Month: October 2020

Drinks for everybody

Drinks with John Fladd

Cocktails and mocktails created for flavor-seekers of all ages

The Dad: A new father does a fair bit of daydreaming in the early days, largely about the bonding experiences he hopes to have with his kid as they grow up — going to football games, field-dressing a deer, rebuilding a carburetor — that sort of thing.

Life often takes a jagged left turn, though, and for men like me at least, those stereotypical father-child moments are more elusive than you’d think. Being the sort of man I am, and the excellent but offbeat teenager my child has grown into, most of these experiences are off the table.

We are vegetarians and ambivalent about the outdoors, so the deer are probably safe.

Someone reminded me the other day that cars don’t even have carburetors anymore, which is frankly a relief, because I’m not sure what a carburetor is, though it sounds vaguely threatening.

And the closest The Teen and I would ever get to the going-to-a-game experience would be if we could score tickets to an off-Broadway, all-drag reboot of The Music Man.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that you take your bonding experiences where you can find them.

Which is why I was happily gob-smacked recently when The Teen asked if they could make me a cocktail. I suggested that they make a non-alcoholic one, so they could taste it as they went along and develop something that they liked too. This led to several actual back-and-forth conversations and a week-long project that involved a frankly stunning lack of eye-rolling and muttering under the breath on both our parts.

These are the results of that project: The Teen has developed a set of non-alcoholic beverages, which I have then adapted for more adult tastes.

The Teen: There’s this idea that non-alcoholic drinks shouldn’t be super-complicated or fancy and I don’t like that because I am both super-complicated and fancy. There’s so much culture built around bars and drinking that I don’t think other types of drinks should be ignored. Non-alcoholic drinks should have a certain sophistication, a certain je ne sais quoi to them. I have tried to make drinks that are delicious and have a sense of style to them.

The Drinks

Non-Alcoholic Cocktail No. 1: Whispers of Ogygia

Whispers of Ogygia. Photo Courtesy of John Fladd.

½ oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

½ oz. non-alcoholic blue curacao

½ oz. simple syrup

2 sprigs (~ 1.5 grams) fresh mint

5 ¼-inch slices (~ 25 grams) cucumber

6 ice cubes

3 oz. extremely bubbly sparkling water, like Topo Chico Mineral Water

1. Add the first six ingredients to a cocktail shaker. (I like the kind with the built-in strainer in the top.) Shake until very cold.

2. Strain into a rocks glass, over more ice.

3. Add the sparkling water and stir gently.

4. Garnish with a cucumber wheel.

The Teen: This drink has a very islandy/oceany feel to it. The color is sort of a bougie Mediterranean blue. In Greek myths Ogygia was the island where the nymph Calypso was exiled. It’s the island where Odysseus was shipwrecked. This drink tastes sweet and fresh and windy, in a way. The citrus of the lemon is a good bridge between the cucumber and the mint.

Dad’s Alcoholic Riff No. 1 – Calypso’s Icy Gaze

Calypso’s Icy Gaze. Photo Courtesy of John Fladd.

The Dad: Greek myths are really rough on women. Calypso was imprisoned on Ogygia because her father was the titan Atlas, who had opposed the gods. Calypso herself wasn’t involved; this is just the sort of thing that happened to female relatives of jerks in the myths. (If you really feel like shaking your fist at the gods, look up what they did to Pasiphaë.)

According to The Odyssey, Odysseus was shipwrecked on Ogygia and Calypso found him so beautiful that she kept him there for years, before he managed to “escape.” Clearly, we are relying on his version of events here.

Calypso is not here for your nonsense.

2-3 sprigs (1.5-2 grams) fresh mint

4 slices (~25 grams) cucumber

1 oz. lemon juice

1½ oz. very cold vodka

A “slip” of traditional, alcoholic blue curacao

~ 1 oz. dry ice (optional, but highly cool)

1. Muddle the cucumber and mint in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.

2. Add ice, lemon juice and vodka. Shake vigorously. (I like to shake it really hard, until I hear the ice splinter. A lot of bartenders will tell you that this is not a good idea, because the ice fragments will dilute your drink too much, but that’s actually the effect we’re going for here.)

3. Strain into a martini glass. (See below.)

4. Pour a “slip” of blue curacao down the side of the glass. It will puddle in the bottom and give this drink a blue/green layered look.

5. Smile and take a picture of the drink, because it looks extremely fancy.

6a. At this point you can drink this and have a perfectly civilized cocktail. It will start out a little acidic and bracing from the lemon juice, then get sweeter as you work your way down to the blue curacao. If you would like it a little sweeter, add a tiny bit more curacao. The term “slip” is extremely vague and bartenders tend to use it as a code for “Use your own judgment.”

6b. If you decide to add dramatic flair to this cocktail, add a nugget of dry ice to it. It will bubble and churn and mist will flow over the side of the glass, making it a very good drink for Halloween. The bubbling and churning will mix the drink, turning it a very assertive green. Like the will of Calypso. [Editor’s note: Dry ice in cocktails is a whole to-do that requires some dry ice education and safety steps so that it doesn’t cause injury. The Betty Crocker website (bettycrocker.com) offers a good explanation.]

A note on cocktail strainers: There are all sorts of devices designed to help a home drink-maker strain a cocktail. The traditional tool involves hooks and a spring and intimidates me. Some cocktail shakers have an internal strainer in them. I find it takes a long time to strain some drinks through one of these. Recently, I have started using an inexpensive strainer that is designed to fit over the drain in a kitchen sink. It is extremely inexpensive, it works well, it is easy to clean, and it fits exactly over the rim of a martini glass.

Non-Alcoholic Cocktail No. 2 – A Cascade of Roses

A Cascade of Roses. Photo courtesy of John Fladd.

The Teen: At first, I wanted to make a drink that was similar to a Cherry Airhead, one of those really sour candies. I really like a combination of sweet and sour. Getting this right was a long and arduous process of mixing and drinking and mixing and drinking and mixing and drinking. I used citric acid because it seemed like a good way of getting the sour flavor I was looking for without adding any liquid. It ended up a little intense, but the seltzer spread the flavor out a lot and gave it some sparkle.

When I was done making this, I wanted a name that referenced its rosy red color, so I decided to call it “A Cascade of Roses.” After thinking about it a while, I decided to add rose water to make the flavor more rosy. Rose water can be tricky to use, but six drops is just about enough. I think it adds a subtle, background flavor.

