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A2THE BAYSIDER, THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021Alton Water BandstandCommittee seeksdonations for raffleALTON — The Alton Water Bandstand Committee is bringing the fun andexcitement of a genuine water ski show back to Alton Bay on Saturday, Aug.21 at 3 p.m. In addition to the show, the Water Bandstand Committee will holda raffle to help raise funds to enable them to continue their mission of celebrating this historic Alton landmark.The Committee is seeking additional donated raffle prizes from area businesses, including gift cards, T-shirts, and items celebrating Alton and ourbeautiful lake.Those interested in donating should reach out to Committee Chair, NancyMerrill at landhobabe@yahoo.com or 630-1806.Guest speaker urges vigilanceagainst restrictive voting legislationALTON — At theAugust meeting of theTri-Town Democrats ofBarnstead, Gilmanton,and Alton, the guestspeaker was Alton resident Brian Beihl, ofOpen Democracy.Beihl talked aboutvoting rights and electoral issues in NewHampshire and at thefederal level. There arecurrently more than400 bills pending in 43states, including NewHampshire, that areaimed at restricting voting rights, he warned.These bills, he said, involve gerrymandering(designing districts tofavor the party in power)example, passed by widemargins in 74 towns,including Alton, Barnstead, and Gilmanton.Fairness in re-districting, he said, means giving all of the voters a fairchance, as opposed todrawing electoral mapsthat favor one party overthe other. If redistricting is done fairly, and ina nonpartisan way, headded, then all of the voters benefit regardless ofwhich party is in power.Independent redistricting commissions are exactly that, independent.They draw electoralmaps based on population numbers and common interests of towns(such as a lake, a school,or other factors), in contrast to gerrymandereddistricts that attempt tosqueeze the voters of oneparty into a geographical area to limit theirpossible influence.and making it harder forvarious groups to vote.The efforts also includepacking the courts withanti-voter judges.In New Hampshire,with its limited racialdiversity, Beihl said theanti-voter efforts focuson student voting, absentee voting, and gerrymandering. Numerousbills that will come upfor vote in the fall, heexplained, seek to makeit more difficult to voteby eliminating sameday registration, by imposing unreasonable requirements on absenteevoting, and by changingthe definition of domicile to suppress the student vote.Despite these effortsofpoliticians,NewHampshire voters, hesaid, have clearly showntheir preference for fairness in elections. TheNew Hampshire Resolution for Fair, Nonpartisan Redistricting, forIn Alton and Gilmanton, the resolutionpassed by the votersBill Jedrey’sPaintingOssipee, NH603-651-6639InsuredFree EstimatesReasonable RatesInterior ExteriorPower WashingEPA CertifiedWe workweekendsso you don’thave to!Fun Has BegunremmuSnuSSand and!EGNAROTEGTIME TORDUMPSTERENTALSNO HIDDEN FEESNO FUEL CHARGENO TRICKY LONGTERM CONTRACTSTO SIGNATSTARTING 430SAVE WITH OUR DUMPSTERDEPOT BUCKSGot a trashy question?CALL US TODAYGreat Service at “YOUR” Convenience, Not Ours!TOLL 3-8050Like us on FacebookDumpster Depot Bucks limit 1 per client on rental orpick-up on any regular priced dumpster. Not validon Roofing, Concrete, or any specialty dumpsterrental. Cannot be combined with other offers. Mustpresent coupon at time of order. Expires 8/31/21.COMMERCIAL COMPACTOR UNITS HOME CLEANOUTS STORM DAMAGE ROOFING MATERIALS SMALL DUMPSTERS FRONT LOAD DUMPSTERS REAR LOAD DUMPSTERSNE-352981ROOFING MATERIALS SMALL DUMPSTERS FRONT LOAD DUMPSTERS REAR LOAD DUMPSTERSROOFING MATERIALS SMALL DUMPSTERS FRONT LOAD DUMPSTERS REAR LOAD DUMPSTERSCOMMERCIAL COMPACTOR UNITS HOME CLEANOUTS STORM DAMAGE ROOFING MATERIALS SMALL DUMPSTERS FRONT LOAD DUMPSTERS REAR LOAD DUMPSTERSCourtesyBrian Beihl of Open Democracy addresses members of theTri-Town Democrats.would also give thosetwo towns their ownelected state representatives, in accordance withthe New HampshireConstitution, as opposedto having to share themwith neighboring towns.Gilmanton, for example,currently has no representative who livesthere, and under currentstandards, the oppositesituation could occur,with all of Alton’s representatives living elsewhere. Under the resolution that passed, thatsituation would change,and our towns wouldhave their own representatives.On the federal level,Beihl said, the primarylegislation