Bow News : Hopkinton

Bow and Hopkinton host Halloween events

Bow Editor — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:38:00 GMT

Children aren’t the only ones who can dress up in a costume and get candy as Bow and Hopkinton will host Halloween events geared for all ages and for those ready to show off their creative styles.

Bow

Bow’s Baker Free Library Director Lori Fisher said the upcoming trick-or-treat event is for all ages.

“We try to tailor our story times to seasonal activities. We’ll be going with fall themes and Halloween themes,” Fisher said. “It isn’t just for kids. We’d love to see adults come out in their costumes as well.”

Fisher also said Halloween isn’t only about the candy.

“October is a great time of year, and everyone loves to recharge their batteries and take in the foliage,” she said. “It’s the one time of year when everyone can dress as wacky as they can, and people don’t blink an eye. Halloween really gives people a chance to get creative.”

The trick-or-treat event at Baker Free Library takes place Friday, Oct. 31, from 3 to 7 p.m., and Fisher said she hopes visitors will grab a book after they take their candy.

Baker Free Library will also host a Spooky Skeletons workshop on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. to noon, giving 5 to 9- year-olds the chance to read a skeleton book and make a Halloween creation from paper plates.

Also in Bow, the Recreation Department will host a Halloween event on Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Community Building for Bow residents in fourth grade and younger.

Children are encouraged to come to the event in costume. Magician B.J. Hickman will also put on a show for those in attendance.

Recreation Department program coordinator Michelle Vecchione said she has been with the department for 20 years, and thinks it has been held annually for about 17 of those years.

“It’s so nice to see the kids. It’s great to see the parents,” Vecchione said. “It’s good to see the community participating, and it’s a safe place for the kids to come. It’s great to have something you can count on this time of year.”

Vecchione also said the children’s tastes in costumes has evolved since the event’s first year.

“As the kids’ programming changes, the costumes change,” she said. “You either get the really scary ones or the cute ones, plus everything in between. You get the regulars, too. I like to see the ghosts and the witches, not the really gory ones.”

Hopkinton

The signature event in Hopkinton is the Haunted House,. This year, the Recreation Department will have an Alien Invasion evening on Sunday, Oct. 26, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Aliens have crash landed at Kimball Lake and the ships are still around,” said Recreation Director Justin La Vigne. “They’ll be walking around the grounds, and there may be some experiments going on in the cabins.”

La Vigne stressed the importance of community involvement when putting on the event.

“That’s what it’s about. It’s about the community, for the community. It’d be impossible for just the seven of us to put this on,” La Vigne said. “We’ll have 30 to 40 volunteers out there, so it’s huge to have the community involved.”

According to the recreation director, there’s another benefit.

“You get to see your friends dressed up as an alien, so that’s fun,” said La Vigne.

Trick-or-treating

Trick-or-treating in Bow is Friday, Oct. 31, from 7 p.m. to dark. In Hopkinton, trick-or-treaters will be going door to door Oct. 31, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Preseason jamboree gives coaches glimpse of upcoming year

Bow Editor — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:06:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

For one day, 18 soccer teams from four different classes converged on Manchester’s West High School.

Among those squads were Class I’s Bow Lady Falcons and Class M’s Hopkinton Lady Hawks.

The coaches of both units left the Saturday, Aug. 23, event without a sure feel for how their respective seasons would develop. After all, the competition included Class L’s Concord, Nashua North, Manchester Memorial and the host Blue Knights. But each coach certainly gleaned a better reckoning of the players – and talent – at their disposal.

“This is a great start, us playing Concord and West – two solid Class L programs,” said Bow head coach Jay Vogt. “Obviously, our goals are to make the playoffs and go as far as we can … but we just finalized our team, so we really don’t have any expectations yet. We’re just seeing what we have to work with right now.”

Curt Martin agreed.

“We have some talent, and we knew it would be a good experience for them playing a tough Class L team,” said the Hopkinton mentor. “Plus we don’t play every day on the turf, so that makes a lot of difference getting used to the bounces and such. Hopefully we learned some things and that will help us get ready for the season opener.”

Bow

After reaching the 2007 state semifinals and losing in a shootout to the eventual Class I champs, Bow graduated nine seniors.

“We’ve had good teams, but hadn’t been able to get over that hump and win in the first round,” said head coach Jay Vogt. “Last year, we did that and got some confidence and just couldn’t quite get by Oyster River.”

This year, Vogt said the challenges are different, but the playoff goal is the same.

“We only have seven players back from last season, so we need to figure some things out … what type of team we’re going to have and what kind of personality we’re going to have,” said Vogt. “This is a good group of girls, but it may take us a little while to get going. I expect my seniors to step up. It’s their team. It’s their year.”

Those returning are four-year players Colby Jacobson and Caitlin Pratt, as well as Lauren Allison, Mariah Leven, Caitlin Heindl, Leanna Shea and Kate Torres. This year, Bow carries eight seniors, five juniors, two sophomores and four freshman.

“I don’t usually have so many (freshmen) … but these girls all showed they can play,” said Vogt. “Now it’s just a matter of getting used to the bigger girls and high school ball, but they should all do fine.”

Missy Gleckler, Rachel Kramer, Kayla Duval and starting goalkeeper Molly Perkins each enter their first high school season.

Hopkinton

With four state titles in the last 10 years, Hopkinton is considered by many a perennial favorite in Class M. Despite a disappointing quarterfinal-round loss in the 2007 tournament, Martin said his squad is likely to once again contend in 2008.

“My expectation is always make the tournament and then hopefully get into the top four,” said Martin, who has been at the Hopkinton helm for 13 years. “We have some talented kids, some pretty fast kids from one end of the field to the other, so it’s just going to depend on their work ethic and how they gel.”

Alicia Ewing, Sara Dobe and Jacki Fotey are expected to lead this year’s squad. One of their goals, said Martin, is to help the younger athletes maintain their composure.

“I think sometimes we need to be a little bit more patient and maybe not get so excited,” he said. “This is a good group of kids that want to work, but there are some other teams out there that are going to be good. So our success, in large part, depends on how good those teams are, too.”

Former Bow Times owner Beverly Marcou dies

Bow Editor — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:47:00 GMT

BY GINGER KOZLOWSKI

The former owner of The Bow Times and former Dunbarton selectman, Beverly Ann Marcou, died Thursday, Aug. 21, at the age of 73.

Karen Tomes, one of Marcou’s seven children, remembered her mother’s love of the newspaper business. “Beverly just loved working there – the camaraderie between us all, dealing with the towns and the people she met,” said Tomes. “It was a lot of fun. We were a family. Laugh ... my God, did we laugh. I have yet to find anything like it.”

