Go Green! Visit us at the dynamic http://Mason.VillageGrapevine.com

Volume 13, No. 11

Well Folks, This Is It

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HEN A BUNCH OF RESIDENTS

(including my mom, Shirley Morley) started the original Mason Grapevine in 1972, it was an instant hit. A few years went by and attrition took its toll. The Grapevine slumbered until the year 2000 when Pam Lassen, Deb Morrison and I decided that Mason needed a source of information since no other publication covered all the stuff that was going on in town. We wanted to reach Mason residents with stories and information pertinent to living in this wonderful rural town. We supported it, published it and produced it. Until now. We are broke. The costs of producing and mailing The Mason Grapevine have risen while our revenue has diminished. We have tried to make the Grapevine self-supporting, but the ad base (since it only reaches Mason residents) just isn’t doing it. C’est la publication. However, we still feel very strongly that Mason residents need to be kept informed. We also agree that rural character is worth celebrating and that Mason is a precious jewel in southern New Hampshire.

Get out and VOTE!

Celebrating Rural Character To that end, Pam Lassen and Kevin McCabe have developed an RSS feed interactive website — http://mason. villagegrapevine.com — that allows users to comment, learn and interact with other Mason residents as well as other rural characters from around the world. It is an excellent site and I strongly encourage y’all to sign in and be heard! Our plan is to continue printing and mailing until March 2011. After that we will reassess our situation. We may need to switch to an online-only presence and require a subscription for any mailed hardcopies. There a few things that could avert this. If folks could show their appreciation for the Grapevine via a check as well as the great words we hear from you wherever we go. Also, if those folks that send letters to the editors considered sending in a helpful donation, it could keep us afloat as a free-to-residents hardcopy monthly. The BIGGEST thing you can do to help us is to OPT-OUT of hardcopy if you have an internet connection. The PDF is available to you on our web site. Each household that downloads the PDF and prints it themselves saves us printing and mailing costs (approximately $200/

Calling All Mason Residents! If you have an idea about what you would like to see in The Mason Grapevine, we’d like to hear from you. We want this to be your community paper. The Mason Grapevine is published monthly and is free to Mason residents. Subscriptions are available for $15 per year. The contributed material does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Mason Grapevine. Submissions, contributions, ads or subscription requests are DUE BY THE 21ST OF THE MONTH.

November 2010

month). If we get another 100 to 200 households that opt-out of receiving the mailed hardcopy by March 2011 we may be able to continue this free service. We do not want any resident left out of getting information because they don’t have a computer, have a dial-up connection or don’t have the $15 to spend for the hardcopy. All the best to you and yours. Pat Letourneau

Contact Information The Mason Grapevine 780 Starch Mill Rd. Mason, NH 03048

Staff Pam Lassen Pat Letourneau Deb Morrison

[email protected] 603-878-4272 p 603-878-4385 f

http://Mason.VillageGrapevine.com 1

From the Town Clerk’s Office Town Clerk Information The General Election is Tuesday, November 2. The polling hours are 7 am to 7 pm at the Town Hall. The Town Clerk office will be open on Monday, November 1, from 3 to 5 pm to accept the absentee ballots or for folks to vote absentee. Any ballots received after election day will not be counted. DMV substations are now issuing antique motor vehicle and motorcycle plates. Per RSA 259:4, an “Antique or vehicle or motorcycle shall mean any motor vehicle over 25 years old which is maintained for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades and other functions of public interest.” Susan Wagoner, Town Clerk; www.mason-nh.net/townclerk

use power tools, without injury, then you know how much effort was put into this project by several people. I am sure that the bench was only taken as a prank and would ask that it please be given back so that it can be returned to the original location without formal police involvement. Otherwise, we can wait until the person that took it upsets someone, who will then call the police department resulting in an arrest and a front page photo of you seated on the bench in a shiny pair of handcuffs. I am sure the right thing will be done here and I say thank you in advance for your assistance. A quick note: Hunters will be in the woods until at least December 15 and the wearing of something blaze orange while in the area of the woods would be highly recommended. Barry Hutchins Mason Police Chief

