Author: Mya Blanchard

Celebrate diversity

Multicultural Festival will return to Concord

Celebrate the cultures that make New Hampshire special through food, music, dancing and art at the Concord Multicultural Festival on Sunday, Sept. 24, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Keach Park.

The free festival began in the mid 2000s when many refugees were coming to the capital, as Concord was a refugee resettlement city, according to festival director Jessica Livingston.

“It was created as a way to introduce the community to the new community members who were being settled here from other countries,” she said. “A group of community leaders … decided to create a festival that would help connect people.”

Courtesy photo.

The festival has expanded over the years. In the international flag parade that was added to the festival around six or seven years ago, 40 countries were represented at first; the number is now over 70

More than 70 vendors will be at the festival selling crafts like African baskets, jewelry, wood carvings, instruments, clothing and shoes, and running activities like face painting, coloring and painting kindness rocks.
The overall favorite, according to Livingston, is the food, with community members making Mexican staples like tamales and horchata, dishes from Afghanistan like pashto samosa, and restaurants like Maddy’s Food Hub, with African, Caribbean and Italian food and Batulo’s Kitchen.

“[Batulo’s] specialty is sambusa … but this year since she has her own restaurant she’s now going to branch out and do a little more,” Livingston said. “She’s [making] rice plates with veggies or chicken …, home-baked bread, yellow split pea soup … fried potatoes [and] mandazi, which is an African fried dough.”

After the flag parade and opening ceremony, there will be live performances throughout the whole festival, with Japanese drumming, Hawaiian hula dancing, Nepali and Hindi folk and classical music, Irish dancing performed by In the Field Irish Dancers, and a Brazilian carnival performance by SambaViva.

“Our mission is about creating a welcoming community for everybody who is here regardless of where you’re from or how long you’ve lived here,” Livingston said. “It’s about bringing people together over shared love for food, music and art and connecting as a community [to] get to know each other in a fun way.”

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Sculptures on the hill

Andres Institute of Art holds international sculpture symposium

Three artists from different parts of the world will have three weeks to craft a sculpture along the 12-mile trail of the Andres Institute of Art in Brookline for the annual Bridges and Connections Sculpture Symposium. There will be multiple events at the Institute throughout the artists’ residencies, including dinners with the artists and a closing ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 8, when attendees can view their sculptures.

The Andres Institute of Art was established by Paul Andres and John Weidman in 1998 and has been holding the symposium since 1999, according to Gail Bloom, the president of the Institute.

“This year we’ve added [events] because we’re celebrating the 25th anniversary,” she said. “We have the opening ceremony, there will be a meet and greet with the artists … a showcase … [and] during the course of the three weeks we’re going to have two dinners.”

There are currently 98 sculptures throughout the sculpture park. This year’s symposium artists who will be adding to the collection are Ivona Biocic Mandic, from Croatia; Renubala Kashyap Rajput, from India, and Finn Cossar, from Australia.

“I’ve always created things whether it be sculptures or playing around with bits of wood,” Cossar said. “I’ve always been drawn to certain materials like rocks or metal or copper.”

After high school Cossar studied screen and media to pursue a career in film. When the film industry shut down due to the pandemic, he used the time to focus on his passion.

“Since there was no work for film I thought why not have a crack at doing the sculptures, which is what I always wanted to do … [and] I’ve always loved doing,” he said.

During the pandemic, Cossar made two large works, including a stone and metal tensegrity sculpture, which he says were very well-received.

“Ever since then I’ve been trying to push myself and create better and better works,” he said. “I think I really found my feet over the last couple of years and I’ve become more confident making large works, entering them into festivals, being recognized by local councils and meeting new artists, so I think I really found something that resonates.”

While camping, Cossar was contacted by the directors of the Swell Sculpture Festival in Australia, who told him about the sculpture symposium at the Andres Institute of Art.

“Immediately I jumped in my car and drove down to the town, where I had internet, and quickly filled out my portfolio,” he said. “I think it was two days later I got a call from Natasha, who’s the creator of Swell, and she said, ‘Pack your bags, you’re going to America,’” he said.

