In an April 2020 episode of her 99% Invisible podcast, design critic Avery Trufelman said that concrete is exceeded only by water as the most consumed product in the world. In architecture, it’s also one of the most divisive. Trufelman noted that James Bond creator Ian Fleming named his Goldfinger supervillain after a real architect just because he disliked his buildings so intensely.
On the other hand, at least one of Ernő Goldfinger’s concrete creations has received landmark status.
“Unfixed Concrete Ideal,” opening April 5 at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, explores the role of concrete in civic architecture, and the many conflicting passions it can inspire. The exhibition includes mixed media works, photography, sculpture and even a couple of etchings done on drywall by co-curator Ben Sloat.
In a recent phone interview, Sloat noted the egalitarian nature of concrete. He’s an Asian-American who grew up in New York City; his mother is from Taiwan. Under-resourced as it grew in the 1960s, the country relied heavily on concrete. “It could modernize without deforesting,” Sloat said. “That felt like a really amazing thing that concrete can do.”
Sloat also likes that “concrete has a really significant impression in our cultural language; like, ‘my plans aren’t concrete yet.’ At the same time, concrete poetry looks like a shape. Other definitions are about amalgams or accumulations or abstraction; concrete photography is actually a form of non-representational photography. So I like that concrete has a very almost elastic presence in our cultural context.”
Running through June 2, the exhibition began as a response to the planned demolition of the Government Services Center (GSC) in Boston’s West End. Many of the works on display in the show are images of the building, which was built in 1971 and designed by Paul Rudolph, a well-known Brutalist architect.
Brutalism isn’t derived from the word “brutal.” “It’s actually related to ‘béton brut,’ which means raw concrete,” Sloat said. He called the style “quite the mixed bag; some people hate it. It’s one of those things — really good Brutalist buildings are amazing and knock-offs are terrible.”
This duality is at the center of “Unfixed Concrete Ideal,” which was shown first in Boston last July, and later in Fall River, Mass. An exhibition statement reads, “In some spaces, concrete can be seen as a modern and democratic material, while in others it can be quite hostile and oppressive. In many ways, concrete itself represents the ideals of the modern era, but also how incomplete those ideals often became.”
Joining the version in Portsmouth is “Heap,” a sculpture by Boston artist Tory Fair that consists of piled up cast objects that, curator Susan L. Stoops writes, “bear the memories of absent originals” — mugs, boots, cameras and other pieces. The two etchings from Sloat share Fair’s nostalgia. One shows an amphitheater that was originally part of the GSC; the other is a detail of Rudolph’s creation as it is today.
A series of sculptures by Finnish artist Anssi Taulu depict concrete’s stages of decomposition. “There’s a parallel between concrete being unfinished and being alive with the kind of natural cycles that we witness in the organic world,” Sloat said. “Certainly, Anssi is thinking about that … he uses a very lightweight concrete, and he adds more water and other binders, so it’s not super heavy.”
Other pieces reflect the social nature of concrete architecture, including excerpts from (Un)finished, a book of photographs that documents pending structures in modern Athens, from Greek artist and researcher Maria Lalou and Danish architect Skafte Aymo-Boot. Lalou’s work constantly questions “the relations between perception, space, material-object and an observing subject, with a central focus to the politics of the viewer,” according to her catalog bio.
Rudolph spoke of his work in similar terms while discussing a bench in the GSC plaza that was at one time a focal point of the structure.
“Civic architecture means assigning a proper role to each building so it works in concert with its neighbors,” he said. “The benches are curved for sociability; they are my social statement.”
On Tuesday, April 9, at 6:35 p.m. the New Hampshire Fisher Cats will celebrate their 20th opening day in Manchester. Twenty years of baseball in the Queen City means 20 years of home runs, hot dogs and memories.
“We hope that the 20th-anniversary season really shows how much we are committed to our fans and our community,” said Stephanie O’Quinn, Executive Director of Corporate Sponsorships and Ticket Sales. “We’ll continue to be that community gathering place … [to] provide family-friendly entertainment at an affordable price — that’s something that we take a lot of pride in as an organization and we will never let that go by the wayside.”
Andrew Marais, Senior Manager of Marketing and Promotion, agreed.
“The biggest thank-you we can give is to our community. That’s an honor to be here for 20 years. Blue Jays too,” Marais said. The Fisher Cats are the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Chris Jared, the Manager of Media Relations and Broadcasting and the new voice of the Fisher Cats, expanded on that theme.
