Year: 2024

On The Job – Tom Mackenzie

Co-owner of X Golf Bedford

Tom MacKenzie is co-owner of X Golf Bedford (5 Colby Court, Unit 110, Bedford), the area’s largest and most technologically advanced indoor golf simulator with a full restaurant and bar and the option to take lessons from a PGA professional. Find X Golf at @xgolfbedford on Instagram or visit playxgolf.com/locations/bedford

Explain your job and what it entails.

I am one of the owners — myself and Zane [Villandry] are the owners of X Golf Bedford. It’s a new high-tech indoor golf experience….

How long have you had this job?

The process started in November of last year, but we’ve only been officially open for about 2 1/2 months.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I think just love of the sport led me to this career field. Kind of hungry to go out and test the market and provide a service for what seems like a thriving golf community in the Bedford, southern New Hampshire area.

What kind of education or training did you need?

Myself, anyway — Zane has the small business experience — myself, just some, a little here and there projects that I like to work on for fun on the side. Started a couple of small businesses just with friends and family and I wanted to take that to the next level. But other than that, my background is completely unrelated to business ownership. I worked in the sales industry for a pharmaceutical company.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

I would say golf professional. So polo and slacks. In the summer, polo and shorts. Just like your standard golf course attire.

What is the most challenging thing about your work, and how do you deal with it?

I would say the most difficult thing is just managing people. Bringing people with different backgrounds, experiences and attitudes and work habits together to work in sync and to cooperate together and being able to facilitate all that has been probably the biggest challenge…

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your career?

That there are massive opportunities out there in the market and you just need to apply yourself and go take what you want rather than falling into a typical 9-to-5 role…

What was your first job?

My first job was making pizza. Pizza tosser. Main Street Pizza in Henniker.

What is the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

I think the importance of networking. A lot of times people say, ‘Everything in business is who you know.’ I would say the most important advice I’ve gotten is that … but also, who likes you. It’s about making good impressions and creating positive networking in business and in life. —Zachary Lewis

Five favorites
Favorite book: The first thing that pops up on my Audible is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Be Useful
Favorite movie: Point Break
Favorite music: classic rock
Favorite food: breakfast, omelets
Favorite thing about NH: The Live Free or Die mentality. No sales tax.

Featured photo: Tom MacKenzie. Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 24/07/11

Family fun for whenever

Still celebrating

• The American Independence Museum (1 Governors Lane, Exeter) will hold its 34th American Independence Festival, on Saturday, July 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Be transported back in time with a live reading of the Declaration of Independence, and enjoy historical reenactments and colonial artisan demonstrations as well as colonial games, music and dances. Visit independencemuseum.org.

On stage

• CatchMadagascar — A Musical Adventure Jr., the first show of the Palace Theatres’ Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series which finishes up its run this week with shows on Thursday, July 11, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and Friday, July 12, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10 per person. Next week, the Summer Series takes on Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Jr. on Tuesday, July 16, through Thursday, July 18, with shows at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. daily as well as Friday, July 19, at 10 a.m. See the full summer schedule online.

• Many, many puppies face a great adventure in the Palace Youth Theatre Summer Camp’s presentation of 101 Dalmatians Kids, Friday July 12, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org). The student actors are in grades 2 through 12. Tickets start at $12.

• Follow magical chocolatier Willy Wonka inWilly Wonka Jr.on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, at 7 p.m. at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). Tickets are $18.75 for adults, $15.75 for students and seniors.

• The Teen Actorsingers, in arrangement with Concord Theatricals, present Nickelodeon™ The Spongebob Musical at the Janice B. Streeter Theater (14 Court St., Nashua) on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, July 14, at 2 p.m., according to their website. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for students and seniorse. Visit actorsingers.org/spongebob-2024

• Watch the adventures of father and son clownfish Marlin and Nemo as they struggle to be reunited in Finding Nemo (Kids) on Saturday, July 13, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). Tickets are $13.75 for adults, $10.75 for students and seniors.

Movies

• Catch 2019’s The Angry Birds Movie 2 on Saturday, July 13, at 10 a.m. and 2009’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on Tuesday, July 16, at 1:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 20, at 10 a.m. — the next two films on the Kids Summer Movie-Rama schedule at the Park Theatre in Jaffrey. The movies are rated PG and tickets cost $7; seetheparktheatre.org/kids or call 532-8888.

• The next movie in the Kids Series at O’neil Cinemas Brickyard Square (24 Calef Highway, Epping, oneilcinemas.com) is Jumanji: The Next Level (PG-13, 2019) on Monday, July 15, and Wednesday, July 17, at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

• Head to the coast on Monday, July 15, at dusk for a screening of The Swan Princess: Far Longer Than Forever(PG, 2023) at Movie Night Mondays on the Beach at Hampton Beach. See hamptonbeach.org/events/movies.

