CORONAVIRUS

ReopenNH rally celebrates state’s reopening of beaches

Jay Pinsonnault
Pete and Anita Hinkle of Merrimack hold a sign in support of reopening the state's beach and Ocean Boulevard in Hampton on Saturday, June 6. Pete was previously a state representative from Merrimack.

Andrew Manuse and JR Hoell scheduled Saturday’s ReopenNH rally at Hampton Beach to coincide with the 76th anniversary of D-Day and U.S. invasion of Normandy during World War II in 1944.

“We are here to celebrate what our veterans did, what our fathers and grandfathers did,” Hoell said. “They paid a huge price today, 76 years ago.”

Gov. Chris Sununu “took some wind out of our sails,” according to Manuse, when he reopened beaches on Friday.

“When (Sununu) opened the beaches Friday, victory for us was accomplished,” said Manuse, chairman of the ReopenNH political action committee. “Now, this is more of a celebration. We will continue to push for reopening businesses fully and ending this state of emergency.”

Melissa Blasek, a Merrimack resident who intends to run state representative this fall, came to the rally with her mother Jill Domosh of Derry.

“Today is D-Day and we want to express our freedom as much as possible,” Blasek said. “Look around, we are living in a dictatorship so we have to express our freedom as much as we can, in every way we can. This isn’t over until the whole state is open and we can run our lives the way we see fit.”

Added Domosh: “This isn’t just about opening up the beaches. It’s about the freedoms we have lost. We have been at every protest (ReopenNH) has had and we will continue to do that. Pretty soon, the government is going to tell us which hand to wipe our [butt] with. That is where we are right now.”

Manuse, of Derry, and Hoell believe Sununu’s reopening of the beaches Friday coincided with Saturday’s rally.

“It seems pretty clear that he was responding to us,” said Manuse, who hasn’t spoken directly to Sununu, but has spoken with members of his administration.

“If (Sununu) wanted to open the beaches, he could have done it Monday, but he did it on Friday in response to us and this rally,” Hoell added. “It makes a big difference when you have 7,500 to 8,000 people pushing to have things done that all are citizens of New Hampshire.”

Sununu spokesman Ben Vihstadt said Manuse and Hoell's comments were "not true" and shared the governor’s statement from Friday.

“We have always said we will be nimble and make decisions when public health data supports decision making,” Sununu said. “We worked with public health and came up with a solution supported by data. We would like to thank everyone for their patience. Beachgoers will still need to remain 6 feet from other groups.”

Hoell served eight years in the N.H. House of Representatives, where he often tussled with fellow Republicans. He was part of the Freedom Caucus, and earned a reputation as one of the House’s most conservative members. He is treasurer for ReopenNH and made the hour-long drive from his Dunbarton home with his two children.dren.

“I am glad the beaches are open, but this should have happened weeks ago,” said Hoell, a 51-year-old engineer. “Quite simply, viruses don't survive well in ultraviolet light. There is great statistical evidence, great historical evidence where the open air hospitals during the Spanish flu were actually more effective than being indoors. That’s what we should have been doing, having people outside enjoying the sunshine.”

“I am glad for the families and the businesses that live on the beach and in this area,” he added. “These people can actually enjoy their livelihoods again.”

Deb Beck of Raymond came to the rally with her grandson Kellen Kay, who will be a freshman at Manchester Memorial in the fall.

“I want to see New Hampshire fully opened, especially the schools,” said Beck, a registered nurse. “Kids should not be doing school by Zoom in the fall. Enough of that already. This is all based on junk science. We should be protecting the people who are really at risk, and that is the elderly and nursing homes. We are not protecting them, we are sending sick COVID-positive patients back to the nursing homes, and then spreading it around the nursing home.

“The young are being sequestered at home and they have zero chance of getting sick from COVID-19. Kids may have it, but they may not be sick; there's a big difference. They should be allowed to go back to school, and healthy people should be allowed to go back to work.”

ReopenNH was formed in April and has nearly 8,000 signatures on its online petition.

“The reason we (started ReOpen NH) was because although we recognize that the virus is dangerous it does not warrant shutting down the state,” Manuse said. “Far more people are going to be at risk due to a shutdown and because of the loss of livelihood due to isolation and depression in their homes.”

Added Hoell: “The beach is back, that was the goal. Now, we have to get all the parking back open and make sure these arbitrary rules just go away.”

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Ginger Heald of Merrimack holds a sign in support of reopening businesses in New Hampshire during a Re-Open NH rally at Hampton Beach on Saturday, June 6.