Meghan Siegler

Arts alive! (really)

Theater and art groups rally in 2021

Well, it was better than 2020 — that’s the sentiment that many in the art community had about 2021, as they continued to try to evolve among the ebbs and flows of the pandemic.

“All arts organizations have faced tremendous challenges in bringing live performances and art experiences to the public,” Alan Chong, Director of the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, said. “We have all learned to adapt and be flexible.”

Here’s how some artistic groups fared in 2021, and a look at what they think 2022 might bring.

Art

For some organizations, 2021 meant bringing back some sorely missed in-person events. The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, for example, was able to hold its annual fair in Sunapee, with a few modifications that prioritized social distancing.

“We were really delighted that the fair was a total success and people felt comfortable coming,” said Miriam Carter, executive director of the League.

Carter said the artists did very well, with an increase in sales from $2.35 million in 2019 — the last time the fair was held in person — to $2.74 million in 2021.

“People came ready to buy,” Carter said. “It was incredibly heartening.”

The Currier Museum of Art in Manchester has faced financial challenges from being closed for most of 2020 and much of 2021, according to Chong, but it was able to reopen in 2021 with a special exhibition called “The Body in Art,” which looked at images of nudes from different perspectives, like gender, culture and time period.

“The museum also acquired a second house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright just before the pandemic,” Chong said. “We were so happy to be able to open both houses to the public in 2021.”

The museum is now offering free admission for all on Thursday nights, with live music, tours and refreshments.

Joni Taube, owner of Art 3 gallery, also re-opened her studio to the public this year, changing her hours to 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with other times open by appointment. Taube, who does art design consulting for individuals and businesses, said that at the beginning of the pandemic she had to adapt how she showed the work in her gallery by hosting virtual show openings, and that has continued in 2021 because her space is too small for gatherings. She said she may have 70 to 80 artists showing at one time, with the majority of the works being paintings, along with some glass, ceramics and metal pieces. In working with so many artists, Taube has heard a range of reactions to the pandemic.

“Artists are doing more experimenting because they’re in their studios all the time now,” she said. “Some are frustrated because the galleries are closed. Many of them have way too much work in their studios that they’d like to find an outlet for. … Some are hunkered down and painting and happy. … I think that’s how a lot of them coped.”

Taube said she thinks it has been difficult financially for artists, which is one of the reasons she started posting work online.

“You try different things for them [like] social media [and putting] shows online so the artists feel like their work is getting exposure,” she said.

The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen was able to reopen its smaller galleries, and Carter said the artists who display their work there have been well-supported by the public.

“Shopping local has really started to stick,” Carter said. “There seems to be a mindset to support the local talent. … [I think] that’s a direct impact of Covid.”

Looking ahead, Carter said the League is already preparing for the 2022 fair and will be ready to adapt if needed.

“At headquarters we’re really excited to be returning to opening our exhibition gallery, [which has been] closed since [the start of the pandemic],” she said.

The gallery will open Jan. 20 with a three-day exhibition of Art & Bloom by the Concord Garden Club. It will then open for regular hours starting Jan. 25 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. A new exhibition called “Setting the Standard,” featuring new work from League jurors in all media areas, will be on display at that time.

At the Currier, Chong said they’re watching the omicron variant situation carefully and will make decisions based on keeping the community safe.

“We are continuing to push experiences [like] remote art classes and educational resources,” Chong said.

A new exhibition featuring the work of Arghavan Khosravi is scheduled to open in April, according to Chong, and the Currier will also be showing Warhol Screen Tests: “short film snippets made in the 1960s that prefigure our selfie culture,” he said.

Art 3 Gallery currently has a show that will be up for another few weeks called “Artful Escapes.”

Taube is hoping to have some in-person opening receptions next year but knows that as with this year, everything can change at any time.

“I don’t know what 2022 is going to bring,” she said. “I’m hoping that people start coming out more and looking again at art, thinking about spaces, decor and how they want to live and have an appreciation of what people go through in terms of forming a piece of artwork.”

Theater

Still reeling from a huge loss of income after the months-long shutdowns in 2020, New Hampshire performance companies and venues spent 2021 recuperating and trying to regain some stability.

Salvatore Prizio, who became the Executive Director of the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord last fall, said financial difficulty is the biggest challenge to come with his new position.

“One of the major issues CCA and all performing arts centers are facing now is getting back on their feet [financially],” he told the Hippo in November. “They have a lot of fiscal issues from being shut down for months.”

As restrictions on public gatherings were eased, many performance companies and venues saw an opportunity to increase revenue by expanding their programming options as much as possible, to accommodate people with all levels of Covid safety concerns.

“New Hampshire Theatre Project moved to a variety of alternative formats last year, including livestream and on-demand programming as well as in-person and outdoor performances,” said Genevieve Aichele, executive director of the Portsmouth-based company, which had lost 75 percent of its income in 2020, according to Aichele.

The Hatbox Theatre in Concord reopened with its first in-person mainstage production of the year in early summer. With masks required and seats distanced, the venue was able to operate at around 85 percent capacity.

“[Having in-person shows] enables us to … get to a point where productions not only break even but might actually come out ahead a little for their next production,” theater owner and operator Andrew Pinard told the Hippo in June.

Manchester-based Cue Zero Theatre Company was one of a number of local companies and venues that utilized a hybrid format for its performances, allowing people to attend in person or watch from home via livestream.

“Being able to offer streaming alongside the in-person performances created new opportunities for us to reach both a wider audience as well as keep our local audiences feeling safe and comfortable,” Cue Zero artistic director Dan Pelletier said, adding that the company “had a successful 2021, all things considered.”

The New Hampshire theater community also took time in 2021 to celebrate the technology and experimental forms of performance that have kept them going through the pandemic.

“The pandemic has truly redefined the way theater artists make work,” said Matt Cahoon, artist director of Theatre Kapow in Manchester. “We feel very fortunate to have found ways to innovate.”

Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative in Laconia, for example, teamed up with the Community Players of Concord in April to host a Zoom Play Festival, featuring a series of new short plays by New Hampshire playwrights, written specifically for performance over the Zoom video chat platform; and the theme of New Hampshire Theatre Project’s annual Storytelling Festival, held in the spring virtually and in person in Portsmouth, was “What Are You Waiting For?” — a theme inspired, Aichele said, by the innovation of the arts community during the pandemic.

“It’s a new world; we can’t do art the way we used to,” Aichele told the Hippo in April, “so why not use Covid as an opportunity to reinvent ourselves? What are we waiting for? That’s really what these stories are about — not waiting to act or make a change.”

Heading into the new year, performance companies and venues are hopeful that they can continue to present shows in person, but are at the ready to go fully virtual again, should restrictions on public gatherings be reinstated.

“We are well aware that we may need to return to virtual performances at some point in the future, but truly feel prepared to make that transition if need be,” Cahoon said, adding that Theater Kapow is “also working hard to incorporate many of the lessons we have learned and the technology we have acquired into our in-person performances.”

Some companies and venues have had so much success with their virtual programming that they plan to offer it, in addition to their in-person programming, indefinitely, regardless of the Covid situation.

“Digital media … is going to be a long-term component of performing arts centers,” Prizio told the Hippo in November. “That’s going to be critical for us down the road. It’s a way we can reach a wider audience and allow people who might not have the opportunity to get to our physical space, like some of the folks living in senior centers, for example, to experience art from the comfort of their own home.”

Many theater directors are optimistic about the future of community theater, even in the face of uncertainty.

“2021 brought new challenges, but also new opportunities, and we are a stronger company because of it,” said Rob Dionne, artistic director of Majestic Theatre in Manchester. “We are looking forward to seeing our audiences grow again in 2022.”

“We know the challenges of Covid are not going away,” Pelletier added, “but we look forward to traversing them with our audiences into a new landscape where we can continue to create our brand of theater and art.”

Things to look forward to in 2022

ART
• “Setting the Standard”: A new exhibition at League of New Hampshire Craftsmen headquarters in Concord that will feature new work from League jurors in all media areas will be open to guests Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 4 p.m. starting Jan. 25. Visit nhcrafts.org.
• Arghavan Khosravi exhibition: The Currier Museum of Art in Manchester will host an exhibition featuring the work of Arghavan Khosravi, “an immensely talented artist whose challenging images have a striking surrealist quality,” according to museum director Alan Chong. The opening date will be announced soon. Visit currier.org.