“You want to dig into the bag of what you’ve done to the community and what’s worked in the past and then you also want to look at things like what can we do to keep this engaging and keep people on a fresh page,” Jared said.
Michael Neis, General Manager, said, “Every year we try to look for one of those unique ways that we can really give back to the fans … and know that when you come out to the ballpark, certainly you know you’re going to have a good time, but there’s also some new things that you can try and take in, in a little bit different way, so we’re excited about this.”
“We have new ownership this year,” Neis said. Diamond Baseball Holdings purchased the team in December 2023, according to a press release, which also stated that all staff will remain “in place under the existing leadership of CEO Rick Brenner, and General Manager Michael Neis.” Former owner Tom Silvia has stayed on in an advisory role.
“They [DBH] have been extremely supportive of our mission here in Manchester and New Hampshire as a whole,” Neis said.
Lights, Camera, Baseball!
So what are some of the new things around the ballpark that you will be able to try and take in?
“Two weeks ago we finished our brand new field lighting project, which is really exciting,” Neis said. “We can now do light shows, cue to music, have different colors on each pole. So there’s a lot that we can do, whether it’s pregame intros, home runs, when we win — because we’re going to win every game, right. We can do a lot of really fun things … to give it that big-league experience. That’s something that fans walking in immediately will have a chance to get to see.”
Changes implemented toward the end of last season include new areas to sit and watch the game above the bullpens. Some changes have been geared toward the players as well.
“In addition to everything that we do for the fans and the community, our job is also to provide that environment for these players too,” Neis said. Updates have included “completely renovating both the home and visiting clubhouse,” Neis said. “We did open up our brand new stand-alone batting tunnel and weight room area. Not only are we meeting MLB compliance in those areas; we have what we feel is a best-in-class facility that really rivals anything we can see at this level or above, quite frankly.”
The fan connection
When the Fisher Cats are on the road, or if you cannot make it to the ballpark, there will be a way to stay connected to the team.
“We’re not partnered with WGIR anymore. We now have an audio stream that we can set up from home and road games and then fans can still watch on the Bally Live App or on Milb.tv,” Jared said. Fans can also listen to the game live on nhfishercats.com under the ‘listen live’ tab.
“It’s a much more intimate environment in minor-league baseball,” O’Quinn remarked. “I think that’s a very key element in the experience that we get to provide.”
“We hear all the time about kids who came to their first Fisher Cats game at 6 years old and now they’re die-hard Toronto Blue Jays fans … never stepped a foot out of New Hampshire but they live, eat, sleep, breathe the Toronto Blue Jays because one player decided to sign an autograph on the ball and now they’re a fan for life and not only a fan of the Blue Jays but a fan of baseball for life,” O’Quinn said.
“From a fan engagement perspective our team last year was phenomenal with meeting people,” Marais said. “Staying after the game to sign autographs or before the game … the team that is coming in I am confident will bring that same energy.”
Cesar Martin, who is returning as the team’s manager for the fourth straight season, said “the support that we get from the fans, I think that’s something that makes myself really happy and feels like I’m home…” The players feel the same way. “They’re excited, we’re excited…” Martin said.
“Whether you’re a bigger kid or the littlest of tykes, there’s something for you,” Marais said. “For example, when kids read five books they get two tickets to a Fisher Cats game, courtesy of our sponsors. [There is the] Oral Health Challenge with Delta Dental, when you brush and floss for seven days a week, you get two tickets courtesy of Delta Dental.”
Fireworks, giveaways and promotions will be back with exciting new additions too. General Manager Neis also revealed that “the New England Honda Dealers Bat Dog … Casey will be joining us for the first time this year. We’re really excited about her. Just really another very cool addition to the experience.”
Description: According to the Mascot Hall of Fame, Fungo was born in the woodlands of New Hampshire but spent much of his youth attending Phish concerts. As the founder of the Fisher Cats’ Kids Club he hopes to promote wildlife education, sportsmanship, good manners and the card game Go Fish.
Enthusiasms: Fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee, Swedish Fish, the movies The Fisher King and A Fish Called Wanda.
Slider
Backup Mascot
Description: Originally from Dunedin, Florida, according to the Mascot Hall of Fame, Slider is Fungo’s favorite cousin. He is young, athletic and frantically enthusiastic about the Fisher Cats. His goal is to add excitement and energy to each Fisher Cats home game.
Enthusiasms: His trademark moves are flexing his muscles, giving high-fives and showing off his athleticism.
