Speaking of his home state, Founding Father and Franklin farmer Daniel Webster would famously say, “Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades: shoemakers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers, a monster watch; and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but up in the mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show.”

The same can, of course, be said for our lakes, our seacoast, our valley along the Connecticut, and perhaps most emphatically, our people. And while much has changed across the nation in the centuries since Mr. Webster spoke those words, our state remains as remarkably beautiful, our people as genuinely decent and hard-working, and our pride in our communities as fervent as ever.

The NH Troubadour, since its re-launch in 2008, has always been by, for, and about you. It’s been about your participation, your stories, your memories, your artistry, your volunteerism. In a time when so much of what we hear in the news is negative, it’s been about bringing you something positive to read and uniting Granite Staters – opinionated at birth, after all – around a point of agreement: the blessing we have of living in the greatest place in the world. In the letters, poetry and photos that continue to fill our mailbox, you have confirmed this. And so in recent months, we have thought about ways to harness this positive energy and to bring folks of like mind and a shared love of New Hampshire together.

On Friday, September 17, we will launch a statewide society – The Troubadour Society – at the NH State Library in Concord as a way of expressing our appreciation and gathering neighbors from across the state together to share stories, salute volunteers, and make new friends. The ceremony is set for 11:30 am that morning on the front steps of the library, with a luncheon to follow at noon. The cost to attend is the same as this publication: free. Space, however, is limited, so we ask that you contact us for more information and to reserve a seat.  We look forward to seeing you there!