exhibit will open at Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery on July 9.   

The series was inspired by her love of history, 19th century photographs and the “many long rows of massive brick buildings” that dot the New England landscape.  Her meticulous technique combines with her subject matter in a series of poignant pictures relating to the history of the “Mill Girls.” The work is inspired by old photographs of mill workers, as well as actual patterns made from fabrics created at the mills.

Join us for a reception to meet the artist on Saturday, July 9th from 5 to 7 pm.   Ketchum will also host a “conversation” about the “Mill Girls” and their place in our history on Saturday, July 16 at 9:30 am. 
 
Ketchum’s artist statement best describes The Mill, a project that has taken her several years to complete:  “In the years between 1830 and 1860 tens of thousands of young single women were recruited to leave their family farms in northern New England to seek social and economic independence through employment in the textile mills. Despite the yoke of corporate paternalism, millwork put a new kind of power into women’s hands economically, providing them with the highest wages offered to female employees anywhere in the US at the time.
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Ten Hours, woodcut monoprint with collage, 12 x 12 inches
Coming from farms where time was dependent on the seasons, the “mill girls,” as they were called, were faced with the tyranny of the bell and clock tower dictating every minute of their working day. The cotton that fed the mills was grown and processed by slave labor in the American South, and a portion of it was woven by mill girls into coarse cloth to clothe those very slaves creating a closed circle of labor. Many of the mill girls became ardent abolitionists, in addition to becoming labor reform activists fighting for better working conditions through walkouts, mass rallies, strikes, and the creation of one of the first labor reform leagues in the country. 
 
The exhibit will be on view through July 26th. The gallery is located at 69 Maple Street in Center Sandwich.  Gallery hours are from 10 to 5 Tuesday through Saturday.  Sunday and Monday, if the door is open, come on in. www.patricialaddcaregagallery.com, 603 284-7728 ​
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Sandwich Historical Society opens for the season on June 25th with special events.

6/13/2022

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Save the Notch Campaign.  As it was in the 1970s, the debate of conservation versus use and development remains at the forefront of discussions regarding the wilds of, not only New Hampshire, but many areas of the world. In our small corner, we have decided to highlight the persistence of our community to persuade those with the power to preserve the Sandwich Notch for future generations. 

Our seasonal exhibit can be seen in the Elisha Marston House, Barn & Gift Shop, which will be open on June 25 from 10 AM - 3 PM.  Don't forget to check out the Gift Shop and all the new items!

Elisha Marston House Reimagined:  If you're new to Sandwich or the area or you have not visited us in a few years, this summer is a great opportunity to see what our Collections team, led by our Museum and Collections Coordinator - Lauren Hansen - have been up to!  Lauren shares, "The last two years of quarantine and limited visitors have allowed us to do some thinking on more than just conservation. 

We have had some significant acquisitions in recent years, so we decided to rearrange some rooms throughout the house.  Some objects have been on display for many years.  It was with this in mind that we put some to bed for a rest, brought out some to say hello, and are highlighting those who have recently joined "our family." Visit, and see if you can spot all of the changes we have made!
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Special Events 12 ~ 3pm

The fun and special events continue at the Quimby Barn & Transportation Museum which will be open from 12 - 3 PM.  Outside we will have live demonstrations of traditional arts and our artisans include:
 
Tina Greenfield, from Rensselaer, New York, will be sharing her skills in decorative painting, often known as “tole” painting. It is the folk tradition of embellishing household utilitarian objects with surface paint to transform that object into one of beauty. Ms. Greenfield has been painting in this style on wood and metal for close to thirty years, and has received both regional and national recognition for her work. Her pieces have been shown at the Library of Congress and the White House, as well as at several New England conventions in this field.

Suzanne Weil will be creating pottery on the wheel during the afternoon. Ms. Weil makes functional stoneware pottery in Sandwich, NH, and teaches writing at Plymouth State University. Her appreciation of the rich historical pottery tradition in Sandwich, and the simplicity and integrity of pots made for everyday use, inspires her work.
 
Corey Slater, from Ashland, NH, is a pack basket weaver. He will be showing and creating backpack baskets out of traditional materials. His backpacks are especially loved among mushroom collectors. Mr. Slater learned the craft from his father who has been teaching the craft in the Adirondack Mountain range for over twenty years. He focuses on making backpack baskets; however, he creates a variety of other basket forms as well.

We will also be commemorating the 10-year anniversary of moving the Quimby Barn to its present location as well as a special dedication of the Slade Room (which houses our Concord Coach).  This special event will be held at 1:00 PM.  Denison R. Slade's family gave the Concord Coach to the town of Sandwich. ~ Denison Slade was a benefactor and friend to the town, and his only request was that the Concord Coach have a proper storage space. 

