FEATURED HEADLINES
Food: Tasty Tidings *
FEATURED FOOD
Tasty Tidings
Get Festive With Holiday Food & Drink Events
Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
Eat, drink and be merry this holiday season with special dinners, classes, tastings and more. From winemaking and cookie tours to gingerbread house contests and workshops for kids, there will be plenty of foodie fun for all.
• IncrediBREW (112 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, incredibrew.com) will have a holiday open house shopping and tasting event on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. Guests can browse unique gifts from local artists and vendors while tasting house and limited-edition wines and ciders. Admission is free. Call 891-2477 or visit incredibrew.com.
• Enjoy an elegant evening of food and entertainment when Grace Ministries (263 Route 125, Brentwood) hosts its 20th annual Christmas Tea on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m., with doors at 5:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25. Visit gracemi.org/christmas-tea.
• The fourth annual Holiday Bazaar at LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst) takes place on Sunday, Dec. 4, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be bistro dining, wine tastings, a wreath-making workshop with Beaver Brook Association and handcrafted gifts by members of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. Call 672-9898 or visit labellewinerynh.com.
• Learn to make tasty appetizers at The Winemaker’s Kitchen Cooking Series holiday appetizers workshop on Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst). The cost is $25. Call 672-9898 or visit labellewineryevents.com.
• Brew your own seasonal holiday beer at the split a batch brewing event at IncrediBREW (112 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua) on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m. The traditional hearty amber Pilgrim’s Christmas Ale and the new Hoppy Holidaze, a full-bodied red IPA, will be featured. The cost is $30. Participants will return two weeks later for bottling. Call 891-2477 or visit incredibrew.com.
• The Quill on the Southern New Hampshire University campus (2500 N. River Road, Manchester) will host a French Christmas dinner on Thursday, Dec. 8. The cost is $35. Visit snhu.edu or call 629-4608.
• The Culinary Playground (16 Manning St., Derry) will have a cooking class on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to noon, as part of its Sweet Saturdays series. Kids ages 6 through 11 are invited to make their own chocolate crinkle cookies and reindeer food snack mix. The cost for the class is $38. Visit culinary-playground.com or call 339-1664.
• Exchange holiday treats at Goffstown Public Library’s (2 High St., Goffstown) Cookie Swap on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 11 a.m. Participating bakers must present homemade cookies with flour as the main ingredient. Bring five dozen cookies (no plain chocolate chip, cookie mixes, no-bakes, meringues or brownies) and be sure to share the recipe with the library before Dec. 8. Space is limited and registration is required. Call 497-2102 or visit goffstownlibrary.com.
• Let the cookies be your guide at the 12th annual Currier & Ives Cookie Tour on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop at 19 shops in Fitzwilliam, Jaffrey, Rindge, Troy, Dublin, Peterborough and West Swanzey, where there will be homemade treats, refreshments and a recipe for participants. The self-guided tour can begin at any stop, with your ticket as the map. Make sure to bring a cookie tin to store your sweets from each location. Tickets cost $12 and can be purchased at The Inn at East Hill Farm, The Little River Bed and Breakfast, The Monadnock Inn, The Woodbound Inn and Swanzey Historical Society. Visit currierandivescookietour.com.
• Celebrate the holidays with coworkers, friends or family at Brookstone Park’s (14 Route 11, Derry) More the Merrier Holiday Celebration on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Enjoy passed and display hors d’oeuvres, a buffet-style dinner and dessert, along with entertainment. The cost is $59 per person. Call 328-9255 or visit brookstone-park.com.
• Learn some tips for the holidays at Chez Boucher Cooking School’s (32 Depot Square, Hampton) “Holiday Hits” workshop on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 9 a.m. The menu includes maple roasted squash, crispy Brussels sprouts, creme fraiche mash potatoes, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, glazed ham, various deviled eggs and mushroom orzo. The cost is $99. Call 926-2202 or visit chezboucher.com.
• Satisfy your sweet tooth at the 20th annual Inn to Inn Holiday Cookie and Candy Tour on Saturday, Dec. 10, and Sunday, Dec. 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. In this self-guided tour, visit inns in Albany, Bartlett, Eaton, Intervale, Jackson, North Conway, and nearby Fryeburg, Maine, where there will be cookies, candy, a holiday recipe cookbook and decorating ideas. Advance tickets are available by reserving a lodging package with one of the participating inns. Remaining tickets are available Dec. 1 through Dec. 7 for $30 by calling Old Red Inn at 800-338-1356 or 356-2642. Visit countryinnsinthewhitemountains.com.
• The Cozy Tea Cart (104 Route 13, Brookline) will host a holiday afternoon tea on Sunday, Dec. 11, from 1 to 3 p.m. The cost is $34.95. Registration is required. Call 249-9111 or visit thecozyteacart.com.
• There’s an “Elegant and Easy Holiday Entertaining” gluten-free cooking demonstration taught by Chef Oonagh Williams, featured chef on WMUR's Cook’s Corner segment, on Wednesday, Dec. 14, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the function hall in Wasserman Park (116 Naticook Road, Merrimack). The menu includes shrimp and roasted red pepper dip, sweet spicy salmon on apple slices, chicken sate and no-bake white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. The cost is $45 for Merrimack residents, $50 for non-residents. Call 882-1046 or visit merrimackparksandrec.org/adult.html.
• Enjoy holiday treats and wine samples while making six bottles of wine to take home during the Holiday Wine Fest at IncrediBREW (112 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, incredibrew.com) on Thursday, Dec. 15, at 6 p.m. The wine selection includes several award-winning varieties from the International Wine Competition. No winemaking experience is necessary to participate. Space is limited, and registration is required. Call 891-2477 or visit incredibrew.com.
• The Concord Food Co-op (24 S. Main St., Concord) will host the Snowflake Social on Thursday, Dec. 15, from 4 to 6 p.m. Get inspiration for your holiday parties as you enjoy free seasonal food and drink samples throughout the store. Call 225-6840 or visit concordfoodcoop.coop.
• The Quill on the Southern New Hampshire University Campus (2500 N. River Road, Manchester) will host an Italian Christmas dinner on Friday, Dec. 16. The cost is $35. Visit snhu.edu/restaurant or call 629-4608.
• Kids ages 3 through 6 are invited to a cooking class at the Culinary Playground (16 Manning St., Derry) where they can make and decorate festive reindeer cookies and enjoy a craft or story time between cooking tasks. Sessions are held Friday, Dec. 16, at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 17, at 1 p.m. The cost is $16. Visit culinary-playground.com or call 339-1664.
• Birch Wood Vineyards (199 Rockingham Road, Derry) will host its Jingle Ball Holiday Party on Friday, Dec. 16, at 6 p.m. Enjoy a cocktail hour of assorted hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar, followed by a four-course dinner and dancing until 11 p.m. The cost is $65, and reservations are required. Call 965-7359 or visit birchwoodvineyards.com/jingle-ball.html.
• If you’re looking for the perfect hostess gift to bring to a holiday party, Chez Boucher Cooking School (32 Depot Square, Hampton) is having a holiday quick breads workshop on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 9 a.m. Learn to make delicious breads in an hour or less, including beer bread, popovers and Irish soda biscuits. The cost is $99. Call 926-2202 or visit chezboucher.com
News: Bad Beef
FEATURED NEWS
Bad Beef
Anatomy Of An E. Coli Investigation
Written by Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
At least 14 people in New Hampshire and neighboring states became violently ill this past summer, with severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting, all following a meal they ate just a few days before. The cause? E. coli.
Recent Outbreaks
Public health investigators quickly homed in on the source of those E. coli infections, and in July federal food protection officials ultimately recalled more than four tons of beef that had been processed by PT Farm in North Haverhill.
Since then, a number of other E. coli cases have resulted in recalls — a second, minor recall of lamb products from the same farm in September due to E. coli levels found in the water supply there (nobody got sick) and a multi-state recall in New England where seven people became ill from beef, veal and bison meat produced at Adams Farm Slaughterhouse in Athol, Massachusetts. None of the patients in the Adams Farm case were in New Hampshire, but 10 farms in the state were retailing meat involved in the recall.
“When someone is diagnosed with E. coli … or any other reportable disease, the health care provider or the laboratory is required to report it to us at the health department,” said Beth Daly, the head of the state’s Bureau of Disease Control at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. She’s also a foodborne disease epidemiologist.
This makes tracking outbreaks easier. Daly said the PT Farm case was relatively straightforward because the first nine case patients were all at the same summer camp. That helped to quickly narrow down what was eaten. And when they narrowed it down to ground beef, they found the beef was purchased directly from the source at the PT Farm retail store.
Then more patients cropped up who had eaten at area restaurants that served beef from the same farm.
From there, Daly said investigators still needed to take steps to confirm what they already knew, but investigations like these are not always so easy.
Scene of the Bacterial Crime
While some infections can be mild, it’s not often something even the healthiest of patients can handle on their own.
“If you’re sick with it you probably need to be under a doctor’s care,” said Tom Collaro, senior investigator with the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
While that may not be fun for the patients, it’s good news for epidemiologists, because the more infected people who see health care providers, the faster investigators can identify outbreaks and track down their sources.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of an E. coli infection typically appear within one to three days of eating contaminated food. People tend to seek medical help within one to five days of becoming ill, and it takes another one to three days until a stool sample test provides physicians with a diagnosis. Determining it’s part of an outbreak can take two to three weeks from the time a person first gets infected.
Food Detectives
E. coli tends to be associated with beef as the bacteria is common in the digestive tracts of most mammals. Contamination can come from its feces, it can be shed in its hide and it can be released if the gut is nicked during the preparation of the carcass.
Investigators say there are three legs of the stool when it comes to tracking down the source of a foodborne illness like E. coli. The first is epidemiology — the study of the disease’s patterns and causes — the second is laboratory testing and the third is an investigation into the environmental causes.
The figurative bullet is usually found in a stool sample, and when E. coli is detected, state public health officials are notified and the sample gets sent for further testing.
Even before that testing is complete, Daly said, the state could already be investigating a possible outbreak. They conduct interviews with the patients based on questionnaires designed to figure out what they ate. The first interview takes about 40 to 45 minutes and goes through about 40 different food items.
The lab test establishes the strain of E. coli and enters it into a national database run by the CDC called PulseNet. From that, they can see if a cluster of patients has been infected by the same strain.
Laura Burnworth with the CDC said finding the strain is like finding a fingerprint, but state investigators might already be steps ahead if a big group of patients comes to their attention first. She said that’s what happened in Oregon and Washington when E. coli sickened dozens who had eaten from Chipotle last year. Officials were tracking that outbreak even before they did the fingerprinting.
Once a cluster is identified, the state embarks on a second round of interviews with the same patients. This is longer than the first one; it takes about an hour and goes through 300 foods.
When they compare their findings, investigators pick out some likely suspects — meals the patients all had in common. But if they all ate the same type of food, the case isn’t closed yet, since certain types of food, like beef, are pretty common in American diets.
“Just because five people in a cluster have eaten ground beef doesn’t mean that’s significant,” Daly said.
Suspects
This is why epidemiology is crucial to solving these cases. So much time has passed and we remember so little about what we’ve eaten that investigators need to turn to science to narrow down the lineup of suspects.
That gets harder when patients are spread across state lines. Fingerprinting every E. coli sample and uploading that information to a central database is required for every case because it allows the CDC investigators who review the database daily to find patterns state health officials wouldn’t otherwise notice.
That’s what happened with the Adams Farm case. Patients appeared in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Had it not been for identifying the specific strain of the bacteria, it’s unlikely anybody would have made the the connection. And once that connection is made, they can start the work of tracing the disease back to its source.
Daly said state investigators do two things after they’ve established a few possible food culprits shared by the patients. They pursue their hypotheses by doing a third and final round of interviews with the patients to get at the very specific details of the suspected foods. What variety was it? How was it prepared? Where was it served? Where was it bought? And they survey the patients’ neighbors who aren’t sick so they can use their eating habits as a control group. Once they have a baseline, certain suspects can get pushed into the foreground.
“It implicates a food item statistically,” Daly said.
But this is not always necessary since, as the PT Farm case demonstrated, a common thread like a summer camp cookout might come up early during the interview process and set investigators on the right track.
“Even, sometimes, a single piece of information that someone will tell us will help to [solve] the whole thing. It will be like a break in the case,” Daly said.
Jurisdiction
Jennifer Sinatra, an epidemiologist with FSIS, said investigators are sometimes lucky enough to find a smoking gun in the form of leftovers.
