Volume 36 Number 1

The Good News Paper

January 2015

JoAnn Doke Retires After 30 Years with the Puddledock

kept the Puddledock alive by selling advertising space
in the paper to local businesses, a practice which
continues to fund the Puddledock to this day.
JoAnn started with the Puddledock in 1984 as its
advertising and billing manager. She rose to the ranks
of editor when the editor at the time failed to show up
for a meeting and soon dropped out of the picture
altogether. Over the next 30 years, under JoAnn's
steady leadership and guidance the paper continued to
thrive and grow. At the high point, she was printing
1200 papers. In recent years, the number has been
reduced to 600 to save on printing costs. The paper is
also available on the Farmington Historical Society's
website, where is can be read online or you can
download a digital copy.

JoAnn Doke holds the first issue of the Puddledock Press.

As the Puddledock enters the Digital Age, it seems

fitting to dedicate this issue and the front page to the
woman who made it all possible. If it wasn't for the
strength of will of our editor of the past 30 years, the
Puddledock would have most likely been a lost piece of
history, just one more thing Farmington used to have.
But because of JoAnn's amazing leadership over the past
30 years, the paper has not only survived, it has thrived.
The Puddledock Press was first published in December
of 1979. It began with a school grant from the Mott
Foundation of Flint Michigan with the purpose of
bringing the school and community together through a
local newspaper, published by the school and distributed
throughout the town. Under the grant, the paper was
published by a group of volunteers who worked through
the Main Street School's School-Community
Coordinator. After the grant concluded, the volunteers

During JoAnn's tenure as editor, the Puddledock office

moved several times. From the school, it moved to the
Town Hall , now the Recreation Center, basement.
Then had a store front office in the Hayward Block. It
occupied a suite of offices above Palmer's Hardware
before settling back to the Recreation Center, taking
over the old police station office, where it currently
exists. While JoAnn is leaving the editor's role, she
will still be involved in some aspects of the paper, and
promises not to disappear as her former editor did. She
will guide the Puddledock into its second generation.
The Town of Farmington applauds JoAnn's efforts and
honors her for the 30 years of ups and downs that
occur when publishing a local community newspaper
with only a handful of volunteer staff.
The Puddledock Press offers a unique picture of our
Farmington communty. The Good News paper that
touts the virtues of our small town and local color.
Newcomers and life-long residents, of every age
eagerly await its arrival at the local store counter tops
and office shelves where it can be found, every month.
For Free. For the last 35 years. Thanks, JoAnn.
Photo credit: John Nolan, The Rochester Times

Around the Town

Tuesday, Jan. 6th
6:00 PM Homesteading Roundtable
Goodwin Library Mason jar candles, materials supplied.

January 2015

The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Joy Arnold

Goodwin Library
Friday, Jan. 23rd
3:00 PM Teen Craft

Friday, Jan. 9th

3:00 PM Teen Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy (PG-13)
Goodwin Library

Tuesday, Jan. 27th

5:00-7:30 PM Family Game and Craft Night

Saturday, Jan. 10th

10:30AM 1:30PM Bricks for Kids: building with Legos
Goodwin Library
10:30 AM 1:30 PM The Henry Wilson Museum open
lower level of the Goodwin Library

Recurring Events
Magic: The Gathering weekly players group
Tuesdays, from 5:30 7:30 PM
Farmington Town Players Rehearsal
Wednesdays, 7:00 PM Recreation Center
Sundays, 6:00 PM Recreation Center

Tuesday, Jan. 13th

5:30 PM Community Cinema: Dolphin Tale 2 (PG)
Goodwin Library

GED classes meet every Thursday at the library from

9 AM noon. Contact Debbie Liskow at 742-1030.

Wednesday, January 14th

6:00 PM Friends of the Goodwin Library Meeting
Goodwin Library

Farmington Historical Society

Monthly, first Friday, 7:00 PM
Henry Wilson Museum, Goodwin Library lower level

Tuesday, Jan. 20th

6:00 PM Tuesdays with Tea Book Discussion

Publishing Good News in Farmington, NH since 1979

Healthcare Marketplace
Enrollment for healthcare is open. For more information
contact Service Link at 603-332-7398.

