Moultonborough Women's Club

MWC Kentucky Derby Fundraiser. Hats off to Sharon Paton and her team! They transformed the Moultonborough Function Hall on May 6 into a most gentile site for the Moultonborough Women's Club's 2023 Kentucky Derby Party. There was a festooned photo booth, corn hole, beautiful baskets to bid on and the food and desserts were fabulous. Chuck Durante acted as the Master of Ceremonies, keeping the excitement level up as he made announcements and spun great tunes! Of course, there was a big screen to enjoy the race after making a friendly wager and the scholarship fund benefitted to the tune of over $1,700! Everybody was a winner!!

Gail Alyward, Pam King, Julie Osgood, Deb Kumpf, Debora DeBerardinis (Libby Reichlen, photo credit)

The Moultonborough Women's Club Mega-Yard sale held at the Moultonborough Central School on April 15 was a smashing success, raising over $2,500 for local scholarships! The event was organized by Mary Whiting and Deb Kumpf, pictured here along with MWC co-presidents Pam King and Julie Osgood and two of the many dedicated and hard-working members who made it all possible.

LONNIE SCHORER, explorer and archeologist (Photo credit- Leslie Ann Ashe Angelo)

On Monday, April 3rd, 65 members of the Moultonborough Women’s Club attended their monthly meeting at the Moultonborough Function Hall. Donna Grow and the staff of Moultonborough Sandwich Senior Meals served a crowd favorite, chicken cordon bleu. The monthly hostesses decked the tables in a beautiful array of colorful spring and Easter decorations, and provided an irresistible selection of desserts. A raffle of seasonal items ended the meeting on a fun note.

      Our speaker this month was MWC member Lonnie Schorer, who now resides in Moultonborough with her husband on property that has been in his family for five generations. They enjoy frequent visits from their children and grandchildren. Lonnie’s rather extraordinary life and career include being a writer, researcher, government worker, architect, explorer, parachutist, archaeologist and entrepreneur.   Lonnie lived overseas with her family for over 20 years in five different countries. As a single engine and float plane pilot, Lonnie became interested in Amelia Earhart and has served as an archaeologist on the TIGHAR team during five trips to the Central Pacific.

      Earhart is remembered for her aviation achievements such as setting altitude and speed records and being the first woman pilot to cross both the Atlantic Ocean and the United States on solo flights. It is her attempt to be the first woman to fly around the globe in 1937, ending in her and navigator Fred Noonan’s disappearance over the Pacific, that made headlines, history and to this day captivates our imagination and curiosity.

      Lonnie’s presentation also detailed how Earhart was a groundbreaking advocate for women’s rights and place in society. Wearing non-traditional pants and a bob haircut, Earhart wrote for Cosmopolitan magazine and designed clothing and luggage. Among items brought and displayed by Lonnie were two Amelia Earhart suitcases, a 1927 issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine featuring an article by Miss Earhart, a sextant similar to the one used by her navigator Fred Noonan, tridacna clam shells used as water catchers on the island, a large photo of Amelia standing in front of her Lockheed Electra, and a collection of Earhart books. In her capacity as the first women’s career counselor at Purdue University, Earhart was instrumental in removing home economics from the curriculum. When agreeing to marry George P. Putnam in 1931, Earhart stipulated a sort of “relationship prenup” calling for a one year anniversary review of how the marriage was working and if either wanted out! She was, to say the least, ahead of her time.

       Lonnie’s  five expeditions took place between 1997 and 2015 with the Earhart  Project conducted by the organization TIGHAR. TIGHAR  (pronounced “tiger” ) is the acronym for The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, a non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting responsible aviation archaeology and historic preservation. The hypothesis tested by the project is that Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan landed and eventually died on Gardner Island, now known as Nikumaroro in the Republic of Kiribati.

        Lonnie’s presentation covered the circumstances leading up to Earhart’s disappearance, how several low tide attempts by Earhart to send radio distress calls were unsuccessful, and the failure of US Navy search attempts. Evidence was found of Earhart and Noonan’s lives as castaways, items such as a sextant eyepiece, a 1930’s women’s shoe heel, parts of a cosmetic compact, a freckle cream jar and a broken jackknife, inventory items that were connected to Earhart. Forensic analysis of female bones found match Earhart’s frame better than 99% of other individuals. Fred Noonan’s fate is unknown.

      Over the years, many theories and claims have come forth about Earhart’s disappearance. They range from the possible, running out of fuel and crashing, to the improbable, returning to live incognito as a New Jersey housewife. The club is very fortunate to have had the opportunity to hear such a rich presentation from our very own member’s experience. TIGHAR’s website, tighar.org, is well worth visiting for more information on the Earhart Project as well as others conducted by the organization.

        A Mega Yard Sale organized by the club was held at the Moultonborough Central School on Saturday, April 15th. The event featured the popular jewelry sale, many well-stocked tables and the Moultonborough Women’s Club Bake Sale table as well. Monies raised will go to the scholarship fund and to local charities.  Thank you to the community for your support!

     The popular Kentucky Derby party is back again this year on May 6th. This event is open to the public.  It's held from 5:00 to 9:00 PM  at the Moultonborough Function Hall.  The $20 ticket includes a dinner buffet and desserts.The event is BYOB.  Wear your fancy hats and bow ties and enjoy the event.  Proceeds benefit the Moultonborough Women's club charities. Tickets will be sold at the door.

        The May 1st meeting will feature speaker Eileen McNamara, professor of journalism at Brandeis University  and Pulitzer Prize for Commentary recipient. Anyone interested in joining the Moultonborough Women’s Club is encouraged to email moultonboroughwomensclub.org. Visitors are always welcome! 

