Join others at the historic North Sandwich Friends (Quakers) Meetinghouse on Sunday, August 11 at 10:30 a.m. for a special programmed Meeting with Emily Provance.  Ms. Provance is a member of the Fifteenth Street Monthly Meeting in New York City working with a variety of Quaker institutions.  She evaluates where the systems and practices of the Society of Friends are supporting God's purposes and where those systems and practices might be getting in the way, across the covenant people called the Religious Society of Friends.  She is an associate of Good News Associates, a nonprofit Christian ministry organization supporting individuals who are called to non-institutional ministries.  

The North Sandwich Friends Meeting is socially and politically inclusive.  The principles of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship of the Earth are basic to our faith.  If you are a first-time visitor, you can pick up a welcoming brochure at the door.  Our historic Meetinghouse is up the hill from the Durgin Covered Bridge (354 Quaker Whiteface Road in North Sandwich.) We gather every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and during these busy summer months we open the Meetinghouse for a mid-week un-programmed silent gathering on Wednesdays at 7 p.m..  For further information contact Luisa Facciolo at 603-284-6843.

Book and Supply Money
If you are a Sandwich resident and a recent high school graduate working on your first undergraduate degree, you have until August 1 (postmark) to write a note to Sandwich Woman's Club, PO Box 48, Center Sandwich, NH 03227. In the note you should introduce yourself and  include your name and contact information, your goals for the future and your plan to reach those goals.

Students may request Book and Supply Money each year (no more than 4 years) of their undergraduate career.  The Sandwich Woman's Club raises money with a raffle during Old Home Week (Thursday 8/8/19 at 2 pm on the green).  Funds raised are used to help Sandwich young adults with some of the expenses that come with continuing their education. The amount is usually 150 to 250 dollars per student depending on the funds raised by the raffle and the number of students requesting funds. Checks are written to the student shortly after Labor Day and do not interfere with other financial aid awards.  Students must write the notes themselves and if they are short on time or out of town, they may send an e-mail to sandwichnews@hotmail.com.

The August 1 deadline will still apply. Please include Book and Supply in the Subject Line.

Jenn Elliot writes: Please join the Sandwich Friends and Fiber Group, this Saturday June 8, 11am - 1pm, as they join thousands of other knitters around the world all gathered to knit in public. The group will be outside the Sandwich Home Industries, on the grass or under the the porch is case of rain at 32 Main Street, on the Green Center Sandwich, NH.

Bring your knitting, finished items for show and tell, and lawn chair. Crocheters, spinners and fiber artists of all kinds are welcome to join in. Or just stop by to meet and greet us and see our knitting. Bring your own snacks or swing by the Village Cafe for coffee and a pastry or sandwich.  Many thanks to Martha Nichols, manager of SHI for graciously hosting us. 

WKIPDAY is unique in that it’s the largest knitter-run event in the world.  Each local event is put together by a volunteer or a group of volunteers.  For more on World Wide Knit in Public Day, see http://www.wwkipday.com/

"Better living through stitching together"

Off the Dock Players is proud to announce an upcoming run of A Doll’s House, Part 2, by Lucas Hnath, at Sandwich Town Hall from February 15th through February 24th. 

Do you have to know A Doll’s House to enjoy A Doll’s House, Part 2?  The short answer is NO, but we feel that knowing the Ibsen classic is worthwhile on its own and provides a better understanding of Hnath’s sequel. They are separate plays written at very different times—1879 and 2017—by very different people. They exist independently from one another but together are sure to spark lively discussions about how some things change....and how some things stay the same.

Here’s some theater history:

When the door slammed shut at the end of Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 play, A Doll’s House, critics began referring to it as 'the slam heard around the world.' Heated discussions about the role of wife, mother and the institution of marriage took center stage in late 19th Century European discourse. Some theaters would only produce it with an altered ending, but Ibsen called that a travesty and held to the original as the central message of the play.

