December 2020 – Page 5

Finding a way home

An update on homelessness in NH

The New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness released its annual State of Homelessness in New Hampshire report Dec. 17. It includes data generated between 2019 and early 2020, pre-pandemic, as well as a special report on The Intersection of Unsheltered Homelessness and Covid-19 in NH, based on semi-structured interviews with homelessness services across the state. Stephanie Allain Savard, LICSW, director of the New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness, discussed some of the key points in the report.

What immediate effects has the pandemic had on homelessness in New Hampshire?

The report showed that even pre-pandemic the homeless population had risen since last year. The pandemic layered on top of that has really exacerbated the issue. … Many people who were living in shelters decided to leave because they were concerned about social distancing and didn’t feel that it was safe to be in a congregate setting. Then, there are people who were couch-surfing, jumping from one place to the next at the graces of family and friends who were willing to let them stay with them temporarily; now, they have nowhere to go because people need to isolate.

What long-term effects might it have?

When the eviction moratorium is lifted and rental assistance is no longer granted, there is going to be a wave of mass evictions. We may be able to work around the evictions if we can come up with a solution to get rental assistance … for property owners and tenants so that they can get back on track, but there are so many other aspects of the pandemic that have impacted folks, too, especially those who were already living in poverty. Stress, mental health, physical health, [challenges with] students’ academic success — these are all ripple effects for families and individuals that are going to be lingering for a long time.

There has been a lot of concern about homeless camps, a.k.a. ‘tent cities,’ popping up in New Hampshire cities. What’s happening with those?

Because the pandemic limited [homeless people’s] options for affordable housing and shelters, it was a solution they came up with to keep themselves safe. … Many people in those camps experience mental health and substance use disorders which can affect their cognitive thinking and judgment. … It’s been a bit of a tug of war, because there’s pressure from the community on law enforcement to [eliminate] these camps, and [law enforcement] understands the community’s concerns, but they also understand the situation for those who are homeless. … They’re trying to figure out what should be enforced with a humanitarian understanding that we need to support [homeless people] where they are the best that we can.

Has anything good come out of the pandemic in regards to homelessness?

It’s been wonderful to see so many partnerships get stronger or new partnerships form. Suddenly, city welfare departments, substance abuse [services], homelessness services, community mental health organizations and fire departments were all collaborating to respond to the crisis in the best way possible.

What’s the report’s Call to Action?

We’re always looking at how we can increase the production of affordable housing, and one way to continue doing that is to maintain and increase investment in the New Hampshire Affordable Housing Fund. There’s the New Hampshire Governor’s Council on Housing Stability that was just established … as a short-term action plan, and we’re working to make sure that any policies, legislations and other recommendations that come out of that are supported. [And we’re advocating for] the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Housing Support’s request for an additional $9 million a year to support emergency shelters across the state.

What can people who have stable housing do to help those who don’t?

You can volunteer. There are plenty of homeless services that could use the hands-on support, or you can find out what items they need donated, like hats and mittens and food, or make a monetary donation. … You can advocate for your legislators to address homelessness. … Also, just talking about it is really important. The more we talk about homelessness and educate ourselves about what’s happening with the homeless population, the more we can break the stigma and the cycle that we’re currently in.

State of Homelessness in New Hampshire
The state’s most recent stats, pre-pandemic. To read the full report, visit nhceh.org.
• The number of people experiencing homelessness increased 21 percent.
• The number of chronically homeless people (who have been homeless for a significant length of time) increased by 112 percent.
• Homelessness among students decreased by 19 percent.
• Sixty percent of the state’s homeless population resides outside of Manchester, and 43.5 percent resides in rural communities.
• Black/African-American and multi-racial people make up only 2.7 percent of the state’s general population but 10.2 percent of the homeless population. Hispanic/Latinx people make up 2.8 percent of the general population, 10.6 percent of the homeless population.

Featured photo: Stephanie Allain Savard, LICSW

News & Notes 20/12/24

Covid-19 update	As of December 14	As of December 21
Total cases statewide	31,875	37,388
Total current infections statewide	6,752	6,688
Total deaths statewide	604	656
New cases	6,059 (Dec. 8 to Dec. 14)	5,513 (Dec. 15 to Dec. 21)
Current infections: Hillsborough County	2,453	2,290
Current infections: Merrimack County	872	929
Current infections: Rockingham County	1,722	1,580

Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Covid-19 news

On Dec. 15, the first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine were administered in New Hampshire to front-line health care workers, according to a press release. The state received 12,675 doses of the vaccine in the first shipment, according to the release, with more expected to continue to arrive on a weekly basis. The state is also expected to receive more than 24,000 doses of Moderna’s vaccine this week, according to a Dec. 19 report from WMUR, and the doses will be received in batches throughout the week. Vaccinations from both Pfizer and Moderna will be distributed to long-term care facilities this week, according to the report.

Dr. Beth Daly, Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control of the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, reported during a Dec. 17 press conference that the state has averaged around 800 to 900 new cases of Covid-19 per day from the previous week. The day before, on Dec. 16, state health officials reported 21 deaths due to the virus, the highest single-day number of deaths in New Hampshire since the beginning of the pandemic.