Rick Broussard, executive editor of New Hampshire Magazine, remembered Marcou as a strong woman. “In whatever she chose to do – business, local politics or newspapering – Bev Marcou was force to be reckoned with,” said Broussard. “She was totally committed to making things work, making them better. I know The Bow Times would not be here today if she hadn’t gotten involved and really believed in it. I had a lot to learn when I was getting started in local journalism, and the two people who taught me the most about small-town New Hampshire were Bev and her dad, Jim Bucknam, the founder of The Bow Times.” The Bow Times began publishing in 1987, and Marcou ran the paper from 1991 until its sale to Neighborhood Publications (now Neighborhood News, Inc.) in January 2000.

Active in politics
Marcou didn’t confine herself to journalism, becoming a Dunbarton selectman from 1989 to 1991. “She could recite an RSA like you’ve never seen in your life,” said Tomes. “She was one of the smartest people I’ve ever known.”

Businesswoman
Along with journalism and politics, Marcou owned and ran a construction business, Marcou Construction, which she started with her husband in 1963. Originally, the company build roads for subdivisions, said Tomes, then they owned Litchfield Sand and Gravel, a sand and gravel pit in Litchfield.

Marcou married Louis F. Marcou on May 19, 1956. He passed away Nov. 1, 1985.

Marcou had seven children – James J. Marcou, Ann M. Marcou, Louis (Bud) F, Marcou Jr,, Karen E. Tomes, Joanne L. Wilusz, Susan B. Kelly and Lynn A.G. Marcou of Dunbarton. She had 15 grandchildren and one newly arrived great-grandchild.

Bow and Hopkinton residents joined Goffstown Gallop

Bow Editor — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:03:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Bow’s Margaret Burns and Pembroke’s Joanne Welch have been running mates for eight years.

They’re currently preparing for a half marathon in Quebec in August.

The 29th annual Goffstown Gallop provided them an opportunity to participate in a competitive run – without the headaches of a typical road race.

“It’s more of a community event,” said Burns of the event, which took place Saturday, June 28. “It’s kind of competitive, and if you want to go for a run, it’s better to do it with other people rather than by yourself.”

“It’s a good training run,” said Welch. “It’s a nice distance for a Saturday morning. It’s a good tempo run.”

Like Burns and Welch, dozens of runners traveled from all over New Hampshire and even other states to participate in the Gallop.

“It’s a family event. A lot of people that come here come year after year after year,” said Dave French, the Goffstown Parks and Recreation director who organizes the Gallop each year. “That’s a testimony to the atmosphere of the race. It’s an old-fashioned race. We don’t do computer chips, we hand out tongue depressors (at the finish line). We’re one of the oldest races in New Hampshire ... More than anything else, it’s a tradition.”

Count Bedford’s Barth Getto as one participant happy to get away from modern competition for a day.

The 46-year-old regularly competes in triathlons, but he was convinced by friends to run the Gallop.

“(The Gallop) is kind of laid back. It’s not as crazy as some of the big races,” said Getto, who finished 55th among more than 170 runners. “It was definitely more fun. When you do these triathlons, people are crazy. You know, they come with $5,000 bikes and these pointed helmets. This is more of a social thing ... It’s all about heart.”

No one traveled farther to participate than French’s daughter, Heather.

The 24-year-old, who served as the race’s starter from childhood through high school, returned from her home in Florida to run the race for the first time.

“My dad is getting close to retirement, and I just wanted to run it for him because who knows when his last Goffstown Gallop will be,” she said, adding that training in Florida is much different than running in New Hampshire.

“I was training in 95-degree weather and 100-percent humidity,” she added. “I’m not used to running with all the hills, but it was a really gratifying feeling when I crossed the finish line.”

Another Floridian, Dean Riley, a former Goffstown and Bedford resident, also returned to run the race.

“He ran the race before, and knows it’s the same weekend every year,” said the elder French. “I really appreciate the runners coming back each year. I really do.”

Rising fuel costs in Bow, Hopkinton and Contoocook

Bow Editor — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:47:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

It may be warm in July, but area residents are still feeling the pain of the past winter’s heating bills and fear what the future holds.

Contoocook resident Roland Dubois heats his home with oil, and locked his price in last year at $2.60 a gallon.

“I am glad that I am, as we speak, adding insulation to the house,” said Dubois.

I have no idea how much it will cost this year, but we are hoping that quite a bit of renovation will help.”

Lois Hollow and her husband Jim Hollow of Dunbarton use both oil and propane. Last June, the Hollows took part in a pre-pay purchase program for the oil and it cost them $2,000 for their twostory home.

“We have a sunroom that is unheated, and it was cheaper for us to install a free-standing propane stove to heat it, which is why we have both,” said Lois Hollow. “We don’t turn the furnace on right away, we start the propane stove and the goes upstairs to save us a little bit at the beginning of the year.”

Hollow also said the cost of oil has forced them to cut back on traveling and also put off some home upgrades that they had planned on doing.

Goffstown resident Carol Clark said her oil prices have tripled what she used to pay.

“It’s extremely frustrating. I don’t know what to do. A $300 fill will cost almost $900 and it’s ridiculous,” said Clark. “I wear a sweater or a jacket all winter in the house. It’s awful. I wear an electric blanket to keep warm sometimes as well. I try to conserve any way that I can. I’m a sole owner, so it’s difficult on my income.”

Although summer is just beginning, Clark said she already has an eye on the upcoming cold months.

“I am starting to plan now and putting money aside for oil,” she said. “It’s all got to go to that.”

The price of natural gas has increased as well.

Local governments feel some pressure

Homeowners and town officials are both feeling the repercussions of rising heating costs, as both groups are forced to look inside their budgets to make up for higher than usual prices.

With about half the year passed, Hopkinton has already gone over its budgeted fuel for the Town Hall.

For this year, officials budgeted $4,400 for the Town Hall, and have already spent $4,600 due to the rising costs, something interim Town Administrator Bob Veloski said the town will need to make up for in other portions of the budget.

“It’s frustrating for everybody. Every time you look, the cost of oil has jumped again,” said Veloski. “We’re trying to cut back in other areas to offset that so we don’t have a deficit.”

The budgets in the other town buildings for heat are half or more than half spent, having gone through $4,300 of the allotted $6,000 for the Public Works building, $6,000 out of $10,000 for the fire station and about $2,400 of the $3,300 for the tax collector’s office with more cold weather left in the year.

“It’s having a significant effect on all of the towns,” said Veloski. “We still have a significant portion of the winter to look at still.”

Last year Hopkinton went over budget for heating in all of the buildings, but only by a few hundred dollars in each case. For the 2007-08 fiscal year, ending June 30, Bow budgeted $92,400 for heating fuel, but spent $107,164, said Bob Levan, Bow’s finance director.

That amount provides heat for Town Municipal Building, police station, Department of Public Works, the Fire Department and Bow Community Building, which also houses the Recreation Department. For 2008-09, the town budgeted $114,300.

“It makes it difficult when costs increase unexpectedly by a significant amount,” said Levan. “We have to find ways to keep up with our bottomline budget. It’s not just the cost of heat and energy, but vehicle fuel and electricity. Whatever happens, we have to find ways to adapt to it. We’ve managed to cut in other areas.”