The Puddledock Press is published monthly by an all volunteer

staff. To have a news item, or story of local interest considered
for publication, please submit via email to
PuddledockPress@gmail.com, attach any photos or images to
your email, along with your full name, address, phone number,
and organization, if appropriate.
Articles and photos are printed at the discretion of the staff,
space permitting. Advertizing is available at monthly,
semiannual and yearly rates. For more information, please call
603-973-3114 or email PuddledockPress@gmail.com.

Publishing Staff
Stan Freeda

Managing Editor

JoAnn Doke

Operations Adviser

Barbara Rollins

Recipes

Juanita Elliott

staff

Cheryl Howard

staff

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January 2015

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Holy Rosary Credit Union Christmas Caring Campaign

Donated $6,100 to Local Charities

The Interfaith Food Pantry of Farmington received $2000 donation from the Christmas Caring Campaign. Pictured from left to
right: Ron Vachon, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, HRCU; Don Marble, Interfaith Food Pantry; Paul LaPierre, Interfaith
Food Pantry; Brian Hughes, President & CEO, HRCU; Paul Turner, Board of Directors, HRCU.

Holy Rosary Credit Union (HRCU) concluded their

Christmas Caring Campaign this past December by
presenting four more local non-profit organizations
with $6,100 in holiday donations. Strafford Nutrition
Meals on Wheels, St. Elizabeth Seton School,
Spaulding High School Raider Station Student Pantry,
and the Interfaith Food Pantry in Farmington were the
grateful recipients of the charitable contributions.
HRCUs Christmas Caring Campaign took place over
three weeks in December and recognized fifteen local
non-profit organizations with a total of $20,000 in
charitable giving.

expected to exceed $100,000. We still have a long way

to go, said Boutin, but this donation is a huge jumpstart
for our fundraising.

The SHS Raider Station Student Pantry, which provides

food and personal care products to students in need,
received a $500 donation from HRCU, as well as over
$600 in products including jackets, gloves, backpacks,
and hygiene items. Believe it or not, there is a real
problem with hungry and homeless students at school,
said Maureen Catlin, Alternative Pathways Secretary at
Spaulding High School. It is through donations like this
that we can make sure students are given some form of
We are once again blessed this holiday season to be
care and security overnight, on weekends and during
able to recognize those outstanding organizations right school vacations.
here in our community, said Brian Hughes, President
Strafford Nutrition Meals on Wheels, located in
& CEO of HRCU. What made this year particularly
Somersworth, and the Interfaith Food Pantry in
special was that the staff and volunteers of HRCU had
Farmington both received $2,000 donations from HRCU.
a chance to visit all of the recipients and see first-hand
Meals on Wheels will use the contribution to continue
all the good that happens in our neighborhoods every
providing over 500 local Seniors with hot meals daily,
day.
while the Interfaith Food Pantry will use the money over
At a presentation at St. Elizabeth Seton School,
the course of 2015 to support more than 80 families a
Principal Suzanne T. Boutin was handed a check for
month with food and hygiene provisions.
$1,000 from HRCU that is earmarked for the schools
To donate or volunteer with any of the non-profit
Sprinkler System Fund. The Catholic elementary
organizations mentioned, contact HRCU Marketing
school in Rochester is currently fundraising to
Coordinator Michael Mengers at (603) 332-6840.
upgrade their fire alarm system and install a sprinkler
Photo credit: Holy Rosary Credit Union
system throughout the building. The renovations are
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January 2015

