Page 14
The Colebrook Chronicle
Friday, August 12, 2016
Around The Region
A VISIT TO
BLUEBERRY HILL
Saturday, the Chronicle visited Blueberry Hill, out in Bury,
Que. We arrived at the Coates
Blueberry Farm to find Steven
Coates, owner of Blueberry Hill,
ready to give us a tour of his blue
heaven–close to 4.5 acres of over
2000 bushes.
This blueberry business all
got started in 1992 with Steven's
father Merlin “Buddy” Coates
planting the very first blueberry
bushes and starting Blueberry
Hill. The business has grown
ever since. A few years ago,
“Buddy” Coates passed away, but
that wasn't the end of the business. Steven took over and has
carried out his father’s dream.
We talked with Steven as we
rode around the patch in a golf
cart. He told us that he now has
five varieties of blueberries to
include Blue Jay, Blue Crop,
Blue Ray, Patriot and Northland.
We asked which was the best,
and we were told they all are the
best, with a chuckle.
The entire 4.5 acres is covered
by a netting to keep the birds out.
They pick into the berries and
can ruin them quickly. This
year’s season started Aug. 3, and
when we visited on the 6th, we
found a sea of blue. According to
Steven, it will get bluer by the
day as the season goes on.
No pesticides or herbicides
are used on these bushes, which
Steven says makes a more
healthy product for all to pick
and enjoy. We were told that
Blueberry Hill has many very
faithful customers. We asked if
they advertised online, to which
we were told no–they just open
up and the pickers seem to flood
in.
This is certainly a growing
business that Steven has, and he
hopes to be in business for many
years to come. It is a lot of hard
work but when the berries start
it is all worth those countless
hours. Steven works at Alexander Galt Regional High School
during the school year, and his
summer is blueberries.
We enjoyed our visit to Blueberry Hill and plan on going back
soon. This reporter sampled a
few of those big blue things,
too–we want to thank Steven for
giving us a nice basket of his
blueberries.
If you ever find yourself out in
Bury, and have a few minutes,
go check out 702 McIver Street–
it is worth your trip, and Steven
will be more than happy to see
you. You can call 1-819-872-3315
for info on Blueberry Hill.
–Corey Bellam
THE NEW
SAWYERVILLE HOTEL
While out and about this past
weekend, we stopped in at the
Ramana Complex–or, as most
have known it, Sawyerville
Hotel, or Cretes Hotel. A while
ago we reported that it had
changed owners. We went in and
were greeted by new owner JeanSebastien Bachand. We were
given a small tour of the many
Folks will be excited to know that dining has returned to the
Sawyerville Hotel, now the Ramana Complex. Corey Bellam photo.
changes they have made since
taking over.
The biggest change is the
opening of the dining room, being
closed for many years. The historic old Sawyerville Hotel now
has a new name and a new look
along with new owners. They
said that they are hoping to bring
the business back to what it was
in the Andre Crete years.
The new owners are not only
offering a place to stay and eat,
they are also offering a spa, massage, new healthy menu–but the
same friendly feeling that always
drew friends to it for a cold beer
and a good visit. A lot has
changed, but one thing that will
never change is the friendly
atmosphere of this special place.
For more information, you can
call them at 1-819-889-2967.
This is the same phone number
the place has had for as long as
we can remember. You can also
find them online by visiting
hotelramana.ca.
–Corey Be llam
SAWYERVILLE BEES
Over the years, this reporter
has done many stories about
vegetables, strawberries, and
now, this week, blueberries.
About a week ago a good friend
of ours told us we should do one
on the bees right in Sawyerville.
We contacted Christal Harrison and asked her if we could
visit her hives and do a story. On
Monday afternoon we went and
checked out her bee hives. We
found Christal and her son Skyler ready to show us her buzzing
hobby. We didn't get too close,
but according to Christal, as long
as you just move slow, you'll be
fine.
