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Food: In Praise of the Chicken Tender *
FEATURED FOOD - * COVER STORY *
In Praise of the Chicken Tender
And Nine Other Beloved Granite State Comfort Foods
Written By The Hippo Writers (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
There are few restaurant menus in New Hampshire that don’t feature the chicken tender in some way, shape or form — in fact, the Puritan Backroom’s tenders topped the “Best Menu Item” category in the Hippo’s readers’ poll this year. Those and the other nine foods featured here aren’t the only dishes that Granite Staters love, but they are ubiquitous and can be found, in their many variations, at all sorts of restaurants across the state. We talked to local foodies about why these 10 dishes are quintessential New Hampshire comfort foods and suggested a few places where you can find them. What do you think is an essential part of New Hampshire cuisine, whether comfort eats or fine dining? Let us know at food@hippopress.com
Chicken Tenders
What it is: Thin strips of tenderloin chicken marinated, breaded and fried.
What makes it an essential NH food: Chicken tenders may have originated in New Hampshire; Arthur Pappas, one of the third-generation owners of the Puritan Backroom in Manchester, said the restaurant was the first to make and market chicken tenders in 1974. “When [the owners at that time] were dealing with poultry products, they had a lot of pieces left over that they didn’t know what to do with,” Pappas said, “so they started frying them up, and that’s how they came up with the chicken tenders. We’ve been doing it now for 31 years.”
While different restaurants have different variations of chicken tenders, Pappas said it’s the comfort-food quality and the universal appeal of chicken as a meat in general that makes them such an essential dish. As for their popularity in New Hampshire and at the Puritan, where they are the most commonly ordered item on the menu by far, it may be a matter of tradition.
“People have their habits with where they eat,” Pappas said, “and because we were the first to do [chicken tenders], I think it’s one of those things where people always go back to the original, and they keep coming back.”
Three local spots where you can get them:
Puritan Backroom (245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 669-6890, puritanbackroom.com) has fried chicken tenders and broiled chicken tenders entrees for $13.95. The fried tenders also come in Buffalo or spicy ($1 more) and coconut ($2 more). Takeout options include broiled tenders for $10.50 and fried tenders with the same flavor options as the entree in small ($7.50 to $9.95), medium ($8.95 to $10.95) and large ($15.50 to $17.95) sizes. There are also fried tender plates served with fries and coleslaw, ranging from $9.75 to $11.95
The Barley House (132 N. Main St., Concord, 228-6363; 43 Lafayette Road, North Hampton, 379-9161, thebarleyhouse.com) has chicken tenders with honey mustard or house barbecue sauce for $8 and Buffalo tenders
with blue cheese and celery for $10
Chicken N Chips (12 W. Hollis St., Nashua, 943-5840, chickennchips.us) has “Chick Stix” chicken tenders, offered as a five-piece ($6.99), 10-piece ($9.99), 15-piece ($14.99) and 20-piece ($18.99), and as dinners, either regular or buffalo, in small ($8.99) and large ($10.99) sizes. There are also Chick Stix family meal packs with sides for $33.99.
Shepherd’s Pie
What it is: A meat pie typically made with lamb or beef and a mashed-potato crust, filled with vegetables like peas, carrots, corn and onions, and blended with gravy or another kind of savory sauce.
What makes it an essential NH food: Roger Soulard, owner of North Side Grille in Hudson, said the restaurant’s “Lazy Man’s Shepherd’s Pie” has always been a favorite menu item for diners. “It’s a classic New England recipe, and I believe it’s definitely a New England thing because there are people from other areas who are like, ‘What is shepherd’s pie?’” he said. “It’s a hearty comfort food dish, and I feel like a lot of that kind of comfort food originated from the New England area.”
Since shepherd’s pie is such a traditional and popular dish in New Hampshire, many restaurants that offer it do a variation of the recipe to make it their own. The simple composition of meat, potatoes and vegetables allows chefs to get creative with different combinations of ingredients and flavors.
“It’s a basic dish — easy to make and easy to like,” Soulard said. “It’s a good dish to make with leftovers because you can make it with many other kinds of vegetables and ingredients.” As it is for many New Hampshire families, shepherd’s pie was a staple meal in Soulard’s family when he was growing up, and it remains one of his favorite dishes today.
“As a kid, I always requested it for my birthday dinner. It’s not that healthy of a dish, but with the hamburger and corn and all that salt and butter, I just loved it,” he said. “It hits the spot every time.”
Three local spots where you can get it:
The Wild Rover (21 Kosciuszko St., Manchester, 669-7722, wildroverpub.com) has a full-sized ($11.99) and halfsized ($9.99) shepherd’s pie made with Guinness-braised lamb and beef, peas and carrots, topped with champ and baked golden-brown
Revival Kitchen & Bar (11 Depot St., Concord, 715-5723, revivalkitchennh.com) has a shepherd’s pie made with braised local lamb, root vegetables, mashed Yukon potatoes, natural jus and crispy potatoes for $24, also offered in gluten-free
North Side Grille (323 Derry Road, Hudson, 886-3663, hudsonnorthsidegrille.com) has a lazy man’s shepherd’s pie made with Angus beef, onions, corn and brown gravy, topped with mashed potatoes and Parmesan cheese for $12.
Fried Clams
What it is: The belly of a clam extracted from its shell, dipped in a milk- or eggbased batter, breaded and deep fried. They are not to be confused with fried clam strips, which are made from the foot of the clam detached from the belly.
“Most people who eat fried clams don’t like the strips because it’s not conventional; it’s not the real clam,” said Ben Workinger, owner of the Lobster Boat Restaurant Merrimack location. “But it’s an acquired taste. Many people who aren’t on board with eating the clam belly love the strips. They have a whole different flavor.”
What makes it an essential NH food: Workinger said that, along with the lobster rolls, fried clams are the best-selling menu item at the Merrimack Lobster Boat Restaurant, particularly in the summertime when the restaurant can get clams fresh off the coast several times a week. “It just seems like the right thing to do in the summer,” he said. “There’s nothing better for a New Englander in the summer than getting a box of fried clams.” Naturally, the popularity of fried clams stems from the abundance of clams available in the region. They thrive in cold water and are therefore more prevalent along the northern half of the Eastern Seaboard, making them a unique food for New England.
“Hundreds of years ago, catching seafood was an easy way to keep your family fed around here,” Workinger said. “Now, fried clams have been around for so long that they’re a true New England tradition.”
Three local spots where you can get it:
Clam Haven (94 Rockingham Road, Derry, 434-4679, clamhaven.com) has fried clam plates and baskets served with french fries, onion rings and coleslaw, and fried clams as a side order in small, medium and large sizes for market price
Makris Lobster & Steak House (354 Sheep Davis Road, Concord, 225-7665, eatalobster.com) has a fried native clams plate served with french fries and coleslaw, and fried clams as a side order in half-pint, pint and quart sizes for market price
Lobster Boat Restaurant (453 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 424-5221; 273 Derry Road, Litchfield, 882-4988; 75 Portsmouth Ave., Exeter, 583-5183, lobsterboatrestaurant.com) has fried clams as a dinner appetizer for $9.99, as a dinner plate in small ($19.50) and large ($23.49) sizes and as a lunch plate served with french fries and coleslaw for $13.39 ($12.89 for seniors).
Frappe
What it is: Syrup, milk and ice cream (flavor of your choice) mixed together in a blender to make a thick drink (not to be confused with a milkshake, which contains milk and syrup only, or a thick shake, which is blended with iced milk rather than ice cream to make it thick).
What makes it an essential NH food: Rosanne Cote of The Brick House Drive-In Restaurant in Hooksett said the reason the term “frappe” was coined in New England may have been that many local ice cream stands and shops in the Granite State are closely knit together and have been around for generations.