THEATER
• The Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts presents a Young Performers’s Edition of The Wizard of Oz at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway, Derry), with showtimes on Friday, Jan. 28, and Saturday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for seniors age 65 and up and $10 for students age 17 and under. Call 669-7469 or visit majestictheatre.net.
• Glass Dove Productions presents Mary and Me at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord) from Jan. 28 through Feb. 13. The original play by Irene Kelleher, inspired by a true story, follows a pregnant 15-year-old girl and her search for understanding while growing up in 1986 Ireland. Tickets cost $22 for adults and $19 for seniors and students. Visit hatboxnh.com or call 715-2315.
• The Riverbend Youth Company will perform The Lion King Jr. at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford), with showtimes on Friday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 5, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 6, at 2:30 p.m. Tickets will go on sale in early January. Visit amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company.
• Cue Zero Theatre Co. presents Deadly, an original movement-based theater piece by Crystal Rose Welch, at Granite State Arts Academy (19 Keewaydin Drive, No. 4, Salem), with showtimes Friday, March 4, through Sunday, March 6. With a nine-person ensemble, Deadly uses movement to explore the modern-day seven deadly sins. Visit cztheatre.com
• The Franklin Footlight Theatre presents a production of Little Women at the Franklin Opera House (316 Central St., Franklin) with showtimes on Thursday, March 10, through Saturday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 13, at 2 p.m. Based on Louisa May Alcott’s classic 1869 novel, the play follows the adventures of four sisters living with their mother in Massachusetts while their father is fighting in the Civil War. Tickets cost $16 for adults and $14 for students and seniors. Visit franklinoperahouse.org or call 934-1901.
• The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester) presents a mainstage production of Bye Bye Birdie from March 11 through April 3. The musical comedy, set in 1958 small-town America, centers around teen heartthrob Conrad Birdie, who has been drafted into the Army and announces that he will give one girl from his fan club a goodbye-kiss before reporting for duty. Tickets range from $25 to $46. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

Featured Photo: Untitled by Arghavan Khosravi. Courtesy photo.

Happy Hogmanay!

Celebrate the new year Scottish-style

You don’t have to live across the Atlantic to celebrate Hogmanay — Scotland’s New Year’s Eve tradition is coming to Manchester this year, on Sunday, Jan. 2, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Derryfield Country Club.

“In Scotland this is a very big deal,” said Amy Lehman, program coordinator for NHSCOT, which is putting on the event. “People will travel to Scotland to celebrate Hogmanay.”

This is the second time NHSCOT has held a Hogmanay celebration, the first being in 2019, pre-Covid.

“We had a really good crowd [of hundreds of] people of all ages, and I felt like we had [activities] for everyone,” Lehman said. “We’re very excited that we’re going to gather again this year.”

She said NHSCOT has been working to expand its events so there are more of them year-round, to complement the popular New Hampshire Highland Games and Festival that typically takes place at the end of the summer. People who have enjoyed the Highland Games will find some of the same fun traditions at Hogmanay — though it will likely be significantly colder. Most events are held outside, with plenty of warming fires and a s’mores station to keep things cozy.

“Fire is the center of Hogmanay celebrations,” Lehman said, noting that in Scotland they’ll have fire festivals to drive away bad spirits.

Street curling, which was at the Highland Games for the first time this year, will be available for people to try, and other “try-its” include drumming, Highland dancing and Scottish country dancing.

“Scottish country dancing you do with a group of people … at a wedding or at parties,” Lehman said. “We’ll have a caller for that. Highland dance is usually done with someone who’s more highly trained.”

A “haggis throw” (cornhole) will be set up near the fires, and sledding will be available as long as there’s enough snow on the ground. Rebel Collective and the Pipes and Drums of NHSCOT will take turns playing live music in a heated tent throughout the event.

Indoors, there will be Scottish board games and a jigsaw puzzle challenge.

Stramash, a Scottish board game. Courtesy photo.

Tickets include a buffet for adults, with fish and chips, lamb stew and shepherd’s pie. Kids get chicken strips and french fries, though Lehman said a lot of the kids are interested in trying some of the “adult” foods. There will be a cash bar as well.

The day will conclude with a torchlit parade.

“We’ll all gather outside and everyone will be led [in a short parade] by pipes and drums, so it’s very festive,” Lehman said. “We have some banners kids can hold, and we end up around the fire and sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ at 7 p.m., which is midnight in Scotland.”

As the event winds down, NHSCOT will have a “First Footing,” which says the first visitor to enter a home in the new year bearing gifts will bring good luck — particularly if that visitor is tall, dark and good-looking.

Visitors will be given small gifts on their way out to honor that Scottish tradition.

Lehman said that last year they had a good mix of people who attended, including plenty with no Scottish background and having never attended the Highland Games.

“It’s a family-friendly event that makes everybody happy,” she said.

Schedule of events

Indoor

Scottish jigsaw puzzles – ongoing
4 p.m. Team Puzzle Challenge
4 p.m. Stramash – Scottish Board Games
4 p.m. Snare Drumming Try It – Pipes & Drums of NHSCOT
5 p.m. Royalty Announcement: Lord, Lady, Lassie & Lad
5:30 p.m. Tenor Drumming Try It – Pipes & Drums of NHSCOT

Outdoor

Sledding, ongoing as snow conditions allow
4 to 6 p.m. Dinner (ticket required)
4 p.m. Highland Dance Try It – Shelley Stiles
4:30 p.m. Scottish Country Dancing – Merrill Henderson
5 p.m. Highland Dance Try It – Shelley Stiles
5:30 p.m. Scottish Country Dancing – Merrill Henderson
6:30 p.m. Parade
7 p.m. Toast to Hogmanay & singing of “Auld Lang Syne”
First Footing

Hogmanay

When: Sunday, Jan. 2, from 3 to 7 p.m.
Where: Derryfield Country Club, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester
Cost: Adults, $42, which includes buffet-style meal; children, $20, which includes chicken and french fries
Contact: info@nhscot.org, 219-1772

Featured Photo: Hogmanay Bonfire. Courtesy photo.

Merry movement and music

Birdie premieres at Canterbury Shaker Village’s holiday event

The heartwarming story of a child who grew up in Canterbury Shaker Village is part of the inspiration behind Birdie, a new show that will be performed for the first time this weekend as part of the village’s Merry, Merry Canterbury celebration.

Birdie

“It’s a beautiful story,” said Shaker Village artist in residence Lorraine Chapman, who created the production as a way to honor both the Village’s theatrical history and the story of Alberta MacMillan Kirkpatrick, who came to Shaker Village at the age of 11. “Her mother died and she went from foster home to foster home. … [She] was not treated well and had quite a few … terrible experiences. When she got to the village, Sister Marguerite … gave this girl her first hug in four years.”

Chapman, a professional dancer and choreographer who owns a small studio in the Boston area, has been bringing dance to the Village for several years now, partly at the request of Joan Talarico-Brodsky, the founder of New Hampshire Dance Collaborative and former Shaker Village board member.

“Her desire was to bring more dance to the Village because the Shakers, part of their daily spiritual routine was movement and dance,” Chapman said. “There’s some written descriptions of … [when] they would go into the meetinghouse and throw themselves around the room and roll on the floor and gesticulate. … They were releasing negative thoughts, negative energy.”

For this piece, Chapman sat in the archives for weeks researching what the Shakers called “entertainments.”

“They consisted of Bible scenes, quartets, singing, instruments, … plays, skits,” Chapman said.

She read dozens of old programs to try to decipher what it was the Shakers were doing in their performances.

“Entertainments were rehearsed meticulously,” Chapman said. “This is [like] the work of a [modern-day] theater company.”

One of the entertainments she found was “Old Oaken Bucket,” a popular song at the time that she incorporated into Birdie, along with a play called “Cate Family Reunion” that she found handwritten in a journal.

“We had enough to go on with the entertainments, but I also wanted to bring in Alberta’s story,” Chapman said. “We’re kind of weaving together her story with what we think they might have … have presented in their entertainments.”

