Salem Observer : Salem, Kids & Family

JamFest is Sept. 26 at Field of Dreams

Salem Editor — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:55:00 GMT

Salem’s Field of Dreams park will celebrate fall with an afternoon of bands and barbecue on Saturday, Sept. 26.

JamFest will run from noon to 5 p.m. It features local bands George & Company, The Clay Tiles, threeplay and others.

Admission is free to Jam- Fest and food is available for purchase. Families will enjoy a barbecue, games, entertainment and raffles, including a special chance to unlock a treasure chest full of surprises.

Field of Dreams is located on Geremonty Drive in Salem. Parking is limited at the park but ample parking is available across Geremonty at the District Court lot, or at Town Hall and Salem High School lots. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets.

This event and all Field of Dreams 2009 concerts are made possible through generous support of local sponsors TD BankNorth, Pat’s Key ‘N Lock, Enterprise Bank, Salemhaven and Pentucket Bank.

Other contributors are Salem Lions Club and Canobie Lake Park.

A rain date of Sunday, Sept. 27, noon to 5 p.m,, is set. For more information about JamFest 2009 and all Field of Dreams programming, see www.fieldofdreamsnh. org or contact board president Ross Trecartin at 233- 4455.

Toy sale and fun fair is April 18 at Woodbury Middle School in Salem

Salem Editor — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:31:00 GMT

Salem Family Resources-Success By 6 will host its annual toy sale and family fun fair on Saturday, April 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Woodbury Middle School, 206 Main St. Salem.

This year’s theme is “The Magic of Spring.”

Activities for young children include professional face painting, crafts, games, and raffles of new toys.

A guest appearance by “Professor Dumbledor” is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

Families can shop for bargains on new and gently used toys, sports equipment and baby items.

This is also an opportunity to clean out those items that your children have outgrown. Donations of gently used toys, books, sports equipment and baby items are being accepted. The group cannot accept any recalled items or car seats.

Donations can be dropped off at the Triumphant Cross Lutheran Church on Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m. To arrange a different time, contact Salem Family Resources at info@salem familyresources.org or call 898- 5493.

Teens talk more about drugs with parents, study shows

Salem Editor — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:34:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A new nationwide study that indicates teens have become more likely to talk to adults about drug use, but educators are not letting up when it comes to opening up dialogue between students and their parents.

According to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, which released the 2008 Partnership Attitude Tracking study’s findings last month, 37 percent of teenagers surveyed nationwide reported that they had “learned a lot” from their parents about the negative impact of drug use.

With a 16 percent increase over the 2007 study results, this is the first major increase in that area since the study began 20 years ago.

Superintendent Michael Delahanty called the results of the study heartening, but he said parents are still timid about raising the subject with their children.

“Parents don’t need to talk about the health risks or consequences about what would happen down the road, but the more immediate consequences, like the legal ramifications or a drop in inhibitions. There is more risky behavior (with drug use), like unsafe sex,” Delahanty said. “With honest conversation, then the potential for those behaviors is diminished.”

Delahanty believes it is the high profile reports of the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse among teenagers and adolescents, as well as their parents, that has sparked any increase in dialogue. He pointed to incidents like the recent death of a 16-year-old Massachusetts girl following an all night party as having brought home the consequences of drug abuse to parents.

“Any parent of any high school student ought to be having conversations with their children about what choices they’re going to make,” he said. “If (the study data) is true, I think it’s a consequence of the attention that’s been brought to the overall problem and attention to children who might face those consequences.”

The Salem Youth Committee, of which Delahanty is a member, has spearheaded efforts over the past several years to break down the wall between teens, adolescents and their parents when it comes to illegal drug use and alcohol consumption. The committee has created a Safe Homes program that encourages parents to host and chaperone teenage parties and report suspected alcohol or substance abuse to one another.

The committee is also planning to release a public service videotape to raise awareness of the potential life-altering consequences of teenage drug use among parents. Delahanty hopes the campaign will dispel the myth that teenage drinking and drug use is a right of passage.

