Town of Plainfield, NH

08/29/2026

Spirit Day, fully underway on the campus of PES. Music, ice cream and friends. Both current and future residents enjoying the show!

08/27/2026

The fun never ends, if your Plainfield trash or recycling has not been picked up by noon Friday call the town office 603-469-3201. River Rd recycling will be done in the morning.

08/27/2026

Notes from the Plainfield Town Office
As part of our local-government outreach, we will periodically post details on social media about upcoming meetings and opportunities for resident input.

Thursday, August 27, 2026
The kids are back in school; it’s true the late Labor Day weekend makes it seem very early. Still, stay-at-home moms and dads have had a chance to enjoy that first celebratory lunch in a quiet house, perhaps with an adult beverage. Summer camps and swimming lessons are done. Remember, it’s still too early for pumpkin spice anything. There’s a lot of nice summer weather ahead.

I had an opportunity just before opening day to tour our new middle school renovation. Once you get over the fact that a million dollars doesn’t buy as much building or addition as it used to, you can see that the project has turned out really well and is something Plainfield taxpayers should be quite proud to have provided for our young people. Kudos to our school team for bringing the project in on time and on budget.

I may never fully understand “middle school” vs. “junior high,” but I know that as we prepare our kids for high school, trade school, and/or college, a separate space to focus on learning can’t be a bad thing. I can still vividly remember the shock of leaving the security of PES (300 kids in the building) for Lebanon High School (800 kids at that time in one building), complete with a student “smoking room." I wasn’t sure where I was, but I knew I wasn’t in the Plainfield “Pod” anymore, where Mrs. McGee, Mr. Beaupre, and Mr. Reisch took care of us.

Thankfully, the LHS smoking room is long gone. To be clear, back in 1980 at LHS you did need parental permission to light one up. Judging by the number of kids in that space, permission could be had. I was too busy trying to figure out where the bathrooms were located and how to get to class without being stuffed in a locker in senior square to purposely wreck my health. Survival was my priority. Once again, I have digressed to the scars of youth.

I am sure there will be upcoming opportunities to see the renovated middle school space. I am also sure that if you contact the SAU office, someone would be glad to give an after-school tour.

It looks like we have a great Saturday evening (8/29) coming for Plainfield Spirit Day. Note, the event is Saturday and not Sunday this year—back to that seemingly early start to the school year. Recreation Director Dan Cantlin has an awesome evening planned: music, corn, ice cream, and a professional fireworks display. There will be fire trucks and police cruisers for all to see and touch. Something for everyone.

Spirit Day dates back to 2011 to the town’s 250th celebration. After that very successful event, Steve Taylor thought getting together at the end of August each year would be a great way to build community. He was correct. So, pack up the family, your Plainfield enthusiasm, along with a picnic suppah, and come enjoy an evening with friends new and old on the beautiful PES campus.
Grounds open at 5 p.m., fireworks at dusk. Spirit Day is one of those things that makes Plainfield a special place to call home. Take it in—you’ll go home feeling good about your community, the place where you have put down some roots.

Steve Office 469-3201/Home 675-9974/Cell 252-4272

08/27/2026

Reminder, this year's Spirit Day is Saturday 8/29. Pack a picnic and your town spirit and come enjoy music, food, friends and a world class fireworks show on the beautiful Plainfield School campus. A great time to slow down, let the kids run and play and catch up with friends new and old. Its about our collective community, all are welcome.

08/21/2026

Hypertherm employees cleaning up the Connecticut river bank in Plainfield this morning. Thank you!!

08/21/2026

The Plainfield Selectboard is pleased to announce the members selected to serve on the Plainfield Town Administrator Advisory Committee.

The Selectboard received 17 strong submissions from residents interested in helping with this important process. We are grateful to everyone who stepped forward and offered their time, experience, and perspective.

The committee members selected are:

Megan Chapman

Candace Budner

Timothy Rub

John Yacavone

Rangi Keen

We have also identified two alternates who will be available:

Judy Ptak

Conrad Schoeffeter

The Advisory Committee will assist the Selectboard with the upcoming Town Administrator candidate review and interview process. The committee is expected to begin its work with an initial meeting before September 11 and will start the interview process in October. All meetings will be posted on the Town Calendar.