Later during the same press conference, Gov. Chris Sununu provided an update on the final allotments of federal CARES act funding, which the state is required to spend in full by Dec. 31. An additional $7 million will be allocated directly to hospitals in the state, specifically those that have been hardest hit by the pandemic. “We know that a lot of hospitals have had to give up certain elective procedures, elective surgeries … to make sure that the beds are there,” Sununu said. “That $7 million, combined with additional over $70 million that the federal government is also allocating … creates a lot of economic opportunity for hospitals and doctors that have really been hard hit by this.” Sununu also said an additional $4 million will be allocated to the state’s university system to offset some unanticipated testing capacity costs, as well as $12 million allocated to nonprofit organizations. “We’ve spent it down almost to the penny, frankly,” he said of the federal funds. “The team at GOFERR did a great job of making sure that we had emergency funds available all the way to the end of the year.”

Speaker nomination

Last week, the House Republican Caucus voted to nominate Acting House Speaker Sherman Packard (R-Londonderry) as its nominee for Speaker of the House, to succeed the late Speaker Richard “Dick” Hinch, according to a press release. The nomination will be decided on Jan. 6. “Losing Speaker Hinch has been difficult for all of us, and this is not my first choice of how I wanted this session to go,” Packard said in a statement following the vote. “However, we must continue our work, we must continue his work, and I promise that I will continue to further Dick’s vision of how he would have run the House.”

Money for vets

The City of Manchester is encouraging veterans who have needs that are directly related to Covid-19 to reach out to Easterseals, which still has CARES Act funds remaining for military veterans. All funds must be spent by the end of December, according to a press release, and veterans who need assistance because of Covid-19, including help with mortgage and rental arrearages, car repairs, back car payments, utilities, food, gas, childcare arrangements, heating costs and more, can contact Easterseals at 315-4354 or mvsintake@eastersealsnh.org.

Low unemployment

Last week’s release of the November unemployment rates by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that New Hampshire ranked as the fifth lowest state in the nation, with an unemployment rate of 3.8 percent, according to a press release. “Balancing public health and economic success has been a priority of my administration from the onset of this pandemic,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in the release. “This latest economic news affirms that New Hampshire has taken the right approach and that our economy will come back stronger than ever as we near the end of this pandemic.”

Housing stability plan

The state’s new Council on Housing Stability finalized its initial report and action plan and sent it to Gov. Chris Sununu on Dec. 11, according to a press release. Sununu said in a statement that the council has created “an excellent foundation” for the state to begin updating its homelessness plan. He instructed state agencies to move forward with all recommendations that can be taken immediately through executive action, which includes applying for a federal waiver to support services that assist individuals and families in obtaining housing by May 1.

Changes at SNHU

Southern New Hampshire University announced last week new plans for its campus-based programs that it says will be more flexible, accessible and affordable — including a more than 50-percent reduction from its current tuition rate. According to a press release, SNHU will launch new and updated campus academic programs next fall, with greater emphasis on experiential and project-based learning. It will also move from merit-based to need-based financial aid awards, and a tiered tuition rate of just $15,000 or $10,000 per year. Starting in the fall of 2021, there will be more than 50 on-campus programs available. The $15,000 programs will feature face-to-face instruction, with flexibility to explore electives, internships, project-based courses, service learning, study abroad, and other experiential learning elements. The $10,000 programs will include at least 36 credits earned through required experiential learning components such as studio work, lab work, project-based courses, internships or certifications, and the remaining credits will be delivered in a mix of face-to-face classroom settings and online formats. There will be less time in traditional classroom settings, and faculty will be engaging with students in new ways, including as project leads, internship advisors and coaches. These programs are open to new, first-year students and rising sophomores. “This effort is the culmination of years of hard work to fundamentally reimagine a broken model that too often leaves students behind,” President and CEO Paul LeBlanc said in the release. “When we set out to radically reduce the cost of place-based higher education, we knew that it would require a holistic approach, and we are proud of the work our teams have done tirelessly during the pandemic to rethink the cost and delivery of our campus model to put higher education within reach for more learners.” SNHU is also aiming to increase campus enrollment from 3,000 students to 4,500 students by 2025, according to the release.

The First Congregational Church in Manchester is leaving its lights on from dusk to dawn, now through Sunday, Dec. 27, to showcase the recent renovation of its stained glass windows. According to a press release, the windows of the 1880 church are the culmination of a year-long restoration project, and the public is welcome to drive by and see them lit up. The church is located on the corner of Hanover and Union streets.

Rivier University in Nashua has been ranked as a top 100 school for nursing in the nation and as the top private nursing school in New Hampshire, according to a press release. The rankings come from the Nursing School Almanac, which evaluated more than 3,000 U.S. nursing schools.

Work has begun on a new 6,900-square-foot testing and engineering range at the Sig Sauer Academy in Epping. According to a press release from North Branch Construction, construction of the pre-engineered steel building is expected to be completed in late spring.

Giving thanks in a tough year

2020 is not going silently into the night. It’s going out kicking and screaming. And let’s not be nice about this: 2020 has been a brutal year for everyone. More than 500 Granite Staters have passed away from Covid, people have lost their livelihoods, whole industries have been torn apart, families have been separated, kids have been unschooled, and to top it all off we went through one of the most divisive elections in modern times with federal agencies actually warning about possible election-related civil unrest. I mean, come on. It’s no wonder people are drinking a bit more. Yes, beer, wine and liquor sales are up in New Hampshire.

But even in these challenging times there are things to be thankful for.