“(Some parents) have a ‘boys will be boys’ outlook or a ‘girls will be girls’ outlook or are afraid their children’s social status will diminish if they’re too strict about their children’s alcohol use and so might turn a blind eye,” Delahanty said. “We set our mission to minimize the acceptance of this because it is not OK and there are life-altering consequences to this type of behavior.”

Salem kindergarten plans underway - students signing up

Salem Editor — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:41:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

With funding for Salem’s public kindergarten program now restored to the school district’s operating budget, officials look forward to tying up the administrative details in time for the start of school in the fall.

About 170 kindergarten-aged students had been pre-registered for the program as of earlier this month, according to Superintendent Michael Delahanty, and he expects as many as 300 will be enrolled for kindergarten by the end of this coming summer.

“It is not a bad number, considering we started with 30. There are a number of people who were waiting for some kind of an outcome (on the budget issue) as well,” Delahanty said. “I believe that more people will come forward that the funding has been restored.”

The $1.6 million price tag for the implementation of the town’s first public kindergarten program – stripped from the district’s operating budget in a 5-4 vote by the Budget Committee last month – was overwhelming restored by voters during the Feb. 5 deliberative session.

Delahanty, who has campaigned for providing a public kindergarten to community as the right thing to do, described the response from residents as heartening and encouraging. Going forward, he said the district would wait to see the outcome of the March 10 Town Meeting before meeting with state officials to determine a timeline for when portable classrooms could be installed at each of the town’s neighborhood elementary schools.

The district is planning on hiring 10 kindergarten teachers, five support assistants to help children with special needs and a number of professional support staff – based on the number of students estimated to be enrolled in the program.

With the resources required to run to program already known, Delahanty said administrators could begin purchasing furniture, fixtures and equipment as soon as they begin placing annual orders for the rest of the district’s schools.

“It’s just a matter of hitting go and getting all this done. I’m most confident that we’ll have plenty of time to get up and running in the fall,” he said.

According to School Board Member Bernard Campbell, though the debate over whether or not the town will have a kindergarten program in place to meet the state’s deadline is settled, concerns over funding remain. He pointed to the state’s budget troubles as one cause for worry.

“Whether or not (state) education funding in general is going to be under some sort of cut, how that might impact the kindergarten funding or how that might impact adequate education funding in general, those would be major concerns,” he said.

Budget Committee member Stephen Campbell, who has been a critic of the school board’s decision to include kindergarten funding in the district’s operating budget rather than as a separate warrant article and called on the board to take the state to court over the kindergarten mandate, said the looming issue would be constructing a permanent home for the town’s kindergarten students.

State funding covers the housing costs of the kindergarten program for the first three years, after that it is up to the community to find a permanent location.

Stephen Campbell, who said the district has run into trouble in the past trying to get voters to go along with major construction or renovation projects, predicted the issue will resurface a year or two down the road.

“If they do it next year, I’m not sure that the economy is going to have improved very much between now and next year,” Campbell said. “It’ll be a sizable amount of money and if they continue to ask for 9 percent (budget) increases and then more on top of that they might have trouble. That’s an issue for the future.”

Salem schools could lose $5 million without kindergarten

Salem Editor — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:27:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Superintendent Michael Delahanty worries that the penalty for not starting a kindergarten program could come at the cost of financial aid, though state officials have not made a clear decision on what actions may be taken.

Any of the 11 districts in the state without a kindergarten program by the start of the new school year could potentially face a loss of school approval for failing to put a kindergarten program into place, according to New Hampshire Department of Education Commissioner Lyonel Tracy.

Although Tracy said the state board had not yet arrived at a decision as to whether that would translate into lost state funding for any district that openly defied the legislation mandating kindergarten, Delahanty believes that a partial loss of state adequacy aid – just over $5 million for Salem – is a possibility.

“I believe that the state would realize that the withholding (all) of the money would have devastating consequence in the district and therefore they would not do that. Will they withhold some percentage of the money just to send a message? That’s a more real possibility than the full amount,” Delahanty said. “In our case the law requires us to have kindergarten. It’s on the books. We are obligated to provide kindergarten.”

Another possibility facing the district is the potential for a lawsuit filed by the parents of kindergarten-aged children.Now that the state has included kindergarten in the definition of an adequate education, Delahanty said there is a concern that the district is legally obliged to provide the program and could face a dispute with parents seeking to recoup the costs of sending their children to a private facility.