In 2012, after almost one hundred years of being stored in various barns and sheds in Sandwich, and a lengthy sojourn in Meredith at the Pinnacle Park Zoo and return to Sandwich in 1939, the Sandwich Historical Society and the Alfred Quimby Fund trustees finally provided “A Proper Room” for the Coach’s storage and preservation.  Help us commemorate this special 10-year anniversary since the Quimby Barn was moved across Maple Street to its new home and rebirth as the Quimby Barn Transportation Museum.

We will also have the grill fired up outside the Quimby Barn!

Grange Hall will be open 12 - 3 PM.  Come see our rare 19th century curtain painting of Mount Israel located on the upper level. Stop by and help us celebrate our season opening!  We look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, June 25! 

Summer hours at the Elisha Marston Museum, Barn and Gift Shop will be Friday and Saturday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, from Saturday, June 25 to Saturday, September 3.  The Quimby Transportation Museum will be open every Saturday from 10:00 - 2:00 PM.  Our other buildings will be open during Old Home Week.  For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website:  http://www.sandwichhistorical.org or email us at [email protected].
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​Bench Composed of Recycled Plastic at the Sandwich Post Office

5/25/2022

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Jim Humphrey and Mark Longley of the Sandwich Recycling Project.
Jim Humphrey and Mark Longley of the Sandwich Recycling Project.
Photo by Peggy Longely
The Sandwich Recycling Project team recently installed a sitting bench made
of recycled single-use plastic films at the Sandwich Post Office. Thanks go out
to Sandwich residents who drop off soft plastics, such as grocery bags and bubble wrap, at the 'Trex' box at the town transfer station. Trex, a manufacturer of composite building materials and furniture, operates recycling programs that
award a bench for every 500 lbs. of soft plastics collected. This bench was awarded for last year's collection; another bench will be coming soon for the plastic we've already collected in 2022. 

Thanks also to Jim Humphrey, who collects and sorts the plastic, Mark Longley, who takes the materials to the Gilford Hannaford for processing, and Kevin White, who facilitates the program at the transfer station.

Recycling soft film keeps them out of landfills - but let's also reduce our use of
single-use plastics in the first place. For example, use paper rather than bubble-wrap for packaging, fill reusable bottles with tap water for drinking, and bring reusable totes to the grocery store. For more information about this program and the Sandwich Recycling Project, contact Peggy Longley at 603-284-6294.
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The magic returns with Advice To The Players Midsummer Magic Fundraising Benefit.

5/24/2022

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Back by popular demand, Advice To The Players, Sandwich’s own Shakespeare company, is excited to announce the 2022 Midsummer Magic Fundraising Benefit- Midsummer Magic returns. Attendees at last year's event all had the same response, "This was so much fun! You're doing this again next year right?" So this year, the magic returns... with some new tricks.

This year, join ATTP’s midsummer fairies on June 25th from 5-7pm as they flit through the Sandwich Fair Grounds, weaving their story (and causing mischief.) With new and returning actors, this event is not one to miss! Since this is a fundraiser, tickets are available at different donation levels, pods of up to 6 people can choose their donation level to reserve their spot. Tickets will be available starting June 1st at advicetotheplayers.org. Reservations are encouraged, however groups can also pay at the Quimby Field road gate of the Sandwich Fairgrounds with cash or check. This family friendly event will delight patrons of all ages.


In case you missed this magical event last year, in the evening groups can drive or walk through the Sandwich Fairgrounds immersed in an Enchanted Midsummer Experience. Driving pods can go through any time between 5:00 and 5:30, and walking pods can go through any time between 5:30 and 7:00. Groups do not need to sign up for a specific time slot, this is a change from last year. As groups make their way through the grounds, they will be greeted, hoodwinked, and serenaded by characters from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The experience lasts about 15-20 minutes- or longer if your group members are really into the crafts and photo booth possibilities. ATTP’s even expanded the crafts, photo booth, and the raffle- this event is fun for the whole family!

On June 25th, the Foothills Cafe and Curio will donate a portion of their proceeds to support ATTP, after families have had their fun at the Midsummer Magic Benefit and show their magic ticket vines from the event. The proceeds from this event will support ATTP’s teaching artists who run our Shakesperience Camp in July.
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Advice To The Players is a unique company of theater professionals, enthusiastic community members and energetic teens that have been performing Shakespeare and offering workshops in the Lakes and White Mountains Regions of New Hampshire since 1999. Based in Sandwich, ATTP has spent the last 23 years bringing award-winning productions of William Shakespeare’s richly passionate plays to life while introducing new generations to live theatre.
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Advice To The Players presents The Gin Game starring Hank Offinger and Lisa Lovett

5/16/2022

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Advice To The Players, Sandwich’s own Shakespeare company, is opening their 2022 season with a special limited production of The Gin Game by Donald L. Coburn featuring Hank Offinger and Lisa Lovett. This play in two acts will take place June 17th & 18th at 7:30pm at the Sandwich Town Hall Theater. In this play, two residents of a nursing home become acquaintances over a shared dislike for the home and an appreciation for the game gin rummy. As the two play, they each reveal intimate details about their lives and their conversations become as competitive and tumultuous as their ongoing games.