As fraught as the election was (and could still be, I guess) there wasn’t any violence. The day after most signs were down and people here were back to their daily lives. Is everyone happy? No. But most have moved on to their lives.

As bad as Covid has been, it could have been worse. New Hampshire has largely been successful in tamping down outbreaks, keeping the number of hospitalizations low and balancing the needs of people to move about with the needs of our medical system to combat the virus. Any loss of life is horrific.

While many local businesses (including us) and nonprofits have seen revenues plunge, many other businesses have seen surging demand. Everything from ATVs to swimming pools to builders to takeout pizza has seen strong revenue in 2020.

Unemployment rates have continued to fall. New Hampshire’s rate is now under 5 percent from a high of almost 17 percent in April. That does reflect some people leaving the workforce but it also reflects other jobs in other industries picking up the slack.

New Hampshire showed the country it was truly bipartisan by splitting results with Republicans dominating statewide races and Democrats dominating federal races. More than that, 75 percent of eligible voters voted — a modern record level of voting. And yes, folks, we do live in a democracy. We should also be thankful for that.

There is less traffic — just saying.

Folks in New Hampshire continue to be generous with their time and money in assisting and donating to local nonprofits. While many nonprofits that rely on in-person services have seen revenues decline others have seen people be more generous. It made the news recently that MacKenzie Scott (author, philanthropist and former wife of Jeff Bezos) gave more than $6 million to New Hampshire nonprofits.

Hundreds of Hippo readers have sent in financial contributions this year to support Hippo. We can’t say thank you enough.

As much as we want 2021 to be better than 2020, and I’m hopeful it will be, the road back to normal will be slower than we want. But there is a road back and for that I’m very thankful.

New Year’s eatings

Delicious ways to ring in 2021

Let’s face it — 2020 wasn’t the year any of us hoped for. So if you’re looking forward to ringing in 2021, check out this list of local restaurants offering special dine-in or takeout menus to help you celebrate.

• Amphora (55 Crystal Ave., No. 3, Derry, 537-0111, amphoranh.com) will serve a special prix fixe menu for New Year’s Eve on Thursday, Dec. 31, from 3 to 9 p.m., featuring one of two appetizers of your choice (double cream goat cheese in a pool of lamb sauce with chiffonade basil and pita chips, or shrimp cocktail with a spicy sauce); antipasto salad; an entree of your choice (deconstructed Beef Wellington or seafood risotto with a creamy Parmesan mushroom sauce); and a dessert (chocolate mousse or Champagne and berries). The cost is $46 per person (optional wine pairings are available) and reservations are encouraged. Amphora’s full menu will also be available for takeout and dine-in until 3 p.m.

• Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop (815 Chestnut St., Manchester, 625-9544, angelaspastaandcheese.com) will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31.

• Ashworth by the Sea (295 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, 926-6762, ashworthhotel.com) will host a socially distanced New Year’s Eve dinner on Thursday, Dec. 31, at 5 p.m. featuring party favors, a Champagne toast, rock ’n’ roll bingo and more. Overnight packages with a Champagne and mimosa breakfast on New Year’s Day are also available.

• Bad Lab Beer Co. (460 High St., Somersworth, 842-5822, badlabbeer.com) will serve its third annual New Year’s Day brunch on Friday, Jan. 1, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Reservations are currently being accepted with an hour-and-a-half time slot for each.

• Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) will serve a four-course prix fixe dinner for New Year’s Eve on Thursday, Dec. 31, with seatings from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., in its dining room. The menu will feature appetizers (lobster bisque, yellowfin tuna poke, braised beef cheek, New England oysters, capon terrine, and warm Maplebrook Farm burrata); salads (baby kale and watercress salad, or Boston bibb and radicchio salad); entrees (grilled filet mignon, smoked New Bedford sea scallops, grass-fed lamb rack, pan-seared salmon, Northern lobster risotto, pork chop, or pierogi and fall vegetables); and desserts (Earl Grey cheesecake, lemon verbena creme brulee, strawberry Champagne sorbet, ginger pear torte or mudslide cake). The cost is $75 per person and reservations are required.

• Bistro 603 (345 Amherst St., Nashua, 722-6362, bistro603nashua.com) will open at 11 a.m. on both Thursday, Dec. 31, and Friday, Jan. 1, serving its full menu with family-style options also available.

• Buba Noodle Bar (36 Lowell St., Manchester, 935-7864, bubanoodle.com) will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31, and from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 1.

• Buckley’s Great Steaks (438 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 424-0995, buckleysgreatsteaks.com) is taking reservations now for New Year’s Eve, serving its regular menu with specials on Thursday, Dec. 31, from 4 to 9 p.m.

• Cafe El Camino (134 Newton Road, Plaistow, 974-1652, cafeelcamino.com) is taking orders for a variety of specialty “crowd pleaser platters,” including empanada platters, rice platters, chicken or pork platters and more. Orders must be picked up by Thursday, Dec. 31, at 3 p.m.

• Cask & Vine (1½ E. Broadway, Derry, 965-3454, caskandvine.com) is taking reservations now for New Year’s Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31. Deposits of $25 per party are being accepted, which will be applied to your bill for the evening and will include a Champagne toast at midnight.