Whether Salem would have a kindergarten program in place to meet the state’s deadline was called into question earlier this month after the Budget Committee voted 5-4 to remove the program’s funding from the district’s operating budget. The School Board is hoping that voters will restore the $1.6 million during a Feb. 5 deliberative session.

If the funding were not restored, Delahanty has warned that the board may have to make tough decisions as to what programs they would need to cut from the budget to start up the new class, not just to avoid sanctions from the state, but to do the right thing, he said.

“It’s unfortunate that it has come to this, and we’re now mandated by the state. I believe it’s simply the right thing to do,” Delahanty said. “I would prefer to have had the community support a public program many years ago.”

Restoring kindergarten money to be discussed in Salem

Salem Editor — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:11:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Voters will have the chance to either restore funding for the state-mandated kindergarten program to the budget or leave it by the wayside at the deliberative session of the School District meeting on Feb. 5.

The school district’s proposed operating budget – roughly $54.7 million after the Budget Committee removed the $1.6 million planned for next year’s kindergarten program and a further $400,000 in staff costs – tops a list of 10 warrant articles headed before voters in March.

If the money for the kindergarten is not restored, Superintendent Michael Delahanty has warned that the district may have to make cuts elsewhere to comply with state legislation changing the state’s definition of an adequate education to include kindergarten.

Without the kindergarten money, the school district’s operating budget still represents a proposed tax rate increase of about 6.6 percent or about a $128 increase for an average homeowner with a house worth $300,000.

Were kindergarten and the staff funding restored, the operating budget impact on the tax rate would be 9.3 percent or about $181 more per the average $300,000 homeowner.

Salary increases
The district is also proposing to raise $411,642 to fund a step increase in salaries for teachers, nurses and student services specialists for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The 3 percent pay raise represents a 27-cent rise in the tax rate and is a result of the collective bargaining agreement reached between the School Board and the Salem Education Association.

The district is asking for a further appropriation of $37,353 to fund a 2 percent bump in wages and benefits for secretaries, representing an 8-cent impact to the tax rate.

Custodians, aides and food service personnel are also looking at potential salary increases if voters approve each of the three separate warrant articles up for deliberation. The district is asking for $87,910 for a 3 percent wage increase with a tax rate impact of 2 cents for aides and $45,319 for a 2.75 percent raise – with a 10-cent impact to the tax rate – for custodians. The district is asking voters for a further $21,954 to fund a 2.75 percent salary increase for food service personnel.

Residents will also have the chance to decide whether a warrant article that will direct the School Board to cap any increase of their annual budget to any increase in revenue from the previous annual budget. The warrant article – put forward by petition – would also limit the School Board to increasing the annual budget up to the rate of inflation as determined by the National Consumer Price Index.

The deliberative session is set for Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., at Salem High School.

Money from Obama could be used to improve Salem's bike-ped corridor

Salem Editor — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:19:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Part of President-elect Obama’s economic stimulus package may fund a series of bicycle and pedestrian paths throughout town, though Bike-Ped Corridor Committee members caution against being overly optimistic.

“It’s not a guarantee that funding will be there, but we are looking at it in the sense of if it does come to pass where could the moneys be used,” said David Topham, who serves as vice chairman of the Salem committee as well as director of the Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire. “It’s definitely been figured in. Whether or not it happens is the key question.”

While construction has not yet begun on the proposed bicycle and pedestrian paths that follow the abandoned Boston and Maine railroad line, Topham said work on the project could start at any time with the funding.

Already reviewed and approved by the town and with the engineering portion complete, the only thing left to do would be to talk to abutters and work out the details in each of the path’s four segments, according to Topham.

Without funding from the president-elect’s proposed $775 billion economic stimulus package, financing for the bike-ped corridor would come from a combination of impact fees companies pay Salem when they move into town and donations from private citizens and organizations.

Even with the potential federal funding, Topham said there would be no guarantee that it would speed up the committee’s timeline for completion, which he anticipates would be three to five years.