1 oz. cherry syrup – as artificial as possible

½ oz. maraschino cherry juice

¾ teaspoon citric acid (available in many grocery stores this time of year, because of canning, or online)

6 ice cubes

6 drops rose water

5 oz. plain seltzer

Maraschino cherries for garnish

1. Combine the first five ingredients in a shaker. Shake until mixed and cold – about a minute.

2. Pour into a wine glass.

3. Add seltzer and stir gently.

4. Garnish with maraschino cherries.

Dad’s Alcoholic Riff No. 2 – Les Cerises du Roi

Les Cerises du Roi. Photo courtesy of John Fladd.

The Dad: I love the idea of a deeply cherry-flavored cocktail. The trick is to try to avoid making it taste too much like candy. In the end, I had some good luck in making my own cherry syrup (see below), but the resulting drink was a little bit frou-frou. After thinking it over, I decided to reclassify it in my mind as “rococo” and really embrace the over-the-top effeteness of it.

1 oz. homemade cherry syrup

1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice

1 oz. kirsch

3 oz. plain seltzer

Upscale cocktail cherries for garnish

1. Shake the first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker, with ice.

2. Pour into an extremely froofy glass – the froofiest you can find.

3. Add seltzer and stir gently.

4. Garnish with several upscale cocktail cherries. I like the Bada Bing brand.

Cherry Syrup:

1 part (by weight) frozen cherries (the ice crystals in the cherries will break up the cell walls and give you more juice)

1 part (by weight) sugar

(A pound of frozen cherries and ¾ cup sugar will give you ~1½ cups of syrup.)

1. Put the cherries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. As the cherries start to thaw, they will start giving off juice. Stir to combine.

2. When the cherries are thoroughly warmed up, mash them with a potato masher. It won’t matter if they have pits in them. The masher is a democratic tool and will mash any fruit regardless of its pit status.

3. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved – three to four minutes.

4. Strain into a jar, label and store in your refrigerator.

Non-Alcoholic Cocktail No. 3 – Reverse Hot Chocolate

Reverse Hot Chocolate. Photo courtesy of John Fladd.

The Teen: This was not my idea. I want no part of this.

The Dad: I am a passionate ice cream maker. One of my favorite flavors of ice cream from when I was a kid is peppermint stick. It’s really hard to find anymore, so once a year or so I make my own. As I cook the base for the ice cream, dissolving peppermint candies in milk and cream, I always think how much I would like to drink a cup of it on a rainy fall day —never mind the ice cream.

This is a spin on that.

2 cups whole milk

1 cup half and half

75 g. crushed starlight mint candies (about 15 candies, once you’ve unwrapped them)

1. Unwrap and crush the candies. I use a hand-held vegetable chopper – the type with the plunger on top that you pound with your fist, often with a wild look in your eyes. If you decide to use your food processor to chop these up, you might want to freeze the candies first, so the dust doesn’t heat up too much in your food processor and get gummy and inconvenient.

2. Add all three ingredients to a small saucepan and heat until the candy fragments have dissolved, but before the mixture boils (about 200 degrees). It will turn a delicate shade of shell-pink.

3. Pour into mugs and serve.

Makes two to three servings.

Dad’s Alcoholic Riff On His Own Drink – Pink Cocoa

Pink Cocoa. Photo courtesy of John Fladd.

The Dad: The classic sitting-around-in-a-ski-lodge-with-your-leg-in-a-cast drink is hot cocoa, with a generous slug of peppermint schnapps in it. I’ve taken that and turned it on its head. This is a mug of hot peppermint, with a generous slug of chocolate in it.

10 oz. Reverse Hot Chocolate (see above)

1 oz. chocolate vodka (see below)

½ oz. crème de cacao

1. Add all three ingredients to a mug.

2. Stir.

3. Drink and pretend to be classy.

Chocolate Vodka

750 ml 80-proof bottom-shelf vodka (The chocolate flavors of the finished infusion will cover any subtle flavors you might get from an up-market vodka. You will be filtering this, which will largely remove any rough flavors from your discount vodka. Save your money for all the frou-frou, exotic ingredients The Teen and I have asked you to buy for our other recipes.)

½ cup (about 2 oz.) roasted cocoa nibs

1. Combine in a large jar with an airtight lid. If you worry about such things, place a small piece of wax paper between the mouth of the jar and the lid.

2. Shake vigorously.

3. Store somewhere cool and dark for four days. I put it on top of the freezer in our basement laundry room. That way, I remember to shake the jar every time I go downstairs to switch the laundry over or get something from the freezer.

4. Oh, yeah — shake two or three times per day.

5. After four days, filter into a bottle, through a coffee filter in a funnel. This will take longer than you think, so just walk away and let the filter do its job. It knows what it’s doing. If you stand there, watching it, you will be tempted to play around with it. You’ll probably want to do this in stages. Just walk away and watch a round of The Great British Baking Show or something, then come back and pour a little more into your filter, until you’ve filtered the whole jar.

6. Make sure to label your bottle.

Non-Alcoholic Cocktail No. 4 – Unnamed Passion Fruit Beverage

Unnamed Passion Fruit Beverage. Photo courtesy of John Fladd.

The Teen: I really like the flavor of passion fruit. I like how sour it is but still mouth-wateringly fruity. That is my favorite combination of flavors in the whole world. Passion fruit has a juicy quality that just exactly suits me. I’ve tried to make this drink passion fruit-forward, but not soda-like.

5 oz. passion fruit green tea, iced (I like Lipton’s Orange Passionfruit Jasmine Green Tea, made with four tea bags per pitcher.)

1 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice

½ oz. simple syrup

5 ice cubes

1 oz. commercial passion fruit cocktail (This is something you have walked past a zillion times in the supermarket, but you’ve probably never noticed. It comes in a cardboard container. It’s in the fruit juice aisle at the store, probably on the top shelf, with pear nectar and stuff.)

1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake until extremely cold. This may dilute the drink a little, but that is what you’re going for here — subtlety, Dad!

2. Pour into a Collins glass, perhaps with extra ice.

3. Drink this on the porch, with tasty snacks.

Dad’s Alcoholic Riff No. 4 – “What Are They Going To Do? Fire Me?”