Oil providers in a tough spot, too

While they are in the moneymaking business, several oil companies in the state have said the through-the-roof prices are not exactly good for business, and are going to pose a problem this winter as they try not to buy too much for deliveries.

“The biggest concerns are the elderly and people on fixed incomes,” said Bill West, manager of the Derry-based Rockingham Oil. “How are they going to come up with that money? They’re going to have to choose between heat and food, and that’s not a good place to be.”

Ricky Barnard, manager of Contoocook Valley Fuel, said the oil prices aren’t good for anyone, oil companies included.

Right now, Barnard said his company, a family-owned and operated business since 1961, is selling 150 gallons of oil at a discounted price of $4.59 per gallon. The company has a 100- gallon purchase minimum, and is selling 100 to 149 gallons for $4.69 per gallon.

Contoocook Valley is still going to offer pre-buys and budget plans, but won’t set a price until the end of July or August.

“I’m hoping it will get better. Some people say it will go higher, and others say it will come down and the bubble will pop,” said Barnard.

He added the nation’s reliance on foreign oil sources should be actively diminished.

“I think we should be allowed to drill inside the United States, and we need to update the refineries,’ said Barnard.

Viking Oil, based in Candia, sold out of the oil it was selling at $4.49 a gallon in two days, according to owner John Mayland.

“We usually go out with a contract at a stated price based on next heating season buys,” said Mayland. “This year, we sent out a letter to customers saying we have only so much oil, and to call from a price and contract paperwork. We sold out in two days at $4.49 a gallon. Now we’re selling at a higher price, $4.74 a gallon,” Mayland said.

Mayland added the volatile market is making it hard to determine how much he should get for his customers. “We’ve been very careful about buying too much. We’re not sure how much people are going to use,” he said.

A lot of customers have told him they’re going to keep their thermostats set extremely low and use space heaters, Mayland said.

Fred Fuller Oil Company, one of the largest in the state, is selling oil at $4.59 a gallon right now. In June 2007, said general manager Bill Fuller, the price was $2.20 a gallon.

“People can’t afford to fill their tanks or afford to do any pre-buy or budget plans,” said Fuller, adding the company will still offer both but has yet to lock in a rate.

Bow, Hopkinton and Concord students place at Poetry Out Loud competition

Bow Editor — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:07:00 GMT

BY LEWELLYN HALLETT

Bow High School freshman Reed Van Dyck took the stage, not to sing, dance or act as she often does, but to recite poetry.

Reed represented her school as a semifinalist in the Poetry Out Loud State Championship and was selected as one of the eight finalists. The alternate champion from Bow was junior Ethan Nappan.

Champions from 15 schools across the state came together on Saturday, March 22, for a verbal showdown at the Redfern Art Center at Keene State College.

New Hampshire’s representative was chosen for the Poetry Out Loud 2008 National Finals on April 29 in Washington, D.C. For the second year in a row, Laura Messner of Exeter High School won first place with her intense recitations, including “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Runner-up was Cote Laramie of Concord High School, and tied for third were Sarah Cotton of Salem High School and Molly McCahan of Plymouth Regional High School. The other four finalists were Bow’s Van Dyck, Minta Carlson of Newmarket Junior/Senior High School, Kai Fukunaga of Dover High School, and Hanna Skelton of Cocheco Arts and Technology Academy.

Memorized, understood and presented aloud, poems come off the page and resonated with a whole range of real-life experience and emotion, spanning generations and cultures and backgrounds.

That’s what students and audiences discovered through the Poetry Out Loud program, in which more than 4,400 students participated statewide this year.

Shakespeare, Robert Browning, Sylvia Plath, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Lewis Carroll – sounded out on the lips of a new generation as competitors stepped in front of the microphone.

Though each presenter’s connection with the poem was evident and many seemed to be speaking words of their own, the poems were chosen from the Poetry Out Loud catalog of about 1,000 classic and modern works. Expert judges scored on presentation, dramatization, accuracy and difficulty.

This year, Van Dyck said, competitors were required to include one pre-20th century work in their three selected poems. She chose “We Wear the Mask,” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, and it proved her biggest challenge.

“It was originally written by a black man about slavery,” said Van Dyck. “I discussed with my family what the poem could mean today. In high school, people wear masks and don’t express how they really feel. I incorporated that experience into my recitation.”

Van Dyck said she was really nervous but then it was fun.

“I was surprised how much I enjoyed it,” she said. “When I got to the finals, it was a huge shock for me. I was pleased with my performance and that’s all that mattered to me, especially with the performance of ‘We Wear the Mask.’ The whole day was satisfying, especially watching everyone else. They were all amazing, a really good group and really talented.”

Rodger Martin, director of New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud, was also enthusiastic about the presentations. “What impresses me this year is the quantum leap in quality. The recitations gave me chills,” he said at the end of the competition.

Laramie has been interested in poetry since elementary school, but this was his first competition.

“I was speechless to be in the final eight,” he said. “I went so much further than I thought I would and I’m so glad I got to represent my school. This competition encourages kids that it’s OK to be into poetry.”

Laramie presented a moving recitation of Walt Whiteman’s “Oh Captain, My Captain” during the final round.

As state champion, Messner received a check for $200 from The Poetry Foundation and a check for $500 will go to the Exeter High School library for the purchase of poetry books.

The National Endowment for the Arts will provide an all-expenses paid trip for Messner and a parent or chaperone to the nation’s Capitol, where she will compete against other state champions for the national title and opportunities to win almost $50,000 in scholarships.

All semifinalists received certificates and gifts from the event sponsors and each finalist was awarded a $2,500 scholarship to New England College.

In 2006, Reed Van Dyck’s sister, Teal, then a senior at Bow High School, represented New Hampshire at the national competition and finished second, winning a $10,000 scholarship. Teal was on break from Hampshire College and sat in the audience on March 22 to support Reed.

“She’s my best friend,” said Reed. “She didn’t give me a lot of advice because what worked for her wouldn’t work for me, but it meant a lot to me that she could be there. Attending Nationals that year with Teal and hearing so many people do poems, I got a grasp of how individual it is. You need to pick the poem that’s right for you. Also, it’s hard work and you really have to understand your poem. If you’ve never read a poem and you can listen to someone recite it and you think, ‘I get that,’ and you really understand it, they’ve done a great job.”

Other semi-finalists included Annalise Pennell of Hopkinton Middle High School, Benjamin Mueser of John Stark Regional High School, Amanda Kruczinski of Pembroke Academy, Sven Wiberg of Oyster River High School, Alexandra Young of Pittsfield Middle High School, Laurel Weatherby of Winnacunnet High School and Alexis Taffe of Timberlane Regional High School.

