Author: The Hippo Press

Kiddie Pool 23/10/26

Family fun for whenever

City trick-or-treat

• The Spooktacular Downtown Trick-or-Treating Extravaganza in Manchester will take place Friday, Oct. 27, from 3 to 6:30 p.m. The afternoon will feature family-friendly activities, treats and more, according to a press release from Mayor Joyce Craig’s office. Craig will hand out books to kids, who are encouraged to dress up and visit participating businesses. Stanton Plaza will feature children’s activities, a live DJ and more, the release said.

• Intown Concord will host a Halloween Howl on Friday, Oct. 27, on Main Street. At 5 p.m. there will be a free kids’ fun run in Bicentennial Square, followed by activities including trick-or-treating, witch hat ring toss, Trunk or Treat and a Pumpkin Photo Op from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. At 5:45 p.m. there will be a “not so scary” costume parade, and participants will gather at City Plaza in front of the Statehouse arch. Additionally, there will be a costume contest at 6 p.m. on Capitol Street. Pre-registration is required for the costume contest. Visit members.intownconcord.org.

Halloween in the park

• The City of Nashua will host its Halloween Boo Bash on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Greeley Park (100 Concord St.). Activities include hay rides, pumpkin decorating, a haunted house and a bonfire. Costumes are encouraged at this free event. See nashuanh.gov.

• Join the town of Merrimack for its 31st Annual Halloween Party on Saturday, Oct. 28, from noon to 3 p.m. at Wasserman Park (116 Naticook Road). There will be a costume contest and a Pumpkin Race Car Derby along with free games, crafts and face painting. Nonprofit organizations Merrimack Friends & Families and Less Leg More Heart will have food for sale. Visit merrimackparksandrec.org.

Spooktacular tunes

• CAKE Theatre (12 Veterans Square, Laconia, 677-6360) will host a Spook N’ Groove hangout and dance party with mixed drinks, root beer floats, doughnut ice cream sundaes and more on Friday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. The theater level dance party has a DJ and laser lights. Kids 12 and under admitted free with a paid adult. Admission for teens and adults 13+ is $10 per person. Costumes are welcome but not required.

• Join kids’ musician Laurie Berkner for a Halloween show at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord) on Saturday, Oct. 28, with performances at 11 a.m.and 3 p.m. Laurie will blend her hits with Halloween tunes. Attendees are encouraged to wear dancing shoes and bring a stuffed animal. Tickets cost $31.75 to $86.75 at ccanh.com/show/laurie-berkner.

Trunk or treat

Find our list of area trunk-or-treats and trick-or-treat times in our roundup of Halloween happenings in the Oct. 19 issue, available at hippopress.com. Here are a few places to trick-or-treat this weekend.

• Milford: Trick-or-treat at the Oval on Friday, Oct. 27, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. downtown. Visit milford.nh.gov.

• Concord Farmers Market: Wear costumes and trick-or-treat at vendors at the Saturday, Oct. 28, market, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Capitol Street (next to the Statehouse).

• Manchester: Trick-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 28, from noon to 2 p.m. at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive). Visit trick-or-treat-at-the-ballpark.

• Derry: Trick-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 28, from noon to 3 p.m. downtown. Visit derrynh.org.

• Amherst: Trunk-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 4 p.m. in the Clark-Wilkins School parking lot (80 Boston Post Road). Visit amherstnh.gov.

• Hudson: Trunk-Or-Treat on Sunday, Oct. 29, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Hudson Mall (77 Derry Road in Hudson; thehudsonmall.com).

• Bedford: Trunk-or-treat on Sunday, Oct. 29, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Murphy’s Tap Room parking lot at 393 Route 101. See bedfordnh.myrec.com.

Zombies & pumpkins

New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival returns to Laconia

By Dan Humer
[email protected]

The New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival will feature a zombie walk, a road race, a costume parade, street performers, a beer garden and more, running Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, in downtown Laconia.

On Friday, Oct. 27, events run from 4 to 8 p.m. and include KidsZones (featuring a climbing wall, bungy jump and inflatables), the Great New England Craft and Artisan Show (at City Hall), beer gardens at Hectors Fine Food & Spirits and the 405 Beer Garden on Beacon Street West in the City Hall parking lot and food trucks, vendors and street performers.

