What is your favorite quote?
We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.

If you could be invisible for a day, where would you be?
The Governor’s Office to see what goes on when there are no reporters or tv cameras

What Disney character would you be and why?
The Beast. He gets respect.

What song most describes your life right now?
Foghat’s Third Time Lucky

What do you love most about living in New Hampshire?
The outdoors, the seasons changing, the lakes and rivers, the hills and mountains

If you had to give away 50% of your assets today, how/where would you distribute them?
Homeless Veterans

What famous person would you take on a world tour?
Colin Powell

What advice would you give the next generation?
Don’t squander your time on this earth. Learn from our mistakes and don’t forget the sunscreen!

In general, do you follow, break, or create the rules?
I’ve been known to do all three.

Where would you prefer to spend most of your time?
Fishing, hunting, canoeing, tinkering in the garage

To which local business are you loyal to and why?
NAPA. They are parts people with many years of experience and training. They know what you are talking about without turning to the computer.

Which superpowers would you choose and what good would you do with them?
Time travel, so I could prevent the attack on Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 Attacks.

If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Alaska!

In which stage of life would you prefer to spend the most time and why?
Right now, because I know what I didn’t know and that is a very good thing.

What are you most excited about in your life right now?
My health

Who is your local hero?
Paula Maville, assistant city manager

What Disney character would you be and why?

Anna from Frozen; she’s very optimistic and hopeful.

If you could erase one day in history which would it be?

The day Hitler came to power

What song most describes your life right now?

The Story by Brandi Carlile

What do you love most about living in New Hampshire?

It is small enough so I can know my neighbors, and large enough to meet new people all the time.

If you had to give away 50% of your assets today, how/where would you distribute them?

I’d would donate them to the Humane Society, Vital Communities, Lebanon Opera House, Hanover Street School, and Storr’s Hill.

What famous person would you take on a world tour?

Meryl Streep

What advice would you give the next generation?

You’ll be many things in life, but always be kind.

In general, do you follow, break or create the rules?

All of the above

Describe Lebanon in one word or phrase.

Neighborly

To which local business are you loyal to and why?

Coop Food Store. I like the coffee and I know the people.

Which super powers would you choose and what good would you do with them?

I would choose the power of compassion, and I would use it to show people their best selves.

If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?

On a world tour!

In which stage of life would you prefer to spend the most time and why?

Now, because I know who I am and who I’m not.

What are you most excited about in your life right now?

Being in school to be an OTA and raising my son

What do you wish there was more of in the world?

Compassion

What movie or show can you watch again and again?

Sense and Sensibility

Who is your local hero?

Dan Fraser and Dorothy Byrne

Name one thing you want to add to Lebanon.

Affordable housing

What’s the last book you read?

Discover the Gift by Shajen Joy Aziz. Loved it!

How did I ever get so lucky? is a question that sums up Kaelea Monahan’s attitude about her work. She is a Community Health Worker with Dartmouth’s YourTime program, a new project that connects individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 with community resources. “With my counterpart in Sullivan County, Danielle Tenney, I help people gain access to basic needs like safe housing, transportation, and employment.”

She can’t really explain how she got here. Four years ago, she joined the team at Dartmouth-Hitchcock as part of the Food and Nutrition Services Department. She loved her work and found that it provided her with valuable, transferrable skills. “Time management, team work, and multitasking are valuable skills to have,” she says, “I am grateful that the Community Improvement Health team saw these skills in me and invited me to join them.”

Kaelea has found that the key to her success with YourTime is her ability to connect with the participants on a personal level. “85% of my job is relationship building,” she says. “It also helps that I took a ‘non-traditional’ path in life to get where I am – many of our program participants can really identify with that. I can really understand where they are coming from, too.”

Relationship building doesn’t stop at the office for Kaelea. When she’s not at work, she’s working full time as a wife and mother to her two-year-old daughter. “Who has time for hobbies when you’re a mom?!” Kaelea jokes.

As a Piermont native, she is proud to be actively participating in the community both at work and at home. When asked what inspires her every day, Kaelea said that “knowing that I have the ability to help others open up – even if we’re not ‘friends’ – means a lot. Sometimes just listening can change a person’s life. My clients know I’m there for them every day.”

What brought you to Lebanon?
Husband’s job

What’s your favorite hang-out in Lebanon?
Lebanon High School Football Field

What’s your favorite food on the Thanksgiving table?
Butternut squash

Favorite way to spend a snowy day in Lebanon?
Sledding

What are you most looking forward to this winter?
After over ten years of working tax seasons, new job with no tax season.