The competition is sponsored by the New Hampshire State Council of the Arts, and nationally by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation. Poetry Out Loud encourages young people to learn about poetry through memorization and performance, while developing public-speaking skills, self-confidence and knowledge of their literary heritage.

New Hampshire partners for Poetry Out Loud include the N.H. Writers’ Project, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Keene State College, the Arts Alliance of Northern N.H., The Poetry Society of New Hampshire, the Frost Place in Franconia and Toadstool Bookstores of Peterborough and Milford.

It’s your right to know – Not all officials comply with requests for public documents – Hopkinton does well, Bow fails our test

Bow Editor — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:02:00 GMT

BY GINGER KOZLOWSKI

Have you ever wondered how much your child’s teacher is paid? How about what happened at the last school board or selectmen’s meeting? Or whether your neighbor was arrested in that commotion last week?

You have every right to get that information, but it may not be easy to do so.

Neighborhood News investigated accessibility to such public documents by having staffers ask for town and school minutes and salaries as well as the list of arrests and police calls in the previous week.

We did not identify ourselves as reporters in order to see how the general public would be treated when making such requests.

Adhering not only to the letter but also the spirit of the Right to Know Law are Windham and Candia, where town hall workers went out of their way to make sure we had everything we asked for and more.

Overall, the 16 towns in our coverage area do well at releasing minutes of town and school meetings. Ask for salaries or arrests, however, and public servants are protective of this information, some to the point of refusing to release it at all.

The towns which complied immediately with all our requests for town and school minutes and salaries plus a list of arrests were Windham, Pelham, Dunbarton, Hopkinton and New Boston.

Failing our requests were the police departments in Allenstown, Auburn, Bedford, Bow, Goffstown, Hooksett, Pembroke and Weare. The town halls in Allenstown and Bow refused to release town salaries at all, while Bedford, Hooksett and Salem put us off with having to make a request in writing. All 16 town halls immediately gave us minutes for their town council or selectmen meetings.

At the school district offices, all gave us the school minutes we asked for. The Bow, Bedford and Weare SAUs refused to release school salaries, while SAU 66 (Hopkinton), SAU 19 (Goffstown, New Boston and Dunbarton) and SAU 28 (Windham/Pelham) complied. There seemed to be confusion over what we asked for at SAU 15 (Hooksett, Candia and Auburn) and SAU 53 (Pembroke, Allenstown and Epsom), so we did not receive salary information by press time, but they both seemed to be working on the request.

Libraries prepare for release of Harry Potter

Bow Editor — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 18:49:00 GMT

BY KEVIN SHALVEY

Hopkinton Town Library director Elizabeth Levy stopped reading the “Harry Potter” book series after the fourth installment, but she’s apparently in the minority.

“For the first four, I was very into them, but after that they didn’t have much appeal,” said Levy.

For the library, she’s ordered four copies of the most recent, and final, Potter book, which is to be released internationally on Saturday, July 21. She’s already had four reservations put on the book.

The book, titled “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” tops out at 784 pages. But the length won’t deter children who’ve read the other six books, said Baker Free Library children’s librarian Jennifer Ericsson.

“It doesn’t intimidate them,” said Ericsson of the 15 children who’ve reserved the book already. “This weekend will be a very quiet weekend all around the world.”

For the Baker Free Library, she’s ordered five copies of the young adult novel.

Ericsson said she’s also a fan. There’s a worldwide argument about whether the title character will die in the final installment.

“I want to see how (J.K. Rowling) ends it. I have my own theory about how it ends and I want to see if I’m right,” she said.

In both libraries, the six other Potter installments have been flying off the shelves with children and adults catching up or re-reading.

“We’re replacing some of the older ones because they’ve separated,” said Levy, holding a copy of the first book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” split along the spine.

At the Baker Free Library, Ericsson said the nearly two-shelves-full of Potter books, audio tapes and movies are checked out in anticipation of the new release, which is listed as the number one bestseller in the United States on amazon.com.

Both librarians said they’re hoping the book doesn’t arrive late.

“It should get here on Friday in time to be processed – in time because we’ve got people who are already waiting,” said Ericsson.

They might get the book on Friday, July 20, but they aren’t giving the ending away until it’s time.

“We have kind of signed our lives away by saying we won’t let it our before it is time,” said Levy.

Lost and found – Police departments are the first places to look for lost pets

Bow Editor — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 18:33:00 GMT

BY KEVIN SHALVEY

If you’ve lost your dog in Hopkinton, chances are you know Fred Finnerty, the Police Department’s animal control officer.

And he gets a lot of calls because there are about 1,320 dogs in town.

“Which is a pretty sizable population,” Finnerty said.

That’s about one dog for every four people living in town.

“It’s not every day, but I had 196 calls last year -- a mixture of dogs, pigs, cows, llamas, you name it. But no cats. I don’t do cats,” Finnerty said.

For the last four years, Finnerty has been on call 24 hours a day, ready to take care of lost animals in Hopkinton. He’s wrangled dwarf horses and has picked up two massive St. Bernards during a snow storm.

“I’ve gotten calls at 2 in the morning, 6 in the morning,” he joked.

Because the police station doesn’t have facilities for the animals, Finnerty happily lugs them in his own Jeep -- with the rear seats removed -- back to his house for 24 hours.

“If no one calls during the 24 hours -- which is rare -- I bring them up to the Woodlawn Kennel,” he said.

At Woodlawn Kennel, on the Hopkinton and Warner border, dogs stay for a week and are then put up for adoption -- none of the animals are euthanized, Finnerty said.

There’s one part of the job that makes it a lot tougher -- dogs without identification, he said.

“It’s usually very simple if they have their tags and collars on them,” he said. “But I tell people my pet peeve is when people go through all the bother of registering them and then they don’t put the collars on them.”

The new identification chips -- much like Lojack locator for your car -- that are being put under dogs’ skin hasn’t helped much yet.

“Maybe only a dozen times have I found a dog with a chip in them,” said Finnerty.

Many times, the Hopkinton Police Department isn’t where owners look first, Finnerty said.

“A lot of times, we’re the last people they think of -- they call the kennels or the SPCA and don’t think of us,” he said.

For the Bow Police Department, there isn’t an animal control officer. Uniformed officers handle lost dogs, of which there’s about one a week, said Lt. Dave Girard.

The department has a set of cages behind the station where animals are put for a week before being shipped to the SPCA.

“Usually it’s a day or two and we’re able to reunite them with their owners,” said Girard.

On Wednesday, July 4, the department found a dog that stayed for longer, though, and inside the station.

“Ninety-nine times out of 100, somebody calls and they come down and pick up their dog, but this time they didn’t,” Girard said.

The dog was adopted a few days later, but not before being given preferential treatment -- it was allowed to sleep in the dispatch room, Girard said.

“It became a kind of mascot around here,” he said. “There was just something about it that was just really sweet.”