Chapman wanted to capture the kindness that Alberta was shown when she was taken in by the Shakers. She lived there until her late teens, and though she decided not to become a Shaker, she loved her time there — it’s evident in the letters Alberta wrote to her father while she was there, Chapman said. Chapman also had a chance to meet Alberta’s daughter, Marcy O’Brien, at a Starbucks over Thanksgiving weekend.

“I just got a sense of what a relief it was to her mother, the difference between what her life had been in the foster homes and [the life] she was able to live at the village,” Chapman said. “I think what the Shakers wanted to do when they built Canterbury Shaker Village, I think they wanted to build a heaven on earth, and I think they did that.”

Merry, Merry Canterbury

This is the second and final weekend of Merry, Merry Canterbury, which, along with the performance of Birdie, features crafts and a Stairway to the Clouds.

“We had a bunch of elves working at the Village and we set up a really magical experience in the horse barn,” Executive Director Leslie Nolan said. “Visitors will meander through little makeshift forests and go upstairs to a cloud-like atmosphere … and experience the [proverbial] silver lining in the cloud.”

She said there will be a cotton candy machine to go with the cloud theme. In the gallery next door, there will be crafts that are appropriate for all ages.

“Both of these are ecological ornaments,” Nolan said. “There’s not a lot of glitter and glue.”

One is a cinnamon ornament, and the other is a pomander ball, where cloves are inserted into clementines and oranges in a pattern and they are wrapped with a ribbon for hanging.

“I’m told it was used in the 19th century [to eliminate odors],” Nolan said. “People would hang them up so they were both decorative and functional.”

After the performance of Birdie, candlelight tours will be offered for an additional fee.

“Those are going to be really special,” Nolan said. “We’ll be walking through two buildings … and everyone will have a small lantern to hold.”

The tours will be capped off with Rae Easter singing “Simple Gifts” a cappella.

“She has a beautiful voice,” Nolan said.

The Shaker Village store will be open throughout the event selling holiday gifts and homemade candies, with free gift wrapping available.

Merry, Merry Canterbury

Where: Canterbury Shaker Village, 288 Shaker Road, Canterbury
When: Saturday, Dec. 18, and Sunday, Dec. 19, 1 to 5 p.m.
Stairway to the Clouds and crafts: 1 to 5 p.m. each day
Birdie dance and theatrical performance: 3 p.m. each day
Candlelight tours: 4 and 5 p.m. each day
Cost: $20 for adults; kids get in free. All events included in the admission price except for candlelight tours, which are an additional $50.
More info: shakers.org
Masks are required.

Featured Photo: Performers rehearse Birdie. Courtesy photos.

Shop festively

Midnight Merriment returns to downtown Concord

After a year without Merriment, shoppers looking for unique, local gifts are invited to return to downtown Concord’s traditional Midnight Merriment event for a night of shopping along with holiday festivities like caroling, s’mores and photos with Santa.

Happening Friday, Dec. 3, from 5 p.m. to midnight, the event has been Covid-modified to keep it safe. The Concord Arts Market Winter Giftopolis, for example, is typically held in the atrium at Eagle Square, but this year the artists will be stationed at businesses in and around downtown. And Santa will be there, but he’ll be wearing a mask, and photos will be taken from afar to allow for social distancing.

“We definitely took into consideration where we’re at right now with Covid,” said Jess Martin, Director of Intown Concord. “But a lot of the businesses depend on this event. … The real highlight is the shopping.”

Martin said a lot of downtown stores will be offering sales and specials that night.

“We’re really trying to encourage people to shop local, especially after last year … [and we’re] trying to create a festive shopping experience,” she said.

The event officially starts at 5 p.m., and there will be strolling carolers and piped-in holiday music. At 5:30 p.m., the hot cocoa and s’mores stations will open up, DJ Nazzy’s Holiday Dance Party will begin, and Santa will set up shop at New Hampshire Federal Credit Union for socially distanced photo opportunities. Santa’s helpers will be there to collect gift cards and homemade holiday cards for the Santa for Seniors donation drive, which will go to seniors in the local community.

Throughout the event, visitors can participate in the Winter Giftopolis Art Walk, which takes the place of the Winter Giftopolis in Eagle Square that typically sees large crowds in the confined space.

“We were always just packed to the gills. … It didn’t seem Covid-safe,” said Christa Zuber, producer of the Concord Arts Market. “So we changed it to an art walk around the city, on Main Street [or nearby].”

She said some artists will be set up in busier retail locations, like Gondwana, while others will be at places like the Concord Chamber of Commerce office — “not your typical shopping spot,” Zuber said.

There are a couple dozen vendors this year, about the same as usual, Zuber said.

“We have everything from jewelers to … homemade personal care, soaps, paintings, traditional holiday crafts … a knitter who makes her own yarn … a little bit of everything,” she said.

Zuber is hopeful that the change in format will introduce new customers to the Concord Artists Market, since the artists will be more integrated into the community this year. She said people going to Concord Craft Brewing Co. for a beer, for example, might not be thinking about Christmas shopping or art, so having an artist there could inspire them; likewise, someone who’s never been to Concord Craft Brewing might go in to see the artist and decide to grab a drink.

“I think the biggest challenge is just making sure people know where to find our artists,” Zuber said.

Each of the vendors will have a map, and there’s one on the Concord Arts Market’s Facebook page too.

Sue McCoo, owner of Capitol Craftsman Romance Jewelers, Viking House and Hilltop Consignment, has been taking part in Midnight Merriment since it started almost 30 years ago and is looking forward to the event’s return.

“It was just strange not having it [last year],” she said. “It’s fun to come downtown when there’s bustling crowds. … It’s also fun when people aren’t in a hurry.”

McCoo said the Halloween Howl was very well-attended, so she said as long as the weather is OK, it should be a good night for businesses.

“The holiday season is always fun just across the board,” she said. “Midnight Merriment always, to me, feels like you’re waiting for Jimmy Stewart to show up.”

Midnight Merriment

When: Friday, Dec. 3, 5 p.m. to midnight
Where: Downtown Concord
Holiday activities: Shopping and the Winter Giftopolis Art Walk will be open throughout the event. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., DJ Nazzy will host his Holiday Dance Party. S’mores and hot cocoa stations will be open from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Santa will be at New Hampshire Federal Credit Union for socially distanced photo opportunities from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. All activities are free.

Featured Photo: Midnight Merriment. Courtesy photo.

Photos from film

New business is a center for old-style photography

Back when most people were transitioning from film photography to the more instant gratification of digital photography, Jason Lane of Brookline was still using a point-and-shoot camera. He considered going digital, but as an optical engineer who designs lenses for aerospace and defense, he didn’t think it would be much fun to take photos using the same kinds of technology that he used at work all day.

Lane eventually set up a darkroom in his basement, taking his film photography hobby to the next level ― and then the next, as he started to make dry plates.

Photo Retro Shop. Photo courtesy of Jason Lane.

“Dry plates are what photographers used to take pictures with before film was developed,” Lane said. “Pun not intended.”

In 2017, under the business name Pictoriographica, Lane started selling these handmade glass plate negatives. He now ships them around the world.

“The business got to the point where I had to move out of my basement,” Lane said.

Enter Photo Retro. While Lane was looking at space to expand Pictoriographica, he found what he was looking for, and more, in Amherst.

“It was kind of set up really nicely to be a public darkroom,” he said. “It used to be a spa so the space is set up into a bunch of rooms that have running water in them.”

That seemed like a sign to Lane.

“Photo Retro sort of spun out of that realization that I’ve got enough room in this space that I can expand the dry plate making part of the business but also, at the front of the shop, set up a retail store to sell film and also set up these darkrooms … and also do things like have workshops and have a little gallery for guest photographers and kind of make it a center for analog film,” Lane said. “With the film photography popularity kind of coming back … I think there’s a need for it.”

Photo Retro, which is co-owned by mechanical engineer Max Affleck of New Boston, opened on Nov. 5.

“It’s kind of a niche thing so people aren’t beating down the doors, but we have had a steady stream of people coming in,” Lane said.

Dry Plate Ambrotype on Black Glass photo of Jason Lane. Photo by Sid Ceaser.