For Cossar, an artist’s residency and America are both new experiences.

“I have no idea what to expect,” he said. “[When] putting yourself in a completely new creative biome [I think] something amazing will come of it. … When you get creative minds together and share their creativity and create something beautiful that lasts for lifetimes, I think that’s extremely special. I’m extremely appreciative and I’m very much looking forward to it.”

Bridges and Connections Sculpture Symposium at Andres Institute of Art

Symposium artist showcase
When: Saturday, Sept. 23, 3 p.m.
Where: Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline) Welcome Center
Cost: Free

Dinner with symposium artists
When: Friday, Sept. 29, 6 p.m. (doors open at 5:10 p.m.)
Where: Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline) Welcome Center
Cost: $38

Cedi’s Tasty Treats Food Truck and music by kNowhere Kids
When: Saturday, Sept. 30, 4 to 7 p.m.
Where: Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline). Music in the Welcome Center.

Panel discussion: Art in the public sphere
When: Saturday, Oct. 7, 3 p.m.
Where: Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline) Welcome Center
Cost: Free

Closing ceremony
When: Sunday, Oct. 8, 1 p.m.
Where: Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline)
Cost: Free.

Celebrate Egyptian culture

Nashua church holds sixth Egyptian Food Festival

From Friday, Sept. 15, through Sunday, Sept. 17, the Egyption Food Festival will return to St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church in Nashua.

“It’s an outreach to the community to tell them who we are,” said Kyrillos Gobran, the church’s priest. “The church is a historic place that lots of people in the neighborhood have some kind of relationship with, so it’s good to come and have a tour inside the church … [while] fundraising … and supporting the church … at the same time.”

According to Gobran, the church building itself, which he says is one of the tallest buildings in Nashua, dates back about 140 years, the congregation having taken it on in 2008. The food festival, which includes music, a bazaar and activities for kids, has become a popular event, with about 1,500 to 2,000 people attending each year.

“We have people that have been with us from the [beginning] and they come every single year [to] have a good time as a family and enjoy the food,” he said.

On the menu are various Egyptian meals, sandwiches, sides and desserts. Options include shish kabob platters with a skewer of either beef or chicken marinated with salt, pepper and Mediterranean spices and grilled with onions and green peppers. There is also a kofta platter, which includes one skewer of ground beef seasoned with parsley, chopped onions, salt, pepper and Mediterranean spices. Each meal comes with rice pilaf, salad, tabbouleh and hummus. Skewers can also be ordered by themselves.

“We have vegetarian food as well with lentils … and pasta with sauce on top,” Gobran said.

Desserts include baklava, fried dough and kataif, which is a pancake-like batter filled with raisins, coconut flakes and walnuts and covered in a light syrup.

Egyptian music will be played by a DJ throughout the festival and there will be a kids’ corner with a balloon station, face painting, ice cream, popcorn and cotton candy in addition to the market.

“If you’re looking for something expensive [and] handmade or something a little bit cheaper, you’ll find a different variety there,” Gobran said.

Items for sale include jewelry, T-shirts, Egyptian gowns and pharaonic souvenirs.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming everybody,” he said, “It’s good to see old friends and we welcome people that haven’t been, [or haven’t] tried Egyptian food before or see the Egyptian culture, to come out and enjoy.”

Egyptian Food Festival
When: Friday, Sept. 15, 4 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 16, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 17, noon to 6 p.m.
Where: St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Church, 39 Chandler St., Nashua
Admission: Free

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with Ed Barooney

What is your must-have kitchen item?
Dandido Hot Sauce.

What would you have for your last meal?
Rib-eye steak medium, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.

What is your favorite local eatery?
Bond Brewing and Barbecue.

Name a celebrity you would like to see trying your hot sauce?
The Rock.

Which hot sauce is your favorite?
Our original Dandido Hot.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
I think it’s a toss-up: Those acai bowls are big right now and also, like we have at Bond Brewing and Barbecue, the Chipotle-style bowls and burritos.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
Traditional breakfast. Eggs, bacon, sausage [and] toast.

