New EKAL Activity Center Offers Fun Ways to Experience Lake Winnipesaukee

Scott Crowder stands outside the new EKAL Activity Center

Visitors to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire have always found a variety of ways to enjoy the water in the summertime. From swimming and waterskiing to sailing and speed boating, there is something for everyone here. One of the best ways to get on the water and explore is with a canoe or kayak, and now it’s even easier for guests and residents of Meredith to hop in and paddle, as a new activity center has opened on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee.

The new EKAL Activity Center in Meredith is part retail shop and part learning center, providing visitors with rentals of kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddle boards (SUP), and old-fashioned pedal boats, as well as lessons in how to best use the equipment. The center also offers guided tours of the lake on any of these watercrafts. Ekal opened last weekend to beautiful weather and people eager to begin a fun summer on the lake! Read the rest of this entry »

Annual Winnipesaukee Wine Festival Returns to Church Landing for 6th Year

The Lakes Region is gearing up for one of the biggest parties of the season, with two fun nights of fabulous food, wine, and music on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee that will showcase wines from around the world while raising funds for two local non-profit organizations.

The Sixth Annual Winnipesaukee Wine Festival will take place on Thursday, June 23^rd from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. in the Winnipesaukee Ballroom at Church Landing, where more than 100 domestic and international wines provided by over 20 vintners will be ready for sampling along with delicious hors d’oeuvres and appetizers.  These wonderful dishes will be prepared by several local eateries, including Lakehouse Grille, The Corner House Inn, The Coe House, Owen’s Farm Stand, Lago, and Camp.

The evening will also feature spirits and beer from local distilleries and breweries.  Peak Organic Brewing Company will be in the house, as well as Cisco Brewery of Nantucket, highlighting their Whale’s Tale Ale and Triple 8 martinis.  The freshly-mixed martinis will be served down an ice sculpture luge created by Jeff Day of Not So Plain Jane’s in Rumney and The Route 104 Diner in New Hampton.

Music for the event, which is hosted by The Common Man Family of Restaurants and The Martignetti Companies of New Hampshire, will be provided by the talented local jazz duo of Don Williams and David Tonkin, who play frequently throughout New Hampshire in various jazz ensembles and bands, and are also faculty members of the Concord Community Music School.

The Winnipesaukee Wine Fest 2010

Wine festival tickets are $50 per person, and all proceeds will benefit CHMM Community Caregivers and White Mountain Foster & Rescue.  Guests will enjoy the traditional raffle and live auction, and this year there are some great prizes up for grabs, including a seaside getaway in Nantucket, an overnight stay at Church Landing, and a getaway to an Adirondack-style cabin in Plymouth.  “It’s right next to our Italian Farmhouse,” says Diane Downing of the Common Man Family, who is organizing the festival.  “I did the décor on it…it is completely furnished in Adirondack style with a hot tub on the deck!”

The Inns and Spa at Mill Falls are helping out too, by extending a special rate just for the occasion.  With proof of your ticket purchase for the festival, a room at the Inn at Mill Falls is discounted from $169 to just $99.  You can wine and dine all night long and not worry about driving home!

The night before, on Wednesday, June 22^nd, a pre-Wine Festival Beach Party will be held at the Common Man’s Town Docks outdoor tiki bar, with some featured wines, tapas-style dishes, and live music performed by recording artist Robbie LaBlanc accompanied by Sal Rametta, Tom Teegan, and Mark Descoteaux.  Robbie has played with many Rock & Roll bands, including Toto and The Rascals, and now plays alongside his brother in a couple of local groups, as well as this annual gathering of talent.  “They are amazing,” says Diane, “They just pull together for this event, but all are amazing musicians in their own right.”  Admission to this event is free and a portion of the proceeds will also benefit the two organizations.

Join the fun while helping a good cause at the Sixth Annual Winnipesaukee Wine Festival!  For more information, visit thecman.com, or call 603-968-9330 to order tickets.  Space is limited and advanced tickets and reservations are strongly suggested.  For the special room rate at the Inns, please call 800-622-6455 and mention the Winnipesaukee Wine Festival.  Hope to see you there!