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Farmington Town Players to Put on The Iliad, The Odyssey

and all of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less
On a simple stage, with the clock ticking in front of
everyone's eyes, the cast speeds through all of Greek
Mythology. Its funny, updated and made easy to
understand. The Gods walk the Red Carpet. The
Creation of Mankind is a botched subcontractors job.
Man and Pandora try settling down despite an
ominous wedding gift. Love stories are a dating show
and the Greek Tragedies are sports highlights! And
don't forget the two greatest stories ever told, The Iliad
and The Odyssey. Kidnap Helen of Troy and you've
got a 10 year slap-fight of epic proportions with pouty
Achilles, war-hungry Agamemnon, and clever
Odysseus, destined to wander the seas for 10 more
years fighting giants, seductresses and the Gods
themselves. All the silly decisions, the absurd
destinies, and the goofy characters are presented
lightning-bolt fast with hysterical results as the clock
is stopped with only seconds to spare.

and Homer's epic poems ...would make Cliffs-Notes and

Monty Python proud... Hopkins and Hunter use pop
culture to spoof some of the more overly dramatic Greek
moments and do a wonderful job of picking up on all the
things that never made sense in these traditional stories-"
- Orlando Sentinel
The Town Players are rehearsing every Sunday and
Wednesday nights until the opening of the play, which is
tentatively scheduled for April 10-11 at the Farmington
Recreation Center.

"This riotous distillation of classic Greek mythology

--------------------------------------------------------

Gardening in January
January doesn't seem like a very good time for
gardening, but there are lots of things you can do
during the cold winter months that will help your
gardens flourish come spring time. Here is a brief to
do list for January.
Check your leftover seeds and make sure you have
what you need for spring planting.
Order seeds and other garden supplies that need to
be replenished.
Take cuttings from any fruit trees you want to
graft. These twigs can be wrapped in a wet paper
towel, placed in a plastic bag and stored in the
freezer until spring.
Draw out your garden plans, so you don't have to
do it in the springtime.
Check your tools and equipment and make any
necessary repairs or replacements.
Build a trellis or any fencing or arbors you might

The Puddledock Press

want to add to the garden.

Start seeds of pansies, snapdragons, and other hardy
perennials.
Where there is no snow cover, push back any plants
that have heaved out of the ground because of freezethaw cycles.
Start geraniums from cuttings of plants. Cut back
and repot any started geraniums that are getting
leggy. Place in a cool, bright window.
Keep your bird feeders well stocked so overwintering
birds will not forget your spot.
So you have plenty to do as winter deepens and we move
toward spring.
For more information, read To-Do List for January in
Organic Gardening at www.organicgardening.com/learnand-grow/do-list-january.

Help Make Our Gardens Blossom

Consider volunteering some time at the Gardens.
Whether it is weeding at the Gardens for an hour or
joining the Stewardship Committee, we invite you to
participate! For more information: FCG@metrocast.net

January 2015

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From the Past Editor, JoAnn

Says Goodbye

put in long hours and worked for as long as they felt they
could. I wouldn't begin to list them in fear of forgetting
someone. Some of those volunteers have passed away
and are remembered fondly.

As you can see, the

Puddledock Press has a
new look! That's
because there is a new
editor on the job. Stan
Freeda agreed to take on
the job after I decided to
"retire" after 30 years of
volunteering.

I would be remiss not to mention the advertisers who

financially support this free publication. Some of our
current advertisers have been with us since the
beginning. Please patronize their businesses and thank
them for their support.

During those many

years, I have been so
fortunate to work with
JoAnn Doke, retiring after 30
years as editor.
the most dedicated and
hard-working people you would want to know. They

The Puddledock Press

I will miss working with the current staff who

contributed so much- Barbara Rollins, Juanita Elliott and
Cheryl Howard. Thanks for sticking with me all these
years.
I hope our readers will respect and support Stan in his
efforts to continue this publication. I know he will do a
great job and I look forward to joining the ranks of the
readers now!