In addition, this production will have a special partnership with The Foothills Cafe & Curio. ATTP and the Foothills will be offering a dinner theatre for the performances of The Gin Game. There will be a fixed menu of three options served on sectioned dinner trays. Tickets for the dinner theatre will be $35, paid at the Foothills and regular tickets will be $20. Tickets will be available at advicetotheplayers.org or at the door as available . Reservations for dinner theatre are required due to limited availability- email [email protected] by Wednesday, June 15th to reserve.
​

Advice To The Players is a unique company of theater professionals, enthusiastic community members and energetic teens that have been performing Shakespeare and offering workshops in the Lakes and White Mountains Regions of New Hampshire since 1999. Based in Sandwich, ATTP has spent the last 23 years bringing award-winning productions of William Shakespeare’s richly passionate plays to life while introducing new generations to live theatre.
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Meet Our Members ~ Ben Bullard of H.B. Bullard and Company, Inc.

1/15/2022

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Ben has a successful fishing trip on Red Hill Pond, 2021. Photo by Lucy Wicks
What is your name and the name of your business?
Ben Bullard, H.B. Bullard and Company, Inc.

How did you get to Sandwich, NH?
In the early 1970s, Betty and I would visit her family's summer home. We were living in Boston and going to college. She had been coming up to Sandwich in the summers since she was born and we both liked it so much that directly after graduation, we moved here and were married in the summer of 1973. At the time, there were 600 year-round residents. Sandwich was a different town than it is today. It attracted us because of the arts and crafts nature of the town, which persists today.
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Ben with his young family in 1979. Photo by Marcella Winslow
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Late 70s, Ben sits by his sculpture. Its current owner installs it outside in the summer
and takes it in for the winter.
What got you started in this profession?
Trained as an artist, I loved working with my hands and creativity, and building became the way to use both simultaneously. Most of the carpenters back then in our age group started working for Van Adriance in some capacity. He started a large crew and we all, as friends and co-workers, built a few houses  together. After a few years we started to peel off from that to start our own ventures and partnerships. 

Rich Benton and I worked together for a few years, then Roger Korpi and I partnered up for 20 years and built many beautiful buildings together. Around 2000, I started this company H.B. Bullard and Company, Inc.

Tell us about your work. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? 
I started doing mostly timber frame construction. I was intrigued with Eric Sloan's books explaining the age old practice of mortise and tenon joinery in barn and house construction more than 200 hundred years ago. My first effort was building our house at Lower Corner. Trees on the property were cut down and  hewed into beams with an adze and joined into a timber frame. Later we used local sawyers to mill the beams. 
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An example of mortise and tenon joinery, 2021. Photo by Ben Bullard
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The finished barn. Photo by Ben Bullard
Our company designs and builds custom homes and barns, does restoration work on old buildings, does whole house renovations and everything in between. Eighty percent of our our work is in-house designed, twenty percent with architects. Personally I like classic design, be it house, barn or camp and the use of as much local product as I can.
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The beginning of a house, 2017. Photo by Ben Bullard
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The interior in progress. Photo by Ben Bullard
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Almost finished… photo by Ben Bullard
What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? 
I think the most satisfaction I get from this work is providing a beautiful home or workplace for people to enjoy over generations. It’s also fun to work with so many different people coming together to make the project a reality. 

Another rewarding aspect is watching the carpenters who have worked for me over the years hone their skills and become better and better at the execution of their jobs. I thank them for making our company successful.
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A finished kitchen on Squam Lake, 2020. Photo by Ben Bullard
What is the hardest?
The challenge of course is to be a good scheduler, keep everyone happy and make a consistently great product. You have to really like people and remain optimistic to do this consistent juggling. 

How has this last Covid year affected your work? 
Our industry is going strong in the Covid era but circumstances have changed making scheduling challenging because of lack of supply,  lack of labor and availability of sub-contractors.

