TTC_03_10_21_Vol.17-No.20

Page 6 www.TheTownCommon.com
March 10, 2021
Community News
Community Announcements,
from page 5
for the fire department for
the last 19 years and was promoted
to his current rank in
2018. He is a member of the
Erie Fire Company Association
as well.
The other graduates represent
the fire departments of
Boxford, Dunstable, Essex,
Hamilton, Haverhill, Lincoln,
Lynnfield, Merrimac, Middleton,
Newbury, Newburyport,
Topsfield, and Wenham.
A WORLD ON
THE WING
The Global
Odyssey of
Migratory Birds
On Tuesday, April 20 at
7pm, ornithologist, naturalist,
and Pulitzer finalist Scott
Weidensaul will be at The
Music Hall’s historical stage
in Portsmouth as part of the
Innovation + Leadership series.
Weidensaul will discuss his
new nature book A WORLD
ON THE WING, an exhilarating
exploration of the science
and wonder of global
bird migration in the face of
climate change.
“Weidensaul’s writing on
the extraordinary journeys
birds take around the world
makes this book the ultimate
guide,” says Jameson French,
CEO of Northland Forest
Products and the evening’s
moderator. “As a lifelong birder,
I’m looking forward to the
knowledge he will share with
us about migration patterns
and the challenges birds face,
and we’re lucky to have him
as a resident of New Hampshire!”
The 7pm event includes an
author presentation and interview
with Jameson French,
CEO of Northland Forest
Products, naturalist, and
birder, followed by an audience
Q&A. This event will be
held at The Music Hall at 28
Chestnut St., in Portsmouth,
New Hampshire. The theater
is following state and local
guidelines including requiring
masks, social distancing, and
contactless concessions, in
addition to utilizing a brand
new HVAC system. More
information on The Music
Hall’s safety protocols visit:
https://www.themusichall.
org/visit-us/covid-19-protocols/
In the past two decades,
our understanding of the
navigational and physiological
feats that enable birds
to cross immense oceans, fly
above the highest mountains,
or remain in unbroken flight
for months at a stretch has
exploded. What we’ve learned
of these key migrations—how
billions of birds circumnavigate
the globe, flying tens of
thousands of miles between
hemispheres on an annual
basis—is nothing short of extraordinary.
These and other
revelations convey both the
wonder of bird migration
and its global sweep, from the
mudflats of the Yellow Sea in
China to the remote mountains
of northeastern India
to the dusty hills of southern
Cyprus. This breathtaking
work of nature writing from
Pulitzer Prize finalist Scott
Weidensaul also introduces
readers to those scientists,
researchers, and bird lovers
trying to preserve global migratory
patterns in the face
of climate change and other
environmental challenges.
Drawing on his own extensive
fieldwork, in A World on
the Wing Weidensaul unveils
with dazzling prose the miracle
of nature taking place over
our heads.
Scott Weidensaul is a writer
and researcher specializing in
birds and bird migration. He
is the author of nearly thirty
books on natural history, including
Living on the Wind:
Across the Hemisphere with Migratory
Birds, a Pulitzer Prize
finalist; and The Ghost with
Trembling Wings, about the
search for species that may or
may not be extinct. A native
of the Appalachians of eastern
Pennsylvania, he now lives in
New Hampshire.
The event moderator,
Jameson (Jamey) French, is
CEO of Northland Forest
Products and is a founding
trustee and ex officio member
of The Music Hall's
Board of Trustees. Jamey
has led numerous local and
statewide arts and conservation
organizations, including
the Strawbery Banke
Museum and the Society
for the Protection of NH
Forests. Nationally, Jamey
chairs the Washington DCbased
Land Trust Alliance
and is a board member of
the American Forest Foundation
and the National
Wildlife Federation Action
Fund. His lifelong environmental
awareness started
when his dad and grandparents
taught him the common
New England birds at age 6.
His activism started at age
16 when he co-chaired the
first Earth Day (1970) in his
hometown. He has lived in
Portsmouth for the past 40
years with his wife Priscilla.
The ticket package for Innovation
+ Leadership: Scott
Weidensaul with A World on
the Wing on Tuesday, April
20, at 7pm is $46. In addition
to a reserved seat, the package
includes a signed copy of A
WORLD ON THE WING
($32, hardcover), author discussion,
and audience Q+A.
Tickets can be purchased online
by visiting: https://www.
themusichall.org/events/
scott-weidensaul/ or through
the B2W Box Office over the
phone at 603.436.2400.
For further information
contact: Brittany Wason, Literary
Producer, at bwason@
themusichall.org.
The Music Hall has expanded
its programming to focus
on issues critical to our time.
The Innovation + Leadership
series was first launched nearly
five years ago to serve our
local business community,
bringing together the best and
the brightest in technology.
The series has since broadened
to showcase opinion leaders,
authors and all variety of educators,
and to serve audiences
from a tri-state region and beyond—all
who are interested
in bettering the worlds they
live in, at work and at home,
locally and around the world.
These lively and informative
conversations feature experts
in their field sharing experiences
and providing participants
practical tools for making
meaningful advances in
their lives. From demonstrations
in the art of all things
digital to special forums featuring
regional and global
leaders in sustainability, from
book discussion-demonstrations
on the positive effect of
meditation to awareness-raising
events led by today’s
champions in philanthropy,
feminism, and family matters,
each Innovation + Leadership
event is memorable and
impactful. The Music Hall
is committed to community
building and personal flourishing.
Our Innovation +
Leadership series delivers on
that commitment. The presenting
sponsor for this event
is University of New Hampshire.
The series sponsors are
Atlantic Orthopaedics &
Sports Medicine; Bangor Savings
Bank. The Season sponsors
are The Labrie Group;
Carey & Giampa Realtors;
Portwalk Place. The box office
sponsor is B2W Software.
The Music Hall is an active
and vital cultural center in
downtown Portsmouth, New
Hampshire, dedicated to the
advancement of the tri-state
region’s cultural life through
the performing arts, literature,
and education. A community-supported
501(c)3 nonprofit
organization, it presents
entertainment from around
the world and around the corner—the
greatest musicians,
writers, and performers of the
time, extraordinary films, and
award-winning documentaries.
Its 600 yearly events delight
an annual audience of
130,000 (including 20,000
children) in two theaters—an
1878 Victorian-era Historic
Theater and the modern and
intimate Loft space. The Music
Hall was recently named
Editors’ Choice “Best All-
Around Entertainment” by
Yankee Magazine and is a designated
“American Treasure
for the Arts.” Through innovative
community partnerships,
it subsidizes thousands
of tickets each year to make
the arts accessible to all.
Appreciation
letter to the
community from
Firehouse Center
for the Arts
This past weekend marked
365 days since we held a live
event inside the Firehouse.
This weekend marks 365 days
since we officially closed our
doors. A lot has happened
over this past year - but thanks
to you, we can see the light
at the end of the tunnel. We
look forward to this intermission
coming to an end with a
Grand Reopening in September
in celebration of our 30th
year.
As we prepare for a safe return
to indoor performances,
let us focus on what we have
up our sleeves this spring.
Community Announcements,
page 7