From the Chief

Scouting for Food 2010

I WAS CONtacted by the Mason Conservation Committee in regards to a “missing” bench on conservation land. This bench was originally located in an area enclosed by Brookline, Campbell Mill and Withie Brook Roads. The bench was identical to benches which are also located behind the Mann House and the Florence Roberts Forest which have a metal card clearly attached to them for identification. These benches were built and placed by a young resident of Mason, Robert Guiry, as an Eagle Scout project for the Boy Scouts of America. If any of you have ever attempted to show your kids how to

MASON SCOUTS WILL BE HOLDtheir annual Scouting for Food Drive on the first two weekends of November. On November 6, the scouts will be going door-to-door, distributing handouts about Scouting for Food. (Sorry, no bags again this year, you’ll have to supply your own!) On November 13, beginning at 8:00 am, the Scouts will collect your donations. Please be sure to leave your bag where it is easy to see. It’s also time for Christmas wreaths! Order forms will also be distributed on the 6th. Thank you for your continued support of scouting in Mason. Mark Calderan

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COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO

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Letters to the Editor The Mason Grapevine does not necessarily agree nor endorse, but we are a free press for the residents of Mason first and foremost. To the Mason Library Thanks to the staff for procuring Turn & Jump by Howard Mansfield as well as Raising the Dead by Chauncey Crandall. Anyone interested in a history of the Monadnock region should try any one of Mansfield’s books. The interlibrary loan program has gotten us all of our requests. Hats off to Denise, Sue, Anita, Judy and my fellow tax payers. That little library is a gem! Kirk Farrell and Girls Mason Modeled This is the opening paragraph to a novel set in a town modeled and named after Mason. The sky looked like a patchwork quilt when I started up Church Downs Road. The sky seemed to be rushing past and it was full of every kind of pink cloud, smoke stack clouds, cotton clouds, clouds soft, deep gold and pink and clouds like waves. A cardinal soared across the blue sky above the leafless trees. It lighted in a redbud maple and the first note sounded like the church choir when ending a hymn, very fast and clear. The last note was long and drawn out. Suddenly the cardinal spread its wings and flew. I stood watching him swoop through the trees and away into the spring morning.

Holly Farrell (age 12) Community Lost I have thought long and hard about the way you, the Mason Board of Selectman,

Mason Coffee House / Open Mic November 20, 2010 7:30 pm

At the Mason Congregational Church in Fellowship Hall Featuring the Hurricane Hill Band! All are welcome the 3rd Saturday of every month (except for December)

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The Mason Grapevine

has dealt with our fire debris. Offensive is a word that comes to mind. It seems as if others in town are feeling that they are being treated the same way. Matt Strelow’s letter seems to echo my sentiments and I know of at least two others who feel mistreated. Your first approach to me is with a Silas [town attorney] letter. You know my e-mail address and my phone number. You evidently have been to my land to inspect. What is the matter with you? Do you have so little respect for me that you don’t even have the common decency to talk to me? Shawn and I had no idea about the zoning ordinance that requires clean up within a year of a fire. Before your first offensive letter arrived we were already having the scrap removed. But how would you know as you didn’t bother to ask? After you threatened and I wouldn’t come crawling with my tail between my legs you decided to send a condemnation order. Unfortunately, in the middle of the cleanup the excavator broke down and was difficult to fix. We did get it fixed and the rest of the scrap was removed before the September 30 deadline after which you threatened a fine of $275 a day. Did you sneak onto our land again? Have you inspected it? Are we safe from the Board of Selectman creepy spies who even go around measuring signs to see if they are off by mere inches? What a ridiculous way to handle this situation, wasting taxpayer money with all of these legal costs. What a complete lack of humanity and decency. I am wondering if you have lost your way and forgotten what the word community means. We suffered a terrible loss and our luck has not improved a whole lot! I think of community as people who care about their neighbors, help each other out, watch for each other’s back. I thought that Mason was about community, and certainly many of our friends in town act that way. How sad to be so small-minded and mean-spirited that you think this is the appropriate way to do your job.Really, what has happened to you? What is the matter with you? Sherri Malouf More Tower Talk Wow! After writing my letter to the Grapevine, “What a waste of town money,” I had an overwhelming amount of response. Thank you to everybody for all your e-mails, letters, phone calls and even approaching me in person. I had no idea what’s going on in innocent little Mason, NH. All your stories were a real eye opener to me. The one that shocked me the most was an anonymous letter. Written with typewriter and mailed from out of town. Why are people scared to speak their mind in a free country? I would also like to thank people that gave me the inside of what was said in the following selectman meeting. Unfortunately I had to be out of town and could not be there. I really appreciate you sitting there to get the minutes. I don’t know why selectman Guiry keeps fabricating stories about me and my hobby. It was said, that by putting a commercial antenna on my amateur radio tower my amateur radio license would be null and void. He even said that it was checked with the FCC. That statement is wrong November 2010