What are your goals and hopes for the future?
My goal at this time is to retire soon, become a recovering contractor and let the next generation of excellent builders take over! Hopefully I  can use my fifty years of experience in building to inspire others to take up this vocation that I love. It is financially rewarding, and you use your head, heart and hand.
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The family—Ben, Lucy, Travis, Ashley and Betty
What else can you tell us about yourself and your life in Sandwich?
Sandwich is a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family. The strong sense of community is a valuable and special aspect of our town, and one that has meant a lot to our family over the years and continues still.
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Home, sweet home … photo by Betty Webster
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Meet Our Members ~ Sarah and Mark Cotrupi of The Porch

12/20/2021

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The Porch is ready for business, summer 2021. Photo by Mark Cotrupi
What is your name(s) and the name of your business?  
Sarah and Mark Cotrupi.  The name of our business is “The Porch.”
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Sarah and Mark in uniform, 1987
How/when did you get to Sandwich, NH? Life before Sandwich?
We visited Sandwich regularly for the past 10 years but only became Sandwich property owners two years ago when we bought Polly Jewett’s house. 

​Before Sandwich Mark and I lived in Nebraska City, Nebraska for about 30 years. It was there that Mark retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency as well as his 28 year career as an Air Force active duty and reserve member. We were both intelligence officers in the Air Force but I separated after seven years and started “Peppercricket Farm,” an antique store and Bed and Breakfast.  
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Peppercricket Farm B&B, 2012, photo by Mark Cotrupi
This was our first restoration project and was located on our 15 acre farm, utilizing the barn as a shop and workroom.  I discovered quickly that selling antiques was way more fun than running a B&B and spent the next 15 years refinishing and selling antiques. 

In 2005 we bought and restored a double storefront in Nebraska City and opened a home décor and gift shop called The Keeping Room.  Our plan was always to eventually move to New England (Mark has family in Vermont and we learned to love it on our many buying trips for the antique business).  Now approaching 50 we decided it was time to move. We sold the business and came to New Hampshire about 10 years ago.
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The Keeping Room, Nebraska City, 2006, photo by Mark Cotrupi
How/why did you start your business?
Mark and I always wanted to restore another old house and looked at dozens of homes in the New England area over the years and never could find “the one” to restore. Too expensive, wrong location, beyond our capabilities etc etc. 

Then there was this big old yellow one with the awesome porch.  Mark loved it right away and I couldn’t wait to paint it!! So we bought it and got to work. We weren’t sure what kind of business we were going to start but the longer we worked on it the more sure I was that it had to be retail. This house was meant to be shared with others. 
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The Porch restoration, 2020, photo by Sarah Cotrupi
Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer? 
The Porch features an eclectic blend of antique, vintage and new home décor as well as a women’s clothing line.  The building, with all of its natural light, high ceilings and expansive floorspace provides a great backdrop in which to showcase the merchandise.  The antique furnishings also blend in nicely with the new items so that customers can better visualize what they may look like in their own home or office.       ​
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Unusual finds at The Porch. Photos by Mark Cotrupi
What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your job?
The restoration process of the house and working on antique furniture that will have a new home are definitely the most satisfying, but finding inventory with Mark and setting up displays with my sister Chris Milanovich are the most fun. Mark calls it “playing house”! 

The one on one conversation we have with our customers is also a fun part of the job. It is truly amazing where folks are from, their background and what their plans are for the pieces they buy from us. We both love the interaction with our growing customer base at The Porch.

What is the hardest?
The days when no one comes in.  It happens in all retail but is never easy.
​ 

What are your goals and hopes for the future?
To become a shopping destination that brings more people to Sandwich to appreciate the unique beauty of the community. We are looking at expanding the shop into the second floor to complement what we already have in the barn and first floor. The architecture of this house lends itself to display and is something we want to take advantage of. 
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The Sandwich Singers perform in front of The Porch during Sandwich’s Christmas in the Village. Photo by Jude Davis.
What else can you tell us about yourself and your life in Sandwich?  
Our number one priority in our lives are our two daughters Helen, who is now a freshman at Stonehill College, and Mary Lynn, who is a junior at Moultonborough Academy.  Family is a very big part of our lives and something we have learned to cherish. 

We truly love the town and the folks who live here and the surrounding communities.  Sitting on the front porch of the shop in the summer invites conversation with all who walk or ride by. We hope to be doing it for many years to come.

theporchnh.com
facebook.com/porchnh
[email protected] 
(402) 326-5450
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Advice To The Players Fall Festival of Shakespeare

11/29/2021

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Fall Festival of Shakespeare Teens in the Sandwich Fair Parade
Advice To The Players, Sandwich’s own Shakespeare company, is proud to present their 3rd annual Fall Festival of Shakespeare. Fall Festival is an education program where students work with a directing team of teaching artists who lead the teens through a language-based exploration of Shakespeare. At the end of 10 weeks, the groups come together at Plymouth State University and showcase their work.