A zombie walk starts in Veterans Square at 6 p.m. and a Spook’N Grove Halloween Dance Party takes place at the CAKE Theatre (12 Veterans Square in Laconia; thecaketheatre.com — tickets cost $10 for 13+, 12 and under are free) from 7 to 10 p.m.

On Saturday, Oct. 28, events run from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and include the Runaway Pumpkin 5K/10k Run/Walk in Opechee Park ( 9 a.m.); Hobo Pumpkin Express Train Rides (every hour starting at 11 a.m.; see website for tickets); a Wicked Pumpkin Cornhole Tournament at noon; a pie eating contest (every hour from 11 to 4 p.m. in Veterans Square); a scavenger hunt; the beer gardens; the craft & artisan show; thousands of pumpkins on display; a children’s costume parade (1 p.m.); Recycled Percussion at the Cake Theatre (see thecaketheatre.com for tickets); Amy Grant at the Colonial Theatre (609 Main St. in Laconia ;see coloniallaconia.com for tickets), live music and more, according to nhpumpkinfestival.com, where you can find a complete schedule.

Karmen Gifford, president of the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, which is one of the event’s organizers, said that the festival has in previous years drawn more than 40,000 people from different parts of New England, and even as far away as California and Canada. She said the event is an opportunity to celebrate, but also a way for the Chamber to support and promote other organizations and businesses local to New Hampshire.

“We try to blend it all together. Come out and spend the day, ” Gifford said.

The CAKE Theatre — Chaos and Kindness Experience Theatre — will host the zombie walk and will be putting on a pumpkin display with the help of their many volunteers. Melissa Aupperle, brand director at CAKE, says this is only their second year since the pandemic in being involved with the pumpkin festival. Aupperle said Recycled Percussions shows at the CAKE are all-ages-friendly.

“We want to curate some good things for everyone,” Aupperle said.

Jody Donohue is the organizer behind the Great New England Craft and Artisan Show, which will run across the two days. The event will have more 100 exhibitors, consisting of artisan local

designers and blacksmiths who create handmade products of all kinds, as well as specialty food vendors showing off their unique pastries and desserts. Visitors can expect to see anything from old clarinet parts turned into household lamps to ghost and goblin decor sets made from driftwood to welcome in the spooky season, Donohue said.

New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival
When: Friday, Oct. 27, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 28, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (with the road race beginning at 8 p.m.)
Where: Downtown Laconia on Main Street and Beacon Street East as well as Beacon Street West, Veterans Park and streets in between.
More info: nhpumpkinfestival.com for a schedule, map and links to ticketed items

Featured image: Jodi Picoult. Photo by Rainer Hosch.

Celebrate the humanities

Nonprofit group holds celebration with Jodi Picoult

For the past 50 years, New Hampshire Humanities has worked to keep the humanities alive in the Granite State. The Annual Celebration of the Humanities, which this year also serves as a way to kick off the nonprofit’s 50th year, will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at The Palace Theatre in Manchester with bestselling author Jodi Picoult as the keynote speaker.

“The annual celebration is our chance once a year to really bring people together from all around the state to celebrate the work that we do as a humanities council [and] to celebrate the fact that there’s wonderful things happening in the humanities all over New Hampshire,” said Michael Goldman, the executive director of the organization. “We have a tradition of bringing really interesting speakers to New Hampshire, or often when we can, we try to celebrate people who are connected to New Hampshire.”

The New Hampshire Humanities is an independent nonprofit that has worked to keep beneficial cultural work and programs happening throughout the state. Through its affiliation with the National Endowment for the Humanities and funding from public partners, it can help fund organizations such as libraries, museums, historical societies and other cultural centers.

“We really try to bring in someone who’s a really inspiring person connected to the larger field of humanities work, whether it’s an author … or somebody who’s really helping bring out the story of New Hampshire, the United States or the world in general,” Goldman said. “Jodi Picoult is a great example. … She’s really unflinching at taking things that are big topics for the world around us [and] really digging into what those issues are and bringing those stories to life.”

Such topics include ethics surrounding medical work and LGBTQ rights; her most recent novel, Mad Honey, addresses issues surrounding people who are transgender in the United States. Several of her books have been banned, which Goldman says she has responded to from the perspective of both a parent and an author. More recently, she has come together with other authors to sign a suit against artificial intelligence using the copyrighted works of writers.

During the event she will talk about writing and the research process, her collaboration with other writers and what brings her joy. The program will be preceded by a reception with appetizers and refreshments.

