An upcoming show at Laconia’s Colonial Theatre explores the idea of eternal life, how desire to live forever can be all-consuming, and what the consequences of achieving immortality might be.
Tuck Everlasting began as a children’s novel by New Hampshire writer Natalie Babbitt that later became a movie in 2002. A Broadway adaptation was nominated for a Tony but only lasted for 39 performances. Fortunately, Bryan Halperin, who runs the Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative with his wife, Johanna, caught one and was enamored.
It was part of “a string of shows we saw for a couple of years where we really enjoyed them and they all flopped,” he said by phone recently. Halperin has learned firsthand how a show can come up short in New York but make it elsewhere. Last year he directed Captains Courageous and won for Best Musical at the New Hampshire Theatre Awards, even though an off-Broadway production of it opened and closed quickly.
“How something does on Broadway is not necessarily reflective of it as a musical property that actually moves people, and people love,” he said.
Tuck Everlasting, he continued, is an uplifting musical, and wonderful songs are just one reason. Particularly moving is a 10-minute dance sequence that traces the arc of the main character’s life. “It’s the climax of the musical, without singing, just music and dance,” he said. “We wanted to do it someday, and this was the day.”
Choreographer Meg King will oversee dancing for Powerhouse’s three-day run.
“That’s the most exciting thing for me in this production,” Halperin said. “Meg is doing some legitimate lyrical ballet dance that we don’t usually get in musicals [and] the last sequence is astounding to watch; people in the cast get tears in their eyes every time they see the dancing.”
In 2004, the Halperin family relocated from Massachusetts to the Lakes Region and opened the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, which they ran for 10 years. After, Halperin said, “we were nomads for a while, doing stuff with Hatbox and Community Players of Concord. Then we got kind of recruited out of our full-time retirement to start up again.”
Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative was formed in 2020 as a way to continue a program of performances at Belknap Mill and got its name from the historic facility. It became an independent nonprofit last year. It has also been the Colonial’s resident theater company since it opened.
“We constantly pinch ourselves that we get to do theater and rehearse in this beautiful space.” Halperin said. “For a 750-seat theater, it has an intimacy to it…. We feel very lucky that it’s our home.”
Powerhouse always looks to spur involvement in its work, for actors and people who love theater.
“To really emphasize the community building nature of community theater,” Halperin said. “It’s about collecting people into the family, finding ways for them to shine on stage no matter what role they’re in, and surrounding them with high-quality production values.”
One example is the annual performance of A Christmas Carol. Over the years, they’ve added a choir that performs prior to the show and later adds vocal color from the boxes. “That allowed more people to get involved than we could fit on the stage in character roles,” Halperin said. “We try to find ways to engage as many people as possible for each production.”
Looking back, Bryan and Johanna are still happy with their decision to move north.
“We do think about how our life changed by making that choice to leave our careers and start a theater company,” he said. “But the rewards of community and artistic expression, being in a job that our children could be involved with and grow to love as well, far exceeded our expectations. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has definitely been emotionally rewarding.”
Halperin encouraged people to come out for Tuck Everlasting.
“Everyone involved gets such joy out of singing the music and telling the story,” he said. “It’s a great Mother’s Day weekend, take the family show, kids of all ages are appropriate. I’m pretty sure you will love it if you come to see it.”
Tuck Everlasting When: Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 12, at 2 p.m. Where: Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia Tickets: $18 to $22 at etix.com
Featured Photo: Nikolai Fernandez and Maci Johnson as Jesse Tuck and Winnie Foster in Tuck Everlasting. Courtesy photo.
In Hippo’s Best of 2024 readers’ poll, we asked readers to vote for the “Restaurant That Brings The Heat.” Looking to spice up your dining routine? Here are the top 11 winners in that category.
Destination India Restaurant and Bar
14 E. Broadway, Unit A, in Derry, destinationindianh.com, 552-3469
Destination India won “best of the best” in the heat category. Indian food has a reputation for being hotter than most New Englanders are used to. Destination India, for instance, has three levels of spiciness on the menu: “Mild,” “Medium” and “Indian.”