under discussion is the For the PeopleAct, SB1 (formerly HR1).That legislation, if it becomes law, will protectthe right to vote for allcitizens in a variety ofways. It will streamlinethe registration processand automatically register voters when they, forexample, register theirvehicles. The law willput a stop to many of themost egregious anti-voter bills currently underconsideration. In thearea of ethics reform,SB1will establish ethicsrules for all 3 branchesof government, including the Supreme Court,which currently hasnone. It also addressescampaign finance reform, requiring disclosure of “dark money” donors, so that voters cansee who is behind thelarge contributions thatare currently secret.Beihl emphasized thathis organization, OpenDemocracy, is nonpartisan, and the group workshard to ensure fairnessfor all voters regardless of party affiliation.Although at any giventime one party may dominate, the goals of OpenDemocracy are to makeelections fairer for alland protect the right tovote long term. Basedon the widespread support for the redistrictingresolution, including inboth the conservativetowns of Belknap County and some more liberaltowns in other parts ofthe state, Beihl said it isclear that the voters ofNew Hampshire favorfairness in elections.To learn more aboutOpen Democracy, andto find out ways to promote voting rights, visithttps://www.opendemocracynh.org/.Alton Historical Societymeets TuesdayALTON — The Alton Historical Society will beholding their meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. inthe Agnes Thompson Conference Roon of the GilmanLibrary in Alton. The entrance to the ConferenceRoom is to the rear of the building by the parking area.Richard Puleo, our guest speaker, will be telling interesting stories of his great-uncle, EdwardDowning who served in World War I. When Edward Downing returned home, he helped establish Downing’s Boat Yard, at Alton Bay. Thislandmark continues today under the current ownership of Parker Marine. There will be storiesof how boat motors were designed and how theywere repaired in the shop those many years ago.We look forward to seeing you now that the COVIDrestrictions have been lifted.

THE BAYSIDER, THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021A3Alton Business Association seeks parade sponsors, participantsALTON — The AltonBusinessAssociationis once again organizing the Old Home WeekParade which will takeplace on Saturday, Aug.14 at 10 a.m., from AltonVillage to Alton Bay.This year’s event centers around the theme“To Gather Again.” Parade participants areencouraged to enter theAssociation’sParadecompetition, where prizes and trophies will beawarded to the highestranked floats, judged bya group of communitymembers.This year’s paradewill boast more than 20floats, vintage cars, andorganizations, as wellas the New HampshirePipes & Drums, a genuine Calliope, and somuch more! Join in thefun, and register as a parade participant at www.altonbusinessassociation.com. Walkers, vintagecars, boats, floats, bicyclists, pets, livestock,and equipment are welcome!This annual community event would notbe possible without thehelp of our sponsors.Thank you to those whoAlton’s Water Bandstand reflectsa long historyALTON — “I did extensive research andfound no other freestanding waterbandstand in the USA.”Those were the wordsof guest speaker, Nancy (Downing) Merrill,who addressed membersof the Alton Rotary clubat its weekly Thursdaymorning meeting.Merrill’s father, Lester Downing, was one ofa group of six men (Harry Jones, Ralph Stevens,Edward Downing, Martin Lynch, and StephenLynch) who formed theAlton Bay Racing Association in the mid 1920’swith the idea of hosting speedboat racingon Lake Winnipesaukee.In 1928, the associationdecided that a bandstandshould be built in AltonBay. It would be usedfor two purposes: bandconcerts and a judgingstand for races.The bandstand wasbuilt over a large ledgeand during the wintermonths, a crib was builtand filled with rocksto create a solid foundation over which thebandstand is free stand-ing. The cost to build thebandstand 93 years agowas a ‘whopping’ 893.Money was raised fromdonations, the town ofAlton,and its citizens. Muchof the labor and materials were also providedby locals and any extramoney was used to payfor band concerts, prizemoney for boat races,and advertising. Now,Alton’s adopted iconic symbol will undergorehab to include a newcoat of paint with, thecost covered by the bandstand’s capital reservefund. Soon concerts willreturn and there’s even