State raises drop-out age – Legislation draws mixed feelings

Bow Editor — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 20:06:00 GMT

BY KEVIN SHALVEY

On Tuesday, June 26, Gov. John Lynch signed into law legislation to raise the compulsory high school attendance age to 18. Since 1903, the legal age to drop out was 16 years old.

“Today we are taking a significant step toward helping more of New Hampshire’s young people graduate from high school, which will give them the opportunities they deserve for better lives,” said Lynch in a statement.

But Hopkinton and Bow residents have mixed feelings about whether keeping students in high school until they’re 18 years old will be a benefit to those students.

Bow’s Mary Rogers said her daughter, Elizabeth, will be starting at Bow High School
in the fall. The legislation won’t directly benefit her, but it will be good for others,
Rogers said.

“I just think that for some kids who aren’t on the right path, or who don’t have the right guidance, this will be a way to keep them in school,” she said.

Bow’s new superintendent, Dean Cascadden, started work on Monday, July 2. He said students drop out because they’re not stimulated, so students should be given incentives and programs that will keep them coming to school.

“In theory, I absolutely support the bill in concept,” he said.

Hopkinton High School has an enrollment of about 350 students.

“The dropout rate is low, and while it’s low we do have one or two kids drop out each year,” said Principal Steven Chamberlin.

Along with the new law, the school’s goal is to make programs that will entice all kids to stay involved, he said.

“The other piece is how do we make Hopkinton High School work for all kids,” he said.

Bow’s Tareah Gray said some students might not fit into the general high school curriculum and would benefit from an alternative school.

“I guess I have mixed feelings about it. I think the intention is great,” said Gray, a teacher who is taking time off to raise her children.

But alternative schools, like the New Hampshire Technical Institute or a private school, could be too costly, she said.

“I guess I feel that it is ideal to keep kids in school until they’re 18, but the reality is it might be too expensive,” she said.

Hopkinton’s Aviva Nestler also said she had mixed feelings about the legislation.

“I think on the one hand, it is definitely good to stay in school and graduate because I know the benefits of going to college,” she said.

But, Nestler said she also knows people who got their GED at age 16 and went on to be prosperous.

Leland Kimball, whose grandchildren are students at Bow Elementary School, said the legislation will be good for students.

“Well, I personally think it’s a good idea. The option of getting out at age 16 is too young,” he said.

Not again – April nor’easter floods homes, closes roads

Bow Editor — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:12:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

A tree fell on Clinton Street in Bow, causing a chain reaction of events that eventually led to Doug and Katherine Crabb’s downstairs looking more like a wading pool than a basement.

The tree that fell knocked out power lines, causing electricity in the area to be out for more than three hours, and stopping the sump pump, said Doug Crabb.

“I’m surprised this rain turned into this much water,” he said, staring at the puddle that was his basement. “The brook out back, basically turned into a lake.”

It was the surprise factor that really caught them off guard, said Doug.

“We hadn’t really had much rain this spring, so I didn’t really think much of it,” he said. “When we got wet last year, along with everybody else in the state, we got 13 inches of rain in 10 days.

This year, it hadn’t rained in two weeks. We get a pretty decent rainstorm and then all of a sudden, whoomp. The water table must have been up significantly.”

He added that he thought if the town kept better maintenance on dead or damaged trees, the situation could have been avoided.

“It was the whole area – it wasn’t just our street – that was without power for so long,” said Katherine. “So everybody around here was playing the catch-up game.”

Still, local town officials said, overall, the effects of the storm were minimal.

The following is a list of impacted areas:

Bow

The town of Bow experienced no road closures, but several inconveniences due to the recent storm.

“I think we’re better off than some of the surrounding towns,” said Town Manager James Pitts.

“We certainly have some infrastructure damaged, primarily due to the edge of pavement being undermined and damaged, but overall, we’re not looking at large amounts of damage this time around.”

The town is still investigating the impact of the heavy rains, however.

Still, there were several barricades and signs for high water, though the affected roads – Route 3A, Grandview Road and Page Road, among other high-water areas – were still passable.

Some roads had to have lanes narrowed because the edge of the pavement collapsed, said Pitts.

In addition, several areas of town went without power for a few hours, but were restored quickly, he said.

Hopkinton

In Hopkinton, Deputy Fire Chief John Pianka said, in terms of road closures, the recent storm may have been worse than last year’s May floods.

“We probably had probably 13 or 14 roads closed due to washouts,” said Pianka. “I think this year was a little worse than last year. Statistic-wise, maybe it wasn’t, but I think we’ve had more road closures and damage than last year.”

Other weather-related problems, said Pianka, were power outages and flooded basements, which he said kept the fire department busy all day Monday, April 16, and into the next day.

Dunbarton

Fire Chief Jon Wiggin said only two roads, County Road and Kimball Pond Road, were closed due to flooding.

“We had a lot of ditch damage and things like that, about 10 flooded basements that we responded to, and at one time, I think eight roads were down to one lane or had water running across,” said Wiggin. “Other than that, we fared pretty well.”

There were also scattered power outages in town, including at Dunbarton Elementary School.

Concord

Concord, like Bow, Dunbarton and Hopkinton, experienced some trees falling and power outages, but also experienced several road closings or flood water impacts.

State aid at risk

Bow Editor — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 19:22:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

As the three branches of state government wrangle over how to best provide aid to public schools, local school administrators say they can do little, but watch and wait.

If Gov. John Lynch’s plan to provide a flat 5 percent hike in state education aid over the next two years is accepted by New Hampshire officials, Bow, Dunbarton and Hopkinton will experience potentially drastic revenue adjustments.

Lynch, a resident of Hopkinton, described the scenario as an “interim” solution to the school funding issue, which has divided the courts, the governor’s office and the state Legislature for more than a decade.

Lynch is proposing a constitutional amendment to address state aid. His budget proposal still must survive the srutiny of the Legislature.

The state Supreme Court set a deadline of June 30 for the legislature to define an “adequate education.”

Bow

According to Bow Superintendent Kathleen Holt, the state Department of Education originally indicated Bow would receive $4,318,511 in state aid.

Should Gov. Lynch’s proposal be accepted, Bow could lose roughly $800,000, said Holt.

“At this point, we are not addressing any of these plans until it makes it all the way through.

This is just one proposal of many others across the board right now,” said Bow Superintendent of Schools Kathleen Holt. “Obviously, the 5 percent is different than what the department of education said we would be getting under the old model, but we do not project the tax impact simply because we know the revenues aren’t stable.”

Holt said at the School District Meeting on Friday, March 9, the Bow School Board will show anticipated revenues, but will preface the figures with reasonable uncertainty.

Holt said she is looking forward to having equitable funding for all school districts.

Dunbarton

In Dunbarton, however, the governor’s proposal would actually benefit the district, as it is currently scheduled for a 15 percent reduction in state aid compared to the current fiscal year.

“It’s very difficult to make any predictions because we have to wait for the Legislature to decided where to go,” said school board member Betty Ann Noyes. “The plan that is in effect right now is a 15 percent cut to certain towns and that plan extends beyond this year, so that every year we would get 15 percent less.”