Chunk Chili
From the kitchen of Ed Barooney.

Dandido Hot Sauce
onion
peppers (bell peppers or hot peppers)
2 to 3 Tablespoons flour
stewed tomatoes (14.5-ounce can)
beans (optional)
steak tips (or ground beef or other meat)

Cut steak tips into medium-size chunks, season with salt and pepper and put in a bag. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons flour. Shake bag to fully coat the chunks.
On medium heat in a medium to large pot, add 3 tablespoons of Dandido Hot with a chopped onion. Cook the onion down until golden/brown.

Once the onion is browned, add the steak chunks into the pot. Brown the outer parts of the meat, careful not to cook the meat all the way through.
Once browned, remove the meat and add in a can of stewed tomatoes, add desired seasoning to taste and add half of the can filled with water.

Once rendered down and simmering, place steak back into the pot, adding beans (any choice of beans), peppers and one to three bay leaves.

Cook for 1 hour until the meat is tender.
Top with cheese and/or sour cream if desired.
For a thicker chili we recommended our Dandido Black made with the Carolina reaper.

Freedom from silence

Nashua author discusses her father’s illness

We all are likely familiar with a variation of the saying “the truth will set you free.” What they don’t tell you is how hard it can be to set the truth free. For Nashua author Melanie Brooks, it was a process a decade in the making, described in her memoir, A Hard Silence, released on Sept. 12. Brooks will be at the Bookery in Manchester on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 5 p.m. for a book reading and signing and at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord for a reading and conversation on Wednesday, Sept. 20, at 6:30 p.m.

When Brooks’s father was infected with HIV in 1985 after undergoing open heart surgery and receiving contaminated blood, her family decided to keep it a secret.

“It was right at the height of the AIDS epidemic and there was so much ignorance and stigma surrounding the disease,” Brooks said. “There was a lot of prejudice and homophobia that was surrounding it and so my dad decided to keep it a secret, not expecting that it would be a 10-year secret. He was a doctor and he expected he would be dead in months.”

Originally from Canada, Brooks moved to New Hampshire 26 years ago after completing undergraduate studies. While pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree, she started the process of writing about her experience, which would result in her memoir.

“It was really difficult. It felt like I was breaking rules even though the rules weren’t there anymore,” Brooks said. “The secret of his illness was known before he died, but I kind of carried that silence really closely and I didn’t talk about it to a lot of people. … When I finally decided I was going to open that box and look at what was there, it was pretty difficult because it was really the first time I was acknowledging a lot of trauma and pain that resided in that experience.”

While working on her thesis, she had an additional project she needed to complete for her MFA for which she decided to interview other memoirists, like Andre Dubus III, Abigail Thomas and Kyoko Mori, who had written about their own difficult experiences. This resulted in Brooks’s first book, Writing Hard Stories, published in 2017.

“That book [was] actually kind of the book I needed to write to finish writing the current book,” Brooks said.

While the context of her memoir is her father’s illness, the book tells the story of her own experiences.

“The memoir’s really about what happens when we’re forced to stay silent, the things that are impacting our lives and the consequences of secrecy,” she said. “It chronicles my journey to come to that place of being able to tell this story and my experience.”

Brooks says it took a while to find a publisher willing to take a chance on her story, as many people feel that HIV/AIDS is less relevant today.

Just as the memoirists she interviewed for Writing Hard Stories helped her tell her own story, she hopes her memoir can do the same for her readers.

“I started to recognize that this is a story that’s about more than the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” Brooks said. “Whatever the secret and silence is [that] people are carrying, I think they need to recognize that it doesn’t have to be an experience that they hold in isolation. …. I hope [readers] will see that even in the most difficult circumstances, speaking those circumstances brings a level of relief.”