“We will try and find out if case patients have leftover product and if they have leftover product that we can test and we find that that product does have the pathogen that has made this person sick, and we can find that it’s the same strain … that’s pretty strong supportive evidence typically to point us in the direction of that product,” Sinatra said.
Short of that, they try to figure out what the common sources were in a cluster of patients with the same infection.
And they have to act quickly, Sinatra said, since they hope to prevent future infections by taking dangerous products off the shelves.
After epidemiologists have done their work to finger a specific food like ground beef, FSIS investigators like Collaro will hit the road.
“Once a product is potentially identified and points of purchases are identified, we’ll go out to each point of purchase to try and trace back that product to a common source,” Collaro said.
“Through record-keeping, through our observations, through interviews with management and staff, we’ll trace back ground beef through distribution channels all the way to a processing facility or a production facility.”
Finally, once they find a processing facility that slaughtered the cattle, ground the meat and packaged it for distribution, they can trace it back to a specific slaughter date, as they did in the PT Farm case.
Based on that information, they can figure out the likely scope and scale of the contamination and issue a recall order accordingly.
Reached by phone, PT Farm owners declined to be interviewed for this story.
Arts: Art Everywhere
FEATURED ARTS
Art Everywhere
Get Inspired At Art Fairs & Shows This Season
Kelly Sennott(ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
It’s the most wonderful time of the year to check out locally made art. From art shows to craft fairs, New Hampshire has you covered.
• The Portsmouth Crafts Show and Sale is Saturday, Nov. 26, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Frank Jones Center, 400 Route 1 Bypass, Portsmouth. There will be pottery, clothes, toys, bath products, home decor, prints, stained glass, blown glass and more.
• Frisella Fine Art celebrates 10 years in business with a show, Home for the Holidays, a curated mix of fine art, jewelry, fused glass art and home accents, with an open house and reception Saturday, Nov. 26, from 2 to 7 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 27, from 2 to 5 p.m., at 87 Lafayette Road, Suite 6, Hampton Falls. Visit frisellafineart.com.
• The 5th Annual Holiday Craft Fair hosted by Team TuTas is Saturday, Nov. 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2 Somerset Parkway, Nashua. There will be more than 50 crafters selling a variety of handmade, handcrafted items.
• The Linked Together Holiday Craft Fair is Saturday, Nov. 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Newmarket Elementary School, 243 S. Main St., Newmarket. Visitors will find homemade goods, including jewelry, soaps, wooden items, wreaths, etc.
• Rolling Green Nursery, 64 Breakfast Hill Road, Greenland, hosts its annual Holiday Artisan Market Saturday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside its glass atrium greenhouse. Visit rollinggreennursery.com.
• The Lakes Region Holiday Craft Fair is at the Belknap Mall, 96 Daniel Webster Highway, Belmont, on Saturday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring work by 75 exhibitors. Visit joycescraftshows.com.
• The Monadnock Crafters Guild hosts the Craft Madness Holiday Fair on Saturday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Peterborough Community Center, 25 Elm St., Peterborough, where there will be fine handcrafted wares by New England artists. Visit monadnockcraftersguild.org.
• The Craftworkers’ Guild’s Holiday Craft Shop is up from Friday, Nov. 25, through Thursday, Dec. 22, at the Oliver Kendall House, located behind the Bedford Public Library, 3 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford. There will be a variety of handmade goods by more than 60 juried artisans, from seasonal items to clothing, painting, mixed media art, toys, etc. Visit facebook.com/CraftworkersGuild. The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Intown Manchester’s downtown Holiday Market opens up shop at Brady Sullivan Plaza, 1000 Elm St., Manchester, Thursdays, Dec. 1 through Dec. 15, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit intownmanchester.com.
• The Whistler House celebrates the holidays with an Art Auction and Party on Friday, Dec. 2, at 6:30 p.m., at the museum, 243 Worthen St., Lowell, Mass. The auction will feature work by local artists, designer handbags, jewelry, children’s toys, etc. Tickets are $95. Proceeds help fund kids’ art programs. Visit whistlerhouse.org or call 978-452-7641.
• Winter Giftopolis, organized by the Concord Arts Market, is Friday, Dec. 2, from 6:30 to 11 p.m. at Eagle Square, Concord. Artists and crafters will be set up, part of Midnight Merriment, selling goodies for winter gift-giving.
• The Contoocook Artisans 2016 Holiday Craft Fair is Friday, Dec. 2, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at St. Andrew’s Parish Hall, 354 Main St., Hopkinton. The event is part of Starry, Starry Weekend in the villages of Hopkinton and Contoocook. Visit explorecontoocook.com.
• The UNH Makers Expo, a fair exclusively featuring UNH faculty, staff and student work (fine arts, jewelry, etc.), is Friday, Dec. 2, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the UNH Memorial Union Building, 83 Main St., Durham. Visit unhmub.com.
• The Frame Depot hosts its Holiday Artists Reception and Show Saturday, Dec. 3, from 5 to 7 p.m., at 227 Union Square, Milford. The event will feature more than 20 artists and include refreshments and raffles. Call 673-2936 or visit theframedepotnh.com.
• The Somersworth Winter Craft Fair is Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Somersworth High School, 11 Memorial Drive, Somersworth. It typically attracts more than 150 of New England’s best crafters.Visit nhfestivals.org.
• The Milford Improvement Team and the Town of Milford present Milford’s Annual Holiday Craft Fairs Saturday, Dec. 3, hosted by 13 Milford nonprofits, churches and community groups, from 8 or 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (depending on the site). All fairs occur in and around the historic Milford Oval. (One is the Saint Patrick Christmas Craft Fair at 34 Amherst St., Milford; another is the Holiday Fair at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 20 Elm St., Milford; visit milfordimprovementteam.org for more information.)
• Creative Ventures Gallery, 28-1 Route 101A, Amherst, opens its doors for a Holiday Open House Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors will find demonstrations on painting techniques and artwork for sale. Visit creativeventuresfineart.com.
• The 2016 Pelham Christmas Craft Fair is Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at St. Patrick Parish, 12 Main St., Pelham. There will be handmade items and baked goods. Visit stpatricks-pelham.com.
• The New Hampshire Antique Co-op hosts its annual Holiday Open House Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the co-op, 232 Elm St., Milford. The shop is decorated for the season and visitors are invited to enjoy refreshments, cookies and other sweets while kids write letters to Santa and put them in an old-fashioned North Pole mailbox. There’s a lecture, “The Antique Christmas Ornament: Folk Art and Miniature,” by Beverly Weir-Longacre, Saturday, Dec. 3, at 1 p.m. Call 673-8499 or visit nhantiquecoop.com.
• The Epsom Winter Craft Fair is Saturday, Dec. 3, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Epsom Central School, 282 Black Hall Road, Epsom. Visitors can explore local handmade arts and crafts, plus baked goods and raffles. Email epsomcentralpto@gmail.com.
• The GFWC Hudson Junior Woman's Club Craft Fair is at Hudson Memorial School, 1 Memorial Drive, Hudson, on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Last year more than 100 crafters and 1,000 shoppers participated.
• The 70th New Castle Village Christmas Fair is Saturday, Dec. 3, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the New Castle Recreation Building, 301 Wentworth Road, New Castle. Visitors will find handmade crafts, wreaths, greens, baked goods and a silent auction.
• The Picker Collaborative Artists host a grand opening and holiday open house on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 4, from noon to 4 p.m., at the group’s new home in a new mill building, 3 Pine St., Nashua. Visit pickerartists.com, email hello@pickerartists.com or call 930-5080.
• The 27th Annual Christmas in Strafford Craft Fair is Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.. It’s a self-led tour to see the studios of Strafford artisans and craftspeople. For a map of participating artists and venues, visit christmasinstrafford.com.
• There’s a Holiday Bazaar Craft Fair Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the South Meadow School Gym, 108 Hancock Road, Peterborough. The craft fair and holiday bake sale will benefit the school’s drama club and dance team.
• The 26th Annual Beaver Meadow School Craft Fair is Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Beaver Meadow School, 40 Sewalls Falls Road, Concord. The fair features local crafters selling items like quilts, decor, woodworking, candles, scarves, doll clothing, jewelry, etc. Santa will visit from noon to 2 p.m.
• The Main Dunstable Elementary School Holiday Craft Fair is Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Main Dunstable Elementary School, 20 Whitford Road, Nashua. There will be crafters, concessions, a bake sale, raffles, and children’s crafts and activities.
• The Langdon Place of Dover Holiday Craft Fair is Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Langdon Place of Dover Retirement and Rehabilitation Center, 60 Middle Road, Dover. There will be all sorts of items for sale, including jewelry, soaps, clothing, organizers, photography, wreaths and novelties.
• The 2016 Concord Christmas Craft Fair is Saturday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Bishop Brady High School, 25 Columbus Ave., Concord. There will be work by fine artists and craftspeople, plus food.
• The New Hampshire Audubon’s McLane Center, 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, hosts a Holiday Open House and Craft Fair Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where there will be books and crafts for sale, plus the store’s nature-based items. Visit nhaudubon.org.
• The Holly Jolly Craft Fair is at the Crowne Plaza, 2 Somerset Parkway, Nashua, on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with 80 exhibitors selling crafts from jewelry to wooden and fiber art. Visit joycescraftshows.com.
• Studio 550, 550 Elm St., Manchester, has two exhibits up with the holidays in mind through Jan. 6 — one is its 4th Annual Cup Show and Sale, and the other is the WCA-NH 6x6 Panel Scholarship Fundraiser, which offers 6-inch by 6-inch panels designed by artists from around the state. Visit 550arts.com or call 232-5597.
• Twiggs Gallery, 254 King St., Boscawen, hosts a show, “Comfort and Joy,” featuring work in which New Hampshire artists celebrate the comforts and joys of home, family and friends. It’s on view through Dec. 18. Call 796-2899 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.
• The Wild Salamander Arts Center hosts “Good Things Come in Small Packages,” a show of small art suitable for gift-giving, on view through Dec. 23 at the art center, 30 Ash St., Hollis. Visit wildsalamander.com or call 465-WILD.
• The Currier Museum of Art’s Noon Years Eve is Saturday, Dec. 31, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the museum, 150 Ash St., Manchester. There will be bubble-wrap fireworks, a huge balloon drop, art-making activities, face painting, a dance party and live entertainment. Tickets go on sale Nov. 25; visit currier.org or call 669-6144.
Music: One-Man Wall of Sound
FEATURED MUSIC
One Man Wall Of Sound
Zach Deputy Is A Solo Dynamo
Written by Michael Witthaus (music@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
Unless you’re looking directly at Zach Deputy as he builds a tower of grooves, it’s impossible to believe he’s the only one on stage. At one point in his show, he might introduce a trumpet player, then no one appears as the horn sound cuts loose. It’s all loops, pedals, hand and foot percussion, jaw-dropping guitar work and a half-dozen other instruments.
It’s a funk, rock and soul orchestra, built notes upon beat, all created by Deputy, a beaming, bearded Buddha.
It’s not like the Georgia native can’t play well with others; his band Zach Deputy & the Hashtags put out an album this year, and he has other collaborative projects cooking. But there’s enough power in his one-man show to light a small city, and anyone sitting still while he’s throwing down is either dead or in need of medical attention.
As it turns out, playing in a band set him down the solo dynamo path. Deputy explained in a recent phone interview that his first foray into doing it all himself came when his bass player was incapacitated on the night of a show. Rather than cancel the gig, he arrived at the venue with a DL4 delay pedal that a friend had once used for looping, plugged it into his regular gear and used his guitar for the beat. Presto — a one-man band.
Deputy, however, was mightily unimpressed with the results.
“I played that night and remember thinking, ‘This is horrible!’ But everybody liked it a lot,” he said. “I thought, if it sounds this horrible and people like it, imagine what they would think if it was actually good? That sparked the idea that if I could make looping good, I would blow people’s minds.”
Deputy recently released his fourth full-length album, Wash it in the Water. A tour in support of the new record stops at Manchester’s Jewel Music Venue on Sunday, Nov. 27. He enjoys coming to the Northeast, a region where he tasted his first real success as a touring musician, starting out with small stages on the summer festival circuit.
“The first time I ever went up there, it was the most impactful gift I ever had,” Deputy said. “I played ‘Wormtown,’ and they they liked it so much the promoter asked me if I would play the next day. ... I came back and they said it was the biggest show they’d ever had out there to date. There were people everywhere; it was just a throw-down.”
It gave a much-needed lift to the anxious Deputy.