According to Destination India Chef and owner Navi Avhad, there is a nuance to spiciness that many don’t appreciate; it’s not so much a matter of being “hot” or “mild.” One of the critical factors in how good a spicy dish is, he said, has to do with the flavors the chiles bring along with the heat.
“We never use powdered chiles,” Avhad said. “We only use fresh, organic green chiles. It’s more expensive for us, but it means we can serve a higher-quality food.” He said that the most dependably high-quality chiles that he can get from his distributor are small “Thai” chiles, which he feels are healthier to eat than powdered red ones.
“Some people complain that hot food makes their stomachs hurt; that doesn’t happen with good-quality, fresh chiles,” he said.
Hottest dish: Vindaloo (chicken, lamb, goat or shrimp), $16. Vindaloos come from Goa, on India’s west coast. They are curries made with a vinegar-based sauce, which complements the green chiles with its sharpness. Chef Avhad said that regulars usually start with a “mild” level of heat. “It’s a spice level that lets customers appreciate the actual flavor. Later on they can build up the spiciness,” Avhad said.
Daw Kun Thai
93 S. Maple St., No. 4, in Manchester, dawkunthai.com, 232-0699
Desmond Holman, the co-owner of Daw Kun Thai, agrees that spiciness isn’t binary — either hot or mild.
“Thai food isn’t just hot,” he said. “It allows you to taste all other flavors as well.” With that said, there’s no denying that Thai cuisine can be extremely spicy. “Spicy food usually comes from tropical parts of the world,” he said, “and Thailand is tropical.”
Pad Ped Kai. Photo courtesy of Daw Kun Thai.
Holman said that getting customers used to Thai levels of spice was challenging initially. “People who grew up in New England like me are very cautious at first,” he said. “They don’t have a lot of experience with spices, but they’re learning.”
Hottest dish: Pad Ped Kai (spicy chicken stir-fry), $17.75
Holman said this dish — a stir-fry of curry paste (a version sometimes called “Thai Jungle Sauce”) with chicken, eggplant and bamboo shoots — is far and away the spiciest dish Daw Kun Thai makes; nothing else is even close.
“It’s two times as hot as anything else we have on our menu,” he said with enthusiasm. “It’s the only item that has two stars. And that’s its mild version. We have maybe five or six people who can order it ‘Thai Hot’ — that’s eight times as hot as the mild version. It’s so hot that I have to caution people who’ve never been in the restaurant before. It’s really too hot for some people, even at its mildest.”
Curry Leaf
6 Pleasant St. in Concord, 715-5746, curryleafus.com
Inder Saini, the Chef and owner of Curry Leaf, is pretty sure most of his customers come into his restaurant looking for a little heat.
Curries and karahis can be made with different levels of heat. Photo courtesy of Curry Leaf.
“I believe,” he said, “that it’s because of the spices. American food is good but a little bland. During cold weather, spicy food opens up your body.”
Hottest dish: Karahi (chicken, lamb or goat), $19.95
Karahi — which is named after the wok-like pan it is cooked in — is a South Asian curry that is an important part of North Indian, Afghan and Pakistani cuisine. According to Chef Saini, the chicken version is made with all dark meat, onions and peppers. “The customer can pick any meat,” he said, but the sauce is the same. Like dishes at many of the restaurants on this list, the heat comes from fresh green chiles.
A Lot of Thai
360 Daniel Webster Hwy., Unit 121, Merrimack, 429-8888, alotofthainh.com
According to the staff at A Lot of Thai, there are several spicy dishes on their menu — Drunken Noodles and Curry Chicken Basil, for instance — but their recommendation is for the spicy dipping sauce that comes with many of the dishes and allows each customer to adjust their level of heat.
Kashmir Indian Cuisine
396 S. Broadway in Salem, 898-3455, kashmirindianfood.com
Kashmir doesn’t fool around when it comes to spice. According to server/host Khem, even some of the Indian staff often order their food “medium.” Like many of the restaurants on this list, Kashmir depends on green Thai chiles for much of its heat.