“What Are They Going To Do? Fire Me?” Photo courtesy of John Fladd.

The Dad: The Teen has opted for subtlety in their final drink. That’s marvelous. There is a time for gentle and subtle. Like a delicate butterfly lighting on your finger.

Other times call for a brute confrontation with Reality. Like an angry buzzard crashing into you from a great height.

This is one of those drinks. It should be drunk in the largest, most garish glass you have. That shrunken-head tiki glass you thought was so cool on vacation that time, that you’ve never used? Break that baby out. It’s game time.

4 oz. passion fruit cocktail

2 oz. dark rum. I like Myers’ for this.

1 oz. crème de banana (Because bananas and passion fruit get along very well, like friends who often make questionable decisions together.)

3 oz. plain seltzer

lime wedge for garnish

1. Add passion fruit cocktail, rum, crème de banana, and ice to a cocktail shaker. It doesn’t really matter how you are shaking this particular drink, but if you’ve chosen this one, you’ll probably be in the mood to be pretty brutal about it.

2. Pour into your large, garish glass.

3.Add the seltzer and stir gently, if you can.

4. Garnish with a lime wedge and maybe a paper umbrella, if your trembling fingers allow.

The Weekly Dish 20/10/29

News from the local food scene

• Fired up: Learn to make fire cider at the Beaver Brook Nature Center’s Brown Lane Barn (52 Brown Lane, Hollis) during one of two workshops on either Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., or Sunday, Nov. 8, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Fire cider is a New England traditional remedy and preventive medicine made with apple cider, honey, garlic, onions, ginger and horseradish, an immune stimulant that’s also a great added flavor to salads, stir-fries and veggies. Participants of each class will learn the history of vinegar and honey remedies, then taste and make fire cider to take home. Ingredients are provided — you bring your own grater, cutting board, knife, vegetable peeler and measuring cup. Masks or face coverings are required. The cost is $22 for Beaver Brook Association members and $25 for non-members. Visit beaverbrook.org.

• Bowlful of deliciousness: A new takeout eatery offering made-to-order rice and pasta bowls prepared with fresh ingredients is now open on Manchester’s east side. Bowlful held its grand opening on Oct. 20, in a takeout kitchen space inside Nickles Market (1536 Candia Road, Manchester). Its menu consists of various rice and pasta bowls inspired by the travels of owner Gerard “Jay” Desmarais — there’s a cilantro lime rice bowl with chipotle black beans, green chili corn, fresh salsa and sour cream and the option to add either chicken or shrimp; a bacon fried rice bowl with broccoli, a teriyaki glaze and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, also with the chicken or shrimp option; and a ground pork bibimbap bowl with sauteed mushrooms, carrot ribbons, sweet sesame sauce and a drizzle of Sriracha. Other non-rice options include a macaroni and cheese bowl, and a spicy pork sausage bowl with spaghetti noodles and a garlic butter broccoli saute. Bowlful is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Visit thebowlful.com.

• Taco Time restaurant coming to Milford: The Milford-based Mexican food truck Taco Time recently announced its plans to open a brick and mortar location. Taco Time Cocina & Cantina Mexicana is expected to open later this year at 11 Wilton Road in Milford, in the former space of the Rivermill Tavern. Rosana Vargas and her husband, Reymundo “Rey,” launched Taco Time, specializing in tacos, taco salads, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, chilis and other fresh Mexican options, in 2018. Follow them on Facebook @tacotimenh for updates on the new location’s grand opening.

• Italian specials: Join the Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford) for an Italian Restaurant Week in its dining room. From Nov. 1 through Nov. 14, the eatery will feature a three-course prix fixe menu of popular Italian dishes from different regions throughout the country, with your choice of one of several options for each course. The cost is $65 per person and reservations in advance are strongly recommended. Visit bedfordvillageinn.com.

In praise of garlic

Plant now to have it ready next year

When I was growing up, my mom served meat and potatoes nearly every night. Our vegetable was peas or cooked carrots, and once a week or so we had an iceberg lettuce salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots with dressing from a bottle. So I don’t really know how I developed a taste for complex flavors. But I grow — and cook with — a lot of garlic and find it adds depth and intensity to soups and stews. Now is the time to plant some for next year.
Growing garlic involves less work than anything else I grow. There really are only three steps: plant it, mulch it and harvest it. Once you have an established bed of garlic, it’s also the least expensive crop. I planted this year’s crop from last year’s crop, and that one I planted from the crop of the year before. You really only have to buy garlic once, so long as you plant some extra and save it each year for planting. I choose my best-looking, biggest garlic each year for planting.
The hardest part of planting garlic for the first time might be to find garlic sold for planting. You can’t just go to the grocery store to get garlic because much of it has been treated with chemicals to prevent it from sprouting, and most is the wrong kind for New England.
I went online to see about buying “seed” garlic. Many major suppliers are already sold out, and prices have skyrocketed since last year. Try your local farmer or farmers market — they may still have some.
There are basically just two kinds of garlic: soft neck garlic, which is what you probably get at your grocery store, and the stuff we grow here in the Northeast called hard neck garlic. Most soft neck garlic (the kind that is braided and hung on walls) comes from California and keeps nearly forever. It is less hardy than hard neck garlic, a bit bland, and less interesting to cook with.
Hard neck garlic has a stiff stem in the middle of each bulb. In my opinion it has a much more complex flavor. It will keep in a cool place until spring, but not much longer. Then it either sprouts or dries up. There are many named varieties of hard neck garlic, but all are excellent.
To plant garlic, take a bulb (or head) of garlic and separate it into the cloves that surround the hard “neck” or flower scape. Depending on the variety of garlic, you might have just five cloves or as many as a dozen. I like big cloves, as they are easier to peel and use. So each year I select for big cloves and plant them. Over the years my crop has produced bigger bulbs and bigger cloves.
Garlic needs full sun (defined as six hours of sunshine) and rich soil. In a 30-inch wide-raised bed I add a couple of inches of compost and stir it into the soil, loosening the soil in the top six inches. To plant, I draw furrows eight to 12 inches apart with my CobraHead weeder, a single-tine tool that is curved like a bent finger. Next I push cloves into the soil so that they are three or four inches apart and about three inches deep. Always plant them with the pointy end up. After covering them with soil I pat the soil down with my hands.
The last step is to mulch your garlic. I use mulch hay or straw and put almost a foot of fluffy material over the bed. Fall rains and winter snows will cause the hay to settle — I end up with about four to six inches of material in the spring.
The mulch keeps the soil from freezing until January, allowing roots to get well-established before the garlic cloves go dormant. It also prevents most weeds from germinating and growing next year, though I weed the bed well before planting, which helps, too. Garlic is tough stuff and will push right through my layer of mulch, though most weeds do not.
Depending on the weather and when you plant, your garlic may send up green stalks this fall. Don’t fret if it does. Those sprouts will die back in winter, but the garlic will send up new ones in the spring.
Next July the garlic you planted this year will be ready to harvest. Each bulb grows about seven long pointy leaves that surround the cloves and protect them. When three or four leaves have turned brown and started to dry up, it’s time to harvest. If you wait too long, all the leaves will have dried up and the garlic will not store as well — it will dry out too soon.
You can store garlic best in a cool, dry place. Ideally 50 degrees with moderate humidity. You can also freeze garlic instead of storing it at room temperature, I’ve read (but I’ve never tried that). For freezing, separate the cloves but don’t peel them. You can freeze them in a zipper bag or jar for a year or more. Don’t store garlic at room temperature in oil, as it can produce deadly botulism.
For centuries some cultures have believed that garlic helps ward off colds and the flu. Or maybe good garlic breath will just get that guy behind you in the checkout line with no mask to stand back a little!