Melanie Brooks

Book launch and conversation
When: Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Nashua Country Club (25 Fairway St. in Nashua)
RSVP: Via balinbooks.com/events

Book signing and reading
When: Thursday, Sept. 14, 5 p.m.
Where: Bookery, 844 Elm St., Manchester, bookerymht.com

Reading and conversation about writing stories of health/illness
When: Wednesday, Sept. 20, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St., Concord, gibsonsbookstore.com

Fandoms unite

Granite State Comicon returns for a weekend in Manchester

From video and tabletop games to comics and pop culture, there is something for enthusiasts of many fandoms to enjoy at Granite State Comicon from Friday, Sept. 15, through Sunday, Sept. 17. The event, hosted by Double Midnight Comics, will return to the DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Manchester.

“We try to cover something for everybody, so if you’re a wrestling fan, we have that, if you’re a comic art fan, we have that, if you love video games, we have people who create [them],” Scott Proulx said.

Scott Proulx, along with his brother, Chris Proulx, and their friend, Brett Parker, opened Double Midnight Comics in 2002 and started Granite State Comicon the following year.

“It was a time when there weren’t many comic conventions anymore,” Scott said. “We saw that there was a void and we wanted to fill that.”

The event, which first occupied one room of the hotel and featured local comic creators, now features celebrities from all over the world, this year including actor Jessie Usher, wrestler Billy Gunn, voice actor Christina Costello, and Don Most and Anson Williams from the 1970s sitcom Happy Days.

“It’s definitely grown for more pop culture and entertainment,” Scott said.
Continuously throughout the weekend there will be vendors selling things like key issue comics, clothing and collectibles and food drink vendors like Wild Bill’s Soda Truck. There will also be a gaming lounge where you can learn and play various tabletop games.

“We work with a content creator, Doug Shute from Victory Condition Gaming, and he has all these connections throughout the tabletop community,” Scott said. “He was able to bring in a lot of creators from some role-playing games.”
Gaming guests of honor include Meredith Placko, the CEO of Steve Jackson Games; Greg De Stefano, the co-founder of Turbo Dork, and J.D. Kennedy, game designer at Smug Pug Games.

“They’ll be running games throughout the whole weekend,” Scott said. “People can just pop in and try something new.”

Scott says some of the most popular events include the adult costume contest on Saturday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and the kids’ costume contest on Sunday from 3 to 3:45 p.m.

“We are big into the community so we work with other businesses in the area,” Scott said. “We’re trying to blow this up and make it a big downtown Manchester event, so not just limited to the hotel but the entire Elm Street strip.”

Such businesses include Southern New Hampshire University, one of the event sponsors, and Great North Aleworks, who will create a beer unique to the convention for which some of the Comicon guests will create labels. There will also be an after party on Saturday at Shaskeen Pub.

“[We hope] people come in and have a blast,” Scott said. “There’s something for everybody. … We want everybody to have fun.”

Granite State Comicon

When: Friday, Sept. 15, 4 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Sept.16, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: DoubleTree by Hilton, 700 Elm St., Manchester
Cost: Single-day tickets range from $10 to $35 depending on the day and whether they are purchased online or at the door. Multiple-day tickets are also available.
More info: granitecon.com

Friday, Sept. 15

  • Arts & crafts with Kids Con New England
    4 to 7:30 p.m., The Armory
  • Tabletop gaming
    4 to 7:30 p.m., Granitecon Gaming Lounge
  • Telestrations
    5 to 6 p.m., Granitecon Gaming Lounge
  • Rivers of London RPG Demo
    6 to 7 p.m., Webster Room
  • Queen City Improv
    7 to 8 p.m., Webster Room
  • Granitemania!: Official Granitecon kick-off party
    8:30 to 11:30 p.m., Panel Room A