“This is an event that is really about bringing in a broad audience, both of people who know New Hampshire Humanities and care about the humanities [while] at the same time [hoping] to introduce the work that we do to a broader audience, so it’s a combination of things,” Goldman said. “It’s a celebration of all the wonderful ideas and discussion and dialogue that the humanities includes, and we’re celebrating that for the evening with some amazing authors and hoping to help people think about big ideas.”

2023 Annual Celebration of the Humanities
When: Wednesday, Nov. 8, at 5 p.m.
Where: The Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester
Cost: Tickets range from $35 to $50; visit palacetheatre.org to purchase.

Featured image: Jodi Picoult. Photo by Rainer Hosch.

The Art Roundup 23/10/26

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

  • Bard-adjacent: Actorsingers presents the musical farce Something Rotten at the Keefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St. in Nashua) on Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 29, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and students. The production is set in the 1590s when brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are trying to write a hit play that will get them out from the shadow of “The Bard” and are told by a soothsayer that the future of theater is singing and dancing and acting, according to actorsingers.org.
  • Spooky soiree: The Windham Concert Band and the Amherst Town Band will play a Halloween-themed selection of music including Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries,” Edvard Grieg’s “March of the Trolls” and more on Sunday, Oct. 29, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Souhegan High School (412 Boston Post Road in Amherst), according to a press release. Costume-wearing is encouraged; the event is free.
  • Quoth the raven: “Nevermore,” an exhibit that “pays homage to the mesmerizing allure of the darkness,” is on display at the Mosaic Art Collective (66 Hanover St., Suite 201, in Manchester; 512-6209, mosaicartcollective.com) through Tuesday, Oct. 31, according to a press release. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Fridays from 2 to 6 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m., and by appointment.

NH Furniture Masters
The New Hampshire Furniture Masters are collaborating with the League of NH Craftsmen for the exhibit “Connecting through Craft” on display through Thursday, Dec. 14, at the League of NH Craftsmen Headquarters Gallery (49 S. Main St. in Concord). The pieces in the exhibition were created during a partnership that paired New Hampshire Furniture Masters with League members, according to a press release. The gallery is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 4 p.m., the release said.

On Saturday, Oct. 28, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., the Furniture Masters will hold a Signature Fundraising Gala at the gallery. Attendees can explore the exhibit, talk to the makers and bid on silent auction items as well as enjoy food, drink and live music from Hot Skillet Club (a jazz band trio), the release said. Tickets cost $50 and are available at furnituremasters.org/the-main-event.

  • Landscapes: The New Hampshire Antique Co-Op (323 Elm St. in Milford; 673-8499; nhantiquecoop.com) is currently featuring the exhibit “Celebrating the American Landscape” featuring pieces from the late 1800s to the present, highlighting The White Mountain School, the Dublin Art Colony and the Hudson River School, according to a press release. The exhibit is on display through Jan. 31. The Co-op is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Veterans’ art: New Hampshire Veterans Home (139 Winter St. in Tilton; nh.gov/veterans, 527-4400) will host an art show in the Town Hall great room on Friday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. featuring veterans’ art displays as well as live music, demonstrations and conversations with veteran and visiting artists (from The Galleries at 30 Main in Meredith), according to a press release.

This Week 23/10/26

Big Events October 26, 2023 and beyond

Tuesday, Oct. 31

Get ready for trick-or-treat! Whether you’re walking the neighborhood with your candy-seekers or handing out treats to little Jedi, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Barbies, tonight is the big night in Concord (from 5 to 7:30 p.m.), Manchester (6 to 8 p.m.) and Nashua (6 to 8 p.m.). A few area towns hold trick-or-treat Sunday or Monday evening. Find our list of area trick-or-treat times in our roundup of Halloween happenings in the Oct. 19 issue, available at hippopress.com.

Friday, Oct. 27

Get classic thrills with The Lodger, Sabotage and The 39 Steps at the Majestic Theatre (880 Page St. in Manchester; majestictheatre.net, 669-7649) presented as part of Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play today through Sunday Oct. 29, with showtimes at 7 p.m. on Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for 65+ and 17 and under.