• Cava Tapas & Wine Bar (10 Commercial Alley, Portsmouth, 319-1575, cavatapasandwinebar.com) will serve a special four-course menu for New Year’s Eve on Thursday, Dec. 31, with multiple options to choose from, like yellowfin tuna poke, butternut squash soup, farro and golden raisin salad, crisp pork belly, foie gras, beef short rib, Parisian herb gnocchi, crisp Brussels sprouts, pistachio cake, dulce de leche, dark chocolate pot de creme and more. Reservations are required.

• Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker, 428-3281, colbyhillinn.com) will hold a special New Year’s Eve wine dinner on Thursday, Dec. 31, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., featuring a six-course meal with wine pairings, live music and more. Items to be served will include foie gras torchon, New Hampshire oysters, Moroccon-spiced rack of lamb, seared sea scallops, and petite rabbit and mushroom cassoulet. The cost is $180 per person. Overnight packages with a complimentary Champagne brunch are also available.

• Copper Door Restaurant (15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677; 41 S. Broadway, Salem, 458-2033; copperdoor.com) will serve a special prix fixe dinner for New Year’s Eve on Thursday, Dec. 31, beginning at 4 p.m., with live music from 6 to 9 p.m. Costs vary depending on the courses you choose ($69 for a two-course meal, $79 for a three-course meal and $89 for a four-course meal). Featured options include herb-crusted scallops, truffled mushroom risotto, fish chowder, wild mushroom bisque, braised lamb shank, sesame-crusted tuna, crispy honey chicken, seafood casserole, roasted vegetable ravioli, caramel apple pie and chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Reservations are highly recommended and will be accepted through 8 p.m.

• Copper Kettle To Go (39 Main St., Wilton, 654-2631, copperkettletogo.com) is taking orders for heat-and-serve eggroll party platters for New Year’s Eve, featuring flavors like steak and cheese, chicken Parm and eggplant Parm, as well as various dipping sauces. Order by Dec. 27.

• Cotton (75 Arms St., Manchester, 622-5488, cottonfood.com) will be serving its regular menu on Thursday, Dec. 31, from 4 to 9 p.m., with special additions that will include an appetizer, a salad, two entrees and two desserts, all priced a la carte.

• CR’s The Restaurant (287 Exeter Road, Hampton, 929-7972, crstherestaurant.com) will serve its regular dinner menu, with holiday specials, on Thursday, Dec. 31, from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Reservations are required.

• Flannel Tavern (345 Suncook Valley Road, Chichester, 406-1196, flanneltavern.com) will ring in the new year in style with classic cocktails from the Rat Pack era. Join them on Thursday, Dec. 31, from 5 p.m. to midnight for a special menu, a charcuterie board, live music and a Champagne toast. The cost is $10 per person. Formal dress is encouraged but not required.

• Giorgio’s Ristorante & Bar (270 Granite St., Manchester, 232-3323; 707 Milford Road, Merrimack, 883-7333; 524 Nashua St., Milford, 673-3939; giorgios.com) is taking orders for holiday variety boxes for New Year’s, which feature your choice of smoked pork rack chop with apple chutney, garlic roasted prime rib with au jus and horseradish cream, or seafood lasagna, with sides like sweet and Yukon gold whipped potatoes, traditional stuffing and roasted Brussels sprouts. Order by Dec. 28 at noon. Pickups are on Thursday, Dec. 31, from noon to 5 p.m.

• Greenleaf (54 Nashua St., Milford, 213-5447, greenleafmilford.com) is taking reservations now for a special New Year’s Eve dinner on Thursday, Dec. 31, with seatings at 6 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Course options will include charred broccoli and ricotta tortellini, turkey roulade, cast iron roasted rib-eye, pan seared scallops, pink Champagne macarons, chocolate Yule logs and more. The cost is $89 per person, or $120 per person with an optional wine pairing. Reservations with a 50 percent deposit are required.

• LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst, 672-9898, labellewinerynh.com) is taking orders for New Year’s Eve catering packages available in two sizes, feeding six to eight people, or 12 to 14 people. Each package includes an artisan cheese and charcuterie display, bacon-wrapped scallops, coconut shrimp, pesto Parmesan arancini, curried chicken salad, phyllo cups and beef tenderloin canape. Optional wine add-ons are also available. Pickups are on Thursday, Dec. 31, on the hour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. LaBelle is also taking reservations for a New Year’s Eve Experience dinner on Thursday, Dec. 31, featuring sparkling wine and smoked salmon salad with seared sea scallop and winter citrus vinaigrette as a specialty first course.

• Mile Away Restaurant (52 Federal Hill Road, Milford, 673-3904, mileawayrestaurant.com) will serve a multi-course meal for New Year’s Eve on Thursday, Dec. 31, featuring your choice of an entree (sliced roasted tenderloin of beef, duck grand marnier, nut-crusted chicken, chicken pesto, pork Dijonnaise, wienerschnitzel, vegetarian acorn squash, baked stuffed Jumbo shrimp, baked stuffed scrod or maple glazed salmon); and a dessert (chocolate mousse cake, flourless chocolate cake, bourbon bread pudding, cheesecake, lemon mascarpone cake, sorbet or tiramisu cake). All dinners come with appetizers like New England clam chowder, Swedish meatballs and a fresh fruit plate with sorbet (or you can substitute for shrimp cocktail, escargots and onion soup gratinee) and a Caesar or garden salad. Entrees also include your choice of a baked potato, Swiss potato or rice pilaf, and your choice of butternut squash, pickled beets or applesauce.