Hottest dish: Vindaloo, $16.95 (chicken or lamb), $17.95 (shrimp)
Unlike most of the dishes at most of these restaurants, the vindaloo at Kashmir only comes in one level of heat: “hot.” It is cooked in a traditional style, with a paste made of dried red chiles, fresh herbs and vinegar.
Kathmandu Spice
379 S. Willow St. in Manchester, ktmspice.com, 782-3911
Kaji Maharjan, the manager of Kathmandu Spice, said that Nepalese food isn’t actually very spicy. “Well, it is,” he said, “but not Indian-spicy.” Kathmandu Spice clearly isn’t afraid of serving spicy food but Maharjan said there is a different framework of flavors behind the Indian food the restaurant makes and the Nepalese.
Rayo Ko Saag. Photo courtesy of Kathmandu Spice.
“Indian cooking uses a lot of spices and chiles,” he said. “Nepalese food is much lighter. We don’t use nearly as much dairy or chilies.”
He gives the example of Saag, which is on both sides of the menu. “Our Indian Saag is made with spinach,” he said, “but we make our Nepalese Rayo Ko Saag with mustard greens.” It’s also made with mustard seeds and fried in mustard seed oil, each of which carries a different level of horseradish-like heat that is felt in the nose and sinuses as much as it is in the mouth. “We also put some chile seeds in it,” he said with a grin.
Hottest dish: Indian Curry (chicken or lamb), $17.95
Like every restaurant on this list, Kathmandu Spice will make any dish at any level of spice, but even its “Medium” level is on the hot side. Maharjan said one of the reasons the food at Kathmandu has such a vibrant flavor is how the staff processes the ingredients. “We grind all our spices here,” he said. “We don’t buy anything pre-ground.”
Hermanos Cocina Mexicana
11 Hills Ave. in Concord, 224-5669, hermanosmexican.com
A margarita with house-infused pineapple/habañero tequila. Photo courtesy of Hermanos Cocina Mexicana.
Every dish at Hermanos Cocina can be customized for different tastes, but according to General Manager Melissa Thompson one of the restaurant’s spiciest offerings is a surprising one.
Hottest dish: house infused pineapple/habañero tequila, $11
“We’re a scratch kitchen,” Thompson said, “so any of our dishes can be spicy, especially our enchiladas or our pastor de avocado, but our house infused tequilas are something special.” Hermanos infuses Lunazul blanco tequila with either jalapeños or pineapple and habañeros.
“It depends on what is available and seasonal,” Thompson said, adding that most customers have it in a margarita.
Puerto Vallarta Mexican Grill
865 Second St. in Manchester, 935-9182, vallartamexiannh.com
Puerto Vallarta is another restaurant that prides itself on its heat flexibility. Many of the dishes on its menu are fairly mild even by New England standards, but according to bartender and manager Christobal that is easily remedied.
“Customers come in all the time and ask us to make one of our regular dishes extra spicy,” he said.
Hottest item: Hot Tomatillo Salsa, $2.99
There are several dishes at Puerto Vallarta that are spicy to begin with — Camarones Endiablados (Shrimp Diablo), Aguachile, and Burritos Caliente (literally “hot burritos”) — but none of them packs the punch of its house-made tomatillo salsa. Unlike many tomatillo salsas, it isn’t green, but a red color. It is pureed, but not so finely that there aren’t tiny bits of chiles and vegetables. It is extremely hot, but with a lovely, fresh herbal flavor that puts in a quick appearance before the heat comes crashing down.
“A lot of our customers who want their food extra spicy get a side of this, and mix it into whatever they’ve ordered,” Christobal said, “so they can customize it just the way they like it.”
Smoke Shack Cafe
226 Rockingham Road in Londonderry, 404-2178, smokeshackcafe.com
Habañero Melt. Photo courtesy of Smoke Shack Cafe.
