Sept 5, 2003
Contact: Suki Casanave
603.659.5588
suki@rcn.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept 5, 2003
Contact: Suki Casanave
603.659.5588
suki@rcn.com
PHOTO ATTACHED
(See caption below)
NEWMARKET'S LIVING TREASURES A HIGHLIGHT
AT NEWMARKET HERITAGE FESTIVAL: SEPTEMBER 19, 20, 21
Many locals, area organizations, and artisans
gear up to participate in festival
NEWMARKET, NH – What, exactly, is a fixer, a quiller, a smash piecer,
and a warp hanger? Find out during a Mill Workers Roundtable (Sunday, September
20, 1:45–3:00 pm) at the Newmarket Heritage Festival, September 19, 20,
21. For a complete schedule, visit www.heritage-festival.org.
The roundtable, which will be held on the festivalπs main stage, features
former mill workers with stories to tell about life among the pounding of the
looms in Newmarket's textile mills. Speakers include Marcel Blanchette, mill
repairman; Joanne Cardoza, weaver; Amelia Dutka, quiller; Robert Dziedzic, warp
hanger; Trudy Stickney, office worker; and Stanley Wojnowski, fixer. Ron Lemieux
will moderate.
The roundtable is part of a Newmarket's Living Treasures presentation, which
also includes a talk by popular local historian and outdoorsman, Richard Schanda.
Also known as Joe Dixx. Schanda has been writing a column in the Exeter News-Letter
for many years, sharing his unsurpassed knowledge of the outdoors. At the festival,
he will tell tales of his years in the woods and on the water (Sunday, 12:45
– 1:30 pm).
Other
locals prepare great food for festival
While former mill workers dust off their memories, other Newmarket locals are
also gearing up for the festival. The extended Jablonski family has been making
pierogies—300 of them. "It's a lot of work," says Jay Jablonski,
who has spent many hours kneading dough in the past few weeks, along with wife
Nancy and cousins Keith and Debi Jablonski. "It's been a great opportunity
for the kids to see how things are made," says Nancy. The Jablonskis will
host a Fine Polish Food Booth, complete with Polish music and descriptions of
the history of the food being served, which includes kielbasa, golabki, and
kapusta, along with those pierogies.
Debbie Reed, meanwhile, is organizing the popular Friday Night Soup and Chowder
Fest, which sold out last year. "We're preparing for 200 people this year,"
says Reed. "Tickets will be sold on site on a first-come, first-served
basis." Soups on the menu will all be made by Newmarket residents: Joyce
Russell (Corn chowder), Donna Witham (spicy Italian tortellini), Dana Glennon
(French pea soup), Mike Provost (seafood chowder and Polish kapusta), and several
others. Riverworks Restaurant will make Salmon chowder. For dessert, Jennie
Griswold, Debbie Reed and Adam Russell will be concocting a slew of homemade
cakes. Plus, there will be plenty of corn bread and lots of good conversation
and community.
Other food featured at the festival will be provided by local eateries, including
the Asia Café and Crackskullπs Bookstore. Wadleigh Falls Driving
Range will be back this year scooping up their popular ice cream, plus homemade
Italian baked ziti and meatballs. An Irish Sweets booth will feature shortbread
and other goodies.
Nary Kongmany and members of Newmarket's Laotian community, will be back with
their popular Laotian food booth. Plus, the Laotian Childrenπs Folk Dancers
will return to the festival stage (Saturday, 11:45–12:15).
Local
artisans will demonstrate skills
The festival's popular Artisan Tent will be a busy place again this year, featuring
a number of demonstrating artisans, including Newmarket residents Merrilyn San
Soucie and Alan Mitchell.
San Soucie, an expert quilter, oversees the making of a community quilt. Festival-goers
can stop by any time during the weekend to participate. Mitchell of Newmarketπs
Homestead Woodworking School will turn bowls and create tops for kids to take
home.
Other participating artisans include former Newmarket residents weaver Sarah
Haskell and potter Tim Christensen-Kirby; Jay Trayner, boat builder who will
be restoring a wooden canoe; bee keeper Dick Dionne; origami artist Michael
LaFosse; and waterfowl carver Fred Dionne.
Participating
businesses and organizations
Area businesses and organizations participating in this yearπs Heritage
Festival include Aryaloka Buddhist retreat center, the Newmarket Community Church,
the Children's Museum of Portsmouth, the Exeter Center for the Creative Arts,
the Gundalow Project, the Newmarket Gardeners, the Newmarket Fire Department,
the Newmarket Parent Teacher Association, the Newmarket Historical Society,
the Newmarket Fire Department, NH SPCA, Red Fish Blue Fish Dye Works, and the
Sandy Point Discovery Center.
Many conservation groups will host booths on the waterfront, including the Great
Bay Coastal Watch, Lamprey River Advisory Commission, Newmarket Open Space Commission,
NOAA, and Three Rivers Land Trust. The Newmarket Conservation Commission hosts
a booth, along with its popular scenic boat rides. For the full schedule, visit
www.heritage-festival.org.
Admission
For just $5, festival-goers gain admission to the entire weekend of performances,
demonstrations, childrenπs activities, vendors, historic tours, and more.
Children under 12 are free. Buttons are available at Crackskull's Bookstore,
Fleet Bank (Newmarket/Epping), Marelli's, Newmarket Public Library, the Town
Hall, Riverworks Restaurant, and Wadleigh Falls Driving Range. The festival
will be held rain or shine.
Location
The Heritage Festival takes place in the heart of downtown Newmarket (on Main
Street/Route 108 and in the open lot across the street from the Post Office).
Parking
Parking for festival-goers will be available in the municipal lot near the library
(off Route 108 on the north side of town) and in the parking lot behind Town
Hall (accessed via Beech Street Ext.). There will also be some in-town parking
available‹including handicap parking spaces: the Post Office (after 12
noon on Saturday), the Fleet Bank lot, and the Water Street Lot across from
Joyce's Kitchen (near the public boat launch). Thanks for your patience and
cooperation.
Sponsors
Sponsored by the non-profit Newmarket Main Street Corporation, the Heritage
Festival is supported by many people and organizations, including the New Hampshire
State Council on the Arts and the Greater Piscataqua Community Foundation; local
businesses and organizations; the Town of Newmarket; Fleet Bank; individual
donations and button sales; and community volunteers. We gratefully acknowledge
the collaborative effort behind this community event.
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CAPTION FOR ATTACHED PHOTO
Newmarket's Living Treasures
Featured speakers at the Heritage Festivalπs Millworkers Roundtable include
(shown here, left to right): Joanne Cardoza, weaver; Marcel Blanchette, mill
repairman; Robert Dziedzic, warp hanger; Stanley Wojnowski, fixer. Not shown:
Amelia Dutka, quiller and Trudy Stickney, office worker. The former mill workers
are part of the Newmarketπs Living Treasures presentation, which also includes
a talk by Richard Schanda, (aka Joe Dixx), outdoorsman and Exeter News-Letter
columnist. (Courtesy photo)