Rowdy Red and Bubba Blue
Sumo Guys
Professional History: They come from nowhere between innings, fight furiously on the infield, then vanish as mysteriously as they appeared.
Enthusiasms: Waving to fans, inflicting carnage on each other.
Casey
New England Honda Dealers Bat Dog
Professional History: When Benny, the Fisher Cats’ previous bat dog, retired to work as a therapy dog for veterans and first responders, Casey completed her training in New Jersey, then moved up to the minors. This is her first full season with the Fisher Cats.
Enthusiasms: Meeting small fans, bats, balls and belly rubs.
On the field
Jared expressed his thanks to the crew that sets up the game for the fans and the players.
“There have been game-day workers that have worked with us … I’ve talked to guys that have been here 15, 17 [years], some that have been here for as long as the Fisher Cats have…. Those people make things entirely possible from a game-day perspective of what to expect.”
More than 150 Fisher Cats have gone into the major league, according to the December press release.
“We always welcome the new crop of players,” Neis said. We need to work really well with them, [so] that when players come to New Hampshire they have everything they need. … There’s nothing more exciting than an eventual superstar that you got to see here in New Hampshire, and we’ve certainly had more than our fair share over the years.”
Where do these players come from? From all over, but the Toronto Blue Jays have their high-A team, the Vancouver Canadians, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the triple-A team with the Bisons in Buffalo, New York. Their single-A team is the Dunedin Blue Jays and they are in Florida. Last year the Vancouver Canadians bested the Everett, Washington, AquaSoxs, a Seattle Mariners affiliate, to win their league championship.
“The talent jump from the single-A level to come to double-A is the largest jump. Triple A is essentially an extension of the major-league team,” Jared said. When players do move up from single-A, or high-A, they tend not to move alone. “Statistically they’ll keep coaches sometimes with guys. It is great to see when you have a team that, they’re in the lower ranks than you and they win a championship, sometimes those guys move in bunches and the chemistry is already there for them when they slide right in here in New Hampshire, they’re on the same page with each other.”
On the current roster, Manager Cesar Martin said that “a couple of new pitchers are coming from Vancouver.” The entire field will be well staffed too. “The most exciting part is we are going to have a really good defensive team and we have a lot of players that can put the ball in play…”
Fisher Cats fans will also have opportunities to catch major leaguers on the field.
“Last year we had the Blue Jays’ No. 1 prospect in Ricky Tiedemann … [major-leaguers sometimes on] the visiting teams that come in, like the New York Yankees having Spencer Jones,” Marais said. “The product on the field is very good baseball and very competitive, to the point where a player could be playing here tomorrow and [then] be playing in Toronto, or Fenway.”
Tuesday, April 9, is only a line drive away and the Fisher Cats hope all the hard work pays off.
“It is really exciting and rewarding for us as a staff and organization,” O’Quinn said. “We just want to be able to share that with our fans and our community and hope that they perceive it the way we present it.”
Players to watch
layer, they do all they can to get them on the team. Here are a few of the Fisher Cats to keep an eye on this season.
Josh Kasevich: The Blue Jays selected shortstop Josh Kasevich, a native of Palo Alto, California, out of Oregon with the 60th overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft. He spent 2023 in high-A Vancouver, where he helped the Canadiens win the Northwest League title and finished with the third-best batting average on the team at .284, according to the Fisher Cats. MLB.com lists Kasevich as Tornto’s 11th-best prospect for 2024. Kasevich worked on improving his bat speed and path in the off-season, along with getting stronger and faster, and hopes to continue his sharp eye of the zone, according to the Fisher Cats.
Adam Macko: Originally from Slovakia, with a brief stint in Ireland before moving to Alberta, Canada, this southpaw (left-handed pitcher) ranks 16th amongst fellow Toronto prospects according to Baseball America, while MLB.com slots Macko ninth, according to the Fisher Cats.
Alan Roden: Toronto called the outfielder’s name as the 98th overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft from Creighton University, according to the Fisher Cats. Originally from Middleton, Wisconsin, Roden spent his off-season in Florida to focus on improving his swing by building strength and increasing explosiveness, according to the Fisher Cats. After spending the first three and a half months of last season with high-A Vancouver, Roden received his double-A promotion to the Fisher Cats in Manchester and reached base safely in his first nine games, According to the Fisher Cats. Baseball America ranks Roden as Toronto’s ninth-most-promising prospect and MLB.com slots him in spot No. 7.