January 2015

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Food Drive at Valley

View Help Needy
The students and teachers at Valley View
Community School recently sponsored a
food drive and collected 717 food items for

Siobhan's Table Opens to Rave

Reviews
The Farmington Economic Committee recently welcomed
"Siobhan's Table, Inc." to Farmington with a ribbon cutting
ceremony. Facebook has been all lit up with folks from
Farmington just raving about the food. So stop by and welcome
this new business to our Farmington Community. Siobhan's Table
is located at 83 Charles Street (Rt 153) in Farmington, "Siobhan's
Table" offers catering, carry-out, dine-in and variety store items
for sale. Her freshly prepared dishes are available during
operating hours of Tuesday through Saturday 7:00 AM - close or
by appointment.
Front: owner/chef Siobhan Magee Horton and Committee members Ann
Titus and Joan Funk. Back: Farmington Police Officer J. Langley, David
Horton, Committee member Elaine Aylard, Landlord Bill Tsiros and

the needy. The students were excited to

help and keep a running tally, helping with
their math skills. The teachers and staff at
VVCS "adopted" four needy families and
bought gifts. Pictured with two of the
students is teacher Linda Ghareeb.

Farmington Fire Chief Peter Lamb.

Call 603-839-1001 for more information, or find them on

Facebook at www.facebook.com/siobhanstable.

Farmington Recreation Center Upcoming Events

Tickets are $25 per couple. $10 for each additional child.
Daddy Daughter Dance: Friday, February 13, from 6:00 8:00 PM
Mom and Son Night: Friday, February 27, from 6:00 8:00 PM
After School Program
Recreation Staff pick up your children from school every day and transport them to the Recreation Center where
they can engage in various activities. You can pick up your children anytime before 5:30 PM . 603-755-2405
The Puddledock Press

January 2015

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Dottie Bean to be Honored For Years of Service to

Farmington Community
Chagnon of Farmington and Leo Lessard of Milton.
Both men served our communities well by holding
local, county and state offices. After the success of that
first dinner, the committee decided to make the Tri
Town Honors Dinner an annual event that would
recognize a member of each community for the good
work that individual has done to enrich the quality of
life in our towns and surrounding communities.

Dottie Bean will be honored at a Dinner to be held in May.

The Democratic Town Committees from New Durham,

Farmington, and Milton meet together monthly as the
TriTown Democratic Committee. Last year, the
TriTown Committee decided to host a TriTown Honors
Dinner in order to bring attention to the fact that we
have some amazing folks who live in our communities,
and dedicate their energies and efforts to make our
communities better places to live, work, and raise
families. The first honorees of the awards were Ron

The Puddledock Press

This year, the Farmington Committee selected Dottie

Bean to receive the second Honors Award. Dottie has
made outstanding contributions to our community.
Her continued work with the Farmington Historical
Society, the Farmington Woman's Club, the Boy
Scounts, and Blessed Bargains are among the many
philanthropic and altruistic activities which earned
Dottie this honor. She is a dedicated, strong willed
woman, who consistently improves the lives of others in
our community, and our community as a whole by her
many and varied civic contributions.
Dottie will be honored at the annual TriTown Honors
Dinner, which will be held at the Farmington Recreation
Center on Saturday, May 2, 2015, from 6:00 8:30 PM.
Information about the dinner will come in the coming
months. The Milton Committee selected to honor
Victor Joos for his contributions and the New Durham
Committee will honor Cathy Allyn.

January 2015

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1 stick margarine, melted

2 cans creamed corn
1 cup milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat eggs well in a large
bowl. Add sugar, flour, melted margarine, corn, and
milk and mix well. Pour into greased casserole dish
and Bake for 45 60 minutes until firm.