• The kid summer series at Cinemark Rockingham Park (15 Mall Road, Salem, cinemark.com) will feature Trolls Band Together (PG, 2023) on Wednesday, July 17, at 10 a.m.

• Next up for the Downtown Summer Series Movie Nights in Veterans Park (723 Elm St. in Manchester) is Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (PG, 1989) on Wednesday, July 17, at dusk, according to a post on the Manchester Economic Development Office Facebook page. Concessions will be available for purchase.

• Outdoor Movies in Concord with Concord Parks and Rec and Red River Theaters will screen 1995’s Jumanji (PG) on Wednesday, July 17, in Memorial Field off South Fruit Street in Concord.

Library activities

• The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua) on Monday, July 15, from noon to 1:30 p.m. will be hosting Mini Waffle Monday!, an in-person event for those in grades 6 through 12, according to their website. Participants will use NPL’s mini waffle makers to create snacks that they can top with a variety of sweet or savory toppings. Space and supplies are limited. Visit nashualibrary.org

• On Tuesday, July 16, Manchester City Library will hold bubble time, and participants will be having a Bubble Party on the side lawn of the library, Different activities occur every Tuesday and registration is requested for these programs. Call 624-6550, ext. 7628, or visit manchester.lib.nh.us.

Treasure Hunt 24/07/11

Dear Donna,

These boards were used all the time in my home growing up. My mother shared with me that some were her mother’s. I thought possibly I could pass them along to my girls. Could you share any information? Are they still safe to use today?

Thank you, Donna.

Lee

Dear Lee,

The best part of your story is the memories of the boards being used!

Lee, bread boards have been around for so many years. All, I’m sure, were heavily used for bread making, pastries, light chopping, etc.

Cutting boards and bread boards all have value in today’s market, depending on age, condition, even shapes, etc.

Values run from $10 to several hundred dollars on some. Most common ones are in the $40-to-$100 range.

If you want to pass them along, Lee, you can clean them with a mild detergent and rinse well, then re-coat them with a safe food oil for use.

For just decorative use and collecting, I would leave them in the original patina (natural age discoloring). They are a very attractive kitchen collectible.

So no matter what you do, Lee, you have great memories and a treasure with your boards. Thanks for sharing with us.

Hillsboro Summer Fest

Carnival rides, a skillet toss and music

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

The Hillsboro Summer Festival has been trucking along for over 35 years and is exactly what you want from a summer festival filled with events and activities you might never have imagined.

Admission is free but parking is $10 per carload. The event is hosted with the Lions Club and the Fire Association in Hillsboro and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for various nonprofits.

The festival starts on the evening of Thursday, July 11, at 6 p.m.

“It’s just smack-dab in the middle of the summer; it’s something unique in New Hampshire … we’re incredibly affordable,” said Katherine Charrette, the Creative Director and Co-Chair of the Hillsboro Summer Festival.

For Thursday, “it’s more like a local intro,” Charrette said. That’s the first of three wristband days, which means for only $25 participants can purchase a wristband that allows for unlimited rides like the classic Zipper, Merry-Go-Round, Tilt-a-Whirl and more.

If you are unfamiliar with the Zipper, “it looks like a zipper. Imagine all of the pieces turn into a little roller coaster that spins … that’s the ride kids will go on eight times in a row,” Charette said.

A special Thursday-only bonus is extended to active military families, who will receive half-price admission with ID at the administration table.

The beer tent opens at 6 p.m. Thursday. Beers on tap include Bud, Bud Light, Founders IPA, Arnold Palmer’s Tea/Lemonade, Bud Light Seltzer and Downeast Craft Cider, according to the website, and all drinks will be $5 each.

Besides carnival rides and beer, there will be trivia from 7 to 10 p.m. on the main stage.

On Friday, July 12, the festival starts at 5 p.m. and goes until 11 p.m.; Friday is another wristband day. At 6 p.m., Hillsboro Police will have their K-9 Unit show, which involves an agility course, and at 6:30 p.m. there will be an obstacle course at Entertainment Field where the Hillsboro Police Department, firefighters and EMS will be competing. Also 6:30 p.m. brings the start of the Angus Lea Golf Course 5K Road Race (pre-registration is $20 and day-of registration is $25). Music will blast from Nick’s Other Band as attendees marinate in the fun from 7 to 10:30 p.m.

Then on Saturday, July 13, the festival opens at noon but attendees will need to wait until 4 p.m. for the beer tent to open. Wristbands for unlimited rides are not available Saturday, but there will be plenty of entertainment. The famed Women’s Skillet Toss will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m, which is exactly as it sounds.

“It’s women only, a real old-time tradition but we do it for women’s heart health and we raise quite a bit of money for that,” Charrette said. “You take a skillet and you have to heave it underhand, you can try overhand if you want to, and you have to throw it as far as you can.”

