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...
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...
CBH December Happenings – up North!
In Canaan, VT we have been working closely with the organization, Canaan Naturally Connected, as their activities align well with our community building efforts. We were glad to help empower and connect a new member of the group to lead the planning of a new series...
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 locations that will help bring people together and take advantage of our town’s assets. Each date we’ll gather from about 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and offer free peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, applesauce, and cold bottled water for families to enjoy a picnic together, paired with fun things to do.
First up in Stratford on June 28, we will get together at the Pavilion on the Common, next to the Stratford Public Library. People can sit to enjoy lunch at the picnic tables in the shade, and the kids can even sing & dance on the stage there if they’d like! When folks are ready we’ll head on down to the Back Street River Park to play with soccer balls, basketballs, bubbles & families can bring bikes or scooters to ride around on the court.
On July 19th we will get together at the River Walk in Colebrook. Park at the Municipal Parking Lot just off of Main Street and look for the sign in the corner of the lot. As you walk out onto the path there is a clearing with a lawn where we will gather for a picnic. Bring along a blanket to sit on if you’d like. We’ll hand out nature identification cards for kids to spot plants and animals as we set off to walk on the River Walk path. The Colebrook Public Library storywalk is on the further end of the path, and is a nice feature to check out, as well.
The final get-together will be on August 9th at the Canaan, VT Community Recreation Park on Route 102 near the Alice M. Ward Memorial Library. We’ll start off with lunch, which families can enjoy on a picnic blanket or chairs, and then everyone is welcome to enjoy the amenities of the park which include a great playground and a paved track for riding bikes or walking. We’ll pass out some pinwheels for the kids to have fun with, and caregivers will have ample time for visiting while the kids play.
We hope that these opportunities to gather will increase social connections in our communities, open up eyes to the wonderful places we have in our towns, and provide fun ways for families to enjoy time together this summer.
