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September/October 2016 Newsletter
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Fall has been a busy time for the Chamber as you will see from the newsletter articles below! For that reason, we are providing a combined September/October newsletter and will return to our normal monthly newsletter publication in November.
This is an exciting time for our Chamber! Before 2016 draws to a close, we will have sponsored or co-sponsored over 14 events that promote our communities; address
business needs within our area; and facilitate communication between businesses, organizations, legislators and community leaders.
We have a number of Fall events scheduled and as Winter approaches, we will be preparing for our Annual Economic Summit and Annual Meeting. As always, we really welcome any suggestions you have about what you would like to see the Chamber accomplish as well as any feedback you have on how we are serving your needs and the needs of the community.
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Upcoming Events
Please visit our main WEB page or Calendar of Events at
www.cohase.org for more details on any of these events as well as other events scheduled in our region..
October 2
- Paddle the Border, Newbury, VT to Bradford, VT
October 4 - Chamber Business Financing Forum, Haverhill Corner, NH
October 8-9 - Newbury Open Studios Events
October 16 - Festival of Earthly Delights, Haverhill Corner, NH
October 18 - Chamber Health Insurance Forum for NH and VT
businesses and residents, Woodsville, NH
November 2 - Chamber Business After Hours, Fairlee, VT
November 30 - Digital Marketing/Cybersecurity Workshop, Bradford, VT
December 5 - Cohase Economic Summit (Invitation Only), Bradford, VT
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| 4 Corners Farm Tour |
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Cohase Farm Tour - Celebrating our Agricultural Heritage
The Cohase Chamber of Commerce held its 2016 Farm Tour on Sunday, August 21 and featured six area farms. This was our second Farm Tour. Our initial Farm Tour was held in 2014. Partcipating farms were Windy Ridge Orchard (North Haverhill), 4 Corners Farm (Newbury), Sandberg Farm (Corinth), Crossmolina Farm (West Corinth), Root 5 Farm (Fairlee) and Cedar Circle Farm (Thetford). The Farm Tour was self-guided and attendees could visit one or more farms. Root 5 Farm and Four Corners Farm offered scheduled tours and Cedar Circle and Windy Ridge offered self-guided tours. Crossmolina and Sandberg Farms offered ad-hoc tours as visitors arrived. As it was self-guided, we do not have an accurate count of actual visitors but some farms reported
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Root 5 Tour |
25+ visitors. We have lots of ideas as to how to make this event even better next year and welcome any comments/suggestions. It is not too early for any farms who would like to participate next year to let us know! Thanks to our sponsors for this event which included Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank, Wells River Chevrolet, WYKR, Blackmount Equipment and Tilden Electric.
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Team E & E Production - 1st Place Winners
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Cohase 48 Hour Film Slam - A Great Success!
Our 7th Annual 48 Hour Film Slam was a great success with over 150 attendees and six participating teams. This year's event as in past years, showcased the local film-making talent in our region.
As is the case each year, the film must be no longer than 7 minutes, must be completed in 48 hours and each team draws their required genre at the start of the event. The specific additional requirements for this year's Film Slam were as follows:
- Required location: The Old Piermont Jail
- Required prop: A Turkey Call
- Required Line of dialogue: "Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it"
- Required Product placement: Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank cup
The following were the awards presented:
1st Place ($500) - "Do Over" - E & E Productions
2nd Place ($250) - "Past, Meet Present" - Going to 11
3rd Place ($100) - "The Great Escape" - Dos Gatos
People's Choice ($100) - "The Great Escape" - Dos Gatos
Best Foreign Dubbed Film - "As The Stomach Churns" - Fairy House Films
Best Product Placement - "Shrink" - The Moose Crew
Best Use of Line - "Past, Meet Present" - Going to 11
Best Use of Location - "Do Over" - E & E Productions
Best Actor - Ben Peberdy - Malone!
We have posted the winning films on YouTube and they can be viewed by visiting our YouTube channel. Our channel name is
Cohase Chamber of Commerce 48 Hour Film Slam
. You also can access it directly by clicking
here
.
