Page 8 — THE LACONIA DAILY SUN, Thursday, May 20, 2021

LACONIA – Ready to see some live music? If so, you won’t have to wait long, because the Belknap Mill’s Arts in the Park season is kicking off this Friday night.

Performing in the gazebo at Rotary Park, start-ing at 6 p.m., will be a trio of musicians whose roots together stretch back more than 50 years: James Montgomery, Bob McCarthy and Billy Martin.

In 1967, Montgomery had just arrived in Boston from his native Michigan, to attend Boston Univer-sity. On his first day in Beantown, he spotted McCa-rthy getting out of a car with a guitar case in tow. Montgomery, a harmonica player, ran across the street to introduce himself. Martin, a bass player who was also studying at BU, joined the fold shortly thereafter.

All three men went on to build their own careers in music. McCarthy followed the acoustic blues path, while Montgomery, who now lives in Rhode Island, found success with electrified blues. Martin, who lives in Vermont, diversified himself by studying orchestral music.

Whatever path they took, they found themselves in the doldrums once the pandemic hit last year. Aside from the occasional outdoors performance or the odd Zoom concert, they were unable to do the thing that had been their thing for a half century:

perform live music.Although Friday night’s show will be outdoors, and

with some COVID precautions still in place, McCar-thy said it is starting to feel like the old times again.

“I’m just glad to be doing it, actually. It’s hard on all musicians, no matter how famous you are or how famous you aren’t,” McCarthy said, “Everyone is in the same situation. Whether you’re Mick Jagger, or Bob McCarthy in Laconia, you haven’t worked.”

Montgomery has done one performance with his band since they have all been vaccinated. For McCar-thy and Martin, this will be the first live performance of the year. McCarthy said the set list is a chance to follow the three college buddies down memory lane.

“We’re going to do what we started out doing in Boston – an acoustic set,” McCarthy said. Some of the songs would have been among those standards that they first used to get to know one another as musi-cians: Atlanta Blues, Lay Me a Pallet on your Floor, San Francisco Blues.

“Then we converted some of (Montgomery’s) elec-tric stuff into acoustic, so that should be interesting,” McCarthy said.

Though all three followed their own path, those paths often criss-crossed or parallelled each other, meaning they have spent many, many hours per-forming together over the decades. There’s a value to that kind of familiarity, McCarthy said.

“There’s a camaraderie when you meet someone when you’re 18 years old, and now you’re in your 70s, and still playing music. That’s pretty special,” McCa-

rthy said. “You don’t have that with too many people.”The Arts in the Park series is one of the favorites at

the Belknap Mill, said Tara Shore, operations man-ager for the nonprofit organization.

“To bring live music back to the park for the whole public to enjoy, all summer long, it just brings so much joy to the whole community,” Shore said. “We are beyond excited.”

Shore said there will be some measures in place this summer in a nod to the lingering threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Squares will be set out on the grass to promote social distancing between groups of audience members, performers will be asked to maintain a 10-foot distance between them and the audience, and people who are entering the Mill to use the restrooms will be asked to wear face masks.

“We will have a few guidelines in place to keep everyone in the community comfortable,” Shore said.

The Belknap Mill folks get excited about building each year’s schedule, then they get excited again when an old favorite or a new name agrees to come perform in the scenic riverside Rotary Park. For Shore, though, the best part of the Arts in the Park series is when she can look through the audience and see them connect through music.

“Just a lot of smiles. You look around the park, someone’s smiling, someone’s tapping their foot, someone has jumped up and started dancing,” Shore said. “To be outside on a beautiful summer evening and listening to live music, what could be better?”

By AdAm drApchoTHE LACONIA DAILY SUN

Blues veterans to kick off Arts in the Park series

James Montgonery, left, Billy Martin and Bob McCarthy rehearse for their Friday evening performance at Rotary Park in Laconia to kick off the Belknap Mill’s Arts in the Park series. Beau the dog acts like he’s heard it all before. (Courtesy photo)

THE LACONIA DAILY SUN, Thursday, May 20, 2021 — Page 9

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I cannot recall a time when there has been so much anticipation around Memo-

rial Day. As we think of all the men and women who have given their lives in service to our coun-try, we must also think about all the essential workers and medi-cal personnel, at all levels, who have and continue to lead us through the COVID pandemic. These men and women have also dedicated service to our country and to all of us.

