The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
• Welcome to Cicely, Alaska: Pembroke City Limits (134 Main St. in Suncook; pembrokecitylimits.com, 210-2409) will present “Music of Words: A Dramatic Reading of Northern Exposure” on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. The production will feature eight dramatic actors reading from a third-season episode. The event starts at 7 p.m. and admission is free.
• Harvest Fair: The Craftworkers Guild, based in Bedford, is open through Monday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Get a look at some of the items in the shop — including woodwork, fiber craft and more — on their Facebook page.
• Paper pumpkins: Twiggs Gallery (254 King St. in Boscawen; 975-0015, twiggsgallery.org) will offer a Halloween paper pumpkin make-and-take activity on Saturday, Oct. 12. The gallery will provide all materials for the project, which will be ongoing from 1 to 3 p.m.
Meet the artist The exhibit “Things on Tabletops: Paintings by Bruce McColl” will open Thursday, Oct. 10, at the Sullivan Framing & Fine Art Gallery (15 N. Amherst Road in Bedford; sullivanframing.com) and be on display through Saturday, Nov. 23. Sullivan will hold a reception for the show on Oct. 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. Head to the gallery on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 4 to 5 p.m. for an artist talk, according to a Sullivan email. Sullivan Framing is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to its Facebook page.
• Wool arts: The New Hampshire Wool Arts Tour takes place Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with happenings on five farms — Spinner Farm in Deering; Glory Be Farm in Bennington; Windfall Farm in Antrim; Ten Talents at La Bergerie Dumas in Greenfield, and Maple Lane Farm in Lyndeborough. See woolartstournh.com for the demonstrations, artists, food and more slated to be at each farm.
• Photography show: “From Here to Everywhere,” an exhibit featuring “some of Ethan Abitz’s most cherished photographs, capturing life from his hometown in the Monadnock Region to faraway destinations like New Zealand,” is on display at the Jaffrey Civic Center (40 Main St. in Jaffrey; jaffreyciviccenter.com, 532-6527) in the Auditorium Gallery and Display Cases through Saturday, Nov. 9.
Demystify oil painting, sculpting and more by venturing out on one of the many studio tours offered by art communities in New Hampshire this fall.
The Monadnock Art/Friends of the Dublin Art Colony Open Studio Tour is the perfect event at which to see artists in their natural habitat.
Sue Weller, president of the board of the Monadnock Art Tour, is impressed by “the amazing art that just flows through this event.”
“It’s really been a privilege to be working with so many wonderful people,” Weller said. “We have an amazing board. It’s all volunteer. Everybody works really hard to pull this event off,” she said.
Many artists moved to the Monadnock region during the mid-19th century. “I think they gravitated because of the presence of Mount Monadnock and its power and allure, and so we had watercolorists and oil painters and all kinds of artists come to the Dublin area,” Weller said. Abbott Handerson Thayer was an important figure that the artists wanted to learn from as well.
“In 1995 this group of folks, local artists in the Dublin area, got together, became Monadnock Art, Friends of the Dublin Art Colony, and they started to open their studios and create this beautiful tour so that the art appreciation of this area would continue,” Weller said.
This is their 28th year, with 65 studios and more than 80 artists for visitors to see.
Rose Lowry does marketing for the organization and explains the tour process: “It’s free,” Lowry said. “It’s a self-guided tour. So people either find us online and use the map that’s online. And then we have … 10,000 brochures. Practically dropped them from airplanes, you know, put them in stores and post offices just to get the word out.”
Jessie Pollock in her studio as part of the Monadnock Art Open Studio Tour. Photo by Lipofsky Photography.
“Rose does this amazing job of putting this map together…,” Weller said. “You could use GPS now or, you know, just sort of follow the written map and go and see the artists in their working studios, and talk to them and get a sense of what their inspiration is and how they communicate, how they work, how they do their art. It’s just really extraordinary.”
“We get people from all over the country, literally,” Lowry said.
Weller agreed: “Yeah, and it’s really neat because we basically cover these seven towns of Harrisville, Dublin, Hancock, Peterborough, Sharon, Marlborough, Jaffrey.”
“There are these beautiful orange maple leaf signs that say Art Tour and the dates,” Weller said, “which are Oct. 12 through the 14th. And then each of the studios has a very unique black and white sign that has the studio number on it so … the drivers can easily follow those signs to the studio. So it’s really fun. You get to drive down roads you probably have never been at before and all of a sudden there’s this wonderful studio that is open to you.”
Another art tour takes place via the Center for the Arts. This year that tour is on Saturday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 13.