Thanks to Mark Nielsen for organizing the event and making sure all the tasks were completed to make it a success and Anne Dall who assisted on various fronts including creating our marketing materials and advertising. Thanks also to all our other volunteers, whose contributions big and small helped make this another successful event. We were very fortunate to have an impressive list of judges headed by actor/director/teacher Richard Waterhouse which also included filmmaker Samantha Davidson Green, actor/teacher Christian Kohn and screenwriter/teacher Bill Phillips
As always, a very special thank you to all of our sponsors including Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank, Valley Floors, Odell Insurance, Wells River Savings Bank, Alarmco, White River Indie Films and Anne & Tony Dall.
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Business After Hours - Fun, Food, Film and Fundraising!
We were pleased to resurrect our Business After Hours social events this year with a recent event held on September 21 at Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank in Woodsville, New Hampshire.
Thank you so much to Jan Carver, Ashley Ricker and the staff at Woodsville Guaranty who made this a wonderful event such a success and provided all the refreshments and doorprizes. Over 40 people were in attendance representing not only businesses from the surrounding villages of Woodsville and Wells River but from towns as far away as Fairlee and Hanover.
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Participants fill the lobby of Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank.
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In addition to lots of laughs and camaraderie, participants enjoyed delicious food and drink as well as freshly popped popcorn and movie candy! The winning films from the Chamber's recent 48 Hour Film Slam were available for viewing and a fun "ball-toss" fundraiser was also held to benefit Haverhill Recreation department. The fundraiser raised $338 to help support Haverhill Recreation's programs.
Visit our Facebook page for more photos from this fun event!
If you missed this Business After Hours, be sure to join us for our next Business After Hours event on November 2 at 5:30 PM at Four Seasons Sotheby's International Realty in Fairlee, Vermont.
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Carol LeBarron (l) and Barbara Riley (r) |
Member Moment
This month we are pleased to speak with Barbara Riley, owner of Shadow Box Art & Framing in Woodsville, New Hampshire.
Shadow Box Art & Framing specializes in custom framing and also sells art supplies, fine art, and a variety of other books and gifts. They are located at 83 Central Street in Woodsville, New Hampshire. Barbara can be reached at (603) 747-3967 or via email at [email protected]. You can also visit them on Facebook or at their WEB site at shadowboxartandframing.homestead.com
Q. How did you start out in this business?
A. I actually started at The Framing Shop at the Ross Business Center which is now Copies & More in Wells River, Vermont. I was there for five years and have been at my current store (in Woodsville) for 11 years in October. I have an art background and went to art school but couldn't afford custom framing so I started framing my own work. I am pretty much self-taught but also learned a lot from my experiences at Ross Business Center.
Q. Can you tell us a little bit about your staff?
A. We have a very talented staff who all have an art background. Carol (LeBarron) is my right hand woman. She is a fiber artist and a retired art/music teacher who spent 24 years teaching in Newbury. Another one of my valuable employees is Shauna (Kimball), who recently retired as a guidance counsellor at Woodsville High School. Shauna is a watercolorist. We also have one part-timer, Rachel, who is studying Art Education at Johnson State. Since all of our staff have an art background, it means we all have an understanding of color, composition and design. This allows us to help the customer from the time they bring in something to the very end. We can help you choose the color and style of your matte and frame and help you make the appropriate choices for your framed art based on the wall you're going to hang it on, the light in your room and what your personal style is. We try to take the terror out of it! Our background is also helpful to assist customers who are coming in to buy art supplies.
Q. I think many of us are at least somewhat familiar with custom framing but can you tell us more about shadow boxes and perhaps some of the more memorable shadowboxes you and your staff have created?
A. A shadow box is basically a collection of things that are enclosed within a frame. A shadow box makes your collection look more important and more visually pleasing. We've created shadow boxes of all types. Some memorable ones include one we made for a cheese tester named Oscar at Cabot Creamery with an Oscar the Grouch stuffed animal with the stuffing removed. We also created a shadow box with Big Papi's signed jersey when the Red Sox won the World Series. Other memorable boxes have included a real pig skin diploma, a set of historic "dueling" pistols, jewelry collections, an old Bradford Academy band uniform and even a floral arrangement made out of human hair. We can basically frame anything that's not alive!
