Author: Angie Sykeny

Angie Sykeny is a Hippo staff writer covering local arts, theater, music and pop culture. She can be reached at [email protected].

Kiddie Pool 20/10/29

Family fun for whenever

Crafts and costume parties

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

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

Dress up and run

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

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

Science & nature

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

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

21 ideas for outdoor fun this weekend

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

Pumped for pumpkins

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

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

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

Walk through history

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

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

Open air art

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

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

Halloween thrills

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

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

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

Bring the fam

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

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

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

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

Take a hike

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

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

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

More outdoor fun

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

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

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

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

The Art Roundup 20/10/29

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Come together (at a distance)

Palace Theatre presents The British Rock Experience

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

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

Exhibits

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

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

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

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

Theater

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

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

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

Classical

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

Books

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

Writing

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

Moon mission

Local grad working on EagleCam project

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

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

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

What is the EagleCam project?

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

How did you end up working on the EagleCam?

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

What is your role?

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

What are you working on right now, specifically?

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

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

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

What has been the biggest challenge?

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

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

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

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

Featured photo: William Edwards. Courtesy photo.

Haunted happenings

Prepare for scares at haunted attractions

From killer clowns to bloodthirsty zombies, New Hampshire haunted houses have scares for everyone.

At Spooky World in Litchfield, open weekends through the end of October, you’ll visit four frightening attractions, including Brigham Manor, an estate with a horrifying history now haunted by tormented spirits; The Colony,a labyrinth in which you’re hunted by sadistic unearthly creatures; Dreamscape, where your worst nightmares — spiders, snakes, aliens, clowns and more — come to life in a 3D experience; and the popular one-mile, 22-minute Haunted Hayride, which takes passengers through a number of scream-worthy scenes.

“You’ve got your cemetery scene, and, of course, you’ve got your creatures from the dead who attack the wagon,” Spooky World co-owner Mike Accomando said. “You’ll see an abandoned house that has been taken over by a cult, and — this one really freaks people out — an abandoned barn and campsite that has been completely taken over by spiders. It’s just littered with them.”

Fright Kingdom in Nashua also has four attractions. There’s Apocalypse Z, a military bunker that has been overrun by zombies; Bloodmare Manor, a Victorian mansion inhabited by the diabolical Bloodmare family; The Abandoned, an old abandoned farm house linked to a series of disappearances of people in town; and, finally, Psycho Circus, a 3D experience where you’re taunted by insane clowns and inundated with sensory illusions that may make you question your own sanity.

“We really try to take [visitors] out of the real world and put them into our world with everything we do,” Fright Kingdom owner Tim Dunne said. “We use animatronics; we have well over a hundred animatronic effects alone. We also use lighting. We use smells. We use video and sound effects and music — all kinds of things to create an atmosphere.”

Haunted Houses have had to make some adjustments this year to allow for social distancing and prevent the spread of Covid-19. At Spooky World and Fright Kingdom, capacity has been reduced, and tickets must be purchased for specific time slots in advance. Both parks require visitors to wear masks at all times, and Fright Kingdom is conducting health questionnaires and touchless temperature checks with all visitors and staff before they enter the park, Dunne said.

Accomando said Spooky World hired more staff than ever before to help keep the park safe.

“Because of the new regulations, there are so many more things we have to take care of,” he said. “We need [staff for] crowd control, for directing people, for sanitizing the [Haunted Hayride] wagon between rides and sanitizing all of the haunts every single night.”

Another big change is that groups from each household are ushered through the attractions in a staggered manner so that they don’t come in close contact with other groups.

“Typically, when it gets busy, we send in larger groups of people who may not know each other, because we have to move things along, but we aren’t doing that now,” Dunne said. “Now, you only go through with the people you came with, which means you’ll have to wait longer, but on the other side of the coin, it means you’re going to have a more personalized experience, and people love that.”

The scares will look much different this year. Actors won’t be able to “get right in your face” anymore, which Spooky World has “always been known for,” Accomando said, and actors at Fright Kingdom are doing their scares from behind plexiglass walls.

“It’s definitely been challenging, having to distance the actors,” Dunne said. “You’re always going to get a better scare when you come into someone’s personal space.”

But Accomando said Covid-19 has pushed Spooky World to get creative with alternative scare techniques and expand its special effects to compensate for the restrictions with the actors.

“Don’t get me wrong; it’s been challenging, but it’s also been exciting to use this new format,” he said. “It’s not going to be what people are accustomed to, but I think we’ve really stepped things up a notch to make sure that we’re still giving people a good show.”

Haunted attractions

The Dark Woods
Where: Trombly Gardens, 150 N. River Road, Milford
When: Fridays, Oct. 23 and Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 24, 7:30 to 10 p.m.
Tickets: $14 for adults and $10 for kids age 12 and under
More info: thedarkwoodsnh.com, 465-3275
Fright Kingdom
Where: 12 Simon St., Nashua
When: Friday and Saturday, 7 to 11 p.m., and Sunday, 7 to 10 p.m., now through Oct. 31
Tickets: $27 per person. Must be purchased online in advance.
More info: frightkingdom.com, 809-1173
Haunted Overload
Where: DeMeritt Hill Farm, 66 Lee Road, Lee
When: Thursday, Oct. 22, Friday, Oct. 23, and Sunday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 24, 6:30 p.m.; plus special events Glow Stick Night on Friday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m., and Lights Out Night on Saturday, Oct. 31, with start times from 7 to 9 p.m.; and family-friendly, non-scary daytime haunts on Friday,

Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., now through Oct. 31, and a non-scary Fright Night Lite on Thursday, Oct. 29, with start times from 7 to 8 p.m.
Tickets: $27 per person for regular haunts; $7 for daytime haunts and free for children under age 3; $17 for Glow Stick Night; $16 for Lights Out Night; and $13.50 for Fright Night Lite. Must be purchased online in advance.
More info: hauntedoverload.com, 868-2111

Spooky World presents Nightmare New England
Where: Mel’s Funway, 454 Charles Bancroft Highway, Litchfield
When: Friday, 7 to 11 p.m., Saturday, 6:30 to 11 p.m., and Sunday, 6:30 to 10 p.m., now through Nov. 1, plus Saturday, Nov. 7, and Friday, Nov. 13
Tickets: $39.99 per person on Friday and on Saturday, Nov. 7; $44.99 on Saturday; $34.99 on Sunday; and $26.99 on Friday, Nov. 13. Must be purchased online in advance.
More info: nightmarenewengland.com, 424-7999

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