LACONIA — The Annual "WOW Sweepstakes Ball" held at the Lake Opechee Inn & Conference Center on Saturday once again lived up to it's promise of a great party with its 10th consecutive sellout. $10,000 Grand Prize winner Alison Isabelle of Gilford certainly would agree.
"The event was great" said Alison. "I'm still in shock. We were excited to have a fun night out with friends and support the WOW Trail, but to win the Grand Prize — I'm blown away!".
With the proceeds from Saturday's event, the WOW Sweepstakes Ball has now raised over $300,000 over its 10 year run, which will fund the continued expansion of the WOW Trail.
"Our hats off to Meredith Village Savings Bank, the presenting sponsor, and to everyone who bought a ticket, donated an auction item, advertisers and event sponsors" said event co-chair Darcy Peary. "These events just can't happen without broad based community support, which, thankfully, the WOW Trail enjoys".
A total of 10 cash winners were selected in a reverse drawing from the 300 tickets sold and shared the $13,000 in Sweepstakes dollars."It's a fun, affordable way to support the WOW Trail", explains WOW Trail President Allan Beetle. "For $100, supporters are entered into the Sweepstakes, and can bring a guest to the event, enjoy a delicious dinner, live music, dancing and have a fun night out."
The proceeds from this year's WOW Sweepstakes Ball will be used for the continued expansion of the trail. HEB Engineering is currently conducting the detail design of Phase II of the trail, which will extend the trail from downtown to Belmont with a construction target of 2014.
The WOW Trail's other signature fundraising event is the WOW Fest held September 14th at Laconia Athletic & Swim Club featuring a fun walk, 5K and 10K road races, and 15M and 67M bicycle challenges.
For more information, go to www.wowtrail.org or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LACONIA — The Belknap Independent Business Alliance (BIBA) has been around for a little more than four years now. In that time, said executive director Kate Bishop Hamel, local consumers have become much more aware of the greater local impact their dollars have when spent at a locally-owned business.
There's less clarity when it comes to the role of BIBA, and how it fits in the local landscape of business-promoting entities. Hamel, who was hired as the organization's first paid employee earlier this year, hopes to provide some definition for BIBA at the annual meeting later this month. She said current and prospective members are invited, as well as members of the general public who are curious about the organization.
The annual meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on May 29 at the Beane Conference Center in Laconia. Refreshments will be provided by The Local Eatery, and keynote speaker will be Joe Grafton, a national expert on local economies. There's no charge to attend, though interested parties are asked to RSVP to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
"This movement is increasingly building, and has been over the past couple of years," said Hamel, referring to a campaign, furthered nationally by groups such as the American Independent Business Alliance, to urge consumers to seek products or services from local companies that are independently owned. Studies cited by AMIBA and BIBA report that those dollars, as opposed purchases at chain stores, are more likely to be recirculated in the local economy. As Hamel said, "Everybody's building each other up."
A message that BIBA has yet to successfully deliver, said Hamel, is a clear picture of what BIBA is.
As Hamel has found, there is confusion as to why BIBA is necessary when the region already has organizations such as the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce and the Laconia Main Street Initiative. Unlike the chamber, BIBA exclusively serves independent businesses, Hamel explained. And, unlike Laconia Main Street, Hamel said her organization seeks to serve all of the Lakes Region.
BIBA was started by owners of businesses in downtown Laconia, and has since carried with it a misperception that it's a Laconia-centric organization. It's a misunderstanding that Hamel would like to eradicate, as it's limiting the group's growth. There are currently about 70 BIBA members, scattered throughout the region but most concentrated in Laconia. "Our member base is not as spread out as it could — the opportunity for growth is definitely there," she said.
And, with its first paid director, Hamel said BIBA also has the opportunity to grow the services it offers to its members. She's got a few new offerings, which she plans to announce at the meeting, and hopes to hear feedback after the meeting about the direction in which members would like to see BIBA go. "I want to focus on us moving forward," said Hamel.
Hamel is a Conn. native who lived in Massachusetts during her high school and college years. She moved from Bedford to the Lakes Region about a decade ago. She owns and operates Granite State Mediation Group in Gilford.

CAPTION for KATE HAMEL in AA:
Kate Bishop Hamel, the new executive director of the Belknap Independent Business Alliance, said members, prospective members and curious members of the general public are invited to the organization's annual meeting on May 29. (Laconia Daily Sun photo/Adam Drapcho)

LACONIA — The large deck planned for behind the left field wall of Robbie Mills Field has been put on hold for a year as the Laconia Muskrats continue to seek a corporate sponsor to defray the cost of that project. Instead, said Noah Crane, general manager of the local New England Collegiate Baseball League team, the Muskrats will seek approval from the city to build a smaller deck out along the left field line for this season, which will allow the sale of beer at games.
The originally planned deck, which Crane now hopes to have in place for the 2014 season, would have been built behind the top fo the left-field wall that was built in homage to the famed Green Monster at Fenway Park. The deck, in addition to providing a unique vantage point, would have also been a place where the team could sell beer. Crane has said in the past that offering beer would both draw more fans to the game and provide an additional revenue source to bolster the team's sustainability.
The team received a bid of about $50,000 to build the deck, said Crane, and sought a corporate sponsor willing to purchase the naming rights for about half the construction cost. With June 6 opening day approaching, the naming rights have yet to be spoken for. Crane said the total cost of construction is too much for the Muskrats to take on alone, so plans for the deck have been moved to the back burner while an alternative plan has been developed.
Should Crane receive approval from the city's Parks & Recreation Commission, the Muskrats would like to construct a smaller deck, one measuring 16 feet wide by 50 feet long, along the third base line. Crane said the deck would be enclosed with a railing and would be build atop a portion of the paved surface that is currently reserved for bus parking.
"No buses ever park there because they'd get hit by foul balls all the time," he said.
Plans call for the deck, which would be slightly elevated above the pavement, to be placed just beyond the bleachers on the visitors' side.
If the Parks Commission agrees to the plan, Crane said work would begin as soon as possible, although he doubts it would be built in time for opening day on Thursday, June 6. Once it is open, he said baseball fans will be able to purchase a glass of beer to enjoy as they take in the game. He expected the deck to have a capacity of about 50 to 60 people, depending on how many tables and other furniture the team decides to place on it.