With the state’s transportation commissioner indicating that they would like to see $300 million go toward railway improvements between Manchester and Lowell, Mass., Topham said there would be no way of knowing whether the federal funding would end up in the Salem bike-ped corridor until after the money had been allocated.

Connecting Salem by bike and pedestrian paths to existing trails in neighboring Windham and Methuen, Mass., and then up to Manchester would have a positive economic and environmental impact on the region, according to Topham.

“This would tie things together for the whole length of Route 28 from Methuen up to Windham where it then becomes a recreational (path). Further north, the Derry rail trail alliance would then connect to downtown Derry for more of an economic impact,” he said. “People can bike from homes or for recreation right up the whole corridor.”

By bringing together the added traffic mitigation, health and environmental benefits of encouraging motorists to get off of Route 28 and onto their bicycles, Topham believes that the project may see some federal funding in the future.

“The Salem section is for everyone, everyday – kids going back and forth from neighborhoods, getting to school, people getting to work and short shopping trips where (residents) don’t want to walk across Route 28,” he said. “The funding would not be directed toward just a plain recreational trail out in the country that doesn’t have a direct economic benefit.”

Salem school officials disappointed by decision to remove kindergarten from budget

Salem Editor — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:10:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A Budget Committee decision to remove kindergarten from the school district’s proposed budget for next year has made starting the program more difficult, but not impossible, say officials.

According to Superintendent Michael Delahanty, the School Board could create a separate warrant article to put in front of voters in March, ask voters to restore the funding for the program at a Feb. 5 deliberative session or make cuts elsewhere in the budget to cover the kindergarten program’s expenses to comply with the state’s mandate.

Salem is one of 12 communities that have been directed to put a kindergarten program into place after the state redefined the definition of an adequate education to include the kindergarten year. Despite a 5-4 vote on Jan. 8 by the Budget Committee to remove the program’s funding from the school budget, Delahanty said the district would begin compiling a list of eligible 4-year-olds in the community in preparation of formally enrolling next year’s kindergarten class.

“Right now I would say without the funds it would be quite a challenge to have kindergarten, though it’s not impossible,” Delahanty said. “Without the specific funds appropriated, we could still try to make kindergarten happen and that would be even without a separate warrant article and even without the restoration article.”

Set to discuss their remaining options on Tuesday, Jan. 13, Delahanty said he believed that the board would attempt to restore the program into the operating budget by way of next month’s deliberative session. Otherwise, were voters to turn down a separate warrant article in March and the district to implement kindergarten anyway, the board would have to make a “very hard decision” on what long-standing programs to eliminate, Delahanty said.

Michael Carney, a member of the Budget Committee, said his vote to remove kindergarten from the operating budget was made out of principle.

“I think the state has mandated it to us. If it’s a mandate, they should pay for it. If it’s not a mandate, then we should have the right to vote on it and the (public) should vote it up and down,” Carney said. “It’s just the principle, and maybe I’m sticking on them too hard. I believe that it’s a constitutional issue.”

Carney is not the first member of the Budget Committee to question the validity of the state’s mandate. Stephen Campbell, a 14-year committee member, has criticized the School Board for not following the lead of school officials in Hudson by taking the state to court over imposing what he said amounts to an unfunded mandate.

Despite Campbell’s vocal opposition of the mandate, Delahanty said he was surprised and dismayed by the Budget Committee’s decision.

“I understand (the) rationale – I heard it – but it’s no less disappointing,” he said.

Critics say Salem board should fight kindergarten plan

Salem Editor — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:22:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

One member of the budget committee has criticized the Salem School Board for not following nearby Hudson in challenging the state’s public kindergarten mandate in court.

“It just annoys me that the School Board is ignoring the law,” said Stephen Campbell, a 14-year member of Salem’s Budget Committee. “The (state) constitution says no unfunded mandates and they’re just going along and not challenging the state. I’m happy that Hudson has decided to stand up and do what is right.”

Though Superintendent Michael Delahanty agreed that implementing the program following legislation that included kindergarten in the definition of an adequate education, he said he is grateful the School Board opted against taking the state to court. He called Hudson’s lawsuit a “no-win case.”