“Before that moment, I was still really nervous on the road, wondering, ‘Will people like me; will people care?’ That gave me such a boost of confidence in my career,” he said. “It affected me to this day. When I go back, I have so much love for the Northeast; the whole area of New England. A lot of people even think I am from there.”
Deputy makes his sonic magic while perched with his guitar behind a table full of gear, including a huge touchscreen, a pair of guitar synthesizers and four microphones, each with a singular purpose. A row of high-tech pedals is arranged at his feet. His musical process is more alchemy than construction.
“I don’t really have a plan, it’s more of a feeling,” he said. “I play the first thing and then I just imagine the whole song right from the beginning ... as soon as I feel the puzzle pieces start to fit together, I start the song.”
It goes without saying that every show is different, but even Deputy will be surprised on occasion. Often, it will happen during a song.
“Sometimes you’ll get to where all the pieces that you started with are there, but still the picture isn’t all you wanted it to be. Then you tweak it to make it different. There’s some of it that you write with your imagination, and then some of it happens naturally, just by being in the moment.”
Film: Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them
FEATURED FILM
Film Review
Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them (PG-13)
Written by Amy Diaz (adiaz@hippopress.com)
Images: Movie Screenshot
Return to the Harry Potter universe, but many decades pre-Potter and this time in America, with Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, the first of a planned five — five! — film series from J.K. Rowling.
Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is a wizarding world naturalist, carrying around a zoo’s worth of magical creatures in his suitcase. He comes to America in the mid 1920s to release one into its natural habitat of Arizona. But moments after arriving in New York City, Newt loses a groundhog-platypus-like creature that likes to collect shiny objects. Chasing it around a bank, he accidentally draws the notice of muggle Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), who was at the bank trying to get a loan to start a bakery, and of magical-type Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston).
Tina works for the American equivalent of the Ministry of Magic and was an investigator. She’s been bumped back to office work because of an incident involving Mary Lou Barebone (Samantha Morton), a regular human, presumably, and an anti-witch activist. Because Tina’s run in with Mary Lou exposed the human world to magic — not letting the no-majs know about magical people is the operating principle of the U.S. wizard agency — she lost her position. Perhaps bringing in Newt is her attempt to get back in the agency’s good graces.
Unfortunately for her, the agency isn’t that interested in what they think is just a customs issue. There are bigger problems in New York City, in the form of a mysterious force causing destruction that is garnering the muggles’ notice. Agency muckety-muck Graves (Colin Farrell) is attempting to find whatever is causing all the mischief and get a handle on it before it exposes the wizarding world and causes a war between magic and non-magic people.
Or is he? His side conversations with Credence (Ezra Miller), the abused son of Mary Lou, seem to indicate that he might know what’s causing all the problems and want to find it off the official books.
Meanwhile, Newt is just trying to gather up all the creatures that escaped from his suitcase, which was briefly swapped with a sample case full of baked goods carried by Jacob. Newt and Jacob work together, eventually with the help of Tina and her mind-reading sister Queenie (Alison Sudol), to attempt to recapture the dragon-y thing, the rodent-y thing, the bulbous rhinoceros, the platypus-like thing, a blue bee and the other stuff that went skittering into the unsuspecting city.
So, to clarify, you have the more straightforward adventure of Newt and his creatures surrounded by a bunch of darker stuff about a besieged minority group, a fringe-y but virulent hate group, the dangers of what can happen to young wizards who suppress their real selves and a couple of cynical-seeming baddies poised to take advantage of this situation. (One of these is a newspaper owner played by Jon Voight whose character here feels more like a setup for some future payoff.) The central story of Newt that I think is supposed to supply most of this movie’s whimsy didn’t feel whimsical at all to me. Redmayne’s Newt feels less like a quirky hero and more like a guy in a costume staring at a dot that will eventually be a CGI something. He feels like a character who is being shoved through the story more than a person choosing an adventure. I didn’t find myself connecting with him or wanting to see more of his exploits.
The rest of the movie just felt bleak — bleak in an unearned way, perhaps meant to give heft to the “goofy creatures” portion of the movie or provide stakes to help the story sustain many future chapters. But I have to want to make that journey and this movie didn’t introduce a lot to excite me about heading back into this world.
I will say that around the edges there are moments of, if not fun exactly, nifty imagination in Fantastic Beasts. I like the idea that, even though they’re magic, wizards to some degree lived through the same Great War and Jazz Age as humans, and the movie gives us glimpses into how those periods looked in this parallel world. The idea of magical beasts that perhaps exist on the edge of the human world but somehow just outside its notice (in a way never really explained) has some fun to it. There’s something interesting in the idea that wizards approach these creatures the same way humans approach the stranger elements in the natural world — that is to say, some people want to study the big strange thing and other people want to hunt it and stuff it.
And, of the central foursome, Redmayne is the weakest link. Waterston’s Tina, Sudol’s Queenie and Fogler’s Jacob are more entertaining in the way you’d expect for a magical caper, kind of a pack of complementary Ron Weasleys adding much-needed lightness.
Grade: C+
Pop: Modern Day Pilgrimage
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Modern Day Pilgrimage
Amherst Resident On Hiking The Camino De Santiago
Written by Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
At age 66, Amherst resident Christy Day walked the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile spiritual pilgrimage that starts at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, and ends in Galicia, Spain.
Why, she still doesn’t know.
“I think it’s a little bit like a mountain climber who says, ‘Because it was there.’ This was something that just spoke to me. I knew I had to do it,” Day, now 67, said during a phone interview last week.
She chronicled her life-changing journey in a book, Walking from Here to There: Finding My Way on El Camino, published in August by Seacoast Press. It’s one she hopes inspires others to find peace and “reach for the stars, and do something they didn’t know they could do,” she said.
Day grew up on a Wyoming sheep ranch but has lived in New Hampshire for the past 40 years. The mom of two daughters is a Harvard-Radcliffe grad and an avid explorer — she lived aboard her sailboat for a year and has traveled extensively, from the Galapagos Islands to Antarctica.
Her first introduction to the Camino de Santiago was the 2010 film The Way, starring Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez. She learned more about it at an Amherst Library presentation by a woman who’d completed the trek.
“The way she did it, I thought … I could do that. Once I thought I could do it, it would not let go of me. I spent almost a year planning. I bought all the equipment I’d need — which was kind of a shot in the dark, as I had not done anything like this before — and I packed, then unpacked, then repacked,” Day said.
Historically, the Camino de Santiago is a Catholic pilgrimage, originating more than 1,000 years ago, for travelers seeking spiritual growth. Today, it attracts people of all religious and cultural affiliations.
The route features steep pathways with cobblestones and rocky ledges, but it’s also well-marked and much more civilized than, say, the Appalachian Trail. If you forget something, you can buy it along the way. It also offers inexpensive albergues (pilgrim hostels, about $5 to $10 a night) so backpackers can keep bags light, as there’s no need for tents or cooking equipment. Day carried her 22-pound pack the entire trip.
One of the most memorable days was the first, April 22, 2015; her younger daughter dropped her off at 6:30 a.m., and, after waving goodbye, Day walked 13.4 miles by beautiful fields and orchards, then down a steep hill into a medieval town. She was so tired, she had to crawl up the steps of the albergue to get in.
Here, she received her first act of kindness, when a man switched bunks with her so she might sleep on the bottom. It was a recurring theme throughout the walk, in which she met people ages 8 to 78 from 40 different countries.
“There was an air of hospitality that was ever present. That was so impressive. Sometimes, in the face of a jam or pack of people, there was such graciousness,” Day said. “You shared with and took care of each other. … You feel a sacred bond with every single person. Even if, in some ways, you don’t like that person, you go ahead and respect and honor them. That was an amazing feeling.”
After that, she got into a rhythm. She’d hike an average of 12 miles a day before checking into an albergue, claiming a bunk, massaging her feet, taking notes in her guidebook and journal. Then she’d do laundy, go out and explore. She was very thorough in her writing; she knew early on those words might manifest into something else.
“I’ve always wanted to write a book. As I started the pilgrimage, I thought, this is the book inside of me, waiting to be written,” Day said. “I journaled every day, wrote notes in my guide book and took pictures. … I can pinpoint exactly where I was at any given time.”
On June 1, 2015, she reached the final destination — the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
“It took everything inside me to do it,” Day said. “The last part of it is elation, joy and euphoria.”
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Drinksgiving
Drinksgiving
Local Night Spots Give Thanks & Party Down
Written by Michael Witthaus (music@hippopress.com)
Photos: Stock Photo
There’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday and all the other shopping days, but for tavern owners across the country, the big one is the day before Thanksgiving. Call it Wet Wednesday.
Area bars and restaurants don’t disappoint, although more than one club manager indicated that they don’t exactly program special events for the occasion — “We don’t want to mess with a winning formula,” said one.
On Thursday morning The Wild Rover (21 Kosciuszko St. in Manchester, 669-7722) continues its traditional Irish Breakfast Buffet with eggs, potatoes O’Brien, bangers, Irish & American bacon, beans, black & white puddings, pancakes and honey caraway biscuits, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Ancient Order of Hibernians local charities organization ($9.99 for adults, $5.99 for kids, free for kids under 5). You may need some of that after taking in all of this on Wednesday:
• 11th Frame Bar (887 B Central Ave., Dover, 742-9632) has a band starting at 4 p.m. in the State House Restaurant and Pub.
• AJ’s Sports Bar & Grill (11 Tracy Lane, Hudson, 718-1102) offers acoustic music from 7 to 11 p.m. with Ian.
• Alan’s (133 N. Main St., Boscawen, 753-6631) presents its regular open-mike night with the usual fare, so bring your talent and your thirst.
• Alpine Grove (19 S. Depot Road, Hollis, 882-9051) promises an average night, followed by a big day — this Hollis restaurant is open for Thanksgiving.
• American Legion Post 59 (538 West Main St., Hillsborough, 478-0091) Barden Hill covers everyone from Wild Cherry to Johnny Cash at a special pre-Thanksgiving show.
• Backstage Bar & Grill (56 Canal St., Nashua, 598-8256) Bright Orange Blasto performs an 18+ no-cover event at this new Nashua nightclub.
• Baja Beach Club @ China Bistro (89 Lake St., Laconia, 524-0008) moves its regular Thursday Ladies Night to Wednesday, with no cover, a DJ & dollar well drinks.
• Barley House (132 N. Main St., Concord, 228-6363) gears up for a big night like many Capitol City clubs, but nothing special is happening — it kind of writes itself.
• Black Brimmer (1087 Elm St., Manchester, 669-5523) Stomping Melvin play rock & roll covers at this downtown Thanksgiving Eve party.
• Black Water Grill (43 Pelham Road, Salem, 328-9013) opens the bar at 4:30 with a DJ spinning popular songs from every decade. There’s no cover.
• Blue Mermaid Island Grill (The hill at Hanover and High streets, Portsmouth, 427-2583) hosts an open-mike night, with local musicians ranging from jazz to reggae to folk to rock; it begins at 8:30 p.m. and there is no cover.
• Blue Ocean Music Hall (4 Ocean Front North, Salisbury, 978-462-5888) The Tom Dixon Band plays a ($7 general admission) Night Before Thanksgiving Party that starts at 7:30 p.m.
• Boston Billiard Club (55 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 943-5630) promises the biggest party of the year, which management says happens every Thanksgiving Eve, with a special guest DJ.
• Breezeway Pub (14 Pearl St., Manchester, 621-9111) brings a DJ starting at 10 p.m. for a no-cover event.
• Brookstone Grille (14 Route 11 E., Derry, 328-9250) welcomes Eric McFadden beginning at 6:30 p.m.
• Cactus Jack’s (1182 Union Ave., Laconia, 528-7800) has no live music, but management promises it will be just like Friday night, with the popular Cactus Jack’s Tunes happening throughout.
• Chop Shop Bar & Grill (920 Lafayette Road, Seabrook, 760-7704) presents Rosie, a well-liked cover band — even through they’re called “The Bitch of Rock” — performing classic rock favorites.
• City Sports Grille & Spare Time (216 Maple St., Manchester, 625-9656) Head Shop performs at 9 p.m. in the lounge of this multipurpose Manchester fun spot.
• Coach Stop Restaurant & Tavern (176 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 437-2022) says it’s open but quiet, as this small restaurant expects to serve hundreds the next day for Thanksgiving dinner.
• Derryfield Country Club (625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880) guarantees the Josh Logan Band will raise the roof, as they perform at 9 p.m.
• Dolphin Striker (15 Bow St., Portsmouth, 431-5222) presents Acoustic Truffle kicking off its annual long weekend of Seacoast shows, including a big one at the reopened Stone Church.