The key to the Smoke Shack’s spiciest food, said owner and manager Melissa Lafontaine, is in its sauces. “It’s the real deal,” she said. “We are a scratch kitchen, so we reduce habañeros [one of the spiciest chiles in the world], then run them through the mill and use it in our sauces. For instance, our cornflake fried chicken isn’t very spicy on its own, but our sauces are, like our Habañero Honey.” She said that even she has trouble with her restaurant’s hottest sauces. “Me personally?” she said, “I can’t handle it. I’m good with heat up to the jalapeňo level, but the habañero is too much for me. But people love it.”
Hottest dish: Habañero Melt, $11.99
The Smoke Shack’s menu describes this as “Smoked brisket on grilled Texas toast with mayo, habañero bbq sauce, sautéed peppers and onion, and smoked Gouda cheese.” “It’s our No. 1 selling sandwich,” Melissa Lafontaine said.
Bangkok Thai Food
44 Nashua Road in Londonderry, 426-5162, bangkokthaifood.biz
The staff at Bangkok Thai Food wants to make it very clear that not all Thai food is hot.
“We have many things on our menu that aren’t hot at all,” said spokesperson An, translating for her mother, the owner and chef. “Most Thai dishes are a mixture of hot, sweet, salty and sour.” With that said, many of the dishes at Bangkok are hot, and can be made even hotter at a customer’s request.
“We use green Thai chiles,” An said. “That’s the authentic Bangkok style.” Her favorite dish to have extra-spicy is Noodle Coconut Tom Yum, a creamy coconut soup with noodles, shrimp paste and scallions.
Hottest dish: Green Curry, $15
Described on Bangkok Thai’s menu as a “choice of meat, eggplants, bamboo shoot, bell peppers and basil leaves in green curry with coconut milk,” the Green Curry comes with 15 choices of meat, including crispy pork, shrimp, duck, seafood, and ground chicken, and comes in “medium,” “hot” or “very hot” levels of intensity. “Mild” is not an option.
Thai Food Connection
1069 Elm St. in Manchester, 935-7257, thaifoodconnection.com
Reige, a server and bartender at Thai Food Connection, said they have customers along the entire spectrum of heat-tolerance.
“I don’t feel like we have any spice seekers,” she said, “just everyday people who want something different, then they keep coming back.” She said that she has noticed a change in recent years of area diners’ attitudes toward foods and cuisines that might have been intimidating even a few years ago.
Krapow. Photo courtesy of Thai Food Connection.
“I think it has to do with changing demographics,” she said. “The Manchester area has become a real melting pot. As this part of the state becomes more of a suburb of Boston, there’s been an uptick of different cultures. I think that being a college town helps, too.”
Reige says it’s hard to pick out one particular spiciest dish at her restaurant.
“Everything can be made spiciest,” she said. “Probably, the hottest everyday dish that we make is krapow.” Thai Food Connection’s menu describes this as “stir-fried choice of ground chicken or tofu (substitute beef +$2, shrimp +$3 , crispy chicken +$3) with garlic, fresh chili, onion, bell pepper and Thai basil seasoned with hot basil sauce (fried egg on top +$2).” The base cost of the dish is $13.99. But the run-away hottest dish that the restaurant serves is Kua Gling, a dry southern Thai dish made with ground chicken, aromatics like lemon grass and lots of chiles.
The 2024 Nashua International Sculpture Symposium at The Picker Artists’ studios (3 Pine St. in Nashua, 930-5080, pickerartists.com) starts today with an opening reception at 5:30 p.m. Four sculptors will work on new pieces of public art: Anna Korver from New Zealand/Benin, Hoyoung Im from South Korea, Evan Morse from the U.S. and KōV (aka Kevin Percevault) from France, according to nashuasculpturesymposium.org, where you can find the map of sculptures from previous years as well as a schedule for this year. See the artists work Monday through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 13 through May 30, the website said.
Thursday, May 9
The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry, 669-4820, aviationmuseumofnh.org) presents Ask the Airport Director, a presentation and Q&A session with Ted Kitchens, Director of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, at 7 p.m. at the Aviation Museum. This event is free.
