The Bedford Youth Performing Company has announced the addition of new dance instructors and classes for the 2006-07 school year.

Julie Smith, Tarryn Brandl and Lea Gagnon join BYPC, bringing years of experience teaching children and young adults. With the talents of these new instructors, BYPC has added new advanced musical theater classes and new advanced jazz classes. BYPC’s regular, ongoing schedule of dance classes includes ballet, lyrical, modern, jazz, jazznastics, and more for ages toddlers to young adults.

Julie Smith joins BYPC with an extensive musical theater background, including performances on Broadway, in television and film, and around the world with Walt Disney World and various cruise lines.

She performed in the Broadway shows “A Chorus Line,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Showboat” both in New York and on tour. As a featured dancer, Smith performed on television shows including “The Arsenio Hall Show” and “E! Entertainment.” Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Boston Conservatory and she has studied voice, dance and acting with some of the industry’s most recognized instructors.

At BYPC, Smith will be teaching a lyrical ballet class, an advanced musical theater class and a dance/body conditioning class for ages 12 and older.

Tarryn Brandl joins BYPC as a dance instructor specializing in early childhood dance education. She earned her associate’s degree in arts from Dean College in 2003 and currently is working towards a bachelor’s degree at Southern New Hampshire University.

Brandl has several years’ experience teaching ballet, lyrical, jazz, tap, hip hop and musical theater jazz to children of all ages. At BYPC she will be teaching Dance

Explorers classes for children ages 2 and a half to 5, gymnastics/fitness classes and jazz/tap classes for young children, and dance classes for the Creative Kids preschool.

A new hip-hop dance instructor also joins BYPC this year. Lea Gagnon earned a bachelor of science degree in dance from Plymouth State University. Certified as a Latin and ballroom dance professional through the Melendrez Dance Studio in Miami, Gagnon also has experience teaching other dance disciplines including jazz and creative movement. She will be teaching hip-hop classes for ages ten and older on Tuesday nights at BYPC.

BYPC is a nonprofit performing arts organization celebrating its 10th year of operation. BYPC’s mission is to enrich the lives of children and all individuals through the performing arts.

Classes offered at BYPC include music, theater and dance and BYPC is home to the BYPC Company and Apprentice Company performers. BYPC also is home to the New Hampshire Youth Jazz Orchestra, a group composed of the best high school jazz musicians in southern New Hampshire.

Creative kids, a preschool begun by BYPC in 2004, provides a performing arts-based preschool curriculum to children ages 2 to 5.

Summer music camps, summer theater, and internships complete BYPC’s year-round educational calendar. BYPC is located at 155 Route 101 in Bedford.
 

Dog walk fundraiser to benefit
Animal Rescue League Sept. 30

The third annual Pet Step, a dog walk fundraiser for the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire, will take place  Saturday, Sept. 30, (rain or shine) at Camp Allen in Bedford.

As well as the walk, there will be approximately 40-plus vendors, obedience, freestyle, search and rescue, drug sniffing and agility demonstrations and games for four-legged friends.

This day of fun, led by master of ceremonies Mike Morin from WZID, will also include fun for kids at the children’s craft table which will include face painting, cart rides and balloon animals.

The animal league is encouraging walkers to collect pledges ahead of time, top prizes this year will be a weekend in Pine Point, Maine next to the ocean or a one-night stay at the Lazy Dog Inn, a dog friendly bed and breakfast located in  Chocorua, New Hampshire.

Anyone who collects $20 or more in pledges will receive a prize, $40 or more in pledges and you will receive a Pet Step T-shirt.

The top team will receive a commemorative brick permanently placed in the league’s front walk and a framed photo of the entire team. If no pledges are collected for the team, a $10 entrance fee will be collected at registration.

The animal rescue league is very thankful to all of the sponsors this year who collectively donated more than $6,000 in sponsor money as well as the nine teams that have signed up to “Step up for Pets.”

