Nearly three years into this community building work, positive momentum is building in our communities, and it’s all from working together. It starts with being observant, knowing the landscape, meeting people where they are at and identifying the gaps. It grows...
Hub Happenings in the Canaan / Colebrook / Stratford Region
Previous Events
Summer 2025, July-August: Big things are happening!
Some big things happened for community building this summer in the North Country, with the progress at the North Country Community Recreation Center and the success of the Firefighter Appreciation Day we helped to plan. But the small things matter too, sometimes more...
Spring 2025- Unleashing Community Power!
Looking back at what took place from late March to the end of June in the Stratford/Colebrook/Canaan area, here are some highlights in community building work that come to mind: The 2nd Ann. Coffee & Muffins before Stratford’s Annual Town Meeting was a positive...
Community Building Recap – Building Relationships & Aligning Goals
Community building activities and events from this past fall and winter in northern Coos and northeastern Essex County have truly served to strengthen community ties and align goals. Energy is building around common issues of importance, and community members are...
Summer Event Highlights up North
This summer was very busy, but a couple of events I was heavily involved in stood out as truly embodying the work we are doing in community building. After several months of planning with local partners, we pulled together a very successful Splash Pad Social at the...
Strengthening Our Communities – Stratford Rising
Stratford is definitely on a positive up-swing, and the community is making that happen together. As a Community Steward I meet a lot of people and hear about a wide range of needs and goals in the area I serve. The challenge is to find and prioritize common threads...
Summer Picnic & Play Series!
We are teaming up with the Family Resource Center to host a series of three “Picnic & Play” meet-ups on Fridays at parks in the North Country this summer. After listening to what families we were looking for, we came up with fun offerings at three different...
Stewartstown Student Showcase
The classroom showcase will be from 5:00 to 5:30 pm. Pizza will be available from 5 to 5:45 pm The concert will begin at 6:00 pm We are excited to be partnering with the Stewartstown Community School on an event on May 30th, starting at 5 p.m. at the school. As a way...
Stratford Community Pre-Town Meeting Social
On the morning of March 16th, residents of the Stratford area are invited to the Fuller Town Hall, located at 1956 US Route 3 to visit prior to the town meeting. The Community Builders Hub is providing free coffee, and the Stratford Grange 238 will be offering...
Sunday Funday at “The Tilly”
Families are invited to come play board games at the Tillotson Center for the Arts in Colebrook, from 3-5 p.m. on January 21 and 28. We will have tables set up for families to sit down and choose a board game to play together for the afternoon, as well as...
Children’s Playgroup in Stratford
All are welcome to join this fun, free program!
Friday mornings from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., we created a new children’s playgroup at the Stratford Public Library on Main Street in Stratford.
In talking to community members at events, parents and caregivers often expressed an interest in having more activities for children 5 & under. The library staff and trustees were more than happy to let us use their recently renovated children’s room for a weekly program and the town gladly offered up use of the pavilion next door, as well as the park.
It’s a great opportunity for both adults and children to socialize and enjoy some fun activities. Mornings start in the library with playtime, snacktime (bring your own snack) and storytime, then transitions to active play outdoors. Inside supplies are available for coloring, as well as a selection of toys, and an outdoor bin of toys/sports equipment is positioned at the basketball court for the public to use. Kids love bringing their bikes to ride on the basketball court, and we have bubbles, balls to kick around and lots of fun to be had. Participants are co-designing programs and ideas are always welcome.
Through this simple idea to fill an identified need by gathering at an underutilized space at a set time each week, more people are getting involved and connected in their community. We’ve had a great turnout most weeks since starting in September 2024 and intend to continue as a volunteer-led program.
Learn more on Facebook at Stratford Children’s Playgroup.