• MT’s Local Kitchen & Wine Bar (212 Main St., Nashua, 595-9334, mtslocal.com) is taking reservations now for New Year’s Eve, serving its regular menu with specials on Thursday, Dec. 31, from 4 to 9 p.m.

• Otis (4 Front St., Exeter, 580-1705, otisrestaurant.com) has limited space available for a special five-course dinner with Champagne for New Year’s Eve on Thursday, Dec. 31, at 5 p.m., 7 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. The cost is $75 per person and reservations are required.

• The Peddler’s Daughter (48 Main St., Nashua, 821-7535, thepeddlersdaughter.com) is taking reservations for New Year’s Eve on Thursday, Dec. 31, beginning at 4 p.m. Various specials will be served, like creamy baked potato soup, crabmeat stuffed mushroom, baked seafood casserole, a roast beef dinner with oven-roasted winter vegetables, and several wines and desserts.

• Raleigh Wine Bar + Eatery (67 State St., Portsmouth, 427-8459, raleighwinebar.com) will serve a socially distanced New Year’s Eve dinner on Thursday, Dec. 31, with seatings at either 6:30 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. The dinner will feature four courses with optional wine pairings and is $85 per person.

• The Red Arrow Diner (112 Loudon Road, Concord, 415-0444; 137 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 552-3091; 61 Lowell St., Manchester, 626-1118; 149 Daniel Webster Hwy., Nashua, 204-5088; redarrowdiner.com) takes orders for its homemade cakes and pies at all of its locations. Flavors include apple, blueberry, pumpkin, chocolate cream, brownie cream and more. Online orders must be placed at least 24 hours in advance of pickups.

• Roundabout Diner & Lounge (580 Route 1 Bypass, Portsmouth, 431-1440, roundaboutdiner.com) will host a “Social Distance Social” New Year’s Eve comedy show on Thursday, Dec. 31, at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.). Tickets start at $119 per couple and include a Champagne toast and dinner for two, with a shared appetizer, two entrees and two homemade desserts. Tickets of $199 per couple also include an overnight stay at the Best Western Hotel next door.

• Stones Social (449 Amherst St., Nashua, 943-7445, stonessocial.com) will serve a special menu for New Year’s Eve on Thursday, Dec. 31, available for takeout, delivery or dine-in. Items include Thai wings, pork dumplings, mushroom ramen, Asian short rib, spicy edamame, tempura shrimp, vegetable fried rice and a few specialty cocktails, like a pomegranate sparkler and a creamsicle martini. Reservations are recommended for dine-in.

• Surf (207 Main St., Nashua, 595-9293, surfseafood.com) is taking reservations now for New Year’s Eve, serving its regular menu with specials on Thursday, Dec. 31, from 4 to 9 p.m.• T-Bones Great American Eatery (25 S. River Road, Bedford, 641-6100; 404 S. Main St., Concord, 715-1999; 39 Crystal Ave., Derry, 434-3200; 77 Lowell Road, Hudson, 882-6677; 1182 Union Ave., Laconia, 528-7800; 311 S. Broadway, Salem, 893-3444; t-bones.com) is taking orders for ready-to-heat and ready-to-make meal packs for New Year’s Eve, which include two Lunetta Prosecco Splits, espinaca and chips, sesame chicken, vegetable stir-fry, Korean barbecue lettuce wraps, brownie bites and chocolate chip cookies, plus a set of two 2021 party hats, beads and horns. Order by Dec. 28. Pickups are on Thursday, Dec. 31, from noon to 3 p.m.

This story was possible with the generous financial support of Hippo readers. Hippo is very grateful to have the support of its readers. If you haven’t contributed yet, please consider a small contribution. Your contributions allow Hippo to write more stories and gets you access to additional stories and columns.

Pots, edgers and manure

Holiday gifts for the gardener

I love the holiday season: the lights, the carols, the cookies and more. It’s a good antidote to the news, and to the gray and chilly weather. Last summer many gardening necessities sold out as so many people were quarantined at home and took to gardening. So I recommend getting presents now, before everything is sold out. Here are some ideas for presents to gardeners.

Nice pots are good presents, for growing plants on the deck or just for their sheer beauty. For my birthday this year my wife gave me an urn made by Brattleboro, Vermont, potter Stephen Procter. It is 20 inches tall, a foot wide in the middle and tapering to a six-inch neck. His website, stephenprocter.com, shows mostly huge pots, some six feet tall, but he makes smaller things like mine, too. And your garden center will offer a wide variety of nice pots for growing things, too.

We all need hand tools, and sometimes we lose them. So you can always give a weeder to your loved one. The best of these, in my opinion, is the CobraHead weeder with its curved single tine that is great for teasing out roots of grasses and invasive weeds, or for use at planting time to loosen the soil. It’s available locally or from CobraHead.com for about $28 including shipping, and made in America.

Last summer was dry, so watering devices and accessories were hard to buy locally much of the time. One item that is a bit of luxury, for me, is a three-way or four-way splitter for the hose. Look for a good, heavy-duty metal one at your local garden center. Why four-way? One for each hose. No more disconnecting and reconnecting hoses. Price? Around $30. Give a five- or six-foot hose to go with it, to attach to the spigot and the splitter. Under $10.

Another watering device is a watering wand. Dramm is the best because their wands deliver a lot of water in a gentle fashion. I like a 30-inch wand with a built in on-off controller. Around $25.