• Dover Brick House (2 Orchard St., Dover, 749-3838) will see the Press Project perform — try saying that three times real fast at the end of the night.
• Drynk (20 Old Granite St., Manchester, 641-2583) has a DJ party hosted by Danny Dee at 9 p.m., bringing together all their local spinners, with each getting a time slot. Doors open at 5 p.m.
• Element Lounge (1055 Elm St., Manchester, 627-2922) reprises its popular bag night — that’s a drinking game — with 12 bags after 9 p.m. and prizes for winners.
• Fody’s Tavern (9 Clinton St., Nashua, 577-9015) offers Poppy performing at 10 p.m. after a Jaegermeister promotion earlier in the evening.
• Fratello’s Manchester (155 Dow St., Manchester, 624-2022) has Mama Kicks guitarist Chris Lester holding forth from 6 to 9 p.m. at a no-cover event.
• Fury’s Publick House (1 Washington St., Dover, 617-3633) presents The Guilty Ones performing a no-cover show at 9 p.m.
• Gary’s Restaurant & Sports Lounge (38 Milton Road, Rochester, 335-4279) reprises its open-mike night with 50-cent wings and Texas Hold ’em poker.
• Giuseppe’s Restaurant (312 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-3313) has Justin Jaymes performing on guitar from 6 to 9 p.m.
• Haluwa Lounge (Nashua Mall, Nashua, 883-6662) has karaoke starting at 9 p.m. with no cover.
• Hen House Sports Bar and Grill (85 South Main St., Newton, 382-1705) offers one of the area’s biggest events in terms of recognizing the inherent truth about the evening, with a limo bringing people to and from homes (just remember to tip the driver) from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.; there’s no cover or live band, but naturally, plenty of drink specials.
• Holidays Bar and Grill (346 Hooksett Road, Auburn, 483-0880) Get your courage up with drink specials and join in the karaoke fun.
• Holy Grail Food & Spirits (64 Main St., Epping, 679-9559) welcomes the Scott Barnett Band rocking out at this no-cover party.
• Jocelyn’s Lounge (355 South Broadway, Salem, 870-0045) promises a big Thanksgiving Eve party, with a DJ, drink specials and free T-shirts, starting at 8 p.m.
• Jokers/Club Intrigue (1279 S. Willow St., Manchester, 935-9947) This recently opened ManchVegas bar will feature Maven Sergent performing, as well as half-price appetizers and $2 well drinks, $1 domestic drafts and $2 premium drafts.
• J’s Tavern (63 Union Square, Milford, 249-9222) Lisa Guyer playing at 8 p.m., with no cover
• Junkyard (522 Amherst St., Nashua, 882-6026) hosts its first Annual Thanksgiving Eve Bash with host Josh Porter, and Tag Team DJs Josh Spitaleri and Jonny C; the newly renovated and renamed Nashua club will also offer drink specials between 8 and 10 p.m. at this 18+ event.
• KC’s Rib Shack (837 Second St., Manchester, 858-7427) says there’s nothing special, just business as usual.
• Kelley’s Row (421 Central Ave., Dover, 750-7081) has its regular Tijuana Night with Stump Trivia and coin flip drink specials.
• KJ’s Sports Bar (North Main St., Newmarket, 659-2329) plans a Newmarket class reunion, with jukebox music all night long.
• Lodge at Belmont (Route 106, Belmont, 267-7778) welcomes local country favorites The Eric Grant Band performing; there’s a $5 cover for the 21+ event.
• Loudon Road Restaurant and Pit Road Lounge (388 Loudon Road, Concord, 226-0533) promises a DJ & live karaoke (is there another kind?).
• Mad Bob’s Saloon (342 Lincoln St., Manchester, 669-3049) presents the Bars performing a 9 p.m. no-cover show.
• Makris (354 Sheep Davis Road, Concord, 225-7665) has a Thanksgiving Eve Bash featuring local favorites Phoenix, with food and drink specials.
• McGarvey’s (1097 Elm St., Manchester, 627-2721) hosts its regular karaoke night.
• Murphy’s Taproom (494 Elm St., Manchester, 644-3535) has everybody’s favorites, Nimbus 9, performing at 9 p.m. — some synergy there.
• Murray’s Tavern (326 S. Broadway, Salem, 893-4055) presents 45’s Night, so, like Joss Stone says, get out your records.
• Old Amsterdam Bar & Lounge (8 Temple St., Nashua, 204-5534) welcomes Matt Jackson singing and playing guitar at the OA’s local night, which features area foods and a hometown flavor. After that, a DJ appears for the rest of the evening.
• One Mile West (3 Brook Road, Sunapee, 863-7500) Andrew Merzi plays originals and a few tasty covers at this Sunapee oasis.
• Pasta Loft (241 Union Square, Milford, 672-2270) brings in Small Town Stranded, a band that’s a regular draw at this Milford restaurant/bar, and a perfect choice for the evening’s music.
• Pasta Loft Brickhouse Tavern (220 East Main St., East Hampstead, 378-0092) welcomes Morning Wood playing rock & roll tunes.
• Peddler’s Daughter (48 Main St., Nashua, 821-7535) has Take 4 performing; they are a regular Saturday attraction, part of an experience much the same as any weekend night, and staffed up to the max, says management.
• Penuche’s Ale House Concord (6 Pleasant St., Concord, 228-9833) won’t change a thing. “Buckle up and ride the ride” is the advice from the management at this downtown restaurant/bar, which promises a night like any other, only more so.
• Red Blazer (72 Manchester St., Concord, 224-4101) welcomes Gardner Berry of Mama Kicks for a “Cans for Cover” event, where guests are asked to bring in a non-perishable food item for admission, which will be donated to the Friendly Kitchen to help them stock their shelves for the holiday season. On April 30, a three-alarm fire at Hope House caused considerable damage to the building, and since that fire, the Friendly Kitchen has been feeding the needy at a local church.
• Red Door (107 State St., Portsmouth, 373-6827) DJ Evaredy spins the music and gets the crowd dancing.
• Salt Hill Pub (2 West Park St., Lebanon, 448-4532) Phil Singer & Byron Berwick host the recently launched Acoustic Sessions, featuring local singer/songwriter/performers in the Galway Room, beginning at 6 p.m.
• Sayde’s Restaurant (136 Cluff Crossing, Salem, 890-1032) The George Williams Band, a very percussive septet from the Salem area, performs at what management calls the biggest party of the year. “Arrive early” is their helpful recommendation.
• Shaskeen (909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246) has the wild and crazy Aldous Collins Band performing at 9 p.m. — no comedy open mike tonight.
• Stone Church (5 Granite St., Newmarket, 292-3546) presents the B.A. Canning Band, which is midway through a three-week Free Music Wednesday residency at the reborn Seacoast music club, with half-price drafts offered early in the evening.
• Strange Brew Tavern (88 Market St., Manchester, 666-4292) The Mighty Bad Habits perform blues rock at this downtown institution.
• Studio 99 (115 Main St., 3rd floor, Nashua, 562–5179) has a Blues Jam hosted by Garrett Partridge on guitar. Bring your own amp, and drums are available, with a $5 donation encouraged.
• Tupelo Music Hall (2 Young Road, Londonderry, 437-5100) hosts a Songwriters Thanksgiving Roundtable with Chad Verbeck, Amy Petty, Jon Aanestad, Charlie Christos and Jandee Lee Porter (see story).
• Unwine’d (865 Second St., Manchester, 625-9463) welcomes Craig Fahey playing cool jazz piano, along with the regular menu and fine beverages.
• Village Square (472 State St., Hampstead, 329-6879) has Whitenoiz rocking out, playing classic covers from the heavier side of the musical spectrum.
• Village Trestle (25 Main St., Goffstown, 497-8230) has The Bruce Marshall Group, a crowd-pleasing blues rock band, and a good choice for this club’s party.
• Wally’s Pub (144 Ashworth Ave., Hampton, 926-6954) has its regular Beirut (beer pong) Night with hip-hop dancing as well.
• Wet Bar at Pages (172 Hanover St., Portsmouth, 436-0004) welcomes DJ Static Selecta, an MC who has worked with Jay-Z and other big names, appearing in the upstairs lounge, where there are also drink and food specials.
• Whippersnappers (44 Nashua Road #13, Londonderry, 434-2660) Minor Issues, a five-piece female-fronted band, plays modern and classic rock covers.
• Wild Rover (21 Kosciuszko St., Manchester, 669-7722) has Irish music, but the big deal is Thanksgiving dinner served all day on the big day (see top of story).
• Yard / Midnight Rodeo (1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-3545) doesn’t expect more than just the regular crowd but, says management, it will be turned up to 11.
Off To The Races
Off To The Races
Get Moving With Holiday Runs & Walks
Written by Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Photos: Courtesy Photo
Who ever said revelry and merriment had a speed limit? Work off your turkey weight, celebrate the holiday in motion and usher in the new year with these road races.
Thursday, Nov. 24
Support the Coats for Kids program at the Rotary Club of Merrimack’s 5K Turkey Trot. The race starts at 8 a.m. at Merrimack Middle School, 31 Madeline Bennett Drive. Cost is $20-$25 ($15 for ages 13 and under). This year’s funds will be raised for Coats for Kids, local soup kitchen donations and holiday gifts for the less fortunate. Visit merrimack5k.com for more information. Contact Bob Freed at 533-0678 or bob.freed@techtransport.com.
Take a run through Mine Falls Park in Nashua for the 14th Annual Great Gobbler Thanksgiving 5K. Race gets underway at 8 a.m. at Nashua High School South, 36 Riverside St. Proceeds go to Nashua High School cross-country teams. Cost is $20-$25 ($15-$20 for ages 11-17). Visit greatgobbler.com. Contact Nate Burns at burnsn@nashua.edu or Mike Merra at m.merra@gmail.com with questions.
Head to Bow High School, 55 Falcon Way, for the Bow Police Association 8th Annual 5K Turkey Trot at 8 a.m. Cost is $30 (free for kids 12 and under). Visit runreg.com. Call 228-1240 with questions.
The Annual Rochester Runners Free Fall Classic 5K starts at Rochester Community Center, 150 Wakefield St., at 8:30 a.m. Cost is $10 to $15 ($5 for ages 12 and under) and shirts cost an additional $10. Visit freefall5k.com.
The Dover Turkey Trot 5K at Shaw’s Lane begins at 8:30 a.m. Cost is $20-$25 ($10-$15 for kids in grade 4 and under). Proceeds benefit the Garrison School PTA. Visit doverturkeytrot.com. Contact doverturkeytrot@gmail.com for information.
Make your way from Peirce Island to Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth for the eighth annual Seacoast Rotary Club Turkey Trot starting at 8:30 a.m. Cost is $30 ($10 for ages 12 and under, $20 for teens 13 to 19). See seacoastrotary.org and register at runreg.com. Contact seacoastrotary@gmail.com or call 512-1976.
Don’t miss Keene’s Wobble Gobble starting at 8:30 a.m. (walkers) or 9 a.m. (runners) at 312 Washington St. This 4-mile race used to be called the Cranberry Run. Cost is $20. See tri-state-racingonline.com.
The 18th annual Galloping Gobbler 4-mile road race at Bishop Brady High School, 25 Columbus Ave., Concord, begins at 9 a.m. Cost is $20, or $25 including a T-shirt. Proceeds go to the Bishop Brady Tuition Assistance Fund. Visit bishopbrady.edu.
The 22nd Annual Windham Turkey Trot begins at 9 a.m. at 70 Blossom Road in Windham, rain, snow or shine. The family-friendly event has 3- and 5-mile courses to run, walk, stroll, scooter or rollerblade. Race proceeds benefit The Shepherd’s Pantry, Windham Helping Hands, and Family Promise of Greater Rockingham County. Cost is by donation of your choice. See windhamturkeytrot.org. Contact windhamturkeytrot@gmail.com.
Derry’s 43rd Annual Turkey Trot 5K Road Race kicks off at Gallien’s Town Beach on Beaver Lake, Route 102, at 9 a.m. Bring a nonperishable canned good or dry food to donate to St. Jude Parish, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, The Upper Room or Sonshine Kitchen. Pre-registration is $17, free for kids. Day-of registration costs $20, $10 for kids. Visit gdtc.org/turkeytrot. Contact Sean Coyle at scoyle@gdtc.org.
Fisher Cats Thanksgiving Day 5K starts outside Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (near right field on Commercial Street, Manchester) at 9 a.m. and ends in the infield. Cost is $25 to $30 ($10 for kids 11 and under). See millenniumrunning.com/thanksgiving.