Phil Clarke: A catcher from Franklin, Tennessee, Clarke received his draft selection in the ninth round of the 2019 MLB draft out of Vanderbilt after his sophomore year concluded with a national championship in Omaha, according to the Fisher Cats. Clarke spent two seasons with the Fisher Cats and his third is set for 2024, and he received honors from MiLB.com at the conclusion of last season, making the site’s Organizational All-Star list, according to the Fisher Cats, and was also named best defensive catcher amongst Toronto prospects by Baseball America, who cited his fundamentals and natural skill as the reasoning behind the decision.
Save the date
Here are some of the special events planned at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.
• Waggin’ Wednesdays: On Wednesdays when the Fisher Cats are not playing a home game, four-legged fans are invited (on-leash) to Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester. A waiver must be filled out prior to bringing your dog into the ballpark.
• Foodie Fridays: Experience specialty food items at the ballpark every Friday. The first Foodie Friday, on April 12, will celebrate all things chili, with chili dogs, chili burgers and chili fries.
• Copa de la Diversión: For the games on Thursday, April 25, and Thursday, June 20, the team will rebrand as Gatos Feroces de New Hampshire, with specialty uniforms (get a peek at all the specialty jerseys at milb.com/new-hampshire/tickets/specialty-jerseys). Gatos Feroces merch is available for purchase on the team’s website.
• Princesses at the Park: The first of four specialty brunches at the park will be on Sunday, April 28, with a Princess Brunch to be held before the 1:35 p.m. game. Tickets to the brunch cost $30.85 and include a ticket to the game.
• Manchester Chicken Tenders: On Saturday, May 11, the Fisher Cats will celebrate one of the defining moments in American history: the 1974 invention of the chicken tender at Manchester’s Puritan Restaurant. The team will temporarily rebrand as the Manchester Chicken Tenders. Chicken Tenders merch is available for purchase on the team’s website.
• Cats-Con: On Saturday, May 25, The Fisher Cats’ annual Cats-Con game will celebrate their favorite movies, comic books, heroes, villains, and much more, featuring characters from Double Midnight Comics.
• Blue Heeler Appreciation Brunch: The second specialty brunch of the season will take place on Sunday, May 26, before the 1:35 p.m. game. Tickets to the brunch cost $30.85 and include a ticket to the game.
• Father’s Day Celebration: To honor Fisher Cats dad fans, the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a limited-edition Fisher Cats bucket hat on June 16.
• Super Bros. Brunch: The third specialty brunch of the season will take place on Sunday, June 23, before the 1:35 p.m. game. Tickets to the brunch cost $30.85 and include a ticket to the game.
• Game Show Night: On Friday, July 11, the whole game will be dedicated to famous game shows.
• Star Wars Night with Atlas Fireworks: Star Wars Night strikes back on Saturday, July 12. By popular demand, the iconic theme night will return with Star Wars characters, music, specialty on-field jerseys and more.
• A Pure Night of Imagination: The Fisher Cats promise a scrumdiddlyumptious night dedicated to everybody’s favorite fictional candy maker on Friday, July 26.
• Sitcom Night: On Thursday, Aug. 8, the Fisher Cats will dedicate their game to classic sitcoms.
• ’90s Night with Atlas Fireworks: Put your hair in a scrunchie and practice your macarena. On Saturday, August 10, the Fisher Cats will celebrate all things ’90s. The first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a clear fanny pack. Beanie Babies get in free.
• Hockey Night in New Hampshire with Atlas Fireworks: The Fisher Cats will celebrate New Hampshire hockey on Saturday, Aug. 24, with new jerseys, new hats, a new giveaway and a celebrity appearance from Max the Monarch. The first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Monarchs-vs.-Fisher Cats bobblehead.
• Piggy Tea Party: The final specialty brunch of the season will be held at the park on Sunday, Aug. 25, with a Piggy Tea Party Brunch to be held before the 1:35 p.m. game. Tickets to the brunch cost $30.85 and include a ticket to the game.
Nashua Silver Knights
Want more baseball? Nashua is home to the Silver Knights, a summer collegiate team of New England players at Division I, II and III levels, who split their time between Holman Stadium in Nashua (67 Amherst St. in Nashua) and Centennial Field in Burlington, Vermont. They play in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.
General Manager Cam Cook says most of his players are working their way up the baseball ladder.
“A lot of people have heard of the Cape Cod League,” Cook said. “A lot of our guys are freshmen and sophomores who play with us for a year or two, then go to the Cape Cod League.”