Saturday, May 11
The New Hampshire Audubon Society (nhaudubon.org) will host a birding outing at its Massabesic Center in Auburn (26 Audubon Way in Auburn, 668-2045) from 8:30 to 10 a.m. This is an informal outing to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day that begins at the Massabesic Center and explores the trails with local birder and Massabesic Center Advisory Committee member Joe Mahoney. The cost is $10; registration is required.
Saturday, May 11
Corey’s Closet (1329 Hooksett Road in Hooksett, 722-2712, coreyscloset.org) will host an ’80s Prom for special needs teens and adults from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Puritan Event Center (245 Hooksett Road in Manchester, 666-9893, puritanbackroom.com/events). Prom tickets are $50 and include a buffet. Tickets are available through Corey’s Closet’s website or at the store.
Saturday, May 11
Great New England Craft and Artisan Shows will host a Fine Craft and Artisan Show at the Merrimack Outlets from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., presented by NH Made (shop.nhmade.com). See gnecraftartisanshows.com.
Saturday, May 11
Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road in Canterbury, 783-9511, shakers.org) opens for the 2024 season today, beginning at 10 a.m., with indoor guided tours, specialty lectures and a 5K race.
Saturday, May 11
The Amherst Garden Club will hold its annual plant sale today from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Wilkins School (80 Boston Post Road in Amherst). This year’s sale will highlight native plants. See amherstgardenclub.org.
Tuesday, May 14
“How Smart Is Our Electrical Grid” is the theme for Science on Tap presented by SEE Science Center. It starts at 6 p.m. at Stark Brewing Co., (500 Commercial St. in Manchester). This event is free and open to the public; sign up at see-sciencecenter.org.
Save the Date! Sunday, May 19 The Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S Main St. in Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) will host this year’s Granite State Blues Challenge on Sunday, May 19, beginning at 1 p.m. Local blues musicians will perform to secure a slot at the 2025 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Tickets cost $15.
In recognition of National Nurses Week, WalletHub (wallethub.com), an online finance management company has released the results of a study comparing the 50 states across 20 metrics including job openings for nurses per capita, average salaries, mandatory overtime restrictions and the quality of nursing homes. This study ranked New Hampshire as the third-best state overall for nurses, just behind Washington State and Maine. New Hampshire ranked first in the nation in nursing jobs per capita, and 19th in health care facilities per capita. The study also cited the excellence of New Hampshire’s nursing schools.
QOL score: +1
Comment:See a full breakdown of the study’s data at wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-nurses/4041.
A new historic home in Manchester
The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources has announced that the State Historical Resources Council has added eight properties to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places. One of them is the Samantha Plantin House in Manchester, according to a press release: “A fairly typical late Victorian side-hall single family dwelling, it is reportedly the home of the first Black landowner in Manchester. The daughter of a formerly enslaved mother, Plantin (circa 1827-1899) moved from New Boston in 1844 to work for the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. She purchased land from the company in 1870, later selling it for a profit and using those funds to construct this home circa 1890. The house’s exterior as well as a barn added soon after Plantin’s death have been largely unaltered since the early twentieth century.”
QOL score: +1
Comment: See nhdhr.dncr.nh.gov for more on the State Register of Historic Places.
Peregrine update
As of Monday, May 6, the eyas (downy peregrine falcon chick) count remains at two at the nest at the Brady Sullivan Building in downtown Manchester. Whit and Thor, as the chicks are named, were hatched last week and can be seen on the New Hampshire Audubon’s livestreaming Peregrine Cams. Two other eggs didn’t, as of May 6, show signs of hatching. Find links to the cams, which are provided with support of the Peregrine Networks and Brady Sullivan Properties, at nhaudubon.org. Find updates on the falcons and their daily activities in a log linked in the chat of Feed 1.
QOL score: +1
Comments: According to a story in the New Hampshire Bulletin last September, 74 chicks have hatched at the Brady Sullivan nesting site since 2001; Whit and Thor bring that total to 76.