Featured Photo: Hardneck garlic showing central neck or stalk. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Kiddie Pool 20/10/29

Family fun for whenever

Crafts and costume parties

There are still a few more days to take part in Not So Spooky October at theChildren’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; children’s-museum.org, 742-2002). At the Trick or Tree-T tree inside the entrance of the museum, pick up a “wiggling worms” crafting kit to take home. Kits will be available on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 9 a.m. and are distributed on a first come, first served basis. Visit the museum at any point during the rest of October to make a reflective spider necklace,free with admission ($11 for adults and children over 1, $9 for seniors 65+, free for museum members and children under 1). Hours are Thursdays through Saturdays, 9 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 3:30 p.m., and all visitors must pre-register for their visit online.

Kid’s World Indoor Playground of Salem (288 N. Broadway) is having Socially Distant Halloween Costume Parties on Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31. The cost is $49 for a family of four, and $11 per additional person. Each person will receive a small pumpkin to decorate and prepackaged goodie bags containing five allergen-friendly candies. Hour-and-a-half time slots for both days start at 10:30 a.m. and end at 6:30 p.m. Reserve a time slot at kidsworldsalem.com.

Dress up and run

Don your Halloween costumes for the CHaD Trick or Trot 3K at Arms Park (10 Arms St. in Manchester) on Saturday, Oct. 31. The event will start with a Halloween festival at noon, followed by the Primrose School at Bedford Hills Lil’ Pumpkin Runs at 1:30 p.m, and the Trick or Trot 3K at 2:30 p.m. Registration for the run costs $15 for ages 11 and under, $20 for 20 and under and $25 for 21 and over. Register online at millenniumrunning.com.

Concord’s annual Wicked FIT Run is going virtual this year. This Halloween-themed family-friendly walk/run 5K will be held on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Registration starts at $10 per person and includes timing benefits and a downloadable bib. Participants are encouraged to wear their Halloween attire. Register at support.fitnh.org/2020wickedfitrun.

Science & nature

The SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; 669-0400, see-sciencecenter.org) will be open Halloween weekend, Saturday, Oct. 31, and Sunday, Nov. 1, with a free raffle entry to any visitor wearing a costume. There are two sessions each day, from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. and from 2 to 5 p.m.; registration is required. The museum is also open for both sessions on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Admission is $9 for everybody ages 3 and up.

Families can learn about the many animals that can be found in New Hampshire’s lakes during a free webinar Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. “Otters, Beavers, Turtles, & Frogs!” will be presented by wildlife biologists from the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department. Pre-registration is required, and space is limited; visit nhlakes.org to sign up.

21 ideas for outdoor fun this weekend

Take a little break from, everything with some events happening in fresh air

Pumped for pumpkins

1. Show off your pumpkin carving skills at the Hopkinton Halloween Jack-o’-Lanterns. From Thursday, Oct. 29, through Saturday, Oct. 31, carvers are invited to bring their jack-o’-lantern to the Veterans Park wall (located at the intersection of routes 103 and 202 near the Cracker Barrel and First Congregational Church). Place a single battery-operated votive candle in your jack-o’-lantern, and the Hopkinton Recreation Department will light it each night. Visit hopkintonrec.com.

2. There’s still time to do Intown Concord’s Great Pumpkin Hunt. Visit participating Concord businesses to get your pumpkin map stamped and turn it in by Saturday, Oct. 31, to receive a special treat. Visit intownconcord.org.

3. Pick your own pumpkin at Mack’s Apples (230 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 434-7619, macksapples.com), open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Lavoies Farm (172 Nartoff Road, Hollis, 882-0072, lavoiesfarm.com), open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Walk through history

4. Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury, 783-9511, shakers.org), a restored Shaker village and history museum with historic buildings and exhibits, is offering free outdoor guided tours on Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

5. Pay a visit to America’s Stonehenge (105 Haverhill Road, Salem, 893-8300, stonehengeusa.com), a 4,000-year-old stone construction — likely the oldest man-made construction in the United States — built by an ancient people as an astronomical calendar to determine solar and lunar events of the year. It’s open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entrance at 4 p.m.). Admission rates are $13 for adults, $11 for seniors age 65 and up, $7.50 for kids ages 5 through 12, and free for kids age 4 and under.

Open air art

6. Take a self-guided audio tour of the public art in downtown Nashua. There are two types of tours — sculptures and murals — with 10 to 15 stops on each. They are offered through the Distrx app (available for free on Android and iOS), which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provide audio descriptions as tourists approach the works of art. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

7. The Andres Institute of Art Sculpture Park (98 Route 13, Brookline, andresinstitute.org, 673-7441), which has wooded hiking trails with more than 80 outdoor sculptures, spread across 140 acres, is open daily from dawn to dusk. Admission is free.

