Ron Fredette

New Hampshire residential sale prices in August 2008 are lower by 2 percent from August 2007 statewide with 4 percent less number of homes sold. Specifically Belknap county home prices are down 4% from last year with no less number of homes sold. Not bad considering what is happening to the rest of the country!

One of the Lake Region's favorite places to bask in the sun and have fun is the Laconia Weirs Beach Waterslide. Sitting on the shore of crystal clear Lake Winnipesaukee it's a great place to meet up with old friends, greet new ones and spend the day! The central attraction is the Volcano Waterslide. There is a Giant Volcano sitting atop of a hill making the appearance somewhat intimidating for the little ones, and can be seen from some distance away. Yes, it's an impressive sight which does create a little hesitancy for little ones at first, but after the first challenge is met, they hurry back up to dive again down the slide again, go through the waterfalls and into the crystal clear pool. The operation is run very well by the Baldi's, a local family who have been life long residents to the community. The day I went there was hardly a line or wait. You could go up and down virtually at will all day long. One can purchase tickets for all-day or just ½ day should you desire. Directly across the street is the Laconia public beach, so if you want you can just cross over and continue the fun. Lifeguards are on duty at the beach and waterslide for your safety. The place is very clean with no little or no littler. Picnic tables are conveniently placed along the beach walkway. The waterslide is ...well screaming fun! Some people forget that Weirs Beach is part of Laconia, NH! Here you can roam the streets full of arcades, buy cotton candy, ride the mini race cars, swim at the public beach and finish the day playing mini golf all within a short walk of the Waterslide. The slide is open during the summer only (except when it rains). This place has it all! Central location, a great snack bar that stays open late, mini Volcano Golf, watch the old fashion whistle train go by, and end the day with you favorite ice cream while watching the Friday Night Fireworks. It's a day you'll always remember and a day that will bring you back time and time again for another day of fun in the sun! This is Laconia!

The 37th annual steamboat meet begins this week on beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee here in the New Hampshire Lakes Region. This event, enjoyed by both young and old boat enthusiasts, began in 1972. Steamboats from all over the America meet at here at Lee's Mills in Moultonborough, NH. Here you will find old-hulled steamboats, reproductions, and replicas of original boats powered by five horsepower engines chugging along the narrows. The event lasts a week, concluding with the Big Parade of Boats on Sunday September 14^th at 10am.

On Sept 12^th four great Lake's Region Rotary Clubs will gather together for a great fundraiser to help abolish polio. The evening will begin at 6:30 pm at and end at 11pm. Music and entertainment will be provided along with a wine tasting, appertisers, dinner and dance for a cost of $50. A great location at Meredith's Church Landing's Grand Ballroom which overlooks Lake Winnipesaukee will be the site for this grand event. The Rotary clubs for the past many years have worked very hard to assist in fundraising for this great cause. You can get tickets by contacting the Rotary Club in Meredith at 603-279-7600. So take an evening out, enjoy the company of good friends, and contribute to a great cause, you'll be happy you did!

The Dark Night at the IMAX

NH's first and only IMAX Theater opened in early 2007 at Cinemagic 15 Theater in Hooksett, NH. This movie was great and and with a new facility makes the evening even more exciting. Opening night for "The Dark Knight" was totally sold out, so we had to advance purchase tickets for Sunday. My wife and I were like kids again. I think the fact that we had to advance buy the tickets made the anticipation ever more exciting. Parking was no problem, but the new huge lot was ¾ capacity. Entering the facility with so many people created additional excitement. As we approached the theater, the ticket taker was costumed in...you guessed it as "The Batman" My wife told me to get there ½ hour early, but I thought what's the rush. Boy does she love to say..."told you!" Arriving not early enough did not spoil the night; it only made finding good seats a challenge. I must admit, the only bad seats in the house are the ones up front. Watching the IMAX so close would probably give me motion sickness. IMAX is a special film format that displays images of a far greater size and images in a screen The screen is huge, measuring 72 ft x 53 ft. The movie opened unusually without any trailers to a totally captivated audience. Watching the film gave me the feeling of being "inside the arena"; the IMAX creates an incredibly emotional experience. I would recommend watching any action movie on this screen. The drama and effect is so great I even went to see "The Dark Night" a second time and would even schedule a third viewing! The theater is conveniently located at 1226 Hooksett Rd Hooksett, NH. The movie was an extraordinary experience. As the Joker said "It's not about money...it's about sending a message"