Date of Meeting: February 19, 2025

Venue: Laconia Fire Department Community Room

Attendance: 14 in attendance: 10 members and 4 guests

MEMBERS AND GUESTS:

Kiwanis Members:
Betty Ballantyne
Ray Chambers
Zach Dea
Bill Gile
Bob Intorcio
Shawn Intorcio
Steve Loughlin
Don Nelson
Tara Shore
Kara Stanley

Guests:
Paula Chambers – wife of Ray
Andrew Hosmer – Laconia Mayor - guest speaker
Muff Kruse – former Laconia Kiwanis Club member and wife of Honorary Member John Walker
Sue Nelson – Honorary Member and wife of Don Nelson

Paula Chambers		Andrew Hosmer		Muff Kruse		Sue Nelson
Above photos by W. Stephen Loughlin

President Betty Ballantyne opened the meeting at 6:08 pm by thanking all in attendance and introducing our guests. This was followed by:
- Pledge of Allegiance: led by President Betty Ballantyne
- My Country Tis of Thee: led by Don Nelson
- Invocation: by Ray Chambers

The Pledge

Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

CHOW TIME: The club enjoyed take out dinner from Original Thai, a new restaurant on North Main Street located diagonally across from the Laconia Fire Department (The restaurant is at the site of the former North Country Deli).

Tara Shore leads the chow line.

Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

Zach Dea demonstrates the art of using chop sticks.

Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

GUEST SPEAKER:
Bill Gile was pleased to introduce Mayor Andrew Hosmer. Bill noted that:

Andrew Hosmer is presently serving his 3rd term as Mayor of Laconia. Prior to serving as Mayor he:
- Served as City Councilor for Ward 6
- Served two terms in the NH Senate
- was former Assistant District Attorney for five years
- Spent 25 years at AutoServ, his family business

Additionally, Mayor Hosmer is a founder of Navigating Recovery of the Lakes Region. He is also a member of several Boards including: Concord Red Cross, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Belknap Economic Development Council, Belknap Mill Society, St. Joseph's Preservation Committee and a member of the Capital Campaign Committee for the Laconia Senior Center

Mayor Hosmer addresses the group.
Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

During his presentation, Mayor Hosmer discussed several Laconia topics including, but not limited to, the following:
• The potential purchase of the rear part of the Laconia Antique Center building. This property, which abuts the Colonial Theater, would allow expansion of dressing rooms and provide for storage as well as space to build stage props and other theatre related advantages
• Sale of the Laconia State School Property. The Laconia State School property is still on track to be sold and developed into a multi-family mixed use community. Filing application for a master development plan is expected in the next few months.
• Pending sale by the City of Laconia of the second and third floor of the downtown parking garage (The bottom floor is not owned by the city.) The potential new owner may use the second floor as a parking garage and the third floor as a covered indoor sports complex.

PRE- PRESENTATION Bill Gile enjoys a photo op with Mayor Hosmer.		POST PRESENTATION: Betty Ballantyne congratulates Mayor Hosmer on his presention.
Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

KIWANIS EVENTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST:
President Betty reported on recent and upcoming events.

Betty addresses the group.
Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

INTERCLUB MEETING UPDATE
• Recent Visit: Bob Willey & Keith Styles attended Hooksett Kiwanis on February 11th
• Highlights:
....-Presentation by Mayhew Program Director
....-Attendance of approximately 30 people
....-Raymond Chambers volunteered to chair future Interclub activities

KARES (Kids and Reading Equals Success)
• March 4th at Woodland Heights School: Volunteers: Brenda Allen (Friend of Kiwanis), Kathy Calvin (Honorary Kiwanian), Bill Gile and Tara Shore
• March 25 at Pleasant Street School: Volunteers: Kathy Calvin (Honorary Kiwanian), Bill Gile, John Intorcio and Shawn Intorcio

KIWANIS FREE THROW COMPETITION
This year's event is scheduled for March 15th. Details are included in the poster below:

Many thanks to Jeff Levitan and Fred Caruso of Radio Station Mix 94.1 FM for their support in promoting the event.
To hear the Public Service Announcement airing on 94.1 FM, click on the above poster.

KIWANIS MID-WINTER CONFERENCE
• Dates: March 21-23, 2025
• Location: Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland, Maine
• Information Packets are available from Betty Ballantyne

BIKE 'N' BOARD SAFETY DAY
• Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025
• Location: Opechee Park
• Update: Tara reported that all vendors have been contacted. We are waiting response from The Grind due to recent expansion in Alton.

KEY CLUB UPDATE
The LHS Key Club will hold their March meeting at Laconia High School and celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Key Club (which was first formed in 1925 in Sacramento, California). At that meeting, the Laconia HS Key Club will induct their officers for the term 2025/2026.

HAPPY DOLLARS:

A total of $29 was collected.
The following are a few of the reasons contributors were happy:
Happy for our guests, Muff, Paula, Sue and Mayor Andrew Hosmer attended this meeting.
Happy for Kara Stanley’s recent engagement.
Happy for the potential sale of the parking garage.
Happy because the Laconia Historical & Museum Society now has a Museum.
Happy because Bill Gile is back home from skiing.

Kara Stanley proudly shows off her engagement ring.
Photo by W. Stephen Loughlin

With no further discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 7:46 pm.

KIWANIS K.A.R.E.S. (Kids And Reading Equals Success)
A Kiwanis K.A.R.E.S. was held on Friday, February 14th at Elm Street School. Participating in the event were: Kiwanians Betty Ballantyne, John & Shawn Intorcio, Friend of Kiwanis Paulette Loughlin, and third grade teacher, Ember Stocks. Below are a few highlights of the event:
Above photo by Paulette Loughlin
Third-grade teacher Ms. Ember Stocks brought the story, 100 Day Worries, to life for her students. The book sparked a fun and thoughtful conversation about what 100 items they would bring to celebrate the 100th day of school!		Paulette Loughlin, wife of fellow Kiwanian and a proud Friend of Kiwanis, brought story time to life for Elm Street School third graders. As a retired teacher, Paulette’s passion for reading shone through as she engaged students with an unforgettable storytelling experience.
Kiwanian John Intorcio brought enthusiasm and heart to story time with the Elm Street School third graders. His engaging reading style captivated the children, encouraging them to listen, relate, and soak up every word like little sponges. We’re pretty sure John had just as much fun as the students!		Kiwanian Shawn Intorcio had a blast stamping books and engaging with each child at Elm Street School. Each student proudly chose two books to take home, personalized with their name inside.
Except where otherwise indicated, above KARES photos and text comments by Betty Ballantyne

THANK YOU:
Many thanks to Joe Adrignola, Betty Ballantyne, Phil Bonafide, Zach Dea, Bill Gile, and Paulette Loughlin for their assistance with this bulletin.

Wednesday - March 5th : Venue: ZOOM MEETING
6:00 pm - Board of Directors Meeting

Wednesday - March19th : Venue: Laconia Police Department Community Room
6:00 pm - Chris Guilmett and Karen Switzer from the Lakes Region Scholarship Foundation will be our guest speakers.

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