This year they have two groups of students participating: Newfound Regional High School and the Sandwich Cobble. Both groups have been participating since 2019. NRHS will be performing Much Ado About Nothing followed by the Sandwich Cobble’s production of The Tempest. The production will take place in-person at Plymouth State University on December 10th starting at 6:00 with Much Ado About Nothing. The Tempest will begin at 7:30. Tickets are $9 and are available at plymouthstatetickets.com. Only one ticket is needed to attend both performances.

Heading these productions is a team of dedicated teaching artists. The lead Director for the Sandwich Cobble’s production is Jessie Chapman, ATTP’s executive producer. Lead Director for Newfound Regional High School’s production is Lucy Randal-Tapply. The team of teaching artists working on these shows include Plymouth State University students and alumni Sarah Anne Bailinson, Garrison Barron, Frederick, Bickford, Mikayla Caterino, Ethan Fifield, Emma Littig, and Stephanie Wiencek at Newfound. The evening will be full of revelry, magic, and two audience favorites from the Shakespeare canon. Don’t miss it. 
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Meet Our Members ~ Nancy Hansen, Sewing.

11/9/2021

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Nancy Hansen, photo by Susan Lirakis
What is your name and the name of your business?
Nancy Jones Hansen, my business name is Sewing. It leaves no question as to what I do!  ​

How did you get to Sandwich, NH?
I met a guy....! I came to Sandwich in 1980, married a local. We lived here for several years and then moved to Bethel, Maine for 15 years, returning in 1999. On our first date, my husband, Carl, looked at the Brick Store and announced he was going to live there some day. So here we are in the Brick Store, running our businesses from one of the most iconic buildings in town. 
Brick Store, then
The Brick Store then. Photo courtesy SHS.
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The Brick Store now.
What got you started in this line of work?
My mother was a sewer, and taught me to sew over Easter vacation when I was 12, on my grandmother's treadle sewing machine. (Sounds like I'm really old, but it was a really old machine at the time.) I've been sewing ever since.  

Once out of college I realized I could make money sewing. I applied for a job with a small wallpaper/fabric store. I had a basic  book on how to sew everything. The owner would ask me if I know how to do... whatever. As long as it was in the book I said yes and got the job.  I've been sewing for people in Sandwich for 30 years.
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A custom quilt that started out as a 1x1 inch stamp and became a king-sized quilt, 2017.
Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? 
There is no Home Economics any more in schools, so people are not learning sewing as a craft or vocation. I think it's a dying art. I am fortunate that I have sewed for over 50 years and have done just about everything in the field, from simple alterations to designer drapes and swags. I've done prototypes for people with new ideas, and repaired antique quilts.  

When/how did you begin your business?
In the 80s Carl worked as a contractor and I became a division of that, Hansen Homes & Interiors/Sewing. Carl has retired from building, mostly, so now he works for me.

What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your job?  
I like to see people happy with something they thought was ruined and now it's good. Weird is fun, repetition is repetitive, but it pays the bills. Quite often I get clothes or ties from someone who has lost a loved one and want a quilt made from them. T-shirt quilts are fun because usually all of the shirts have meaning to those who receive it. If I know the person, even better, then I can add to what I know of their personality. My business is my hobby, so I get to do it everyday.
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A memorial T-shirt quilt, 2019
What is the hardest?  
The hardest is being sure people are happy. Even after all of these years making things for people, a little voice always wonders, "will they like this?"  So far so good.

What has happened to your business in this last Covid year?
I had the best job during Covid. People still needed things fixed. I just did a lot of business out on the porch. Of course I made many, many masks. Both donated and some for sale. It was a good way to use up small pieces of fabric. ​
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The workshop
What are your goals and hopes for the future?
My goal for the future is to retire! This seems impossible as the phone keeps ringing. Two or three seamstresses have closed in the last year for different reasons so there are not as many people sewing.  For the near future, I'm still working. I have a new shop space at our house and I hate to give it up.

What else can you tell us about yourself and your life in Sandwich?
In 1980 I married into Sandwich. Coming from Detroit, it was a big change, but a good one. Friends from 1980 are still here and still friends, and now their grandchildren play with mine. All three of our children live in town, which made our Covid bubble very nice. We travel more now, but it's always nice to come home. We live in the most beautiful place.

[email protected]
603-387-4767
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Meet Our Members ~ Peggy and Bob MacArthur of Birch Corner Associates

10/20/2021

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What are your names?
Peggy and Bob MacArthur, Birch Corner Associates ​
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Peggy MacArthur, photo by Kim Beer
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Bob MacArthur, photo by Kim Beer
How did you get to Sandwich?
After two decades in the Midwest, we returned to New Hampshire in 2004.  Having spent fourteen years raising our family in Hanover and exploring many of the state’s peaks, trails and tributaries during our days with Outward Bound, we were happy to return to the land that is home to our spirits.  