and simply laughable! I have a letter from the legal department from the American Radio Relay League stating so. Why I keep being under fire after trying to do something good for the town is a mystery to me. Oh well, I guess some people have too much time on their hands and I won’t bore you with other ridiculous details. What is far more interesting is the fact that I can’t get any information about Daryl Wagoner’s tower on Briggs Road. He went before the board years ago and asked to be exempt from turning his amateur radio tower into a commercial tower. From what I can see in the paperwork that we found, he didn’t get the exemption. After that, I can’t find anyone that has any information about it. I called the building department and they don’t know anything about it either. In the telecommunication ordinance that Mason adopted, it says that the commercial tower needs to be inspected by an engineer every 1, 2 or 3 years. I can tell you from being in the tower business for many years that Daryl’s tower would certainly NOT pass my safety inspection and I can see that from the street. Mr. Guiry had to point out in the meeting that I’m not an independent engineer. This time he’s correct so I took some pictures from the road and sent them to the manufacturer of Daryl’s tower. The letter (above) from the chief engineer confirmed my suspicion about it being unsafe. So, I’m asking why does the paper trail stop and who was the engineer that signed his inspection? If anyone has any information, please let me know. I would like to see some details and I will be the first one to apologize if I am off base. While we are talking about engineering, Mr. Guiry, I’d like to point out one more useful piece of information. When Mason adopted the tel-com ordinance, who was the engineer that looked it over before adopting it? I keep hearing that my 320 foot tower cont. on p. 4 3

Letters to the Editor, cont. from page 3 can’t be used for commercial or wifi because of the 125% fall zone. I’d like for everyone that is interested in simple physics to read the letter (right) from the engineering department of one of the largest tower manufacturers in the USA. I guess you are not an engineer either. Again, I can’t thank everybody enough for their help and support. It is great to see people speaking up that I never even knew before all this started. Remember, we do have the freedom of speech! If anyone would like to see originals of pictures, letters or documents, please let me know. Regards to all and stay warm, Matt Strelow

Wildlife Refuge Dedication

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N SATURDAY NOVEMBER 13 AT 11 AM, THE MASON CONSER-

vation Commission will be holding a dedication for the Esau “Ace” Stanley, Jr. Wildlife Refuge on Campbell Mill Road near Brookline Road. This land was donated to the town by Mr. Esau Stanley of Derry, NH, in memory of his son, Esau “Ace” Stanley, Jr. Mr. Stanley told the Commission that his son had wanted the land to be a wildlife refuge — he loved animals. After Ace Stanley, Jr. died, Mr. Stanley carried out his wish and gave the land for a refuge. This gift is much appreciated. Although it’s not a large parcel, this land is very valuable for wildlife since it includes part of the marsh where Gould Mill Brook meanders through. In the mapping being done by the Commission for Mason’s Natural Resources Inventory, this marsh ranks high for wildlife habitat. In the pine grove at the Ace Stanley, Jr. Wildlife Refuge, there’s a fine granite bench for visitors to sit and observe wildlife. Everyone is welcome to come to the dedication on November 13 at 11 am to see this land that wildlife can enjoy forever, thanks to the generosity of the Stanley family. When you turn onto Campbell Mill Road from Brookline Road, look for the new white and green sign saying Esau Ace Stanley, Jr. Wildlife Refuge!

Animal Tracking Program Animal Tracking Program with naturalist Jon Sargent from Wilton on Saturday, December 11, from 8:00 am to 11:00 am at Pratt Pond off Pratt Pond Road in Mason. The hike is subject to snow on the ground to make tracking easier for beginners. Participants must wear appropriate cold weather clothing and boots in order to participate. More details to follow in next month’s Grapevine. Liz Fletcher

Worth Repeating This note from long-time resident Ginie Rafter resurfaced on my desk a little while ago. Although I’m not sure how long it sat there or if we, indeed, have previously printed it, these words still ring true and as such are worth repeating. –Pat Letourneau 4

Edward Everett, orator, statesman and scholar, born in Dorchester, Mass., April 11, 1794: “Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army. If we retrench the wages of the schoolmaster, we must raise those of the recruiting sargeant. “It is our public schools that give the keys of knowledge to the mass of the people. They are as important as the common air, the common sunshine, the common rain.” The Mason Grapevine

S chool News Mason Elementary School Hosts Community Breakfast

The bin is located in the parking lot of the school. The school will receive money for the paper that is recycled. The money will be used to fund field trips or for other school programs. Thank you for supporting our efforts to be a greener school!