This year Memorial Day will not just represent the beginning of summer, it will also be the first time many of us feel truly comfortable gathering together without wear-ing a mask.

What a glorious spring it has been. I adore the tall, thin, elegant tulips clustered around trees and in our gardens. It’s lovely watch-ing as new blossoms of all sorts in red, pink, yellow, white, and various colors quietly sway to the rhythm of the gentle spring winds. As trees begin to bloom their blossoms often bend the branches to the ground as they preen and pose for us, delighted to have their bare branches covered. We stand quietly in admi-ration of their beauty.

It is also exciting to think of all the cultural and other activities available in the Lakes Region this summer. There is a new vessel on Lake Winnipesaukee, named the Winnipesau-kee Spirit. The Spirit has two decks, indoor/outdoor seating, and two small lounge areas and can be chartered or rented for gatherings.

We have all been watching and waiting for the reopening of the Colonial Theater in down-town Laconia. This summer one can enjoy theater and concerts seated in the handsome and elegant interior that has been so carefully brought back to its former grandeur.

My favorite ice cream stands will open. It’s always a question of whether to order pista-chio or chocolate. Then, to contemplate one scoop or two? Or just to give in and order a hot chocolate fudge on a few scoops. It all depends,

of course, on how much hiking or biking I’ve done in the previous few days. The amount of regret and guilt for giving in to this plea-sure.

I associate Memorial Day with cleaning, sorting and organizing. Bringing the summer deck fur-niture out of the garage, wash-ing down the deck, sweeping the porch. Dressed in summer clothes, with all the windows open, flat trays of assorted plants stand by ready to plant. Memorial Day arrives with a long list of projects to undertake.

Then there is the Memorial Day barbecue. Grilled hamburgers

and buns toasted on the grill, accompanied by crisp, salty potato chips and potato salad. A rhubarb pie for dessert. The water isn’t warm enough for swimming, at least for me, yet it’s lovely spending the first afternoon at the beach sitting on the shore reading a book, sipping an iced tea, listening as the water laps up against the shore and looking out across the mountains in the distance without snow on their peaks.

As people are removing their masks, we notice they are smiling. The greetings are warm and friendly. Hugs are loving. I don’t believe there is one of us who will not find the ice cream cones, grilled hamburgers, barbe-cued chicken or steak will taste just a little bit better this summer. Take a breath and enjoy this glorious time.

•••Listen to Elizabeth on the Short Fuse Pod-

cast (found on Apple or Spotify), follow her on Instagram at elizh24 or send her a note at: eliz-abeth@laconiadailysun.com She is an author and journalist. Her books include Ned O’Gor-man: A Glance Back, a book she edited (Easton Studio Press, 2015), A Day with Bonefish Joe (David R. Godinez, 2015), Queen Anne’s Lace and Wild Black-berry Pie, (Thornwil-low Press, 2011).

A Memorial Day to remember

by Elizabeth Howard Special to The Laconia Daily Sun

LACONIA — A local resident recently pub-lished her first book, a memoir.

Charlene Moses authored “Given to Sub-mission: A journey of shame, truth, and for-giveness,” which tells the story of Moses’ painful childhood, leading up to a traumatic experience in the military.

Moses grew up in both Massachusetts and Maine, as her parents were restless and moved frequently. Lonely and shy because she didn’t speak English in an English-speaking school, and insecure because her parents were as rigid as her Catholic upbring-ing, Moses had a rugged childhood that also included several specific traumas.

After an impulsive, and brief, first marriage, Moses entered the U.S. Marine Corps as a private. She was browbeaten by superiors and placed in an impossible situation. Her lack of self-esteem led her

Laconia resident publishes her first book, a memoir

Charlene Moses, author of “Given to Submission.” (Courtesy photo)

see BOOK- page 15

THE LACONIA DAILY SUN, Thursday, May 20, 2021 — Page 15

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Town of Plymouth – Public NoticePaving Specs - Boulder Point Road

The Town of Plymouth is accepting bids to pave Boulder Point Road. The specifications will be on the Town of Plymouth’s website under the High-way Department’s section. Bids are for the 2021-2022 calendar year. Applications are accepted up until May 26, 2021. On Thursday, May 27, 2021 applications will be opened at 1:00pm at the Plymouth Town Hall (still closed to the pub-lic). Bidders will be notified.Please direct any questions, comments or con-cerns to the Plymouth Highway Department at 536-1623.