“New Englanders love their ice cream,” she said. “We have a lot of places especially in the Manchester and Concord areas that make their own ice cream, and it’s just not like that anywhere else in my opinion.… My husband and I like to travel in the wintertime and we’ve noticed there aren’t as many of these kinds of ice cream shops that you see up here.” Traditional flavors like vanilla, chocolate and coffee are often the most popular to use for blending to make frappes, Cote said, but you can make one with any flavor of ice cream. Frappes you order at The Brick House Drive-In can be made using one to three scoops of ice cream, the same amount that comes on a cone, so there’s room for experimentation with flavor.
“Our younger customers may like to go for a moose tracks frappe or a cookie dough frappe,” she said. “You can pick any flavor of ice cream we have to make one.”
Three local spots where you can get a good frappe:
The Brick House Drive-In Restaurant (1391 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 622-8091, bhrestaurant.net) offers kiddiesized frappes with one scoop of ice cream for $3.90, or large-sized frappes with three scoops of ice cream for $4.80.
Hayward’s Homemade Ice Cream (7 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, 888-4663, haywardsicecream.com) has dozens of flavors of ice cream to choose from to mix in frappes for $6.25, or “X-thick” frappes for $7.25 that are also mixed with iced milk.
Arnie’s Place (164 Loudon Road, Concord, 228-3225, arniesplace.com) uses more than 20 homemade ice cream flavors to make two kinds of frappe options, including a “scooped” frappe for $5.25 and an “extra-thick” frappe for
$5.95.
Cider Donut
What it is: A donut that is made with apple cider as the liquid ingredient in the batter instead of water. Cider donuts are cake donuts, which are made with baking powder and are not to be confused with raised donuts, which use yeast.
What makes it an essential NH food: According to Ron Panneton, owner of the Chichester Country Store, the Granite State has always been a hot spot for apples and apple cider, and donuts were also a popular breakfast item on logging camps, so it only seemed natural to combine the two.
“New Hampshire is historically an apple-growing region,” he said. “We basically produce more apples than we consume, and we end up shipping apples out of the state so it makes for a New Hampshire growing tradition.” Panneton said although cider donuts are especially popular in the fall, the Chichester Country Store makes them fresh year round.
“During the apple growing season we sell [our cider donuts] to a lot of farm stands in New Hampshire from about the end of August to November, but we have donuts here [at the store] every day of the year,” he said.
Panneton makes the donuts from scratch using homemade ingredients rather than a pre-made mix. “You make a batch of donuts and then you get to finish them off in different ways,” he said, “so some might come honey- dip glazed, some may have a maple glaze that goes on the top that’s made with maple syrup, or even a chocolate dip that goes on the top. … You can also coat them in sugar or cinnamon, so that’s how you
can go beyond with different flavors.”
Three local spots where you can get good cider donuts:
Chichester Country Store (257 Main St., Chichester, 798-5081, chichestercountrystore.com) has homemade cider donuts for 99 cents each, $5.49 per half-dozen or $9.99 per dozen, with a variety of flavors that include chocolate glaze, maple glaze, cinnamon and more.
Sunnycrest Farm (59 High Range Road, Londonderry, 432-7753, sunnycrestfarmnh.com) bakes homemade cider donuts in its onsite bakery made with cider from apples grown on the farm.
Lull Farm (65 Broad St., Hollis, 465-7079, livefreeandfarm.com) has fresh cider donuts available in its bakery on the farm made with homegrown apples.
Spanakopita
What it is: A Greek pastry dish containing spinach, cheese and onions or scallions stuffed inside of a phyllo dough. Spanakopita is not to be confused with kreatopita, which normally contains beef or another kind of mixed meat in the dough in place of the spinach.
What makes it an essential NH food: The Granite State having a large Greek ancestral population has allowed a traditional dish like spanakopita to be introduced to new people, according to Peter Tsoupelis, owner of the Amphora Fine Greek Dining Restaurant in Derry. “We roll [the dough] individually and cook it to order,” he said. “We make them in triangles that are about slightly under an inch long, which are good for two-bite appetizers, so people try it for the first time that way and it just kind of takes off from there, they try other new Greek dishes.”
There are several variations of spanakopita, using different kinds of bread to make the dough and different types of cheeses to stuff it with. Tsoupelis said the dish available at Amphora contains feta cheese, sauteed onions and seasoned greens, mixed together like a salad before being rolled in the phyllo. “The cool thing about spanakopita is the original design for how it was made was meant to be a portable food suitable for travelling,” he said. “Rolling our own pastries individually and cooking them to order allows us to make regular-sized ones, which are typically 3-inch-by-3-inch triangles.”
Three local spots where you can get good spanakopita:
Amphora Fine Greek Dining Restaurant (55 Crystal Ave., Derry, 537-0111, amphoranh.com) offers a homemade spanakopita as a hot appetizer that is cooked to order and costs $3.25. The dish is made with phyllo dough, spinach and feta cheese and serves two people.
The Gas Lighter Restaurant (204 N. Main St., Concord, 228-8854) is a family-owned restaurant offering several homemade Greek dishes, including spanakopita.
Main Street Gyro (215 Main St., Nashua, 579-0666, mainstreetgyro.com) offers a homemade spanakopita as a side dish, made to order with phyllo dough, spinach
and feta cheese.
Greek Pizza
What it is: Mike Vagenas, a cook at Annula’s Pizza in Manchester, said Greek pizza generally has thicker crust compared to New York-style or Italian-style pizzas. It is rolled, not hand-tossed, and is cooked until its surface is nice and crispy. According to Scott Pappas at Pappy’s Pizza in Manchester, the preparation for his Greek pizza involves a lot more prep work than traditional Italian pizza, including overnight proofing the dough and the next day, after adding the sauce and cheese, letting it sit for a few hours before cooking it in the oven at 500 degrees for nine minutes. Not all pizza places make their own dough, however. The Greek pizza menu item, alternatively, is usually a type of pizza made with feta, spinach, black olives and tomato.
What makes it an essential NH food: Scott Pappas said Greek pizza was the most prevalent kind of pizza available in New Hampshire restaurants because of the significant Greek immigrant population that came to New England in the 20th century. Pappas said the Greek recipe used at Pappy’s is the same as the original recipe used at one of the only two Manchester pizza joints in town about 60 years ago. Greek pizza owners had to put in long hours to prepare their cultural import for Granite Staters to consume, according to Pappas. There’s an old joke that local Greeks like to share about that. “They said that God invented pizza places to punish the Greeks,” Pappas said.
Three local spots where you can get a good Greek pizza:
Pappy’s Pizza (1531 Elm St., Manchester, 623-3131, pappyspizzaonline.com) sells Greek pizza in 10-inch or 14-inch sizes or cheese and pepperoni pizza by the slice. Prices range from $6.40 to $18.95 for whole pizzas.
Tilton House of Pizza (298 Main St., Tilton, 286-7181, find them on Facebook) won the Hippo’s 2017 readers’ poll for Best Pizza, Dine-In in the Concord area.
Gianni’s Pizza Family Restaurant (19 Charron Ave., Nashua, 883-8228, giannispizza.net) sells Greek-style pizza in small and large sizes with prices ranging from $6.49 to $18.50.
Poutine
What it is: French fries covered in chicken gravy and cheese curds
What makes it an essential NH food: Poutine, pronounced “puts-IN” in French, is a working-class French-Canadian staple that originated in Quebec and has traveled down to New Hampshire, which has a strong French-Canadian immigrant presence. However, poutine didn’t follow those firstgeneration mill workers on the train down. Franco-American historian Robert Perreault says poutine is a modern invention that started showing up in the mid to late 20th century. “It’s not something traditional,” Perreault said.
It’s exact origins are debatable, but common stories point to certain small restaurants and diners in Quebec offering fries with curds and later with gravy as well. Perreault heard one story, possibly apocryphal, of a Quebec restaurant chain inventing poutine to compete with the advent of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Wherever it comes from, local French-Canadians have embraced it as a cultural mainstay.
Three local spots where you can get good poutine:
Chez Vachon (136 Kelley St., Manchester, 625-9660, chezvachon.com) is arguably the state capital of poutine, famous for its dish and variations with meats and vegetables. Try the Grand Poutine, with 5 pounds of poutine, for $23.99.