Friday, Oct. 27

The Witch of Weston Tower will haunt McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Court, Manchester) from tonight through Sunday, Oct. 29. Activities will run on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. For a scenic chairlift to Weston Tower, tickets are $22 for adults, $15 for children and seniors, and $5 for children 5 and under. Those who do not wish to ride the chairlift to Weston Tower may purchase a witch ticket, which is a $10 donation per family. For an additional cost there will be food trucks, face painting and pumpkin painting. The proceeds from the event will benefit the Manchester Historical Association. Additionally, on Saturday there will be a touch-a-truck and a trunk-or-treat event that are free to attend. See mcintyreskiarea.com.

Friday, Oct. 27

There will be some zomb-ertunities this weekend. Tonight the downtown trick-or-treat in Rochester will feature a Zombie Walk at 7 p.m.; see rochestermainstreet.org for details. The New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival in Laconia will also feature a zombie walk tonight at 6 p.m.; see the story on page 20 for details. Tomorrow, the 17th Annual Dover Zombie Walk will take place on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 2 p.m. Visit facebook.com/doverzombiewalkd and admission is free.

Saturday, Oct. 28

Halloween runs: The 2nd Annual Halloween Howl Hustle for Housing, a 5K to benefit Fellowship Housing Opportunities, will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 28, at Masonic Lodge in Concord. Visit runsignup.com/ halloweenhowlhustle5k. The Amherst Orthodontics Trick or Trot 3K will be held at Arms Park in Manchester on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 11 a.m. At 9:30 a.m. there will be a Kids Halloween Festival featuring vendors, magic and animals. Visit millenniumrunning.com/trick-or-trot to register.

Saturday, Oct. 28

It’s a big night for grown-up Halloween parties: Derryfield (625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880) will feature cover band Mugsy and D-Comp for the Halloween Monster Bash. Find more nightlife events in the Music This Week in this issue on page 34 and in last week’s issue (Oct. 19) on page 18 (find the e-edition at hippopress.com).

Save the Date! Friday, Nov. 24
The curtain rises on A Christmas Carol at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, Nov. 24, with shows Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. through Dec. 23. Tickets cost $28 to $49.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 23/10/26

Increased fatalities for motorcyclists

In 2023, New Hampshire experienced its highest number of motorcycle-related deaths in almost two decades. Since Jan. 1, the state has recorded 39 fatalities: 35 motorcycle operators, three passengers and one moped operator. A breakdown of these figures indicates 31 victims were men and eight were women, with 31 of the deceased being New Hampshire residents. Historical data from the Division of Motor Vehicles’ Fatal Crash Unit shows that on average 22 riders typically die in crashes each year, with the last peak in fatalities occurring in 2005 with 43 deaths. Geographical data reveals Rockingham County had the highest count with 11 deadly crashes, followed by Hillsborough with six, and both Merrimack and Grafton counties with five each.

QOL score: -3

Comment: The New Hampshire Motorcyclists’ Rights Organization has since emphasized the importance of responsible riding practices. Traci Beaurivage, president of the NHMRO, has urged riders to embrace the “RideSMART” philosophy, emphasizing safety, awareness and informed decision-making on the road.

Otherwise … safe in NH

WalletHub recently published its 2023 report on the Safest States in America, which ranked New Hampshire as the third safest state. The ranking was based on 52 key metrics, from assaults per capita to climate disaster losses per capita. In the report, New Hampshire notably ranked third-safest when it came to murders and non-negligent manslaughters per capita, second-safest in assaults per capita, seventh-safest when it comes to loss amounts from climate disasters per capita, 16th-safest in fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 full-time workers and fourth-safest in fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel (despite the above, perhaps).

QOL score: +1

Comment: All six New England states made the top 10, with Vermont securing the top spot.

Job help

Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), a part of Dartmouth Health, was honored for its role in the Project SEARCH program, an internship initiative that helps individuals with intellectual disabilities develop job-related skills, according to a press release. Since 2011, DHMC has hosted the program, recently gaining recognition for achieving a 100 percent job placement rate for its 2021-2022 interns. The acknowledgment came during Project SEARCH’s 16th Annual Conference in Milwaukee. Interns at DHMC undergo intensive training through three 10-week internships within the hospital, alongside classroom learning. These internships foster technical and soft skills, preparing participants for a variety of job positions. Local institutions such as the Hartford, Vermont, school district, and New Hampshire Vocational Rehabilitation collaborate to administer the DHMC Project SEARCH program.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Starting from a single site at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 1996, Project SEARCH has expanded to more than 600 locations worldwide.

QOL score: 92
Net change: -1
QOL this week: 91

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?
Let us know at [email protected].

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