Center Meeting House

NEWBURY NEW HAMPSHIRE

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Sponsor a Pew - Leave a Legacy

DoorCome into the Center Meeting House with me and travel down a few memories to the present.  Back in 1832, it is said, a pew was not sponsored.  A pew was Owned!  Pew owners even got a title to their pews.  Over the years, that system came under stress as the Center Meeting House was used less and less and the cost of maintaining it became more and more of a burden.  Newbury's population was in decline.  One hundred years after its construction, in 1932,  the pew owners turned their titles over to a new Board of Trustees and left the care and support of the building in the trustees' hands.

Thirty years or more prior to that, the building had a restoration that was spearheaded by John Hay and his wife, Clara.  Along with repairs, there was an 1860 steel bell that was acquired from Grantham, NH and placed in the bell tower.  This bell still hangs proudly in the bell tower of the Center Meeting House and proclaims the continued existence of the building in the center of Newbury.

About the same time that the Center Meeting House was built, a very similar building was constructed in Sunapee.  If you see a picture of it you will have a hard time telling which building is which.  Sixty years later while the Newbury structure was being renovated and improved with its new bell, the sister building in Sunapee was suffering the same deterioration and was torn down.  Newbury's building is a survivor because of its caring citizens.

Today, after 178 years, the Meeting House is undergoing a major restoration that will probably last for at least one hundred years.  The key will be maintenance and the key to maintenance will be a caring membership that sees to the routine things that have to be done to keep a building healthy, and especially DRY!

Since 2005 the Center Meeting House has had a Board of Directors who are elected by citizens who choose to become members.  The board has high hopes of finishing this restoration by late summer or early fall of 2010.  Our major fundraiser this year is dedicated to getting this phase finished.  It is the sale of Pew Sponsorships.  A sponsor's name will be inscribed on a brass plaque that will hang in the building and will also be found on a page in a museum quality book that will tell their story.  It could be about associations with the CMH or anything that suits their fanciIMG_1155smes. 

The major result of a pew sponsorship is the leaving of a legacy for the next hundred years.  The University of Houston Magazine says that "Legacy can be defined as the passing of a gift or a precious memory to future generations."  I chose this definition because it is such a heart-felt one that the dictionaries seem to miss. This is what sponsoring a pew in the CMH is all about, the passing of a precious memory down through the generations.  That's what the Meeting House itself has done for almost two centuries and will do for another century, and I hope for longer than that.  Give me a call at 603-763-3461 and let me help you choose your pew.  There are 42 pews in the building but only 17 16 are now left.  It's time to select your legacy for Newbury's future.

 
Dennis Pavlicek Accepts Award

2010 Profile Awards Ceremony at Cannon Mountain

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All Photos in this article by Tom Nowell

Dennis Pavicek of Newbury and Donna Nashawaty of Sunapee Accept Their Towns' Awards

Third from left is John Harrigan who won the award for an individual.

On the right is winner for the Copper Cannon Camp, which provides free camp experiences for low-income children.

 

A number of Newbury residents were in attendance at the ceremony, representing many of the organizations that support the town.

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Dennis and Donna with the Award.                                                        Maggie Stier of the Awards Committee makes the presentation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Lake Sunapee Region Award

Award_smCongratulations Newbury and Center Meeting House

On Sunday May 16, 2010, the towns of Newbury, Sunapee and New London were jointly awarded the Profile Award for cooperatively engaging their citizens in the stewardship of their natural and cultural resources, including lakes and hills, "nature preserves, hiking trails, and charming village centers with lovely old buildings."

Of course, we are always tempted to focus in on the Center Meeting House!  In the notes for the award, it is mentioned that "Current notable projects include restoration of the Center Meeting House..."

The list of projects that are being stewarded by the citizenry of the three towns is truly amazing.  And the cooperative management of the area by the three administrators of the towns is considered to be remarkable.  Dennis Pavlicek of Newbury, Donna Nashawaty (Sunapee) and Jessie Levine (New London) were cited for their once a week meetings to coordinate events and approaches to area issues and resources.

The actual award reads as follows:

New London, Newbury and Sunapee boast an impressive array of natural and cul­tural resources, including Lake Sunapee and Mount Sunapee, many smaller lakes and hills, nature preserves, hiking trails, and charming village centers with lovely old buildings. All of these resources are managed and stewarded by an extraordinarily engaged citizenry. Volun­teers staff town boards and committees, as well as dozens of non-profit organizations and programs that all contribute to a remarkable sense of community engagement and environ­mental awareness. The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, the Lake Sunapee Protec­tive Association, the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway, and Sunapee State Park are just some of the cherished institutions that protect natural resources and provide recreational op­portunities. Historic preservation successes abound. Current notable projects include restora­tion of the Newbury Center Meeting-house, energy upgrades to the New London's Tracy library, and on-going preservation of the house and gardens at The Fells. The three towns' historical societies collaborate with the Barn Playhouse in shared programming as PALS, Partners Around Lake Sunapee. The three town managers meet weekly. For all these things, and more, these towns form a notable triumvirate in central New Hampshire. Accepting the award are town administrators Jessie Levine (New London), Donna Nashawaty (Sunapee), and Dennis Pavlicek (Newbury).  (Jessie Levine was absent due to illness.)