Thank you to the following sponsors: Absolute Title LLC and Professional Pet Sitting, Etc., the two Top Dog Sponsors as well as the many other generous sponsors for this year’s event; Bedford Wal-Mart, Ocean National Bank, Food for Pets-Manchester, Food for Pets-Amherst, Bedford Pharmacy, Pawsitively Natural K-9 Treats, Pet-Agree Inc., Hilb, Rogal and Hobbs, Franklin Plumbing and Heating, Milford Veterinary Hospital, Upcountry Kitchens and Baths, Inc., Pet Quarters, Amherst Animal Hospital, Lockridge Animal Hospital, Acorn Recording Solutions Inc., Devine Flooring, Poop, Scoop and Away, Charlie’s Paw Wash, Inc., Golden Thymes Studio and Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

So tie your sneakers and leash your dog and join the many Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire volunteers, Pet Step vendors, The “Step up for Pets” teams and 200-plus walkers on Saturday, Sept. 30, at Camp Allen in Bedford.

For more information go to www.rescueleague.org or call Robin Ahlgren at 472-5714. 

Veterinarian to speak at Animal Rescue League 

Dr. Jane Barlow, associate veterinarian at Weare Animal Hospital located in Weare will be giving a free informational seminar to the public in regards to animal health concerns and behavior advice.

Barlow will be at the league on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 1 to 2 p.m. to talk about tick-borne diseases, specifically Lyme disease, heartworm disease and the prevention of cat litter box problems. Barlow will also go over protocols to help solve litter box problems in felines.

Barlow will explore the health reasons of litter box avoidance as well as behavior reasons as to why this is such a frequent happening with many cat owners. Tips to solve this problem as well as question- and-answer time will be provided to guests.
Barlow grew up in Londonderry and graduated from Londonderry High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry from Bates College. She received her doctor of veterinary medicine from the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Her interests include canine and feline medicine, public health and animal legislation.
The talk will be held in the multipurpose room of the shelter, coffee and snacks will be provided.

For more information about these topics or for information on upcoming events, call Robin Ahlgren at 472-5714 or go to www.rescueleague.org. The league is located at 545 Route 101 in Bedford.

Voters choose state reps 

In the primary election for Bedford on Tuesday, Sept. 12, the following candidates were selected to go on to the general election Nov. 7:

State representative – Republicans: Mark Clark, John A. Graham, Ken Hawkins, Edward P. Moran, Jayne E. Spaulding and Moe Villeneuve; Democrats: Robert D. jones, Karla McManus, Cynthia Onigman, Isabel S. Partin, Kathleen McLaughlin Peterson and Alan Seidman.

Few of the other races were contested in the primary.

Harvest Fair 2006 set to open Sept. 30 

The Craftworkers’ Guild announces they will open their Harvest Fair 2006 in Bedford, from Saturday, Sept. 30, through Monday, Oct. 9.

The Gift and Gourmet Shop, which will feature the works of more than 50 artists and craftsmen, will be open each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Shoppers are welcome to browse at their leisure and find unique handcrafted creations including folk art, pottery, baskets, paintings, doll clothes, knitted and crocheted items, holiday ornaments and decorations, jewelry and one-of-a-kind clothing, photography and note cards, placemat sets, aprons, potholders and much more, as well as an assortment of homemade chocolates, jams and jellies, other goodies and gourmet treats.

Profits to the guild benefit the education fund which makes possible programs which are open to the public and each year funds grants to public schools for innovative arts and crafts programs.

The fair will be held in the gray house at the back of the lower parking lot of the Bedford Public Library on Meetinghouse Road, off Route 101 in Bedford center. There is no admission charge and plenty of free parking.

Dress for Success to host wine dinner Sunday, Oct. 22 

On Sunday, Oct. 22, Dress for Success NH will host its third annual wine dinner at the C.R. Sparks Event Center in Bedford.

The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a wine and cheese reception followed by a three- course sit-down dinner with wines selected to complement each course.
The cost is $100 per person. Reservations must be made by Oct. 8 by calling 228-5635 or by forwarding a check payable to DFS NH, P.O. Box 346, Concord, NH 03301.

Dress for Success provides interview appropriate attire, confidence boosts and career development to women in New Hampshire seeking employment.