I like adding height to the garden, and an easy way to do this is with Gardener’s Supply’s “Essex Round Trellis.” It comes in five-foot and seven-foot heights, and I selected the taller one to grow my morning glories next year. Metal, easy to assemble, $60 or $80. It will look good in the garden all winter, too.

Also from Gardener’s Supply I got some metal edging. It comes in a variety of lengths and assembles and installs easily; it’s sold as 12- to 24-foot kits in a variety of metals and finishes for $43 to $80. These bend nicely and create a finished look for a flower bed.

I love gardening books. I realize that the web has a lot of information, but nothing beats a book in my hands as I settle in on a cold and snowy day.

Norwich, Vermont, garden designer Bill Noble came out with a beautifully illustrated book this year, Spirit of Place: The Making of a New England Garden (Timber Press, $35). It is a lovely description of his gardens – and the thought processes that went along with doing this over a long period of time.

I have a few cases of my last book, Organic Gardening (not just) in the Northeast: A Hands-On, Month-by-Month Guide (Bunker Hill Publishing, 2015) collecting dust. It came out at $17.50 in paperback, but I am offering it now at $15 including shipping. It’s a collection of my best articles arranged by month. Send me a check at P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746.

Storey Publications (storey.com) is one of my favorite publishers for garden books, not only because their books are practical and well-written, but because many are in paperback and very affordable. Their Vegetable Gardener’s Bible by Ed Smith ($24.95 in paper) is a classic and a must-have even for experienced gardeners.

New to me this year are these, all looking interesting. Best of all is a great book on soil by Dianne Miessler, Grow Your Soil: Harness the Power of the Soil Food Web to Create Your Best Garden Ever. It explains very well how soils work, what soil test results mean, and how to correct deficiencies. You don’t need to be a scientist to read this one ($16.95 in paperback).

The Gardener’s Weed Book and The Gardener’s Bug Book, both by Barbara Pleasant ($14.95 each) are very useful No color illustrations, but the drawings are fine. It’s written for organic gardeners.

Saving Container Plants by Alice and Brian McGowan is a useful book for all of us in New England that want to winter over tender perennials that we have grown in pots on the deck all summer, but that can’t survive the winter outdoors. A stocking stuffer at $9.95 in paperback.

Lastly, give your loved one a pile of … manure. Farmers and garden centers sell hot-composted or aged manure that is great for the garden. It will improve the soil and nurture soil organisms. Three yards is a small dump truck load, or you can go get a load in a pickup truck.

All my best to you, my readers, in this holiday season. Don’t be naughty, and Santa may bring you what you want.

You may reach Henry at henry.homeyer@comcast.net or at P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746.

Featured Photo: Alder catkins provide seeds now. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Definitely try this at home

Definitely try this at home

Between Covid, cold and snow, you might be spending a lot of time at home in the coming months. We have a few ideas to keep you from going stir crazy, from growing succulents to creating an indoor obstacle course that’s fun for the whole family.

Also on the cover, if you’re looking for some holiday cheer, there’s a home in Nashua that’s lighting up the night, p. 15. Find new Thai eats in Manchester and new Italian eats in New Boston, p. 22 & 23. And there are lots of holiday brews that can help you get through the rest of 2020, p. 26.

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Holiday cheerful

Dan Blakeslee celebrates Christmas LP with show

It takes real Grinch-iness to resist the ebullient charms of Christmasland Jubilee, the new holiday album from Dan Blakeslee. From the Dixieland-themed opener “Mister Candy Cane” and its story of a “boogie woogie Santa Claus … bouncin’ on the keys, makin’ you believe” to his sincere reading of the disc-closing “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” it’s irresistible, one of the best in the genre to come out of New England.

Blakeslee celebrates the release with an afternoon outdoor show at Stone Church in Newmarket on Dec. 19, backed by his three-piece band and plenty of portable heaters. Senie Hunt will open.

A big reason the new record works so well is the way Blakeslee created it. In mid-December 2019, the Seacoast-born and -raised singer-songwriter decided he’d waited long enough to unleash his inner Bing Crosby — and he wanted to do it during the season. Dover producer Chris Chase offered him five hours of time at his Noise Floor studio in the days before Christmas, and the project was set in motion.

“I came in the studio, and I decorated the place like crazy,” Blakeslee said in a recent phone interview. “I feel it reflects in the audio somehow; I get inspired looking at the stuff, it just makes me happy. Then my band came in and we recorded … throughout the winter, while there was still snow on the ground.”

Backed by his longtime group The Calabash Club they produced an ebullient mix of classics and originals that dated back to when Blakeslee began making Christmas songs as presents for his family. One of the first was “We Three Kings” — his version takes the line about “westward leading” musically to heart, giving the song a gentle twang.

The musicianship is stellar; keyboard player Mike Effenberger is especially good, and the vintage rhythm team of bassist Nick Phaneuf and drummer Jim Rudolf is in the pocket throughout. A guest list including Soggy Po’ Boys horn players Chris and Eric Klaxton, New Hampshire pedal steel legend Bruce Derr and string players Tim Moore and Dave Talmadge — among others — provided stellar support.

“I love the guys in my band,” Blakeslee said. “I’ve seen them in so many different musical acts through the years and I’m still blown away whenever I see them play. And whenever I play with them, I feel like I’m in awe the whole time. … I can’t focus sometimes on playing the songs.”

Blakeslee’s timing in making the record was ideal in more ways than his good luck having a winter wonderland to work in.