Lane said he gets the sense that the appeal of digital cameras and their instant gratification are no longer quite as important to people who are interested in the art of photography as the process of taking the picture.

“Younger people are sort of more interested in getting their hands dirty, so to speak,” he said. “For that, it’s not as important to see the image right away. … There’s sort of an anticipation of not finding out right away whether you got a good picture [and that] anticipation appeals to people.”

Lane referred to the “magical moment” in the darkroom when the image starts to form. He thinks that for anyone who wants to get more serious about photography, it’s moments like that in the film process that make it worth trying out.

Photo Retro has some film cameras and photo supplies for sale, though Lane said that stuff is readily available online too. He doesn’t want people to think of the space as a store, but more of a hub for analog photography. The darkrooms are available to the public and have everything needed to develop color or black and white images. There’s a photo studio with special lights and backdrops for early-style portraits, and a small gallery will be available for film photographers to show their work on a revolving basis. For local photographers who shoot film but don’t want to use the darkroom themselves, Photo Retro has partnered with film processor Tomorrow’s Studio of Nashua for processing and scanning.

Lane said they’ve already had their first round of classes but are planning more, to teach the basics of film photography as well as more advanced topics and alternative processes.

Lane thinks of traditional photography and digital photography not as opposing methods but as different options, like oil painting versus acrylic painting.

“It’s just a different art form,” he said.

Photo Retro

Where: 141 Route 101A, Unit B7 (around the back of the plaza), Amherst
Hours: Photo Retro will be open Fridays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. As the business grows the hours will expand.
More information: photoretro.biz or find it on Instagram

Featured Photo: Photo Retro Shop. Photo courtesy of Jason Lane.

Showing her roots

Concord author talks about the inspiration for her award-winning book

A children’s book born out of divorce, a trip to a garden center and an itch to write has won two 2021 Biennial New Hampshire Literary Awards, two years after it was self-published by Kayla Fisher — a surgical technician with “a writer’s heart.”

Rootbound Rescue won the Children’s Picture Book category and the People’s Choice Award in that category, the only book out of the 80-plus submitted to win two awards. It’s about a hellebore rose named Helen who is uprooted from the life she expects and learns how to flourish in her new life with the help of some animal friends.

“She’s packed in the back of a truck, on her way to be planted in a spectacular garden, when the truck hits a bump and she falls off and lands in a ditch,” Fisher said. “A lizard comes … and says, ‘You are where you are. You’re here. This is where you landed, like it or not [so] be here and grow here.’”

The idea for the book came during a trip to a local garden center, when Fisher saw the owner, Dennis, grab a plant that was too big for its pot, tear out some of its overgrown roots, and settle it into a bigger pot.

“It just hit me, this analogy of having your roots ripped up,” she said.

Fisher saw her own life in that moment. Newly divorced, she’d been feeling unrooted herself, worried about how she was going to grow in this new life that she hadn’t expected.

“You put your roots down with a person and it [doesn’t] work and you basically just got torn out of the ground,” she said. “After I saw [Dennis] pull that plant out I thought, that’s my story. It clicked so heavily, it surprised me.”

Fisher wasn’t new to writing; her first career was in marketing and PR, and she wrote for magazines as a freelancer. She took time off to raise her children, but when she was ready to get back into the workforce, technology and social media had changed marketing as she knew it. So she decided to go back to school to get into the medical field.

“I graduated high school 1985, when AIDS was really coming to light, and I really wanted to get into medical research and I really wanted to solve this problem,” she said.

But her English teacher pointed out that her grade in chemistry was a D+ and encouraged her to stick with what she excelled at.

An illustration by Rebeka Chase from *Rootbound Rescue.*

“She said, ‘That is the gift that you have — go be a writer,’” Fisher said.

So while Fisher transitioned to the medical field and trained to be a surgical technician, it was important to her to continue writing, as a hobby rather than a job.

“I used to write for money, and now I write for love,” she said. “I have a writer’s heart.”

It had been a lifelong dream to write a children’s book, so that’s where her heart took her with Rootbound Rescue. She worked on the book over the course of a year, writing for at least 15 minutes a day.

When the writing piece was done, Fisher reached out to Beka Chase, a graphic designer she’d worked with when doing PR.

“I always stayed in touch with her because she was just brilliant,” Fisher said.

It took a couple of years for the two to finish the book, incorporating the illustrations into the text.

“It was just a really great creative process; she would do these beautiful boards and creative development,” Fisher said. “She was very intuitive. … The characters jumped off the page the way she developed [them].”

The end product isn’t your typical children’s picture book, Fisher said. It’s more than 50 pages long, and the message is one that likely resonates with adults, too. Fisher likened it to the message in Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree, and to pretty much any Disney movie, with content and concepts that are more adult but with characters and visuals that are appealing to children.

“I think that for kids it’s an opportunity to look at how you grow and how you have to change,” Fisher said. “[It] has sort of this timeless message of growth.”

Rootbound Rescue was published in July 2019, but Fisher said that was more for herself and her sense of accomplishment. But as a member of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, she was aware of the biennial New Hampshire Literary Awards, and the 2021 awards accepted for consideration any book written in New Hampshire from 2019 on. So she went for it, and the feedback and two awards were beyond her expectations.

“This is my piece of art, [and] I’ve been thrilled with how it’s been received,” she said.

Knowing that people see value in her book has prompted Fisher to start promoting it, which she had never really done before, so to her it almost feels like the book is newly published. She’s thinking about writing another one, too.

“In my mind I’m working on another children’s book with my 16-year-old daughter, Olivia, [who is] an amazing writer,” Fisher said.

The two of them had been pondering the marvels of their golden retriever’s face one day and started throwing out story ideas. The title, if they do turn it into a book, will be Saggy Baggy Dog Jaw.

“I think she’s working on it in her head too,” Fisher said.

Rootbound Rescue

You can find Kayla Fisher’s children’s book in Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, on Amazon and on lulu.com.

Featured Photo: Kayla Fisher. Courtesy photo.

Mamma Mia! Take 2

Dancing queens back on stage after Covid hiatus

It’s not unusual for stages to go dark for a few days between performances, say, from the end of a Sunday matinee to a Friday night show. But the Palace Theatre’s production of Mamma Mia! had a significantly longer hiatus — March 13, 2020, to Oct. 15, 2021, to be exact. Now, the show is heading into the final weekend of its second run.

“We brought the show back because it was interrupted … halfway through the schedule,” David Rousseau, director of marketing and sales for the Palace, said in an email. “On March 13, 2020, the show and the Palace virtually shut down.”

Bringing Mamma Mia! back this year meant re-auditioning some of the roles, re-rehearsing and celebrating a second opening night. But for a show that’s as popular as this one, it was worth bringing back to complete its run.

“We do the Mamma Mia! show because it is a definite patron favorite,” Rousseau said. “Thousands of people come to see it whenever it is performed here at the Palace. … We wanted all those who purchased tickets for the 2020 performances to be able to experience it as soon as possible.”

Mamma Mia! Photos courtesy of Palace Theatre.

Set to ABBA’s hits, the musical takes place in Greece and tells the story of Sophie, who’s about to get married and has invited the three men who might be her father to the wedding — which of course poses some problems for her mother, Donna.

“It’s lighthearted entertainment that is extremely humorous,” Rousseau said.

Megan Quinn, who plays Rosie — one of Donna’s two best friends — was part of the original cast in 2020, and she played Rosie when the Palace put it on in 2018 too.

“It’s such a fun part,” Quinn said. “I just get to go up there and be ridiculous.”

About half the cast is from the 2020 production, but many roles were left vacant because the original actors couldn’t commit the second time around. So they reopened auditions over the summer. Most of the cast is from New York City, Quinn said, though she’s local — she also happens to be the youth theater director at the Palace.

Quinn said one of her favorite parts to perform is the bedroom scene with Donna and their other friend, Tanya. It’s where they first sing the show’s best-known song, “Dancing Queen,” after a hilarious dialogue between the three friends — one of many scenes that is “tastefully raunchy,” Quinn said.

The production isn’t quite like the 2008 movie, so even if you didn’t like that, there’s a good chance you’ll still love the show, Quinn said.