“State level educators are calling for statewide publicly supported kindergarten and to think that there are nine districts without public supported kindergarten is a sad commentary,” he said. “I understand that Hudson doesn’t want to incur this expense, but it’s going to come. Sooner or later, it’s going to have to be done.”

Though the state will be paying the housing costs associated with starting a public kindergarten for the first three years and giving school districts $1,200 per pupil, Delahanty said Salem would be paying for the operational costs, which include hiring 10 new new teachers, additional staff and purchasing books, supplies and other curriculum materials.

The state is also offering to fund 75 percent of the price tag of building a permanent kindergarten facility down the line, according to Delahanty.

Despite the cost – hiring new teachers alone will add about $280,000 to the budget – Delahanty described beginning a kindergarten program as a “social obligation.”

“I believe we have an obligation to provide kindergarten,” he said. “It is the fundamentally the right thing to do. It will make a difference for the kids academically, and I believe we have a social obligation to decide it.”

Campbell is faulting the School Board for not putting the kindergarten program in a separate warrant article, which would allow voters in March to decide whether the town would institute a public program. The program is being rolled into the district’s operational budget.

“For me its a matter of principle,” said Campbell. “It’s an unfunded mandate and we shouldn’t let the state get away with breaking the constitution. Whether you agree with kindergarten or not, the people should be allowed to vote on it,” he said.

“That’s the thing the school board members aren’t doing. Those two things are wrong.”

Voters still have a chance to challenge the school board’s position at a deliberative session for the district’s budget on Thursday, Feb. 5. If enough voters opt to take kindergarten out of the budget, then Salem may have to follow Hudson in taking the state to court, Campbell said. Otherwise, kindergarten-aged students will be heading to school come September of next year.

“What are they afraid of? Let the people vote,” Campbell said.

6-year-old Salem boy wins motocross titles in his rookie year

Salem Editor — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:46:00 GMT

On Jan. 1, 2008, 6- year-old Hunter Santo of Salem had no idea what the next 12 months would bring to his life. This would be his first calendar year racing motocross – his rookie year.

Since winter in New England poses its challenges for riding time and racing opportunities, Hunter made a weekly trek to Connecticut, home to one of the world’s largest indoor motocross tracks – Mototown U.S.A.

In his first couple races, Hunter finished in the back of the pack, but by week three, he began moving up in the standings.

Over the next four months and by competing in dozens of races, he made it to the top of the heap. In his first motocross series he became the Mototown 4-6 Senior 50cc champion.

In April, as the winter series was coming to an end, the New England outdoor motocross series was ramping up from Connecticut to Northern Maine.

As a rookie, Hunter pursued his early season racing with the Maine Motocross Series, as well as the Canaan Motorsports Series.

With the winter experience under his belt, he took the New England Motocross circuit by storm – winning 15 of his first 20 motos. His wins continued throughout the spring and into the summer and fall series across many tracks throughout New England.

His excitement for the sport grew as Hunter enjoyed some multiple win weekends sometimes racing numerous races on different bikes in different 50 cc MX and 50 cc junior MX classes.

This success led to his second championship of his first year.

On Sept. 13, 2008, Hunter celebrated as the Canaan Motocross Series 50cc Novice MX champion, winning the final race riding his KTM 50 SX racebike.

Hunter also participated in the New England regional championships on Labor Day weekend, which brought in more than 1,000 racers from as far south as the Carolinas.

That weekend, he took a fourth place and two third places, qualifying him for his first post-race interview under the Honda factory tent.

With microphone in hand, he acted like an experienced veteran, thanking his mom and dad, his sisters and his mechanic, Gus Bone.

As the season finally came to an end in late October with his last race in the NEMX Fall Series – Hunter reminisced about his rookie year in motocross.

The year’s summary included being named the Mototown 4-6 50cc senior champion, the Canaan Motocross Series 50cc novice champion, second place in the New England Motocross Fall Series 4-6 50cc, 50 first-lace moto wins and more than 100 top-five finishes.

When asked what he learned from racing this year, he said, “I learned to do my best, I learned to never, never give up and I learned to have fun.”

Multiple uses planned for Salem's Hawkins Farm

Salem Editor — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:38:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

After a 16-year drought, Hawkins Farm could once again become the site of renewed farming as town officials consider what to do with the land purchased by the Conservation Commission in August.