Q. Is there anything your store offers that people may not realize?
A. We offer more than framing which is a surprise to some people. We sell art supplies, local art, wood turned bowls, gifts and books. We also stretch and frame needlework to help it hold its shape. We hold art shows and other events and have recently been offering an oil painting class here a couple of times a month. It is also important to note that everything we do is conservation-minded to help preserve the items we frame. This includes acid-free materials, different types of glass including museum glass with UV protection properties and dry-mounting services. We also donate a lot of supplies to schools including extra matte board, foam core and scraps. Any teachers who would like some can contact us.
Q. Any tips for preserving our personal artwork?
A. Don't hang your artwork in the sun because the sun can cause condensation under the glass which can damage your art. Don't leave your artwork in an automobile overnight because the extreme temperature changes can damage it. It is also a good idea to rotate your artwork if you can.
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Ask The Chamber
Q. What does "Cohase" mean? Is it the same as "Coos" as in "Coos County, New Hampshire?"
A. When the name was originally adopted by the Cohase Chamber of Commerce, our understanding was that it was an Abenaki word meaning "wide valley." We thought this was an appropriate moniker to describe our region which encompasses the wide valley surrounding the Connecticut River.. Since then, we have been contacted by Abenaki tribe members who have told us the word has alternate and/or other meanings including "place of the pines," "crooked river" and "great fishing place." Although all of these meanings are appropriate for our beautiful region, we have refrained from publishing a definition since we cannot confirm with 100% certainty the actual tribal meaning of the word. Not exclusive to the Cohase Chamber of Commerce, the word is also used by other organizations and historical texts to describe our region, which is officially know as "Lower Cohase." "Coos" is likely an alternate spelling of "Cohase." Coos County encompasses the northernmost county of New Hampshire and according to county historical documentation, "Coos" refers to the Connecticut River which runs through a portion of the county.
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Member Updates
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WYKR is celebrating 40 years! We congratulate them on their long-standing success and their commitment to our communities and our community businesses! Happy birthday WYKR!
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Always Fit Athletic Club in Woodsville, NH is now offering a new "Country Heat" exercise class starting October 4. The program combines simple dance moves with the hottest country music! For more information, call them at (603) 747-8006.
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Salon 83 in Woodsville, NH recently added new pedicure chair to their services. Pedicures are only $20 for the month of October. Check them out at 29 Central Street!
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The
Old Church Theater in Bradford, VT is pleased to announce that Joe Simonelli, the playwright for their newest show "Ghost in the Meadow" will be available for a Q & A after the October 21 & 22 shows. Check out all their show dates at
www.oldchurchtheater.org.
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Newbury Veterinary Clinic
in Newbury Vermont recently celebrated their fifth anniversary! Congratulations and many tail wags to you!
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The Aloha Foundation in Fairlee, Vermont recently announced the release of their new WEB site. Visit it out for great photos, announcements, chance to connect with camp alumni, etc. at
https://alohafoundation.org/
- Hatchland Farm in North Haverhill, NH wants everyone to know that October 10 is their last day for serving ice cream for 2016. Stop down for a final taste of summer!
- WYKR in Wells River, VT is looking for someone to fill a part-time weekend position. Hours needed are Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Saturday mornings and some weeknights and Sundays during the high school basketball season. Applicant should have a strong understanding of computers,be capable of working alone without supervision and be detail-oriented. For more information, email Steve Puffer at [email protected], visit their Facebook page or visit their WEB site at www.wykr.com.
- Everything But The Cook and An Affair to Remember in Woodsville, NH have now combined into one location. If you have not checked out the new combined location, stop by and visit at 28 Central Street!
- Bank of New Hampshire is celebrating its 185th anniversary this year. Congratulations and thank you for supporting our communities and providing financial services to our residents and businesses! That's a lot of candles!
- Red Kite Candy in Bradford Vermont has introduced a new product that will be in King Arthur's by the time you read this note. It is their caramel baking block! Yum!
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