“We had two things left to record when the pandemic came,” he said. Thus, Derr’s contribution was done in his home studio, and backing vocalists emailed their tracks. “We got most of it, though.”

Other standouts include the whimsical originals “To Be An Elf” and “The Somerville Lights” — the latter provides a nice counterpart to “Silver Bells,” which also appears. The rollicking “Reindeer Boogie” is a nugget Blakeslee unearthed from a Hank Snow Christmas album made in the 1960s.

“Over the past two years I’ve been obsessed with that song,” he said, noting that an alternate take was his template. “It has such grit to it. … I was literally playing it every single day throughout the holiday season.”

A bonus track, “Let’s Start Again” is one of the record’s most endearing. It’s an optimistic ode to better angels, and though it’s over a decade old it fits perfectly with the times.

“Awaken with hope and forgiveness, surprise us with news that is good,” Blakeslee sings. “Together let’s move towards a difference, whether you work in policy or wood.”

The song was born after a painful breakup found him wandering around Somerville on New Year’s Eve in 2009. He ended up at the Lizard Lounge, a Somerville music hub where Tim Gearan was appearing.

“Every time he takes the stage it’s like it’s New Year’s Eve. He just has this delivery on all his songs,” Blakeslee said of Gearan.

Blakeslee taped the New Year’s countdown on a recorder he carried in his pocket.

“It was the most moving thing,” he said. “Sometimes you can listen to a song for two minutes and have your outlook changed; that’s what happened at that show. Then I walked outside and this girl shouts out, ‘2010, let’s start again!’ It just kinda happened. She gave me a hug, and I wrote the song that night.”

Dan Blakeslee & the Calabash Club Christmas Show
When: Saturday, Dec. 19, 1 p.m.
Where: Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket
Tickets: $60/table of 4, $90/table of 6

Featured photo: Dan Blakeslee and personally bedazzled stockings done for his crowdfunders. Courtesy photo.

The Music Roundup 20/12/17

Local music news & events

• Food music: Though Covid-19 ate his annual booze cruise, Chad LaMarsh is still performing out at places like a Salem restaurant/bar and its Bedford counterpart. A set list can include everything from Peter Gabriel to the Eagles to Matchbox 20 to Nine Inch Nails. LaMarsh is a diverse guy, and a charitable one as well; his annual Bundles of Books effort has helped a lot of folks over the years. Thursday, Dec. 17, 6 p.m., Copper Door, 41 South Broadway, Salem. See chadlamarsh.com.

• Song circle: While live music continues in some venues, this year’s Holiday Java Jam will be a virtual affair. Beloved Manchester native Alli Beaudry again hosts, inviting local musicians to sign up and play original or traditional holiday songs for the event, which is usually held downtown at Café La Reine. Dress up in seasonal finery and light the home tree for this unique evening. Friday, Dec. 18, 6 p.m., get a Zoom link by signing up at facebook.com/javajamswithallibeaudry.

• Brew-versary: A Queen City craft brewery celebrates two years of business with Paul Nelson playing songs. “Song crafter, blues explorer, mystery muser” Nelson has appeared at Club Passim in Cambridge, opening for folk legend Ellis Paul, and has been featured on many big stages since he broke out as musician in 2018. Last year he released his first album, Over Under Through, to solid praise. Friday, Dec. 18, 4 p.m. at To Share Brewing, 720 Union St., Manchester, tosharebrewing.com.

• Holiday giving: While the Bank of NH Stage is dark until at least mid-January, Seth Glier will perform a free online show with the Concord venue’s imprimatur. The Holiday Spectacular promises music, jokes and dancing offered by Glier and his good friends — he promises, “even Jesus Christ will be there!” While there’s no cost to watch on Facebook Live or YouTube, those with the means can and should donate. Saturday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m., login information at banknhstage.com.

At the Sofaplex 20/12/17

Let Them All Talk (R)

Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen.

Also starring Dianne Wiest, Gemma Chan and Lucas Hedges. Famous serious novelist Alice (Streep) heads to the U.K. to accept an important literary prize. Because she won’t fly, her eager-to-please new agent Karen (Chan) books her transatlantic passage on the Queen Mary 2, which this Steven Soderbergh-directed movie sometimes seems like a giant ad for. Alice brings along guests, including her nephew Tyler (Hedges) and two friends from college, Susan (Wiest) and Roberta (Bergen). Susan seems to have had a full life and matured into a normal adult who takes the trip as a fun getaway and a chance to see two people she hasn’t seen in three decades. Roberta is there to settle some old scores. Roberta is bitter about Alice’s most famous book, which she claims was taken from her life and led to the disastrous end to her marriage (and financial ruin). Roberta’s plan seems to be to either snag a wealthy man while on the ship or get Alice to pay up (or both).

By the end of the movie, I found myself mostly thinking about the ship — the nightly formal-wear requirements seem hellish but I do like the idea of fancy afternoon tea. It seems like it would be fun, for a little while at least, to wander around the Queen Mary 2, which was perhaps the thought that inspired this movie. At times it feels more like you’re wandering through a collection of scenes that are individually interesting and somewhat related but not entirely pulled together. Some of the scenes are funny, some feature nice acting moments from one of the performers and some just feel like a bit of filler. In the moment, though, the performances kind of carry you through this voyage. B Available on HBOMax.

