School Board Candidate Gary Hamer Showed His Managerial Skills Handling Manchsterdam Stars’ Ice Bucket Challenge
Peter White and Joel Elber Got Doused for a Good Cause as Did the Author — OPINION
MANCHESTER, NH — Gary Hamer, who is running for the Board of the School Committee from Ward 10, showed his managerial skills when he handled an Ice Bucket Channel featuring myself and two of the most popular TV and radio personalities to ever grace the Queen City airwaves, Peter White and Joel “The Moose” Elber.
Gary set up the challenge, and handled the buckets of ice cold water that were poured over our heads.
The ALS Association Ice Bucket Challenge is a way to raise funds to combat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig Disease.
The Ice Bucket Challenge involving myself, Peter White and The Moose occured in 2014, when I was running to become state rep from Hillsborough District 17, which is Manchester Ward 10. (Gary’s wife Heidi Hamer now represents the district, along with fellow Democrat Tim Smith.)
Peter White and The Moose established themselves on Manchester Public TV Service’s Manchsterdam program, which was created by Peter and Ryan Gorman. Peter asked his neighbor, Joel Elber to join the show and The Moose became his co-host when Ryan exited Manchesterdam. They subsequently were joined by Don T. Tibbets.
Peter White and Joel Elber’s show Manchsterdam repeatedly was voted the second most popular TV show by readers in The Hippo’s annual Best of Manchester survey, Manchsterdam came in second only to Fritz Weatherbee’s Chronicle, which appeared on WMUR-TV, a commercial broadcaster.
Manchesterdam won the “Runner Up” Aard to Chronicle for several years. It was extraordinary, as Manchsterdam was a cable access TV show.
The success of Manchesterdam led to Peter White and Joel Elber being given the first talk show on WMNH 95.3 FM, Manchester’s public radio station. The Morning Show with Peter White & The Moose debuted in 2016 and is still going strong, even though Joel departed the show after a move to Concord.
Jon Hopwood is a writer living in Manchester, New Hampshire
