A wedding dress or gown, clothing worn by a bride during the ceremony, can vary with cultural traditions, choice of style, and preference of color. Godey’s Ladies Book (1840-1878), one of America’s first magazines, declared white as ‘the’ hue after Queen Victoria’s marriage to Albert of Saxe-Coburg, her choice simply because she apparently liked the color. Wedding plans call for a gown and a Mailbag reader wishes to help someone announce ‘here comes the bride!’

Are ‘wedding bells’ in your future? If so …

“My daughter has moved away and left me with her wedding gown to give away,” writes Claudette B. of Nashua (LTR 1,358). “It is a satin, fitted-style, with long sleeves and a train that can be bustled. It has embroidery and beading on the high bodice, back and train. It is probably a size 0, since she weighed 98-pounds at the time. I hope someone out there can use it. Knowing that brides nowadays prefer sleeveless style, I am hoping that someone who has sewing abilities can alter it to their taste. Or perhaps someone who is connected with a performing group would have a need of it as a costume. It has been preserved and is still in the blue paper and plastic bag.” All weddings require preparation (even eloping may require the use of a ladder and ‘get away’ car) and since many ceremonies will take place in the upcoming months, this is a great time to find ‘the’ wedding gown for you, a family member, or special friend. Claudette asks interested parties to call her at 345-7062 or email: clodb@aol.com to see the dress or to get more information. Best wishes and happy planning to everyone involved. Looking forward to an update.

‘Starting up’, ‘starting out’, ‘ starting over’…

“We have a member at H.E.A.R.T.S., Carol R. of Nashua (LTR 3,358) that is in need of pretty much everything, starting up a household basically from scratch,” says Tom Doucette, assistant executive director, H.E.A.R.T.S. Peer Support Center and Peer Crisis Respite Center. “She is sleeping on an inflatable bed/mattress, has a couple of cooking pans, some dishes and some silverware. Do you think we could put her needs in the Mailbag?” Absolutely! However, when someone is starting out with nothing, or lost their belongings to circumstances or disaster, it’s best for the Mailbag to mention a few basic needs at a time. If you can help Carol with a bed, bedding, maybe a dresser, sofa and/or any furniture for a living room, those items would be greatly appreciated as well as small appliances such as a toaster or microwave oven. Tom, who will keep in touch with Carol on her behalf and with the Mailbag, can be reached at 943-0547 (cellphone).

Nashua Library Trustees seeks help with Burbank Trust

“The Nashua Public Library Board of Trustees is seeking six to eight volunteers to reinstitute the Burbank Fund Advisory Committee. The fund is named for Nashua businessman, Leonard Freeman Burbank, an art lover who left a trust to purchase pictures, paintings and works of art of then-living artists for display in New Hampshire. Committee members, in the past, have come from a wide variety of backgrounds including professional art educators, craft and fine artists. The trustees are looking for people with an interest in the arts in general and who are willing to work hard at the beginning to get the group back on track and establish a strategic plan and some processes for going forward. The committee’s initial assignments, under the direction of the board of trustees and/or library staff, will be to compile a catalogue of the existing collection and to draft a collections management policy that will provide the committee and the board of trustees with guidance for the care of the existing collection and with direction for future acquisitions. Eventually, the group will get back to finding art projects to fund.” Anyone interested in serving of the Burbank Fund Advisory Committee should send a letter of interest addressed to: Nashua Library Board of Trustees, 2 Court St., Nashua, N.H. 03060, or email: plt@nh.gov. For more information, contact Jennifer McCormack, library director, at 589-4620 or email: McCormack@nashualibrary.org. Nice opportunity for community involvement!

Looking for organizations collecting plastic pill bottles

Empty plastic pill bottles tend to accumulate, not surprising since every year Americans fill an estimated four billion prescriptions. Some folks, hesitant to discard them, continue to contact the Mailbag regarding donation information. If you represent or know of an agency, organization, church group, etc. collecting pill bottles for a mission project here or abroad, send the information to Chris’ Mailbag at the email address at the bottom of the column. Publication could be ‘lifesaving’ since every bottle saved could help to save a life.

Contact Chris’ Mailbag by emailing christine.graham33@gmail.com or sending mail to Chris’ Mailbag c/o The Telegraph, 110 Main St., Suite 1, Nashua 03060. Include full name and complete address, along with telephone number or email address for publication, if applicable. Items eligible for publication are for donation, trade or barter only; requests of items for sale or purchase will not be included.

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