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Climb for a Cause - From Fosters Daily Democrat Online
Sunday, August 14, 2005

Newmarket man tackling Mount Washington to benefit Seacoast Hospice NEWMARKET- Though he is a veteran of the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hill Climb, local chimney sweep Phil Mitchell of Newmarket will ride his bike up Mount Washington on Aug. 20 for a cause he truly believes in.

Mitchell, 54, had been looking for a local charity to support and this year he has chosen Seacoast Hospice to benefit from his grueling ride up the 7.6-mile course.

"I've always wanted to do it as a fund-raiser," Mitchell said. "I picked Seacoast Hospice because I lost both parents to cancer very close together. Seacoast Hospice is a very worthy organization."

The race follows the Mt. Washington Auto Road, which is 7.6 miles in length, has an average grade of 12 percent with extended sections of 18 percent. The last 50 yards is a 22 percent grade. Mitchell describes himself as a frustrated musician, but not necessarily an athlete. He's been an avid cyclist for 15 years and participated in his first Hill Climb a dozen years ago.

"My son, when he was 15 or 16, did the Hill Climb in 1991, and the first year I did it was in 1993," Mitchell said. "It's been canceled two years, but I think I've done it every year since except for one or two."

Mitchell said the Mount Washington Hill Climb presents a host of challenges, not the least of which is the mountain's infamous weather.

"There are a lot of challenges," Mitchell said. "Its in-your-face steep for the whole distance. The weather can make it very interesting. Last year, for example, the wind was blowing 40-50 miles per hour at the top with wind-driven rain and heavy fog. That's been the norm for the last couple of years. We're due for a good day and that's what I'm hoping for."

Mike "Bullfrog" Rogers has helped Mitchell train for the event. Rogers, a vocalist and harmonica player for the local blues-swing band Roundhouse, is blind, and rides on the back seat of Mitchell's tandem bicycle. The two have been friends since 2004.

"He and I go out whenever we can." said Rogers, whose band last month headlined a fundraiser for Mitchell's upcoming ride. "I'm an extra weight."

"He and I are very, very close friends," Mitchell said. "He helps me train. I get to do the work. I tell him I cart his fat (butt) around, while he sits with his feet on the handle bars. That's a joke, of course."

Rogers sees it another way. "That's a gross exaggeration," Rogers said with a laugh. Mitchell hopes to raise $5,000 for Seacoast Hospice."

It's more than patient care," said Mitchell about Seacoast Hospice, where both his parents and an aunt received care. "They have a whole network of support which extends to many dimensions. The emotional and spiritual care offered to the family is as important as the physical part."

Mitchell is no stranger to using his athletic abilities to help other people. In addition to cycling, for the last 15 years, Mitchell has been a volunteer with the Adaptive Ski Program at Waterville Valley ski area, teaching skiing to people with disabilities.

"It's a huge passion of mine," Mitchell said. "I like just to be able to be a part of the reason someone else can go skiing. It's all volunteer- based, and it's a huge thing to be able to help people who don't have the facilities we have. I really enjoy it."

Also competing in the Mt. Washington Hill Climb will be mountain biking legend Ned Overend. Overend, of Durango, Colorado, was the UCI World Mountain Bike Champion in 1990 and won the U.S. National Championship title six times between 1986 and 1992.

NHACP 2005 Sweep Fest 2005 - June 25th, 2005

June 25th was a day of stimulating seminars and professional presentations. We drew sweeps from RI & Maine, and even a few from NH. Reviews at the end of the day were overwhelmingly positive. There was so much information shared, it was feast!

Speaking of feasts… Donna MacDonald and her daughter cooked a meal (in the most horrific heat & humidity the seacoast had seen to date) that was fit for royalty! Good food, great presentations, CEU’s and entertainment to boot... Phil Mitchell put together a skit, enlisting the acting skills of his eldest daughter, newest grandchild (5weeks old) and Bob Warner. The skit set the scene for an open forum style discussion on levels of inspection rounding out another successful Sweep Fest.

Hazard Communication Presented by David Berard, OSHA Compliance Assistant Specialist	Working in Confined Spaces. Presented by Armstrong Heating & Power Vac, Inc. Operations Manager
Power Vacuum Truck Demo Presented by Armstrong Heating & Power Vac, Inc.
A skit, by playwright P. Mitchell, set the scene for an open forum style discussion on NFPA 211 levels of inspection.	NHACP bouquet of thanks to Jen & Donna MacDonald

NHACP Member Elected to NCSG Board of Directors - March 17, 2005

George Stroup, of George Stroup Chimney Sweep in Franconia, NH was elected to the National Chimney Sweep Guild Board of Directors. As the Region 1 Director he represents the states of VT, NH, NY, MA, RI, CT, PA, NJ, MD, DE, and ME. Stroup also joined the NCSG Ethics Committee. Members of the NCSG elect the NCSG Board of Directors for three-year terms. The NCSG BOD not only sets policy for the National Guild but they serve as liaisons between the National Guild and member and non-member chimney sweeps in their respective regions.

Chimney Sweep Honored with Award - Foster's Daily Democrat Online
Friday, March 11, 2005

ROCHESTER — Mark L. Jones, owner of Chestnut Hill Chimney Service, was honored recently by the Rochester Police Department, with a special award for community service. Jones had been contacted by a senior citizen who had been the victim of a chimney sweeping scam. Jones went to the victim’s home, free of charge, and documented the evidence for the police department.

	Mark Jones, far right, owner of Chestnut Hill Chimney Service, listens as his community service award is being read during a ceremony held in his honor. (Courtesy photo)

The text of the award reads; “The Rochester Police Commission, the Chief of Police, and members of the Rochester Police Department, hereby extend deep appreciation to Mark L. Jones, Chestnut Hill Chimney Service, in recognition of compassionate acts of public service by providing assistance at no cost to an elderly citizen who had previously paid a sum to another for chimney repairs that were not completed to industry standards. Such service, if performed by all citizens when the occasion is presented, would truly make this a much better world. Presented this second day of March 2005” and signed by David DuBois, Chief of Police and Paul Dumont, Police Commission.