Halloween thrills

8. Enjoy an evening of spooky fun at a local haunted attraction. Fright Kingdom (12 Simon St., Nashua, frightkingdom.com, 809-1173) is open on Friday and Saturday from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets cost $27 per person and must be purchased online in advance. Spooky World presents Nightmare New England (nightmarenewengland.com, 424-7999), located at Mel’s Funway (454 Charles Bancroft Highway, Litchfield), is open Friday from 7 to 11 p.m., Saturday from 6:30 to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets cost $39.99 per person on Friday, $44.99 on Saturday and $34.99 on Sunday and must be purchased online in advance. The Dark Woods (thedarkwoodsnh.com, 465-3275) at Trombly Gardens (150 N. River Road, Milford) is open on Friday from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets cost $14 for adults and $10 for kids age 12 and under.

9. Auburn Pitts (167 Rockingham Road, Auburn, 622-6564, auburnpitts.com) will host an outdoor Halloween show on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 4 to 7 p.m., featuring live music by cover band Joppa Flatts as well as a costume contest with prizes, a bonfire, fresh food and beverages and more. The event is weather-dependent.

10. Beaver Brook Nature Center (52 Brown Lane, Hollis, beaverbrook.org, 465-7787) will host a Full Moon Halloween Night Hike on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. After the hike, guided by a Beaver Brook naturalist, there will be warm beverages and refreshments. The cost is $15 per person.

Bring the fam

11. Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia, 483-5623, visitthefarm.com) features a hands-on petting area with farm animals, pony rides, tractor train rides, horse-drawn rides, wildlife exhibits and more. This weekend there will be trick-or-treating for kids. General admission costs $22 per person (some activities may have an additional cost). See the website for available visiting times.

12. Mel’s Funway Park (454 Charles Bancroft Highway, Litchfield, melsfunwaypark.com, 424-2292) is open Friday from 7 to 11 p.m., Saturday from 6:30 to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Enjoy go-karts, batting cages, mini golf and fair food. Rates are by attraction.

13. Play a game of paintball at AG Adventure Park (158 Deering Center Road, Weare, 529-3524, agpaintball.com), open Friday by appointment and on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There’s a painless Paintball Lite for kids as young as age 7, Low Impact Paintball for kids as young as age 9 and regular paintball open to players age 12 and up. Rates vary. Equipment rental packages are available.

14. Beaver Brook Nature Center (52 Brown Lane, Hollis, beaverbrook.org, 465-7787) will host a family-friendly Enchanted Forest Walk on Saturday, Oct. 31, with start times from 3 to 4:40 p.m. Learn about New England wildlife, get your photo taken at the Bat Photo Booth and enjoy cider and s’mores by the campfire. The cost is $12 per person.

Take a hike

15. Visit a state park. Bear Brook State Park (61 Deerfield Road, Allenstown, 485-9874, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/bear-brook-state-park) sits on 10,000 acres and features 40 miles of trails, making it the largest developed state park in the state. Activities include hiking, biking, fishing and more. The park is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and reservations must be made in advance. Admission costs $4 per person and $2 for kids ages 6 through 11. Visit nhstateparks.org for a list of other New Hampshire state parks.

16. There’s still time to participate in the New Hampshire Forest Society’s 5 Hikes Challenge. Choose and hike five trails from an extensive list to earn an embroidered hiking patch. Register by Saturday, Oct. 31, and receive a Forest Society buff and paper trail maps with directions for the hikes you choose. The cost is $8 per hike (free for hikers under age 18). Complete and submit photos of your hikes to 5hikes@forestsociety.org by Nov. 15. Visit forestsociety.org/5-hikes-challenge.

17. The New Hampshire Audubon’s nature sanctuary trails remain open daily from dawn to dusk. There are 39 trails, including ones in Amherst, Auburn, Candia, Concord, Epsom, Hollis/Nashua, Hopkinton and Moultonborough. Visit nhaudubon.org for the full list.

More outdoor fun

18. Have your own skywatch. Through the New Hampshire Astronomical Society’s Library Telescope Program, you can check out a telescope from your local library just as you would a book. Bonus: Saturday is a full moon. Visit nhastro.com for a list of participating libraries and contact your library for details.

19. Visit a corn maze at a local farm. The maze at Beech Hill Farm (107 Beech Hill Road, Hopkinton, 223-0828, beechhillfarm.com) is open Friday from 2 to 7 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. It costs $6 per person and is free for children under age 3. The maze at Elwood Orchards (54 Elwood Road, Londonderry, 434-6017, elwoodorchards.com) is open on Friday and Saturday starting at 8 a.m., with the last entrance at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $10 per person and are free for kids age 5 and under. The maze at Trombly Gardens (150 N. River Road, Milford, 673-0647, tromblygardens.net) is open on Friday from 9 a.m. to dusk and Saturday starting at 9 a.m., with a nighttime flashlight maze in the evening until 10 p.m. It costs $5 per person and is free for kids age 3 and under.

20. Catch an outdoor movie at the Milford Drive-In Theater (531 Elm St., Milford, milforddrivein.movie, 673-4090). Weekly movie schedules are posted on the website. Tickets cost $30 for a vehicle with one to six people and can be purchased online.

21. Stop by a farmers market. The Milford Farmers Market (milfordnhfarmersmarket.com), located at 300 Elm St., will be held this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will continue each Saturday through Nov. 21. The last Concord Farmers Market (concordfarmersmarket.com) of the season is on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8:30 a.m. to noon next to the Statehouse on Capitol Street in downtown, and will include trick-or-treating for kids.

The Art Roundup 20/10/29

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

  • ”Mother West Wind WHEN” Stories by Elaine Caikauskas, featured in “Possessed.” Courtesy photo.
  • “Royal Dalton” by Suzanne Pretty, featured in “Possessed.” Courtesy photo.

• Creative possessions: Don’t miss the art exhibit “Possessed,” on view now through Nov. 1 at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). Six artists tell stories of their own relationships with possessions — both physical and conceptual — through calligraphy, painting, photography, fiber art and mixed media. “We all have possessions, and it’s interesting to look around and think about what’s important to us and what isn’t,” said gallery owner Adele Sanborn, who is also one of the featured artists. “It turned out to be a fun idea for a show.” As a calligrapher, Sanborn said she is “possessed by words” and decided to make words the focus of her work in the exhibit. Graphic designer Donna Catanzaro of South Sutton gives meaning to a collection of old objects through digital art and collage. Using stencils and acrylic spray paint, Elaine Caikauskas of Manchester made images representing sentimental items from her past. Fiber artist Suzanne Pretty of Farmington created works inspired by possessions passed down to her by her grandmother. Painter and drawer Susan Huppi of Penacook said her work looks at items she owns that “tell stories of different time periods and personalities.” Gail Smuda of Concord, who does fiber art and sculptural art books, also chose to focus on items with connections to the people and pets in her life. Gallery hours are Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.

