Our DFA Meetup at Crackskull's in Newmarket was well attended, as
usual. There were nine first-time attendees, in addition to a number of reporters, including a photographer, who were attracted by the presentation by John Lynch, candidate for Governor of New Hampshire.

Additionally, Paul McEachern was able to respond to Lynch's no new tax (except maybe for an increase in the cigarette tax) with his support for a more broad-based levy.

Peter Glenshaw from Democracy for New Hampshire, having realized that three members of the board are in our group, decided not to make the five hour drive from Hanover. Chaz Proulx, Herb Moyers and Roger Goun do manage to keep us up to date.

After the presentations by Lynch and McEachern and a goodly number of questions, the group focused on our agenda and decided, among other things, that Monica Smith should serve as the Meetup Organizer for the forseeable future.

Marcia Moody provided a brief report on her attendance at Demfest, the Take Back America conference and the Democratic National Convention, which Amy Pollard also attended.

A number of members volunteered to serve on the flyering and tabling committee to hand out flyers at fairs and other community events. Mayme Trumble, Amy Pollard, Jane Gardner and Gordon Simmons volunteered themselves. Caroline French was volunteered by two or three others.

There was a consensus among the members that outreach to elder care facilities should continue and Meaghan Silverberg from ACT suggested we co-ordinate our efforts with that organization. She also pointed out that ACT has developed a "pledge card" to promote voter registration since, in New Hampshire, voters are required to present themselves at the local registrar's office.

The group decided it would be a good idea to start working now for a fund-raising luncheon to honor Howard Dean on the Seacoast, preferably in mid-October, before the election. Marcia and Chaz will work on getting a commitment from Dr. Dean in the next few days.

It was noted that, although August was supposed to be a vacation month, Governor Dean is scheduled to appear at a fundraiser for NH house candidates on August 5 in Hanover at 6:30 PM. (105 Dartmouth Hall)

The next big event on the Seacoast is, of course, the visit to Stratham by President Bush on August 6th. Several groups will be conducting visibilities on and around the Stratham Traffic Circle (Rt 108 and Rt 101) beginning at 7:00 AM and continuing until 3:00PM, lest the media, who tend to arrive at the end of an event, think there was no-one there. The demonstrations are to be "positive" in the sense of emphasizing that the current administration does NOT represent New Hampshire values.

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Other events:

Strafford County Democratic Picnic on Sunday, August 8th from 1-4 PM at the home of Katie Payne, 51 Durham Point Road, Durham

Folks on the Farm in Stratham, September 12

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This fall, MoveOn PAC is presenting an unprecedented get-out-the-vote concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, the Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., the Dixie Chicks, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Babyface, Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Harper, Jurassic 5, My Morning Jacket, Keb' Mo' and Bright Eyes.

http://www.moveonpac.org/vfc/

The tentative schedule includes concerts in:

October 1 = Pennsylvania
October 2 = Ohio
October 3 = Michigan
October 5 = Missouri, Minnesotta, Wisconsin, Iowa
October 6 = Kentucky, Iowa, Missouri
October 8 = Florida, including Gainesville