'The Black Matter is Life' event, Elks' Hoop Shoot and more: Things to do this week

Dover400 concludes Lecture Series with ‘Voices From the Cemetery’

DOVER — Dover400, a committee of residents organizing Dover’s 400th Anniversary, concludes its monthly virtual lecture series on Tuesday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m., with an online showing of the film “Voices From the Cemetery”, an historical and entertaining montage which visits with two dozen prominent and provocative citizens from Dover’s past. Each featured guest is buried at Pine Hill Cemetery, and comes back to life in this production, which was filmed in September 2020 for the Woodman Museum.

The earlier eleven lectures, which cover Dover history from the early 17th to the mid-20th centuries, can be found on the Dover400.org website. Each Dover400 presentation is free and open to the public, pre-registration is required. To sign up for the Dec. 14, 2021 lecture, please RSVP on www.Dover400.org.

Estate Planning workshop Dec. 14

ROCHESTER — The Rochester Chamber of Commerce is holding Estate Planning workshops on Dec. 14 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 59 South Main St., Rochester.

An estate olan is vital for any individual, couple, or family. This free educational event will discuss: The legal documents that make up an estate plan, what they mean and why you need them; how probate works, why you may want to avoid it and the strategies to do so; how you may be able to protect assets intended for your heirs from lawsuits, divorce, and other claims; why transferring assets and property to your kids may be a mistake; and ways to protect your assets from nursing home costs.

To register or find out more information call the IFA office at 800-821-1776.

Talk on Climate Politics in Contemporary Europe

KENNEBUNK, Maine — The Camden Conference and the Kennebunk Free Library present Dr. Susana Hancock at the Kennebunk Free Library on Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. Dr. Hancock will be discussing Climate Politics in Contemporary Europe.

Hancock is a specialist in Arctic climate geopolitics. With a background ranging from astrophysics to linguistics, she is a recent three-degree graduate of the University of Oxford. Originally from Maine, she has worked and lived in the polar regions for much of her life. Currently, Susana is an Expert Reviewer for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is on the Executive Committee of the Association for Polar Early Career Scientists where she works on climate and science diplomacy, and has been an Arctic consultant for the UN’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

This program is free and wheelchair accessible. The Kennebunk Free Library is located at 112 Main St., in Kennebunk, Maine. For more information please call 207-985-2173 or email us at kfl@kennebunklibrary.org.

Black Heritage Trail presents Black Matter is Life: Poetry for Engagement and Overcoming

PORTSMOUTH — The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire presents the second in the series “The Black Matter is Life” of poetry events at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth on Wednesday, Dec.15, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The program also will be live-streamed. Registration is open now, and is required.

Based on the theme, “The Race for STEM,” the four poems to be discussed on Dec. 15, include Arachis by Marilyn Nelson, Horror Movie Pitch by Eve Ewing, Whitey on the Moon by Gil-Scott Heron, and Yes! Strike again that Sounding String, by James Monroe Whitfield. Participants will be provided with the poems and a study guide before the event.

Guest poet Kyle Flemings will join the conversation with facilitators Reginald Wilburn, Associate Professor of African American Literature at the University of New Hampshire and Courtney Marshall, English Professor at Phillips Exeter Academy. Kyle Flemings is a writer and educator at Dayton Early College Academy specializing in creative writing and creative writing pedagogy. He started a spoken word collective called “Underdog Academy” that performs spoken word examining political and racially charged issues across the United States. Flemings also manages a 13-artist collective in Dayton called “Warriors of Rhetorical Discourse” or ‘the W.O.R.D.”

Each program begins with a reading of an original poem by a local student whose poem was entered in a contest sponsored by the Racial Unity Team and exhibited at the Portsmouth Public Library. Students were asked to write a poem inspired by a line from Amanda Gorman’s Inaugural Poem, “The Hill We Climb.” This month, Hannah Rubin, a student at Phillips Exeter Academy, will open the program by reading her poem, "We Prayed with Our Feet."

“The Black Matter is Life” programs examine the work of both well-known and little-known Black poets to explore and discuss the rich tradition of African American poetry. The audience is asked to consider how the perspectives of the poets’ work sheds light on race and contemporary events. Through poetry—an artform that requires close reading, question asking, and critical engagement to construct meaning—participants are encouraged to think and ask questions about the diversity of ways African American poets have represented Black experience and what it means to be Black. A third program will be offered on Jan. 20, 2022.

Those who attend the program in person on Dec.15, will be able to see two exhibitions now on view at 3S Artspace: A Quiet Reach, works by Daniel Minter and Vision and Visibility, a group exhibit of works by emerging BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) artists from New England. The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire is proud to partner with 3S Artspace to share this work with the public in an effort to make visible the talents of contemporary BIPOC poets and artists. “Poetry and art are platforms that make their presence known in the community,” said JerriAnne Boggis, Executive Director of the BHTNH.

To learn more, go to www.blackheritagetrailnh.org/events or www.3sarts.org or call 603-570-8469. For information about health and safety guidelines during your visit to 3S Artspace, go to www.3sarts.org/health-and-safety.

Rochester Elks Lodge1393 announce Hoop Shoot Contest

ROCHESTER — Attention all children ages 8 to 13 in the Rochester Area! The annual Rochester Elks Hoop Shoot Contest will be held at the Rochester Community Center gym located at 150 Wakefield St., Rochester, N.H. on Saturday, Dec. 18, with registrations starting at 8 a.m. The contest will run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Remember to bring your child’s birth certificates for registration (required to verify age). The event is open to all boys and girls from ages 8 to 13. Trophies will be presented to the 1st and 2nd place winners of the boys and girls in each age group. Winners of this contest will move on to the District Contest in January, 2022.

The Elks Hoop Shoot is almost 50 years old and has been a very successful youth program. Each contestant shoots 25 free throws to determine the winner in each age category. Winners can then compete in the District, State, Regional and National Championships if they win at each level. The Nationals are currently being held in Chicago, Illinois. Winners and their parents/guardians are provided complimentary hotel and travel arrangements at some of the various levels of competition beyond the local contests conducted by the Lodges.

Each year, the six Hoop Shoot National Champions have their names listed alongside their picture in a digital exhibit in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Additionally, two of the Frank Hise National Champions are in attendance when the Hall of Fame inductees are honored at the Enshrinement Ceremony.

For more information, contact Event Chair Peter Ducharme at pete_d603@hotmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: 'The Black Matter is Life' event, Elks' Hoop Shoot, Dover 400 lecture