Creating a new center of community

Jason Tors of The Loading Dock delivered the following remarks at a Foundation community event at the Rocks Estate in Bethlehem in September:

My name is Jason Tors, Executive Director of The Loading Dock in Littleton NH.

The Loading Dock is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a venue for performances from emerging and established artists. We foster a creative space for the community to connect around a shared appreciation of the arts.

I moved to the North Country from New York City in 2001, shortly after 9/11. I was working a fall caretaking stint for the AMC not too far from here at the 13 Falls Tent site just over the Franconia Ridge on that fateful day. During my time in the woods, I felt a growing deep connection to these mountains and less attachment to the big city. Shortly after my stint with the AMC I was hired by Garnet Hill to be their web designer and moved to Franconia.

My wife and I got married at The Rocks in 2002 (the first official wedding!) and started a family. As I settled into North Country life, I found that there was a rich history of artsy weirdos that followed their own path. I soon realized I had found my people and set about to contribute to the conversation. I knew I was here for good.

The Loading Dock began in September of 2014. It was little more than a storeroom for the Littleton Courier and repository for old office equipment, but my friends and I saw possibilities.

With the help of Northern Lights Music, we purchased a PA system at cost and began using the space for band rehearsals.

Our name came from an obvious need to be able to locate our entrance which is right next to an actual loading dock and located in what I like to call the “Bermuda Triangle” of downtown Littleton. Our location was a challenge to find, even for Littleton residents.

In January of 2015, we hosted our first show featuring a local band, Lucid Elephants, with a SUNY Purchase band called Pupppy, thats Puppy for 4 p’s! The lead guitarist went on to join the popular indie rock band Pinegrove.

The do-it-yourself nature of our space attracted up-and-coming musicians that intentionally performed outside of the typical bar and brewery venues. The Loading Dock was more of a cooperative art studio and rehearsal space than a typical venue.

We focus on presenting original music, underrepresented genres as well as diverse line ups of musicians playing a variety of instruments and performance styles. We wanted to create a place that was artist first and celebrated originality and the sense of surprise.

In the beginning, we experimented with ways to engage with the community. The most durable extension of that is the under-21 Open Mic event, attracting musicians, poets, comedians, beatboxers from Littleton and the surrounding North Country towns.

The under-21 Open Mic events became a place where teens can come together to share and support one another outside of the school environment. In 2022, we teamed up with North Country Pride and the Tillotson Fund’s Empower Coos Youth group to sponsor a year of under-21 Open Mic events.

Coming out of the pandemic, we realized that there was this huge gap in the teen experience that did not include the joys of live music and performing for an audience of your peers and community. We set about to change that by dropping barriers to entry to our shows and events as well as providing hands-on internship opportunities for high school and college students.

Becoming a nonprofit in 2023 has been very beneficial for The Loading Dock organization. We have a great board of directors that has added a whole new perspective and level of experience that we did not have before. In the beginning, we struggled with people finding our entrance, now we feel deeply connected to the web of arts organizations in the North Country due in large part to the spirit of mutual support everyone has for one another. The Loading Dock is here for good.