“We love to offer open studios to our community,” said Dena Stahlheber, the Executive Director of the Center for the Arts. “Our particular organization, our nonprofit, serves the 12 towns surrounding and including New London. But we promote, support and connect our artists of all ages in the literary, performing and visual arts arenas to enrich our community through the arts.”
Stahlheber says she is “always surprised and amazed by the talent that lives here and loves to work here. So it’s really just a joy to be a part of it.” Besides New London, studios included in the tour will be in Andover, Sunapee, Danbury, Bradford and Springfield. Some artists will be sharing studios as well. “We have, at this year’s Open Studios … 14 different artists across the towns that we serve. And most of them are home studios. Some of them are coming to a shared location. But it’s a great way for our community to see the creative inspiration, the place in which our artists are getting inspired, making their art.”
Why would people be interested in checking out one of the studios?
“You get to ask questions, to ask about their approach, look at the different types of things they’re doing, see the creative spaces,” Stahlheber said. “Some of the home studios are stunning. Some of these have been built up over the years and are just amazing. And I think it’s really fun if you enjoy arts and creativity to see the different ways artists and people, you know, approach it.”
Depending on how much of a scenic fall road trip is in the cards, participants can cover a lot of ground. “It’s free to the public, which is wonderful. And, you know, depending on where you live, some of the artists may be closer, and some may be a little bit farther, but people can pick and choose where they want to go and when between the hours that are noted, depending on the time period.”
Deerfield Arts also puts on a tour of various studios in Deerfield. On their website they mention how every year “the artists and craftspeople of Deerfield, New Hampshire, offer the Deerfield Arts Tour — a self-guided open house tour of our studios and work.” In total there are 13 different locations and 21 different artists that participants could expect to visit if they decided to see every spot on the map.
The Deerfield Arts Tour has taken place every year since 2003 and is made up of artists who live or work in Deerfield, many having been recognized throughout the state for the high caliber of their work, according to the same website. Participants in the tour represent a mix of contemporary and traditional styles and a variety of media.
In November, the Route 3 Art Trail Tour, an effort by Twiggs Gallery and others, will run Saturday, Nov. 2, at 17 locations in Concord, Pembroke, Boscawen and Franklin, according to the event’s Facebook page. See route3arttrail.com for the map to this event.
All these art tours will include various styles. Among others, you can see potters, sculptors, photographers, textile artists, painters using different media, glass artists, wood turners and furniture makers.
Rose Lowry summation of the Monadnock Art Open Studio tour applies to them all.
“It’s absolutely beautiful and you go to the cute little towns,” Lowry said. “It’s a great journey.”
Hit the road with these tours
Center for the Arts Open Studios When: Saturday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 13 Towns: New London, Andover, Sunapee, Danbury, Bradford, and Springfield More info: centerfortheartsnh.org
The Monadnock Art Open StudioTour/Friends of the Dublin Art Colony When: Saturday, Oct. 12, through Monday, Oct. 14 Towns: Harrisville, Dublin, Hancock, Peterborough, Sharon, Marlborough, Jaffrey More info: monadnockart.org
New Hampshire Wool Arts 41st Annual Tour When: Saturday, Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Towns: Antrim, Bennington, Deering, Greenfield, Lyndeborough (each location is a farm and also features other artists and craftspeople) More info: woolartstournh.com
Deerfield Arts Tour When: Saturday, Oct. 19, and Sunday, Oct. 20 More info: deerfieldarts.com
Route 3 Art Trail Tour When: Saturday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Towns: Concord, Pembroke, Boscawen, Franklin More info: route3arttrail.com
The New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail Passport Program allows visitors to experience 21 different museums. Each passport is valued at $150 but they are available for purchase at participating museums for only $30, according to the program’s website.
Specifically, the Trail Passport provides buyers with one admission ticket to each of those 21 museums that are part of the museum trail. The Passport is good for one person for one year from the date of purchase, and it’s non-transferable. The Passport includes brief summaries of the museums organized by location and category and can be stamped upon entry.
According to the website, each member museum is recognized as a significant cultural institution that preserves and promotes an understanding and appreciation of a shared national and state heritage.
The 21 museums combined present 300 years of history by hosting more than 100,000 historical artifacts, which are viewed by over 200,000 patrons every year, according to the same website.
