Schools

Obama Stops in Windham, Rochester Confirmed

He will speak about middle-class economic security.

The campaign for President Barack Obama released details this afternoon on two appearances scheduled for Windham and Rochester.

Obama will start this Saturday in the Windham High School gymnasium, with doors opening at 10:30 a.m. and the event taking place at 2 p.m. The event will be free and open to the public, with tickets required to enter.

Those tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Beginning on Thursday, Aug. 16 at 8 a.m., you can visit one of the following locations to pick up tickets:

Find out what's happening in Windhamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Concord OFA Office
Portsmouth OFA Office
Nashua OFA Office
Lebanon OFA Office
Keene OFA Office
Exeter OFA Office
Salem OFA Office
Manchester OFA Office
Claremont OFA Office
Peterborough OFA Office
Plymouth OFA Office
Hampton OFA Office
Milford OFA Office

Windham High School assistant principal Bob Dawson said that three representatives from the Obama campaign “literally walked in the front door” and proposed a visit from the President.

Find out what's happening in Windhamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Dawson called the WHS gymnasium the “perfect” place for an event such as this, comparing the visit to that of Gov. John Lynch for the Class of 2012 graduation in June.

"This is graduation times 100,” Dawson said. "It’s the most incredible, positive PR we’ve had.”

He added that recent appearances from Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Rand Paul at the school likely made the location a good campaign draw.

Windham Democratic Town Chair Kristi St. Laurent called the visit "fantastic," saying that it's great that the town now has a facility available to provide an opportunity for campaign appearances.

"I think he's recognizing the significant voter base in Southern New Hampshire," she said.

St. Laurent has already contacted all of the members of her committee to provide ticket information.

According to Windham School District Business Administrator Adam Steel, the campaign will be charged for custodial overtime and utility charges of $20 per hour.

"The campaign will be paying for those charges directly," he said.

Information on arrangements between the campaign and the town's police and fire departments is not yet available.

The second campaign stop in Rochester will take place at Rochester Commons, with doors opening at 1:30 p.m. and the event taking place at 4:35 p.m. Ticket distribution will take place starting at the same time at the following OFA offices:

Rochester OFA Office
Concord OFA Office
Portsmouth OFA Office
Dover OFA Office
Laconia OFA Office
Exeter OFA Office
Conway OFA Office
Berlin OFA Office
Littleton OFA Office
Hampton OFA Office
Portland, Maine OFA Office

A press release issued Thursday morning says President Obama will discuss "middle-class economic security" during his two New Hampshire stops.

"The President will discuss the choice in this election between two fundamentally different visions of how to grow the economy, create more middle-class jobs and pay down the debt," the release reads. "The President believes the only way to build an economy meant to last is to build it from the middle out, not the top down. He will highlight his plan to restore middle-class security by paying down our debt in a balanced way that ensures everyone pays their fair share and still invests in the things we need to create jobs and grow our economy over the long term, like education, energy, innovation, and infrastructure."


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