7:30 Carnival Ball

9:00 Coronation

11:00 Carnival Ends

WELLS RIVER – Located at 74 Main Street in Wells River is an attractive 136-year-old historic building with French Second Empire architecture that once served as the Wells River Graded School. In recent years, the 5500-sq.-ft. building has been used as a radio station, probate court, law offices, a retail store and residential apartments but is now home to several small, woman-owned wellness-oriented businesses, including: Rising Spirit Yoga, The Shoppe at Rising Spirit Yoga, Reiki Retreat, Healing Visions, and Rodeo and Company Portrait Studio. The Dragonfly’s Den will join the Old Village School on March 1st.

Since purchasing the building in October of 2008, Joy (Whalen) Fichiera and her husband, Paul, have been making interior upgrades to help “revitalize the original character of the interior space.” According to Joy, the Old Village School has been well-maintained over the years, but it is currently in need of some repairs to ensure handicapped accessibility and to improve its energy efficiency. “So far, we’ve funded all the renovations ourselves,” Joy explains, “but these are big items we wouldn’t be able to fund on our own.”

A few months ago, Paul heard about the Pepsi® Refresh Everything project, an innovative alternative to advertising during the Super Bowl. Pepsi® will put the money they would have spent on advertising back into the communities by offering grant funding for community projects throughout the country.

The first 1,000 applicants to enter the contest each month can win $5000, $25,000, $50,000 or $250,000 to help stimulate the economy. As many as 32 recipients in each category can win, for a total of $1,300,000 per month.

Based on her communications with the company, Joy states that the Old Village School is one of 188 candidates in the $25,000 category for the month of February. Ten winners in the $5,000, $25,000 and $50,000 categories, and two winners in the $250,000 category will be recognized in mid-March.

With the exception of the winning entry, applicants that place in the top ten will be re-entered in subsequent contests each month with continued opportunities to win; however, votes will not be carried over to the next round, and it takes votes to win. The Old Village School is currently ranked 33rd in their category but has been ranked as low as 51st and as high as 28th.

Interested parties can log onto www.refresheverything.com/oldvillageschool and sign in with an email address and password. Anyone 13 years of age and older can vote for no more than ten projects once per day per email address until February 28th. Pepsi® spam will not be distributed unless voters opt in to Pepsi® emails.

“We’re proud to be able to bring business alive in this building and make it a vibrant place,” Joy says, “and we’re proud to be a small town in 30th place [in this nationwide contest.] We appreciate all the support that has been given to us.”

To learn more about Rising Spirit Yoga and other businesses at the Old Village School, please contact Joy directly at (802) 588-2177 or risingspirityoga@hotmail.com. Additional information is also available at www.risingspirityoga.com or www.oldvillageschool.com.

Joy Fichiera, owner of Rising Spirit Yoga

It’s senior year, second semester, which means acceptance letters will inevitably be rolling in.  But does it seem like it’s taking way more time then it should?  Perhaps some of your friends are getting theirs faster, maybe you sent your applications in a little later than planned. Maybe, you planned and planned to get it in by a certain date, so that this wouldn’t happen?  Guess what?  You’re suffering from overanxious-senior-disorder.  There’s no doubt that you will feel this way even with the letters.  It’s a stressful situation that you can’t relate to until you’ve actually been that person at the mailbox.  Well let me give you a clue: Relax!  If you’ve done everything you can in this dilemma; met the deadlines, wrote amazing essays, and done all your research, there’s little to do besides wait.
I know, it feels like the college is trying to mess with your head, see if you can handle the Waiting Game, but they’re really not.  I asked Mrs. Kimball what students should do when feeling the pressure. “Develop the philosophy ‘it is what it is’. Nothing more you can do….”  She goes on to further explain.”I believe that where you are intended to go is where you will go.  You need to realize if you’ve done everything you can do, there’s nothing you can do.  You will go where you’re suppose to.” Most colleges get applications to review from all over the world. That’s a lot to review, and look over.  It’s not a simple thing either, it’s not like your applying for clown school, this is college I’m talking about.  Get serious, think about how the admissions office is feeling, I’m positive they feel a little overwhelmed at times as well.  According to an article from The New York Times, “At this time of year in particular, they are as interested in selling their school to potential applicants (and their parents) as those applicants are in selling themselves.” (Steinberg, Is There a Danger in Pestering an Admissions Officer?)  They’re doing their best to not only meet your concerns and questions, but the questions of thousands of others.
So not only for yourself, but for the potential college you want to go to itself, just wait and be patient.

I received my first letter last week.  Just one.  How did it feel?  Amazing.  A college wants me on their campus…

India is in South Asia, bordering China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. They became a free nation in 1947. India is primarily dessert and the bodies of water which are in India are the Arabian Sea and the Indian Sea, as well as the Bay of Bengal. The capital city of India is New Dehli with a population of about 300,000. A current issue plaguing India is the fact that food is facing hyperinflation because the population is starving and the government is eating very healthily.  Strangle laws in India include no nude bathing. The national languages include Hindi, Bengali, and Telegu. The national currency is the Ruppee and 1 ruppee  is equal to 46 cents.

February 04, 2010

WOODSVILLE-A new report issued by the chair of the committee studying the uses of the recently acquired Woodsville National Guard Armory said her committee sees a “huge potential” for the building on Route 135 that was taken over by the town late last year.

The armory, built in the late 1950’s was used as a military site for various National Guard outfits until it was abandoned more than two years ago. The National Guard put the place up for adoption or sale and the town jumped at the opportunity to purchase the buildings and four acres of land.

Select Board Member Lynn Wheeler, chair of the Woodsville Armory Advisory Committee said in a report issued lat week that her group had held six meetings and investigated many uses for the building for the future. She said the committee determined that a mixed use would be best way to proceed with the building.

She said after a review of the building’s space layout, it could be leased for commercial use. Rentals could be made to public entities, private businesses, government or non-government groups. The report noted that those commercial rentals could cover costs of regular maintenance and building upkeep.

The report noted that the town could use space in the building, as well. The Haverhill Heritage Commission has requested a portion of the building to be used as a museum and for storage of valuable artifacts. The town also has a need for old record storage. There is as vault in the armory that could be used for housing valuable records.

The town’s recreation committee could also use space in the armory and the report noted that most of the public input was taken on how the recreation committee might use space within the building.

Recreation Director Glenn Hatch presented a number of ways he could use space, including many that could generate income. He said the Haverhill HARP program could also use space during their sessions in the summer.

The committee also looked at renting the armory for private parties, dances and wedding receptions. Updating the kitchen could also bring in more revenues from the many public rentals. The kitchen might also be outfitted as a commercial kitchen and rented out for home based food processors.

The committee continues to look at the best way to manage the armory and suggested a future board or committee established to oversee the building and its uses.

The building needs upgrading and repair, the report noted and presently Town Manager Glenn English is requesting firms look at the building to undertake an energy audit, for example.

The committee, Wheeler noted, sees ways to make the Woodsville Armory cost neutral to the town and that there are members on the committee that would like to continue through the next phase of overseeing the building and be a part of the newly formed management committee.

Wheeler served on the committee with Peter Conrad, Larry Corey, Joel Godston, Alex Graham, Howard Hatch, Samantha Huntington, Mike King, Jim Petersen, Ana Petersen, Regis Roy, Cole Rushford, Ron Upton and Gary Scruton. Also participating in the project, she said were Town Manager Glenn English and Select Board Chair Rick Ladd.