Music on Saturday night will be performed by Lonesome Train and at 10 p.m. a huge fireworks display will paint the night sky after a performance of the national anthem by Faith Daley. “People come from all over for that … we put a lot of effort into it,” Charrette said.

For the last day, the Festival opens on Sunday, July 14, at noon and will feature a parade that starts at the school and ends at Grimes Field. The theme this year for the parade is Mythical Creatures.

“People go all out for the floats. It really has grown into quite a competitive parade. Very eclectic, colorful, Sunday is a really fun day,” Charrette said. On Sunday participants can acquire an unlimited ride wristband and the beer tent opens at 1 p.m. Also at 1 p.m. is the kids’ cupcake eating contest for little ones under the age of 10; it’s parsed into different age groups, “as young as 1 year old all the way to 10 years old, and they take it very seriously,” Charrette said. “It’s probably 60 kids just looking and waiting to eat more cupcakes than the other ones. You can’t see that anywhere else. It’s very entertaining.”

This event will be followed by a pie eating contest for the grown-ups at 1:30 p.m. The Festival closes at 5 p.m.

“It is a lot of fun packed into a full weekend,” Charrette said. “The atmosphere is just a really fun time, it’s a good-sized crowd but not overcrowded and … it’s just a lot to do that’s eclectic and affordable for families.”

Hillsboro Summer Festival
Where: 29 Preston St., Hillsboro
When: Thursday, July 11, from 6 to 10 p.m.; Friday, July 12, from 5 to 11 p.m.;
Saturday, July 13, from noon to 11 p.m., with fireworks at 10 p.m.; Sunday, July 14, from noon to 5 p.m.
Admission: free
Parking: $10 per carload
Wristbands: $25 for unlimited rides on Thursday, Friday and Sunday
More: hillsborosummerfest.com, 464-0377
No smoking. No outside alcohol. No animals allowed except for working service dogs. Free fountain water provided by The Hillsborough Solid Waste Advisory Board.

The Art Roundup 24/07/11

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

• Final days: The “Metalsum” exhibit at the McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord; nhaudubon.org) closes on Friday, July 12. The show features rustic metal artwork with an emphasis on portraying the natural world by Jane Kolias, a New Hampshire native now residing in Vermont, according to the event website. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• On stage: All Shook Up is presented by Majestic Productions will run on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, July 14, at 2 p.m. at Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway, Derry, majestictheatre.net, 669-7469). The performance features the songs of Elvis Presley and takes place in 1955 in a square little town in a square little state where a guitar-playing young man changes everything and everyone he meets. It’s also loosely based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, according to the press release. Tickets are $15 and $22.

• Opera:The Pittsfield Players host an Evening at the Opera at the Scenic Theatre (6 Depot St., Pittsfield) on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, at 7:30 p.m as well as Sunday, July 14, at 2 p.m. with a fully staged production of the classicI Pagliacciby the Italian composer Leoncavallo, according to a press release. This one-act opera will be sung in Italian and will feature some singers from the NH Opera Idol competition as well as other emerging opera performers from all over the United States. A pre-opera event will offer a brief introduction to I Pagliacci by the director of the production, Jane Cormier. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for children and seniors. Visit pittsfieldplayers.org/tickets.

HEATHERS
Heathers: The Musical by Kevin Murphy & Laurence O’Keefe, based on the 1989 film, produced by Ro Gavin Collaborative Theater and presented by Hatbox Theatre and Manchester Community Theatre Players, runs July 12 through July 21 with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at MCTP Theater at the North End Montessori School in Manchester (689 Beech St.). The musical is based on the 1989 film, the darkly delicious story of a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful, ruthless, shoulder-padded clique at Westerberg High: the Heathers. Tickets cost $28 for adults, $25 for students, seniors and members, $22 for senior members. See hatboxnh.com for content details.

• Summer concert: As part of the town of Exeter’s summer concert series at Swasey Parkway (316 Water St., Exeter) on Thursday, July 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. the band Forside Funk will perform, according to the town’s website, which says Forside Funk combines soulful melodies, tight rhythms and electrifying horn sections, and takes listeners on a musical journey back to the golden era of funk. Exeter’s concert series has been a summer tradition for over 30 years and occurs every Thursday this summer through Aug. 15. Visit exeternh.gov/recreation/2024-summer-concerts-swasey-parkway.

• The Circus: The Hideaway Circus will be at Brookford Farm (250 West Road, Canterbury) on Saturday, July 13, from 7:30 to 9 p.m.; Sunday, July 14, from 2 to 4 p.m., and Monday, July 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with their new family-friendly show, called Canvas Sky, according to a press release. This outdoor circus brings together the thrill of classical circus with a contemporary narrative as world-class performers displays their skill and artistry, according to the same release. Tickets range from VIP $65 to Premium $45 to general admission $25, and children 3 or younger are free. Call 742-4084 or visit hideawaycircus.com.