“When you’re on stage, there’s such a different vibe,” she said. “You get to be a little more over the top. There’s this live theater element [with the] energy of people around you.”

For the cast, being back on stage has been a long time coming.

“Just being able to hear people laughing in the audience again … it’s so rewarding,” Quinn said. “They can come in and forget about what’s happening right now. … To hear people laugh and clap, it’s so nice to have that normalcy again.”

Rousseau called the Palace’s hiatus “economically devastating,” and Quinn said it’s important for people to see that theater is back and that the Palace isn’t going anywhere. And Mamma Mia! might be the perfect way to forget about the past year and a half.

“If you are somebody who wants to just escape for 2½ hours, to just go somewhere and feel like you’re taken away … then this is going to be for you,” Quinn said. “You’ll leave feeling good, I promise.”

Rousseau agrees.

“It’s a wonderful diversion from the real world,” he said.

Mamma Mia!

Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester
When: Thursday, Nov. 11, and Friday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 13, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 14, at noon.
Tickets: $25 to $46
Contact: palacetheatre.org or 668-5588

Featured Photo: Mamma Mia! courtesy of Palace Theatre.

Run for good!

Why races are great fundraisers and what it takes to make them succeed, plus fun runs for the end of the year

When the board of the Bow Athletic Club was brainstorming fundraising possibilities, they loved the idea of a community block party, but they needed another element that would draw people to the party. They decided on a 5K fun run and walk, and the first annual BACtoberfest 5K and Block Party was held last month.

“It was off-the-charts great,” Bow Athletic Club President Bryce Larrabee said. “It went better than our wildest expectations.”

Larrabee said that about 75 percent of the people who went to the party participated in the run first.

“The run brought people out,” he said.

Not only that, but about 80 percent of the work that went into putting on the fundraiser was for block party logistics. Putting together the 5K, Larrabee said, was “surprisingly easy.”

The club raised more than $10,000 to add to its coffers, which they draw from to support causes and needs in the community.

“We made a lot more money than we expected,” Larrabee said.

The BACtoberfest 5K and Block Party joins hundreds of other run-centric events that are raising money for charities throughout the state. Find out what makes runs good fundraisers, what it takes to make them successful and which upcoming runs you should sign up for, whether you want to support a specific charity, dress up as a turkey or get through a few miles for the post-race beer and pizza.

Money makers

“Fundraisers come in a lot of different shapes and sizes,” John Mortimer, founder of Millennium Running in Bedford, said, joking that “it’s probably easier to have a bake sale.”

But runs are profitable, as evidenced by the inaugural BAC 5K. A more established race, the Jingle Bell Run in Manchester, put on each December by the Arthritis Foundation for the past 30 years, raised well over $30,000 last year.

And then there are organizations like Millennium and Total Image Running in Manchester, which put on their own signature runs and provide services to other organizations that need support with logistics to put on a race.

“For every single one of [the signature races], we pick a nonprofit charity partner,” Mortimer said. “We’ve donated just north of $1.1 million.”

According to Christine Lewis, co-owner of Total Image Running, since it started in 2018, Total Image has donated and helped raise more than $200,000 for local charities. And Seacoast-based Loco Races has contributed more than $1 million to nonprofits and running clubs in the past decade, according to its website.

Charities like Veterans Count reap the benefits of these donations. Last weekend’s Manchester City Marathon, which Millennium owns and operates, has been supporting Veterans Count for several years and is just shy of raising $100,000 for that nonprofit alone.

“The expenses are so small compared to [the profit],” said Julia Moore, associate director for the Arthritis Foundation New England. “It’s maybe 10 percent to 15 percent of the event money that we raise.”

Raising awareness

For nonprofits like the Arthritis Foundation, an event like the Jingle Bell Run is a fun way to draw attention to a cause that affects more people than many realize — 1 in 4, with 54 million people diagnosed each year, according to Moore.

“It’s really a great way to champion those who [live with arthritis],” Moore said.

The Jingle Bell Run is also an opportunity to shine a light on some of the “amazing people” who have been touched by arthritis or helped those who have it, Moore said. Ella Souza is the youth honoree this year; she was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis when she was 7 and now at 14 plays at the highest levels of hockey and lacrosse (she was playing on the high school varsity hockey team when she was in 7th grade). Dr. Neil Dion, an orthopedic surgeon, is this year’s medical honoree.

“One of his patients who he performed surgery on will run with him at the event,” Moore said.

For Lewis and her Total Image Running partner, Lisa Misiaszek, helping charities is personal.

“Lisa and I are both cancer survivors, we both lost parents to cancer … [and] my brother’s fighting prostate cancer,” Lewis said.

Being able to give back to the nonprofits that have helped them during difficult times is especially meaningful, but Lewis said they support all kinds of charities, not just those that fight cancer.

“People are struggling everywhere,” she said.

Several upcoming turkey trots are asking participants to bring canned goods to donate to local pantries, bringing awareness to food insecurity.

Millennium has donated to — and promoted — nearly 100 charities, from New Horizons to the New Hampshire Food Bank.

“All of these are special in so many different ways,” Mortimer said.

How to get started

There are a couple of ways to go about organizing a fundraising race. One is to do it entirely on your own: your own marketing, finding sponsors, registrations, course setup and road closures, aid and water stations, timers, swag, volunteer recruitment. It’s a lot of preparation. Though Larrabee said the BACtoberfest 5K was easy to plan, his team has a lot of experience with fundraising, including finding sponsors and volunteers, and with marketing — plus they got a little help from Total Image Running.

That leads to the next option, which is to hire a company like Total Image or Millennium to take care of some of the logistics.

“Having a company that is so experienced in doing timing and working with you for your event, I definitely think it’s worth it,” Moore said.

The Arthritis Foundation hires Millennium to help with the Jingle Bell Run, but the cost is covered by the event’s presenting sponsor, Northeast Delta Dental, which allows more of the profits to go right to the Foundation.

“The cost [for Millennium] is less than $6,000,” Moore said. “We truly believe that it’s beneficial to hire a timing company to manage our run because they are professionals and have a lot of experience with road races.”

Moore said the Arthritis Foundation covers the cost of medals, T-shirts and swag.

“We tend to be very conservative when it comes to spending and plan to spend less,” Moore said. “Last year we raised $36,264.45 gross [and] our expenses were less than $3,000.”

“Expenses are going to be [any nonprofit’s] No. 1 concern, so getting sponsorships is always great,” Lewis said.

Larrabee also reached out to Northeast Delta Dental, specifically to CEO Tom Raffio, who is a runner himself — his first race was actually the Jingle Bell Run, according to Moore — and is part of races throughout the state. With advice from Raffio and a quick Google search of how to host a road race, Larrabee and his team moved forward with hiring Total Image Running, which handled the timing and registrations.

Mortimer noted that someone who’s never organized a run before might not think about things like portable toilets and permits for road closures.

“We have the know-how, the expertise,” Mortimer said.

For those who want to put on a race for the first time, he says to plan for several months of preparations, like doing research on the course, getting permits, marketing the event and finding volunteers.

“We always recommend having a confident race director, someone that understands the sport and wants to do it, first and foremost, and then surround themselves with great people [to help with things like] marketing and volunteerism,” Mortimer said.

Moore echoed the importance of having good people who are willing to help; the Arthritis Foundation has a run committee that handles the sponsorships, reaches out to businesses, schools and running clubs to encourage them to create teams, and does volunteer recruitment.

“I think having a great committee who really supports the run … really helps, [and] our ability to get new volunteers is extremely important,” Moore said.

Make it a success

If you want to raise money, you have to draw in as many people as possible, and doing that is all about providing a quality experience.

“We don’t produce races — we produce events,” Mortimer said. “We like to provide our customers, our runners, with the best possible experience.”

That experience includes everything from when and where the race takes place to swag and after-parties.

One of Millennium’s signature events is the Santa Claus Shuffle, which includes a full Santa suit with registration and has stops along the course with samples of holiday sweets.

“Part of the equation on some events is, what does the runner want? Sometimes it’s the bling, or sometimes it’s the swag: the Santa suit, the kilt for our Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day [race],” Mortimer said. “Other people get that medal and it’s the most important thing — it’s their Olympic medal.”

And sometimes it’s not about the material things.