NH Heritage Museum Trail
Passport cost: $30 More info: nhmuseumtrail.org/passport
Participating museums: Albacore Park (Portsmouth, ussalbacore.org) American Independence Museum (Exeter, independencemuseum.org) Aviation Museum of NH (Londonderry, aviationmuseumofnh.org) Canterbury Shaker Village (Canterbury, shakers.org) Castle in the Clouds (Moultonborough, castleintheclouds.org) Currier Museum of Art (Manchester, currier.org) Lake Winnipesaukee Museum (Laconia, lwhs.us) Lee Scouting Museum (Manchester, scoutingmuseum.nhscouting.org) Libby Museum of Natural History (Wolfeboro, libbymuseum.org) Millyard Museum (Manchester, manchesterhistoric.org) Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden (Portsmouth, moffattladd.org) Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (Warner, indianmuseum.org) Museum of the White Mountains (Plymouth State University in Plymouth, plymouth.edu/mwm) NH Boat Museum (Wolfeboro, nhbm.org) NH Historical Society (Concord, nhhistory.org) New England Racing Museum (Loudon, nemsmuseum.com) Portsmouth Historical Society (Portsmouth, portsmouthhistory.org) Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm (Tamworth, remickmuseum.org) Strawbery Banke Museum (Portsmouth, strawberybanke.org) Woodman Museum (Dover, woodmanmuseum.org) Wright Museum of World War II (Wolfeboro, wrightmuseum.org)
History with UFOs and Ninja Turtles
Driving through time with roadside historical markers
Francestown used to be famous for its soapstone. There used to be a double-decker bridge over the river in Suncook. Horace Greeley, the owner and founder of the New York Tribune, presidential candidate, and one of the fathers of westward expansion, was born in Milford in 1811. Colonel John Goffe didn’t actually live in Goffstown. You could spend a day or so in a research library learning these things; alternatively, you could read about them on roadside historical markers.
Historical Marker 0148, overlooking the baseball diamond in White Park in Concord. Photo courtesy of the Historical Highway Markers App.
According to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (dot.nh.gov) there are more than 16,000 miles of roads and highways in New Hampshire. It’s very difficult to drive for any distance in the state without seeing a green historical marker on the side of the road as you drive by. The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources (nhdhr.dncr.nh.gov), the agency responsible for the markers, says there are more than 200 of them, spread across the state.
Michael Bruno is an expert in New Hampshire’s roadside historical markers. He is the author of Cruising New Hampshire History: A Guide to New Hampshire’s Roadside Historical Markers. He said that documenting the state’s markers involved traveling to every part of New Hampshire.
“I started [visiting the markers] in late 2015,” Bruno remembered, “and published in May of 2018. … I visited every marker at that time. There were 255. I visited every marker, photographed it, GPS tagged it, and then did a back story, learning a little bit more than the 12 to 14 lines of text that you had on the marker.”
The State of New Hampshire has been placing historical markers since the 1950s.
“It’s pretty amazing that the legislation happened in 1955,” Bruno said, “and by 1958 four markers were in place in the state.” One of the first three markers marked Horace Greeley’s birthplace near Milford. “That marker has like 35 words on the whole marker,” Bruno said. “It’s amazing that the story of a guy who founded the New York Tribune is on a marker with 35 words.”
Bruno hears from a lot of people who use his guide to take road trips from marker to marker, across the state. He thinks the Covid epidemic was a turning point in public interest in the markers.
“[During lockdown] people needed something to do,” he said. “I remember this one couple from somewhere in Sullivan County.” They emailed Bruno. “They were like, ‘We’re supposed to go to Florida, we can’t go.’ So they had a Mazda Miata and they would pack a picnic every day and go visit markers. Every day was a journey. The lady wrote to me and said, ‘I learned so much about our state. I didn’t realize I had so much history in my own community and region.’ So it was kind of eye-opening.”
New Hampshire’s historical markers are not limited to the birthplaces of Revolutionary War figures, or obscure architecture. Animator, film maker and historical marker enthusiast Griffin Hansen (youtube.com/user/Gruppetstudios) was the force behind placing a historical marker near a manhole cover in Dover to commemorate the origin of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who first appeared in a comic book written there. (Dover, not the manhole.) Hansen and his co-director Anna Chavez worked together to get approval from the State for the marker. He explained that getting permission from the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources (nhdhr.dncr.nh.gov) is a three-part process. “One, get 25 signatures from people in New Hampshire, Two, write up the text that you want for the marker. And this is a new one, but the third one is to get the town’s approval as well. The town’s permission is a new thing. We didn’t get that permission because our marker was installed last year but it actually got approved a long time before that.”