Should nothing change, Noyes says state aid would drop $67,129 from last year’s aid of $447,529 to $380,400.

Should Lynch’s plan be enacted, however, Dunbarton would receive a $22,376 hike in its revenue.

Dunbarton School Board members, realizing the potential for a substantial decrease in revenue, worked diligently to establish an operating budget lower than the current fiscal year.

The proposed operating budget is $4,685,984, down from $4,723,983.

While Noyes is hoping for a change in the current system, she said the timing is poor, and there will always be a percentage of school districts that will inevitably be unhappy with the result.

“There are a tremendous amount of communities who have already calculated their budgets who may lose a tremendous amount of money,” said Noyes, who added that many towns have SB2 and can no longer amend a school district budget, while others will have to base
their numbers on unstable data.

Hopkinton

Ironically, Lynch’s home town of Hopkinton is one such town that, should the state adequacy funding be amended, will have to scramble to make ends meet.

“There is no question, if the governor’s budget were to be the final budget that the Legislature approves, it would result in either the loss of programs and teaching faculty, or a significant increase in taxes in order to meet our budget,” said school board Chairman Marshall Rowe.

“Clearly, the governor’s proposal is devastating to Hopkinton,” he continued. “This obviously complicates the situation because we have our School District Meeting on March 10 and we will be unable to have a definitive answer to many of the questions that will be asked of us regarding the tax impact.”

Rowe said the district was informed by the state department of education it would receive $605,872 in additional revenue, which it incorporated into its operating budget.

The total state adequacy grant for Hopkinton, if nothing changes, would be $2,236,280.

If Lynch’s plan is enacted, however, Hopkinton’s aid would increase only $81,520 for a total
revenue package of $1,711,928 – over half a million less than the amount built into Hopkinton’s current school district budget.

Rowe said Hopkinton School District officials have contacted their state representatives and state senator.

“We are helping them to understand the impact the governor’s proposal has on the district,” he said. “We are encouraging them to keep the current system in place until adequacy is defined properly by the state, so there won’t be the loss of programs and faculty or a drastic increase in taxes here in Hopkinton.”

Rowe said the Legislature should stick, for the current fiscal year, with the formula it has in place.

“They ought not cause additional stress on both students, faculty and taxpayers as they try to determine what is an adequate education and how to fund it,” said Rowe. “I’m confident the Legislature and governor will realize they have the opportunity to sustain the level of education and not increase tax burden, and I’m confident they will realize that for this budgetary cycle.”

– Staff writer Nicholas Brown contributed to this story.

Money delays charter school opening

Bow Editor — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 17:38:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

HOPKINTON/BOW – For nearly three years of work by Bow, Hopkinton and Kearsarge Regional school district superintendents, the Crossroads Learning Community Charter School in Contoocook was awarded official charter status.

Though the school was recognized by the New Hampshire Board of Education in December, a problem receiving grant money from the state will prevent the school from its expected opening in January.

Jan Williamson, the agency supervisor for NFI North, the organization running the school, said she hopes the charter school can still open this fall when school reconvenes.

“The grant was larger than we thought in terms of the application and filling that out,” Williamson said. “As far as how much money we’ll receive in terms of the budget, we will need outside funding and determine where we are going to go with this.”

The problem is not exclusive to the Contoocook charter school, however. New Hampshire’s federal grant for charter schools runs out in June and, Williamson said, the state cannot reapply until October, potentially leaving all Granite State charter schools to figure out their own funding for several months.

“We just want to make sure when we get into this we have our budget figures and our money in order, and make sure we are going in the right direction before we move forward,” she said. “We’re in the process of applying for the charter grant money from the state and we’ll be meeting with superintendents from the three school districts next week to determine funding.”

Moreover, Thomas Brennan, superintendent of the Kearsarge Regional School District, said he will meet with the commissioner of the New Hampshire Board Board of Education for clarification on the state’s fiscal obligation.

Still, the school, which may still open in the fall, received its charter at a New Hampshire Department of Education meeting in December, when Chairman David Ruedig also awarded charters to the New Hampshire Equestrian Academy Charter School in Rochester and Surry Village Charter School in Surry – bringing the state total to 12 charter schools.

A press release from the New Hampshire Center for School Reform describes the new charters as “... creating examples of entrepreneurial schools that provide new opportunities for New Hampshire public school students and planning budgets at 40 percent less than the statewide average.”

The plan is for Crossroads Learning Community Charter School to enroll up to 20 students from the three school districts the first year and work its way to 40 students the fifth year. Those enrolled will come from grades 7 through 12. The curriculum is intended for students that “the current system cannot reach, despite best efforts,” and will design individualized learning programs for students.

“I believe that for many years we, as superintendents and school districts throughout the state, have struggled with identifying where students who struggle in school can go – kids who are dropping out or who aren’t engaged in a typical school setting – we want somewhere for these students to go,” said Brennan.

Unlike other charter schools, the new Contoocook facility will attempt to close the gap and maintain communication between the charter school and the homeschool, and allow students to go back to their schools in some cases with someone from the charter school shadowing them.

Moreover, the charter school will also offer a professional development curriculum for teacher from the Bow, Hopkinton and Kearsarge school districts to receive training on working with different types of students.

More information on New Hampshire charter schools, can be obtained from www.nhschool reform.org.

2006 Year in Review - In star-studded year, Hopkinton boys soccer earns top billing

Bow Editor — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 20:49:00 GMT

BY SAPNA PATHAK

While others celebrate the end of the year with eggnog, presents and relished time with friends and family, we took a look back at 12 months worth of Neighborhood athletics.

The calendar contributions came from Neighborhood squads at all levels. Some hoisted championship trophies in repeat triumphs; others walked away with consolation medals. Seniors signed national Letters of Intent, while young stars made names for themselves, assuring lasting legacies in their respective sports.

Trying to cull the year’s best victories, unbelievable individual performances, disappointing losses and unforgettable upsets was difficult, as 2006 was packed with plenty of worthy moments.

You could argue Concord High owned the year’s brightest moment: its boys tennis team reclaimed the Class L tennis title, and its golf team repeated as state champs. Maybe it was the Bow girls tennis squad hoisting the championship plaque. Perhaps the honor belongs to the Crimson Tide girls lacrosse team, which took home its second straight state title.

Debate all you’d like, but we have a number of reasons – 204 reasons, to be exact – why 2006’s biggest headline goes to the boys of Hopkinton High soccer, recently named Class M champions.

The Hawks finally soared to the state title after 204 minutes, 32 seconds of game time, spanning four days. On Thursday, Nov. 9, both teams played to extra frames, but this time the Hawks walked away with a 3-2 overtime win and the bragging rights that come from perching atop the Class M boys soccer mountain.