“Location and course is a big thing for people,” Lewis said. “We did a survey once and swag was actually not the No. 1 thing.”

To make these events a full experience, they usually don’t end when the runners cross the finish line, like the block party after the BACtoberfest 5K, and pretty much any signature run from Total Image or Millennium.

“Before Covid, we always had a huge after-party wherever the finish line was,” Lewis said.

Total Image’s Ugly Sweater 4-miler is a fan favorite, Lewis said, and this year she’s expecting it to be especially fun since it’ll be the first event with a real after-party since Covid started.

The last two months of the year tend to be especially festive.

“We really love to do [the Jingle Bell Run] because it’s so festive and fun,” Moore said. “People dress up and get really into the holiday spirit. … It’s such a great family-friendly event.”

Runners talk races
We reached out to runners via Millennium Running Club’s Facebook page to find out what it is about a race that draws them to it. The race environment is huge, and yes, the swag matters too. Here are some of the responses we got from local runners.

“Unique courses [are] a must for me. I’m particularly drawn to races along water or with nice scenery. I love the Stonyfield Earth Day 5K because they have the best T-shirts and free yogurt. Nice shirt that I will actually wear is a big plus.” — Sarah Goodrum

“I run in races that hold some level of significance for me and that I can connect with on a personal level. I ran a 10k earlier this year because it supported building sidewalks in my daughter’s community. … Running has had such a profound impact on my life, my recovery and my mental health, so it’s usually something about the race I connect with on a personal level that draws me to it.” — Stephan Burdette

“[A] well-run event with accurately measured course and female sizing swag.” — Maureen Sproul

“As a ‘runner’ who does it for the exercise rather than the enjoyment, this is what motivates me to do certain races:
1. Motivation to exercise/meet a training goal
2. Swag! Particularly the long-sleeved quarter zips.
3. Big races that have lots of pre-race and post-race excitement and festivities!
4. Millennium’s Anytime 5k let me run in the evening when I’m at my best! There aren’t many nighttime races out there and for us night owls [so] it was awesome!” — Joy Junior

“A road race is one BIG fitness party. There’s some pretty kewl swag, medals and bib designs, too. Who doesn’t like a nice T-shirt or fleece-lined quarter zip-up with thumb holes?” — Donna Dostie

“Short answer: the environment! … There’s an energy that can’t be described! Whether you’re an elite runner or a walker completing your very first 5k, there’s an excitement and even more, there’s a community … a community where we all share a common goal, cross that finish line and celebrate!” — Krystal Bessette Jervis

“I will run any race because I love the race environment. It really is amazing to run a race with hundreds of people [of] all paces and most are people that you know who cheer each other on.” — Tracy Dunchus Lennon

“I am a back-of-the-pack runner. Races are a way of motivating myself to keep moving and the swag/rewards for mileage and completion are huge in building my confidence.” — Kathleen Olden

“My 12-year-old daughter … loves the race environment, she loves running against the adults, and yes, she loves the swag!” — Jess Janowski

Runs for the rest of the year

Pre-Thanksgiving runs

The annual Walk and Wag for Veterans 5K will be held at Mine Falls in Nashua on Saturday, Nov. 13, starting at 9 a.m. The cost is $35, or $30 for the virtual option. There will be awards for top finishers and light refreshments after the event. One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit Operation Delta Dog. Visit walkandwagforveterans.com.

The Deerfield Community School (66 North Road, Deerfield) hosts its Turkey Trot 5K on Sunday, Nov. 14, at 9 a.m. The cost is $25 for pre-registration or $30 day of. The top three overall male and top three overall female runners will each take home a frozen turkey. Funds raised support the 8th-grade class trip to New York City. To register ahead of time, visit running4free.com and search for the race.

The Gobble Wobble 5-Miler will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20, at Goffstown Parks and Recreation (155 S. Mast Road). Registration is $40 for ages 12 and up and $35 for runners under 12, with prices increasing after 9 a.m. on Nov. 19. The cost is $40 for the virtual option, with registration open through Nov. 27. The official charity of the Gobble Wobble is American Legion Auxiliary Wesley Wyman Unit 16. Visit totalimagerunning.com.

The 23rd annual Novemberfest for Nashua Children’s Home will be held Sunday, Nov. 21, at 11:33 a.m. at Mines Falls Park in Nashua, near the Pine Street Extension entrance. The 4-mile race is followed by post-race fun at Martha’s Exchange (185 Main St., Nashua). The race benefits the Nashua Children’s Home. Registration is $25 and closes on Nov. 19. Visit gatecity.org.

Thanksgiving Day runs

The Bow Turkey Trot 5K will be held at Bow High School (55 Falcon Way) starting at 8 a.m. Sign up before Nov. 13 to get an official BAC Turkey Trot Dri Fit Hoodie. Day-of registration will be available for $30. Visit runsignup.com and search for Bow Athletic Club Turkey Trot.

The Dover Turkey Trot 5K will be held at 8:30 a.m. at Shaw’s Lane in Dover to benefit the Garrison School PTA. The cost is $20, or $10 for grade 4 and under; both prices increase by $5 on race day. Visit doverturkeytrot.com.

The Free Fall 5K, hosted by the Rochester Runners of NH, will be held at the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center (150 Wakefield St., Rochester), starting at 8:30 a.m. Registration is $25 for ages 18 and up, $20 for ages 13 to 17 and $15 for ages 7 to 12, with prices increasing by $5 on race day. Kids 6 and under run free. Race proceeds benefit the Homeless Center for Strafford County, Gerry’s Food Pantry, End 68 Hours of Hunger. and SOS Recovery. Visit freefall5k.com.

The Fisher Cats Thanksgiving 5K will start at 9 a.m. at Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive, Manchester). Registration for ages 12 and up is $30 until Nov. 12 at 11:59 p.m. and $35 until Nov. 24, and $30 for the virtual option. Registration is $15 for kids 11 and under, for both virtual and in-person. Race day registration is not available. Registration includes one free ticket to Fisher Cats Opening Day for the first 1,500 registrants, and a T-shirt for the first 750 adult runners. The race’s official charity is the New Hampshire Food Bank. Visit millenniumrunning.com.

Derry’s 48th annual Turkey Trot 5K Road Race starts at 9 a.m. at Gallien’s Town Beach on Beaver Lake. Shuttles will be available to the race site from the parking area at Pinkerton Academy (no parking along Route 102). Face coverings are required on the buses. Pre-registration for ages 13 and older is $25, and $10 for kids 12 and under. A non-perishable canned good or dry food item, or small cash donation, is requested for all entries, with food donations going to food pantries in the Greater Derry area. Visit runningintheusa.com and search for the Derry Turkey Trot.

The Hampstead Turkey Trot 5K starts at St. Anne’s Church (26 Emerson Ave.) at 8:30 a.m. Registration is $15 for ages 5 to 17 and for seniors 62 and up, and $20 for ages 18 to 61. Day-of registration is available between 7 and 8:15 a.m. at the Hampstead Meeting House next to the starting line. Non-perishable food for the St. Anne’s Food Bank will be collected on the day of the race. Leashed animals are welcome.

The 15th Lake Sunapee Turkey Trot at the Ben Mere Gazebo in Sunapee Harbor features a 1K Chicken Run for kids starting at 8:15 a.m. and a 5K Turkey Trot starting at 9 a.m. The cost for the Turkey Trot is $20 for ages 13 to 64, $10 for ages 65 and older and free for kids under 13. The Chicken Run is $10 for ages 13 and up and free for kids under 13. Proceeds will benefit the Sunapee Recreation Department’s new skateboard park on Route 11. The Sunapee Parent Teacher Organization will also hold a pie sale, with pies for $10 each. Visit sunapeeturkeytrot.com.

The Gilford Youth Center Turkey Trot 5K Race and Family Walk begins at 9 a.m. (8:45 a.m. for walkers) at the Gilford Youth Center (19 Potter Hill Road). Registration is $26 per person or $90 for a family of up to five. The first 100 registered participants will get a long-sleeve T-shirt. Visit gilfordyouthcenter.com.