For Seniors (50+) on November 12, 9:15 am Please RSVP to 878-2862 ext. 11 by November 8

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ASON ELEMENTARY WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO JOIN US at our beautiful new school for an exciting new monthly event. Ms. McDonough and Mrs. C’s first grade classroom, along with Chef Deb, are hosting a monthly breakfast for Mason’s senior citizens. We are hoping to get you interested in being a part of our school community. We just had our first one (below) and it went really well. The children were so excited to meet and begin to form relationships with this part of Mason’s population. We are

Save the Date!

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MASON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WINTER CONCERT WILL be held Thursday, December 16, at 6:30 pm in the multimedia room. Come join us in our celebration of the season and the celebration of the 200th birthday of our school bell! HE

Information Needed

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ES IS SEEKING INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY OF THEIR

bell. We know that it was cast by Gorge A. Holbrook of East Medway, Mass. in 1810. If anyone has any more information, please call Betty Mulrey at 878-2962. Thank you!

planning to offer the upcoming breakfasts for $3 per person. The Community Breakfasts will be held one Friday a month. Future dates will be posted in the Grapevine. Here at Mason Elementary we value our town’s seniors. We are hoping that you’ll enjoy coming to our school so much that you’ll want to get involved on a regular basis. We would love to encourage your attendance at our Winter and Spring Concerts, as well as Grandparent Day activities and perhaps volunteering to help students when your time permits. There are many options for your involvement and we hope to see you at our next Community Breakfast!

Annual Wreath Making and Festivities The

Greening of Mason December 4 9 am – noon

Cash for Trash

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ABITIBI PAPER RETRIEVER RECYCLING BIN HAS ARRIVED! Mason Elementary School’s fourth grade students are going to be collecting paper all year as part of the school’s recycling program. You can help the school earn cash for trash by putting your unwanted magazines, catalogs, newspapers, office paper and mail into our Paper Retriever bin. HE

November 2010

All supplies to make a wreath available for a $5 donation. Enjoy a FREE massage, coffee, goodies and shopping – including jewelry and Pampered Chef. See you at the Mason Fellowship Hall! Vendors interested in the fun? Call Crystal at 459-3502.

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For Sale: House lot on Withee Brook Rd.; 3.3 acres; perc tested. Call days at 603-765-1799. Nanny / House Help Wanted: The candidate should be 18 or older. Must have basic computer skills. Will work Monday – Friday; 5 hours per day. For more information, e-mail [email protected].

Hurricane Hill Stables is now on Facebook! … Hurricane Hill Stables is

Donations This Month Gratefully Received From Roseanne Dube • Matthias & Christine Strelow Thank you very much!

Over the river and through the woods we

K.S. L.L.C. General Contracting

go to the

Commercial / Residential Snow Removal and Sanding

Alpine Angels

Open House

November 6 – 7 • 10 – 4 pm

Handmade goat’s milk soap, gifts, cheese to sample, Alpine goats to visit. Free soap samples, refreshments and door prizes.

Save the Date: We do it all again December 4–5. Go green by using natural goat’s milk soap! 293 Pullman Rd., Mason, NH • (603) 878-1241

[email protected] Regular shop hours are Friday – Monday / 10 – 2 pm

Roofing • Decks • Additions & General Repairs

(603) 801-9305 Mason, NH

November 2010 Sunday

Monday

Mason School Board Mtg. – MES 7:30 pm (the date of the 2nd meeting this month was unavailable at press time)

