Brian Cook, executive director of Revels North, and his team are finding innovative ways to bring Christmas Revels to our community. A part of our Upper Valley community since 1975, the Christmas Revels celebration made the move to the Lebanon Opera House in 2019. Cook and his team concocted the idea of a heart-warming animated Revels film for the 2020 season but were determined to have an in-person performance for 2021 and have created a new conceptualization of Revels to make that happen. “We see this as another chance to reinvent what we do. We feel like, let’s have some fun with this.… Read More

Lebanon’s Recreation Director Paul Coats scans Colburn Park and says, “You don’t get settings like this everywhere.” At 400 x 235 feet, Colburn Park is not huge, but what might be no more than a giant roundabout, is in fact the physical hub and community anchor of Lebanon’s compact downtown. This was never more apparent than in the summer of 2021, when Covid weary citizens took to the park for escape, diversion, and connection. 

Coats first discovered New England while hiking the Appalachian Trail in 1998. When he returned home and saw a job opening for a recreation coordinator in Lebanon, he went for it.… Read More

When a small but committed group of ‘Founding Mothers’ started WISE 50 years ago as a women’s career and parenting resource center – email, floppy disks, and pocket calculators had just been invented. Also in 1971, women could not own credit cards or purchase property. And the concept of gender-based violence was not part of any community conversation: it would take decades for this to change. Yet the pioneering WISE founders began hearing and believing women’s stories of sexual and domestic violence at home and at work and took the courageous step to act on those stories. Fifty years later, the next generation of WISE staff, volunteers, and board members is still providing a haven for people who suffer from gender-based violence, offering support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.… Read More

If there is one philosophy that Lebanon resident John Fenley lives by, it is that which was imparted to him by his parents years ago. 

“My mother taught me that you have to have faith and fight and persevere through the hard moments in life,” says John. “She has shown me what it means never to give up. And my father taught me that you can achieve your dreams if you work hard.”

For John, these words have had significant meaning considering his diagnosis of a craniopharyngioma brain tumor at age three which required five surgeries to successfully remove. And although the resulting brain injury created obstacles, he strives to define himself by his abilities rather than his disabilities.… Read More

Regardless of your path in life, the one memory that will endure the rigors of time is that of how you met your soul mate. The author believes in the adage: “One day, you will come across someone who will love you as you have always wanted; like never before.”

Taking that into consideration, meet Dick and Sally Morrill. The couple resides at the Quail Hollow Senior Living Community in West Lebanon. Both are energetic and active octogenarians (85) who have gained a reputation among their peers as role models enduring the aging process. They are known for their wide smiles and sunny dispositions.… Read More

In early 2022, Lebanon may be able to provide greener energy to its residents while saving them money through an electric aggregation plan called Lebanon Community Power (LCP). The project, which has been spearheaded by Assistant Mayor Clifton Below, takes advantage of a state law that allows municipalities to become electricity suppliers, negotiating lower electricity rates, and clean, sustainable energy on behalf of their communities.

Keene became the first municipality in New Hampshire to adopt a Community Power Plan in May of this year; since then, Hanover and Harrisville have adopted their own plans, and Derry, Dover, Exeter, Nashua, and Portsmouth are in the process.… Read More

Following her retirement as principal of Mount Lebanon Elementary School, Eloise Ginty wanted to spend her time on meaningful projects that would have a positive impact on people’s lives. So, she began volunteering for non-profits that focused on migrant justice and planned parenthood, but she quickly learned that her leadership skills and experience were calling her to take a different path. “I had been a leader, and I felt that I needed a bigger project for transition into retirement,” said Eloise. “I wanted to keep it focused, with a clear vision.”

While on a pre-pandemic road trip, Eloise was reflecting on her next steps, and recalled her social activism days during junior high school cleaning garages to support children in other countries who needed funds to attend school.… Read More

Among the outdoor events that went virtual through Covid last year was the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s.  The event is held every fall in more than 600 communities across the country to raise money and awareness for the work of the Alzheimer’s Association. The walk went on nonetheless, and Lebanon locals came through with a strong show of participants, sponsors and spirit. They’ll be at it again this year on October 2, this time with the option to do what communities do best – to connect in person.  

The Power of Purple: Purple is the color of the Alzheimer’s Association, and “going purple” is a way to show support for the cause.… Read More

These have become tumultuous times for police departments all across the United States, but here in Lebanon, the spotlight shines brightly on one of the highest rated law enforcement agencies, not only in New Hampshire, but the entire country.

Working hard to establish excellence for the last five years has been Lebanon Police Chief Richard Mello who recently announced his retirement at age 48 to accept a position in the private sector. He will be followed by Deputy Chief Phil Roberts, a 20-year law enforcement veteran who has worked hand-in-hand with Chief Mello on the Lebanon agency for the past five years.… Read More

On a cold and snowy Earth Day, Thursday, April 22nd, Willing Hands and the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center public health team rang in their third annual Farmacy Garden season. Despite the frigid temperature, a group of six volunteers attended. Guided by staff, the volunteers laid down rows of wood chips to delineate the vegetable beds.

Willing Hands Garden Manager, Mikey Van Siclen, radiates deep empathy and respect for the land. He stresses that soil may provide endless nutrients for us if we care for it properly. This entails a regenerative, soil-focused approach to growing fruits and vegetables.

“By building and maintaining healthy soil, managing water wisely, and increasing biodiversity, we work to enhance the overall health and production of this plot,” said Van Siclen.… Read More