Kimball’s CAV’ern (351 Pembroke St., Pembroke, 485-7777, kimballscavern.com) sells a small poutine for $7.49 and a large for $9.49. Every Friday, small poutine is specially priced at $5.
Bellagio’s Pizza (150 Broad St., Nashua, 204-5510, bellagionashua.com) sells regular “Canadian poutine” at $7.99 for a small, $9.99 for a large. It also comes with steak, grilled chicken and bacon-jalepeno, each at $8.99 for a small, $10.99 for a large.
Steak Bomb
What it is: What makes a true steak bomb is up for debate, though most contain steak, peppers, onions, mushrooms and cheese on a sub roll. The kind of cheese (American, Swiss, provolone, cheddar) varies, and so does the bread type (sub rolls, wraps, pockets, par baked bread). Some also include mayonnaise, salami or pickles. “Almost any pizza place you go to will have its own variation,” said Courtney Dufresne, a chef at The Pizza Man in Hooksett.
What makes it an essential NH food: Nancy Stewart, owner of The Sandwich Depot, said her business sells steak bombs all day long, starting at 7 a.m., when truck drivers get off their night shifts, and ending when the shop closes, at 3:30 p.m., when the last downtown Concord workers are taking their lunches. The shop is busiest during weekdays, when people are working, and that’s when the most steak bombs get sold. She calls it a working person’s sandwich.
“I think New Hampshire is full of real people who work, and they get hungry!” Stewart said. “People come in here with work boots, but we also have attorneys coming in. … A steak bomb is something you wouldn’t cook at home, but it’s going to sustain you for when you go back to work.”
In 2007, the New Hampshire steak bomb also saw a great deal of press when one local shop claimed ownership and had the term “steak bomb” trademarked at the U.S. patent office, firing a letter to their nearest competitor to take “steak bomb” off its menu.
Three local spots where you can get a steak bomb:
The Pizza Man (254 W. River Road, Hooksett, 626-7499, thepizzamandelivers.com) It’s made with 12 ounces of shaved steak grilled with mushrooms, onions, peppers and salami and spiced with Italian seasoning, served on a roll with melted American cheese.
The Sandwich Depot (49 Hall St., Concord, 228-3393, thesandwichdepot.com) It’s made with thinly sliced lean steak with mushrooms, green peppers, onions and a choice of American, Swiss, provolone or cheddar cheese on par baked bread, toasted just before serving with all ingredients inside. Stewart said it can also be served in subs or wraps.
7 Star Pizza & Restaurant (235 Main St., Nashua, 889-8810, sevenstarpizzaandrestaurant.com) It’s made with steak, American cheese, mushrooms, onions, peppers, ham, salami and pepperoni.
Lobster Roll
What it is: A sandwich filled with lobster meat; it’s often soaked in butter or mayo and served in a steamed hot dog bun, but there are many sandwich variations. Some restaurants use additional ingredients, like diced celery, lettuce or lemon juice. They’re frequently served with chips, french fries or pickles.
What makes it an essential NH food: For one, it’s from the ocean, and because we live in a coastal state, it’s something that can be served 12 months of the year. It’s popular even in the dead of winter, particularly among people visiting the Granite State who want to get a taste of New England before leaving, said Ann Masterson, owner of Hooked Seafood Restaurant in Manchester.
“It’s especially popular for businessmen traveling through — they want to get their New England lobster,” Masterson said.Their restaurant serves a variety of lobster dishes, from a boiled dinner to lobster macaroni and cheese to lobster ravioli. The lobster roll is most popular at lunchtime. “I think it’s refreshing and light, and when you want seafood, lobster doesn’t taste fishy to me,” Masterson said. “It tastes clean.”
Three local spots where you can get a lobster roll:
Hooked Seafood Restaurant (606-1189, hookedonignite.com) It’s served on a toasted sub roll with lettuce, a quarter pound of fresh lobster claws and knuckles, celery, lemon, salt, pepper and a little mayonnaise, so as not to overpower the lobster flavor, Masterson said.
Surf Restaurant (207 Main St., Nashua, 595-9293, surfseafood.com) It’s a quarter pound of lobster meat warmed in drawn butter and served in a warm brioche roll with coleslaw.
Newick’s Lobster House (317 Loudon Road, Concord, 225-2424, newicks.com) It’s hand-cracked lobster meat lightly tossed in mayonnaise, available in a jumbo or an
original (ciabatta) roll.
News: Water Lines
FEATURED NEWS
Water Lines
Two Companies Figuring Out Funding For Contamination
Written By Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
Textiles Coated International, currently based in Manchester, might get a state loan to fund its work on designing and installing new public water lines to homes affected by groundwater contamination from its old plant in Amherst.
Financing for TCI
Jim Martin at the Department of Environmental Services said TCI, which had not returned calls by press time, is a “perfectly healthy” company, but when it tried to ask for loans from traditional lenders, the lenders only OK’d business expansion projects.
“But they were unsuccessful in securing financing to do a remediation project for water contamination,” Martin said.
So TCI turned to the state. If the plan is approved, Martin said, this will be the first time the state has dipped into the clean water trust fund, which was established last year from an MTBE contamination settlement. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered ExxonMobil to pay the state $236 million plus interest for that contamination case. MTBE is a gasoline additive that has since been banned for that use in the U.S. after numerous cases of groundwater contamination from leaky underground fuel tanks.
So far, the Senate has passed a bill funding water infrastructure projects with an amendment proposed by Senate President Chuck Morse that would allocate an additional $5 million from the state’s drinking and groundwater trust fund to DES to loan to TCI.
Martin said if the measure passes, TCI will use the money to finance new water lines from Pennichuck Corp. to 100 households in Amherst, about 24 of which were tested to have well water with the perfluorochemical PFOA above the state standard. TCI will repay the loan to the state with interest in a model similar to the revolving loans the state gives to municipalities for drinking and wastewater infrastructure projects, Martin said.
The language of the amendment says DES is authorized to lend up to the $5 million amount to “any potentially responsible party.”
In a written statement released following the vote on March 30, Morse said the money would be loaned “to companies like Textiles Coated International, Inc. [TCI], who have taken full responsibility for the contamination issues in the groundwater in their communities and who have been working diligently with DES to ensure local residents have access to clean drinking water.”
Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics in Merrimack is doing similar water line work for the same kind of groundwater contamination but has not requested any state funding for it.
“Saint-Gobain is funding the projects and is not borrowing any funds from the State of New Hampshire in connection with this water installation project,” Saint-Gobain spokesperson Dina Pokedoff said.
“At least to date, Saint-Gobain has been able to finance the water line extensions and investigation work in the Merrimack-Litchfield-Bedford-Manchester area on their own. They haven’t requested any assistance,” Martin said.
Martin believes this is in part due to the differences between the two companies.
“TCI is a New Hampshire company only, and while they do some of the similar things Saint-Gobain ... does, Saint-Gobain is a much larger, diversified international corporation,” Martin said.
TCI hired an engineering firm to produce a second design so Pennichuck will be able to review a couple options when it looks to connect the 100 homes in Amherst, Martin said.
In the meantime, Saint-Gobain has already been well underway with designing and paying for new water line installations in neighborhoods affected by its factory.
Martin said 26 homes in Manchester were already connected to Manchester Water Works before winter, and there are plans for a few homes in Merrimack. Engineers are drawing up designs for 61 homes in Bedford. But the majority of households affected by PFOA from the Saint-Gobain plant are in Litchfield.
Martin said 100 homes have been connected to Pennichuck water in Litchfield so far, with 300 more expected to get connected this year. In addition, there are about 38 homes for which Saint-Gobain has approved designs.
Not all of the homes getting connected had well water tested above the threshold requiring bottled water or filtration systems, but they’re in the same neighborhood, pulling water from the same aquifer, and their wells could become further contaminated, Martin said.
