By Patrick Adrian
Staff Writer
CLAREMONT — For Claremont Parks and Recreation Director Mark Brislin, the hardest part of his job throughout the novel coronavirus pandemic was having to do the opposite of his department’s mission. Instead of organizing events to bring people together, Brislin had to spend most of 2020 finding ways to keep people apart.
That absence of key community gatherings last year definitely contributed to the elation on Monday felt by organizers and attendees at Claremont’s Independence Day celebration at Monadnock Park, interviewees told The Eagle Times.
“It was a great night and a great event,” Brislin said. “We have received a lot of positive feedback today.”
Brislin expressed thanks to McGee Toyota of Claremont, who sponsored Claremont’s fireworks show again this year.
The fireworks drew a few hundred attendees to the park. The event included a performance by American Cheese and 14 local vendors providing food, refreshments and other offerings.
“We are more excited than we would have been [had the pandemic never happened,” said Jennifer Nelson of the Claremont Sugar-River Rotary.
The Claremont Sugar-River Rotary, a charitable volunteer organization run by local business and civic leaders, sold ice cream, courtesy of Wade’s Place, at Monadnock Park to raise funds for the club’s annual programs.
The pandemic, for all its misery and aggravation, was a surprisingly productive period for the Claremont Sugar-River Rotary. From 2020 to present the Claremont Sugar-River Rotary has hosted 19 service projects in Claremont, including 12 mobile food distributions, three city clean-up days, two mask distributions and an ice cream giveaway to celebrate the anniversary of the 19th Amendment that extended voting rights to women.
“The pandemic motivated us to think differently and creatively to try to make things happen in a different way,” said Claremont Sugar-River Rotarian Jessica Ball.
In their partnerships with the New Hampshire Food Bank, the Claremont Sugar-River Rotary distributed approximately $72,000 in total food, or $6,000 in food per clinic, to residents and families during the pandemic.
The Claremont Sugar-River Rotary also got inventive to continue its annual First Night tradition, a citywide New Years Eve celebration. With participating businesses and organizations shut down, the Claremont Sugar-River Rotary partnered with the Parks and Recreation Department and Claremont Community Television (CCTV) to televise live shows of scheduled performers.
Further down the line of vendors at Monadnock, volunteers at REMIX Coffee Bar & Social Club sold their signature cold-brew iced coffee and other refreshments.
REMIX Coffee Bar & Social Club in Claremont reopened earlier this year following a long closure during 2020 due to the pandemic.
The combination of warmer weather, easing restrictions and a less prevalent virus has facilitated a return of patrons.
“If you saw our attendance now you might never imagine the pandemic took place,” Nielsen said.
REMIX Coffee Bar & Social Club is also renewing its support programs for people in recovery from addiction, a central focus of the organization.
Claremont, like many communities across New Hampshire, decided to postpone its Fourth of July event to Monday due to weather concerns. While the forecasted rain for Sunday evening was arguably milder than predicted, Brislin said Monadnock Park needed the extra day to dry the grounds, which were saturated with rain water from Saturday’s poor.
Monday evening also provided arguably perfect conditions for the event: sunny and mostly clear skies and comfortable temperatures in the mid-to high seventies.
“I am definitely glad I made that call,” Brislin said, remarking on the weather.
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