Page 15 - SEPT2023

September 2023
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM
Page 15
Community
By leslie sanDeRson
Community Entrepreneur and Employer Wears Many Hats
It’s a hot, muggy day in Bris- tol as I head out past Newfound Lake to gather information for this article. Canadian wildfire smoke hangs on the Lake, but I focus on the tasks at hand. I think I’m in for an arduous afternoon. I plan to interview the owner of the Idle-A-While Antiques and Ice Cream, the owner of Bird- ies Range, the boat owner who
to CA to visit family) and began her high-energy pursuit of what seems like a hodge podge of hobbies and ventures - all re- quiring varied talents and skills. Fortunately, I was recording our conversation, so I could capture Bryan’s interests which range far and wide.
Bryan has a true love of old things - cars, boats, homes.
offers free rides on the lake, and then the person who organizes the annual Antique and Clas- sic Car Parade in Bridgewater. I check my phone to make sure the battery is full so I can record the interviews.
Fifteen minutes later, I start laughing and don’t stop until my session with Anne Bryan is over. She is the mastermind and entre- preneur behind all the ventures mentioned above and more. A joyous woman with an infectious smile, Bryan was born near San Francisco. She arrived on the East Coast when she went to Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, MA.
At college, Bryan was invited to the Lake by a college friend in 1979 and fell in love with New- found. While here, she began to scout around for property and bought a tiny vacation cot- tage where she spent weekends. Shortly after, she moved full- time to Bristol (with trips back
When she arrived in Bristol, she attended Charlie Reynolds’ auc- tions. She says, “I love the energy of old items.” Six years ago, she bought the Idle-A-While antique shop on the Lake’s at 1177 May- hew Turnpike in Bridgewater because she thought another buyer might tear it down. Bryan says, “The circa 1900 building is one of the last local landmarks. It’s so important for the Lake to have activities, little places to visit, things to do, that don’t take you away from the lake.” From the shop’s old kitchen window, she opened the Ice Cream shop. In the Idle-A-While, you will find a plethora of furniture and col- lectibles from 13 antique dealers who teach her about the items, which she says is fun. You can tell that fun is a big motivator in her life.
On and around Lake Tahoe as a kid, Bryan loved the water and old boats. She owned a Chris Craft and many other old boats
in CA. Earlier in
Bristol, she worked at the Newfound Lake Marina, selling, servicing, and cleaning boats. She adjusted moorings on the Lake. She dived in New- found looking for the ruins of the Stella-Marion mail boat sunk in 1915. She offers free weekend electric boat rides so adults and older kids can go out on the Lake.
(Sign up at the Idle-A-While.) She worked 25 years as a local realtor and achieved entry into
the Million Dollar Club, one of only five realtors in the Lakes Re- gion at that time. Bryan says she has had many opportunities be- cause “People are kind up here.” She has purchased acreage in the Newfound area on which sits the original Young Farm established in the 1880’s. On her property, she has created a dog park and hike/snowshoe trails. Adjacent to this property, she created Bird- ies Range off Route 3A, a 6-tee driving range operated on the honor system. She designed a waterfront home. She even built a five-sided deck with no prior experience!
An athlete, Bryan was a com- petitive golfer in the NH and TriState Golf Competitions; now she plays tennis and pickleball. She grew up singing Barbershop Quartet songs with her family and still sings, writes songs, and plays the guitar and the drums.
She started the Classic and Antique Car Show in Bridge- water as a fundraiser for the Humane Society with help from her friends. During Covid, the Show’s format was changed to a Parade, and now hundreds line up along the parade route around Newfound Lake to see the glorious and glamorous cars. Check Antique and Classic Car Show Bridgewater, NH on Face-
book for information.
During our talk, Bryan chor-
tled “Just fun,” and “It was really fun,” many times. When she’s not at the Idle-A-While seven days a week during the tourist season, she finds more fun and joy in at home, feeding the fish in her pond and caring for her cat and dog, Cinnamon.