German Chowder

Stuffing Meatloaf
This recipe for meatloaf is easy and delicious. The
prep is clean and clean up is a breeze! You can
replace the ground beef with vegetarian crumbles
and make it vegetarian in a snap! Add some
barbecue sauce for a spicy version.
Ingredients
1 package dry stuffing mix
1 cup warm water
1 lb ground beef
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 package onion soup mix

Ingredients

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat the inside of bundt
pan with cooking spray. Place warm water, onion soup
mix, and dry stuffing in a bowl and mix well. Let sit
for 5 minutes to all bread time to absorb water. Add
eggs and ground beef. Mix well, use you rhands to get
it all mixed thoroughly. Place evenly in a bundt pan.
You can also use muffin tins for individual loafs. Bake
for 1 hour at 350 degrees, or until meat is cooked.

Southern Grandma's Corn

Pudding

4 eggs
cup sugar
4 Tbsp flour
The Puddledock Press

1 lb fully cooked Polish kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch

pieces
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small head of cabbage, shredded or finely chopped
(4
cups)
2 cups water
1 10 1/2 oz can chicken broth
2 cups half and half
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Directions

A wonderful side dish that goes great with ham or

pork. It's a crowd pleaser at holiday gatherings,
and family dinners alike. This smooth, creamy
dish is definitely comfort food.
Ingredients

This is a very flavorful soup that is just so good on a

cold winter night. Served with hot French bread or a
hearty homemade bread, it is yummy and warm. Polska
kielbasa, cabbage, potatoes and Swiss cheese make this
a satisfying chowder that is full of delightful flavors and
won't leave you hungry . Replace the kielbasa with
vegetarian sausages and the chicken broth with an
additional can of water and some vegetable base for a
hearty vegetarian chowder. This is also a delicious
chowder when mixed with Cheddar cheese in place of
the Swiss.

Combine sausage, potatoes, onion, cabbage, water, and

chicken broth in a crock pot. Cook 4-5 hours or until
potatoes are tender. Strir in the half and half, evaporated
milk, and cheese. Stir and cook until heated through
and cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper.

Here's a cooking tip!

Presoak your pasta in a sealed bag with water for a
couple of hours overnight and it will cook in 1 minute!
January 2015

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Henry Wilson Museum Moves Towards Modernization

by Kyle Leach

At the Farmington Historical Society and the Henry

Wilson Museum we have a large, diverse collection of
thousands of documents, photos, and artifacts that
span many eras and disciplines in North American
history and encompass treasures of local, regional, and
national value. Not many people know about our
collection, but that is going to change.

and I think one of the best ways is to bring history to life

is by broadening exposure to it in both the physical realm
and via various forms of digital recreation . That is one of
the reasons I felt it important to develop office hours for
the curator, redevelop the Farmington Historical Society
website for the social media age, and build an online
museum for cataloging and displaying our collections.
The number of items you can see online now is limited,
but that number will only grow as we have time to add
items to the online collection.
I look forward to taking care of your submissions and
future donations and as a proud community member I
look forward to hearing and recording your stories. I
hope you find inspiration, solace, and perspective from
the activities of the Farmington Historical Society and the
Henry Wilson Museum. I am honored to hold this post
and Ill do my best to respect our past, while helping us
focus forward as we move further into the next
century.You can visit the Farmington Historical Society
online at www.FarmingtonNHHistory.org. Select the
Henry Wilson Museum tab to visit the online exhibits.

The Henry Wilson Museum in the lower level of the Goodwin

Library on Main Street.

As curator of the Farmington Historical Society and

the Henry Wilson Museum it is my mission not to
simply preserve stories and artifacts for future
generations, but to make our history accessible to our
citizens. I think it is important to get them excited
about our towns future by learning about our rich
past, the determined people of our town, and the many
narratives woven into the art, photographs, costumes,
tools, and scientific representations in our collection.
For history to be relevant in the 21st century the
people who learn about history need to connect to it

The Puddledock Press

Take a Selfie with Henry!

The Farmington Historical Society is celebrating Henry
Wilson's birthday, which is coming up on Feb 16th. The
Society invites you to get in on the fun. Take a selfie
with a portrait, picture, statue, or image of Henry Wilson
and post it on our Facebook page. Be as crazy and
creative as you like! Then go through the others and
like your favorites. The selfie with the most likes will
win a $10 gift certificate to Siobhan's Table. On
Saturday, February 14th, the Museum will be open for a
birthday party celebration. Come on down and have
some cake!