Hansen speculated that the reason for the addition of the town approval part of the process is rooted in last year’s Elizabeth Gurley Flynn controversy. In May 2023, the Concord-located marker for Flynn was removed shortly after being installed after receiving opposition from some on the New Hampshire Executive Council. According to a press release at the time from the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources Flynn, who was born in Concord in 1890, was “a well-known labor, women’s rights and civil liberties activist.” Identifying Flynn as “The Rebel Girl,” the marker highlighted Flynn’s involvement in the labor movement and her imprisonment after joining the Communist Party, according to Hippo coverage from last year. According to Wikipedia, Flynn died in the Soviet Union in 1964 and received a state funeral in Red Square before her body was sent to Chicago for burial.
Hansen said that in his experience the marker approval process takes about a year.
“I run an organization that I founded, which installs historical markers across the country,” he said, “and we actually use the same historical marker manufacturer as the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources, so that is actually very timely for them to only take a year.”
Hansen’s personal favorite marker is in Lincoln.
“The greatest marker in the state of New Hampshire — ask anybody — is going to be the Betty and Barney Hill marker,” he said. The Hills reported being abducted by extraterrestrials near Lincoln in 1961. “I have had a lot of people tell me that they’re very thankful that Anna and I put up a historical marker for the Ninja Turtles and they think it’s really cool, they think it adds to the culture, and I’m very flattered, but I do not have any illusions about the fact that it will never be as cool as the UFO historical marker, which I am proud to cede the throne to.”
Guide to markers Cruising New Hampshire History: A Guide to New Hampshire’s Roadside Historical Markers by Michael Bruno (Lloyds Hill Publishing, 2018) can be found in many New Hampshire libraries or purchased online.
10 Historical Road Markers
Marker 0110, Concord, Ratification of the Federal Constitution, on the corner of Church and Bouton streets. There was suspense and drama surrounding New Hampshire’s decision to ratify the Constitution. The state’s approval ultimately provided the two-thirds majority needed to adopt it. This is one of Michael Bruno’s favorite markers.
Marker 0184, Bow, Turkey Pond – 1938 Hurricane, Route 13, approximately 0.7 miles from the Bow Town Line. In 1938 New England was struck by a Category 3 Hurricane that decimated towns and forests across the region. Some forests have not yet completely recovered.
Marker 0208, Manchester, St. Mary’s Bank Credit Union/La Caisse Populair Sainte-Marie, 418-420 Notre Dame Ave., Manchester, in front of the America’s Credit Union Museum (acumuseum.org). Appealing to enthusiasts of credit unions and Franco-American history, this marker has two sides, one in English and one in French.
Marker 0126, Derry, Robert Frost, Route 28, 1.7 miles south of the Derry Rotary. Legendary poet Robert Frost lived and farmed in Derry between 1900 and 1911.
Marker 0166, Londonderry, Londonderry Town Pound, Route 128 (Mammoth Road) and Old Stage Road. “Stray farm animals were confined here by elected ‘pounders,’ or reeves, until ransomed by their owners.”
Marker 0072, Salem, Mystery Hill, Route 28, south of Route 111. This marker describes America’s Stonehenge.
Marker 0221, Salem, Armenian Settlement, Cross Street at the intersection of Brady Road, near the Armenian Church. One of the often forgotten stories of New Hampshire’s immigrant past is that of Armenians who settled here after fleeing persecution in Europe.
Marker 0271, Brookline, Fresh Pond Ice Co., Route 13. Before electric refrigeration, Northern New England supplied ice to sweaty people around the world. At its peak the Fresh Pond Ice Co. employed 250 people and harvested 100,000 tons of ice each year.
Marker 0132, Hooksett, New Hampshire Canal System, Merrimack Street and Lambert Town Park. In their day, before the coming of the railroads, canals were a state-of-the-art method of transporting cargo. This marker describes some of New Hampshire’s canals and the artifacts of them that can still be seen.
Marker 0143, Weare, East Weare Village, Route 77 and South Sugar Hill Road. East Weare used to be a town. Now it’s under water. According to its marker, it “was sacrificed for the Everett Flood Control Project” in 1960.
10 visits gets you a sticker! The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources website (nhdhr.dncr.nh.gov) has a link to a free computer/smartphone app to locate any NHDHR-approved historical marker. It can be used on a desktop computer or bookmarked for use on a phone.
Dashing through merlot
Jingle Bells Winery tour is becoming a holiday tradition
If you’re looking for a low-stress, fun way to explore New Hampshire this fall, Beth Waite thinks wine might be the answer. Waite is the General Manager of Averill House Vineyard in Brookline and one of the creators of the Jingle Bells Winery Tour.
Wine and snacks. Courtesy photo.
“The tour is a really great adventure,” she said, “for our guests to tour New Hampshire and visit 15 participating [wineries] throughout New Hampshire and be able to sample four different wines from each catalog. This is actually a seven-week self-guided tour.”