David Wood scored from 40 yards out with 2:53 remaining to tie the game, and Joe Dammann headed in a crossing pass from Matt Demers 4:32 into overtime to give Hopkinton the win.

“Just fight, fight, fight” is how Demers described Hopkinton’s attitude. “That’s how we look at it, and that’s how we like to play. We just came back and said, ‘All year, we worked for this. Every Saturday morning that we had practice, we didn’t do this for nothing.’ We knew we were going to win the state championship.”

After playing to a double overtime, 1-1, tie against top-seeded Gilford on Sunday, Nov. 5, the two teams met again to replay the game on Nov. 8. Another postponement gave the Hawks one more day to think about what it would feel like to bring home their first Class M plaque since 1984.

“ The makeup of the team allows for a lot of resiliency, and we have a lot of heart and we always bounce back from things,” Wood said. “We haven’t had to do it a lot this year, but when we need to, we’ve been able to.”

Winter

Before basketball and ice hockey champions were named, the Granite State’s best swimmers and divers were crowned at the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association’s championships held at the University of New Hampshire’s Swasey Pool. The boys of Bow took home fifth place with 111 points. Senior co-captain Steven Mulherin placed fourth in the 100-yard backstroke, while Matthew Card placed first in the 100-yard breaststroke. The Lady Falcons placed 14th with 31 team points.

Concord’s boys swim squad finished 14th, scoring 33 total points. Senior Alex Broadbent placed fourth in the 200-yard individual medley. The girls placed eighth with 67 points as Jennifer Corriveau took first in the 50-yard freestyle and second in the 100-yard breaststroke. Bow High’s Caitlin Fellows was one of nearly 600 females recognized at the 19th annual Women’s Athletic/Academic Awards on Feb. 6.

Dover ended Bow’s ice hockey season for the third straight time after knocking out the Falcons, 2-1, in the Division II semifinals.

“It’s never easy losing. To never get a chance at getting to the finals, it’s awful. It’s too bad. I feel terrible for them, that we couldn’t do more for them,” Bow head coach Tim Walsh said of his seniors, who’d been part of three Falcons teams that lost in the Final Four.

In Division I action, Concord was iced, 2-1, by eighthseeded Berlin in the D-I semis. Four minutes into the third period, with the game tied, 1-1, Concord’s sensational keeper, Matt Mosca, made a glove save on a Berlin shot. But the whistle didn’t blow, the puck got loose, slid between Mosca’s legs and over the goal line for the eventual game-winner.

Away from the ice, the Bow boys basketball team earned its first appearance in the Class I finals in more than 10 years with a 67-45 win over Kearsarge. The Falcons bowed to Pelham in the title match.

The girls of Concord gymnastics were joined by gymnasts from Bow and Hopkinton in the NHIAA championship meet. The Crimson Tide club finished fourth overall, while Stephanie Cormier placed ninth for the Falcons and Hopkinton’s Julia Lynch came in 34th. In front of a packed house at the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore Center, Concord’s cheerleaders placed sixth at the NHIAA state competition. On Feb. 16, Bow’s girls ski squad earned the Division III Alpine skiing title.

The seventh-seeded Lady Falcons said goodbye to their season after a Class I girls basketball semifinal loss to Souhegan. Bow finished its regular season at 12-6.

After giving up 24 points on eight straight three-pointers in the fourth quarter, Hopkinton’s girls basketball team fell short in earning a trip to the Class M finals, losing to Newport in the semis.

Concord’s girls basketball team lost in the first round of the Class L tournament.

Meanwhile, on the mats, wrestling’s Meet of Champions brought together the Neighborhood’s best grapplers, including some from Concord and Bow. Falcons sensation DJ Meagher, fresh off his 140-pound championship at the New England Regional Tournament in New Haven, Conn., was named the MoC’s “Outstanding Wrestler.” Bow took home eighth overall, while the Crimson Tide finished second.

Spring

The Class I track and field finals was the stage, and the Bow boys 4 X 400 relay team delivered quite a performance, setting a school record after finishing the race in 3-minutes, 36.12 seconds. As a team, the boys finished sixth while the girls took home eighth. Bow was the only team in the state to score in all three relay races for both the boys and girls.

“When they get to that relay team, they’re ready to go and don’t want to let each other down,” said Bow head coach Dyrace Maxfield. “It kind of makes them tougher all year long.”

Concord’s boys track team placed sixth in Class L action. The girls were ninth. The Crimson Tide girls tennis team earned its first Class L playoff berth in two years before losing in the quarterfinals. Bow High’s boys tennis squad lost to Class I rival Kennett in the semifinals.

After a memorable upset by West last season, the Class L boys tennis title returned to the boys of Concord High when the Crimson Tide knocked off sixthseeded Keene, 5-1. The championship capped a perfect 17-0 season for Concord.

Led by the No. 1 player in the state, Amber Chandronnait, Bow’s girls tennis team captured the Class I championship after defeating previously unbeaten foe Bishop Brady, 6-3. Chandronnait went on to win the individual state tournament before signing her Letter of Intent to play tennis for the University of Nebraska.

Concord’s nine fell to eventual Class L baseball champion Manchester Memorial in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The Crimson Tide advanced by beating No. 6 Spaulding in the first round but dropped a 6-1 decision to the Crusaders.

The Crimson Tide softball squad reached the Class L semifinals but fell to eventual state champion Salem.

Both Bow and Hopkinton High’s baseball teams absorbed season-ending losses in the Class I and Class M semifinals, respectively. Bow Memorial School’s track and field team took fourth in the state finals.

In their first season as a varsity program, the girls of Hopkinton lacrosse earned a trip to the Division III playoffs, making an appearance as the 10th seed. Hopkinton’s boys lacrosse squad suffered a Division III semifinal loss.

In Division II action, the Falcons boys lacrosse team lost in the state semis for the second straight season, an 8-7 defeat by St. Thomas Aquinas.

The reigning Division II girls lacrosse champion, Bow was dethroned after an 11-3 loss to Winnacunnet. The Falcons finished their regular season at 12- 1, with the only loss coming at the hands of Winnacunnet. “They buried us more than that in the regular season,” Bow head coach Chris Raabe said.

“We were way outhustled in everything – ground balls, shots on net. You name it and they beat us to it.”

Bishop Guertin of Nashua handed Concord’s boys lacrosse team a 15-10 loss in the Division I semifinals.

Meanwhile, the ladies of Concord lacrosse hoisted the Division I championship plaque as they cruised to their second straight title with an 11-4 win over Nashua South.

Summer

Connor Anderson, 10, of Dunbarton, finished second in the state in the 9- and 10-year-old division in the Drive, Chip and Putt Challenge. In Little League action, an 18- 1 loss to Bedford ended Concord National’s Division I tournament run.

Concord American dropped from the winners’ bracket after a tough, 11-10, loss to Suncook in the first round of the Little League District One majors tournament. The Bow Blue Jays won the Bow Little League minors division championship.