What fictional place would you like to visit?
Narnia

What would be your first question after waking up from a 100-year sleep?
Have we found a cure for cancer yet?

What is the best way to start the day?
Good cup of coffee and reading my Bible

What charity do you donate your time or other resources to regularly?
Boy Scout Troop 279 and Christ Redeemer Church

What was cool when you were younger, but not now?
Playgrounds with metal slides and
merry-go-rounds.

What is your favorite movie from childhood?
Any Shirley Temple movie

What is your motto in life?
It’s not about being the best, it’s about being better than you were yesterday.

If you could have one super human power, what would it be?
To fly

What brought you to Lebanon?
My frame shop, The Gilded Edge

What’s your favorite hang-out in Lebanon?
Lebanon Diner

What’s your favorite food on the Thanksgiving table?
Green bean casserole

Favorite way to spend a snowy day in Lebanon?
On my couch with my cat and a good movie or
book

What skill would you like to master?
Gold leafing. Also Eglomisé which is reverse
painting and gilding on glass.

What would be your first question after waking up
from a 100-year sleep?
Is the coffee on?

What is your ideal way to spend a weekend in
Lebanon?
Fishing in one of the rivers, ponds or lakes.

What is the best way to start the day?
With a cup of coffee

What is your favorite movie from childhood?
White Christmas

If I gave you $1,000, what would you spend it on?
Art supplies

If you could have one superhuman power,
what would it be?
Super Speed

What’s your biggest fear/phobia?
Failure

What’s your most energizing dream/vision of
your future?
Bringing my frame shop, The Gilded Edge, to the
next level.

What brought you to Lebanon?

Living in Toronto, even though I love city life, I found myself missing the great outdoors. My folks live within a few hours’ drive. The assistant director job opened up at LOH, and Lebanon looked like a small town, so I applied for the job, and have been here almost two years. I love it here, people are great.

What’s your favorite hang-out in Lebanon?

You are likely to find me, in no particular order, at the pub, on the rail trail, or anywhere within walking distance of the Green. And at the office of course. Come by the opera house to say hi!

What’s your favorite food on the Thanksgiving table?

Anything goes well with my family’s gravy recipe.

Favorite way to spend a snowy day in Lebanon?

I like being out and about in the cold before settling in to some reading at home. I enjoy how quiet it gets when it snows.

What are you most looking forward to this winter?

Some great shows at the opera house, some mulled wine, and some family time. Exercising indoors is more enjoyable in winter, too. Maybe some skiing?

What fictional place would you like to visit?

I always thought the Labyrinth would be a fun place to visit, but without all that pressure from David Bowie, the Goblin King.

What skill would you like to master?

Baking. I can cook just fine; I’m a truly awful baker.

What is your idea way to spend a weekend in Lebanon?

Friday evening show at LOH. Cooking breakfast on Saturday, then a nice walk or indoor row. Lunch with friends, and then checking out whoever is playing at Salt hill Saturday night. Sundays involve grocery shopping with friends, and hauling my laundry over to the laundromat. Good chance to catch up on reading, too.

What charity do you donate to regularly?

I play clarinet in the Upper Valley Community Band and am also their treasurer. I’m on the board of directors of the Upper Valley Humane Society. Vital Communities is another great local non-profit.

What weird food combinations do you really enjoy?

Rice, milk, and a little bit of maple syrup – don’t judge! It’s delicious.

What is your favorite movie from childhood?

I watched the 1953 version of War of the Worlds probably 100 times when I was a kid.

If you could have dinner with any famous person (alive or dead) who would it be?

Ludwig van Beethoven

Rejoice all you die-hard bicyclists in the Upper Valley: When the snowflakes start falling, you no longer have to be forced inside and sit astride that stationary bike while you watch boring television shows in your living room!

“The fat tire bike opens up all four seasons in our region,” says Jason Ouelette, new owner of the bike shop at Mason Racing on Mascoma Street in Lebanon. It’s an ideal location when you consider that within the Lebanon area there are some 105 bike trails, highlighted by the Northern Rail Trail.

Fat tire bicycling has taken the region by storm and the Lebanon area may be the epicenter of that movement. Jason’s shop is exclusively for off-road biking enthusiasts and features the wildly popular fat tire bicycles.

A fat tire bike is an off-road bicycle with oversized tires, typically 3.8 inches or larger in width, mounted on rims 2.6 inches or wider. Fat tire bikes are designed for low ground pressure to allow riding on soft, unstable terrain such as snow, sand, bogs, and mud. Note there is not a mention of pavement.