Cook says that this is shaping up into a good season.
“It’s looking good,” he says. “We’re as busy as we’ve ever been. We’ve got great sponsors, and we’re planning some great theme nights.” Some of these theme nights include a Princess in the Park night, when fans, especially young ones, are encouraged to dress as their favorite princesses; a celebration of National Hot Dog Day; a visit from the Boogie Bros traveling mascot show, and a baseball card give-away.
The biggest game of the season will be the Knights’ July 25 exhibition game against the War Dogs, a team made up of active-duty and reserve military players.
“From a pure baseball point of view, it’s really interesting to see a freshman pitcher from Vanderbilt go up against an active-duty Marine,” Cook said. “It’s like an AI simulation, and we get to see it in real time.” The Knights have invited local veterans’ groups and VFWs to the game, to pump up interest in the game.
“We’ve already sold out our suites,” Cook said. It will be an unusual home game, he thinks, because most of the fans will be rooting for the visitors. “I’ve already started preparing the team,” he says, “warning them, ‘You’re probably going to get booed.”
This yearly exhibition game always honors the military in general, but this year it will have a special focus on the Air Force. “We’re trying to arrange a military fly-over, and a helicopter to deliver the First Pitch Ball,” Cook said. He noted that a point of particular interest is Silver Knight Player No. 7, pitcher Frankie Melendez, who is an ROTC cadet at Stonehill College. “He’ll be playing against soldiers he might run into in the service in a few years.”
The Nashua Silver Knights’ season begins on May 24 with a home game against the Vermont Lake Monsters. For more information, tickets and the team’s season schedule, visit their website at nashuasilverknights.com. —John Fladd
Fan food
An essential part of attending a baseball game is the food. It’s even in the song: “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack….” Stephanuie Vangjel is the Operations Manager for Professional Sports Catering, the company that provides snacks to Fisher Cats fans. It’s her job to make sure everyone in the stadium has access to baseball food during home games. That includes classics like hot dogs, fried dough and chicken fingers for the audience in the bleachers, but also lobster rolls and steak tips for the fans in the luxury suites.
“I’m making myself hungry,” Vangjel says, describing the food.
Feeding Delta Dental Stadium means more than handing out hot dogs. Vangjel’s staff is in charge of running concessions during home games but also providing service to the suites and running the Brewhouse Restaurant — the Fisher Cats’ onsite restaurant — as well as handling outside catering jobs.
Vangjel says her team is especially proud of their promotional food specials.
“We put together special packages like our Ballpark Buffet, a barbecue package, and a comfort food package [which includes burgers, chicken sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, and baked beans]. We set up nacho bars and fajita bars. On Video Game Night, we’re planning an ‘Italian Plumbers’-themed menu.” “Italian Plumbers,” she explains, to avoid any trademark infringement with Nintendo.
The enthusiasm for this season’s ballpark food extends to the Fisher Cats’ front office.
“A highlight this year is we are introducing what we call ‘Foodie Fridays,’” says General Manager Michael Neiss. “That’s really taking that day of the week, taking that game, whether there’s a theme or not, and providing unique food [and] beverage options that you wouldn’t be able to get on a normal night.” Foodie Fridays will kick off the season on April 5 with an all-chili theme — chili dogs, chili burgers and chili fries — according to Stephanie Vangjel.
Andrew Marais, Senior Manager of Marketing and Promotions for the Fisher Cats, says management is excited about the Manchester Chicken Tenders returning to the field, referring to a Fisher Cats tribute to Manchester’s iconic food, when the team will dress in specially themed uniforms.
“The first [Chicken Tenders] game will be on May 11 — that will be your original Chicken Tender on-field uniform jersey — and then on July 27 we turn up the heat with Buffalo Tenders. So, brand new Buffalo Tender jerseys, very very cool. I believe they’re on our website too and you can purchase them in the team store.”
Hungry fans will also be able to eat brunch at the ballpark. The Fisher Cats will host four themed brunches this season, to correspond with special theme days. There will be a “Princess” brunch on April 28, a “Blue Heeler Appreciation” brunch in May, a “Super Bros” brunch in June and a “Piggy Tea Party” brunch in August. Each brunch ticket includes admission to the brunch and a ticket to the game following it. Brunch tickets are available through the Fisher Cats’ website (milb.com/new-hampshire). —John Fladd
Time to view the eclipse — with eclipse glasses to protect your eyes and weather permitting, New Hampshire will have a view of the eclipse in the afternoon. In Nashua, Great American Downtown will be on Main Street Bridge from 1 to 2 p.m. with 300 pairs of solar eclipse viewing glasses to give out, first come first served, according to a newsletter. Find more eclipse events in our story in the March 28 issue of the Hippo. Find the e-edition at hippopress.com; the story is on page 33.
