JANUARY
This year’s winter has felt more like April lately … thermometer reads 60’ in the sunshine at time of writing on Sunday … but would not be surprised if we are all shoveling out (again!) when this arrives in Wednesday’s inbox.  Hibernating or not, the animals must be as confused as we are about this weather. To learn more about their habits: https://northernwoodlands.org      
January snowfall on Old Georges’ Mills road ... since disappeared.
SUNAPEE COFFEEHOUSE
THIS WEEK: GEOFF BARTLEY
Geoff Bartley is a folk-blues guitar player singer-songwriter and recording artist. His last two CDs, 2009's "Put the Big Stone Down" and 2011's "Mercy for the Dispossessed", went to No. 1 on folk radio. In the 1980s, Geoff won four guitars at the National Fingerpicking Champion-ships. Some of his songs and co-writes have been recorded by other artists in New England, Canada, Ireland, and Nashville, and some are included in the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings of the Fast Folk Musical Magazine collection in Washington, D.C.

Since 1994 Geoff has played guitar and sung harmony for folk treasure Tom Paxton. In 2007, Geoff's song A Letter from Prison about Nelson Mandela was recorded by the progressive bluegrass band, The Infamous Stringdusters, on their CD "Fork in the Road" on Sugar Hill. Subsequently, that recording was used in the independent 2008 Lionsgate film "The Lucky Ones".

Songs and instrumentals he has written have been used on the History Channel, Animal Planet, the Learning Channel, the Discovery Channel, the National Geographic Channel, NOVA and Nature on PBS and other cable networks, in private and commercial films and documentaries, and in private and commercial advertising in the US and other countries.

The folk press has called him a world-class guitarist, a brilliant songwriter and the prophet and spiritual godfather of the Boston folk scene
NEXT WEEK: DAVE CLARK & ROB OXFORD  
Singing two part harmonies with their own style and energy, from songs you will remember fondly, "Oxford & Clark" make an entertaining duo.  Downstairs at the Sunapee Methodist Church, 9 Lower Main Street in Sunapee.  www.sunapeecoffeehouse.org.
CFA HISTORICAL SERIES
AT WHIPPLE HALL
Michael Brown stars in this magnificent Historical Theater Production 

Looking Over the President’s Shoulder a one-man life history about Alonzo Fields will be performed as a part of the Center for the Arts – Lake Sunapee Region performing arts programs. Michael T. Brown II, who has performed this role since he was in high school, will share the story of this amazing man, Alonzo Fields. 

When Mr. Fields accepted the job as a butler at the White House in 1931, his plan was to work there for the winter. That winter lasted 21 years. Based on the real-life story of the grandson of a freed slave who grew up in an all-black town in southern Indiana, Fields was forced by the Depression to give up his dreams of becoming an opera singer and accept the job at the White House where he quickly was appointed Chief Butler.  Looking Over the President's Shoulder  is told from the unique perspective of the Chief Butler who served four U.S. presidents and their families: Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Famous guests through the years included Winston Churchhill, Marian Anderson, Edward G. Robinson, Errol Flynn and the king and queen of England. As Fields says in the play: "It was like being in the front row and watching the passing parade of history...." 

Set on the eve of his last day on the job, Fields reflects on his 21 years of service to his country with humor and pride. He was a man with a story to tell and this tour-de-force for one actor gives Fields the chance to tell it. Culled from Fields' private papers, diaries and interviews,  Looking Over the President's Shoulder  has played at major theaters across the country including the Indiana Repertory Theatre (where it premiered) and the famous Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Brown hails from Kansas City, but has been living in NH for 11 years. He received his BA from Franklin Pierce University in 2012. Brown is now in his sixth year working at Colby-Sawyer College. When not working, Brown can be found planning his next fundraiser show or actively working with local community theater companies such as the Sunapee Kearsarge Intercommunity Theater (SKIT) or the Community Players of Concord. 

The performance will be on Sunday, January 19 at 2 pm at Whipple Town Hall, 25 Seamans Rd, New London, NH. Tickets can be purchased on line at  www.centerfortheartsnh.org , at Tatewell Galleries and Morgan Hill Bookstore in New London, or at the door. 
SCHOOL FORUM MEETINGS
Of Vital interest to all Sunapee voters:

Monday, January 20th & 27th from 5 ~ 6 pm. Sunapee School Board members of the Capital Improvement Committee (CIP) will be hosting a Q & A session regarding the current Sunapee School District projects at the Abbott Library.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
LOCAL LIBRARIES
All of the libraries around the Lake Sunapee area have a plethora of programs of interest to delight & inform all ages. You will find Yoga, music & craft classes, book discussion groups and shelves stacked with new publications. Reading a book by the fireside is perfect winter’s night.

Check out these resources:
Abbott Library in Sunapee:  www.abbottlibrary.org  
Tracy Memorial Library in New London: www.tracylibrary.org
Richards Free Library:  https://newport.lib.nh.us
COFFEE WITH THE CHIEF
WEDNESDAY
JANUARY 29th
The first Coffee with the Chief of the new year will be on
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
at the Safety Services Building. 

Join us for coffee and conversation!

David P. Cahill, Chief
Sunapee Police Department
603-763-5555

HARBOR HAPPENINGS
OPENING A NEW DOOR
After several years of analysis and planning, LSPA has undertaken a major construction project to complete the conversion of its historic headquarters into a fully functional center for lake exploration, education and research. The project will finish out the unusable second floor of the former barn and add a new accessible entrance from the driveway, welcoming visitors to programs and exhibits. We are truly Opening a New Door.  The coming renovations will eliminate the constraints of the current layout, adding a second large flexible program space, a resource/exhibit space, and a small conference room. In addition, the rearrangement of the interior will allow a more logical flow throughout the building.

The project will be completed by summer 2020. During construction, LSPA will continue its usual winter operations, with staff working in the part of the building that will be least affected by the project. Programs and meetings will be held in various borrowed off-site locations.
COMING UP IN FEBRUARY
Town & School Deliberative Sessions
and the First in the Nation NH Primary!

Wednesday’s email “ SUNAPEE HAPPENINGS
highlights a selection of events in our community each week.  

For complete details on everything happening around the
Lake Sunapee area, check out the
Project Sunapee Community Calendar at:

 You too, may submit all nonprofit and civic events
to that same calendar for posting.