• Wimpy Kid author visits: Jeff Kinney, bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, will make two stops in New Hampshire during his book tour for the series’ 15th title, The Deep End. On Thursday, Nov. 12, at Lincoln Street Elementary School (25 Lincoln St., Exeter) and Friday, Nov. 13, at Rundlett Middle School (144 South St., Concord), from 5 to 7 p.m., Kinney will host Drive-Thru Pool Parties with pool party-themed activities like a lifeguard dunk tank, a tiki hut and an underwater venture. He will also personally deliver signed copies of the book to fans using a 6-foot pool skimmer. Tickets cost $14.99. Visit waterstreetbooks.com/event/jeff-kinney-drive-thru-event and gibsonsbookstore.com/event/deep-end.

• Floral pandemic art: Local artist Kevin Kintner’s pop-up exhibit of floral-themed paintings he has done during the pandemic will remain on view at 814 Elm St. in Manchester at least through the end of October on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. “The world had become full of anxiety and fear, and my first instinct was to paint those stressed-out emotions on canvas,” Kintner said in an email, “but it turned out what I needed to paint was escape. I wanted bright color and energetic light and joyous movement and something alive.” Call 682-0797.

• Combining art and medicine: New Hampshire Artist Laureate and dancer Amanda Whitworth, theater artist Robin Marcotte and family and preventive medicine physician Bobby Kelly have co-founded a new non-profit called Articine, which “connects artists and medical professionals to create and implement collaborative wellness experiences for people across New Hampshire,” according to a press release. Using arts-based learning objectives and evidence-based medicine, Articine will create original performances based on public health challenges; a variety of workshop series and customized educational experiences for medical training facilities; innovative care solutions and standardized patient work in medical settings. “As master storytellers, artists are uniquely positioned to apply crucial conversations to medicine,” Whitworth said in the press release. “Bringing the lives of patients to the forefront of care will help lead New Hampshire to better overall wellness.” Articine has already received a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, in partnership with the National Endowment of the Arts, to create material targeting health inequities for queer patients. Visit articine.org.

• Virtual holiday shopping: Creative Ventures Gallery in Milford presents its annual holiday exhibit, “Small Works — Big Impact,” virtually from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. The exhibit features small works of art in various media, priced affordably for gift buying. Visit creativeventuresfineart.com or call 672-2500.

Come together (at a distance)

Palace Theatre presents The British Rock Experience

The Palace Theatre in Manchester is ready to welcome you back with free tickets to its next show, a theatrical musical paying tribute to British rock ’n’ roll from the ’60s through today. The British Rock Experience, a production from Palace Artistic Director Carl Rajotte and the second show of the Citizens Bank 2020-2021 Performing Arts Series, began last week and will continue every Thursday through Sunday through Nov. 14.
“We had the idea of making tickets free … so that people could have a chance to come out and have that firsthand experience to feel safe here,” said Palace Theatre marketing coordinator Caroline Eby, who’s also performing in the show as one of the dancers.
Rajotte said the two-act production combines his love of British rock with elements of fantasy and steampunk, featuring an original story interspersed with dozens of classic songs. The nearly hour-long first act is composed entirely of hits from The Beatles’ catalog, with four singers — two male and two female — who alternate between lead and backup vocals.
“For the first act, I had the idea of four children going up into an attic and exploring it, where they find things like old records, a record player and a video camera … and then the attic kind of comes to life in front of them,” he said. “You’ll probably fall in love with the singers right away, but then each of the four young performers are just as interesting, because they all have their own plotlines to follow throughout the show.”
The second act, Rajotte said, features live professional dancers performing to the music of other rock legends and contemporary artists from across the pond, like The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Bonnie Tyler, David Bowie, Queen, The Police, Adele and The Kinks. The same four singers embark on a journey with the children from the first act, who have now come of age and are exploring aspects of adulthood. Each of them undergoes frequent steampunk-themed costume changes.
“The dancers start off in an enchanted forest, then fly into the clouds and land in a stylized, futuristic-looking London,” Rajotte said. “At the very last moment the dancers wave and run off the stage and the kids from the attic come back on holding albums, so it represents basically either a dream or their imagination.”
Members of the live band are placed eight feet above the singers and dancers to allow for proper social distancing, according to Eby. The dancers and musicians are also masked.
More than 45 songs spanning multiple eras are performed throughout the show, each one carefully chosen by Rajotte to fit within its overall storyline.
“I had this story in my mind first of these four kids … growing up into teens and adults, and then I tried to find songs to match what would be going on in that time of their lives,” he said.
Because the Palace Theatre is still operating at less than 50 percent capacity, with every other row left unoccupied, Eby said attendees are encouraged to reserve their tickets in advance. Up to eight tickets are available per reservation, on a first-come, first-served basis.

The British Rock Experience
Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester
When: Thursdays and Fridays, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Saturdays, 2 to 4 p.m. and 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., and Sundays, noon to 2 p.m., now through Nov. 14
Cost: Free admission (advance reservations are recommended)
More info: Visit palacetheatre.org or call the box office at 668-5588

Exhibits

• “MOSTLY ANIMALS – SOME PEOPLE” Featuring work by New Hampshire Art Association artist Jef Steingrebe. NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth. On view now through Nov. 1. Gallery hours are Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., but are subject to change. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “YOUR LEADER COULD BE A TYRANT, HOW TO TELL” Art exhibit at 3S Artspace, 319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth. On view now through Nov. 1. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit 3sarts.org.

• “SMALL WORKS – BIG IMPACT” Creative Ventures Gallery’s annual holiday exhibit featuring small works of art in various media, priced affordably for gift buying. Virtual. Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. Visit creativeventuresfineart.com or call 672-2500.

Tours
• NASHUA PUBLIC ART AUDIO TOUR Self-guided audio tours of the sculptures and murals in downtown Nashua, offered via the Distrx app, which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. Each tour has 10 to 15 stops. Free and accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Available in English and Spanish. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

Theater

Show
• NUNSENSE The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Oct. 25 through Nov. 8, with showtimes on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $30 to $48. Visit seacoastrep.org.

