MATTNOYES.NET - OUT AND ABOUT

August 25, 2009 - YMCA Camp Otter, Salem, NH - Comcast & NECN Return!

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In April, approximately 80 Comcast employees, including some of the NECN family (and yours truly!), converged on YMCA Camp Otter in Salem, New Hampshire, to clean up extensive damage done by the Great Ice Storm of December 2008.  Our all-volunteer group chopped, cut, mulched, raked, painted, and lugged, as part of Comcast Cares Day, a day of community service with Comcast employees nationwide, geared toward helping and improving the communities we live and work in.  Today, I had the opportunity to reap quite a reward from that day seeing young campers enjoy the areas wed fixed and improved!  Along with representatives from Comcast, today we were treated to cheers, songs, high-fives and lots of smiles, not to mention an awesome homemade banner, as a thanks for the work of our entire group of volunteers.  That wasnt all!  While we were all gathered at the center of the camp, Comcasts John Fouhy presented a check for over $3,000 to Camp Otter for continued improvements, and continued summer success for kids from across the Merrimack Valley!  Enjoy a taste of the sights and sounds from Camp Otterhighlighted by the camp songs, of course!  :)

August 22, 2009 - Dr. Thomas N. Pesola Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser

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I never had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Thomas Pesola, but it was evident when I served as Master of Ceremonies for his Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser at the Hillview Country Club in North Reading, that he was a man loved by so many. A dentist who spent most of his life in Danvers, Dr. Pesola died of a heart attack at 59 years old in 2009. His family, led by his daughters, quickly organized the fundraiser, which would prove to be tremendously successful, raising just shy of $31,000 in its first year, to provide scholarships for those with or doing research on diabetes. The band Ready, Steady, Go! provided British Invasion music for the evening, folks could buy an "Owen's Height" of raffle tickets, I had the pleasure of meeting so many of Dr. Pesola's friends and family, and the live auction items I had the privilege of auctioning off included trips to North Conway, Palm Beach, and the Red Sox, just to name a few! To find out more about Dr. Pesola or the scholarship fund, including updates on next year's golfing tournament fundraiser, you can log onto http://www.drpesolascholoarship.org. Special thanks to the Pesola family for asking me to be a part of your very personal evening.

Country Music Festival 2009, Kenny Chesney, Headlining! Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

Of course, I couldn't grab video of what was a fantastic show this past Saturday - in my opinion, the best and most energy-infused concert Kenny has put on in the past five years - but I could grab plenty of shots of country music fans across New England!  Folks came in from every corner of New England to take in the show, and Boston country music radio station Country 102.5 hosted a tailgating competition.  I sampled some of the sights and sounds of the effort put forth by our fellow New Englanders to make Saturday a day to remember!

The first video is the segment that aired in my Sky Scenes segment on NECN the Tuesday morning following the 2009 Country Music Festival...and the second is the same video in raw form, rather than on-air. Enjoy!

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Enjoy the FULL EXPERIENCE of the climb to the summit of Mount Washington!

Last Thursday and Friday, I was away from the Weather Center and climbing Mount Washington...my first trip to the summit!  The weather was just as any weather fanatic would want...daily maximum gust to 69 mph, thunderstorms in the vicinity, hail, rain and yes...even snow pellets!  Officially, the first snow of the 2009-2010 snow season on Mount Washington!

I was joined by my buddies Dan Skeldon - Chief Meteorologist at WMGM-TV, NBC 40 in Atlantic City and the best man in my wedding - and Erin Romansik, Veterinary Oncologist at the New England Veterinary Oncology Group (and a lifelong weather lover who almost became a meteorologist!), who I met when he treated my black lab, Bentley, for a mast cell tumor.  We started on Thursday from the Pinkham Notch Visitor's Center, around 2000 feet in elevation, and hiked to Hermit Lake, at just over 4000 feet.  Hermit Lake is a small body of water surrounded by tent platforms and lean-to structures - spots to find shelter for a night, which we did Thursday night.  Friday morning we were hiking by 8:15 AM and reached the summit shortly before midday, cold, a bit wet, but exhilarated.

I brought with me a FlipMinoHD camera, capable of taking up to an hour of high-definition video, but the battery died after only about 15 minutes of footage, and could only be recharged by USB port, of which there aren't many on the side of a mountain!  Thankfully, the meteorologists at the Mount Washington Observatory were willing to charge the camera back up for me, so I could continue to document the trip.  When I returned home, I edited all of the video on my laptop.

There are two versions of videos that you can enjoy.  The first is the television broadcast that aired in the Sky Scenes segment on NECN's Good Morning Live at 6:51 AM on Wednesday.  That version was shortened to fit in the tight time constraints of television, and is perfect for those of you who are mildly interested in a taste of what the mountain has to offer.  Click here to see that quick video.  You'll also see me refer to a fantastic program to take inner city youth to the mountains and truly transform their lives.  To volunteer or fund this program I happened upon by chance, click here and see the Mountain Mentors site.

There are, however, undoubtedly a number of you who either would like to make the trip yourself, or who may not be certain you'll ever have the opportunity to climb the mountain but still want the full experience.  Let me assure you, I have the FULL EXPERIENCE for you - I cut 45 minutes of video down to 18 minutes...and I guarantee you that, short of a professional documentary, you'll NEVER see this much of Mount Washington - the sights, sounds, people and above all, the experience.  View the video below to take the extended journey to the clouds...

In this video:  a representative from the Pinkham Notch Visitor's Center, mentor Greg Mahlman from the Mountain Mentors program, Meteorologist Stacey Kawecki at the Mount Washington Observatory, Volunteer Charlie Kinney (along with his wife, Jeanine).  To find out more about them, see below the video.

Pinkham Notch Visitor's Center:  I made the classic error of not asking for a business card from the representative I spoke with, so if you recognize him, let me know so I can give full credit!  Nonetheless, the staff at the Pinkham Notch Visitor's Center is tremendous, and does a wonderful job of making sure folks are ready for what awaits on the mountain.

Mountain Mentors:  We happened across Greg and the group of young adults he was traveling with at the Hermit Lake shelter.  I'd never heard of Mountain Mentors before, but came to learn from Greg that the program is a wonderful opportunity to bring at-risk youth from urban environments into the wilderness, introducing them to a completely new way of life, and often truly changing their lives.  This all-volunteer organization of men and women commit to mentoring youth for at least a year, funded by individual donations.  To find out more about the program, head over to mountain-mentors.org.

Meteorologist Stacey Kawecki:  Not only an important observer atop the mountain, but also the Education Specialist who does education outreach with classrooms nationwide!  Check out the Mount Washington Observatory's site for more information - I plan on coordinating with Stacey to deliver information on her programs through my many annual school visits, as well!

Volunteers Charlie and Jeanine Kinney:  Frequent visitors to the summit, these two are beloved by the staff and keep the place in order!  Dedicated volunteers are needed, so head over to the Mount Washington Observatory site to find out more, and understand you'll have to volunteer at least one week in the summer before you try out the winter months.

Many thanks to everyone who made the trip so meaningful and memorable!

Matt

Pan-Mass Challenge Wrap-up, Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, South Boston, MA

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After the 192-mile ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown, many of the Pan-Mass Challenge riders took some time to relax, unwind and reflect on the weekend as they headed back west aboard the ferries operated by Bay State Cruise Company.  I was on the docks at the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal in Beantown, and asked some of the dedicated riders, family, friends and volunteers to share their motivation to be a part of the PMC.  Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't include some of the NECN family, who worked hard to ride, volunteer and cover the weekend...many doing more than one of those at once!