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

Image credit: dicktay2000 at Flickr.com

37th Annual Lake Winnipesaukee Antique & Classic Boat Show at Meredith Town Docks

Vintage Boats Lined up at last year's Boat Show

Come to Meredith this Saturday, July 24^th to see one of the biggest gatherings of classic wooden boats Lake Winnipesaukee has to offer.  Town Docks will be hosting The New England Chapter of Antique & Classic Boat Society’s 37^th Annual Lake Winnipesaukee Antique & Classic Boat Show, and the organizers have stated that last year’s show was so successful, more docking will be added this year!

The event begins on Friday, July 23^rd, when participants in the juried show arrive in the afternoon for a Judging Clinic followed by a registration and cocktail reception, where guests can enjoy hors d’ oeuvres and live music.

Plan to be at the docks early on Saturday to watch the beautiful wooden boats arrive under their own power between 7 and 9am.  Over 80 vintage boats are expected to pull up and be on display throughout the day.  All models of antique and classic boats are welcome, and the organizers are expecting a large showing of Chris-Craft boats, as Chris-Craft will be the marque boat this year.

The day will wrap up with an awards dinner at Chase House at The Inns and Spa at Mill Falls.  Tony Mollica, author of Building Chris-Craft: Inside the Factories, will be the special guest and will give a talk on the history of Chris Smith and his Chris Craft boats.  Mr. Mollica will also be at the boat show during the day to autograph copies of his several books.

There is still space available if you would like your classic boat to be part of the festivities!  For more information, visit the Boat Society’s website here.

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

photo courtesy of The New England Chapter of Antique & Classic Boat Society

The 5th Annual Winnipesaukee Wine Festival at Church Landing!

Get ready for two great nights of music, food, and wine next week, as the Fifth Annual Winnipesaukee Wine Festival and the Pre-Festival Beach Party come to the shores of Meredith Bay on Wednesday, June 23^rd and Thursday the 24^th!

The Wine Festival will be held on Thursday from 5:30 – 8:00 in the Winnipesaukee Ballroom at Church Landing, where 21 vendors and winemakers will offer tastings of hundreds of fine wines accompanied by delicious hors d’oeuvres.  These delectable dishes will be prepared by several local eateries, including Lakehouse Grille, The Corner House Inn, The Coe House, Wild Coyote Grill, Owen’s Farm Stand, Town Docks, Lago, and Camp.

Also on hand will be Cisco Brewers, a microbrewery and distillery from Nantucket, offering samples of their small-batch beers, as well as their popular Triple Eight Vodka.  They will even set up an ice bar, where folks can enjoy martinis poured through the ice luge!

Music will be provided by the talented local jazz duo of Don Williams and David Tonkin, who play frequently throughout New Hampshire in various jazz ensembles and bands, and are also on staff at the Concord Community Music School.  Nothing goes better with fine wine and food than great jazz music!

A $50 donation per person is requested, and all proceeds benefit The Haiti Limb Project, a small charity that was started locally to help survivors of the recent earthquake in Haiti.  All the money raised will be hand delivered to the people who directly help the amputees there.

The Inns and Spa at Mill Falls are helping out too, by extending special rates just for the occasion.  With proof of your ticket purchase for the festival, a room at Mill Falls is $99, and a room at Chase House or Bay Point only $109.  You can wine and dine all night long and not worry about driving home!

Frank Barbagallo of Duckhorn Wine Company in Napa Valley, California pours samples for attendees at last year's Winnipesaukee Wine Festival.

“It’s the biggest bang for your buck,” says Diane Downing of the Common Man Family, who is organizing the event.  “There will be over 100 wines, beautiful food, wonderful music, rooms at the Inns at half price… and every penny goes to our charity.”

To top it off, there will be a raffle for the fundraiser with some great prizes, including magnums of wine from some of the vendors, an overnight stay at the Inns and Spa at Mill Falls, an overnight stay at the Common Man Inn, something special from Wholly Tara Boutique in Ashland, and a vacation package of three nights and four days for four people at a beach cottage on Nantucket.

