Page 14 The Colebrook Chronicle Friday , December 9 , 2016
Around The Region
SANTA COMES TO THE HUT
The sound of children at play and Christmas spirit was filling the air at the ANAF Unit # 318 – or as all know it , “ The Hut ,”– this past Sunday afternoon as they held their annual children ' s fun afternoon and visit from Santa .
Every year around this time Kevin MacIver from The Hut makes a call to the North Pole to see when Santa can come and see the children . This year , old Santa was free Sunday afternoon and Kevin put out the word to the children . By 1 p . m ., they were starting to arrive and Mrs . Claus had already arrived . ( Seems she won ' t ride with Santa – something about a close call with a goose .) Mrs . Claus helped the children with crafts and over in another corner kids were fishing for toys with one of Santa ' s elves , Judy . The excitement level was rising fast though .
Santa was on his way and all of a sudden someone spotted Santa coming through the trees towards the Hut . The young boys and girls crowded to the window to watch . All of a sudden Santa was in view and coming in to greet all . Mrs Claus told him he was late – it looks like old Santa was watching the Montreal Canadians and fell asleep . But he was there now , and it was time for the children to get their gifts . Some children had long lists for the jolly old fellow , but he listened to them all .
After all had passed over his knee , it was time for Santa to head back to his toy shop . It seems when he leaves , the elves take a break , and there ' s no time for breaks right now !
– Corey Bellam
MERRY MOOSE 4-MILER
Looking for a rewarding way to warm up this holiday season ? Consider coming to Gorham on Dec . 17 for the Merry Moose 4-Miler . Walkers and runners or all abilities are welcome . Race day registration will occur at Ed Fenn Elementary from 8:45 to 9:15 a . m . The start-time is 9:30 a . m . This is a pet- and strollerfriendly course . In lieu of a registration fee , new warm items of clothing ( such as hats , mittens , socks , sweatshirts , and gloves ) are being collected . Long sleeve shirts are available for purchase if pre-registration forms and payment are received by Dec . 9 . Visit Facebook page “ Run For You ” to download a registration or pick one up at The Family Resource Center in Gorham or The Berlin / Gorham Recreation Departments .
Contact runforyou1 @ gmail . com with questions .
WHITEFIELD LIVE NATIVITY
The annual Live Nativity on the Whitefield Common will take place on Dec . 11 at 6:30 p . m . All are invited to witness town children play the roles of the Bible characters . The Christmas story
Little two-month old Carter and four-month-old Lucy spent some time with Santa during his visit to the ANAF Unit 318 this past Sunday afternoon . Corey Bellam photos .
Some of the youngsters that joined Mr . and Mrs . Claus during their visit to The Hut this past weekend . Corey Bellam photo .
will be read from the Bible by the Whitefield clergy . Singing will be lead by the ecumenical choir . All who would like to sing in the choir are encouraged to meet at St . Matthews at 5:30 p . m . for rehearsal . This year the refreshments following the Live Nativity and bonfire will be available at the Whitefield Christian Church located at 3 School Street .
The Live Nativity is sponsored by the Whitefield Christian Church , Trinity United Methodist Church , Community Baptist Church and St . Matthews Catholic Church .
COG RAILWAY LOOKS TO BUILD SUMMIT HOUSE Since 1869 , the Cog Railway has been chugging up and down the side of Mt . Washington . The Railway reached its height of popularity in 1873 when it built , owned and operated a 91-room hotel , known as the Summit House on the summit of Mt . Washington . This hotel burned down in 1908 and was replaced by a smaller structure several years later . By 1876 rail lines had been extended to the base of the cog railway and tourists from New York could travel to the summit of Mt . Washington in one
Sarah Heath and Lizz Warlund from Lennoxville performed at the Trinity United Church in Cookshire last Sunday . Corey Bellam photo . day and stay overnight in fairly luxurious accommodations .
After the death of railway owner Henry Teague in 1951 , ownership of the railroad passed to Dartmouth College , his alma mater . Dartmouth offered to sell the railroad to the State of New Hampshire . An exhaustive study was done by a state commission appointed by Governor Dwinell in 1957 . The commission recommended that the State buy the Auto Road and the Railroad , demolish the existing hotel , and replace it with a new modern facility containing 100 new overnight accommodations . The State opted to just purchase the property at the summit of the mountain in 1964 , and replaced the Summit House Hotel with the Sherman Adams Visitor Center that was opened in 1980 .
At the time the Sherman Adams building was constructed , it was determined that visitation at the summit would probably grow substantially over the next few years . Nonetheless , the building was constructed to handle only 400 guests on any given day , the thought being that on nice days most people would prefer to be outside . No accommodations for overnight guests were built despite the recommendations of Governor Dwinell ’ s commission and a plan proposed by architects Carter and Woodruff in 1969 . The food options currently offered at the summit are cafeteria style and very limited .
With the loss of the Old Man of the Mountain , Mt . Washington has become the center of tourism in the North Country . Today over 300,000 guests per year visit the summit . On some days there are more than 5000 visitors . This has put a tremendous strain on the existing facility and its infrastructure components , in particular the sewer disposal systems . The Railway has had discussions with the State about helping them to resolve some of these infrastructure issues .
There is still a demand for overnight accommodations . This demand is currently met by the ������������ ��������� ����� � Lake of the Clouds Hut ( which is owned by the Federal Government ) and the Mount Washington Observatory . The Observatory rents space in the Sherman Adams Building from the State of New Hampshire and offers overnight Edutrips . Both of these experiences are limited in availability and somewhat
Janis Graham on piano and Marlene Lowry singing at the Sawyerville United Church turkey dinner at the Sawyerville Community Center . Corey Bellam photo .
spartan , offering bunkrooms to sleep in and basic dining options .
The Railway has been owned and operated during the past 34 years by the Presby and Bedor families . They also owned , operated , renovated and revitalized the Mount Washington Hotel and Resort from 1991 to 2006 . In response to the overcrowding , infrastructure problems , and the
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