The Bow Falcons Baseball Club dominated the Granite State’s 40+ men’s baseball league with a 21-game win streak. Concord Legion Post 21 posted an 11-9 record, its best finish in the past 10 years.

The Granite State Senior Games included 16 events in nine days. This year’s GSSG hosted a record 507 participants.

Bow’s Jack Finan walked away with a gold medal in the 70- to 74-year-old men’s division at the GSSG’s 5K racewalk. Local trio Brad Hosmer, 66, Norman Gill, 53, and John Valavane, 55, competed in GSSG cycling events. Concord’s Hosmer won gold in the 40K road race, and silver in the 5K time trial and 20K; Gill took bronze in the 5K, 10K time trials and 20K road race, and gold in the 40K; Valavane earned gold in the 5K and 20K, and silver in the 40K. Dunbarton resident Lucille Gage won gold in the 55- to 59- year-old women’s division. Gage competed in the GSSG’s golf tournament.

Concord’s U14 softball team traveled to Virginia and won its second straight national championship.

Fall

Neighborhood News hosted its annual NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass and Kick competition on Sept. 16, where defending sectional champion Sam Winslow placed second in the 10- and 11-year-old boys division. His sister, Abbey, took home first place in the 8- and 9-year-old girls division. Damon Morin of Dunbarton finished third in the 10- and 11- year-old boys division, while Jacob Zylak took seventh. Bow’s Kyle Milne placed third in the 8- and 9-year-old boys division.

Dan Meserve, Hopkinton High athletics director, was named Class M Athletics Director of the Year. The win marked the second time Meserve earned the award in his nine-year post as AD.

The boys of Hopkinton golf placed sixth at the NHIAA Class M-S tournament.

Under third-year head coach Chick Smith, Concord repeated as Class L champions after edging Timberlane and West by one stroke.

The Derryfield School golf team’s four-year championship run ended after a fourth-place finish in the NHIAA Class M-S golf tournament.

Bow High fell to Merrimack Valley, 4-0, in the first round of the Class I field hockey tournament. The Falcons finished their regular season at 5-9.

In Class L action, the girls of Concord field hockey were brought down by a 1-0 quarterfinal loss. The seventh-seeded Tide finished the season at 9-6- 1.

Defending Class L volleyball champion Concord lost in the quarterfinals to finish its season at 11-7.

At the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore Center, the girls of Bow spirit placed eighth in Class I competition, while Concord took 10th in Class L.

Both Hopkinton’s girls and boys cross country teams took second at the Class M-S championships. A week later, the Concord girls cross country club finished 10th at the Meet of Champions. In the Class L girls soccer tournament, West defeated Concord, 2-0, in the first round.

On the boys side, reigning champion Concord couldn’t repeat, losing in the semifinals. Following a perfect 16-0 record that earned the top seed in the Class I boys soccer tournament, head coach George Pinkham watched as his Bow High team was upset by ninth-seeded Lebanon in the quarterfinals.

After making their 10th semifinal appearance in 11 seasons, Hopkinton’s girls soccer team was again stopped one game short of the finals, this time by Raymond.

There was a lot to celebrate in 2006. Unfortunately, there probably are a number of stories and accomplishments that didn’t find their way into the pages of this sports section, though that hardly diminishes their importance. Having said that, bring on 2007.

Pitch perfect

Bow Editor — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 20:33:00 GMT

CLASS M BOYS SOCCER

Extra time means extra-special title for Hopkinton

BY MATT STOUT
Somehow, even after Gilford’s Chip Veazey buried a rebound to put his team up, 2-1, with 3:23 remaining in the Class M boys soccer title game on Thursday, Nov. 9, coach Scott Zipke and his second-seeded Hopkinton Hawks knew they could – and would – win.
Somehow, even after Gilford’s Chip Veazey buried a rebound to put his team up, 2-1, with 3:23 remaining in the Class M boys soccer title game on Thursday, Nov. 9, coach Scott Zipke and his second-seeded Hopkinton Hawks knew they could – and would – win.

Somehow, they proved it.

First, David Wood tied the game in the 78th minute with a 45-yard laser of a shot.

Then, Hopkinton ended an epic championship – one that spanned more than 204 minutes and two matches – when Joe Dammann headed home a pinpoint pass from Matt Demers 4:32 into the first overtime, clinching Hopkinton’s 3-2 win and its third state championship in program history.

The victory, Hopkinton’s first title-game win since 1984, ended No. 1 Gilford’s 39-game win streak and dethroned the now 19-1 and defending champion Eagles in the process.

But the opponent alone didn’t make it special.

After playing to a 1-1, double- overtime tie on Sunday, Nov. 5, and heading toward the same result in replaying the game on Thursday, the Hawks’ defense continually held off Gilford, while the offense played without senior captain Liv Miller, who received his third yellow card of the year in the first game, forcing him to sit.

Gilford looked in position to win it after Phil Petrozzi bent a free kick off the right post to Veazey for the go-ahead score.

But Wood hit an improbable shot – tucking the ball in under the right side of the crossbar in similar fashion to a regularseason goal he had against Raymond. And the Hawks, no strangers to overtime, finished it minutes later when Demers fished a ball out of the right corner and into the box to Dammann.

Wood’s goal marked the third time Hopkinton came back to tie Gilford during the two games, while Dammann’s score, also his second of the night, gave his team its first lead.

Hopkinton also needed overtime to dispatch Campbell, 1-0, in the semifinals. “Just fight, fight, fight” is how Demers described Hopkinton’s attitude. “That’s how we look at it, and that’s how we like to play. We just came back and said, ‘All year, we worked for this. Every Saturday morning that we had practice, we didn’t do this for nothing.’ We knew we were going to win the state championship.” Zipke, in his first year as Hopkinton’s head coach, sensed it, too.

“After Dave scored, I’m seeing hands on their heads,” he said, referring to Gilford’s players. “After they scored on us, I didn’t see any of that. They turned around, put the ball down, and it was time to play.”

In a championship seemingly played at 100 mph from start to finish, it was that intensity and ability to execute that ultimately propelled Hopkinton.

Several key saves from Zach Cousens more than made up for a muffed saveturned-- goal 24:39 into Thursday’s game, while backs Brian “Kim” Long, Nate Mosseau, Dan Forrester and Ben Metcalf shut down Gilford, which beat up Hopkinton in a 4-1 win to close the regular season.

As good as it felt to claim the state title, the Hawks can feel even better about whom they return to defend it.

Hopkinton loses seniors Miller, Mosseau, Metcalf, Al Grogan and Will Merrow to graduation, but players like sophomore striker Travis Fuglestad and junior David Brandt join Wood, Long, Dammann and others will be back.

Indeed, coming back is natural for the Hawks.

“The makeup of the team allows for a lot of resiliency, and we have a lot of heart and we always bounce back from things,” Wood said. “We haven’t had to do it a lot this year, but when we need to, we’ve been able to.”