Waite said the tour was designed to allow small groups to celebrate and enjoy each other’s company.
“This is meant for friends and families and wine lovers. A great opportunity to get out and, you know, enjoy the holiday season with each other,” she said.
Each winery will provide each Tour guest with a flight of four of its wines, a snack and a holiday ornament. Waite said the snack is important as a palate-cleanser between wines but also provides an insight into how different wines pair with food.
“There are some really fun options that some of the wineries do,” she said. “I know our customers’ favorite is over at Flag Hill Winery — they’ll do a meatball, or there might be more of a sweet option, like chocolate. So the snacks vary, depending on the location.”
Different wineries will showcase their wines in different ways.
“Here at Averill House Vineyard, we do a kind of an ala carte [tasting],” Waite said.”So the customer gets to choose which option they want to taste. And our menu can range about 30 different styles of wines, going from your whites to your reds to your sweets. And one of my favorite things that we do is we serve it with a cookie.”
As the Jingle Bells Tour becomes an established end-of-year event, Waite said, more and more people have been writing it into their calendars.
“The biggest thing is that families that are starting with us and they’re starting new traditions,” she said. “That’s been something I’ve been noticing over the previous years, that we’re getting repeat customers from all over, whether that’s Maine or Connecticut, Rhode Island, and especially us here in New Hampshire. And the event grows each year, you know, so this year we’re hoping to see about 700 participants coming through.”
Jingle Bells Winery Tour
When: Saturday, Nov. 16, through Sunday, Dec. 29. Wineries will be open for the Tour Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Some wineries will have additional hours.
Tickets: A single ticket costs $65; a couples ticket is $125. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com; find a link on the event’s Facebook page. Guests will be able to sample a tasting flight of four wines from each of the participating locations. They will also get a snack and an ornament.
Read2Me3 (167 S. River Road, Bedford, 494-3849) will host an informational meeting for parents about cursive writing skills tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. There will be a discussion about the advantages of learning cursive handwriting and why the state of New Hampshire has mandated its teaching. Join the discussion and share your thoughts. Read2Me3 is developing plans for a six-week instructional workshop and welcomes feedback.
Saturday, Oct. 12
The Derry October Jam Fest will be held today on the grounds of Fody’s Tavern (187 1/2 Rockingham Road, Derry, 404-6946, fodystavern.com) from noon to 10 p.m. For children this free event will feature a bounce house, a 35-foot slide, an obstacle course, horse rides, crafts and a karaoke contest. For adults there is a stein-hoisting contest, craft beer and wine tastings, and more. There will be food, drink, crafts, vendors and more for the whole family.
Saturday, Oct. 12
Today, tomorrow and Monday, there will be a Fairy and Hobbit House Festival at Bedrock Gardens (19 High Road, Lee, 659-2993, bedrockgardens.org). Come in costume, get a personalized fairy or hobbit name, pick out some natural building supplies to build a fairy house along the entrance trail, fill a sachet with herbal fairy dust, have your face painted, taste honey, and meet the grande dame of the festival, Bedrock’s very own Fairy Godmother. Advance registration on Bedrock Garden’s website is required.
Sunday, Oct. 13
New Hampshire Fashion Week (nhfashionweek.com) will start today at The Venues at the Factory (252 Willow St., Manchester, 691-2662, thevenuesatthefactory.com) tonight from 6 to 10 p.m. with a runway fashion show, preceded by a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $65 and are available through the Fashion Week website. Proceeds will go to support Positive Street Art (48 Bridge St., Nashua, 589-9003, positivestreetart.org).
Sunday, Oct. 13
Texas guitar, vocalist and songwriter Willie J. Laws and his band will perform at the Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline, 673-7441, andresinstitute.org) from 6 to 8 p.m. . Tickets cost $25.
Monday, Oct. 14
Author of more than 100 books, including the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Alexander McCall Smith will appear at the Chubb Theatre (Chubb Theatre at CCA, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) tonight at 7 p.m. as part of the Capitol Center for the Arts Authors on Main series. Tickets start at $62.75.
Wednesday, Oct. 16
Legendary reggae group The Wailers will perform at the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $40.
Save the Date! Saturday, Oct. 19 Koo Koo is a dance party for the senses, with high-energy music, infectious positivity and an interactive live show. See it Saturday, Oct. 19, at 1 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com). Tickets cost $29. A limited number of VIP tickets are available.