awedding scheduled to beheld there.Mrs. Merrill wasintroduced toRotaryAdvising clients aboutWills and Trusts since 1985.Exper t RepairsDone on SiteVACUUM CLEANERS SEWING MACHINESSALES SERVICE PARTSAUGERSewing Machines& Sons, Inc.Vacuum CleanersSince 1935100 Chestnut Hill Rd., Rochester, NH603-332-5572 800-439-3395www.augerandsons.comWe Will NOT be Undersoldmembers by RotarianCharlie Shields. Adults,both men and womeninterested in joining Rotary on a trial basis without any costs, includingcomplimentary breakfasts for six months, callMembershipChair,Duane Hammond at 5693745.have pledged financialsupport, or volunteeredtheir time to help makethiseventhappen.There’s still time to getinvolved! Reach out toinfo@altonbusinessassociation.com for details.GOLD SPONSORSLakeside Smiles Pediatric DentistryTurtle Kraal RV ParkSILVER SPONSORSAlton Country StoreGeorge & Joyce MurphyMarble Perfect LLCTri Town DemocratsBRONZESPONSORSCuddly CreationsBuonopane & SonConstruction LLCREASONABLEROOFINGAsphalt Shingles &Roll Out Roofing40 Year ExperienceFree EstimatesCall Louie603-833-0397

OpinionTHE BAYSIDER, THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021SECTION A, PAGE 4Helicopterparenting acollege studentGone are the days when your child would headoff to college to only place a collect call home once aweek, or perhaps would send a letter once a month.In those days, our parents had no idea what we weredoing on a daily basis, who we were with or wherewe were at. They had no idea what test scores werecoming in or what we had for dinner.In current times, college students are in instant,constant contact with their parents and we’re notso sure that’s a good thing. Sure, it’s nice to keep intouch but at what cost to your child? Do we reallyneed to know about every fleeting moment of ourchild’s lives? Naturally, we want to protect our children and keep them safe, but this is not the way to doit. Teach them the skills to protect themselves longbefore they fill out that college application.To make things worse, most universities nowhave Facebook pages for parents. While this can bea great resource, it is also a breeding ground for parents to enable other parents, to enable their children,to lack independence and the skills to be resourceful.Way back when, children had to be home by dark.In today’s world, you have parents posting questionson parent’s pages on whether or not to use Tide Podsin the washers at school. Why not let your child headoff to the laundry mat at school, with a Tide Pod andfigure it out for themselves? Other questions are often posed in regard to the furniture in dorm rooms,where parents are asking other parents for picturesso they can better prepare their student prior tomoving in. Window sizes, storage space under thebed, outlets, you name it, it’s been asked. Again, whynot let your college student figure these things outfor themselves along with their roommates? Theyare not in middle school anymore and can very wellhandle figuring out what they need on their own. Ifthey ask for your help, then of course step in.Point blank, parents are asking questions on behalf of their children. If a student has a questionabout parking, or a class or something in regard tomove in day, teach them to pick up the phone andcall the appropriate person, you know, like an adultwould do.While we think parent to parent support is agreat resource, it has gone too far. Parents are posting pictures of their child in their dorm rooms as ifit is their first day of Kindergarten. We know thatparents are proud, as they should be, but wouldn’tthose pictures be better suited for a private page forfriends and family to see, instead of potentially embarrassing your child?If a student is having an issue with a roommate,parents are leaning on these pages to sort it out, asking for advice on how to handle it. Why not just tellyour student, how to handle it themselves? It is natural for parents to want to swoop in and save the dayand fix everything, but in doing so you are creatinga way for your young adult to not be self-sufficient.Common sense tells us, that if your student is having a roommate issue, they need to talk to their halldirector.Parents have asked questions such as ‘What winter jackets are boys wearing this year?’ ‘Does mychild need an umbrella?’ ‘Does anyone do grocerydelivery?’ ‘Where can my son sign up for activities?’These appear to us to be a bit over the top.Trust in your parenting and trust in your child totake care of their own needs. When parents hover, itcan have adverse effects. This doesn’t mean parentscan’t be involved or shouldn’t be involved in someway.When helicopter parents overparent, they aresending the message to their student that they cannot do these simple things on their own. A survey of450 students with helicopter parents, discovered thatthese individuals lacked the confidence in thinkingthey could accomplish their own goals in the workplace. As a result, they were more dependent onothers and had difficulty coping which led to an increase in anxiety and panic attacks when put underpressure. You will not be around forever, and yourchild is capable of handling things on their own. Thepurpose of child rearing is to teach them how to navigate the world on their own, so they can live the bestquality of life possible.The solution is to have a conversation with yourchild, and ask them how they want you to be involvedand how and when you can support them.TheBaysiderTO PLACE AN AD:Advertising ExecutiveTracy Lewis(603) 575-9127tracy@salmonpress.newsSUBSCRIPTION SERVICES:Kerri Peterson(603) 677-9085kerri@salmonpress.newsTO PRINT AN OBITUARY:E-MAIL:obituaries@salmonpress.newsCALL: 603-677-9084TO SUBMIT A LETTERTO THE EDITOR:E-MAIL:E-MAIL: josh@salmonpress.newsThe Baysider is published weekly bySalmon Press, P.O. Box 729,5 Water St., Meredith, NH 03253.ISSN: 1945-5836. USPS 024921periodicals postage paid at Meredith,NH 03253. POSTMASTER:Send address changes to the Baysider,P.O. Box 729,Meredith, NH 03253.The Baysiderpublished by SalmonPressPresident & PublisherFrank G. Chilinski(603) 677-9083frank@salmonpress.newsBusiness ManagerRyan Corneau(603) 677-9082ryan@salmonpress.newsOperations DirectorJim DiNicola(508) 764-4325Distribution ManagerJim Hinckley(603) 279-4516EditorJoshua Spaulding(603) 941-9155josh@salmonpress.newsManaging EditorBrendan Berube(603) 677-9081brendan@salmonpress.newsProduction ManagerJulie Clarke(603) 677-9092julie@@salmonpress.newsElissa PaquetteSummer visitorSummer visitor to the garden.Scientists say it’s possible that grasshoppers serve a role as pollinators.Letters to the EditornProud of the budgetTo the Editor:Democrats have vigorously decried severalpolicy decisions passedin the State budget bills,below is their real purposes. Investors in thenotorious FRM Ponzischeme will be reimbursedbecausetheState, from the AttorneyGeneral to the Banking Commissioner andothers, ignored over 70complaints against FRMcausing those losses.Democrats propose thecitizens take the hit fromgovernment failure toprotect citizens. Womenseekingabortions must haveultrasounds [routinelyused to determine themother condition andthe age of the fetus to protect the mother’s health].Democrats propose wekeep the slaughter of viable babies legal in NewHampshire up until themoment of birth. Public schools andprivatecorporationsdoing business with thestate are banned fromteaching as factual so-called “divisive concepts” like one’s racemakes one an oppressor;men are inherently rapists; or the only cure forpast discrimination isto discriminate on thebasis of race/sex. Democrats demand everyonebe taught to discriminate on the basis of raceor sex despite 250 yearsof us promoting judgment on the basis of aperson’s character. Parents who wantto send their kids to private or religious schoolsor to home-school themwill tax money fundedvouchers harming public schools. Democratswant every child trappedin a public school basedon zip code instead ofgiving parent’s morecontrol over where/howtheir children are educated.Republicansenacted policies to hold governmentaccountable,protect life, prevent discrimination, and expandliberty. We should beproud.Rep. Kurt WuelperStraffordEnough is enoughTo the Editor:This whole businessabout Covid vaccine istoo much. Sensible people have gotten theirshots. That’s great. It’sthe unvaccinated thatare the problem. Every day, we keep getting all the statisticsfrom the under vaccinated states. We beg,bribe and cajole peoplewho do not ever planon getting the vaccine.I say, leave them be. I’ma big fan of Charles Darwin. You know, “Surviv-al of the Fittest.” Theseanti-vaccine people aren’t the fittest by a longshot. They don’t believein science or vaccine. Agood part of the reasonis Trump. Rememberwhen he assured his supporters that Covid wasnothing? All talk about itwould end the day afterthe election. The Demsmade it all up. I wish thathad been true. We’ve hadwell over 600,000 deathsso far. Mr. “I Alone CanFix This” and “A VeryStable Genius” Trumpneeds to go to prison,soon. I get a kick then