Rain didn’t stop the taco fans
Last week’s Taco Tour in Manchester hit some big numbers. According to Cole Riel of the Greater Manchester Chamber, the director of this year’s Tour, more than 20,000 people attended, despite heavy rain. More than 90 area restaurants and organizations served more than 100,000 tacos.
QOL score: +1
Comment:Riel quotes Manchester’s Police Chief as saying that this was the third year in a row without incidents or arrests at the event.
Last week’s QOL score: 61
Net change: +4
QOL this week: 65
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?
The Big Story – It’s Pheeew for the Bruins: After lackluster efforts in Games 5 and 6 that turned a 3-1 series lead into a here-we-go-again Game 7 nail-biter vs. a weaker opponent, fans of the B’s were thinking it was deja vu all over again. That’s why DavidPastrnak’s Game 7 winning goal in OT vs. Toronto was such a relief. And while it doesn’t quite go up there with BobbyOrr going airborne after putting one past St. Louis goalie GlennHall to win the 1970 Stanley Cup, it was still a huge historical Bruins moment, because it saved them from a franchise-killing loss at a most critical time.
Now on to face the club that wrecked last year’s party, the dastardly Florida Panthers.
Sports 101: Name the four pitchers to have struck out 4,000 or more batters.
News Item – Sox Reminding All of 2013: I went that whole year saying, “How are they doing this? They’re not that good.” I’m saying the same thing now, as behind great starting pitching they left April in third place at 18-13 and 1.5 games behind the Orioles and Yankees. All of which has attracted attention from many who wrote them off as a disaster waiting to happen.
News Item – Super Team Duds: For players with the power to do it like KevinDurant and LeBronJames, building “super teams” has been all the rage since LBJ pulled it off by taking his talents to Miami over a decade ago. But I don’t think getting run out in a first-round rout by Minnesota is what KD had in mind when he forced his way out of Brooklyn to form a super team in Phoenix. Ditto for LeBron when he less than ethically got Anthony Davis’ agent (and his) to concoct a way/steal/tamper to bring AD to L.A.
News Item – Baseball Managers Value: It’s hard to exactly say what it is. Especially in light of what’s happened in Cleveland and Houston in the first month of the 2024 baseball season, as the Guardians lead the AL Central at 20-10. I guess they don’t miss the retired TitoFrancona. But in Houston it’s the reverse for the perennially contending Astros after DustyBaker hung them up, as they were dead last at 10-20. So go figure.
The Numbers:
1 – shots made out of 15 taken by Orlando guard FranzWagner in the Magic’s Game 7 loss to Cleveland.
6 – MLB-leading shutouts by the maligned Red Sox pitching staff after CooperCriswell led a parade of five pitchers to shut out the SF Giants 4-0 on just four hits last week.
38 – career-high playoff points scored by DerrickWhite to save the Celtics from a team-wide lethargic effort in a Game 4 102-88 win over Miami.
… Of the Week Awards
Never Seen That Award – Donovan Mitchell: Never saw MJ, LBJ, Kareem, Kobe or even PeteMaravich score every one of their team’s points in an entire fourth quarter as Mitchell did when he scored all 22 in the Cavs’ 103-96 Game 6 loss to Orlando.
Why Can’t We Get Games Like That Award – L.A. Dodgers: For the first time since 2006 the Dodgers went an entire game without anyone striking out. It came in a 8-4 win over five hapless D-Backs pitchers who came up K-empty vs. 44 hitters while walking eight of them.
Random Thoughts:
How do all three refs miss a crucial travel in the final minute of Game 5 of the Knicks-76ers? Which let TyreseMaxey get the four-point play that sent it to OT, as the NBA’s 2 Minute Report said they did? How?
A Little History – Bruins–Maple Leafs Rivalry: Saturday’s win was the seventh straight time the Bruins have eliminated the Maple Leafs from the playoffs dating all the way to 1969. However, since Toronto dominated the historic rivalry to start by winning eight of the first 10 meetings, the overall series is 9-8 in favor of Boston.