A special thank-you goes to everyone who expressed interest. Having numerous people willing to volunteer for this assignment is a wonderful reflection of the community's commitment to Plainfield.

And if you weren't selected for this particular opportunity, we hope you won't stop there! There are many ways to become involved in Plainfield — from serving on one of our long-standing committees to helping with a short-term project or other volunteer opportunity.

Thank you to everyone who is willing to lend a hand and make Plainfield an even better place to live.

08/13/2026

Notes from the Plainfield Town Office
As part of our local-government outreach, we will periodically post details on social media about upcoming meetings and opportunities for resident input.

Thursday, August 13, 2026
Let’s begin today with a word or two of gratitude for all the first responders and professional EMS personnel who rushed to a severe car accident on Route 12A near Beauty Hill Road on Tuesday night. The City of Lebanon immediately sent a police cruiser and ambulance to assist. Our own Police and Fire departments were quickly on the scene and were supported by Cornish Rescue and Fire. State Police arrived and took the lead on the call with their accident reconstruction team. While the accident was the result of poor conduct by one individual, the ensuing EMS response was something everyone living in the Upper Valley should feel good about. When you need it, there are some really good people on the way to help.

A few housekeeping matters:
A reminder that the Planning Board’s hearing on the updated Master Plan is Monday night at 7:00 p.m. here at the town offices and via Zoom. The draft document is posted on the town’s homepage, www.plainfieldnh.org. If you would like a say in how the town develops over time, this is one pretty easy way to make your views known.

The Cornish Fair starts next Friday, August 21. Small fair, big fun. If you are a local, you know that means the countdown to the end of summer is upon us. Remember back in June, all those summer projects you were going to do? If you haven’t finished—or even started—the list, the closing of the Cornish Fair means you’d better get started with some purpose.

Plainfield Spirit Day is Saturday, August 29, at the Plainfield School. Note the Saturday date—not Sunday this year. Grounds open at 5:00 p.m.: picnicking with family and friends, local corn, local ice cream, live music, all ending with a fireworks show at around 8:30 p.m. (rain date is Sunday the 30th). A huge community building event.

Just like that, summer is gone—not really, but kind of. Better go stack that firewood in the shed and get started on painting the side of the house. September can be a great month for those things.

As always, if we can help, stop in at the town office. Be warned: my firewood pile has been known to fall over, and it’s hard to know what receives more paint—me or the side of the house.

Steve Office 469-3201/Home 675-9974/Cell 252-4272

08/11/2026

NH PBS is coming back for a preview of pieces of the program "Our Hometown" that will be aired in November. Don't miss this opportunity to hear some stories about Plainfield.

Save the date - we are excited to welcome back Becky and Schuyler for a September preview! You may see Schuyler around the week of August 10 shooting some still - doing some additional drone work - stopping by for a Creamee and more.

08/08/2026

Interested in helping select Plainfield's next Town Administrator?

The Plainfield Selectboard is looking for residents to serve on a volunteer Town Administrator Search Advisory Committee.

Committee members will meet with candidates during the interview process and provide feedback to the Selectboard. The committee serves in an advisory role. The Selectboard will make the final hiring decision.

Time Commitment
• One orientation meeting between August 31 and September 3
• Approximately four to five meetings, including candidate interviews and a wrap-up meeting in October.
• Meetings will be held at the Plainfield Public Libraries.

If you're interested, complete the Advisory Committee Interest Form and send it to:

📧 [email protected]

The application and Committee Charter are available here:
https://www.plainfieldnh.org/employmentview.aspx?eid=64

To ensure a fair selection process, the Selectboard will review applications with all personal identifying information removed. Committee members will be selected based on their responses to the application questions.

If you care about Plainfield's future and can commit the time, we encourage you to apply. Contact Bev Widger with questions at [email protected] or call 603-675-5265 (Landline)

08/06/2026

Mark those calendars! Note the Saturday date this year it avoids any conflict with school opening day.