The Prom (PG-13)

Meryl Streep, James Corden.

Other stars in this Ryan Murphy adaptation of a 2018 Broadway musical include Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells, Mary Kay Place and Tracy Ullman.

When Dee Dee Allen (Streep) and Barry Glickman (Corden) see their newest play close on opening night after terrible reviews, they search for a good cause to align themselves with to improve their public images. They pick Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman), a high schooler whose school has canceled prom rather than let her attend with her girlfriend. Dee Dee and Barry travel to her Indiana town with fellow actors Angie (Kidman), who longs to step out of the chorus and play the lead, and Trent (Rannells), whose career is currently in a holding pattern. The school’s patient principal Hawkins (Key) is trying to convince the PTA, headed by Mrs. Greene (Washington), to be more inclusive but the sudden appearance of the Broadway people throws the situation into disarray. Though their goals are well-intentioned (if very self-serving), the actors’ big publicity-generating plans often overshadow Emma and her desire to just go to a dance with her girlfriend Alyssa Greene (Ariana DeBose), the not-out daughter of Mrs. Greene.

This movie, which started out feeling flat to me, improves as it moves through its two-hour-and-10-minute runtime time — or maybe it just sorta grew on me. Murphy is also the creator of Glee and this movie feels kind of Glee-ish in its staging. With a few exceptions, the musical numbers feel boxed in in a way that keeps them from dazzling you the way it seems like they might in a theater.

That said, Meryl Streep seems to be having a blast and is maybe even making a little fun of her own actorly self. Overall The Prom is a good time, with a delightfully hammy sensibility and occasional scenes (and songs) with sudden and genuine big, deep feelings. B Available on Netflix.

The Croods: A New Age (PG)

The Croods: A New Age (PG)

The Neanderthal-ish cave family the Croods meets some yuppie helicopter-parent homo sapiens in The Croods: A New Age, an animated movie in theaters now and coming to PVOD soon, possibly this Friday, Dec. 18.

Meet the Croods: dad Grug (voice of Nicolas Cage), mom Ugga (voice of Catherine Keener), tween-seeming son Thunk (voice of Clark Duke), baby Sandy (voice of Kailey Crawford), Gran (voice of Cloris Leachman) and teenage daughter Eep (voice of Emma Stone), and Guy (voice of Ryan Reynolds), the teenage modern-human-like boy who joined the Croods pack in the first movie. He spends a lot of time flirtily saying “hey” to Eep, who flirtily says “hey” back. Guy is tired of the Croods’ family sleep-pile and other instances of too-much-togetherness and would like to strike out on his own with Eep, who is interested in this “privacy” thing he speaks of. Grug wants everyone to stay together to improve their chances of survival (and because of general dad-ness).

When Grug stumbles upon a wonderland of delicious foods planted in neat rows in a lush paradise, he announces that he has found a place everybody can live happily forever, together. But what he’s actually found is a farm — specifically, the Bettermans’ farm, home to husband Phil (voice of Peter Dinklage) and wife Hope (voice of Leslie Mann, who is perfect here) and their teenage daughter Dawn (voice of Kelly Marie Tran). The Bettermans have found a, well, better way to be, as they explain: they live in a walled off compound of fresh food and drinkable water and a lovely tree house with a shower and a flush toilet and separate rooms for everyone. And, they know Guy — the Betterman family and Guy’s family were friends years ago, before Guy’s parents died in a tar pit. Guy seems like a perfect fit for the Betterman lifestyle and for Dawn, who has been lonely living in her parents’ protective paradise and is happy to see Guy again.

While wooing Guy away from the Croods might be the Bettermans’ plan, to this PG kids’ movie’s credit, it isn’t interested in any teen love triangle. Guy’s struggles seem to be between Eep and the comforts (and privacy) of the Bettermans’ way of living. Dawn isn’t on his radar, nor is he on hers. Dawn is more interested in being friends with Eep; they become fast besties, both having an “ugh, parents” mindset and a desire for adventure.

Details of the first The Croods have largely vanished from my brain, just as details from this movie felt like they were fading from memory as I watched the movie. A New Age is full of fun vocal performances (Mann and Keener, in particular) and cute moments (Gran’s memories of the “Thunder Sisters” clan of female warriors sets up a solid action sequence in the movie’s climax) but there’s nothing sticky about the overall story. The characters are more types than personalities (the overprotective mom, the dad who doesn’t want things to change, etc.) and the story hits marks like an amusement park ride chugging past its various attractions — there’s the wacky monkey stuff, there’s the mid-movie couple fight. This movie is forgettable, but with its fantastical creatures (land sharks! wolf-spiders!) and landscapes, all colorfully rendered, it’s not unpleasant in the moment — not for me, the parent, or for kids old enough (age 7 or 8 maybe?) to sit through teenage drama. B-

Rated PG for peril, action and rude humor, according to MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Joel Crawford with a screenplay by Kevin Hageman & Dan Hageman and Paul Fisher & Bob Logan, The Croods: A New Age is an hour and 35 minutes long and distributed by Universal Studios.

Featured Photo: The Croods: A New Age (PG)

Month: December 2020

Finding a way home

News & Notes 20/12/24

Giving thanks in a tough year

New Year’s eatings

Pots, edgers and manure

Definitely try this at home

Holiday cheerful

The Music Roundup 20/12/17

At the Sofaplex 20/12/17

The Croods: A New Age (PG)

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