In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Deanna Strand, Director of the Dover Adult Learning Center, about the organization's mission, programs, and recent developments.

Strand shared how she came to DALC in 2009, stepping up from a coordinator role in Exeter to lead a much larger organization based at the McConnell Center. As the adult literacy agency for Strafford County, DALC serves learners age 16 and up across 13 cities and towns, with additional sites in Rochester, at Somersworth High School, and at the Strafford County Department of Corrections. Students come for a wide range of reasons — to earn a high school credential, master skills they missed earlier in life, improve English language proficiency, build digital literacy, or prepare for a career. Strand described the center as the "duct tape in the educational pipeline," emphasizing that students can return as often as needed with no expiration date.

A major highlight was DALC's new transportation program, launched after years of effort. Supported by a grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and operated through Enterprise's van pool program, volunteer drivers now shuttle students to morning classes in Dover, boosting attendance and instructional hours. Strand put out a call for more volunteer drivers to expand service to Rochester and evening classes. She also addressed staffing challenges, the center's hybrid relationship with the Dover School Department, and the school department's recent commitment to fund an additional position. She closed by inviting listeners to visit doveradultlearning.org.

In This Week in Dover History, we revisit a 1906 competitive checkers tournament held at Ham's Hall on Washington Street, where the Bellamy Club claimed top honors, Charles Leighton captured the Barker Prize against a field of 40, and Dover's champion William P. Hartnett upheld his reputation in an era when checkers drew crowds and captured a city's attention.