Sean Hurley

North Country Reporter

Sean Hurley lives in Thornton with his wife Lois and his son Sam.  An award-winning playwright and radio journalist, his fictional “Atoms, Motion & the Void” podcast has aired nationally on NPR and Sirius & XM Satellite radio.  When he isn't writing stories or performing on stage, he likes to run in the White Mountains.

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North Country
6:40 am
Fri June 14, 2013

Be Glad! Littleton's 100 Year Old Secret

The people of Littleton New Hampshire celebrated Pollyanna Glad Day this past Saturday. The June 8th event also marked the publishing Centennial of the bestselling children’s classic about the little girl who always looks on the bright side. While a dubious meaning shadows the character name in popular culture, Sean Hurley reports that the residents of Littleton believe they know the real Pollyanna.  A hundred people opened and closed their umbrellas in the rain and shine that came and went throughout Pollyanna Glad Day.

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North Country
7:08 am
Fri May 31, 2013

The Unusual Ascenders

The 3rd Annual Alton Weagle Unusual Ascent Day took place this past Monday on Mount Washington.  With fresh snow closing the summit, participants still gathered at the base of the Auto Road to walk, ran, paddle and roll their way to the snowline.  As NHPR’s Sean Hurley reports, it’s an event that blends the difficult with the whimsical. 

75 year old Otok Ben-Hvar stares at the white powder top of Mount Washington. He’s about to go rolling along the Auto Road in a shambling contraption of five inner tubes.  

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Word of Mouth
9:49 am
Mon May 20, 2013

The Healing Power Of A Horse

Animals have long played a part in human therapy and healing; from dogs trained to assist the disabled, to all manner of animals making visits to hospitals and nursing homes. For one Vermont woman, it’s a horse that’s helped her heal; not from physical ailments, but from the emotional and spiritual scars of abuse. Sean Hurley brings us her story.

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North Country
3:02 pm
Mon May 13, 2013

The Little Newspaper That Could

While most newspapers are downsizing, outsourcing, assimilating or outright folding, there’s a newspaper in the North Country that’s flourishing. Two weeks ago the Colebrook Chronicle opened a new business office in downtown Colebrook. As Sean Hurley reports, business at the Chronicle has never been better.

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North Country
5:20 pm
Fri May 3, 2013

Ceremony Marks 10 Years Without The Old Man Of The Mountain

It was ten years ago Friday, that the state lost the Old Man of the Mountain. A celebration at Profile Park marked the anniversary.

  A lone bagpiper approached the shore of Profile Lake to set the tone of the morning. Throughout the ceremony, eyes and cameras hunted the jagged spot where the Old Man’s face once was. John DeVivo, General Manager of the Park said you can’t help but look:

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Arts & Culture
12:00 pm
Fri March 29, 2013

Capturing Love: N.H. Photographer Writes The Book On Same Sex Wedding Photography

In 2005, photographer Thea Dodds was hired to shoot a wedding in Massachusetts. She spoke to the prospective bride on the phone and drove down to meet the happy couple.

Dodds: I went and met them and it was two women (laughs). So I didn’t even know before I met them that it was a same-sex wedding.

That two-brides no groom job led to other same-sex weddings. And as she gained more experience, Dodds began to realize that she was falling into the same trap.

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NH News
12:00 am
Fri March 22, 2013

Sugaring: The Sweetest Science

Maple Weekend begins Saturday in New Hampshire, and that means Sugar Houses in the state are open to the public with boiling sap and sweet syrup to sample.  And syrup producers around the state say they are hoping for a strong season this year.

Paul Weeks would rather be in his sugar orchard checking sap lines for leaks or adjusting the boil on his evaporator.  But today’s bitter chill has given him an unwanted break.  

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Word of Mouth
12:00 pm
Thu February 28, 2013

To Kill A Mockingbird: Rochester Opera House

This weekend, the stage version of “To Kill a Mockingbird” premieres at the Rochester Opera House. Reporter Sean Hurley introduces some of the cast and crew members to us in an audio version of a playbill.  In this case, their stories go a little deeper than the blurb in an average program.

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Arts & Culture
6:00 am
Mon February 25, 2013

Museum Of The White Mountains Opens

The Museum of the White Mountains had its Grand Opening this past weekend in Plymouth. Correspondent Sean Hurley spoke with Director Catherine Amidon and sends us this story.

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NH News
12:00 am
Fri February 22, 2013

Mt. Chocorua Makes Debut On Quarter

Credit Sean Hurley

Turn over a quarter in your pocket and you may now see a scene out of the White Mountains.  New Hampshire's Mount Chocorua is the latest addition to the U.S. Mint's America the Beautiful Quarters Program.

It's the sixteenth coin in the series and was unveiled Thursday in Plymouth. The Quarters program runs over twelve years and honors 56 national parks, forests and other notable sites.

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Arts & Culture
9:30 am
Fri February 15, 2013

Nordic Skating On The Connecticut River

This is the time of year many of us love to head out on the ice to do some fishing or play a pick-up game of hockey with the kids. NHPR's Sean Hurley decided to try something a little different - he went Nordic.

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Arts & Culture
6:00 pm
Sun February 10, 2013

A Walk In The Woods

Sometimes, to make a surprising discovery, all you've got to do is strap on your snowshoes and step outside. That was the case when correspondent Sean Hurley ventured out to some familiar trails this past week:

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NH News
10:30 am
Sat February 9, 2013

Outdoors Enthusiasts Out In The Storm

Credit Sean Hurley for NHPR
Gerri Schiffman and her daughter went out snowshoeing and skiing Friday night

It’s dark and the winds are really starting to bluster in Waterville Valley when Jess Chabot snowshoes out of the woods near Town Square.

I lived in NH for a long time.  Growing up my parents didn’t ski or anything.  I hated the snow. They hated the snow.  I hated the snow. But then like in my mid-20’s I was like Why do I hate the snow so much I’m stuck with it.  So, you just gotta get a hobby. Snowshoeing you don’t have to be good at at all.  You just put em on your feet.  If you can walk you can snow shoe.

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Word of Mouth
12:30 pm
Wed January 30, 2013

Snowshoe Racing: Winter's Leisure Sport Speeds Up

The Sidehiller snowshoe race in Center Sandwich is the oldest snowshoe race in New Hampshire…a remarkable distinction for an event that began in 2005. We sent correspondent Sean Hurley on a radio field trip to learn  more about the fast-growing winter sport.

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Arts & Culture
7:00 am
Fri January 25, 2013

Running Through Time On The Sandwich Notch Rd.

Credit Sean Hurley

There aren’t many roads that have books written about them, but we have one in New Hampshire.  In 1973, writer Elizabeth Yates published “The Road Through Sandwich Notch”, which more than anything else helped secure the road’s preservation status as a part of the White Mountain National Forest.  Sean Hurley has been running down and learning about the road for some time now and sends this reflection.

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