The 15-acre piece of farmland that runs along the Spicket River known as Hawkins Farm may be the future site of a walking path, affordable housing, public gardens and agricultural production.

Salem Planning Director Ross Moldoff said the acquisition, purchased for $950,000, was a once-in-a-decade opportunity for the town to add to its conservation land holdings.

“The opportunities don’t come up that much, and the land is so expensive typically that we don’t have enough money to buy big parcels of land,” Moldoff said. “The money (for the purchase) had been accruing in the Conservation Commission fund for a number of years, and they had a big enough balance, and they had a willing seller.”

With $750,000 of the original asking price paid for at the time of the purchase, the commission has three years to raise the remaining $200,000. The property includes a flood plain and wetlands, and abuts previously acquired conservation land owned by the town.

Muldoff and Bill Carter, chairmen of the Conservation Committee, are working with the Salem Housing Authority to try to turn the currently unoccupied farmhouse on the land into a home for a low-income family or elderly couple. They’ve also got the Recreation Department involved as well, with a plan to construct a nature trail along the edge of the property.

“We are planning on putting a nature trail on the edge of the property along the Spicket River. We were out there walking that property and it seems quite nice to have a walking trail there,” Carter said.

The commission has also been in talks with two local farmers, John and Mike Peters, to lease a portion of the existing fields for future agricultural production, like growing corn. In return, the Peters will till a section of the land set aside for community gardening.

“You take a farm field that had not been farmed in 10 or 15 years and now put it back into farming – (that’s great) because that doesn’t happen too often,” Moldoff said.

On Monday, Nov. 15, selectmen gave Carter and Moldoff permission to move forward with their plans. They hope to have a family in the home before the end of the year and expect farming to begin in April. By next spring, the hope is to have the nature trail open to the public as well.

The parcel of land joins about a 1,000 acres owned by the town across Salem, including the 200-acre town forest. In the past, Moldoff said the Conservation Commission has not has as much luck in procuring land they expressed interested in. Last year, negotiations for a bigger piece of local land fell through after the seller upped their asking price from $2 million to $4 million. With the Hawkins farm purchase, Moldoff said the town won in more ways than one.

“What was going to happen there, (the landowners) were going to sell it to some developer and there were going to be some house lots there,” he said. “But with the town purchasing the land and keeping it for conservation – it preserves a scenic resource in the community and a productive resource if it goes back into farming and housing for a needy family or elderly couple, and you’ve prevented the development impacts that would come from four or six houses being built on the property.”

Training helps prevent violence at haunted attractions

Salem Editor — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:36:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

What stands between a rowdy haunted house guest from bumping back at the things that go bump in the night?

A well-trained, observant and experienced staff, according to Larry Belair owner of Victorian Park’s Haunted Mansion.

Violent or physical incidents between guests and employees – like the one at Charmingfare Farm’s haunted hayride in Candia on Friday, Oct. 17, which left a scare actor with a bloody nose after being struck in the face by a patron – are not unknown, but they are rare, Belair said.

“We’ve had a couple of those incidents over the 13 years that we’ve been there at the haunted mansion,” he said. “Every once and a while you get some wacko who thinks he entitled to hit some kid who provides entertainment. What do they think when they come into one of these houses, that they’re not going to have someone jump out at them?”

Line teasers – employees in costume who both entertain guests waiting in line to enter the haunted mansion and keep an eye out for any potential troublemakers – keep rowdy or intoxicated patrons from ever entering the house.

A second line of security in the lobby of the haunted mansion is designed to pick out anyone the line teasers may have missed during their rounds.

“We have a young lady that’s been there for 13 years who spends a moment or two looking these folks over and talking briefly with them, and if we really think someone is going to be a problem, we refund their money and ask them to go away,” Belair said. “We have some walkers that are all dressed in black and you don’t even know they’re there and we put a couple in front of anyone we’re concerned about. We’re there to remove somebody from the place if they become problem.”

A system of catwalks above the pathway of the haunted house allows a team of spotters to keep a close eye on the guests passing through the haunted mansion. With his employees connected by head-set, there is constant communication between his staff and a quick response should a problem arise, Belair said.