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Donations to Teachers
The Farmington Womans Club wanted to make up to the
teachers of our three schools for the canceled Faculty Tea
this fall. Besides the monetary donations made earlier
this winter, the club members baked and bought cookies
and treats up to the three schools as a small token of the
club's appreciation for the teacher's efforts.

Scholarships to Students
The Farmington Woman's Club gave financial
scholarships to two FHS class of 2014 graduates. The
scholarships are annually awarded upon completion of
their first semester of college. The recipients are: Ben
Howard, son of Casey and Patty Howard, who is
studying Biomedical Science at UNH and Jordan
Watson, daughter of Jim and Kandia Watson. Jordan is
studying nursing at the University of New England.
The FWC wishes both of these students the best in
their educational endeavors.

Pictured are: FWC member JoAnn Doke, Ben Howard, Jordan

Watson and FWC member Resta Detwiler.
photo by Rebecca Howard
--------------------------------

President Stephanie Roux passes a donation check to Valley

View Community School Nurse, Lynn Olden.

Teacher's can use the donation for clothing, hats, coats, or

whatever students at the school might need to help them.
The Farmington Woman's Club, in lieu of a Christmas
exchange between members, always takes up a collection
at their Christmas social, and this year chose the school
as one of the recipients.
For over 100 years, the Farmington Woman's Club has
been a strong supporter of the Farmington community.
Their mission is to promote social, ethical , and
intellectual culture, to further education and to make each
member a power for goodness in the community. The
club is always on the lookout to welcome new members
into the community.

The Puddledock Press

January 2015

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January 4: Roast Pork with Scalloped Potatoes

January 18: Macaroni and Cheese with Ham
The Mustard Seed is a community inspired meal,
served on the first and third Sunday of each month at
the First Congregational Church, Main Street, in
Farmington, NH. Our goal is to provide a well
balanced, home cooked meal, in a social atmosphere.
The cost of the meal is left up to each person. We ask
for donations so that we can cover our costs for the

dinners and keep the Mustard Seed in operation. Though

we do suggest a $3.00 minimum donation, we welcome
everyone, regardless of their ability to donate. All meals
include coffee, tea, cold beverages, rolls, dessert, and a
fresh salad, which is made by you from the small salad
style choices. We often also offer a fruit salad. Except for
our one main course and dessert per person limit, the rest
of the meal is unlimited. Along with the main menu, we
also offer an endless salad bar (both green and fruit) and
an assortment of beverages. Salad fixings and fruit salad
composition may vary with availability. Vegetarian and
gluten free choices are available upon request.
Doors open at 2:30 and dinner is served from 3:00 PM
until 5:00 PM. Please use the ramp entrance on the side
of the church to enter. Find out more at
www.TheMustardSeedCafe.org.

Venture Crew 55 Learns CPR/ First Aid

by Sue Dooley

Venture Crew 55, a co-ed scout group for students age

14 21, serving the towns of Farmington and
Middleton, took a class on CPR/First Aid on Dec 27th
2014 at True memorial church in Rochester. Instructor
Christine Wilson taught Brian Dow, Danny Rhine,
Danyelle Baker and Bill Lawrence in the art of
administering first aid and CPR. Participating adults
were Kimo Dorley and Sue Dooley

Next community service events for the crew is to start

writing their donation letters for the NH Renaissance

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Faire. The kids write many letters and send them out to
help out the many volunteers who spend many hours
cleaning, planning and putting on the Renaissance Faire,
which is held in Kingston NH.

The Crew also will be sending out donation letter to

gather material for a community sign in Middleton. The
group has previously been involved in food drives,
clothing drives, and has sponsored a dance to support
Special Olympics. Camping trips are being planned.

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