Thursday, April 4
The New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival kicks off tonight with an opening night reception at 5:15 p.m. at the Palace Theatre’s Spotlight Room in Manchester and a screening of Remembering Gene Wilder at the Rex Theatre in Manchester at 7 p.m. See the full line up of events and get tickets at hjewishfilmfestival.com. And find out more about the festival, which runs through April 14 with in-person screenings and April 21 with virtual screenings, in the story on page 33 of the March 28 issue of the Hippo. Find the e-edition at hippopress.com.
Thursday, April 4
Experience Club d’Elf at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord, ccanh.com, 225-1111) tonight at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). Club d’Elf plays a fusion of jazz, Moroccan traditional music, rock, and dub music. Advance tickets start at $30.75.
Friday, April 5
Listen to music from the Wandering Souls Band (5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Bicentennial Square) and buy eats from Wicked Tasty Food Truck, which will be parked on Main Street in Concord, as part of tonight’s First Friday in downtown Concord. See intownconcord.org for a look at participating businesses and their plans for this month’s event.
Sunday, April 7
The Chubb Theatre at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord, ccanh.com, 225-1111) hosts an evening of game show excitement with “The Price is Right Live.” Attendees will be able to experience the excitement of listening for their names to be called to “come on down” and play pricing games from television’s longest-running game show. The show will begin at 7 p.m.; tickets start at $39.75.
Tuesday, April 9
Manchester Community College (1066 Front St. in Manchester, mccnh.edu) will host an Automated Manufacturing and Bio-fabrication Career Fair on Tuesday, April 9, from 3 to 6 p.m. The Fair will focus on high-tech jobs and is free to recent high school graduates, college students and adults seeking a new career. See nhmep.org for more information.
Save the Date! Saturday, April 13 Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive in Goffstown, anselm.edu, 641-7000) will host its annual Spring Festival on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 120 vendors and crafters will offer product demonstrations, free samples and homemade goods. There will be a food court, a dedicated Kids’ Zone, and a visit from New Hampshire Fisher Cats mascot Fungo. General admission will be $4 for ages 12 and older.
The peregrine falcon couple that lives in the nest box atop the Brady Sullivan Building in Manchester has welcomed this year’s eggs — four, brick-red-colored eggs, with the first egg laid March 20 and the fourth laid during the afternoon on March 28, according to the daily log of the peregrine activity (find a link in the chat on the YouTube live feed of the nest box). According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, peregrine eggs take about a month to hatch, so by May Day, Manchester should have new peregrines to add to its bird count.
QOL score: +1
Comments: A live camera feed of the Brady Sullivan Nest Box can be viewed by searching YouTube for Peregrine Networks Live Peregrine Falcon Feed1.
A cleaner New Hampshire
A recently released report from the Environmental Protection Agency shows that toxic pollutants in New Hampshire have decreased over the past decade. The 2022 Toxics Release Inventory (commonly known as a TRI Report) announced that toxic releases and toxic pollutants to the air, land and water have decreased significantly over the past 10 years, and that toxic emissions have “decreased by 71% over the last 10 years, due to the significant reductions of certain TRI chemicals at several manufacturing facilities and significant reductions from power plants,” the EPA reported last week in a press release.
QOL score: +1
Comments:Nationwide, releases of TRI chemicals have decreased by 21 percent. See awsgispub.epa.gov/trina2022/summary.
Faster fire rescue responses
Last week Nashua Fire Rescue announced the launch of a new emergency vehicle traffic preemption system, replacing the outdated Opticom system that has served for nearly 35 years. As reported by Nashua Ink Link on Thursday, March 28, Nashua’s new Glance Traffic Preemption system uses GPS, cellular and 900 MHz signaling technology to alert traffic signals at more than 90 intersections across the city of the approach of a fire apparatus, and changes the lights to allow emergency vehicles through, for a faster response time. In a phone interview, Fire Dispatch confirmed that the new system went online this week.
QOL score: +1
Comments: The $600,000 project was made possible through funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and was approved by the Nashua Board of Aldermen in 2022.