The 10th Annual Lake Sunapee Turkey Trot 5K, at the Ben Mere Gazebo at Sunapee Harbor, Sunapee, begins at 9 a.m. Cost is $25 (free for children 12 and under, $10 for seniors 65 and older). A 1K Chicken Run for kids starts at 8:15 a.m. Visit sunapeeturkeytrot.com. Contact info@sunapeeturkeytrot.com.
Take part in the Gilford Youth Center’s 9th Annual Turkey Trot 5K & Family Walk starting at 9 a.m. at 19 Potter Hill Road, Gilford. Cost is $26-$27 ($90 for a family of up to five). See gilfordyouthcenter.com. Contact Scott Hodson, 524-6978, gccscott@metrocast.net.
Friday, Nov. 25
The Amherst Junior Women’s Club 16th Annual Trot Off Your Turkey 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run is back. The Fun Run starts at 9 a.m. and the 5K begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Amherst Town Green, 11 Church St. Cost is $10 for the Fun Run, $25 for the 5K. See trotoffyourturkey.wordpress.com and register at runreg.com. Contact amherstturkeytrot@gmail.com for questions.
Saturday, Dec. 3
Get a head start on the Christmas parade in the BASC Santa Claus Shuffle, a 3-mile run that starts at 3:15 p.m. at Veterans Park in Manchester. Dress up as Santa and run with an army of other Santas. The first 1,500 to register get a full Santa suit. Cost is $25 to $35 ($10 for children 11 or younger). The run is followed by Manchester’s holiday parade at 4 p.m. Visit milleniumrunning.com/santa to register.
Sunday, Dec. 4
Take part in Atkinson’s fourth annual Jingle Bell Half Marathon at 9 a.m. at 85 Country Club Drive. Cost is $70. Visit jinglebellhalf.com. For questions email mike@locorunning.com.
Sunday, Dec. 11
Bring joy to the kiddies by running in the Merrimack Toys For Tots 5K Race & Walk at 10 a.m. at the Merrimack High School, 38 McElwain St. Cost is $15-$20 plus a $10 unwrapped toy, or pay $25-$30 without a toy. $10 from each toyless entry will go to Toys For Tots. Visit g2racereg.webconnex.com.
Rev up your engines for Yule Light Up The Night, a 2.25-mile run through the Gift of Lights display at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, 1122 Route 106, Loudon, at 4:30 p.m. Cost is $15-$25 ($10 for children 3 and under). Register at millenniumrunning.com/lights.
Participate in the Portsmouth Jingle Bell Run for arthritis at 10 a.m. at Little Harbour School, 50 Clough Drive, Portsmouth. Registration costs $35 to $40. Register at jbr.org. Contact Tom Bringle, 724-6080, tbringle@arthritis.org.
Sunday, Dec. 18
Run into the Christmas spirit with the Concord Jingle Bell Run for arthritis at 10 a.m. at Rundlett Middle School, 144 South St., Concord. Registration costs $30 to $40. Register at jbr.org. Contact Tom Bringle, 724-6080, tbringle@arthritis.org.
Sunday, Jan. 1
The 5th annual Great Bay Services New Year’s Resolution 5K takes off at 11 a.m. at Portsmouth Middle School, 155 Parrott Ave. Cost is $25 ($15 age 13 and under). Register at runreg.com.
Take part in a long-running tradition with the 39th Annual Peanut Butter Chip Chase 5K at Temple Town Hall, Route 45 at noon. Race proceeds go to Souhegan Lions Club college scholarships and food pantry donations. Pre-registration costs $15 ($13 age 18 and under); race-day registration is $20 ($15 age 18 and under). Registration is capped at 300. Visit 3craceproductions.com. Contact Michele Siegmann, 878-9066, godspeed@myfairpoint.net.
Don’t miss The Millennium Mile Road Race on Mammoth Road in front of Londonderry High School starting at 2 p.m. Pre-registration costs $18, race-day $20. Kids 11 and under pay $10. Register at millenniumrunning.com/millenniummile.
Holiday Festivities
Holiday Festivities
The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year For All Ages
Written by Matt Ingersol (listings@hippopress.com)
Photos: Courtesy Photo
Get into the holiday spirit this season with Christmas lights, train rides, winter wonderlands and more.
• The Gift of Lights returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1122 Route 106 North, Loudon) and will be open every day from Friday, Nov. 25, through Saturday, Dec. 31, from 4:30 to 9 p.m., except for Christmas Day. The drive-through park of Christmas lights spans more than two miles and features hundreds of light displays and holiday scenes along the way before winding around the outside of the track's grandstands. The route includes a trip through the infield tunnel with the famous “Tunnel of Lights.” Admission is $20 per car at the gate. Buses are $20 for the first 15 people and $2 for each additional person. You can get a $2 discount if you bring at least three items for donation to the Loudon Food Pantry. Visit giftoflightsnhms.com.
• Santa's Holiday Express returns to the Conway Scenic Railroad (38 Norcross Circle, North Conway), beginning Friday, Nov. 25, through Sunday, Nov. 27, and continuing every weekend until Christmas Day (Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4; Saturday, Dec. 10, and Sunday, Dec. 11; and Saturday, Dec. 17, through Friday, Dec. 23). Santa Claus and his elves will be on board for the duration of each ride, sharing hot chocolate and cookies with everyone. Photo opportunities are also available if you bring your camera. There are two take-off times each day, at 11:30 a.m. and at 1:30 p.m., and both last about an hour round-trip. The cost for tickets ranges from $17 to $25.50 for adults, $12 to $21 for children ages 4 to 12, and up to $13 for children under 4 years old, depending on the types of seats. Journey to the North Pole will be offered from Friday, Nov. 25, through Sunday, Nov. 27; Friday, Dec. 2, through Sunday, Dec. 4; Friday, Dec. 9, through Sunday, Dec. 11; Friday, Dec. 16, through Sunday, Dec. 18; and Thursday, Dec. 22, and Friday, Dec. 23. Tickets range from $47 to $67. Visit conwayscenic.com or call 356-5251.
• Get a holiday-style blast from the past at Castle in the Clouds (Route 171, 455 Old Mountain Road, Moultonborough) during its annual Christmas at the Castle event, from Friday, Nov. 25, through Sunday, Nov. 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. At the 1920s-style Historic Lucknow Estate, enjoy holiday-themed music, crafts, games and much more. The cost to attend is $20 for adults and seniors, $10 for kids ages 5 to 17, and free for kids ages 4 and under. For Friends of the Castle members, tickets are discounted to $15 for adults and seniors and $8 for kids ages 5 to 17. Visit castleintheclouds.org or call 476-5900.
• The Ho-Ho-Hobo Santa Express holiday-themed train rides return to the Hobo Railroad (64 Railroad St., Lincoln) beginning Friday, Nov. 25, through Sunday, Nov. 27, and continuing every weekend up to the Christmas holiday (Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4; Saturday, Dec. 10, and Sunday, Dec. 11; and Saturday, Dec. 17, and Sunday, Dec. 18). Once seated, everyone on the train receives a cup of hot chocolate and each family receives a box of holiday cookies to enjoy during the excursion, which lasts one hour and 20 minutes. Every child is also given a letter they can complete for Santa Claus. On the way back to Hobo Junction, each child on the train receives a special gift from Santa. Tickets are $20 per seat in coach class and $25 per seat in first class, free for children ages 2 and under. Visit hoborr.com or call 745-2135.
• Celebrate the holidays at Waterville Valley Resort (1 Ski Area Road) with special events like the fourth annual Cold Turkey Plunge on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 1 p.m., where you jump into Corcoran Pond to benefit the resort's athletic programs for people with disabilities. Santa and his elves will arrive later in the day, about 3:30 p.m., pulled by a team of sled dogs from The Valley Snowdogz. Kids can request Christmas wishes from Santa and take photos with him as he will be giving out candy and gifts for all who come to visit. At 7 p.m., there will be a tree lighting ceremony with a fireworks display over Corcoran Pond. Go to visitwatervillevalley.com or call 468-2553.
• Reason for the Season returns to DeMeritt Hill Farm (66 Lee Road, Lee), on Saturday, Nov. 26, and Sunday, Nov. 27; Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 10, and Sunday, Dec. 11, beginning at 11 a.m. each day. Bring the whole family to the farm to pick out a Christmas tree for the season, listen to readings of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” from Mrs. Claus, enjoy hot apple cider and take home an apple ornament, candy canes and other keepsakes and treats. Admission is $110 for the family and registration is required. Visit demeritthillfarm.com or call 868-2111.
• The Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce will host its 30th annual Holiday Open House in downtown Exeter on Thursday, Dec. 1, at 5 p.m. The event features live music, shopping and photo opportunities with Santa Claus. Go to visitexeternh.com.
• Laconia's Community Center (306 Union Ave.) will become the city's Christmas Village on Thursday, Dec. 1, and Friday, Dec. 2, from 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4, from 2 to 5 p.m. Visit with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus and take professional photos with them for $3. Visit cityoflaconianh.org or call 524-5046.
• Don't miss the 40th annual Wilton Holiday Fair at Pine Hill Waldorf School (77 Pine Hill Drive, Wilton) on Friday, Dec. 2, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Children of all ages are invited to enjoy live music, puppet shows, storytelling, games, snacks and win prizes, while adults browse the offerings from local artisans and vendors for holiday gift ideas. Visit pinehill.org or call 654-6003.
• Starry, Starry Weekend returns for its 13th year in Contoocook and Hopkinton. Special holiday shopping opportunities will be offered throughout the two villages on Friday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A “preview night” has been added to this year's festivities and will be held on Thursday, Dec. 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. For a $5 donation during preview night, you can be among the first to choose from the many offerings from local vendors and artisans. Visit explorecontoocook.com.
• Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia) will become a Lighted Winter Wonderland on the weekends of Friday, Dec. 2, through Christmas Eve, with check-in times from 5 to 9 p.m. Travel to the North Pole while enjoying holiday light displays, costumed characters and a petting zoo, and get your picture taken with Santa Claus. Tickets are $25 per person and free for children under 23 months old. Go to visitthefarm.com or call 483-5623.
• Don't miss Milford's Annual Holiday Craft Fairs and Events, on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. around the Historic Milford Oval. The event will feature live music, holiday giveaways and food from the Milford Indoor Farmers' Market, which will be available in the Town Hall Auditorium (1 Union Square). Join the Milford Lions Club in welcoming Santa Claus to the Milford Oval on Sunday, Dec. 4, from noon to 2 p.m. Visit milfordimprovementteam.org or call 249-0676.
• The Candlelight Stroll returns to Strawbery Banke Museum (14 Hancock St., Portsmouth) for its 37th year. The festivities will be held during the weekends of Dec. 3 and Dec. 4, Dec. 10 and Dec. 11, and Dec. 16 through Dec. 18, from 5 to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 4 to 8 p.m. on Sundays. Visitors stroll from historic house to historic house as they are greeted by costumed role players and performers. Enjoy craft demonstrations and food vendors along the way, in addition to fun kids’ projects and hot apple cider. Tickets are $25 for adults, $12.50 for children ages 5 to 17, with a maximum cost of $60 per family. Visit strawberybanke.org or call 433-1110.
• Epsom Central School (282 Black Hill Road) will host its first annual Winter Craft Fair, which will feature baked goods, raffles and opportunities to find affordable and handmade gift ideas for your loved ones. The fair is sponsored by the Epsom Central School PTO and will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visit facebook.com/epsom-central-pto.
• Don't miss the annual Hudson Holiday Shopping event on Saturday, Dec. 3, at noon at Valentino's Restaurant & Lounge (142 Lowell Road). Shop and donate at the same time with more than 30 local vendors to choose from. Santa Claus will also be available to take photos and Christmas wishes from kids. Visit newenglandvendorevents.com.
• Join St. Patrick's Church (12 Main St., Pelham) for its annual Christmas Fair on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event will feature a coloring contest for kids, locally made food and goodies at a bake table and more. Visit stpatricks-pelham.com or call 635-3525.
• The Holiday Stroll at Deerfield Fairgrounds (34 Stage Road) will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Meet and take photos with Santa Claus, go on a horse-drawn carriage ride, and do some holiday shopping from more than 50 vendors. Donations for Toys for Tots and the Deerfield Food Pantry will be collected for the duration of the event. The cost to attend is $5 for teens and adults ages 16 and over, $2 for kids ages 3 to 15, and free for kids ages 2 and under. Visit deerfieldfair.com or call 463-7421.