Fast forward to 2017 when a young, emerging writer named Lucas Hnath (pronounced NÃTHE) wondered what would happen if Nora returns to her family after 15 years away. A Doll’s House, Part 2  launched on Broadway to great critical acclaim and multiple Tony nominations and wins.

On February 15th, Off The Dock Players present A Doll’s House, Part 2, by Lucas Hnath, at the Center Sandwich Town Hall, 8 Maple Street starring Rebecca Cole (Nora), Hank Offinger (Torvald), Lisa Lovett (Ann Marie) and Jacquelyn Henken (Emmy).  The show will run through February 24th and information and tickets can be found at www.offthedockplayers.com

Nancy Blaine writes: Off the Dock Players is a theatre company formed in Sandwich, NH, by founding members are Rebecca Cole, Hank Offinger and Nancy Blaine.  We spent so much time “on the dock” talking about plays we wanted to produce, that we decided to get “off the dock” and do them. Our first production was A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters in winter of 2017.  

That summer we produced Bakersfield Mist in conjunction with The Sandwich Players and directed by Ben Bullard.  In Summer of 2018 we produced, Mother of the Groom in conjunction with The Corner House.  The play was set in a Manhattan restaurant so we decided to set it in the dining room at The Corner House.  The one act was performed in between the main course and dessert.  

Our current production is A Doll’s House, Part 2, by Lucas Hnath.  Our goal is to bring intimate and serious drama to the area.  We love Sandwich and thought we could bring a different angle to the great theater companies we already have.  Both Advice to the Players and the Sandwich Players have been welcoming, helpful and collaborative in our pursuit.  We are so very grateful to them. 

  With the beginning of 2019, Adam is announcing a number of celebratory activities for this important year, the first one being the most significant. In celebration of the generations of townspeople who have supported and nurtured the business, making it what it is today, Tappan Chairs is donating 10% of all retail chair sales this year to be divided among the Sandwich Historical Society, Sandwich Home Industries, and Sandwich Children’s Center, thereby celebrating the stewards of the “History, Heritage, and Future” of Tappan Chairs in town.

Adam also intends to use this occasion to challenge other businesses in the community to match Tappan Chairs’ contributions this year, so that together they can contribute to as many important cultural and social nonprofits and charities which serve the town and its population as possible.

As the year progresses, many more events lie in store. Tappan Chairs is currently seeking a formal celebratory proclamation from the Governor of NH, and has invited him to attend the official “Tappan Chairs Birthday Celebration” on August 3 in Sandwich, kicking off Sandwich’s renowned Old Home Week.

Also in store is the publication of a “Spotter’s Guide to Tappan Chairs,” the expansion of the museum exhibit to feature biographies and photos from the many generations of Tappan Chair makers and their helpers, as well as historic chair examples and patterns from the different periods of their manufacture. Finally, Tappan Chairs looks to release an all-new chair design to symbolize and and celebrate its many generations of makers.

We at Tappan Chairs not only invite you to join us in this special year, but encourage you to help us share this special story of what we have become, which deepens with every year!

For further inquiry and information, please contact:
Adam Nudd-Homeyer, owner-steward and craftsperson
Tappan Chairs, LLC
adam@tappanchairs.com
603-726-6550

Congratulations to the Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery for its recognition in the Excursions column of Art New England magazine's September/October issue. The article is not available online but photos of the pages are below.

Our little village of Sandwich is remarkably rich in establishments dedicated to art and craft—making, selling and teaching. Many  are located right in the center of town. In addition to the Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery, we have Surroundings Art Gallery, the League of  NH Craftsmen Gallery, Tappan Chairs and Willow Pond Antiques and Goods.

Just outside the center of town, you can visit Field Fine Art to buy a painting or take a class. Needle felting supplies and lessons are available at Soft Touch Farm. Other local artisans include Botanical Lampshades, Basket Street Papers, Pease Gallery, Derek Marshall Lighting and Will Lehmann Frames. This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the people in Sandwich who are engaged in art and craft making.

The Sandwich Historical Society, also in the center of town, has many exhibits showing arts and crafts in Sandwich's history.