A cold night out
More than 165 people signed up to raise funds for Waypoint’s 10th Annual SleepOut on Friday, March 29, according to a story in the Boston Globe. Participants spent a night sleeping outside to earn money for programs at Waypoint, a statewide nonprofit that provides services for homeless young adults across New Hampshire’s programs, the story said. According to Cindy Stewart, Development Director at Waypoint, money is still coming in from the event, but so far, this SleepOut has raised more than $420,000.
QOL score: +1 for the fundraising and fundraisers
Comments:According to Waypoint, up to 15,000 New Hampshire youth experience homelessness each year.
QOL score: 62
Net change: +4
QOL this week: 66
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?
The Big Story – The Final Four: To paraphrase legendary New York TV sportscaster WarnerWolf: If you had Purdue, NC State, Alabama and defending champion UConn going to the Final Four, YOU WIN! The Wolfpack and Boilermakers kick it off Saturday at 6:09 p.m. followed by the Huskies and Bama.
Sports 101: Name the only coach to officially take three different schools to the Final Four.
News Item – Early Red Sox Update: Yes, NickPivetta came up short in the 1-0 Game 2 loss. But by giving up just three hits and no walks while striking out 10, he basically picked up where he left off in 2023 after pulling himself together during a mid-year exile to the bullpen. Ditto for GarrettWhitlock, who exactly matched Pivetta’s effort except he struck out just eight in Sunday’s 5-1 win. Both were the bright spots in the season-opening 2-2 series split in Seattle.
The Numbers:
30 – to 0 run by the UConn during its 77-52 Elite 8 rout of Illinois.
30 – point lead blown by the Celtics in their latest infuriating loss, which came last week, 123-122 to Atlanta.
84, 84, 84, 81 – pitches thrown by Sox starters in their four opening games to make you wonder if 80 is the new 100 in the pitch count department for AlexCora.
… Of the Week Awards
What a Stupid I Yam Award – To Me: My friend and long-time reader CliffOtto points out Red Sox prospects MarceloMayer and RomanAnthony were sent to AA Portland, not AAA as I said. But while I was incorrect, the larger point is they’re not far off from joining the young core and likely will be in AAA by mid-summer.
Survey Question: Whose Press Conference Statement Now Looks Dumber? (1) Red Sox co-owner TomWerner saying the team was going to go “full throttle to improve the roster” and then doing nothing to do it? or (2) New Patriots head coach JerodMayo saying on the eve of free agency they were ready to “burn some cash” before doing almost nothing but re-sign players from a 4-13 team?
RandomThoughts:
Speaking of Warner Wolf, when he was unceremoniously dumped by CBS it was a huge deal in NYC. But the interesting local note was the young turk who took over was one-time UNH wide-out and later WMUR sports reporter ChrisWragge. And, now as Paul Harvey used to say, you know the rest of the story. So where does BobKraft blaming CoachB for being the one who didn’t want to spend in free agency stand now after his team went into free agency with the most money in the league and then basically did squat?
Sports 101 Answer: At Providence, Kentucky and Louisville RickPitino is the only coach to take three different programs to the Final Four. JohnCalipari also did it, but UMass and Memphis later vacated their berths due to rules violations. So his only team in the official record is Kentucky.
Final Thought – NCAA Tournament:
Thanks to the one-and-done my interest has waned recently for college basketball. That’s because it took away our chance to see young players who make their mark grow into stars on their way to being seniors as the likes of LewAlcindor, PatrickEwing and ChristianLaettner did through the years.
It’s what I enjoy most. And since evolving history has disappeared, it hasn’t seemed worth investing time in what the current format yields.
But that’s the glass is half empty. Because when I pulled my head out of the rabbit hole, there’s actually some real history being made in 2024. Like UConn will be looking to cement its place as — dare I say it — a college basketball dynasty?
I don’t throw the D-word around lightly. But if they win Monday it’ll be their sixth title since 1999 and only UCLA has done better than that over a 25-year span.
They’ll also be trying to become the first repeat winner since 2007, when AlHorford-led Florida did it by knocking off GregOden and Ohio State 84-75. Before that it was Duke in 1991 and 1992, whose point guard Bobby Hurley is the older brother of Huskie coach DannyHurley. Beyond that, 11-seed NC State matches the lowest seed ever to make the Final Four. Which they did after miraculously surviving five games to win the ACC Tournament to just get in the tournament. Now they’ll be trying to emulate the similar miracle pulled off by the last Wolfpack team to get to the Finals, when JimValvano led NC State to an upset of highly favored Phi-Slama-Jama Houston for the title on a last second put-back by LorenzoCharles in 1983.