Ithink of him in a prisonjumpsuit, no lifts in hisflip flops, no orange facemakeup, no toupee. The“Real” Donald Trump.In Missouri, they’re veryRepublican Trump supporters. That has messedup the minds of the residents to the point thatthe public health peopleare advertising that ifthey call for an appointment it will be kept confidential and they’ll bein a private room to getthe shot and no one willknow. What happened totheir backbones?Remember Darwin?If people don’t have thebrain power to savethemselves and believethe crazy garbage theyread on Facebook overall the doctors who’vebegged people to getthe vaccine do we really want that shallow agene pool to continue? Itbrings us all down goingforward.BarbaraNoelBarnsteadLie, cheat and stealTo the Editor:Well, the left-wingloonies are at it again.They even invented anew term to describetheir demonstrations atthe Alton Traffic Centerin which they come outagainst our Americantraditions.It’s calleda “patriotic visibility.”They claim to be patriotsand maybe they wouldbe in China, North Koreaor Cuba. They don’t evenknow the type of government we have. It’s not aDemocracy [mob rule]it’s a Constitutional Republic. The DemocratParty is now made upchiefly of old hippies andyoung people who wereindoctrinated in ourpublic schools. We arenow getting the resultsof Democrats supportingthe teacher’s unions allthese years.President Trumpdid not incite the attackon the Capitol. That is alie, but then Democratsalways lie, cheat andsteal. Funny, they haveno problem with the riots in cities all over thecountry (run by Democrats) in which peopleare killed and millionsof dollars of damageis done to businesses,many of which wereowned by minoritieswho Democrats claim tosupport. Democrats sup-port Black Lives Matter and Antifa, Marxistgroups. And if you lookup the definition of theword insurrection youwill clearly see that itis not what happened atthe capital.As for states tryingto tighten up their election laws, why do youthink Democrats wantno proof of citizenshipat the polls? It’s so anyone can vote, includingillegal immigrants anddead people. Democratswin elections by lying,cheating and stealing,and the citizens of ourcountry know it. Included among the signaturesin the recent letter to theSun by the Tri- TownDemocrats is one of ourCounty Commissionerswho pretended to be aRepublican to get elected. Again, Democratslie, cheat and steal.Today’s DemocratParty, including the TriTown Democrats, arecommitted to destroyingour great country andthey have gone completely insane. Probablythey are increasing theirefforts because, like Satan himself, they knowtheir time is short.Phil WittmannAltosalmonpress.com

THE BAYSIDER, THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021A5North Country NotebookMammoths and mastodons, and place-names of the paster below the stupendousAmoskeag Falls as “Cohas Brook.”By John HarriganColumnistCohasse,Coashaukees, Coös County, andCohas Brook, not tomention Coos Bay (pronounced “cooze”) inthe Pacific Northwest--what’s an armchair historian and map aficionado to do?Place-name similarities occurred on earlymaps of New Hampshire,just as they did all alongthe East Coast. Pre-Revolution maps of NewHampshire tended to label everything above theFifteen Mile Falls (onthe Connecticut River,from Littleton on down)as the Upper CohasseIntervales, and called everything below them theLower Cohasse.The Fifteen-Mile Fallsbegan more or less at thetowns of Dalton, NewHampshire and Gilman,Vermont, and tumbledsouthward for aboutthat many miles in onefoaming cataract afteranother. Today, much ofthe fast water is buriedbehind dams.However, many wildand free stretches remain, enough to offerplenty of recreation forthe adventurous, fromeither side of the river.These range from nicelittle kayak runs to places just right for a forkedstick and a night-crawler. The curious needonly to scrutinize a goodmap, and seek them out. Early cartographersspelled the name of a little tributary that flowedinto the Merrimack Riv-There are at least twoobscure sources for thisname, and some day I’mgoing to check them out.I’ve always wondered ifearly Europeans weresimply confused between the Merrimackand the Connecticut rivers.“Up north,” after a

ALTON — The Alton Master Plan Committee invites members of the Alton Community to upcoming Master Plan Workshops to share their ideas and opin- . Cold Drinks, Face Painting, Music, and more! There will be activities and events for kids of all ages. Bake sale with lots of goodies provided by the Ch