• THE SAVANNAH SIPPING SOCIETY The Players’ Ring Theatre presents. 105 Marcy St., Portsmouth. Oct. 23 through Nov. 1, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets cost $18 to $24. Visit playersring.org.

• THE NUTCRACKER Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater presents. Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester. Thurs., Nov. 19, and Fri., Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 21, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; and Sun., Nov. 22, noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $39 to $46 for adults and $25 for children. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

Classical

• “POPS FOR PIPES IX” Presented by the First Music Concert Series, featuring organist Brink Bush. The First Church, 1 Concord St., Nashua. Sun., Nov. 8, 3 p.m. Visit first-music.org.

Books

• JEFF KINNEY VISIT The bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, will make two stops in New Hampshire during his book tour for the series’ 15th title, The Deep End. On Thursday, Nov. 12, at Lincoln Street Elementary School (25 Lincoln St., Exeter) and Friday, Nov. 13, at Rundlett Middle School (144 South St., Concord), from 5 to 7 p.m., Kinney will host Drive-Thru Pool Parties with activities like a lifeguard dunk tank, a tiki hut and an underwater venture. He will also give signed copies of the book to fans using a 6-foot pool skimmer. Tickets cost $14.99. Visit waterstreetbooks.com and gibsonsbookstore.com.

Writing

• CALL FOR BLACK WRITERS New Hampshire-based New World Theatre announces an open call to Black writers to submit monologues that reflect their experience of living while black, to be published in an anthology titled “08:46.” The deadline for submissions is Jan. 1. Visit newworldtheatre.org/08m46s.

Quality of Life 20/10/29

Fin for the win

Fin. Courtesy photo.

If being adorable was a job requirement, it’s no wonder Fin got the gig.The 14-week-old chocolate Labrador retriever has joined the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Law Enforcement Division’s K-9 Team, according to a news release on the department’s website. Fin met his new partner, Fish and Game Conservation Officer Kenneth St. Pierre, in September. “Fin will work on basic obedience, tracking, and exposure to both evidence and fish and wildlife daily,” St. Pierre said in the news release. Fin was donated by Wes and Belinda Reed of Rise and Shine Retrievers in Barnstead.

Score: +1

Comment: Who wouldn’t want to go to work with a partner like that?

Holiday stroll canceled

The 27th annual Winter Holiday Stroll in Downtown Nashua will have to wait, as the event has been canceled this year, according to a press release from Great American Downtown. Typically held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the stroll features performers, vendors, demonstrations and other attractions. With the ongoing community-based transmission of Covid-19, local health officials advised the City of Nashua and Great American Downtown that the event should be postponed until 2021.

Score: -1

Comment: As the holiday season approaches, Great American Downtown has planned several activities for downtown Nashua, including outdoor music, contests and the return of Plaid Friday to support small businesses the day after Thanksgiving.

New homes to help end homelessness

Four people who have been experiencing long-term homelessness will soon have new homes in the Green Street Apartments in Concord, according to a press release. The apartments, which have been renovated by the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, are the culmination of efforts from numerous local businesses and organizations, from Warren Street Architects supplying designs and construction oversight at a drastically reduced rate to the Concord Food Co-op, Franklin Savings Bank, Keeler Family Realtors and Merrimack County Savings Bank furnishing, decorating and stocking each of the four homes.

Score: +1

Comment: “Green Street is really the story of so many people coming together and of an opportunity for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” CCEH Director Ellen Groh said in the release.

ELL teacher honored

Danielle Boutin, an English Language Learner teacher at Ledge Street School in Nashua, has been named the 2021 New Hampshire Teacher of the Year by the Department of Education, according to a press release. Boutin teaches multilingual students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and she also works to connect her students and their families to community resources that can provide support for issues like food and housing insecurity, domestic violence and trauma.

Score: +1

Comment: “This has been one heck of a year in education,” Boutin said in the release. “All of the parents out there are also Teachers of the Year as they teach their kids from home. It takes a lot of people to help students succeed.”

QOL score: 61

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 63

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Sox sub-plots abound

Given what’s happening in Patriots-land right now, if we want to talk about them it might be better to focus elsewhere. So after getting run over 33-6 by San Francisco on Sunday for the worst home loss in the Belichick era it’s convenient that the Pats’ Hall of Fame named its All-Dynasty team last week.

I am the world’s biggest sucker for arguing over all-time teams and I’ll take the bait to compare their selections to mine. If you missed the entire team, Google it, as for space reasons I’ll just focus on my quibbles and new additions, starting off with their grown-up version of everybody gets a trophy to avoid hurt feelings by naming an entire 40-man team. I hate that, so mine is like the All-Pro Team that names first team starters only. So where you see one guy vs. another, that refers to who wins the competition at that position. And if you have a beef, let me know.

Biggest no-brainers: Starting from the easiest to make.

1 – Tom Brady: Even though Matt Cassel, Jimmy G and Jacoby Brissett went 13-6 in the 19 starts TB missed, a better debate would be whether he’ll eventually be the All-Time QB in Tampa Bay before retiring.

2 – Adam V: TB isn’t the only local GOAT. Vinatieri earned the distinction by winning two SB’s with kicks as time expired and sending their first playoff game into OT with the greatest under-duress kick in NFL history through a blinding snowstorm off a frozen, uneven field spot from 47 yards out before winning it in OT.

3 – Richard Seymour: Do I need to remind anyone the first three SB wins were built around the D, not TB-12’s arm? Seymour was the best of several great defenders and there hasn’t been anyone as good on the D-line since, including Vince Wilfork. That’s why he’s a spot ahead of the more popular next guy.

4 – Gronk: He’s in the discussion for the GOAT tight end as well. But he had some long stretches of injuries when they still kept winning, including the playoff run to the 2016 SB win despite losing him for good in Week 11.

5 – Ty Law: A big-play Hall of Famer who was the real MVP of the first SB win, with three picks off Peyton Manning in the 2003 AFC title game win and being huge when they shut down Indy in the 20-3 playoff win the next year. Plus, they went 10 years without winning after he left in 2004 thanks to mostly terrible DB play.