And while we're talking about art in the center of town, we would be remiss not to mention the Art Center at 12 Main Street, home of Advice To The Players, Sandwich's Shakespeare Company that offers so much more than performances of Shakespeare's plays. Theatre camps for young people, improv meetups for all ages, and musical and other performances throughout the year.

We who make our home in Sandwich are blessed to live in such a rich and rewarding environment. We welcome visitors to our little town and hope that you will find a visit here to be a fullfilling and enjoyable experience. Look around this website for a more comprehensive picture of all that Sandwich, New Hampshire has to offer.

Adam Nudd-Homeyer writes: Since the "Grand Opening" of our new location in the old Sandwich General Store, we have had an incredible and heartwarming amount of interest and support from our community and visitors alike. Including our opening day on June 21, our hosting of the annual summer trip of the Guild of NH Woodworkers the following weekend, and daily traffic, we have greeted nearly 300 visitors in our first two weeks--and sold a few chairs, mugs, t-shirts, and bumper stickers as well!

Although we still have some machinery left to get into final place and operation, and the museum exhibit remains in the works, we have all told made the transition to our new home with few hiccups, and have lost little time as we have juggled production. Our biggest challenge remains working to get ahead of the curve on our orders so that we can retain some regular floor models! We have also experienced a new and unexpected delight: using our storefront to generate exposure for the beautiful work of local craftspeople such as Suzanne Weil, Steve Sabella, and David Gagnon, and also publicly share the important partnerships we have nurtured with Chilton Furniture, the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community, the Mount Lebanon Shaker Museum, and the American Chestnut Foundation. We have a lot to pay forward, and it's wonderful to find ourselves positioned so well to do so now.

Also amazingly, we have made the adjustment to regular work hours, opening our doors to the public from 10 - 4 Tuesday through Saturday, and whenever else we happen to be at work (almost always). Please stop in and see the life that has come back to the historic old general store in downtown Sandwich, and learn about the the many lives of Tappan Chairs in our great little town!
Tappan Chairs: (603) 726-6550, www.tappanchairs.com

THE 2018 CSVW ANNUAL BIRD WALK was held on Saturday, May 12 and was A GREAT DAY FOR BIRDING!

The weather was chilly but sunny with blue skies and the leaves on the trees were fresh and green!  Wildlife Biologist, Christine Costello of the Bartlett Experiment Forest led the way for us again this year - THANK YOU Chris!
37 bird species were identified!  CSVW website has the complete list of birds along with more photos and event info. 

Jean Knox writes: This year’s Samuel Wentworth Library bake sale is on May 12th, from 10 to 1, in the library’s community room. Proceeds from the sale are used to buy books for the library. This popular annual event is sponsored by Friends of the Library. Come and buy a special dessert for Mother’s Day! Freeze extra baked goods for your summer guests!
 
Bake Sale Power: For history buffs, a bake sale is not just a minor fundraiser. It may call to mind momentous reform periods in 19th century America, when the temperance movement and campaign for women’s suffrage captured the nation’s attention. Women were the driving force behind these movements, although their world was confined to home and hearth. To raise funds, women turned to an activity they knew well: baking. Bake sales were quickly popular, for back then a home-made pie from a bake sale was an appealing alternative to tending a woodstove for hours. Soon bake sales expanded to include crafts and quilt raffles. In some communities, bake sales developed into annual fairs. Along the way, women developed proficient business skills. They may have established the concept of the non-profit annual report. Never under-estimate the power of a pie!

Samuel Wentworth library’s annual bake sale has been a popular Mother’s Day tradition in Center Sandwich for more than forty years. Bethany Powers, children’s librarian, started the sale on her own to raise money for children's books. The Friends of the Library took over the sale, linking it to a plant sale, when Lucy Glenday was FOL president. Today the bake sale is as popular as ever, and a sure sign of spring in Sandwich.
 
Remember to sign up to bake, and please come to buy on Mother’s Day weekend, 2018. The second Saturday in May is officially National Bake Sale Day!