• The 70th annual New Castle Village Christmas Fair will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at New Castle Recreation Building (301 Wentworth Road). Enjoy handmade crafts, wreaths, gift baskets, jewelry and scarves, and more, while sipping homemade coffee and eating homemade baked goods for sale. A lunch of fish chowder and lobster rolls will be served, followed by desserts. You'll also have an opportunity to get your copy of the 50th-anniversary edition of the New Castle Cookbook. Visit newcastlenh.org.
• Christmas at Canterbury returns to Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road) on Saturdays, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, from 3 to 8 p.m. The underlying theme of the event explores how Christmas was celebrated during a simpler era, and features making Christmas cards, decorating gingerbread cookies and creating your own take-home Christmas ornaments. You'll also get to enjoy Christmas carols, hot apple cider, toy train displays and more. Admission is $18 for adults, $8 for children ages 6 to 17 and free for children under 5 years old. Visit shakers.org or call 783-9511.
• Join Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia) for Santa's Big Party, held every weekend beginning Saturday, Dec 3, through Christmas Eve, with check-in times from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Santa Claus will be DJ-ing alongside other costumed characters, and families will enjoy sugar cookies and hot chocolate, a bonfire, live music and much more.
When you are ready to leave, hop aboard the tractor train ride to see Santa's reindeer. The cost to attend is $19 per person per day and free for children under 23 months old. Go to visitthefarm.com or call 483-5623.
• Grace Ministries International (263 Route 125, Brentwood) returns with its 20th annual Christmas Tea event on Saturday, Dec. 3, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. The event features live music, short comedy skits, a 50/50 raffle and more. Dressing in formal attire is encouraged. The cost to attend is $25. Visit gracemi.org or call 642-7848.
• Stop by downtown Hillsborough for the annual Old-Fashioned Christmas event on Saturday, Dec. 3, beginning at 8 a.m. Enjoy holiday shopping, family-oriented activities, crafts, food and more. The event will conclude with a visit from Santa Claus and the Christmas tree lighting in Butler Park. Visit hillsboroughpride.org or call 464-2953.
• Join the Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St., Manchester) for its annual Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be children's crafts, holiday storytimes, old-fashioned board games, cookies and photo opportunities with Santa Claus from 10 to 11 a.m. Admission is free. Visit manchesterhistoric.org or call 622-7531.
• Stop by the Mount Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road, Warner) for its annual Winter Celebration on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event features storytelling, games, crafts, music, food and more. Admission is $5 per person and a $20 maximum cost per family. Visit indianmuseum.org or call 456-2600.
• Mill Falls Marketplace (312 Daniel Webster Highway, Meredith) & Main Street will host its Holiday Open House on Sunday, Dec. 4, from noon to 4 p.m. The event features holiday shopping opportunities, strolling carolers, horse-drawn wagon rides, visits with Santa Claus and much more. Visit millfalls.com or call 279-7006.
• The fifth annual Holiday Bazaar will be held at LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst) on Sunday, Dec. 4, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will feature handcrafted gifts by juried members of the League of NH Craftsmen, as well as bistro dining, wine tastings and much more. Visit labellewinerynh.com or call 672-9898.
• Don't miss the Christmas in Henniker Celebration at Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker) on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 4 to 8 p.m. Enjoy an art and gift fair, visits with Santa Claus, holiday music, gingerbread decorating led by the Henniker Lions Club, and much more. Visit hennikerchamber.com or call 428-3281.
• Lights on the Hill will return to the historic 19th-century buildings in Candia beginning at the corner of Route 27 (High Street) and South Road (Exit 3 of Route 101). On Saturday, Dec. 10, from 1 to 8 p.m. you can walk the village campus and enjoy hundreds of holiday lights, or ride the shuttle bus to each site. Visit candiacongregational.org/loth or call 483-0506.
• The Gilford Village Candlelight Stroll returns for its fifth year on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. Enjoy hot chocolate, cookies and apple cider as you travel on horse-drawn buggy rides among hundreds of candles. Caroling will be provided to help set the mood. Call 524-6042 or email katherine@gilfordlibrary.org.
• The annual Holly Jolly Family Spectacular returns to the Milford Town Hall Auditorium (1 Union Square) on Friday, Dec. 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Presented by the Milford Parks and Recreation Department, the event features opportunities to sing and dance along to your favorite holiday hits. Admission is free and open to all ages. Visit milford.nh.gov or call 249-0600.
• The first annual Holiday Shopping Extravaganza kicks off at the Nashua Radisson (11 Tara Boulevard) on Saturday, Dec. 17, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature dozens of local vendors offering unique crafts and gift ideas. Visit radisson.com/nashua or call 888-9970.
• Join the New Hampshire Farm Museum (1305 White Mountain Highway, Milton) for a Victorian Christmas on the Farm on Saturday, Dec. 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tour the holiday-decorated historic Jones Farmhouse with costumed role-players, go on a horse-drawn sleigh ride, make hand-dipped Christmas candles to take home, roast chestnuts and popcorn over an open fire, and enjoy gingerbread and hot cider in the farmhouse kitchen. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Museum members will receive discounted prices of $5 for adults and $3 for children. Visit farmmuseum.org or call 652-7840.
• Amoskeag Fishways (4 Fletcher St., Manchester) will host its annual Fishways Open House on Wednesday, Dec. 28, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The “thank you” event will feature two presentations, one on “Active Winter Mammals” and one on “Winter Backyard Birds.” Opportunities to create holiday-themed crafts, eat treats and win door prizes will be featured. The event is free and open to all ages; no pre-registration is required. Visit amoskeagfishways.org or call 626-3474.
• Don't miss the annual New Year's fireworks display along the Sea Shell Stage (170 Ocean Blvd., Hampton Beach) on Saturday, Dec. 31, at 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Visit hamptonbeach.org.
• Join Pat's Peak (686 Flanders Road, Henniker) in ringing in 2017 with its annual New Year's Eve Family Celebration on Saturday, Dec. 31, from 6 p.m. to midnight. The slopes will be open for skiing, snowboarding and snowtubing until 10 p.m. Enjoy a wide range of family-friendly entertainment, from a comedy show to live music, fireworks, food and more. Guests can purchase a “Party and POP” ticket that allows access to every activity, but “Party Only” and “POP Only tickets are also available. “Party and POP” tickets range from $50 to $90 per person. For the party only, the cost ranges from $35 to $70, and for access to the slopes only, the cost is $49. Visit patspeak.com or call 428-3245.
Holiday Toe Tapping
Holiday Toe Tapping
Classical Fare To Set The Mood
Written by Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Photos: Stock Photo
Not in the holiday mood yet? Some classical music will do the trick. New Hampshire orchestras, choirs and music groups have all kinds of concerts planned for the next few weeks — take your pick.
• The New Hampshire Philharmonic presents its Holiday Pops concert on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 27, at 2 p.m., at the Stockbridge Theatre, 5 Pinkerton St., Derry. The group performs with the Pinkerton Choir some favorite holiday selections under Conductor Mark Latham. Tickets are $12 to $50, $10 for students. Visit nhphil.org.
• The Manchester Community Music School (2291 Elm St.) hosts its annual holiday pops concert Friday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m., featuring performances by the New Hampshire Youth Jazz and Wind Ensembles, the Dino Anagnost Youth Symphony and Concert Orchestras, the Robbins Farley Honors Brass Ensemble and the Flute Choir. There will be a holiday photo booth complete with props and raffle prizes. Tickets are $40. Visit mcmusicschool.org or call 644-4548.
• Con Tutti presents an event with brass, giant puppets and singing Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m., at South Church, 292 State St., Portsmouth. This year, 120 performers, directed by Joanne Connolly, sing a range of music, from French to South African carols and songs. Tickets are $15. Call 207-451-9346.
• Profile Chorus presents a concert, “Where Are You Christmas?” Saturday, Dec. 3, at 2 and 7 p.m., featuring special guests Boston Accent, plus Musicality and No Kiddin’, at Southern New Hampshire University’s Dining Center Banquet Hall, 2500 N. River Road, Manchester. Tickets are $20. Visit profilechorus.org or call 490-8247.
• The Sandpipers Seacoast Children’s Chorus presents its Winter Concert Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m., at the Stratham Community Church, 6 Emery Lane, Stratham, and Sunday, Dec. 4, at 3 p.m., at the Middle Street Baptist Church, 18 Court St., Portsmouth. There’s a suggested $10 donation at the door. Visit sandpiperschorus.com.
• The Walker Lecture Fund presents Handel’s “Messiah” per Christmas tradition with a dress rehearsal on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m., and the live performance on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m., at the South Congregational Church, 27 Pleasant St., Concord. Benjamin Greene conducts the 75-member Concord Community Chorus. There’s no admission; first-come, first-served. Visit walkerlecture.org.
• The First Congregational Church Chancel Choir, Sabbath Bells and musical guests, New England Brass, present a Christmas Concert at First Congregational Church, 508 Union St., Manchester, Sunday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m. The concert weaves together Advent and Christmas readings, carols and anthems in a format that follows the traditional Lessons and Carols service made popular by King’s College in Cambridge, England. There will be a freewill offering whose proceeds go to Union Leader’s Santa Fund. Call 625-5093.
• The Rockingham Choral Society, directed by Andrew Gaydos, presents its Christmas Concert Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, 187 East Road, Hampstead, and Sunday, Dec. 4, at 3 p.m., at Christ Church, 43 Pine St., Exeter. General admission is $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Visit rockinghamchoralsociety.org.
• The Saint Anselm College Choir presents DecemberSong at the Abbey Church, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m., which features a service of readings and songs celebrating the Advent and Christmas seasons. The program begins in darkness with a candlelight contemplative song. Admission is free; call 641-7700 or email dana@anselm.edu or visit anselm.edu.
• The New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus presents its annual winter concert, themed “Holiday Music to Warm the Heart,” in four events this December. The group stops at the First Baptist Church of Nashua, 121 Manchester St., Nashua, on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m.; at the Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St., Rochester, on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m.; at the Wesley United Methodist Church, 79 Clinton St., Concord, on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m.; and at the Derryfield School, 2108 River Road, Manchester, on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 4 p.m. The Rochester concert features free admission; tickets to other concerts are $20.
• The Strafford Wind Symphony hosts a holiday pops concert on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. at the Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St., Rochester. On the menu are holiday favorites, new and old, a special narrated piece and a gift basket raffle. Tickets are $12 or $7 for attendees 12 and younger. Visit rochesteroperahouse.com.
• This year’s Mont Vernon Messiah Sing! concerts are Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m., at the Mont Vernon Congregational Church, 4 S. Main St., Mont Vernon. All are welcome to participate, and scores will be available for $10.
• The Granite State Ringers’ handbell concerts are Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. at the Wesley United Methodist Church, 79 Clinton St., Concord; Sunday, Dec. 4, at 3 p.m. at the Main Street United Methodist Church, 154 Main St., Nashua; Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church, 34 S. Main St., Rochester; and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m., at the Monadnock Waldorf School, 98 S. Lincoln St., Keene. Visit granitestateringers.org. Ticket prices range per show but average about $10.
• The New Greeley Singers perform a concert, Spirit of Christmas, Sunday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m., at the First Congregational Church, 3 Main St., Pelham. Tickets are $15. Visit newgreeleysingers.com.
• The Eric Mintel Quartet performs a concert of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” tunes, with Eric Mintel on piano, Nelson Hill on alto sax, Dave Mohn on drums and Jack Hegvi on bass, at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, on Monday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.
• Portsmouth Pro Musica presents two holiday concerts on the Seacoast the second weekend of December, both featuring a setting of “Gloria,” plus internationally-known soprano Maria Ferrante. The first concert is Friday, Dec. 9, at 8 p.m., at St. Mary’s Church, 25 Third St., Dover, and the next is Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m., at North Church, 2 Congress St., Portsmouth. Tickets are $15. Visit portsmouthpromusica.org.
• Symphony New Hampshire presents its holiday pops concert on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m. at the Keefe Center for the Arts, 117 Elm St., Nashua. The concert will feature the orchestra under conductor Jonathan McPhee, plus the New World Chorale under conductor Holly Krafka. The New England Tenors will also perform. Tickets are $10 to $49; call 595-9156 or visit symphonynh.org. The concert happens again in Concord on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m., at the Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St., Concord.
• There’s a Holiday Folk Concert Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m., featuring Susie Burke and David Surette with Kent Allyn, at the Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St., Concord, 228-1196, ccmusicschool.org. The concert will feature a number of selections from the musicians’ holiday CD release, “Wonderland,” plus folk and acoustic fare from their standard repertoire. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors.