Arts: Come Eat With Us
FEATURED ARTS
Come Eat With Us
ARTventures Launches “Comeback Kitchen Table”
Written By Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
Last Tuesday morning, Pennichuck Middle School eighth-graders gathered in the cafeteria, not to eat, but to glaze tiny four-inch tiles, which will decorate a gazebo and artfully painted table in downtown Nashua as part of a school-wide project.
“There are like 700 kids doing this — every student in the whole school,” said Belinda Bodnar, just before the glazing session, as she pulled out pages of sketches and plans of what the outdoor structures will look like when completed.
Bodnar is heading the effort with fellow Pennichuck art teacher Laura Dionne, and on this day their classrooms were filled with evidence of the kids’ hard work. There was a table with half-painted placemat settings, and on the door hung student chair designs. Their project name: “Come eat with us.”
“It’s really about raising awareness about the importance of quality time at the kitchen table with family and friends. … We all have such busy lives that sometimes it’s hard to sit down and eat together. We’re always on the go,” Bodnar said. “It’s also about getting people in the greater community buying in and just recognizing the importance of this. We’re noticing through studies that for students who don’t have that family time, those regular dinners, it’s affecting their schoolwork. It’s affecting how they progress further in their lives.”
Theirs is one of 10 artfully decorated tables part of the Gate City’s latest public art project, “ARTventures: Comeback Kitchen Table,” conceptualized by Jerry Beck, founder of The Revolving Museum and consultant for City Arts Nashua. More than 1,000 Nashua youth, artists and community members are participating, and all tables are slated to be completed and installed in various downtown locations by the May 6 Nu Muse Festival.
The idea stemmed from Beck’s own experience as a husband, dad and stepdad, trying to get his family to sit and eat together. Growing up, the kitchen table was the center for all his family gatherings. Only now, struggling to find this time together, has he realized the significance of this quintessential furniture piece.
“I started wondering if this was a cultural phenomenon in America. Everyone’s complaining about not being able to have authentic conversations with one another, and this is an opportunity to converse without technology,” he said. “I did a lot of research, and sure enough, there are a lot of people out there talking about how their kitchen table is becoming obsolete.”
Beck had no trouble finding tables made with high-quality wood for the project. Goodwill, the Salvation Army, Craigslist, the side of the road — they were everywhere.
“They were all over the place. My kitchen table was $1,000; you could probably get the same table now for free,” Beck said.
It’s Beck’s second year working with ARTventures in Nashua; past public art projects involved kinetic downtown sculptures and a totem pole decorated with poems by Elm Street Middle School students. He reached out to new schools, teachers and artists this time around.
Rachel Gualco, a graphic artist at the Nashua Public Library, said the students from Gate City Charter School for the Arts were all over this endeavor. Their table is made from 500 donated library books with a cooking theme. She hoped to have everything done before April vacation week, in time for the grand opening of the library’s new wing.
The Pennichuck art teachers said they saw exuberant enthusiasm among their students as well.
“We could have chosen to do this project with just our art classes, but we’ve decided it’s so important to raise awareness in the entire school,” Bodnar said.
Pennichuck Middle School’s table will be located by the clock towers, where it will stand for three months before being transported back to the school to become a permanent outdoor classroom space. Eighth-graders said during interviews that morning that they thought it was cool to be working with so many people on this project. The message hit home for Julia Simon’s family.
“At dinner, you should be talking. You should be spending time with your family,” Simon said. “I told my mom about it, and she thought it was cool because we don’t always make it to the table while we’re eating. It kind of brought us back.”
ARTventures: cityartsnashua.org/artventures-overview/
Participating organizations and schools: Nashua High School South, Pennichuck Middle School, Nashua Alternative High School Program at Brentwood, Academy of Science and Design, 2nd Nature Academy, Nashua Area Artists Association, Picker Collaborative Artists, Nashua Public Library, Gate City Charter School of the Arts, Nashua Transit Authority, and The Revolving Museum Teen Arts Group
Music: In Tribute
FEATURED MUSIC
In Tribute
Eric Grant Band Pens Song for Fallen Comrade
Written By Michael Witthaus (music@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
A touchstone of country music is loyalty — sturdy bonds like family, faith and tradition. When the Eric Grant Band lost Brian Howard to cancer last September after he battled the disease for 18 months, the band’s leader knew that an enduring response to remember him was needed.
Howard handled EGB’s sound and lights, but he was more than a technician for the band, Grant said in a recent interview.
“He got in even deeper,” he said. “He wanted to see our dreams come true … and he made things happen.”
That included straight up generosity.
“If you needed something, Brian would be there for you,” Grant said. “I mentioned needing wood for my fireplace, and the next day there’s a pile of wood on my front lawn. That’s how he was; he wanted to make everybody’s lives happier and easier and better.”
To pay tribute, Grant responded with “Who Would You See,” a moving ballad to honor his friend.
“He was everything a man could be,” Grant sings, “he was a man with a plan.”
An accompanying video, released March 10, features a photo montage of Howard and footage of his memorial service.
The clip has already garnered nearly 4,000 YouTube views. Howard died at age 43, leaving a wife, Laureen, and their 9-year-old twins. In an email, Laureen Howard called her husband’s work with Eric Grant Band his “most pride and joy” and expressed hope that more people would see the video.
“Brian would be so incredibly honored to have something go big,” she wrote. “This song applies to anyone that’s lost a loved one.”
The spark for “Who Would You See” was in Grant’s mind well before he wrote the song.
“It was on the back burner for many years,” he said. “I had this idea after seeing some friends pass. ... I wonder if in spirit they can see us celebrating their life, after their life?”
With Howard’s death, those thoughts returned.
“I can’t tell you how many times I have written a song and then months or years later, it totally related to a moment,” he said. “It could not be a more perfect song to dedicate to Brian and Laureen, and I hope that Brian is looking over us, still guiding and motivating us and steering us out of the bad and into the good.”
Moving forward, Grant said he and his band are plotting a move “back to basics; deep into our country roots.” In 2012, the group was named Best New Country Band by the NHCMA, and it’s looking to repeat that feat in the coming year.
“We’d love to go back to Pigeon Forge [Tennessee, the site of the national competition],” he said.
A recent session at The Recording Co-op in Gilford with producer Ryan Ordway energized the band.
“We talked about getting back into the originals but once we got in that studio, with the red light on … it just lit a fire under everybody,” Grant said. “This is a new group, about three years old … it’s super excited to take on the world — just like I was back in 2009.”
The band occasionally performs as its alter ego Sugar Rush, playing “high-energy fun dance party music,” Grant said. Conceived as a way to add more paying gigs to the calendar, the effort turned out to be a lot of fun.
“The truth is country is rock,” he said. “There are rock roots to it.”
To prove his point, Grant mentioned that he was a hair band fan in his youth.
“I grew up on Jon Bon Jovi,” he said, noting that guitarist Mark Phaneuf liked metal — Cinderella, Ratt and Dokken — while drummer Mike Salois favored modern rockers like King’s X. “Here we are. We just love music; we love everything. That’s where we came from.”
Eric Grant Band
Where: Club ManchVegas, 50 Old Granite St., Manchester
When: Friday, April 14, 8 p.m.
Also Saturday, April 15, 8 p.m. at Whiskey Barrel, 546 Main St., Laconia
Full schedule at ericgrantband.com
Film: Smurfs
FEATURED FILM
Film Review
Smurfs: The Lost Village (PG)
Written By Amy Diaz (adiaz@hippopress.com)
Images: Movie Screenshot
Smurfette and some buddies set out on an adventure to find a previously unknown community of Smurfs in the totally adequate Smurfs: The Lost Village, a fully animated new Smurf story.
Smurfette (voice of Demi Lovato) is unsure about her core identity. After all, while buddies Hefty Smurf (voice of Joe Manganiello), Brainy Smurf (Danny Pudi) and Clumsy Smurf (Jack McBrayer) all have their defining characteristics in their names, Smurfette is curious as to what her “ette” really signifies.