Saturday, Sept. 16

  • Character meet & greets with Party Palace
    10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., The Armory
  • Face painting with Squirrelcat Designs
    10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., The Armory
  • Arts & crafts with Kids Con New England
    10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., The Armory
  • Open gaming, demos and learn to plays
    10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Granitecon Gaming Lounge
  • Munchkin and munchkins with Meredith
    10 to 11 a.m., Granitecon Gaming Lounge
  • Learn to draw video game characters
    11 to 11:35 a.m., The Armory
  • ARN and Brock Anderson Q&A
    11 to 11:45 a.m., Panel Room A
  • Well, this bites: creating a Last of Us cordyceps bite
    11 to 11:45 a.m., Panel Room B
  • State of the Game panel
    noon to 12:45 p.m., Webster Room
  • Karan Ashley Q&A
    noon to 12:45 p.m., Panel Room A
  • DND: a classic game for the modern classroom
    noon to 12:45 p.m., Panel Room B
  • Beginner electronics for costumes and props
    1 to 1:45 p.m., Webster Room
  • Kids coloring contest
    1 to 1:35 p.m., The Armory
  • Batman day: the Murphyverse
    1 to 1:45 p.m., Panel Room A
  • Kyle Pacek Q&A
    1 to 1:45 p.m., Panel Room B
  • Call of Cthulthu RPG “The Devil Inside”
    1 to 4 p.m., Granitecon Gaming Lounge
  • Getting fit for cosplay
    2 to 2:45 p.m., Webster Room
  • Learn to draw Disney characters
    2 to 2:35 p.m., The Armory
  • Todd Haberkorn Q&A
    2 to 2:45 p.m., Panel Room A
  • How to start an action figure business
    2 to 2:45 p.m., Panel Room B
  • Uniting the fandom: our love of a galaxy far far away
    2 to 2:45 p.m., Panel Room B
  • Learn to draw Pokemon
    3 to 3:35 p.m., The Armory
  • Turtle Power Panel
    3 to 3:45 p.m., Panel Room A
  • Working with unusual material for cosplay
    3 to 3:45 p.m., Panel Room B
  • Press your luck: Granite State Comic Con edition
    4 to 5:30 p.m., Webster Room
  • Anson Williams and Don Most Q&A
    4 to 4:45 p.m., Panel Room A
  • 40-minute design an RPG
    4 to 5:30 p.m., Panel Room B
  • Annual costume contest
    5 to 6:30 p.m., Panel Room A
  • Upside down: official Granitecon after party!
    8 to 11 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St.

Sunday, Sept. 17

  • Open gaming, demos and learn to plays
    10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Granitecon Gaming Lounge
  • Meet superhero characters
    Sunday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., The Armory
  • Arts & crafts with Kids Con New England
    10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., The Armory
  • Face painting with Squirrelcat Designs
    10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., The Armory
  • Munchkin and munchkins with Meredith
    10 to 11 a.m., Granitecon Gaming Lounge
  • Learn to draw comic characters
    11 to 11:35 a.m., The Armory
  • Scott Steiner Q&A
    11 to 11:45 a.m., Panel Room A
  • Superhero storytime
    11 to 11:45 a.m., Panel Room B
  • Geek Gossip live
    11 to 11:45 a.m., Webster Room
  • Jessie T. Usher Q&A
    noon to 12:45 p.m., Panel Room A
  • Patterning for cosplay: 101
    noon to 12:45 p.m., Panel Room B
  • Padawan training
    1 to 1:45 p.m., Webster Room
  • Superhero trivia game
    1 to 1:35 p.m., The Armory
  • Ultimate sketch off
    1 to 1:45 p.m., Panel Room A
  • Christina Costello Q&A
    1 to 1:45 p.m., Panel Room B
  • First annual Granitecon strike dice game championship
    1 to 2 p.m., Granitecon Gaming Lounge
  • Call of Cthulthu RPG “The Terror on the Seas”
    1 to 4 p.m., Granitecon Gaming Lounge
  • Costuming and community in a galaxy far far away
    2 to 2:45 p.m., Webster Room
  • Create a superhero comic
    2 to 2:35 p.m., The Armory
  • Billy Gunn Q&A
    2 to 2:45 p.m., Panel Room A
  • Cosplay and photographer’s shootout
    2 to 2:45 p.m., Panel Room B
  • Match game: Granite State Comic Con edition
    3 to 3:45 p.m., Webster Room
  • Kids’ sketch challenge
    3 to 3:35 p.m., The Armory
  • Kids’ costume contest
    3 to 3:35 p.m., Panel Room A

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