While in St. Louis Bob served as president and CEO of the American Youth Foundation, a national youth development organization. Camp Merrowvista in Tuftonboro is one of AYF’s program centers, and over the years Bob made many trips east to oversee the expanding program and renovations to its facilities. It was during those trips that friends introduced us to Sandwich.

Why the name of your business?
Exploring the land while our home was being built, we were drawn to one corner formed by the intersection of two rock walls.  We found the woods contain a preponderance of birch trees.  Many are beyond mature, bearing the wrinkled bark of decades and the scars of the 1998 ice storm. Nearby, younger birches grow strong and supple with the skin of youth.  An author we read at the time opined that the symbolic quality of birch trees includes “cleansing of the past, new beginnings and vision quests.”  True or not, the attributes resonated, and we embraced the name as emblematic of our work in this chapter of life. ​
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Generations of birches in a special corner of the woods. Photo by Bob MacArthur
Tell us about your business.
Birch Corner is a coaching practice that helps clients identify, claim and amplify their purpose in life. We work with nonprofit leaders and boards, small business owners and individuals who are seeking greater fulfillment in life or have momentarily lost their direction and/or traction.  

Bob has worked with several organizations facilitating the creation of their strategic plans and conducting developmental sessions with senior leadership teams and boards.  Regional examples include Geneva Point Center, Green Mountain Conservation Group, Project Adventure, Kimball Union Academy, the NH and VT chapters of The Nature Conservancy, Squam Lakes Conservation Society, Proctor Academy, and the Sandwich Children’s Center.

In 2008 we helped launch the Touched By A Horse coaching certification program (www.touchedbyahorse.com) and have been principal coaches, facilitators and supervisors ever since. TBAH is a two year course for students who are studying and practicing to apply gestalt principles and methods in partnering with horses to engage clients. Peggy continues to mentor the coaches of these programs and makes several trips to Colorado each year for 3-5 day experiential workshops involving the students and the horses.  Several graduates of the program continue to seek Peggy’s coaching.
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Scooter clears the throat chakra to help his client Bob reclaim his voice.
Photo by Mado Reid
What happened to your business this last Covid year?
Our work with individuals and some organizations continued virtually and was pretty much uninterrupted.  Peggy and her colleagues at Touched By A Horse maintained weekly classes. In-person workshops were postponed and have subsequently resumed in the spring of this year.  

What got you started in this profession?
Earlier personal and professional experiences shaped the building blocks for our current work.  Each of us experienced the disciplines, successes and defeats of competitive athletics - Peggy as a nationally ranked ice dancer and Bob as a varsity athlete in college.  

Each of our professional lives has been characterized by a sense of vocation to support others in developing their potential and their emotional and spiritual health.  Peggy spent a decade in human resources at Energizer’s world headquarters in St. Louis. In addition to raising our family while at Energizer, she earned her MSW degree at Washington University and acquired her LICSW license for both Missouri and New Hampshire.  Her family therapy practice in Moultonborough and Wolfeboro anchored Birch Corner Associates, as we launched our coaching business.
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Peggy in 2011. Photo by Chris Jernstedt
After attending seminary, Bob spent two years as Episcopal chaplain at Dartmouth. He recognized that his vocation was not to parish ministry but a broader calling to build community and help others attain their goals. In addition to chaplaincy roles, Bob’s formal leadership experience includes directing the Dartmouth Outward Bound Center for twelve years and for nineteen years serving as President and CEO of the American Youth Foundation.  
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On a clear day you can see forever… the view from Mt. Israel. Photo by Sandy McGinnes
Goals for the future?
As long as we are able, we plan to continue offering our services to those who benefit, while enjoying the blessings of life in this community. We also keep in mind our ties to the land, inspired by Robert Frost’s wisdom related to birches and aging.

…So was I once myself a swinger of birches.
And so I dream of going back to be.
It’s when I’m weary of considerations,
And life is too much like a pathless wood
Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs
Broken across it, and one eye is weeping
From a twig’s having lashed across it open.
I’d like to get away from earth awhile
And then come back to it and begin over…

One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.

                ~Robert Frost


Peggy and Bob MacArthur
Birch Corner Associates
birchcorner.com
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Meet Our Members ~ Anne Perkins of Anne Made

10/3/2021

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What is your name and the name of your business?
Anne Metcalf Perkins, Anne Made
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Anne and John Perkins. Photo by Jude Davis
How did you get to Sandwich, NH?
I am one of the fortunate who was born in Sandwich. I have always known how special that is. My mother’s parents had a camp on Winnepesaukee and  they decided to settle in Sandwich at the end of World War II. Lester Lear was from Gallipolis, Ohio. Isadora Schmidt Lear was born in Philadelphia. 