Purdue will be there for the first time since 1980, while folks all over Bama are excited that for the first time the famous football school has made it to the dance at all.
All of that are reasons to tune in at 6:09 on Saturday night. Email Dave Long at [email protected].
Jennifer Militello, award-winning Goffstown poet and MFA Director at New England College, on being named New Hampshire Poet Laureate, to begin her five-year term in April.
What do you believe led to your nomination?
There is a process. There is a selection committee that goes through the applications, or nominations, and it’s made up of members of the different art communities around the state: New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, New Hampshire Writers Project, Poetry Society of New Hampshire. It is a pretty long, extensive process. Then they bring the name that they choose to the governor and he nominates that person and then the Executive Council finally approves it. I think I’ve just been doing a lot of work to increase the visibility of poetry throughout the state for a long time. I’ve been advocating for poets…. There are many excellent poets in the state and many people who could do an excellent job in this role, but hopefully people saw that I had started a festival, run an MFA program, invite visiting poets, and I am in schools a lot. Hopefully, it was a natural next step for some of the work that I’ve been doing.
What does the Poet Laureate do?
There’s no real definition or expectation or role. I think each Poet Laureate chooses the way they want to grow and support the poetry community individually. I think ideally it is someone who is really active in connecting with other members of the poetry community. Someone who is thinking about young people, who is thinking about schools, who’s thinking about libraries, who’s thinking about event organizing, and also who’s just increasing the visibility of poetry. I know there have been poet laureates who have started websites or put together anthologies with New Hampshire poets’ poems featured, there are people who have worked to support poetry in schools. One poet laureate I know created a conference and got together all the poet laureates from across … the different states and then had them do readings in different parts of New Hampshire for a weekend, which was really cool…. I think really it’s just the person who is like ‘poetry is here,’ and it’s amazing, kind of the poster child for New Hampshire poetry for five years. If people are interested in poetry or have questions about poetry they can go and shoot me an email and let me know and I’m here.
What is your take on the state of poetry in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire is in a really exciting place at the moment. One of the things that I always think about when I think about New Hampshire is the incredibly rich literary history of the state. There’s a foundation here. It’s a state full of poetry history. Robert Frost is, of course, the first person we all think of and then, more recently, we have Donald Hall, Jane Kenyon, Sharon Olds, who were all living here. I think now the poetry community in New Hampshire is … writing poems that are rooted in the poems of their foremothers and fathers, but … also looking to contemporary poetry to find out what a poem wants to be in the current moment…. It’s a really rich place, it’s pretty exciting.
What led you to the state of New Hampshire?
I was born in New York City and grew up in Rhode Island but I wanted to live in New Hampshire from the time that I knew that you could choose where you wanted to live. We used to come up to go camping when I was a kid, and sometimes skiing. I wanted to be a poet since I was really young and I always saw those two things hand in hand. I always wanted to live in the woods and write some poems and be in a place that felt like a place poets would live in my very young, naive mind, and Robert Frost wrote some of the first poems I was familiar with and loved… When I turned 17 I came up to UNH to study with Charles Simic. I have spent a few short stints away in other places but for the majority of my adult life I’ve lived in different parts of New Hampshire. … It’s an adopted role, my New Hampshirite-ness, but it is something that has always been a dream of mine to live here.
Do you have a favorite poem about New Hampshire?
This is so cliche but I really love ‘Birches’ by Robert Frost…. One of the great things about literature is that it can permanently change the way you see things. When I am here and I see birch trees, there are always moments from that poem. There’s one moment where Frost talks about the birch trees bent over by an ice storm as women who have kind of thrown, bent over throwing their hair over their heads, and I see that image in my head every time I drive through New Hampshire after a snow or ice storm and I have read it so frequently to my daughter that she has it memorized; it’s a really long poem. So yeah, it’s an oldie but goodie and I would say, just off the top of my head, it’s the one I think of.
What’s more important, the sound of the poem or the meaning of the poem?
I actually think a lot of times the meaning grows out of the sound, ideally. I always tell my students to think about songs on the radio that they love. The lyrics are important but the music is important and poems only have the language to accomplish both of those things. You are responding with your intellect but you are also responding with your instinct or emotions. For me, I really like it when a poem is an experience that hits me emotionally and then the intellectual aspects of it follow. So, I am a sound person.
—Zachary Lewis
Featured image: Jennifer Militello. Courtesy Photo.