There’s never a dull moment with the Moultonborough Women’s Club. They host new member coffees, bake sale fundraisers, and community yard sales. They go hiking, bowling, and to the movies. They bring treats to town offices, the transfer station, police and fire stations, and the library. They supply hand knit warm hats and mittens to those in need in the winter. They provide scholarships to graduating seniors. At their monthly meetings, they greet everyone that walks through the doors with a welcome smile, a warm meal, and educational programming.

On this particular Friday, the Moultonborough Women’s Club hosted a Fashion Show. MWC member, Nancy Hill, organized the well-attended and enjoyable event that raised money to support ongoing charitable initiatives around the lakes region. To start the event, MWC member Jane Harrington tested everyone’s fashion knowledge with a little trivia that stumped many members. Do you remember the iconic 1960’s teenage model from Britain? How about who is credited for popularizing the bikini in the 1950’s? What designer luggage was washed ashore in Tom Hank’s movie “Castaway”? (Answers at the end of the article.) Jessie Gray, owner of Scissorgy Day Spa in Moultonborough, donated several wonderful gift bags of personal care salon products for the fashionista trivia winners.

Back Bay Clothing Company’s owner, Michele Snowden, kindly made her spring/summer fashions available to the models. Twelve models strutted their stuff down the runway; wearing chic, casual and comfortable spring/summer clothing lines, hats, and Hobo bags. Michele generously donated 3 oversized canvas beach bags that were given out as door prizes to several lucky attendees. The models displayed only a small sampling of the many beautiful items available at the Back Bay Clothing Company store in the heart of downtown Wolfeboro. So, if you didn’t have a chance to attend the fashion show, stop by the Back Bay Clothing Company shop and let them know you heard about them from the Moultonborough Women’s Club!

Come say hello at the upcoming MWC sponsored Community Yard Sale on Saturday, April 15 from 8 AM – 2 PM at Moultonborough Central School, 916 Whittier Hwy, Moultonborough, NH.

Answers to trivia questions: 1-Twiggy 2-Bridget Bardot 3-Louis Vuitton

On Monday, March 6th at the Moultonborough Function Hall, 43 members of the Moultonborough Women’s Club gathered for a festive St. Patrick’s Day themed lunch and monthly meeting. Donna Grow and the staff of Moultonborough/Sandwich Senior Meals prepared a fabulous traditional corned beef and cabbage meal, complemented by a large selection of desserts provided by the club’s March hostesses. St. Patrick’s items were raffled. The Sunshine Cart at the New Hampshire Veterans’ Home which offers personal care items to residents at no charge was the monthly charity.

       This month’s guest speaker was Chris Collias, owner of Beans and Greens Farm, located at 245 Intervale Road in Gilford. Beans and Greens was voted “Best Farm/Farmstand of 2022” by Best of the Lakes Region. Their mission is to create family memories around family, farm food and fun. As one of the few farm stands open year-round, the Beans and Greens staff works hard to try many different things to attract and serve customers. Chris keeps his dedicated and enthusiastic team on through the winter months, so a trip there always offers a wide range of high-quality foods. Up to ten varieties of made-from-scratch soups, hot and refrigerated prepared meals, wood-fired pizza, deli and bakery items are available. A  “Farm to Front Door” delivery service is also available. Pre-ordered holiday meals are offered.

       In addition to the food, there are year-round events and activities for everybody. Visiting the animals is always a favorite. Seasonal events include the Annual Corn Maze, Beans and Greens Haunted Fear Farm, and Santa and Mrs. Claus for the holidays. The “Jumping Jack” jumping pillows and the “Flying Beanstalk” mini zipline are parts of the outdoor adventure park, a great way to get the kids outside  to enjoy the upcoming spring weather. Comedy shows and Friday night concerts take place at the pavilion. April is the time to visit the expanded garden center The second annual Easter Egg Hunt is coming up on April 8th. Look for the Blooms, Brooms and Barbecue event coming in late May. Beans and Greens is putting a lot of energy and innovation into the farm stand business, and is well worth a trip. A visit to the colorful website, beansandgreensfarm.com, is a great way to see and keep up with all that is happening at Beans and Greens Farm. Please support local businesses!  They are the lifeblood of many small towns and communities.

    The club has been busy! On February 19th, 24 members attended Menopause the Musical at the Colonial Theater in Laconia.  Everyone had a great time. A group of ladies got together at Barnz’s  in Meredith for 80 For Brady. The MWC members have been invited to the Movie Night Series at Hermit Woods in Meredith on March 21st.  The movie is Pirates of the Caribbean.  We will be meeting at 5:00 for a light dinner followed by the movie at 6:30.

    On March 31st, the MWC Fashion Show featuring Back Bay Clothing Company will be held at the Moultonborough Function Hall on Old Route 9 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.  This event is open to the public.  Tickets are $20 and the proceeds go towards the scholarship fund and other local charities. Tickets will be sold at the door.

    A Mega Yard Sale organized by the club will be held at the Moultonborough Central School on Saturday, April 15th from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The event will also feature the popular jewelry sale.  Many well- stocked tables will be there, and a bake sale is planned as well. A portion of the sales will go to the scholarship fund and to the support of  local charities.

    The popular Kentucky Derby party is back again this year on May 6th.   This event is open to the public.  It's held from 5:00 to 9:00 PM  at the Moultonborough Function Hall.  The $20 ticket includes a dinner buffet and desserts.The event is BYOB.  Wear your fancy hats and bow ties and enjoy the event.  Proceeds benefit the Moultonborough Women's club charities. Tickets will be sold at the door.

    The April 3rd meeting will feature Lonnie Schorer, architect, explorer and author of Search for Amelia Earhart. Anyone interested in joining the Moultonborough Women’s Club is encouraged to email moultonboroughwomensclub.org.