My father’s family had a camp on  Squam Lake. At the age of 20, my father, Lance Metcalf, decided to settle in Sandwich, after leaving the Marine Corps at the end of the war. My parents met in Sandwich, probably at a Town Hall square-dance. After my mother, Nancy Lear, attended UNH for a year, they were married at Saint Andrews in Tamworth. 

Tell us about your work. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? 
I am a textile craftsman and have made and sold everything from bed quilts and wallhangings to Christmas ornaments and dolls. Currently I’m working with cashmere and making fingerless gloves.
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Portrait of Nigel, 1982
What got you started in this work?
My grandparents were both craftsmen. My grandmother, Isadora Lear, did crewel embroidery and was a weaver. My grandfather, Lester A. Lear, was a silversmith and did enameling on copper. My uncle, Peter C. Lear, was  a silversmith. I was surrounded by talented textile people as a child, and l was encouraged from a very young age to work with textiles.  

Grandad studied silversmithing in London, England with Robert Stone, a member of the London Silversmith’s Guild while helping to set up Stars and Stripes, the military news magazine. When he came to Sandwich  he studied with Karl Drerup and learned enameling. He sold both his work in silver and enameling at the Sandwich Home Industries.  
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Colonel Lester A. Lear, silversmith
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Isadora S. Lear, Embroidery, Rug Hooking, Weaving
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Peter C. Lear, silversmith
Grammy's parents lived in Mt Vernon, NY when she was growing up. Her father, Louis Schmidt worked as a medical illustrator,  and later as a photographer for illustrations for medical books  at the Rockefeller Institute located in Rockefeller center. He also did illuminated manuscripts  and produced skilled etchings.

Isadora Studied embroidery at the Royal School of needlework when they were living in London. She and Lester were both juried members of the NH League of Arts and crafts. When spending winters in Mexico both Isadora and Lester studied painting at the Art Institute of San Miguel d’Allende. Isadora taught herself how to do embroidery left handed so she could teach her left handed granddaughter the skills.


Neither of my parents were full-time craftsmen. My mother, Nancy Lear Metcalf, was a skilled tailor and an accomplished knitter.  My father, Winslow Harris Metcalf ( known as Lance) was a skilled welder, blacksmith, carpenter and mechanic. He designed many labor saving devices for many different trades in 1950s Sandwich.

Growing up at 12 Main Street gave me endless opportunities to hang out and learn (pester, question) the League craftsmen. (Twelve Main Street was first my grandparent's home when they moved to Sandwich in 1945. They sold the house to my parents, Nancy and Lance, and I lived there until I went to boarding school.) I was within walking distance of the League shop and my grandparent's and my Uncle Peter’s homes during my entire childhood. I took many classes at the League as a child. Classes I took: pottery, silversmithing, drawing and watercolor and whatever was offered. I took classes every year.
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Anne at the Nantucket School of Needlery, 1972.
When/how did you start your business?
When I was about 10 years old I was a locally-juried maker of potholders and Christmas ornaments sold at the Sandwich Home Industries. I’ve never stopped making things. I attended an arts-oriented boarding school, Wykeham Rise in Washington, Connecticut, and the Nantucket School of Needlery on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. 

I went to junior college for a year and I went to nursing school at Hartford Hospital and worked as a nurse for three years. Living away from Sandwich from 1964 until 1971 made me so homesick I got a pass to Old Sturbridge Village to remind of home within driving distance. I ran a bookstore in Conway and worked for Jan Burnell cooking and baking food which was delivered to Sandwich town folk by her husband. Many people remember Jan who worked as a chef for Jane and Don at the Corner House.

For many years starting in 1981 I sold my work at the Corner House Inn when it was owned by Jane and Don Brown. Representatives from Better Homes and Gardens saw my work at the Corner House and invited me to design and produce kits for a variety of needlework techniques. I worked as a Better Homes designer for four years while remaining in Sandwich.
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Sunflower wallhanging, late 1980s.
What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work?
I love the creation of designs, the problem solving in pattern making and color choices. I am never bored. I found it challenging and rewarding to use a sewing machine. I pretty much invented what I was doing so nobody had seen it before.
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Fingerless gloves, Anne’s latest project, available at Willow Pond Antiques & Goods.
What is the hardest?
Working at home as a craftsman was a challenge at a time when it was not considered to be work by many.  The local banks didn’t recognize craft work as employment so it was almost impossible to get a bank loan. There were a lot of interruptions because I lived in the village and people expected hospitality whether it was a convenient time or not. I was a parent and was trying to keep four employees busy. It is different now.  I have more flexibility. My child is an adult. I have no employees. I have earned credibility.