Bees are truly amazing little
fellows. They go get the pollen
and bring it back to the hives and
make honey. We found the saying “busy as a bee” is so true. We
asked her how long she had been
in the bee business. She said this
is her very first year, but she
plans on having more bees next
spring. She told us she loves
having bees, and she finds it very
interesting too. We asked her if
she had made much honey, and
she told us approximately 40
pounds already. Those little bees
are working. She hopes to be
doing this for many years.
We were interested to learn
that when a bee collects pollen
from a flower, and there are two
different colors in that flower, it
will only bring back one color in
their little baskets they have on
their legs. We also learned that
bees have two stomachs–one for
just honey and one for what they
eat.
In a typical hive, there’s a
queen bee–she’s the boss of that
hive. She has worker bees that
make the honey. In a hive,
there’s a drone bee which is a
little like the grandfather bee.
We enjoyed our visit to the bee
hives and never got stung once.
We'll definitely go back to these
hives again.
–Corey Bellam
CELTIC MUSIC
AT WEEKS LIBRARY
The Celtic Folk World Music
duo Four Shillings Short will be
performing at the Weeks Memorial Library in Lancaster on Sunday, Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. This free
family concert will feature a
program of “Around the World in
30 Instruments.” Husband and
wife team Aodh Og O’Tuama and
Christy Martin will play a fantastic array of instruments and
feature Celtic, Medieval, and
Renaissance music. The event is
appropriate for children of all
ages as well as adults. Anyone
with questions can call the
library at 603 788-3352 or e-mail
at [email protected].
Come
early because seating is limited.
LANCASTER
FARMERS MARKET
This upcoming Saturday,
Aug. 13, the Church Yard Sale
and the Lancaster Farmers’ Market will be sharing space. While
the setup may be a little different
than the normal layout, the vendors will still be there, selling the
goods that they normally bring.
Tomatoes, corn, all other manner
of produce, woolen goods, wooden
creations, herbal salves, baked
treats, and more.
While the market and sale are
going on, Bob Pelletier will be
returning to the green to play a
mix of easy listening of classic
rock, country, and blues guitar.
Sawyerville’s pianist Jan Graham gives a handshake of approval to
Jean-Sebastien Bachand, the new owner of the Saywerville Hotel.
Corey Bellam photo.
Steven Coates and bushes upon bushes of blueberries, found under
the netting of Blueberry Hill in Bury, Que. Corey Bellam photo.
The Lancaster Farmers’ Market is open every Saturday until
the beginning of October from 9
AM to Noon. It is located in
Centennial Park. The Market
not only accepts SNAP, but it has
an extra incentive program.
Contact the Market Manager
via
the
webpage
at
www.lancasterfarmersmarket.
org, or just show up and ask. The
Lancaster Farmers’ Market
would like to thank their generous sponsors (The Center for
Acupuncture, EXIT Realty, the
Mountain View Grand Resort
and Spa, Lancaster Eye Care,
and more) for their help making
this local farmers’ market a reality.
JEFFERSON
POSTCARD SHOW
For the 19th year, the Jefferson Historical Society will be
hosting its Northern New Hampshire Postcard Show and Sale.
This year’s show will be on Saturday, Aug. 20 from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m.
Several new dealers will be
participating this year, and hundreds of thousands of cards will
be available, filling Jefferson’s
Town Hall at 698 Presidential
Highway. Cards depicting every
imaginable subject, along with
historical views of New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts communities will be
available. These dealers also
offer White Mountain ephemera,
and highly collectible holiday
and topical cards. Postcard collecting supplies will round out
the show. There will be something for everyone.
“The Jefferson Historical Society is happy to once again be
bringing together dealers and
collectors to participate in one of
the world’s most enduring hobbies,” says show chairperson Joe
Marshall. It is the only show of
its kind north of Portland, Maine
and Nashua, giving North Country residents a chance to add to
their collections without driving
hundreds of miles to do so. As
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