Kick off the event early at the Pre- Festival Beach Party to be held at Town Docks Wednesday evening at 6:00.  Enjoy some summer sangria while you dance on the sand!  Robbie Leblanc, formerly of Toto, will be there with his new band to keep the party jumping!  There will be no cover charge for this event and half the proceeds will go to the Haiti Limb Project.

These two days of festivities are “more than just sipping wine,” says Diane.  “These people give so much.”  To join the fun and the good cause, call the Common Man Family at 603-968-9330 or visit their website at www.thecman.com.  For the special room rates at the Inns, please call 800-622-6455 and mention the Winnipesaukee Wine Festival.  Hope to see you there!

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

Image credit:  yashima at Flickr.com

“Freezin’ for a Reason” in Meredith

Come on out for a good cause tomorrow—the second annual Winnipesaukee Dip to benefit the Special Olympics of New Hampshire (SONH) will be taking place at noon near the Meredith town docks on Sunday, January 10^th.  The Winni Dip is one of the fundraising efforts of the Law Enforcement Torch Run sponsored by the NH Association of Chiefs of Police.  Approximately one hundred dippers representing police, fire, emergency response crews, and other public safety agencies are expected to plunge into the ice-cold waters of Lake Winnipesaukee to benefit the 3,500 participants of SONH.

Participation is open to everyone, and it’s not too late to sign up.  Registration is taking place online at the SONH website, or on the day of the event at the Winnipesaukee Ballroom at Church Landing.  A twenty-five dollar, non-refundable commitment fee is due at registration for each individual and a total of $250 in contributions is the minimum to participate.

The costume theme for this year’s event is “Superheroes.”  Prizes will be awarded for individuals and teams with the best costumes, as well as to individuals and teams who raise the most money for SONH.

Carol Cray, Special Olympics Development Director, said that the Winni Dip Management Team expects the number of participants in 2010 to be double that of 2009.

Participants may also designate 15% of the funds they raise to the not-for-profit organization or government agency of their choice.  Mike Sielicki, Chief of Police in Rindge and Director of the Torch Run said, “This is a great way for all public safety agencies to support the Special Olympics and earn some money for local projects.”

So even if you’re not dipping in the Lake, come down to Meredith tomorrow to cheer on those brave “Superheroes!”

sources:

http://www.nh.com/features/recreation/505084-167/meredith-gets-ready-for-2nd-annual-winni.html

http://www.sonh.org/winnidip/

36th Annual Antique & Classic Boat Show

36 Annual Classic Boat Show

July 25th, Meredith Public Docks

The 36th annual Antique & Classic Boat Show at the Meredith public docks is a huge gathering of beautiful antique and classic wooden boats, with large crowds and over 80 vintage wooden boats on display all day in a judged competition. This is quite a sight to behold, and for a special treat get to the docks early on Saturday morning to watch and listen as the vintage boats arrive under their own power. There will also be a large static display of vintage race boats. The sights and sounds are magnificent, and to get an idea of the magnitude of this gathering of wooden boats, please take a moment to view our photo album from last year’s ACBS Meredith Boat Show.

This year’s 36th Annual Boat Show will be very special, featuring a very large showing of Gar Wood antique and classic boats, including an expanded display area of Gar Wood vintage race boats. Tony Mollica, author of Gar Wood Boats: Classics of a Golden Era, will also be our special guest at the Awards Dinner on Saturday night, and will give a talk on Gar Wood and his very special boats. He will also be available at the Boat Show to autograph copies of his several books. If you have one, bring it along. If you wish to buy one of his books, copies will be available for purchase.

For participants, don’t miss our Friday afternoon Judging Clinic and Friday evening reception, and plan on arriving early for our Boat Show on Saturday morning, as we are expecting another large turnout of antique and classic boats. As usual, the weather forecast for our 36th Annual Boat Show in Meredith will be sunny and hot, as we fill the Meredith public docks with our beautiful vintage boats.

The show is presented by the New England Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, a very active local group of over 300 members. Our boat show registration form is printed in our Cutwater publication, and a special registration mailing to all chapter members will soon be mailed. Please register early to help us plan for a gala event, hope to see you there ???!!!  Visit the website to learn more: www.necacbs.org/MeredithBoatShow.htm