Each year on Oct. 1 two pumpkins appear on the spires of the tower of Rounds Hall at Plymouth State University. As reported by WMUR in an Oct. 1 online story, the pumpkins have appeared again. “How the pumpkins get there remains a mystery dating back to the 1970s,” said the story, “making it one of the campus’s best-kept secrets.” In a story from Oct. 31, 2020, New Hampshire Public Radio investigated the mystery and found clues to a mysterious “Great Pumpkin Society” but was not able to track down its members or any information about it.
QOL score: 0, because who knows what those pumpkins are planning?
Comment:A call to three departments at Plymouth State revealed that not only doesn’t anyone know how the pumpkins get to the top of the spires, but nobody is really certain how tall the spires even are.
A New Hampshire Nobel winner
A scientist from New Hampshire has been awarded a Nobel Prize in Medicine. On Monday, Oct. 7, the Nobel Committee in Stockholm, Sweden, announced that Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun had been awarded the Prize for their microRNA discovery and gene regulation studies. As reported in an Oct. 7 online article by WMUR, “Ambros, a New Hampshire native who was a professor at Dartmouth Medical School from 1992-2007, performed the research that led to his prize at Harvard University. … ”
QOL score: +1
Comment:This year’s laureates will receive their awards at ceremonies in Stockholm on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
Using moose for that wet look
In a press release on Thursday, Oct. 3, the Bedford Police Department reported that the Bedford Police and Fire Departments responded Thursday morning to a report of a moose in a swimming pool. “First responders arrived to find an adult moose in a swimming pool under a pool cover, and removed the cover to help enable the moose to get out of the pool,” reported Chief of Police Daniel Douidi. “The moose then walked out of the pool on its own and left the area. No further action was taken.”
QOL score: +1
Comment: Video of the moose rescue can be found under the title IMG_9251 at Vimeo.com.
USA Today likes Manchester Airport
In an Oct. 2 press release, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (flymanchester.com) reported that USA Today has named it one of the Top Ten small airports in the country. “MHT secured eighth place,” the press release read, “with this being the third time MHT has been awarded a place in the top 10.”
QOL score: +1
Comment:Myrtle Beach International Airport took the No. 1 spot in the USA Today survey.
The Milford Pumpkin Festival has been going strong for 35 years thanks to the region’s hearty pumpkins and even heartier volunteers. The Granite Town Festivities Committee in partnership with the Milford Lions Club and Milford Rotary put on the event, which includes a giant pumpkin contest, a mural to be created by local artist Eric Escobar, face painting, tons of food, beer, music and much more. Wendy Mace, who is in charge of marketing for the Granite Town Festivities Committee after being a longtime volunteer, spoke to the Hippo about the upcoming festival, which runs from Friday, Oct. 11, through Sunday, Oct. 13.
How did the festival get started?
I think it started with Marilyn Kenison back 35 years ago. I think this woman just had an idea and that was the one that got it started. Her husband was a dentist in town. I know way back then the Milford Cooperative Bank was involved with volunteers, because my mom was working there at the time and she was in the very first group for a few years when it got started. It’s changed over the years until this last group of volunteers in 2018 decided to form the Granite Town Festivities Committee, which is a nonprofit. They’re the ones that are keeping it going now. Some of the players have changed over the years … but it’s all volunteers and sponsorships that keep it going. The festival is a huge undertaking. It’s a bazillion volunteers that make this happen. Organizing it, setting it up, working at it, breaking it down.
What is the opening ceremony like and what is the Citizen of the Year?
Well, they do that on Friday night. The Rotary has spearheaded having townspeople vote on Citizen of the Year and they make the announcement Friday night at the ceremony. There’s also a pumpkin runner who comes in and there’s a ceremonial lighting of the pumpkin, which is a huge jack-o’-lantern up in the town hall window, and the pumpkin runner brings it to the fireman, and the fireman goes up the ladder. Basically, they’re turning on a giant jack-o’-lantern. People get a big kick out of that. That’s part of the opening ceremonies…. And I think the president of the Granite Town Festivities Committee will be speaking this year.
What is the pumpkin catapult?
That’s put on by the Dollars for Scholars. They have actually built this catapult they put down at Railroad Pond behind TD Bank. People purchase a pumpkin and they catapult it into the pond. It’s pretty fun to watch. And they have like, I think they had, when I went down there to look at it, scarecrows as markers out in the pond that they shoot for, but it’s just kind of a fun thing to watch.
What is the Haunted Trail?
The big draw is the Haunted Trail at Emerson Park that’s open Friday and Saturday night.