• The Boston Pops Holiday Concert is at the SNHU Arena, 555 Elm St., Manchester, Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $42 to $77, and doors open at 6:30 p.m. Call 800-745-3000 or visit snhuarena.com.
• Amare Cantare performs an a cappella program featuring Christmas carol arrangements at the Immaculate Conception Church, 98 Summer St., Portsmouth, on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m.; at Saint Joseph’s Church, 150 Central Ave., Dover, on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m.; and at Christ Church, 43 Pine St., Exeter, on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 7:30 p.m. General admission is $15 at the door or $12 in advance. Visit amarecantare.com.
• The Monadnock Chorus performs Rossini’s “Petite Messe Solennelle” Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m., at the Peterborough Town House, 1 Grove St., Peterborough. Tickets are $20. Visit monadnock-chorus.org.
• The Manchester Choral Society’s upcoming concert, Star Song, happens Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m., at the Brookside Congregational Church, 2013 Elm St., Manchester, conducted by Dan Perkins. Tickets are $25. Call 472-6627 or visit mcsnh.org. Admission is free for students in grades K through 12.
• The Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra performs its holiday pops concert Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m., at the Inter-Lakes Community Auditorium, Route 25, Meredith. The concert features traditional and popular songs of the season; tickets are $15. Visit lrso.org.
• The Granite Statesmen barbershop chorus performs its annual Christmas show Saturday, Dec. 10, at 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. at the Alpine Grove Banquet center, 19 S. Depot Road, Hollis. Visit granitestatesmen.org for ticket information.
• The Souhegan Valley Chorus performs its holiday concert Sunday, Dec. 11, at 6 p.m., at Souhegan High School, 412 Boston Post Road, Amherst. Tickets are free for children 12 and younger, $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Visit souheganvalleychorus.org for more information.
• Sounds of the Seacoast, an international award-winning women’s barbershop chorus, performs A Holly Jolly Cabaret at the Jarvis Center at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 40 Andrew Jarvis Drive, Portsmouth, on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15. Visit soundsoftheseacoast.org. Call 759-5152.
• New England Voices in Harmony presents its winter concert, ’Tis the Season, featuring the chorus and quartets Saturday, Dec. 17, at 2 p.m., at the Nashua Senior Center, 70 Temple St., Nashua. Tickets are $8 to $15. Visit newenglandvoicesinharmony.org.
• The Capital Jazz Orchestra presents Holiday Pops! at the Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, Sunday, Dec. 18, at 4 p.m. The event will feature special guests Patty Barkas, Laura Daigle and CJ Poole, who will perform songs like “The Christmas Song,” “Let it Snow,” “Jingle Bells” and “Sleigh Ride.” NHPR’s Laura Knoy will recite a rendition of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas. Tickets are $20 to $45. Visit ccanh.com or call 225-1111.
• Rock My Soul presents a Rockin’ Holiday Concert at St. John’s Methodist Church, 28 Cataract Ave., Dover, on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15.
• Irish tenor, recording artist, physician and champion disabled athlete Ronan Tynan performs a holiday concert, along with the New Hampshire Police Association Pipes and Drums, on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m., at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester. Tickets are $30.50 to $60.50. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.
• The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra’s Family Holiday Pops concert is at The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth)Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 7:30 p.m., and Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m., with special guests Taylor O’Donnell and Chris Klaxton, where audiences will hear holiday favorites old and new. Visit themusichall.org or call 436-2400 for tickets, which are $12 to $25.
• There’s an opera evening concert, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” at Christ Church, 43 Pine St., Exeter, on Friday, Dec. 30, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.
March Into Christmas
March Into Christmas
Stormtroopers, Revelers Join In Music Themed Parade
Written by Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Photos: Courtesy Photo
This year’s Manchester Christmas parade, on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m., is going to have a lot of new participating groups and new sights for parade watchers.
As always, the Santa Claus Shuffle road race starts off right before the parade (see page 14 for more details).
“The minute the last Santa goes, we kick off the parade with the firefighters and their boot drive for the Santa Fund. And then the parade really commences,” said Sara Beaudry with Intown Manchester.
Every year, Intown Manchester establishes a theme for the parade and participants craft their floats based on that theme. Last year it was the “magic of Christmas” and this year it’s the “merry music of Christmas.”
Beaudry said there are typically around 80 or 90 groups participating and this year there will be a diverse mix of perennial participants like UNH Manchester and newcomers.
“There are several new groups that have come in. I would say 12 to 15 groups that are different from years past,” Beaudry said.
This year, Beaudry is excited to see a lot of cosplayers join in the festivities, such as the New England Brethren of Pirates, and joining Double Midnight Comics this year will be the 501st Legion, a group that dresses as the imperial stormtroopers from Star Wars. Double Midnight folks will be dressed as characters from Guardians of the Galaxy and other superheroes.
Beaudry said it’s free to participate in the parade and there are cash prizes for the best floats.
She said downtown will be decked out with Christmas decorations and lights.
In the days surrounding the parade, Intown Manchester is also organizing Holiday Market days for the sixth year. They will take place on Thursdays, Dec. 1, Dec. 8 and Dec. 15, and Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Brady Sullivan Plaza, 1000 Elm St.
Vendors will set up indoors and showcase their local crafts and goods, and their booths will be fully adorned with Christmas decorations.
“This is just another way to shop local and shop downtown,” Beaudry said.
She said the Holiday Market has grown every year and this year’s indoor market has sold out its vendor space.
The first 90 shoppers to appear at the Holiday Market each day will receive a free collectible shopping bag.
Theatre Traditions
Theatre Traditions
Where To See The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol
Written by Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Photos: Stock Photo
For many families, it’s not Christmas without The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol. New Hampshire residents have a variety of productions to choose from, with performances by dancers and actors of all ages.
• Southern New Hampshire Dance Theatre presents The Nutcracker with a live orchestra directed by Grammy Award-winning conductor John McLaughlin Williams at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, on Friday, Nov. 25, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 26, at 11 a.m., 4 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 27, at 1 and 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $45. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.
• Hatbox Theatre presents its interpretation of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens from Nov. 25 through Dec. 18 at the theater, 270 Loudon Road, Concord, with showtimes Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $16.50 for adults, $13.50 for students and seniors. Visit hatboxnh.com or call 715-2315.
• The New England Dance Ensemble presents its take of The Nutcracker directed by Barbara Mullen Saturday, Nov. 26, and Sunday, Nov. 27, at 2 p.m. at the Windham High School theater, 64 London Bridge Road, Windham. The show will feature guest artists Nayara Lopes and Sterling Baca. Tickets are $25 to $35. Visit nede.org.
• Gerald Charles Dickens — the great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens — appears in a one-man show of A Christmas Carol at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2 Somerset Parkway, Nashua, on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $22.50; purchase tickets through Fortin Gage, 882-3371, fortingage.com.
• The Palace Theatre’s annual take of A Christmas Carol hits the stage at 80 Hanover St., Manchester, from Dec. 2 through Dec. 23, complete with lively song and dance, special effects, professional actors and a live orchestra. Tickets are $25 to $45. Call 668-5588 or visit palacetheatre.org.
• The Players’ Ring presents Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Dec. 2 through Dec. 23 at the theater, 105 Marcy St., Portsmouth, with direction by Whitney Smith. The adaptation is by Ring founder F. Gary Newton and Christopher Savage. Donations for the End 68 Hours of Hunger will be accepted. Showtimes are Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m., and Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15. Visit playersring.org.
• The Leddy Center for the Performing Arts presents A Christmas Carol at the theater, 38C Ladd’s Lane, Epping, Dec. 2 through Dec. 11, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays and Wednesday at 2 p.m., and school shows at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 5, Wednesday, Dec. 7, and Friday, Dec. 9. Tickets are $20. Visit leddycenter.org.
• Northeastern Ballet Theatre presents The Nutcracker Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 4, at 2 p.m., at the Oyster River High School, 55 Coe Drive, Durham, and at the Kingswood Arts Center, Wolfeboro, Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20. Visit northeasternballet.org.
• Dance Visions Network performs The Nutcracker Sunday, Dec. 4, at 1 and 6 p.m., at Saint Anselm College’s Dana Center for the Humanities, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester. Tickets are $18. Visit dancevisionsnetwork.com.
• The Boire Dance Academy presents The Nutcracker at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts, 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 6 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20. Visit boiredanceacademy.com. Call 943-0674.
• Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol stops at the Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St., Rochester, Thursday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 17, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 22, at 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, Dec. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 to $22. Visit rochesteroperahouse.com.
• The Prescott Park Arts Festival hosts its take of A Christmas Carol Friday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m., at the Exeter Town Hall, 10 Front St., Exeter. Tickets are $10 to $20, depending on age and proximity to the stage. Visit prescottpark.org.
• The Turning Pointe Center of Dance presents its 36th annual performance of The Nutcracker, directed by Lisa Goff, on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 2 p.m., at the Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St., Concord. Tickets are $18; call 485-8710.
• Sole City Dance presents The Nutcracker at the Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St., Rochester, Saturday, Dec. 10, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 15, at 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 to $26. Visit rochesteroperahouse.com.
• The New Hampshire School of Ballet presents The Nutcracker Friday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m., at the Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St., Concord, in a show featuring 50 dancers directed by Jennifer Rienert; call 668-5330. The dancers performs again at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, on Thursday, Dec. 29, at 7 p.m. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588. Tickets are $18.
• Gate City Ballet presents The Nutcracker at the Stockbridge Theatre, 5 Pinkerton St., Derry, on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 1 and 5 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 18, at 1 p.m. Tickets are $20. Visit stockbridgetheatre.com or call 437-5210.
Bring On The Lights!
Bring On The Lights!
Holiday Strolls Doubles Down On Christmas Lights
Written by Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Photos: Stock Photo
In its 23rd year, the Winter Holiday Stroll in Nashua will take place on Nov. 26 from 5 to 10 p.m. As always, it will begin with a candlelit procession from City Hall to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the Hunt Memorial Building — but this year’s event will have more than three times as many lights decorating downtown.
Paul Shea, the executive director of Great American Downtown in Nashua, said the downtown area will be decorated with about 30,000 new points of light. Last year, there were about 8,200 lights, including 4,000 on the Christmas tree.
“So it will be a very significant increase,” Shea said.
Garlands with warm LED lights will illuminate both sides of Main Street on a total of 50 poles. There will also be 200 novelty lights called “starlight orbs” in trees up and down the street.
During the procession, Shea said, they will continue to build on the use of Diwali candles known as diyas.
“This will be the second year that we will have diya candles at the procession,” Shea said.
Diwali is the Indian festival of lights. And Shea said they hope to continue adding more lights to the event every year.
A few other features are new this year, such as the Polar Express Train Ride, a free 30- by 80-foot train for kids of all ages. Also new is the use of 3-D animated surface projections on the Hunt Memorial clock tower, the TD Bank building and 186 Main St.
Robots will be returning this year, including the kind kids can ride.
“We will have a set of animatronic ride-on animals, including moose, a pair of reindeer and a polar bear. These are slow walking robots that … children of all ages can ride,” Shea said.
And FIRST Robotics teams from Nashua High Schools and Bishop Guertin High School will showcase their projects.
Ice sculptures are also returning, and this year they will be Pokemon-themed.
Throughout the night, there will be shows from more than 50 performing groups such as actors, musicians and magicians.
Folks who stop in at area shops and restaurants can get their “Snowball Passport” stamped; when they get six stamps, they can turn in the passport to enter to win up to $300 in gift certificates to downtown businesses.
Shea said he expects between 30,000 and 36,000 visitors this year.
Pure Nostalgia
Pure Nostalgia
Millyard Museum Show Looks Back At Manchester Theater History
Written by Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Photos: Roland Remillard
Manchester held as many as 20 theaters at one time — though you wouldn’t know it, looking around today, said John Clayton, executive director of the Manchester Historic Association. Most have disappeared.
But at the Millyard Museum, you can take a trip back with its special exhibit, “It’s Showtime: A History of Manchester’s Theaters,” on view through Jan. 14 and curated by Clayton, Jeff Barraclough and Suzanne DiBella-Olson.
The show comes after two “pretty heavy” museum exhibits, Clayton said. The first looked back at New Hampshire’s role in the presidential primary, which got national attention, thanks to the media storm pulsing through the Granite State last year. The second, inspired by political dialogue, was “Manchester’s Immigrants: Then and Now.”
“But this one is pure nostalgia,” Clayton said during an interview at the museum. “If you grew up here and remember going to these theaters, it really takes you back.”