While trying to shake off her troubles by playing in the forest, Smurfette comes across evidence of another community of Smurfs. After she accidentally lets evil wizard Gargamel (voice of Rainn Wilson) in on their existence, Smurfette feels it’s her duty to warn them that he’s coming for them. Hefty, Brainy and Clumsy join her on her quest, over Papa Smurf’s (voice of Mandy Patinkin) objections, and off they go to discover the lost village. The exact nature of the Smurfs who live there is an easily guessable secret but provides a nice addition to the Smurf universe.
Previous Smurfs movies, which blended humans (such as poor Neil Patrick Harris) and animation, were, from my dim memory of them, painful to sit through. Here solidly back in an all-cartoon world, the Smurfs are much easier to take. They reminded me a bit of the trolls in last year’s Trolls — a little jokey, a little silly, essentially forgettable but not actively unpleasant. They are acceptable children’s entertainment for children old enough to be happy sitting through any movie that comes with popcorn and a snack-sized bag of M&Ms and any parent willing to sit through less-than-stellar entertainment if it means a few hours of relative calm and relaxation. I even laughed out loud once — something about the line delivery of Jack McBrayer, still basically 30 Rock’s Kenneth “The Page” Parcell.
My mild OK-ness with this movie doesn’t mean I’m psyched to sit through four more sequels or whatever decent box office could turn this unkillable property intoby-like selfishness. I’m not sure what aged kid will be all about that but perhaps the colorful scenes of imagined adventures and the baby-based goofy humor could be enough to entertain the intended audience.
Grade: B-
Pop: Find Inner Peace
FEATURED POP
Find Inner Peace
Ashley Davis Bush Tells How via a Pocket-Sized Book
Written By Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy/Stock Photo
When it comes to self-help, Epping psychotherapist and writer Ashley Davis Bush is a realist. She knows most clients aren’t going to make extravagant overnight lifestyle changes — but they might try a new practice if it’s easy to do.
This is the thought behind her latest title, The Little Book of Inner Peace: Simple Practices for Less Angst, More Calm, published April 4 by Gaia, a division of Octopus Publishing Group in the United Kingdom. She talks about it at Water Street Bookstore Thursday, April 20, at 7 p.m.
The book is 96 pages and 4 by 6 inches, small enough to fit in your pocket and filled with practices easy enough to utilize and absorb any time of day — while laying in bed, sitting in the car, even standing in line at the grocery store. It’s the kind of thing people will actually use, she said.
“If you give homework that’s too challenging, nobody does it, so it’s not helpful. These are things you can do within minutes, or less,” Bush said via phone, a day after its release.
It’s not her first book written with this idea in mind; some of her other recent titles are Simple Self-Care for Therapists, 75 Habits for a Happy Marriage and Shortcuts to Inner Peace.
“These books were similar in that I was interested in small, doable, tangible practices to help people, whether it was to ground them, help them relax or find inner peace or intimacy with their partner,” she said.
But this one’s shorter than those, free of stories and theories. It contains about 20 practices, four per chapter, which involve things like movement, breath and visualization. One of the most effective (and popular) listed is the “4-7-8 breath” or the “recalibration breath,” an ancient technique Bush said helps restore balance to the central nervous system.
(Inhale for a count of four, hold that breath for a count of seven, exhale for a count of eight. Repeat three times.)
Bush has seen it work wonders for many individuals with anxiety or anger management issues. One client used it during a certification exam. She practices it before presentations and workshops all the time.
“It sounds simple, but it’s extraordinarily practical and effective. I suggest it to every client I work with,” Bush said.
Some of the practices involve specific environments or props, like candles. (Gaze at a lighted candle with your eyes partially closed. Look at the light, and label what you see — dancing flames, blue light, the center wick. Blow it out and watch the smoke curl up in the air.) Another is inspired by a Jewish custom, Modeh Ani, in which you give thanks for what you have, whatever it might be — family, friends, health, a warm bed, another day to live — as soon as you wake up in the morning.
Bush’s definition of inner peace is something anyone can achieve, so long as they are mindful, gracious and compassionate.
“It’s possible to have inner peace even when your circumstances are not ideal, even when you have financial, health or relationship concerns,” she said.
Bush, who describes herself as a “chronic journaler,” having written every day since age 8, loves writing about these subjects because it helps her reach a wider audience. When she’s not writing books, she tackles articles with the Huffington Post and blogs on her website.
Her book is part of a series with the publishing company (other titles include The Little Book of Gratitude and The Little Book of Mindfulness, both by different authors), and it’s already being translated into five other languages — French, Spanish, German, Swedish and Norwegian.
Bush knows firsthand the benefits of these practices, and she credits them for keeping her grounded while running her private practice and raising five kids (and at one point, five dogs at the same time). But she can only meet with so many clients. This presents a chance to touch more lives and offer something many people need right now.
“There’s a lot of anxiety in the air right now, with recent political events, and it’s affecting a lot of people,” she said. “I think now, more than ever, there’s a need for people to find ways to achieve a more peaceful state.
Meet Ashley Davis Bush
Where: Water Street Bookstore, 125 Water St., Exeter, 778-9731
When: Thursday, April 20, at 7 p.m.
Contact: ashleydavisbush.com
MORE HEADLINES
Stuck In A Part-Time Job?
Stuck In A Part-Time Job?
Underemployment Stats Say You’re Not Alone
Written By Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
A new study published by the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey School of Public Policy found that the rate of people working part-time jobs (defined as 35 hours per week or less) when they’d rather be working full-time has not returned to pre-recession levels nationwide, and statistics for the Granite State show the same scenario playing out. In fact, people stuck in part-time jobs in the state outnumber unemployed workers.
Nationwide Numbers
Rebecca Glauber is an associate professor of sociology at UNH and the author of the recent study, which found that the number of so-called involuntary part-time workers rose sharply as a result of the Great Recession to a height of 9 million in 2010 nationwide.
She wanted to investigate some of the less-publicized measures of recovery that might tell a different story than the rosier unemployment rate.
“If we want to think about economic recovery since the Great Recession, we need to look beyond the unemployment rate,” Glauber said.
At its peak, involuntary part-time employment for women reached 8 percent in 2009, and 6.4 percent for men in 2010.
By 2015, while the unemployment rate had returned to pre-recession levels, involuntary part-time employment had not.
Before the recession, in 2006, the involuntary part-time rates were 3.6 for women and 2.4 for men. By 2015, it was still as high as 5.3 percent for women and 4.1 percent for men.
Glauber said she’s not sure if this is the new normal, but if recovery trends continue at this pace, the involuntary part-time employment rate might return to pre-recession levels by late 2018.
In the meantime, though, people are struggling.
“It’s a real economic problem for real people and their families,” Glauber said.
Glauber said part-time workers are more than five times more likely to be living in poverty.
Local Employment
The numbers are similar in New Hampshire, according to the involuntary part-time employment rate from New Hampshire Employment Security for the period between 2000 and 2016.
In 2006, the rate was 2.1 percent, which it had adhered closely to since 2001.
It reached a peak of 4.9 percent in 2010 and had lowered to 2.8 percent by 2016.
While the national trend has been fewer involuntary part-time workers than unemployed workers, the last three years in New Hampshire has seen the inverse of that, meaning more people in the state were underemployed for economic reasons than were unemployed.
In 2014, the unemployment rate in the state was 4.2 percent while the rate of people stuck working part-time was 4.5 percent.
Similarly, unemployment went down to 3.4 percent in 2015 while involuntary part-time was still at 3.8 percent.
The rates of unemployment and involuntary part-time in 2016 were both 2.8 percent, but estimates from NHES show there are about 800 more people stuck in part-time jobs than there are unemployed people.
Meanwhile, unemployed people outnumber involuntary part-time workers nationwide by 1.8 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Spring Camp Fun
Spring Camp Fun
Art, Theater, Sports and More During April Vacation
Written By Matt Ingersol (listings@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
There are plenty of fun ways to spend your April school vacation week, getting creative with art and theater programs, getting fit with sports and athletic camps and more.