The Rotary Club of Merrimack’s 5K Turkey Trot starts at 8 a.m. at Merrimack Middle School (31 Madeline Bennett Drive). Advance registration is $20 for adults and $15 for ages 13 and under. Online registration ends at 6 p.m. on Nov. 21. Race day registration is available (price increases to $25 for adults). The first 160 registrants receive a free T-shirt. Proceeds from this year’s event will be used to purchase coats for kids, holiday gifts for those less fortunate and for soup kitchen donations. Participants are encouraged to bring a canned good for donation. Visit merrimack5k.com.

The Seacoast Rotary Club Turkey Trot will be held at Strawbery Bank (66 Marcy St., Portsmouth) at 8:30 a.m. Registration costs $35 for ages 20 and up, $25 for ages 13 to 19 and $15 for ages 12 and younger. Online registration deadline is Nov. 23. Day-of registration is an additional $5. Visit runreg.com and search for the race. Proceeds benefit Connor’s Climb Foundation, which provides suicide prevention education, and the Seacoast Repertory Theatre.

The Thanks for Giving 5K and 10K, presented by the Exeter Run Club, starts at the Talbot Gymnasium Lot (40 Linden St., Exeter) at 8 a.m. The $30 for the 5K and $40 for the 10K. Online registration is available until Nov. 21. The race benefits Annie’s Angels Memorial Fund, Red’s Good Vibes and ERC community initiates for all ages. Visit exeterrunclub.com.

The Windham Turkey Trot features a 1-, 3-, or 5-mile walk or run. It starts at 74 Blossom Road at 9 a.m. The cost is by donation, and past donations have ranged from $10 to $1,000 (event expenses are covered by our generous sponsors). All proceeds benefit the Shepherd’s Pantry. Visit windhamturkeytrot.org.

Final runs of 2021

The Amherst Junior Women’s Club is hosting its annual Trot Off Your Turkey 5K and 1-mile Fun Run on Friday, Nov. 26, with the Fun Run starting at 9 a.m. and the 5K starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Amherst Town Green (11 Church St.). Registration is $10 for the Fun Run and $25 for the 5K. Online registration closes at noon on Nov. 23. The first 300 registered runners get a free mug.

Bishop Brady High School (25 Columbus Ave., Concord) will host its Galloping Gobbler 4-Miler on Saturday, Nov. 27, starting at 9:45 a.m. The cost is $20 for ages 15 and under and $30 for ages 16 and up. The first 300 registrants get a free T-shirt. To register, visit raceroster.com and search for the event. Proceeds benefit the tuition assistance program at Bishop Brady.

The Jingle All the Way 5K returns on Saturday, Dec. 4, at Cisco Brewers in Portsmouth. The Greg Hill Foundation hosts this event, which starts at 10 a.m. Holiday outfits are encouraged and best dressed runners will be awarded. Standard registration is $40 and includes a race long-sleeve shirt and medal, while the $100 Santa Special adds a quarter-zip pullover to the swag. There is a $30 virtual option that also includes the long-sleeve shirt and medal. Visit ghfjingle5k.com.

The Santa Claus Shuffle will be held Saturday, Dec. 4, at Veterans Park (889 Elm St., Manchester). The Lil’ Elf Runs start at 2:30 p.m. and the 3-mile Shuffle starts at 3 p.m. The run precedes the Manchester City Christmas Parade, which starts at 4 p.m. The cost for adults ages 12 and up is $30, youth ages 12 to 20 is $25 and kids ages 11 and younger is $10. Registration closes at 9 a.m. on Dec. 3. The virtual option is $25. Santa hats and suits are included with registration. The official charity of the Santa Claus Shuffle is Safe Sports Network. Visit millenniumrunning.com.

The 2021 Jingle Bell Run will be held Sunday, Dec. 5, at 8:30 a.m. at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive, Manchester). Registration is $35 and includes a T-shirt and jingle bells. A virtual option is available for $30. All proceeds benefit the Arthritis Foundation. Visit events.arthritis.org.

Run through the Gift of Lights display during the Yule Light Up the Night 2.1-mile run at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1122 Route 106, Loudon) on Sunday, Dec. 12, at 4:30 p.m. Registration is $25 for ages 12 and up, $15 for ages 4 to 11 (costs for those age groups increase $5 on race day) and $10 for kids 10 and younger. Proceeds benefit Speedway Children’s Charities NH.

The 6th annual Ugly Sweater 4 Miler will be held Saturday, Dec. 18, at 9 a.m. at Backyard Brewery (1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester). Wear your ugliest sweater for the 21+ event. The cost is $40 and includes a Tito’s Handmade Vodka ugly sweater for the first 75 registrants. All registrants get a unisex fit long-sleeve shirt and one Tito’s Handmade Vodka signature cocktail. Proceeds benefit the Humane Society of Greater Nashua, the Animal Rescue League of NH and Pope Memorial SPCA Concord. Visit totalimagerunning.com.

The What’s Perry’s Age Again 4-mile run will be held Saturday, Dec. 18, at Bishop Brady High School (25 Columbus Ave., Concord) at 11 a.m. The cost is $25; register by Nov. 19 to get a long-sleeve T-shirt. The run supports Bishop Brady Habitat for Humanity. Visit runreg.com and search for the run.

Featured photo: Photo courtesy of Millennium Running.

Take the artistic route

Exhibits, make-and-take crafts, demos and more on the Route 3 Art Trail

Building on a small but successful inaugural event, the second annual Route 3 Art Trail returns with more artists, more demonstrations and more hands-on activities at three anchor locations — Kimball Jenkins, Twiggs Gallery and MakingMatters — plus a cluster of small studios in between. The event takes place Saturday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Adele Sanborn, owner of Twiggs Gallery in Boscawen, came up with the idea last year to create the art trail as sort of a replacement for NH Open Doors, which the gallery used to take part in.

Doug Egounis handcrafts furniture and holiday decorations. Courtesy photo.

“We are connecting [the public] with local artists this way instead,” Twiggs Gallery Manager Laura Morrison said. “The ultimate idea is to create an arts corridor that’s north of Concord.”

During the event, Twiggs will open its annual holiday exhibit Sleighbell Studio for the season.

“During November and into mid-December we kind of turn it into more of a shop for people to pick up gifts,” Morrison said.

If weather permits, the gallery will also host a bonfire from 1 to 3 p.m., where people can roast marshmallows, drink hot chocolate and listen to caroling, and it will offer free kits for making holiday cards.

MakingMatters in Penacook is another of the tour’s anchor stops, and MakingMatters Treasurer Sandra May said they’ll have 10 or 11 demonstrators.

“We’ve more than doubled what we had last year,” she said. “We [also] have a full house of resident artists.”

Some of the demonstrations will be done by non-resident artists, including a bowl turner and a wood carver from the Guild of New Hampshire Woodworkers and a sculpturist. There will be some hands-on activities, including happiness rocks, collage painting and two free classes: posca pen paint art for all ages, and cyanotype image printing for mature kids and adults. For the posca pen class, people are welcome to bring objects from home to paint on.

Jo Shields incorporates recycled objects into her work. Courtesy photo.

May said she’s looking forward to “sharing the energy of the arts community that’s north of Concord.”

“I think Penacook doesn’t always get the love it deserves,” she said.

Also in Penacook, mixed-metal artist Jo Shields is back on the art trail after getting a lot of traffic last year at her studio, located inside her house. Shields was just juried into the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and is starting to get some of her pieces into the League stores. She uses all kinds of recycled objects in her jewelry, including old knitting needles, pieces of metal she’s found on the road, old porcelain dolls and cut-up silver-plated trays.

“I like to work with copper, and I make a lot of earrings. I love making necklaces. My stuff is very different, kind of funky and fun,” she said.

Also at Shields’ studio will be her friend Diane Fishel of Ofishel Designs!

“She makes some of the most awesome handbags,” Shields said.

Both will be doing demonstrations; Shields will be doing repousse, a metalworking technique, while Fishel will be painting on fabric.

Back in Boscawen, glass artist Karen Mehos will open her studio and home retail shop, Gadzooks Glass, for tours and shopping, as well as demonstrations if the weather is warm enough. Mehos makes fused glass ornaments, bowls, votive holders and night lights. Up until now it’s mostly been just for fun, but she was intrigued by the idea of opening up her home and studio for the tour.