Sports 101 Answer: The 4,000-strikeout club includes, from most to least, Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and SteveCarlton.
Final Thought – Thumbs Up – Brad Stevens Executive of the Year: It’s rare I’m as wrong as I was about making young Brad the Celtics GM, which I said was a “big mistake” because I had Brad fatigue and figured he’d pick the same type of coach.
But in Ime Udoka he didn’t, and then he set about to make one great trade after another, with the last two leading to capturing the best record in the NBA. And while I was all in on the Kristaps Porzingis-for-Marcus Smart deal, I was leery of the JrueHoliday-for-RobWilliams–MalcolmBrogdon deal because, while I loved Holiday, I thought it sapped their depth. But Stevens correctly saw that SamHauser, PaytonPritchard and LukeKornet could fill the void, and he was right again.
Janet Robinson, the crafts fair manager at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Londonderry, discusses the history of the annual St. Peter’s Artisan Craft Fair. The church also holds a fair in the fall.
Can you give a brief history of St. Peter’s?
St. Peter’s [was] established in Londonderry in 1987. At that time there was a very small church and it has grown since.
There was an interesting building discovered on site?
The church itself was a house with a carriage house. The carriage house was used by the former owner as a craft shop. We added onto the house once we purchased it and built the sanctuary area onto it and continued to use the carriage house.
Can you describe the original building the craft fair was in?
[The] carriage house [is] kind of like a garage without the garage doors. If you go by the church you’ll see it, it’s right in the middle of the parking lot. Years ago they used to use them just for what it’s called, for the horses and the carriages. … The past owner decided, ‘Oh, well, we need to do something with that.’ She started selling some crafts and then she decided, ‘Well, maybe we’ll invite other crafters.’ I know there were a few years that we did get together with Mack’s Apples and another small craft business in that area to make it a community day, and that went well for a while, so it has taken many turns over the years.
Who owned the craft shop?
All I know is that her first name is Karen and she owned ‘Catnip Corner,’ that’s what she called it. There was a woman’s board at the church and they wanted to carry on that tradition of her craft fairs so they reached out to her … and asked her if she minded if we continued that tradition. At first she wasn’t really happy about it and then she came back to us and said, ‘You know, I think that will be a really nice thing for Londonderry, let’s keep it going.’ She provided a list of 35 crafters, we sent out letters to those 35 crafters, and about 50 percent stayed on as crafters in our fair….
So there was a craft fair in that spot before the church moved in?
Yes. She would open up her grounds for other crafters on the weekend after Labor Day weekend. That’s the weekend we continue on. As we had gotten trained and more experienced in craft fairs we added the spring fair also.
How has the craft fair grown since 1987?
We’re now up to 72 crafters. They do set up their tents and tables on the lawn, on all available spots with the lawn. We also have a food truck that comes. In the beginning what they were doing was they used to call it ‘the bistro’ and they would have volunteers manning a grill, serving hot dogs and hamburgers and that grew to wraps. Then, the volunteers started getting much older and we didn’t have anybody who was willing to volunteer so we switched over to food trucks hoping to give local small businesses some business.
Do you all have a great turnout every year?
Yes, we do. We actually are adding a police detail because it has grown so much. All are welcome. It’s juried so it’s not just anybody. We keep it so that all products have to be handmade by the crafter.
Do you all still use the carriage house in the fair?
We do. What we do is we ask each of the crafters to donate an item for raffle and we call it the ‘Crafter Show Case.’ We ask them to give us, you know, ‘what craft that you make that stands out to represent yourself.’ Then we have a raffle for that and at the end of the fair we will raffle off those products to people who have bought tickets.
Is the fair itself free?
Yes, the entrance to the fair is free. We do have parking although when there’s large crowds it does get limited but there is street parking.
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Artisan Fair Where: 3 Peabody Row in Londonderry When: Saturday, May 18, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: free More info: stpeterslondonderry.org/craft-fair, 437-8333 Food truck provided by One Happy Clam
— Zachary Lewis
Featured image: Courtesy of St. Peter’s Craft Fair.