Art
ConcordTV Video Camp (225-8690, yourconcordtv.org) Where: Concord High School, 170 Warren St., Concord When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 12:30 to 5 p.m. What: Kids ages 9 through 14 can learn about the basics of video production, then create their own videos. Cost: $100 for Concord residents, $110 for nonresidents
Currier Museum of Art (669-6144, currier.org) Where: 180 Pearl St., Manchester When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. What: At the morning session (9 a.m. to noon), kids create shoe-themed art and art inspired by food, animals, fairy tales and more. At the afternoon session (1 to 4 p.m.), kids use various art methods to turn the common sneaker into a bold statement of sports, art and architecture. Sessions are open to kids ages 5 through 14. Cost: $170 for the week with one session, $285 for the week with both
Studio 550 Community Art Center (232-5597, 550arts.com) Where: 550 Elm St., Manchester When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. What: Campers in the Earth Day is Every Day camp (9:15 a.m. to noon, for ages 6 to 9) will learn about how to make art in response to the environment, making upcycled and recycled art with found and repurposed objects. Campers in the clay sculpting and wheel throwing camp (12:30 to 3:15 p.m., for ages 9 and up) will learn how to throw pottery on the potter’s wheel, and will also create hand-building and clay sculpting objects without the wheel. Cost: $155
General Interest
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua (883-0523, bgcn.com) Where: 1 Positive Place, Nashua When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. What: Campers can enjoy computer activities, art projects, gym games, air hockey, foosball and swimming. Camps are offered for age groups 8 through 12 and 13 through 18. Cost: Free for members. Membership is required and costs $35.
Boys & Girls Club of Manchester (625-5031, begreatmanchester.org) Where: Union Street Clubhouse, 555 Union St., Manchester When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. What: Kids in grades K through 8 enjoy daily themed activities like field and teamwork games, a visit from Wildlife Encounters, a luau, an outdoor carnival and playtime at local parks. Cost: $50, non-members pay an additional $25 membership fee
Concord Family YMCA (228-9622, concordymca.org) Where: 15 N. State St., Concord When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. What: Campers in grades K through 6 enjoy different activities each day, like trips to Camp Spaulding or New England Aquarium, a “Wild, Wild West”-themed day on Friday and more. Cost: $60 per day or $188 for the week. Deadline to register is April 14.
New Hampshire SPCA (772-2921, nhspca.org) Where: NHSPCA Learning Center, 104 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. What: Kids ages 6 through 12 can enjoy games, activities and crafts as well as visits with the animals. Cost: $295
YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown (497-4663, graniteymca.org) Where: 116 Goffstown Back Road, Goffstown When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28 What: Kids in grades K through 6 enjoy traditional camp activities based on daily themes like friendship, pajamas and Earth Day. Kids in grades 3 through 8 can take part in a trip camp, where they travel to Fenway Park, Seacoast Science Center and other destinations, and an art camp, where they do art projects with stamping, scrapbooking, painting and more. Cost: Call for details
YMCA of Downtown Manchester (232-8670, graniteymca.org) Where: 30 Mechanic St., Manchester When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28 What: Kids in grades K through 6 enjoy traditional camp activities based on daily themes like spying, homemade goods and world instruments. Kids in grades 2 through 6 can take part in a fiber arts and jewelry camp where they upcycle various fabrics into new creations. At Sport-A-Day camp, kids in grades 1 through 6 participate in a different sport each day like floor hockey, basketball, soccer and more. Cost: Call for details
YMCA of Greater Londonderry (647-9622, graniteymca.org) Where: 206 Rockingham Road, Londonderry When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28 What: Kids in grades K through 8 can enjoy “Around the World” games, cooking projects, crafts and other activities centered around different cultures; or Play ’Em All Multi-Sport camp, where they explore Camp Pa-Gon-Ki and participate in soccer, basketball, kickball and more. Kids in grades 3 through 8 can take part in a trip camp, where they travel to Fenway Park, Seacoast Science Center and other destinations. Cost: Call for details
YMCA of Greater Nashua ( graniteymca.org) Where: Nashua YMCA Branch, 24 Stadium Drive, Nashua, 882-2011; Merrimack YMCA Branch, 6 Henry Clay Drive, Merrimack, 881-7778 When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28 What: At Fancy Fairy Camp (Nashua, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), kids ages 3 through 5 dance, read stories, do arts and crafts, then end the week with a dress-up tea party. Teens in grades 6 through 12 can take part in the dance camp (Nashua, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), where they learn a different style of dance each day, do crafts and learn about dance history through games; and art camp (Merrimack, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), where they experiment with a different art form each day. Cost: Call for details. Teen camps available by week or day.
YMCA of the Seacoast (431-2334, graniteymca.org) Where: Camp Gundalow, Tuttle Lane, Greenland When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28 What: Kids in grades K through 8 can enjoy swimming, gym games, fitness fun, arts and crafts, outdoor playtime and more. Cost: Call for details
YMCA of Strafford County (994-4117, graniteymca.org) Where: 35 Industrial Way, Rochester; Horne Street School, 78 Horne St., Dover When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28 What: Kids in grades K through 8 can visit Charmingfare Farm or Currier Museum of Art; spend the day at Camp Coney Pine or a carnival at the Y; try a ropes course, make s’mores and more. Cost: Call for details
Science & Nature
New Hampshire Audubon (nhaudubon.org) Where: 26 Audubon Way, Auburn, 668-2045; 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, 224-9909 When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. What: Kids ages 6 through 10 can enjoy crafts, games, birding, hiking, live animal presentations and more. Cost: $53 per day
Prescott Farm (366-5695, prescottfarm.org) Where: 928 White Oaks Road, Laconia When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. What: Kids ages 6 through 12 participate in animal and plant identification, arts and crafts, quests, games and hands-on learning. Cost: $47 per day or $235 for the week
Seacoast Science Center (436-8043, seacoastsciencecenter.org) Where: 570 Ocean Blvd., Rye When: Monday, April 17, through Friday, April 21, or Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. What: Campers experience outdoor learning at Odiorne Point State Park, plus live animal and interactive exhibits with hands-on science fun. Treks 4 Tots (half-day 9 a.m. to noon option available) is for kids ages 3½ through 5. Seaside Safari is for kids in grades K through 5. Cost: $64 per full day, $43 per half day, $320 for full-day week, $215 for half-day week
Sports
Concord Parks & Recreation Golf Camp (225-8690, concordnh.gov) Where: Beaver Meadow Golf Course, 1 Beaver Meadow Road, Concord When: Tuesday, April 25, through Friday, April 28, noon to 5 p.m. What: Golfers ages 12 through 16 learn how to take their skills from the range and practice area and apply them on a golf course. Cost: $275
Fisher Cats Baseball Camp (641-2005, nhfishercats.com) Where: Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, 1 Line Drive, Manchester When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 8:30 a.m. to noon What: Campers ages 6 through 15 receive baseball and softball instruction from Fisher Cats players, coaches and front office staff members. They also receive an exclusive autograph session with the team and a complimentary ticket for the Fisher Cats game on April 26 against the Trenton Thunder, with the chance to take the field with the players during the national anthem. Cost: $125
Play Ball Baseball Camp (goplayball.com) Where: 9 Congress St., Nashua, 883-2323; 16 Industrial Way, Salem, 898-0332 When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 9 a.m. to noon What: Kids ages 6 through 12 develop baseball and softball skills like hitting, fielding, throwing and baserunning. Cost: $115
Tri-Star Gymnastics Camp (749-5678, tristargymnh.com) Where: 66 Third St., Dover When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. What: Campers in grade 1 through age 13 participate in gymnastics, crafts, games and open gym playtime. Cost: $35 per day, $135 for the week
Theater
The Alchemists’ Workshop’s My Favorite Character Musical Theatre Camp (568-5102, alchemistsworkshop.org) Where: Hopkinton Town Library, 61 Houston Drive, Contoocook When: Monday, April 24, through Thursday, April 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Friday, April 28, 2 to 8 p.m. What: Kids ages 6 through 16 learn about singing, dancing and acting. Cost: $200, with a $10 discount for more than one child per family or for registrants by April 15.