“I’ve never done this before, [but I thought] I should really sell [my work] because it’s piling up,” she said. “I just want to make pretty things that other people can enjoy.”

Mehos has been working with fused glass for about eight years, having done stained glass in college.

Small glass bowl by Karen Mehos. Courtesy photo.

“Life happened, then I [eventually] moved into my own place with my own little shed, and that’s where I work,” she said.

Mehos will have something for every price range; most will be less than $50, and many are in the $10 to $25 range.

“The more complex they get, the price goes up,” she said. “I can spend anywhere from an hour to a day just putting the glass in place and making it go the way I want it to.”

Her priciest item is a bowl that features a sunset, which she spent three months working on.

“That bowl is a labor of love and passion,” she said. “That image popped into my head and it was my job to get that image out of my head and into the glass.”

Several other artists will open up their shops for the Route 3 Art Trail, as will the third anchor location, Kimball-Jenkins, which is in the northern part of Concord. It will have its Salon 2021 exhibit open for viewing.

Each of the locations will have an item to raffle off; pick up your Passport at your first stop, then visit at least five more sites to be eligible to participate.

Route 3 Art Trail

When: Saturday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Various locations throughout Boscawen, Penacook and northern Concord
More info: For a map, visit route3arttrail.com.

Trail stops

On King Street in Boscawen:

Twiggs Gallery, 254 King St.

Twiggs Gallery’s holiday exhibit Sleighbell Studio will open for the season. Weather permitting, there will be a bonfire from 1 to 3 p.m. for roasting marshmallows, plus hot chocolate and caroling by the Boscawen Congregational Church Choir. Take home a free kit to create a unique holiday card.

Gadzooks Glass, 232 King St.

Glass artist Karen Mehos will open her studio for tours and demonstrations, weather permitting, and she will have her retail space open to sell her small ornaments, night lights, votive holders, platters and bowls.

Susan Douglass, 231 King St.

Susan Douglass will have a tent set up outside her home to showcase the sculptures and whimsical items she creates for the home and garden. Everything is made from upcycled objects.

Chadwick Hill Rustic Furniture, 187 King St.

Furniture craftsman Doug Egounis creates log furniture made from a variety of wood such as black birch, white birch, maple and pine. He will be making a bench and some small reindeers during the tour.

Marshall’s Flowers & Gifts, 151 King St.

Marshall’s Flowers & Gifts features New Hampshire-made gifts, fresh, dried and silk arrangements and dish gardens. Stop by to watch the florist designing fresh flower arrangements.

In Penacook:

Dreamland Machine Quilting, 15 Fowler St.

Quilter Tracy Szanto provides custom machine quilting, custom-made T-shirt quilts and other quilted items and gifts. Tracy will have her quilting machine set up to do demos and will also demonstrate how she paints on fabric.

Jo Shields Studio, 5 Steeple View

Jo Shields is a mixed-metal jeweler; she invited Diane Fishel of Ofishel Designs! to join her for the day. Jo will be demonstrating repoussé, a metalworking technique, and Diane will be demonstrating painting on fabric.

MakingMatters NH, 88 Village St.

MakingMatters NH is Concord’s makerspace and artist/business incubator. It will be offering facility tours, artisan and equipment demos and children’s make-and-take craft stations. There will be two free classes: Explore Posca Paint Pen Art from 11 a.m. to noon and Cyanotype Image Printing Workshop from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sign up at makingmattersnh.wildapricot.org.

In Concord:

Kimball Jenkins, 266 N. Main St.

Kimball Jenkins Salon 2021 exhibit will be open for viewing. The exhibition explores the diversity of studio practices and media from a range of regional artists and is hung floor-to-ceiling, salon-style.

Featured photo: Susan Douglass upcycles glass objects for home and garden. Courtesy photo.

Natural canvases

Local artist paints spiderwebs, leaves, grains of rice

It started with leaves. After 40 years of building stone walls and fireplaces, Tom Abruzese of Londonderry turned to more delicate endeavors, picking up a paintbrush for the first time in his life and experimenting on traditional canvas. He was good at it, but he got bored quickly. So he started painting on leaves instead.

“I just had a knack where I could paint anything on a leaf, [and] it took off,” he said.

There is, presumably, a leaf with a painting of the White House somewhere in D.C., or possibly in the possession of former President Barack Obama.

“[I figured] no one’s ever going to buy the White House on a leaf, so I mailed it to the president,” he said. “About seven weeks later, I got a letter from the president, thanking me for the unique gift.”

The leaf painting of the Old Man on the Mountain that he sent to Gov. John Lynch when he was in office might still be in the Statehouse, Abruzese said, and he sent one to Sen. Kelly Ayotte’s office in Manchester too.

Abruzese makes prints of the leaves as soon as he’s done painting them, because eventually the colors of the leaf fade. He sells the prints at local craft fairs, and he said he gets a lot of commissioned work as well.

“The leaves are the big sensation,” he said.

Despite their popularity, after a while Abruzese wanted a new challenge.

“You can only paint so many leaves before you get bored or crazy, and I was borderline crazy,” he said.

Seeing a woman on TV painting feathers who said it was nearly impossible, Abruzese had found his next canvas. He uses turkey feathers and typically paints birds and other wildlife on them.

“Most of my [subjects are] from nature, because I use materials from nature,” he said.

Abruzese then turned to small rocks, painting them for use as jewelry.

“Everything I do, people seem to like,” he said. “I’m always looking for something else to create from.”

The latest something else? Spiderwebs, naturally. Abruzese lives in an old house with a carriage house attached, so they’re plentiful, and he thought it might be a bigger challenge than feathers or leaves. He was right ― but he’s figured out how to make it work.

It starts with a bottle cap that he pushes through the web, which clings to the sides of the cap so the web is suspended and not touching the front or back of the cap. Once it’s secure, it’s ready for acrylic paints.

“Because the web is sticky … I wet the brush just a little bit so the paint actually slides across the web; otherwise the paint would tear the webbing,” he said. “Once you get the first coat on, then it becomes a little easier.”

Abruzese puts his spiderweb paintings inside clear plastic containers so the whole thing is sealed.

“It’s so easy to forget that it’s a spiderweb,” he said. “One misplacement of your finger and the spiderweb is gone.”

Plus, he said, the sticky nature of the webs mean they collect dust if they’re not covered.

Abruzese said he paints whatever comes to mind, usually things in nature. But he couldn’t resist one obvious choice.

“Spider-Man ― how corny is that? You gotta put Spider-Man on a spiderweb!” he laughed.

As part of his repertoire, Abruzese also paints caterpillar webs, which are bigger and thicker, plus moose or deer antlers, birch bark, mushrooms, butternuts and grains of rice.

“My wife asks, ‘Why do you paint things people can’t see?’” he said. “To me it’s the challenge. [And] you can see it with a magnifying glass.”

The smallest he’s gotten is a sesame seed. The trick with these tiniest canvases is to use the very tip of the paintbrush and keep the brush in motion so only a finite amount touches the surface. Having a steady hand is key too.

“I don’t drink anything that has caffeine [when I paint],” Abruzese said. “The blood going through your finger makes it like a jackhammer.”

He hasn’t attended any craft fairs recently ― mainly because there haven’t been many to attend ― but Abruzese will be at the Londonderry High School Craft & Vendor Fair on Saturday, Nov. 20. He said none of his items have price tags because he wants his prices to be flexible for kids who are looking to buy gifts.

“The kids don’t have much money, [and] I do it for the pleasure and challenge,” he said. “I’m not there to make money.”

Still, he sold just about everything on his two tables at this fair two years ago.

“Someone looking for a Christmas gift, they can pick up something that is unique,” he said.

For those who can’t make it to the fair, Abruzese accepts requests for personalized art.

“I’ll have people bring in deer antler or moose antler [and ask me to] do something specific on it,” he said. “Once it’s done it’s one of a kind.”

Find Tom Abruzese’s art

Abruzese will be at the Londonderry High School Craft & Vendor Fair on Saturday, Nov. 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can also email him at tomsleaves@yahoo.com to see more of his collection or to commission a piece.

Featured photo: An array of Tom Abruzese’s work. Courtesy photos.

Author: Meghan Siegler