Wolf Rockers – TH 5 – 9 pm

Tuesday

ELECTION DAY TOWN HALL

Wednesday

Story Times – LB 10:30 am

Fire Dept. Training – FS 7 pm

Story Times – LB 10:30 am

Town Offices Closed

Selectmen’s Mtg. – MH 7:30 pm

Fire Dept. Training – FS 8 am Wolf Rockers – TH 5 – 9 pm

Veterans Day

Board of Adjustment Mtg. – MH 7:30 pm

Friday

Saturday

Scouting for Food Drive starts

7 am – 7 pm

Daylight Savings Ends

Wolf Rockers – TH 5 – 9 pm

Thursday

Noon Book Club – LB noon – 1 pm

Story Times – LB 10:30 am

Historical Soc. Mtg. – MH 7:30 pm

Conservation Commission Mtg. – MH 8 pm

Noon Book Club – LB noon – 1 pm

Selectmen’s Office Closed

Selectmen’s Mtg. – MH 7:30 pm

Senior Breakfast – MES 9:15 am

Conservation Program Wildlife Refuge Dedication Campbell Mill Rd. near Brookline Rd. 11 am Scouting for Food Collection Day

Coffee House & Open Mic Night – CH 7:30 pm

Town Offices Closed Happy Thanksgiving!

Mason Historical Society News

Wolf Rockers – TH 5 – 9 pm

The Mason Historical Society met on October 5 for their Annual Business Meeting. Linda O’Grady stepped down as president, leaving the position open. Charlie Moser stepped up and is our new president. Other positions have stayed the same: Gwen Whitbeck as Treasurer, Sue Wolpert as secretary, Cathy Schwenk as curator. We've had a wonderful year, and have gained some new membership. If you are interested, we plan to meet November 16 at the Mann House, 7:30 pm, for our next meeting. Hope to see you there. Linda O’Grady

E HAD A SUCCESSFUL BOOK & BAKE SALE ON OCTOBER 16. Thanks to everyone who donated books and baked all kinds of goodies! A special thanks to the trustees and volunteers who gave generously of their time on Saturday. Our preschool Storytimes are continuing every Wednesday morning at 10:30 am through November 17. Follow the path of stars to the children’s room for stories, songs and a simple craft, and learn about the children’s author of the week. The Noon Book Club is reading Five Skies by Ron Carlson this month. Pick up a copy at the library and join us on Tuesday, November 16, at noon. Bring your lunch; we provide the tea, coffee, conversation and usually a dessert, too. School is open, and most classes visit the library once a week. If your child brings library items home, please help them to return books and movies to school so that they can come back to us in time. Which day is library day? Grade 3 visits the library on Tuesdays, and grades 1, 2, 4 and 5 come on Thursdays. The library will be open on Thursday, Nov. 11, and closed Thursday, Nov. 25 for Thanksgiving. Open hours for Thanksgiving week are Tuesday, Nov. 23, 9–4, 6–8; Wednesday, Nov. 24, 9–4, Saturday, Nov. 27, 1–4. Winter is right around the corner, and we are planning for our annual Children’s Holiday Celebration for the Greening of Mason. It will be held on Saturday, December 4, 10:30 am to noon, so please save the date. Denise Ginzler

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ASON’S

CONTRY HILL FARM (CHF) HOSTED A SPECTACUlarly successful Fun English Horse Show on September 19. Many equestrians attended the show which had something for everyone. Area barns trailered in to participate in the event, including Nubanusit Neighborhood Farm in Peterborough and Pony Farm of Temple. The show had a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere that introduced some riders to the world of horse showing for the very first time. CHF welcomed Masonite Becky Partridge as show judge. Jeff Santer of Hollis judged the exciting trail category of the show. Hillsborough County’s NH Cluckers, a 4H poultry club, provided refreshments to the showgoers. If you would like more information on upcoming horse shows, lessons and boarding, please check out www.contryhillfarm.com on the web. If you cherish the America in which you were raised, If you honor the generation that preceded you, If you believe freedom is not free, but something we must all defend, And if you are trying to find people locally that share your concerns about where our country is going… Then consider joining the New Hampshire 9/12 Liberty Action Team. Come join in and help us in what we believe to be the most important election of our time. We are a small group of Defenders of Liberty and we meet on Saturday mornings at the A&E Coffee Shop in Amherst at 7:30 am. “Let it not be said we did nothing…!” John Diefenbach • 878-0060 http://www.nh912lat.com/

780 Starch Mill Rd. Mason, NH 03048

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Contry Hill Hosts Fun Day

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Mason Library News

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