How has this last Covid year affected your work? 
Other than not attending markets or fairs, not at all.  My work keeps well and I found retail outlets elsewhere.

What are your goals and hopes for the future?
To keep up my standards, abilities and eyesight as long as possible.
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Cows, wallhanging, late 1980s.
What else can you tell us about yourself and your life in Sandwich?
There were many  craftsmen who settled here in the fifties, sixties and seventies, and I remember some wonderful collaborations. 

Bob Wright and Lance Metcalf created metal sculptures  from found objects. Peter Lear collaborated with a local potter to make lamps. The INN wallhanging was a collaboration between Elli Ford, artist, Don Brown, artist, Anne Perkins and Judi Dunlap quilters.

​Many craftsmen collaborated  on a friendship quilt for Daphne Alcock Frentress who lived in Australia for a number of years, including, Louisa Miner, Nancy Metcalf, Anne Perkins, Ellie Dow, Helen Bryant, Bunny Michael, Louise Page, Robing Dustin, Bunty Walsh, Shirley Burns, Dot Harding.
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Corner House Inn wallhanging, 1988.
I want to thank Jane and Don Brown, Mark Duffield, Nick Floyd, Crosby and George Bonsall, Betsy Switzer, Denny Taylor, Ferne Tilton, Betsy Leiper, Bruce Montgomery, Catherine Hope, Nancy Papp at Mocha Rising and the League of Arts and Crafts for encouraging my craft business. I want to thank my employees, Judi Dunlap, Elli Ford, Betty Alcock, Priscilla Grant, and John Perkins.  My Daughter Ellen Perkins collaborated on a lot of designs with me and was an employee for a long time. 

My current work is available for purchase at Willow Pond Antiques & Goods, 22 Main Street, Center Sandwich.

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2021 Sandwich Fair ~ it's happening! Oct. 9-11

9/24/2021

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Vegetable display at the Sandwich Fair. Photo by Janina Lamb
3 Day Tickets for the Sandwich Fair are available in the Sandwich Fair Office (7 Wentworth Hill Road) until the end of September (Thursday, 9/30).  Daily tickets to the Fair are $12 for ages 12 and over. Children under 12 are free. The three-day ticket is $24 which gives you three days of fair fun for the price of 2 days.

As the saying goes, "it takes a village." Can you donate 3 hours of your valuable time (or longer) as a building monitor or ticket taker? A 3-day  fair pass is available in lieu of payment. Come be a part of our fair family during the 2021 Sandwich Fair, Oct. 9-11.  Please call, email or stop into the office to learn more! 

Also, if you have a drawer full of unwanted pens (that work)? The Fair can use them! Please feel free to drop off all you extras. Come on into the Fair Office Building and say hello, or leave them in the black mailbox out front. Thanks for helping us recycle/reuse!
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Photo by Allan DiBiase
The newly renovated Sandwich Fair Association Office is now open and staffed Tues - Fri from approx. 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. Phone: 603 284 7062; email: [email protected] . The Fair will take place October 9, 10, and 11. Fair program books and flyers are available at the Sandwich Fair Office, the Library and many other locations around town. For more information: Kim Weeks, The Sandwich Fair Association, 7 Wentworth Hill Road / POB 161, Sandwich, NH 03227; Tel: 603 284-7062; Email: [email protected]

The Fair is making hand sanitizers and hand-washing stations  accessible throughout the fairgrounds. The Fair is adhering to current local/state/federal guidelines  in their effort to present a safe and successful Fair. Attendance at the Fair constitutes your understanding of the risks of contracting COVID-19. You voluntarily assume full-risk related to the possible exposure to the virus. You are responsible for practicing COVID- 19 best practices to protect yourself and your family--masking, hand-washing/sanitizing, social distancing, etc. The Sandwich Fair, its board of directors and employees cannot be held liable if you contract COVID-19. 
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Photo by Franz Nicolay
The membership of the Sandwich Fair Association, Inc. will have a Fair wrap-up meeting and election of offices on Tuesday,  October 19, at 7:00 pm in the Benz Center. The Sandwich Fair is always looking for dedicated members, please contact the Fair Office for more information on becoming a member.
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This website, Discover Sandwich, has been in continuous operation since 2013. It functions as a community resource, in addition to a site that highlights and promotes SBG members, and gives an overview of the town to interested parties. Even if you do not have a business in Sandwich, you are welcome to join as an associate member. The Sandwich Business Group welcomes your presence and contributions. ​​​

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Grateful thanks to the Alfred Quimby Fund, the Town of Sandwich, and Wedco for their support.
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Many thanks to the Sandwich Business Group and all its members for supporting Sandwich's vitality and well-being. 
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