“The tires on these bikes are designed for off-road riding, and they can be used during the winter months. However, they are not designed for riding on pavement or sidewalks because there would be too much friction and resistance on hard surfaces,” Jason said. “We do offer studded tires for winter conditions, but off-road terrain is where they function best.”

The bikes are well suited for bikers who may have ridden conventional bicycles over the scenic roads in the area but are attracted to the off-road features of a fat tire bike. They’re also perfect for those just starting out.

“These fat tire bikes are great for beginners,” Jason said. “Once they ride one they realize quickly what traction and stability they get with these rugged bikes. That inspires immediate confidence to tackle rough terrain. It attracts a whole new rider. Sometimes it can just be a skier having a bad winter!”

Jason is an experienced rider himself and often leads groups on outings. He’ll also host clinics for those who want to learn more. Getting properly set up with your new fat tire bike is critical for safe and secure riding.

“The setup of a bike is very important. The rider’s weight is a key factor. We have to adjust the suspension to adapt to each rider. Proper setup of their bike will make a much better and more confident rider.”

This Christmas you can ask for a fat tire bike and rather than place it in the basement until early spring, head for one of the many trails that await the dedicated rider.

November and December is a time of real local pride for me, especially, and perhaps strangely, pride in our local harvest. Summer’s juicy fresh fruits and veggies are fabulous and already missed, but our autumnal New Hampshire foods dominate the traditional menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hannukah. The classic Hannukah potato pancakes are served with applesauce, after all, and potatoes and apples are easy to find on Lebanon farms!

The Thanksgiving story, of course, is all about New England foods. I like to add two components to my family’s big holiday meals, both of which are possible because I live here, in this rural community filled with excellent farms.

Firstly I like to use local ingredients as much as I am able, perhaps in one dish, perhaps in many. Potatoes, carrots, winter squash, Brussels sprouts, various meats or cheeses—these are readily available from local farms. A New Englander born and bred, I get great satisfaction looking at our table during times of celebration and feeling connected to our agricultural heritage, our self-sufficient communities, and the hard work of my farming neighbors.

The second component I add is something fresh and green. It’s easy for big group meals to focus on meats, potatoes, stuffing, and rolls. I love pie, and spend most of my feast prep rolling out pie dough and slicing apples (New Hampshire butter and apples are key to the process!). Adding something green and fresh balances out the heavy foods…and magically leaves more room for pie. I can still find local, very fresh green vegetables to make a simple salad or cooked dish at our grocers and farmers’ markets this time of year.

A simple kale Caesar salad can be my local, green dish—trendy and tasty. Developed by Bethany Fleishman, who, among other things, develops local recipes at Vital Communities, it’s a delicious and healthy side. The recipe requires hand-squeezing the kale, which is a great way for children to join the meal preparation. With very clean hands, kids can squeeze and squish the kale until it gets soft. They love it.

The recipe details making croutons and dressing from scratch (my kids also liked making the croutons and eating half of them in the process). If you prefer, you can use store bought croutons and/or dressing, but don’t be put off by the fairly straightforward process of making your own. As Bethany says, you’ll build kitchen skills!

To find local kale and many other delicious local foods for your table, visit our local grocers, winter farmers’ markets, or winter farm stands. Or, use the zip code search in the Online Guide at ValleyFarmFresh.org—it’s amazing how many farms are within 10 miles of Lebanon. Here’s to a fresh-food-filled season!

Find our Kale Salad Recipe at VitalCommunities.org/KaleCaesar.

I’d no more than joined the Lebanon Historical Society when they appointed me curator,” says Ed Ashey, who is also Lebanon’s City Historian, the man in charge of fielding questions about Lebanon’s past. Though not formally trained in museum work, Ed says, “I have gone to museums forever. I knew you needed accession numbers on things, records of the donor, condition, and so forth.” He’s worked hard going through piles of photos and other records, often posting pictures on the group’s website, LebanonNHHistory.org, or on the Facebook page “You know you grew up in the Upper Valley if…”

Ed’s interest in history started when he was “just a little kid. I read books on Greek and Roman history but I knew I’d never go over there,” so his interest in that region faded. The taste for history remained and became an interest in the early days of New England. Ed became good friends with Robert Leavitt and his grandfather. “They had museums in their own home! Old muskets, Civil War things like uniforms, photos, and diaries.”

Back in his childhood, in the 1940s, Ed says, “there was an open dump in West Lebanon. If someone dumped something like a box of photos, or scrapbooks, or even photo albums, people would pull it out and take it to Leavitt because they knew he was interested. Now stuff like that is just gone.” Much of what the Lebanon Historical Society now owns was collected by the Leavitts.