Though some members of his staff have upwards of 15 years of experience in the haunted house business, Belair said his employees get together before the start of the season each year to go over what situations could arise and what do to in each when something goes awry.

At Canobie Lake Park’s Spooky World, employees go through an orientation program and specialized training to minimize the chances of something happening. According to Chris Nicoli, the theme park’s marketing manager, the training stresses keeping the actors at a distance from the guests.

A number of signs warning against touching the actors as well as a visible security presence has kept any problems from popping up so far during the park’s first year of organizing the Halloween event, Nicoli said.

While Belair attributed keeping the number of incidents down to only three or four over the 13 years he has operated the haunted house to the training and preparation his staff go through beforehand, he said he had also been lucky so far. The chances of somebody wandering off the specified path or to getting a little panicky was always there.

“You are in the business of frightening people and scaring people,” he said. “There’s always the potential for someone to behave in away that isn’t anticipated.”

More people using Salem food pantry

Salem Editor — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:02:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

During its previous fiscal year, which ended June 30, the emergency food pantry at the Greater Salem Community Action Center served 754 people from 295 households.

This year, as families continue to struggle in a troubled economy, those statistics are expected to jump about 10 percent. That higher demand has prompted the center’s staff to ask again for donations from the public.

“Any form of a donation is appreciated,” said Brandi Bobusia, coordinator of the Salem center at 287 Lawrence Road. “If you can give a can, that’s a donation as far as I’m concerned.”

Despite what some may believe, most of the people helped by the food pantry are not food stamp recipients. Instead, they are people not eligible for food stamps but who are struggling to meet ends meet.

Recipients include people who’ve lost jobs and have used up their allotment at other food pantries. Some are trying to keep their utilities from being shut off, and are struggling to stave off an apartment eviction or house foreclosure.

“I do think that people ineligible for food stamps have to tap into pantries,” said Bobusia. “Their expenses are exceeding their income.”

The food pantry, which has two freezers, stores a variety of items, including canned goods, meats and dairy products, and personal hygiene supplies.

“We’re unique in that we can give a variety of food,” said Bobusia. “We just can’t accept anything that’s expired.”

The staff provides families with a three to five day allotment of food at each visit. Recipients can visit the pantry a maximum of three times a year for emergencies. Priority is given to Salem families.

“It’s an ongoing need, not just at Thanksgiving and the holidays,” said Bobusia. “It’s always critical. We’re always seeing people coming in.”

Currently, the food pantry is serving 30 to 33 families every month.

“We see a lot of (the same people) but lately we’re seeing new faces,” said Bobusia. “It’s about half and half.”

And she expects to be busier during the holidays as people spend money on Christmas presents for their children, leaving less cash for food.

The Greater Salem Community Action Center is an outreach center of Rockingham Community Action. RCA, whose main office is located in Portsmouth, provides a variety of services, including fuel assistance, security deposit loans, and child care referrals.

The Salem pantry stocks a variety of foods, including tuna fish, applesauce, pasta, canned vegetables, powered milk, boxes of macaroni and cheese, and soups.

It is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, but Bobusia said the staff will make arrangements to be available to people who want to drop off a large supply of donations but can’t come to the pantry during its hours of operation.

In addition to food, the center also accepts cash and gift cards. Gift cards from supermarkets and stores that sell food, like Wal-Mart and Target, are ideal, Bobusia said.

Some donations have come from families who have been past users of the food pantry.

“That’s a real nice thing to see,” said Bobusia. “They came in here years ago, got back on their feet and want to repay.”

Donations can be sent to the Greater Salem Community Action Center, 287 Lawrence Road, Salem, NH, 03079. The center can be reached at 893-9172.

Salem dirty house trial begins

Salem Editor — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:46:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

The trial for Michael and Maureen Bell, accused of housing their five children in an uninhabitable home, will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 15, in Salem District Court.

The Bells have been charged with five counts each of endangering the welfare of a child for keeping their children in the 31 Twinbrook Ave. home, which was found to be ridden with health code violations.

They’ve been free on personal recognizance bail since their arraignments, and their children, ages 2 through 9, have been staying with relatives.