• Music in the gallery:As part of the Seacoast Artist Association’s Second Friday Music at the Gallery (130 Water St.) series, the SAA will present Terrie Harman on keyboards along with the vocals of Anne Corriveau on Friday, July 12, from 5 to 7 p.m., according to a press release. Harman is a contributing member of the American Guild of Organists, founded The Portsmouth Men’s Chorus, has volunteered on numerous art and music boards and serves as Director of Music at the Exeter Congregational Church, and has also served as Director of Music and organist in several NH Seacoast area churches, according to the release. Corriveau received a master’s degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado, continued her studies in Rome at the Accademia Internazionale delle Arti,gave several concerts throughout Italy, including for the Rome Opera Festival, and continues to study in Boston with Angela Gooch at Boston University, according to the same release. Refreshments will be served; admission is free. Visit their Facebook page or call 778-8856.

OUTDOOR MUSIC
Londonderry’s Concerts on the Common features the Brian Maes Band on Wednesday, July 17, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Londonderry Town Common (265 Mammoth Road). Returning for their ninth year at Concerts on the Common, this band is packed with all-star musicians performing classic rock favorites by The Who, Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Tears for Fears, Elton John and more. In case of inclement weather the concert will be held inside the Londonderry High School cafeteria. Visit concertsonthecommon.org.

—Zachary Lewis

Not just summer stock

What’s happening at New London Barn

The Broadway musical bonafides of New London Barn Playhouse are solid. Wicked creator Stephen Schwartz wrote his first big hit, Godspell, there. Past “Barnies” include The Book of Mormon director Casey Nicholaw, along with Tony-winning actors Taye Diggs and Judy Kuhn. Laura Linney and Sandy Dennis are also alums.

Upcoming in the current season, which runs through Labor Day weekend, are Jersey Boys (opening July 17) and Rent (opening Aug. 7). These follow successful June productions of Little Shop of Horrors and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Little Shop was something of a class reunion, according to New London Barn Executive Artistic Director Keith Coughlin.

“Of the 13 members in the cast, 10 are alumni who have returned to the Barn,” he said by phone recently. “Including some folks who were here not all that long ago and have then continued on and done some really great things in their career. The gentleman playing Seymour was just on Broadway.”

A pair of plays are also scheduled. Driving Miss Daisy opens July 10 for a five-day, seven-show run. The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama follows the relationship between a stubborn Atlanta widow and the chauffeur she’s forced to hire when she crashes her car. It spans from 1948 to 1973, beginning with prejudice and ending in friendship.

“Those that appreciate the movie will like this,” Coughlin said. “It is a wonderful telling of that same story of acceptance. One of the things that really sparked to me is how it shows humans connecting and growing. These characters grow over the decades, their relationships build, and their mindsets grow and change. I think that’s really powerful.”

Clue, running from Aug. 21 through Sept. 1, closes out the summer. Coughlin agreed that the adaptation of a movie based on a board game is a fun way to end the season.

“It’s murder and it’s farce,” he said. “In the recent past couple of years, they’ve actually done a new adaptation of this play that really strikes closer to the tone of the movie. I think it’ll be in the ride of the season, experiencing all of these different performances, with people laughing and just enjoying it, for sure.”

Jersey Boys continues a theme begun last year, shows based on the canon of pop music. It follows 2023’s production of Carole King: Beautiful. Along with the Barn debut of Rent, which Coughlin called “a cornerstone in the genre,” it’s the show he’s most looking forward to this year.

“After trying a number of seasons to get it in our lineup, I’m really excited to share that,” he said. “We have a wonderful director and choreographer who’s coming in to helm it that has been working on Broadway shows and productions in London. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun for our patrons. Tickets are already going quick.”

Finally, on July 22, the Barn’s first-ever concert happens, as Steven Leslie performs a tribute to James Taylor.

“I jokingly say that almost every night of the summer there’s some type of performance happening,” Coughlin said. “But there are a couple of nights that are not, [and] I thought that this might be an interesting idea to do something … different than sort of the normal theater productions that we do.”

It’s part of an expansion effort that includes operating as a year-round entity, he continued.
“The Barn will always be celebrated by the work that we do inside the barn in the summer,” he said, “but we’re growing in impact to the community in a way that’s really exciting. That’s the next chapter… we have a dynamic education team that’s doing some really powerful things for our community all year long, not just within the summer.”

Driving Miss Daisy
When: Wednesday, July 10, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, July 11, and Friday, July 12, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 13, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, July 14, 5 p.m.
Where: New London Barn Playhouse, 84 Main St., New London
Tickets: $34 to $59 at nlbarn.org

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