Ed was born in West Newbury, Vt. His father worked as a farmhand, but it was a poor way to make a living. After a period at the Haverhill town farm, the family moved to a transient camp in Lebanon, but they didn’t need to stay there long, thanks to the local woolen industry.

Ed’s father found a job in a woolen mill off Mechanic Street. Ed and his two younger brothers grew up in a big apartment building on Mechanic Street where Kleen Laundry is now. Sometimes Ed would take his father’s lunch down to him, walking among the huge looms. “They wouldn’t allow that nowadays!” he laughs, but he was careful to keep hands and clothes away from the busy machines.

In some mills, the machines were powered by belts that ran off one long drive shaft. If one of the bearings supporting the shaft needed replacing the whole operation had to be shut down; the shaft was slid out as far as the bad bearing, and then slid back through again. It was a time-consuming and tricky operation. A local person came up with the idea of a bearing that could be opened up to fit over the shaft, a “split ball-bearing,” enabling major savings in maintenance.

The Mascoma River provided power for many of the mills in the early years, but in the 1940s and ’50s they were coal-powered. Ed remembers how his mother would hang sheets out overnight to dry and find them tinged with soot in the morning. Railroad engines also spewed soot.

Ed himself worked from an early age, with a paper route as a young boy and then a part-time job in a department store. Later he worked at the Baltic Mill in Enfield, but found the workers a very tight-knit group. It was hard to get along, being an outsider. Finally he quit. He was getting ready to apply for unemployment when he was offered a job selling clothes. “I can’t even buy my own,” he objected, and instead found a position doing sales, delivery, and repairs with Western Auto, a hard-goods department store.

Eventually Ed decided to go out on his own with Ed’s Bike and Sports Shop, which was located next to the now-closing-but-for-many-years-a-local-landmark store, Hirsch’s. The advent of big box stores—themselves now struggling against internet sales—made running a small specialty store untenable. Ed returned to Western Auto and then moved to Wilson Tire, working as a manager. He’s a little hazy on the dates of some of these endeavors, admitting “my hard drive is overloaded.”

Ed with his brothers in the 1940s; David Pardoe taking the tour with Ed Ashey; Ed as a youngster on the town; the Marion Carter House, view from the main entrance.

A major trauma in Ed’s life was the loss in 2006 of his wife, Beverly. Her parents may have been less than thrilled when Ed first appeared. “I had a license, and I was driving around picking up girls,” he reminisces with a sly grin. “She lived over in White River Junction, what we called ‘White Town.’” A point of contact with the older generation was Beverly’s grandfather, who was a railroad man. Ed had always been interested in trains.

The couple were married more than 50 years, and Ed tasted despair with her death. His children swung into action, keeping frequent contact. “They got me going again, so I could take an interest again,” he recalls with gratitude.

One of the changes Ed brings up when talking about Lebanon and environs is the loss of farms. “I remember when there were farms everywhere,” he says, “but now they’re smaller—farmers can’t afford the huge parcels they’d need to compete. The Patch family sold their herd this year,” he adds in a tone of regret.

Still, anyone as deeply knowledgeable about the city’s history as Ed is knows that the only constant is change. He would love to see a larger and more active membership in the city’s historical society, which is small “even though dues are amazingly cheap—$10 a year.”

Ed shows a visitor around the Marion Carter house off Colburn Park near the AVA Gallery and Art Center. Marion was the wife of H.W. Carter, the hugely successful 19th-century manufacturer of sturdy work clothes who gave his name and support to various community ventures. “He was known as ‘the Prince of Merchants,’” says Ed.

The AVA Gallery building was his factory. The house still displays Marion’s furnishings, including mementos of her travels, which included a trip to Europe and travels in the American West, where she admired and ordered Asian furniture and artifacts.

Nifty items abound in the house, where the historical society holds its monthly meetings. In a shed off the kitchen are the large doors where the ice deliveryman loaded the icebox; inside that same icebox displays dressier doors for the household staff. The second floor includes display cases of Lebanon historical items. A very large framed hair wreath shows the artful weaving of flowery designs that Victorians developed into an art for memorializing dead relatives. Myriad other items catch the eye and the imagination. The Carter House is the property of a trust. It’s not practical to open it as a museum. Even student groups cannot be guided through; many rooms are too small for the usual class size, with fragile items in open displays.

The historical society would love to have a building of its own to use as a museum, but lacks funds or personnel for such an undertaking. For now, discovering Lebanon history can best be accomplished by joining the enthusiasts conversing online and at the historical society.

Zachary Brock touches up the Little Free Library in Colburn Park

You may have noticed some new structures pop up around town—filled with great reads that are free to anyone who walks by.

