Haverhill, NH – A near-capacity crowd came to Alumni Hall last week to celebrate two well-known names in the community, Bradford’s Gary Moore as Citizen of the Year and Piermont’s Robie Farm as Business of the Year.
It all happened under the chandeliered ceiling of Haverhill Corner’s historic Alumni Hall, once an early New Hampshire courthouse and school gymnasium. As in the past, a special meal was served and it was another splendid night of honoring local people, in a room full of friends, business leaders and community officials.
Gary Moore is well known throughout the area and was honored by the chamber for his many contributions to the community, to the field of emergency management and hazardous materials, also to police and fire services, locally and at the state level.
While receiving the tributes, he said “I have received many awards and honors over the years, but none have meant as much to me as this one. This is where I was born and raised and where Linda and I chose to live, moving back in 1973. Being named Citizen of the Year by those from this special region of the Twin States just makes it very special.”
In his comments, Moore mentioned a personal note, one of many he received upon the honors being made public, from Peggy Hewes and Larry Scott saying they were sending congratulations not only to Gary for his being named Citizen of the Year, but to his wife, Linda, “because you are so clearly and inspirationally a team.”
Moore agreed, saying “Nothing I have accomplished could have been possible without the support of my wife of 55 years.”
Moore’s involvement with the community includes a long list of positions held over the years as an educator, state official, member of the military intelligence in Vietnam, and everything from the Chief of the Bradford Fire Department to the Commissioner of the State of Vermont Fish and Game Department.
His background and professional development documents, including professional employment and appointments, more than 75 individual listings were made including his hobbies which are hunting, fishing, hiking, sailing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, photography and reading.
The interesting evening included a media panel of local news hounds who were included in a roundtable discussion on the value of having local media in the community who are aware of the territory and publishing stories, photographs and advertisements that mean a lot to local readers.
Those personalities included Darren Sherburne, who represented his mother, Michelle Sherburne, owner of the Journal Opinion. Also, Gary Scruton, owner of The Trendy Time newspaper and this writer, Senior Writer/Photographer for The Bridge Weekly.
Moderating the panel was Joshua Smith, owner of WYKR Radio in Wells River and also owner of The Bridge Weekly newspaper, now based in Wells River.
Publisher-Owner Smith sought to show the direct connection between a strong local media such as there is in this area, strong local businesses and a strong community/nonprofit organization (especially in the digital world where social media can be noisy and polarizing.)
Plaques were presented to Citizen of the Year Gary Moore and to Mark Robie, of the Robie Farm, voted Business of the Year.
Robie Farm is a popular family farm business located in nearby Piermont. As mentioned on their internet web home page “At the Robie Farm, we’re dedicated to producing the highest quality milk, cheese, eggs, beef, pork, and chicken.”
“We work with nature – not against it – carefully considering every environmental impact along the way. The result is food raised with a clear conscience and the exceptional flavor our customers know and love.”
Since 1870, the Robie Farm has taken pride in producing high-quality, nutritious and flavorful meats that reflect our dedication and sustainability, animal welfare, and honest farming. Located along the Connecticut River and Piermont, New Hampshire, our 150-acre family farm has been continuously operated for over seven generations – each committed to maintaining healthy, productive livestock and responsible stewardship of the land.”
According to information available, farm owner Lee Robie and his sons decided to transition from selling milk to a large cooperative to offering bottled raw milk, selling directly to customers at their on-farm store on Route and in Piermont. This change opened the door to new diversifications. Using that raw milk they developed their own Farmstead cheese line and expanded offerings to include a wide variety of meats including beef, pork, poultry and more.
Today, there is a full line of those products and more at their farm store and in their online shop. Accepting a handsome plaque from Chamber officer Joe Mitchell was Mark Robie, one of the sons involved with the success of Robie Farm’s endeavors.
Long time Chamber of Commerce member and officer for many years since the chamber was created 25 years ago, Marvin Harrison was busy during the chamber event coordinating various activities. His popular “Marvin’s Trivia Program” has always been a big hit during previous chamber dinners.

At the conclusion of the ceremonies, Harrison told The Bridge Weekly that “It felt really nice to be able to celebrate two great families in the Moores and the Robies who are such wonderful examples of what community is all about. And the 'local media' panel added further credibility to the importance and effectiveness of the sense of community here in the Cohase region.”

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