The Bells were renting the splitlevel home for $2,000 a month for just under two years when their 2-year-old daughter was found wandering naked down Oakridge Avenue, which intersects with Twinbrook Avenue.

An Oakridge Avenue resident found the little girl on the evening of July 4 and called police, who returned her to her parents, Michael and Maureen Bell, ages 33 and 32 respectively.

When police arrived, the Bells were watching three of their own children – two of them, ages 5 and 9, were not home at the time – and three of a relative’s children. The Bells were allegedly not sure how many children were in their home, and had not seen their 2-year-old leave.

Police began investigating when they saw the condition of the home, reporting seeing spoiled food throughout the home, smelling a nauseating odor of food and trash, and finding soiled diapers strewn on the floor.

Police also reported seeing raw sewage in the sink and toilet on the second level, and ants in the kitchen. Old appliances and trash were strewn across the yard.

On July 7, Salem health inspector Brian Lockard deemed the home uninhabitable after investigating with police and representatives from the state’s Division of Youth and Family Services.

Salem health officials had already been to the house three times because of litter in the yard while the Bells were renting it, but had not been inside.

Lockard said at the time of his investigation it looked as though the house had gone neglected for more than a year.

Salem police brought charges against the Bells, who turned themselves in on July 10.

Kim Poirier of Peterborough, owner of the home, said the Bells always paid their rent on time, and although she’d received calls from Lockard about the yard’s condition, the Bells always assured her the house was being properly maintained.

Poirier and her husband, Dan Poirier, have been working to clean up the home. In August, Lockard deemed the home livable again.

Salemfest promises weekend of activities

Salem Editor — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:15:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Volunteers and community organizations in Salem are gearing up for the fifth annual Salemfest, featuring crafts, food and fun for the entire family.

The festival takes place this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20 and 21, starting at 9 a.m. Most of the events wrap up in the afternoon.

The weekend event evolved from the St. David’s Craft fair, which organizer Betty Gay said was moved from around Christmas time to autumn the year before the first Salemfest, as we know it now, occurred.

“The first fair we have (in the fall) in the middle of the fair, here comes dogs down the street wearing cute bandanas,” said Gay.

Salem’s Dogfest was happening on the same day as their craft fair. Also on the same day, Salemhaven was having their fall fair.

After speaking with the organizers of Dogfest and Salemhaven, as well as other community organizations and the library, Gay said they were able to coordinate to have all of those things happen on the same day.

“So it has grown, and each year we have a couple of new groups,” Gay said.

The weekend long event is a cooperation of volunteers, businesses and organizations across town, including the Kelley and Alice Hall libraries, the Ingram Center, the Boys & Girls Club, Salem Senior Services, Salemhaven, and the town’s churches.

One of the main events is the Greater Salem Caregivers Vincent Swanson Walk-athon, which starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Boys & Girls Club at 3 Geremonty Drive. For the past several years, Salemfest has been plagued by bad weather for the event.

“We’ve been deluged with rain the last three years on Saturday,” Gay said. This year, however, weather reports indicate sun and mild temperatures for the whole weekend.

The Civil War Living Historians will be demonstrating the life of a Union soldier on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the lawn of the Old Town Hall at the corner Bridge and Main streets. The group will also provide pony rides for children from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday on the Town Common.

Kelley Library is holding a used book and media sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., one of the more popular events of the weekend, Gay said. For a dollar, you can have anything you can fit in one bag.

Most of the free children’s events are clustered around Kelley Library and the Boys & Girls Club, including face painting, a bounce house, games and contests.

A kids’ parade, for children up to age 12, walking with decorated doll carriages, bikes, trikes, wagons, costumes and teddy bears will take place at 11 a.m. at the Town Common. There will be ribbons for all who participate, and the parade will be televised on Channel 17.

Tours of some of Salem’s historical buildings will be held on both days, including the old town hall, Alice Hall Memorial Library and School House No. 5, all near the intersection of School and Main streets.

Greystone Farm, an assisted- living facility, will hold its annual Chowderfest and Apple-licious Bake Sale on the grounds at 242 Main St. Each year, the residents at Greystone choose a charity to raise money for and bake the goods themselves to sell.