 
Interior Restoration Work Awaits Funding

Rafters1This photo shows the interior of the CMH following work that was accomplished a couple of years ago to repair and replace load-bearing members that had failed due to years of leakage in the roof.  The rot that had occurred reduced the ability of three of the roof rafters and the columns that supported them on one end to carry their design loads.

Some people felt that a good snow followed by a rain storm might be enough of a load to bring the whole building down. You can see one of the 42' rafters going off to the right that replaced the old one which had completely failed.  Nothing but a bad job of fastening it together with steel plates and bolts that went through rotted out wood kept this beam from falling to the floor of the CMH.

Major work to be accomplished in this area is replacement of the plaster that adds so much to the accoustics and the overall finish of the interior.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000 of the $300,000 needed to complete the structure has been raised.  The sale of additional pew sponsorships will ensure that the building is in a useable state by the end of this summer of 2010.  We would love to be planning a celebration in the Meeting House for early fall.

 
Boston Comes to Newbury

2009-12-06_NEBC_fr_hrnThe New England Brass Consort is Coming to Newbury. 

This quintet, which will play in Newbury on July 9, 2010 at 7 pm, was created in 1985 by then Dartmouth professor, Max Culpepper. He brought together a large ensemble of fabulous young professional brass players from around New England, and produced concerts and recitals that showed off their virtuosity and flare. Max conducted and also joined the ensemble on his euphonium. Many years later the New England Brass Consort still gets together for special occasions, now as a quintet, still playing with that same virtuosity and flare that Max inspired!

Join the

Center Meeting House

Connecticut River Valley Orchestra, and

New England Brass Consort

Friday July, 9, 2010 for

the opening event for Newbury's Old Home Day

for a Buffet Dinner & Cash Bar at Mount Sunapee Resort

From 5 pm till 6:30 pm

$35 per person.

FREE concert at 7 pm

 

Members of the Consort are:

Dana Oakes, Trumpet

Dana attended the New England Conservatory where he was awarded a performance degree with distinction in 1982. His teachers included Robert Nagel, and Charles Schlueter.  Some of his first professional work was with Sarah Caldwell and the Opera Company of Boston, cutting his teeth on many of the operatic warhorses by Puccini, Verdi, and Bernstein. He currently holds positions in the Boston Ballet Orchestra, the Portland Maine Symphony, the Boston Philharmonic, and is principal trumpet of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra. Dana was solo trumpet with Gunther Schuller’s New England Ragtime Ensemble, as well as with Boston Musica Viva. Dana can be heard on numerous soundtracks for PBS and A&E as both background musician and soloist. He is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, MIT, and The Boston Conservatory.

Dana Russian, trumpet

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Colby College, Dana Russian has been performing in Boston since 1979.  He is the principal trumpet of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra and a member of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Classical Orchestra.  He frequently performs with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera Orchestra, and Boston Ballet Orchestra, as well as various regional orchestras and choral groups.  Dana is instructor of trumpet at Brandeis University, Wellesley College, Tufts University, New England Conservatory Extension Division, and has a teaching studio at home.  He is married to his college sweetheart, Christine, and has two children, Katie and Gregory, in Winchester.  A car enthusiast, he enjoys getting his hands dirty working on and racing his old BMW.

Fred Aldrich, French horn

A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, Fred Aldrich is a member of the Boston Classical Orchestra and serves as principal horn at the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. He has performed with the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, the Philharmonia Hungarica, Boston Ballet, Boston Lyric Opera and the Spoleto Festival. Mr. Aldrich serves on the music faculties at Smith College, Wellesley College and Brandeis University. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Boston Musicians' Association. Fred has studied horn with Richard Mackey, Julie Landsman, James Chambers, Mason Jones and Robert Pierce.

Robert Couture, trombone
 
A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, Robert is principal trombone at Boston Ballet, Boston Lyric Opera, Handel & Haydn Society, and Boston Landmarks Orchestra. He has recorded with the Boston Ballet, New England Ragtime Ensemble, Boston Pops, Boston Camerata, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Dinosaur Annex, and Handel & Haydn Society to name a few. One recording with H&H, Lamentations and Praises by John Tavener, won Grammies for best chamber composition and best chamber performance.  Robert is a member of the faculty at Wellesley College and has served as Interim President of the Boston Musicians’ Association. He is a writer, mediator, and carpenter, having published a little fiction and built his own home in Maine. Robert lives with his wife, Judy Saiki Couture, who plays harp frequently with the Boston Symphony, and his handsome son, Julian.

Donald Rankin, tuba

Donald Rankin has been an active performer in the Boston area for over 30 years. He is currently principal tubist with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, the Boston Lyric Opera, the Boston Philharmonic, the Portland Symphony and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Boston Landmarks Orchestra. He has also performed with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops on many occasions. Donald has recorded with the Boston Symphony, the Boston Ballet Orchestra, the Boston Philharmonic, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and others. He lives in Medfield MA with his wife Michelle and daughters Christina and Grace. When not playing the tuba, or spending time with his family, Don drives slow cars, drinks old scotch and smokes Cuban cigars.

Max Culpepper is Founder & Conductor of the Connecticut River Valley Orchestra and is the Music Director Emeritus of Dartmouth College

Max and his wife Ginger are acting as Honorary Chairs of our concert this year.

 

 


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