Joseph Fagnant, Highway Manager

LACONIA — On Friday, May 14 2021, Dennis James Mudgett of Laconia, NH, long-time resident of Meredith NH, loving husband and father of four children, passed away peacefully at the age of 84. He was the son of Elisha “Pete” Mudgett and Myrtle (Fennell) Mudgett.

Dennis leaves behind his wife, Norma (McGuigan) Mudgett; his children, Michael Mudgett of Moultonborough, Annette Ryan of Gilford, Kevin Mudgett of Pembroke, and Michele Bushnell of Gil-manton. He also leaves behind 12 grand-children and tow great-grandchildren. He is survived by his brothers, Wayne Mudgett and David Mudgett; and sisters, Gail Hewitt, Kathy Rossbach, and Nancy Alfonso. He is predeceased by his brother, Keith Mudgett.

Dennis was born on September 28, 1936 in Sand-wich, NH. He graduated from Meredith High School, Class of 1955. After high school he attended college in Boston for a short time, but ultimately decided to return to his roots in Meredith to make a living. He was married to his high-school sweetheart Norma in 1957. He was a reservist in the Marines. He worked several years in the local Mill — now known to many as “Mills Falls Marketplace.” He worked side jobs painting and helped his father-in-law with his farm and chicken barn — now known as “Twin Barns Brewery.” Determined to succeed, he taught him-self electronics and then started a Television repair shop from scratch. He ran this business from 1961 to 1983 and Mudgett’s TV will be remembered by many people in the area.

Dennis will be remembered fondly by the many people whose lives were touched by his kindness and generosity. His interests were diverse and many, from golfing and tennis, to snowmobiling and billiards. He

was a true “Jack of all trades” — building his first home in Meredith in 1958, and later, building his television repair shop. There was nothing that he could not do. He was a tenacious worker, working sev-eral jobs while teaching himself electron-ics and starting his own television repair business.

He was very active with his family and the community, camping and coaching little league baseball for years. He was a member of both the American Legion and the Laconia Elks.

His passion for summertime gardening and lawn care was surpassed only by his fondness of ice cream. In fact, he was well known for sending family mem-bers out for dozens of “Buster-Bars” at a time from the local Dairy Queen.

He will also be remembered as a survivor. When he was only 40 years of age, he survived a serious acci-dental fall from a rooftop while working at a height of over 60 feet. His long-term battle to recover from this and learn how to live with the disability and pain was perhaps one of his most amazing accom-plishments. Those who knew him well will be forever inspired by his positive determination in the face of such adversity.

His wife of 64 years, Norma, when asked of how to describe him simply said “One of a kind”… truer words have never been said. May his soul rest in peace.

A graveside service will be held in the Meredith Village Cemetery, Meredith, on Friday, June 11th, at 11 a.m. Msgr. Gerald Belanger, pastor o Saint Charles Borromeo Church, will officiate.

The Mayhew Funeral Homes and Crematorium, in Meredith and Plymouth, are assisting the family.

www.mayhewfuneralhomes.com

Dennis J. Mudgett, 84Obituary

to make a decision she deeply regrets to this day. “Given to Submission” tells the story from the early part of Moses’ life to how it led to the action she took in the military, for which she seeks forgiveness.

The book will appeal to adults and young adults. Moses hopes reading it will help empower others.

“Given to Submission” was published by Janice Beetle Books and is available by visiting janicebee-tlebooks.com.

BOOK from page 9

Step Up Parents recently received a $5,000 grant from the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction to provide financial support for kinship caregivers who have stepped up for children of parents with sub-stance use disorder in New Hampshire and to build organizational capacity to keep pace with increased demand for assistance.

“Our board is grateful to Step Up Parents for their continued efforts to support kids in our community,” said Jaimie Sousa, chair of the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction board.

Relative caregivers are stepping up in record numbers for children. “One of the consequences of Covid-19,” reports Denyse Richter, President of

Step Up Parents, “has been an increase in substance misuse resulting in so many innocent children with-out a responsible parent or safe place to live. Grants like these enable us to support the heroic efforts to keep children with a relative or loved one.”

There are over 12,000 grandparents raising grand-children in New Hampshire. This number does not include the many aunts, uncles, siblings and other “kin” who have also stepped up for these children.

Step Up Parents gets $5,000 from Children’s Auction