It’s been built by Witches Spring. … and people buy a little ticket and they get to walk through the trail that runs at the back of Emerson Park along the river in the area between the park and the Boys & Girls Club. So they’ve made this cool little haunted trail back there that’s changed over the years too. The first haunted trail we did was in plastic, a plastic maze on the tennis courts at Keyes Field … and it was basically a maze of fog, but then it’s changed over the years. We actually had a haunted house in a creepy old apartment that somebody let us use, which was really creepy. We put it on at different places. And then they started doing the trail behind Emerson Park a while back. And now we have this great company, he’s a local guy that comes in and he builds all that stuff and builds the trail. We get a lot of volunteers from the Masons, they get to be some of the haunts. They’re involved, Oddfellows are involved, because the Masonic Temple is also back there. They’re also the ones that keep an eye on everything overnight, our gourd guards. They keep an eye on everything to make sure nothing gets vandalized overnight on Friday and Saturday nights.
What are some of your favorite kids’ activities that are at the event?
We have carving pumpkins on the Oval. You can paint a pumpkin…. You can make scarecrows. And that always cracks me up because then you see little families walking down the street with a scarecrow over their shoulder. It’s really fun. … And the town hall, there’s a whole craft show going on, artisan and craft fair going on inside the town hall. So there’s stuff there for all ages. The kids love the Haunted Trail as well. And there’s all kinds of vendors and food trucks and there’s always vendors that have special things that kids enjoy but it’s nice to have the town hall where we have more grown-up crafts and things. If you’re going to make a scarecrow or paint a pumpkin or carve a pumpkin or go to the haunted trail, there are fees for that, but they’re very nominal. And then people who are selling things. The Milford Ambulance has a little ducky race where you purchase those little rubber ducks.
How many people do you think will show up this year and where will they put their cars?
I think in the years past that they have guessed that there’s been like 70,000 people over the course of the three days. The Milford Union Square is completely shut down for this festival this year so people can park at the middle school and the high school, and we have shuttle buses that keep going back and forth. They go from the schools, they drop them off downtown, they go back and forth … so people don’t have to worry about parking because there’s plenty of parking at the schools and we’ll shuttle them right down to the festival. It goes right till the end of each night except Sunday where the festival ends, it’ll go for like a half an hour or so after. All that information is on our website; what roads are closed, where the parking is, and everything. —Zachary Lewis
35th Milford Pumpkin Festival
When: Friday, Oct. 11, from 5 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rain or shine. Info: milfordpumpkinfestival.org
Schedule of events
Opening Ceremony & Citizen of The Year Presentation Friday, Oct. 11, 6:30 to 7 p.m. on the Oval Stage Includes Pumpkin Runner & lighting of the Town Hall Pumpkin
The Great Pumpkin Weigh Off/Giant Pumpkins On Display: All entries for the Weigh Off must be delivered to the Milford Oval by 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12. Winners are announced at noon on Saturday. Pumpkins must stay for the duration of the Festival.
Milford Historical Walking Tour: Saturday and Sunday, one-hour guided tour begins at the Carey House, 6 Union St.
Pumpkin Painting, Scarecrow Making, Face Painting: Saturday 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Community House lawn. Pumpkin painting $5 per pumpkin. Scarecrow making $15 per scarecrow. Face painting $5 full face, $1 one cheek
Beer, Wine & Spirits Tasting: Friday and Saturday 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Community House Lawn, tickets required
Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley Pumpkinfest 5K & Kids Fun Run: Saturday 7:30 to 11:30 a.m., 56 Mont Vernon St. Registration opens 7 a.m. Kids Fun Run 8 a.m., $10. 5K Run/Walk 9 a.m., $35 ($40 day of)
Pumpkin Carving & Lighting Display On The Oval: Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., $12 per pumpkin
Rubber Duck Race: Sunday at 1 p.m., Stone Bridge; purchase rubber ducks at the Milford Ambulance booth on Middle Street
Pumpkin Catapult: Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Railroad Pond, TD Bank Lower Lot. Purchase pumpkins and catapult them toward fun targets in Railroad Pond. One pumpkin $3, two pumpkins $5. Proceeds benefit Dollars For Scholars.
Star Gazing/Solar Observing: Saturday evening, weather permitting, in Keyes Memorial Park, join Rich DeMidio and other amateur astronomers for stargazing and solar observing. Several telescopes available for astronomical viewing including some planet and deep sky objects.
Pumpkin Festival Mural: Watch Eric Escobar’s creation unfold over the 3 days of the festival
Featured image: Stuffing a scarecrow. Courtesy photo.
Candice DeAngelis, a Spanish teacher at Bedford High School, was named New Hampshire’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Education. DeAngelis, who was picked from a pool of 331 nominees, has taught for 18 years and has worked as a Spanish teacher in Bedford since 2016; before that she worked at Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston and in a temporary position at Londonderry High School, the release said.