While we’ve had public libraries here in Lebanon since 1802, the newest ones never close and don’t even require a library card. These Little Free Libraries are both beautiful and functional, allowing Lebanon residents to pass on what they don’t need and find a new treasure while they are there. The idea is to “take a book, return a book,” but there are no requirements or due dates on these shelves, no e-readers or digital copies; just free and easy access to books in public locations.

The Little Free Libraries were installed in four places throughout the city: at the Kilton Library, in Colburn Park, in Riverside Park on Glen Road, and at the Upper Valley Senior Center. These locations were specifically chosen because they have high foot traffic and are easily accessible by many people, including commuters, children, and seniors.

The Little Free Library movement started in a front yard in Wisconsin in 2009, when founder Todd Bol installed a tiny red schoolhouse dedicated to his mother and filled it with books. He was inspired by traveling libraries, coffee shop book swaps, and Andrew Carnegie’s support of free public libraries (including our own Lebanon Public Library).

Bol formed a nonprofit and caught the attention of the national media two years later, when the idea went viral. The mission of the Little Free Libraries is to promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide, and to build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity, and wisdom across generations.

Today, our Little Free Libraries in Lebanon stand proud among an estimated 40,000 worldwide and over 40 others here in New Hampshire, sharing millions of books annually. Other locations in New Hampshire include Grafton, Claremont, Meredith, Littleton, and Hampton. These Little Free Libraries offer a simple, free, and face-to-face way to build social interactions, increase literacy, and encourage a love of books in communities around the world.

This project was truly a community collaboration, with funding for the project coming from the Riverside Rotary and the Lebanon Public Libraries Board of Trustees. Lebanon Public Libraries Director Sean Fleming, IT Librarian Chuck McAndrew, and Trustee Laura Barrett advocated for the idea to become a reality. Local architect and West Lebanon resident Zachary Brock designed the libraries and worked on the construction with Bob Stone, also a West Lebanon resident.

West Lebanon residents Zachary Brock and Bob Stone were instrumental in creating the Lebanon Little Free Libraries

One of the most unique features of the Little Free Libraries is the laser-cut aluminum signs adorning the sides of the boxes. Designer Matt Young created the plan for the signs, and volunteers from Hypertherm donated the materials, labor, and used their lasers to create the artful signs. In addition, Lebanon Paint & Decorating donated the paint, and Jeff White from Harvey Building Products volunteered to work on the roofs of the structures.

Careful thought and consideration went into the design of the libraries. Since they are located on public land, they meet Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines for handicap accessibility. The handles and top shelves are located at a height where they can be reached by someone in a wheelchair. Every box is placed next to a hard surface, like a sidewalk or a pavilion, so that anyone in a wheelchair or power chair could roll up next to any of the boxes. In addition, because of the lower height of the library installations, the roof was designed so that no parts of the roof would stick out at eye level for standing adults. The Little Free Libraries were truly designed with everyone in mind.

Bob Stone worked with architect Zachary Brock to construct and install the libraries. Working evenings, weekends, and during school vacations, they began construction in March and finished the installations in August. Bob said, “Within 30 minutes of installation, the first one was filled up with book donations. We shared photos on Facebook, and there was a social media explosion as people got excited about the libraries—it was amazing how quickly the community began to utilize them. It’s fun and convenient, and I can take my three-year-old son ‘shopping’ for a new book whenever we walk by. It was a tiny way that I could give back to the library that does so much for our family and our city.”

Lebanon Public Libraries Director Sean Fleming said that the response from the city has been wonderful. “Soon after installation, someone pulled up on a bike and said, ‘You should have done this a long time ago!’ He told me that he catches the bus early in the morning, before the library opens, and now he can grab a book to read on his ride. The Little Free Library allows us to offer access 24/7, which is something we never could have done otherwise. We are literally putting books in people’s hands when we weren’t able to before.”

Fleming said, “This is one of the projects I’ve loved the most since I started working here in Lebanon. I became a librarian to be a part of the community—it’s why I love my job. Through this project I’ve seen so many connections being made and I got to see so many people be proud of the great work they’ve done. It’s why I do what I do.”

As a community initiative, our new Little Free Libraries will thrive best with the help and support of Lebanon residents. It’s easy to participate and support this new program not just by using the Little Free Libraries, but also supplying them with books of your own. Donations can be brought directly to any of the four Little Free Libraries, or you can donate up to two boxes at either the Lebanon Library or the Kilton Library. Kids’ books are especially in demand in Colburn Park and Riverside Park, but all donations are appreciated.