6 – Randy Moss: Even though he didn’t win a SB is his three-year, four-game stay that predictably ended badly, his astonishing 98-catches, 1,423-yards, 23-TD debut 2007 season in Foxboro was among the best in league history for any receiver ever.

Slot receiver fight: With Troy Brown, Julian Edelman and Wes Welker there, this had been the position of the highest excellence of the dynasty and a near impossible choice. But while his regular season numbers don’t stand up to Welker’s 100 and 1,000 plus catches and receiving yards in five of his six seasons, Edelman gets it for clutch playoff work on three SB-winning teams.

Kevin Faulk vs. James White: Another heavyweight battle. Faulk was clutch and incredibly reliable. Ditto for White. But it’s White based on his astonishing 10-catch, 110-receiving yard, three-TD game in the SB comeback over Atlanta, which included scoring the TD to start the comeback from down 28-3, the two-point conversion to get it to one score and the TD’s that sent it to OT and won it. Faulk never had a game like that.

Dan Koppen vs. David Andrews: Granted I’m not the world’s leading expert on center play, but the interior guys need a little pub. So, while it could be related to their backups, things seem to go bad when Andrews misses games, like all last year. But Koppan only missed games in one of eight seasons in Foxboro, which included SB wins in ’03 and ’04. So it’s a tie.

Asante Samuel: I know, big-play guy, especially at slot corner. But the guy who dropped the right-in-his-hands pick in the final drive in 2007 that would’ve sealed the undefeated season can’t be first team All-Dynasty. Besides, Law and Stephon Gilmore were/are both better against the pass and run and multiple-time All-Pros.

Patrick Chung vs. Devin McCourty at safety: Chung has been great in his second stint but was shaky the first time around, while McCourty has been the team’s surest tackler and great since shifting to safety after starting as a corner. McCourty.

Honorable mention: All the guys on the Pats’ list and people who lost the head-to-head competitions, as well these special-circumstances additions.

NG – Ted Washington: Yes, he was a one and done, but he won as many SB’s as Wilfork and no one had a better season clogging the middle than him in 2003.

CB – Darrelle Revis:Ditto on the one year, but Coach B never won a SB without a great corner. So while he wasn’t quite at Revis Island peak, he transformed a defensive backfield that had been a hazardous waste dump site since 2009. No Revis, no 2014 SB title. That puts him in over the under-appreciated Otis (my man) Smith.

Corey Dillon: I go with Antowain Smith as the running back for his battering ram work that always seemed to get it on third and short for two SB-winning teams. But Dillion’s 1,623 rushing yards and 12 TD’s in 2004 was one of the best individual seasons during the dynasty.

Roman Phifer: The biggest surprise was seeing him on the 40-man team, as he’s the most forgotten good player from the first three SB wins. But 86 belongs here because this linebacker was solid, reliable and tough.

Snow angel maker – Lonie Paxton: No contest.

Moon mission

Local grad working on EagleCam project

Bedford High School grad William Edwards, now an undergrad at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, is one of 20 students working on “EagleCam,” the first-ever student project to be sent to the moon. Edwards talked about the mission of the project, his role on the project’s software team and what he is learning from this unique opportunity.

Why did you decide to go to Embry-Riddle and pursue a career in aeronautics?

I just like planes, honestly — aviation, aerospace, pretty much any fields having to do with flying or space. It’s something I was always interested in, even as a kid, and I just never lost interest. … A close family friend who knew I was really into aviation recommended the school to me because he knew it was a very good aviation-based school.

What is the EagleCam project?

It’s a module that’s going to be a payload on a Nova-C launcher from the company Intuitive Machines. The goal of the project is to take a third-person photo of the lunar lander actually landing on the surface of the moon. As the lander is coming down on the surface, it’s going to jettison our payload, and our EagleCam is going to take pictures of the lunar lander and send the pictures back to the lander via WiFi, and then the lander is going to send the data back to Earth. That’s the minimum requirements of this project. We’d also like EagleCam to continue to take pictures after it has landed to collect some information on dust plumes as the lunar lander actually makes its descent, and hopefully take some pictures of Earth as well.

How did you end up working on the EagleCam?

I actually had a friend of mine recommend me for it. She was already working on it, and I found out about it and said, ‘That sounds really cool,’ and she said, ‘Well, we need some extra help. Do you want to hop on?’ and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ … One of the reasons I came to Embry-Riddle is that I’ve always wanted to work on something important like this, like anything to do with research, and especially anything to do with space, so once I heard that this was a project based on the moon, I was like, ‘Absolutely, I need to do this.’

What is your role?

We have a couple teams. There’s the electrical engineering team, and they’re the ones who actually choose the computer that goes on board and the cameras that go on board, and they’re going to figure out the connections between our EagleCam and the Nova-C launcher. I’m on the software team, so I’m going to be the one who’s controlling the function of the cameras, when the payload is going to be jettisoned and the way the pictures are going to be taken. Also, the pictures are going to be taken with 186-degree cameras, so afterward we have to do some software post-processing to make the pictures look like normal-field-of-view pictures instead of wide-field-of-view pictures.

What are you working on right now, specifically?

Right now I’m just having to learn the [software] framework, and I’m making an application that controls the camera lens cleaners, so that if any dust particles get on the camera lens we can clean them off.

What’s the most exciting part of this experience for you?

I think it’s just the excitement of being able to do all of this and work on it for so long, and knowing that we’re going to get an end result that I could even make a screensaver on my phone. It’s also a great experience for me as a software engineer to actually be using NASA-based software frameworks to control our EagleCam and the jettison and any internal functions that we have on.

What has been the biggest challenge?

Learning the NASA software framework. It’s called cFS, and it’s a lot of C code, which I’m not too familiar with, so spending the first two or three weeks learning that has been pretty difficult.

Do you think the EagleCam project is helping to prepare you for what you want to do in the future?

Yes, most definitely. As a software engineer, being able to work on a team with electrical engineers and aerospace engineers is definitely an important skill. Since I want to be working in the aerospace industry, having the skills to communicate with them and understand what they’re doing and understand how my code influences their decisions and vice versa is definitely very important to me.

EagleCam
The Nova-C launcher carrying the EagleCam will launch in October 2021. To follow the progress of the project, see @ERAUEagleCam on Instagram and visit daytonabeach.erau.edu/eaglecam.

Featured photo: William Edwards. Courtesy photo.

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