The release quoted Superintendent Mike Fournier of the Bedford School District as saying that “Her dedication to creating a positive and nurturing environment makes her a true asset to our school district. She is not only a treasure to our community, but also an inspiration to every student she teaches.”
Fire prevention
New Hampshire’s State Fire Marshal Office urges residents to check their smoke alarms as part of the National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Prevention Week, which runs through Saturday, Oct. 12, according to a press release. The NFPA reports that smoke alarms reduce the risk of dying in a house fire by 54 percent and that nationally 60 percent of fire deaths happen in home with “either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms,” the release said. In New Hampshire, 63 percent of fatal home fires have “no working smoke alarms or inadequate coverage” the release said. Smoke alarm safety tips include installing smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on each level of a home; testing smoke alarms at least once a month (using the test button) and replacing all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old, the release said. See fpw.org for more.
EEE news
A fifth New Hampshire resident tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis and later died, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services reported, according to an Oct. 4 story at WMUR.com. The person is described as an adult from Danville, the story said. All five of the residents who tested positive for EEE got sick in August, the story reported. Find more information on EEE and other mosquito-borne illnesses at dhhs.nh.gov — under “Programs and Services” choose “Disease Prevention” and then “Infection Diseases,” where information on EEE includes a regularly updated Arboviral Risk map of the state.
Charge up
Foxfire Property Management’s Storrs Street parking lot in downtown Concord received a new EV charging station, installed in August, according to a press release from Revvit, the Somerville, Mass.-based climate tech startup. The EV station is part of an initiative that “aims to make EV charging more accessible and efficient by deploying Revvit’s Level 1 charger, purpose-built for long-dwell parking environments such as workplaces, airports, hotels, and more,” the release said. According to the release, “Revvit’s chargers … require no apps or QR codes — drivers can begin charging within seconds by entering a manual code, similar to a garage door opener.” See revvit.net.
Tech help
The United Way of Greater Nashua has launched Tech Help United, “a new initiative aimed at improving digital literacy across our community,” according to a press release. The program is “designed to help individuals who struggle with technology gain essential digital skills, enabling them to access vital services,” the release said.
The program is looking for community partners and volunteers including digital navigators, to work with individuals who need tech help (no advanced tech knowledge is needed; full training will be provided) and community locations (local agencies, community centers and faith communities who can provide space for digital help to be offered), the release said. Those interested in volunteering or providing a host location are asked to contact Sara Ceaser at [email protected] or 882-4011.
Top value
University of New Hampshire was ranked No. 7 “Best Value” public university in the country (No. 56 best value among all universities) in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report, according to a UNH Today report. This is the second consecutive year UNH ranked No. 7 and the fourth consecutive year it ranked “the No. 1 best value public university in New England,” the report said. See unh.edu/unhtoday.
Historic preservation
The Concord Preservation Advocates are hosting an informal gathering on Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Feathered Friend Brewing, 231 S. Main St. in Concord, to “celebrate local historic preservation successes, connect with others, and share ideas for future networking events,” according to an email. Concord Preservation Advocates’ Facebook page describes them as a “network of people who value the historic character of Concord” and says they “aim to make historic preservation a priority and use it to bring history to life.” The event is free (cash bar) with light refreshments and soft drinks and brief presentations on nearby historic landmarks at 5:45 p.m. — “Bring your ideas and a jacket. Plan to be in an outdoor space if the weather cooperates,” the email said. RSVP to tinyurl.com/POSOct15 by Sunday, Oct. 13.
Author and photographer Jon Waterman will present his book Into the Thaw: Witnessing the Wonder Amid the Arctic Climate Crisis at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord on Monday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 p.m. At this free event, New Hampshire author Richard Adams Carey, a professor emeritus of SNHU, will be in conversation with Waterman. See gibsonsbookstore.com.
Herbalist, teacher and director at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community Betsy Golon will speak to the Manchester Garden Club on Thursday, Oct. 17, at noon at St. Hedwig Church Hall in Manchester. Guests are welcome. See manchesternhgardenclub.weebly.com.
Actor Alan Ruck, known for his roles in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Succession among others, will be the featured speaker at the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth and will appear for a conversation followed by audience Q&A at the Music Hall on Friday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $45. See themusichall.org.
Meet a Harris’ hawk and see it on the wing while experts from Monadnock Falconry answer questions at the bandshell in Nashua’s Greeley Park on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 2 to 4 p.m., hosted by Nashua Public Library. See nashualibrary.libcal.com.