The trip down memory lane starts before you even walk into the gallery — hanging above its entrance is a replica marquee of the State Theatre, which seated more than 2,100 people and was located near the corner of Bridge and Elm streets between 1929 and 1978. Inside are photos of the theater — including one featuring workers installing “Mask of Comus” on its roof — and video interviews with some men who worked there.
Other theaters highlighted include the Crown Theatre, Lyric Theatre, Strand Theatre, Empire Theatre, Eagle/Vitaphone Theatre, Queen Theatre, Park Theatre, Rex Theatre and, of course, the Palace Theatre, which celebrated its centennial last year.
Some photos capture high points, with lines wrapping around the street.
“You would wait in line — in snow, rain, whatever — and you were lucky to get in,” Clayton said.
Others narrate their downfalls. New Hampshire Institute of Art Photography Chair Gary Samson’s 1985 photo, taken from a top-story window, shows firefighters working on the Strand Theatre fire on Hanover Street. (The Palace Theatre nearby remained safe due to its firewall, courtesy of builder Victor Charas.)
One frame contains trinkets and souvenirs from the Park Theatre, where Abraham Lincoln spoke during his 1860 Queen City visit, and on the opposite wall hangs a banner aimed at selling World War II war bonds, which would have hung at the Strand, State, Palace and Crown Theatres.
Visitors will also find costumes from the Palace’s productions of Les Misérables and The Addams Family; Majestic Theatre artwork; old newspaper advertisements collected by John Jordan; old event posters and programs; a trunk of theater props for kids play with; and a book asking visitors about the first films they saw in the theater; guests listed Bambi, Babes in Toyland, Star Wars or Cinderella.
“Part of this is celebrating the Palace starting its second century,” Clayton said. “But one thing we like about this exhibit is that it coincides with the effort to restore the Rex Theatre to its former grandeur.”
He’s talking about the nonprofit Old Sol Productions, whose goal is to turn the run-down building at 23 Amherst St. into the Old Sol Music Hall. Clayton said group members have been visiting the exhibit regularly to collect theater history and incorporate that into their resurrection plans.
“They’re trying to save the Rex Theatre and bring it back as an entertainment venue with independent film, poetry readings and musical performances,” Clayton said. “So for us, to be celebrating the history of Manchester’s theaters while that effort is underway — there’s a nice symbiosis with the people of Old Sol.”
Motor Earth & More
Weekly Review: Motor Earth & More
Written by Eric Saeger (news@hippopress.com)
Photos: Album Art
Axis: Sova, Motor Earth (Drag City Records)
Up till now I’d been ignoring the Drag City imprint’s output, mainly owing to the fact that they seemed to be a struggling, small-potatoes thingamajig I didn’t have time or space for. But they’ve snuck up on me and become relevant, specializing in acts that fit in well under the company name, such as this one, slinging 1960s-psychedelic hard rock with way too much soloing going on, the kind of sounds you hear when grandpa jams old Mountain tunes with his Elks Lodge buddies, perfect for those too-many-band nights at the Palladium in Worcester, Mass., if it were still around. All this isn’t to say it’s awesome; it’s a cross between Band of Skulls and The Sword, the latter reference on the vocal side, being that it sounds like the singer is singing through an answering machine. Part of this record wants to be the Rolling Stones, while we’re at it, and that part actually works. 1960s acid-rock isn’t due back anytime soon, but this stuff does offer its services to the front lines.
Grade: B
Elliott Sharp, Port Bou (Infrequent Seams Records)
Checking in with the experimental classical scene in New York we find this guitarist-composer, who has been basically everywhere and with everyone, having recorded with people like Nels Cline and Debbie Harry in addition to seeing his pieces performed by myriad quartets and a few orchestras. This opera centers on the last moments of German-Jewish critic-philosopher Walter Benjamin, who, facing extradition to Nazi-occupied France, overdosed on morphine in the Spanish town of Portbou. The quartet tasked with bringing this utterly morose tale to life includes pianist Jenny Lin (I’m pretty sure we’ve covered her before), a laptop guy and an accordionist. The overture begins with creepy, borderline industrial noise-chill buffeted by the sounds of advancing soldiers, then moves into low-tech electro, then a scrambling, desperate cacophony from the crew on board, and eventually to bass/baritone singer Nicholas Isherwood, whose chest-tones lay out the desperation of the subject before moving to more traditional baritone techniques and, later, throat-singing, crazed growling and other oddities. As advertised, the libretto seeks out what Benjamin might have been thinking in those pitch-dark hours, possibly regretting his previous “wise” words of social criticism and at last facing the inevitable. This can be appreciated for its deathly analog urgency or its eerie samples, take your pick. Absolutely captivating.
Grade: A+
Starring NH Artists
Starring NH Artists
Currier Show Looks At Local Creatives & Their Studios
Written by Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Photos: Stock Photo
Forget the art — the Currier Museum of Art’s latest library and archives focus exhibition is all about New Hampshire artists and their work spaces.
“Making Places: Artist Studios in New Hampshire,” on view through Jan. 12 in the downstairs gallery, explores the relationship between artists and their studios, both as places of creation and created spaces. It acts as an extension of “Mount Washington: The Crown of New England,” which identifies how the Mount Washington region caused many artists to flock to the Granite State in the mid- to late-1800s.
“Upstairs, they’re making the argument that it was really the landscape and the region. But then they stayed and formed these communities,” said Meghan Petersen, Currier librarian and archivist, during an interview at the museum. “They included visual artists, writers and philosophers, and many of them stayed for decades.”
The show starts with floor-length photos taken from glass plate negatives of painter Abbott H. Thayer’s Dublin studio in the 1890s. Most of them feature one of his favorite models, Elise Pumpelly, posing in various stances — holding olive branches, raising her arms or looking off into the distance.
“We tried to show some that would show as much of the physical space as possible. Here you can see the draping of the fabric behind the girl with her arms outstretched,” Petersen said, pointing to one of the photos. “You’re seeing behind the curtain, really.”
In a display case is a sketch by Thayer’s cousin, mural artist Barry Faulkner, whose work decorates the New Hampshire Statehouse. Beside it sits an F. Scott Fitzgerald book decorated with Thayer’s cover art, and various other items patrons wouldn’t normally see.
“When you come see [the library archives] shows, the materials are from the library and archives collection, and then we supplement that with some museum objects that would never see the light of day upstairs,” Petersen said.
Another section looks at the state’s writing community and contains a photo of Mark Twain, taken by a Dublin photographer during the author’s 1905 stay in town, plus books by Elizabeth Yates illustrated by Nora Unwin, who stayed and worked with the author for 10 years in New Hampshire.
At the end of the hallway, visitors will find text analyzing the historical architecture of creative spaces — what’s important in terms of light, layout, decor, inspiration and access to materials? — and a look at two modern New Hampshire artists, furniture maker Vivian Beer and painter James Aponovich.
Beer works in a downtown Manchester industrial shop, where she can easily access raw materials like metal, cement, concrete walls and a large loading dock. Aponovich paints in one of his rural home’s spare rooms.
“I think it’s obvious, and I don’t know why entirely, but as humans, we just seem to want to have this attachment to the landscape. And there is something about New Hampshire that is very compelling. In some ways, it feels remote, but it’s not. It’s still connected enough so that artists are able to get the supplies they need and sell their work without having to travel too far, without having to go to New York,” Petersen said. “There does seem to be something about New Hampshire that keeps people here.”
Branching Out
Branching Out
Charmingfare Farm Introduces Christmas Light Spree
Written by Matt Ingersol (listings@hippopress.com)
Photos: Stock Photo
Families who want to make picking out a Christmas tree more of an experience than a chore to check off the to-do list can head over to Charmingfare Farm in Candia during Thanksgiving weekend.
It’s the farm’s first Christmas Tree Spree event, where you can RSVP online anytime from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25, Saturday, Nov. 26, or Sunday, Nov. 27, and receive free admission to the farm as you shop for a tree.
Linda Ellis of Charmingfare Farm said the trees that will be available for purchase come in a variety of sizes and from several area farms. All of the trees were going to be freshly cut on the Monday before the event, she said.
“We have sold trees periodically [at the farm] before, but this is the first time that it’s going to feel like its own tree event,” she said. “Before, they were kind of only available for people that needed them, but now there will be a bit more of a focus on supporting local farmers as you get a tree … and we’re incorporating more elements to take the process of getting a tree back to a more traditional experience. We just don’t want people to feel like getting a tree should be stressful.”
Ellis said those elements will include a hot cocoa bar, a campfire and opportunities to explore the farm, go on pony rides, and go on tractor train rides to see live reindeer.
“We’re also going to fill the gift shop with lots of plush toys and puppets, some candles and other seasonal items,” she said. “So if someone wants to do more of that small local shopping instead of at the malls, this just might be a kind of one-stop shop.”
The cocoa bar and s’mores will cost a small fee, as will the pony rides, but everything else is free. Ellis said.
Charmingfare Farm staff members will be available to help you select the kind of tree and the right height for your home. Fraser firs and balsam firs will be among the choices, she said.
“Everybody has their own mindset of what trees should be, and sometimes you don’t necessarily know what you’re buying and sometimes some trees can support the ornaments you have … so we’ll have people that help them,” she said.
The Christmas Tree Spree will be the first of three holiday-themed events at the farm this year; the other two have been popular favorites for more than 20 years.
Santa’s Big Party begins the first weekend of December and will continue every weekend through Dec. 18. The event is a horse-drawn ride that travels to a secluded party area on the farm where Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and other costumed characters will be taking photos and giving out cocoa and cookies.
The Lighted Winter Wonderland, which also begins the first weekend in December but continues every weekend through Christmas Eve night, is a horse-drawn wagon ride to the “North Pole,” with thousands of lights to see along the way. Santa and his friends also participate and give out goodies.
“The difference between the two events has to do with the younger kids that perhaps can’t handle being out late at night when it’s darker and colder,” Ellis said. “Santa’s Big Party is more interactive, and if you’re looking to see more of the lights, you need to come at night [during Lighted Winter Wonderland]. … Some people do go to both, though.”
But Ellis added that the Christmas Tree Spree is meant to throw in a bit more fun just as people are starting to think about the beginning of the holiday season.
“Our hope is that people can have a shopping experience that doesn’t necessarily have to start at midnight on Black Friday, or have to involve walking through crowds of people in malls,” she said.
Taste Of Home
Taste Of Home
Local Restaurants, Beverage Producers Featured At Tasting
Written by Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Photos: Stock Photo
Spend an evening sampling food and drink from some of the best local restaurants and beverage producers at the sixth annual Homeward Bound Food and Beverage Festival, happening Thursday, Dec. 1, at the Radisson Hotel Nashua. About two dozen vendors will be featured, along with silent and live auctions, presentations, music, games and more.
Hosted by Family Promise of Greater Nashua, the tasting is the largest annual fundraiser benefiting the Anne-Marie House, a housing facility that seeks to help families experiencing homelessness in the greater Nashua area as they work toward independence and a sustainable income.
“It’s not like your typical fundraiser where you sit down and listen to a speaker and don’t move,” said Amy Freise, director of development and marketing for the Anne-Marie House. “People can walk around and try different samples and compare them with their friends, like, ‘I like this,’ or ‘Go try that.’ It’s a really fun and festive evening.”
This year’s participants include local distilleries, wineries and vineyards, a brewery and a meadery, as well as restaurants serving grill and tavern food and ethnic eats like Indian, Mexican and Japanese, and bakeries bringing some sweet treats and baked goods. Guests will have the chance to try signature appetizers, entrees and desserts that are either existing dishes on a vendor’s menu or specially created for the tasting to represent a vendor’s style of cuisine.
“We try to mix it up every year and bring in different [vendors] and a bunch of different types of food so people can try things they haven’t had before,” Freise said. “You get to experience a whole meal as you taste, for sure.”
Beverage tasting cups and a menu listing all of the food and drinks featured at the event will be provided to each guest so they can make notes of the vendors and samples they liked — a useful reference for the holiday season, Freise said.
Freise said the event has been “getting a reputation” and growing more every year, which she attributes to its social and interactive quality.
“Guests have a great time talking with people from restaurants and vineyards and [distilleries] and learning more about what they produce and how they produce it,” she said, “and our food and beverage partners love talking about it, too, so everyone has a good time.”
A silent auction will be going on throughout the tasting, and later in the evening, guests will be asked to convene for a live auction with items like tickets for the NASCAR Racing Experience and the Boston Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker, trips to New York City and Florida and more. Finally, one of the graduates of the Anne-Marie House program will share their success story and talk about the fundraising mission.