By Chris Frost
EAGLE TIMES NEWS EDITOR
CLAREMONT, N.H. — Arrowhead Recreation Area hosted a tasty event Saturday playing host to the third annual “Grilling for Good” event benefitting the Claremont Opera House and Claremont Soup Kitchen.
The Claremont Growers Collective teamed up with the Opera House, Soup Kitchen and Claremont Spice and Dry Goods to support the benefit concert that featured Mark and Debbie Bond plus a “Chopped-styled” food competition.
Claremont Opera House Board Secretary Dana McGrath said she was excited to be part of the event and to have serve up some delicious food to the community.
“Board President Felicia Brych Dalke and a big team of volunteers and staff partnered to organize the event,” McGrath said. “The proceeds from the ticket sales will be split between the two non-profits.”
Bar sales benefitted the Opera House and the Soup Kitchen sold North Country Smokehouse sausages to raise money.
“All the amateur chefs were great,” she said. “They were Dennis Boyer, Sonya Woodams, and Lisa Demers. Boyer is a father of four, so you were rooting for that family aspect. Woodams and her partner have this fun blog, S&R Adventures. Demers is a grandma and is inspired by her grandma.”
McGrath said the funds raised support operations at the Opera House, built in 1897 and added to the National Historic Registry in 1973.
“It takes a lot to run a historic building,” she said. “Between the staff and all the programs, this was an operating fundraiser for the Opera House.”
She said she loves the Opera House and called it a “stunning historic venue.”
“It’s an escape from the everyday humdrum to have an experience you’d have in a bustling city here in Claremont,” she said.
Opera House Executive Director Scott Hagar said he loves partnering with other non-profits in Claremont.
“Supporting community theater is the same as supporting school music programs,” he said. “It’s important to keep those cultures alive. Sometimes people use it as a therapeutic tool through life.”
Newly appointed Interim Artistic Director Larissa Cahill is working on co-creating a youth performance for Christmas.
“I’m working on some big initiatives for spring and getting together a full community musical,” she said. “We have live orchestration at the Opera House and programming next year that will include children’s programming and other initiatives where I’m partnering with local mental health agencies to get people seeing theater again and see theater with a therapeutic intention.”
Cahill taught theater at Stevens High School for 15 years, then taught theater in Cairo, Egypt.
“The two loves of my life are working with children and theater, so creating more programming that serves that is perfect for me,” she said. “The Opera House is one of the most stunning beautiful historic places I’ve ever had the privilege to be in.”
Deb and Mark Bond rocked to their own beat with their performance.
“I’m happy this was for the Soup Kitchen; my brother eats there daily, so it’s near and dear to my heart,” Deb said. “We both contribute to the set list and currently, a song from when I was a teenager, ‘Jessica’, from The Allman Brothers, is a big challenge and a lot of fun to play.”
For more information on the group, please visit markdebbond.com.
McGrath said it’s never too late to donate to the Claremont Opera House and to check out the great upcoming shows.
“Come see us,” she said. “It’s quite a site to go through the doors and step into this 788-seat theater.”
For more information on the Claremont Opera House or to learn about upcoming performances, please visit cohnh.org.
For more information on the Claremont Soup Kitchen, please visit claremontsoupkitchen.wordpress.com.
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