Palace Theatre (668-5588, palacetheatre.org) Where: 80 Hanover St., Manchester When: Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. What: Campers in grades 2 through 8 learn about all aspects of theater, including singing, dancing, acting, costumes and set painting, in preparation for a production at the end of the week. This year’s production will be “Aladdin Kids,” with the final performance on Saturday, April 29, at 10 a.m. Cost: $225
Making History
Making History
Lectures Examine NH’s Role in the Great War
Written By Matt Ingersol (listings@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
World War I began in 1914, but it would be three more years before the United States entered — with New Hampshire making several contributions you probably didn’t learn about in history class.
As a way to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the nation’s involvement in the war, the New Hampshire Historical Society is shaping its annual spring lecture series around the topic, specifically examining the Granite State’s involvement. Events for the “New Hampshire and the Great War” series will be held every Thursday at 6 p.m., from April 13 through May 11, and are open to the public.
Registrations are available collectively for the full series, but Elizabeth Dubrulle, director of education and public programs at the Society, said signups will continue to be available through the day of the last lecture if you can’t make all of them.
“[The lectures] are for general audiences, so there is no prerequisite or assigned reading or anything like that,” she said. “Each one can also kind of be its own event too, so you can easily jump into one lecture and miss another and not lose the thread at all.”
Dubrulle added that the series also kicks off the beginning of several other events and commemorations that will be promoted throughout each lecture, including a special issue of the Society’s publication Historical New Hampshire in the fall, and a World War I exhibit opening at the museum in November, among other public tours and lectures.
Local historian and former journalist Byron Champlin will present at the first lecture. He will tell the story of how several men from Concord played a major role in the United States’ expansion in air service during the war. Champlin appeared at a similar program in December at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire and is working on a book about the subject.
The series continues on April 20 with an appearance by Saint Anselm College history professor Hugh Dubrulle, who will talk about New Hampshire residents who were members of the 26th Infantry “Yankee” Division.
Society library director Sarah Galligan will appear at the lecture on April 27. Dubrulle said Galligan will tell the story of singer Carolyn Gardner Bartlett of Warner, who became one of the first American women in Europe during the war.
“[Bartlett] was actually a singer in England when the war broke out,” Dubrulle said, “and she reinvented herself as a nun named Sister Beatrice. … She started setting up field hospitals and became a kind of humanitarian [during the war]. … She was even once accused of being a spy.”
Champlin will return for the lecture on May 4 and will examine the life of John G. Winant and his role in the war prior to becoming the state’s 60th governor.
The final lecture, on May 11, features MIT history professor Christopher Capozzola and will cover the role of Uncle Sam during the time of the war, how he was perceived by the public and how they responded.
“There are all these kinds of funky connections [the war] had to New Hampshire that maybe you didn’t have time to learn in school but are fun to learn now,” Dubrulle said. “Each one is also going to have a question-and-answer session afterward.”
New Hampshire Historical Society’s Spring Lecture Series:
“New Hampshire and the Great War”
When: Thursdays, 6 p.m., from April 13 through May 11
Where: New Hampshire Historical Society, 30 Park St., Concord
Cost: $50 for the whole series; includes a one-year membership to the Society. The series is free for members.
Visit: nhhistory.org or call 856-0621 to register
Clearing The Dance Floor
Clearing The Dance Floor
Palace Presents Saturday Night Fever
Written By Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
While growing up in the early ’80s, Palace Theatre Artistic Director Carl Rajotte’s older brothers often made fun of him for taking up dance — until they needed new moves for Saturday night.
“I’m not old enough to have been in my heyday in the ’70s, but I was training in the very early ’80s with teachers who had a ’70s style,” said Rajotte, who was the youngest boy of 13 siblings. “[My brothers] spent the week waiting for the weekend to go to the disco or the roller rink. … They would make fun of me, but then they would pull me into their rooms and say, ‘Give me a couple of steps.’ … They made up dances during the week in their rooms so they could do it on the floors of the clubs.”
So teaching in these styles isn’t that much of a stretch for Rajotte, who’s readying for the Palace’s next mainstage show, Saturday Night Fever, which runs April 14 through May 6.
He’s able to pull out those ’70s and ’80s moves at any moment.
For his actors, it’s a different story. Contemporary dancers typically take up small, contained spaces. In the ’70s, you wanted to be big.
“And I think that’s why you see the iconic pose of Travolta pointing up to the sky,” Rajotte said. “They did what they had to do during the week. But then it was about clearing the dance floor. Do you have the steps for people to back up and watch you?”
Saturday Night Fever is a musical based on the 1977 film starring John Travolta, following a 19-year-old Italian American from Brooklyn named Tony Manero who finds an escape from his dead-end paint store job dancing at the local discotheque. It features tunes by the Bee Gees and remains fairly true to the original story, but with darker plot line elements — like drug use, violence, rape — omitted.
“It’s about a 19-year-old being stuck in his environment, and he doesn’t know any other way out. He longs to do more with his life than sit around,” Rajotte said.
The film is based on the 1976 New York Magazine story by Nik Cohn, who later acknowledged he made it all up, 20 years after the fact. Regardless, the Library of Congress deemed the movie culturally and historically significant, selecting it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2010.
Rajotte designed the show to resemble the iconic flick, from costumes and sets to casting decisions. Because how could you do Saturday Night Fever without that iconic white suit, or without a lead who can bring the charm like John Travolta?
“I think it would be wrong of us to try to start from scratch with these characters. I think everybody knows John Travolta did this role,” said Rajotte, who hired Jared Troilo for the the part, known to Palace audiences as Joseph from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Tony from West Side Story and Danny Zuko from Grease.
Wigs will be big with curls and feathered hair, and the stage will be lit with neon and intelligent lighting, plus 15 on-stage disco balls. Instead of a light-up dance floor, there will be a light-up back wall, visible to audiences in the balcony and the front row.
Five actors — Katie LaDuca, Anna Baker, JJ Butler, Banji Aborisade and Kitty Brown — come to the Palace straight from the Saturday Night Fever national tour, and a couple are
Palace regulars, including Cathy McKay, a New Hampshire resident who plays Flo, Tony’s mother.
McKay was a teenager during the release of Saturday Night Fever and remembers the impact it had at the time, musically and culturally.
“Everybody who grew up in that era remembers this music,” said McKay, who did some of her own disco dancing while at Keene State College, the thing to do for teens and 20-somethings at the time. “Everybody went, and everybody danced.”
Saturday Night Fever
Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester
When: April 14 through May 6
Admission: $25 to $45
Contact: palacetheatre.org, 668-5588
Starting Small
Starting Small
New Nano Brewery Opens in Manchester Mills
Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
After more than 20 years of homebrewing and exploring the New Hampshire craft beer scene, married couple Andrew and Kerry Freisinger decided it was time to start a brewery of their own.
Last week, they held the grand opening for their new brewery Aigean Ales in Manchester.
“It’s always been fun for us to do the New Hampshire Beer Trail and check out new breweries, and it’s exciting to go back later and see how they progress over time,” Andrew
Freisinger said. “So we thought we’d try to give that same experience to other people.”
Aigean Ales — Aigean meaning “ocean” in Gaelic — is a two-barrel nano brewery with a tasting room and four taps. Those taps are currently filled with the brewery’s first four beers, including a New England-style, low-alcohol session IPA that’s more sweet than bitter; a Scotch ale; a hybrid Belgian-English bitter; and an alternative grain beer.
“It’s a light beer like a Budweiser, only with a heartier taste to it,” Freisinger said of the latter. “It has more sweetness than the typical light American beer.”
There are two additional beers in the fermenting process, one of which is a hefeweizen. The other is a surprise.
The concept behind Aigean Ales, Freisinger said, is to continuously brew new beers and experiment with all kinds of recipes.
“We feel like some of the best beers out there are the ones that are totally different and haven’t been experienced yet,” he said. “Since we only do two barrels at a time, we can try things that breweries with 20-barrel systems are afraid to do because that’s a lot of beer to dump if it’s not successful.”
Because it brews in such small batches, Aigean Ales will not be offering its beers at local restaurants or bottle shops at this time. The beers will be available in the tasting room, on tap and for sale in 32-ounce growlers and 64-ounce squealers.
The brewery is located on the second floor of the Waumbec Mills on Commercial Street, overlooking the Merrimack River. It joins two other riverfront mill breweries: Stark
Brewing Co. down the street, and Stark’s subsidiary brewery Swift Current Brewing Co., which is also housed in the Waumbec Mills.
“We’ve met a lot of other brewers in Manchester. … They really come together to help and foster each other. It’s like, ‘We’re all in this together,’” Freisinger said. “We’re really excited to be a part of that local beer community.”
Aigean Ales
Address: 250 Commercial St., Unit 2001, Manchester
Tasting room hours: Friday, 5 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.
Call: 518-8550
Visit: aigeanales.com, facebook.com/aigeanales
Comparing Cabernets
Comparing Cabernets
Series Explores Differences in Wines of a Single Style
Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
If you’ve ever wondered what distinguishes one wine from another of the same style, you’ll have an opportunity to find out with the new wine comparing series at Cask & Vine in Derry.
The series kicks off with the “Hail Me a Cab” event on Thursday, April 20, which will compare six cabernet sauvignon wines from three different brokers, ranging from $8 to $30 a glass.
“Not every $30 glass of wine is going to taste like it’s $30, and not every $8 one is going to taste like it’s $8,” Cask & Vine owner Andy Day said. “The best thing to do is to try different wines and see what you like.”
Participants will do a blind tasting with 2-ounce pours of each wine, then rate the wines and vote on their favorites. The wine brand representatives will also be present to discuss the wines and the regions where they’re produced. At the end of the tasting, the wines and their prices will be revealed.
“By not telling everyone what the wines are before they taste them, it lets people be completely unbiased,” Day said. “You won’t just say you like a wine because you know it costs $30. You’ll say you like it because you like the taste.”
Three of the featured wines — Clayhouse Cabernet Sauvignon, True Myth Cabernet Sauvignon and Vinum Cellars “The Insider” Cabernet Sauvignon — are wines currently on tap at Cask & Vine. The other three — Kendall Jackson Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve, Stonestreet Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley and Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa — are wines that Cask & Vine is interested in adding to their taps, depending on the outcome of the tasting.
“It gives people who will come back and enjoy wines with us in the future a little stake in what we have on tap,” Day said. “Most of the time, my wife and I taste through wines and choose what makes sense to us, so we’re very excited to see what people enjoy most, and to directly involve them in the process.”
Cask & Vine plans to host wine comparing events quarterly and feature different styles such as chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and exotic ones like Portuguese and Austrian wines.
The series not only gives people a chance to learn about comparing wines and talk with wine reps, but it also allows them to try wines that are new to them, including high-end wines, before they commit to purchasing a whole bottle.
“People have a lot of hesitation [about buying new wines], and there aren’t many opportunities to taste through different wines like this for a low cost,” Day said. “We’ll be pouring some really nice stuff, so I’m hoping people will use the opportunity to be adventurous.”
Bottles of the featured wines will be available at New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet stores and at some local bottle shops, including Lazy Dog Beer Shoppe in Londonderry. Cask & Vine will announce it on social media if they decide to add any of the wines to their taps.
Hail Me a Cab Wine Comparing
Where: Cask & Vine, 1 E. Broadway, Derry
When: Thursday, April 20, 7 to 10 p.m.
Cost: $29; walk-ins welcome, but reservations recommended
Contact: 965-3454, caskandvine.com
Super Spuds
Super Spuds
Potatofest Returns With Loaded Baked Potatoes
Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
You can create the baked potato of your dreams at the third annual Baked Potatofest hosted by the Breakfast Exchange Club of Nashua on Thursday, April 20, at the Nashua Senior Activity Center.
The fundraiser, which will support programs for Nashua-area seniors, will feature baked potatoes with a variety of toppings, plus beverages and a special dessert.
“I think potatoes are a staple of everyone’s diet,” Beth Todgham, club president, said. “With all the different toppings, you can make a real meal out of it, and you can make it personal with the toppings you like.”
Each attendee will be provided one baked potato that they can bring up to the volunteer potato-assemblers and have it loaded with the toppings of their choosing. This year’s
Potatofest will feature seven options; broccoli, chili, cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, green onions and black olives.
You can sit at one of the tables in the dining area and eat your baked potato at the event, or you can have your potato packed up and take it to-go. Todgham said most people stay and enjoy the social atmosphere.
“The idea is that you can come and chat with family and neighbors and get to know each other better,” she said. “That’s one of the nicest things about the event. It’s very casual and fun to socialize.”
Additionally, the event will feature a door prize drawing and a white elephant raffle for new and gently used household items and gifts, with tickets at $5 for a set of 25.
Todgham said Potatofest has been getting more popular each year and that, to her knowledge, it’s the only event of its kind in the Nashua area.
“I think the potato idea is unique, and people look forward to it when they hear that we’re doing it again” she said. “It’s hard to come up with something different [for a fundraiser] but I think we really found our niche with this one.”
3rd Annual Baked Potatofest
When: Thursday, April 20, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Where: Nashua Senior Activity Center, 70 Temple St., Nashua
Cost: $5 in advance or $7 at the door; $5 for children age 12 and under. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Nashua Senior Activity Center front desk or by emailing The Breakfast Exchange Club at BXCNashua@gmail.com
Contact: 889-6155, nashuaseniorcenter.org
Weekly Music Review
Weekly Review
David Bazan & More
Written By Eric Saeger (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Album Artwork
David Bazan, Care (self-released)
The first thing you run into when Googling this 41-year-old Seattle DIY machine is a link you can follow to book him to play in your own living room. Self-sustaining artists are a special breed, well worth encouraging if their output warrants it, and to tell you the truth, it’s getting rarer for us critics to get things in our feeds that weren’t Kickstarted or whatnot. Guys like this keep going, paying their bills on their own terms somehow, even in an era of completely rampant piracy. Care is Bazan’s third LP in 10 months, if that makes the task facing do-it-yourselfers any clearer, even if the goal here isn’t just to feed his wife and kid but to progress even further from the Spoon-meets-Dylan vibe Bazan cobbled together for his first solo LP in 2011 (unless you count his prior records with Pedro the Lion, which were his doing as well). This one’s title track does show progress from his last two, if not in a technical sense; it’s a contentedly morose futurepop ballad, bloopy synths lazing underneath Bazan’s self-doubting tenor (which sounds like Chris Martin, while we’re at it). Other things shoot for the same sound but with dance grooves or 1980s synth-pop, with decent enough results. You could put this on a mix with VNV Nation and Eels, if that makes sense.
Grade: B+
John Palumbo, Citizen X the EP (Lifesong Records)
Man, I vaguely, barely remember the album these reworks came from, 2006’s Citizen X. It was bare-knuckle indie rawk that crossbred ELO with Black Keys, a just-barely underproduced set of songs that came off as underground only out of the zeitgeist’s necessity — add a few more vocal layers and an analog horn section and it would have been a 1970s Top 40 slam-dunk, but left as it was, it dripped ratty record store chic. But to the elephant in the room: Why rework five songs that are over 10 years old? Well, lyrically, they’re pertinent to now, echoes of a time when progressives, liberals and half-educated cube-droids were beginning to feel like they were living in a corporate-political complex with no escape — it’s quaint now, looking back. So, toward that, has this hipster actually upfitted these old things? Well, not so much. “Dancing with the Fuhrer” retains its original Ramones/Cheap Trick feel, but actually it’s more punk, now that his voice sounds like Eddie Money after survivng a whiskey-filled afterparty. The drums and so on have been jazzed up a little, but mostly this one-off simply functions as a reminder that the original full-length was pretty freaking awesome.