The Hippo Press – Page 133

Hippo Best Of 2020 – The results are in!

It’s finally time to reveal the results from the poll that readers took way back in February, plus results from a quickie poll we created post-quarantine. Find out where your fellow readers go for their favorite dishes, where they bring their kids on rainy days and what events you can look forward to (mostly for next year, probably).

Also on the cover, the Mahrajan Middle Eastern Food Festival is on, this weekend in Manchester, p. 29. If all the choices in the beer cooler or at the bar overwhelm you, we’ve got some suggestions, p. 32. And if you’re looking for live music, check out our Music This Week listings, starting on p. 38.
INSIDE: Mahrajan food fest

Read the results!

A sour ale, an IPA and a Pilsner walk into a bar

Drink these beers now When it comes to beer, sometimes you just need someone to steer the ship for you, ...

Album Reviews 20/08/13

My Morning Jacket, The Waterfall II (ATO Records) I tend to associate this Louisville band with their neighbors to their ...

An American Pickle (PG-13)

Film Reviews by Amy Diaz Seth Rogen is a turn-of-the-last-century immigrant to America and a modern app-developer in An American ...

At the Sofaplex 20/08/13

*Black Is King (TV-14) Beyonce writes, co-directs and stars in this visual album whose music and story are based on ...

Book Review 20/08/13

Midnight Sun, by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown and Co., 658 pages) Twilight aficionados read the first pages of Midnight Sun ...

Granite Views: Hippo’s Best of 2020

We’re very happy and a bit relieved to present Hippo’s Best of 2020 in this week’s issue. It’s been a ...

Hippo Best of 2020

The results are (finally) in! Remember February? Way way back then, before, well, just, before, you voted for your favorite ...

In the kitchen with Edwin Ward

Edwin Ward of Candia is a manager and cook at the Union Street Takeout (90 Union St., Manchester, 260-7663), a ...

Just laugh

Will Noonan on doing comedy post-quarantine Perspective is one big thing that comic Will Noonan took from his time in ...

Kiddie Pool 20/08/13

Tinker Bell & the Fairy Godmother The 2020 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series wraps up next week at ...

Mahrajan in Manchester

Annual Middle Eastern food festival returns The Mahrajan Middle Eastern Food Festival might look and feel different this year, but ...

News & Notes 20/08/13

Covid-19 updateAs of August 3As of August 10Total cases statewide6,6606,840Total current infections statewide395326Total deaths statewide417419New cases219 (July 28 to Aug ...

Now hiring

UNH alumni help tech companies find diverse talent with Shtudy Shtudy (shtudy.co) is a career advancement startup that matches talented ...

Quality of Life 20/08/13

Saving ValleyEfforts to take back and clean up Valley Cemetery in Manchester are being relaunched as a group of volunteers ...

Queen of the garden

Why tomatoes rule If I could only bring the seeds of one plant with me when exiled to a distant ...

Signs of Life 20/08/13

All quotes are from Climbing the Mango Trees, by Madhur Jaffrey, born Aug. 13, 1933. Leo (July 23 – Aug ...

The Art Roundup 20/08/13

• Visit the Currier: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) announced on its website that it will ...

The Music Roundup 20/08/13

• Park it: Traverse across music of the early 20th century as Tall Granite Big Band performs a free show ...

The week that was

With news coming fast and furious in the restart of three major sports along with more from NFL camps and ...

The Weekly Dish 20/08/13

• Assumption’s Greekfest canceled: Greekfest, a popular two-day Greek food festival normally held in late August at Assumption Greek Orthodox ...

This Week 20/08/13

Thursday, Aug. 13The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) inches closer to opening by holding ...

Treasure Hunt 20/08/13

Dear Donna, This is a hanging ceramic plaque that belonged to my grandmother and I have always loved looking at ...

Click to read our E-Edition PDF for FREE.
Our advertiser supported e-edition will always be free to view and download.

Signs of Life 20/08/13

All quotes are from Climbing the Mango Trees, by Madhur Jaffrey, born Aug. 13, 1933.

Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22) It just so happened that some American tap-dancers were staying with us at the same time. … [A] system of open hospitality was the norm. Welcome the tap-dancers.

Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22) There were actually two types of family history. There was the documented version that sat properly in my grandfather’s office. But there was also the … fables, family customs, and hearsay passed along by my grandmother Bari Bauwa and the other women of the house. A combination of perspectives is best.

Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22) The summer seemed endless. … Mangoes that could be eaten out of hand came and went, as did cherries from Kashmir and litchees from Dehradun. … After lunch we all tried sleeping through the long hot afternoons. Head for the shade trees.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21) I would then rush to observe the daily churning of butter. … Much better than watching paint dry.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21) My older sisters had sweet voices and could carry a tune and so had been cast in every convent musical, whereas I, after a stint at the age of five as the Brown Mouse in The Pied Piper of Hamelin, had given up on the theater. If it’s not your thing, it’s not your thing.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19) All I know is that nothing tasted more heavenly than that simple combination: grainy whole-wheat roti, raw onion, and green chili. Synergy works in your favor.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18) It was an uncommon pickle. We knew of no other community that pickled dumplings. But we did, and delicious they were, too. You will enjoy an uncommon pickle.

Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20) Mrs. McKelvie was my history teacher. She didn’t just teach me Indian history and British history, which were part of the set curriculum; I also learned from her that any subject could be fascinating if I delved into it deeply enough. She showed me how history, for example, could be researched from a hundred angles…. Any angle you want.

Aries (March 21 – April 19) My mother … had already taught me knitting at the age of five. By now I was knitting the most complicated designs…. Sewing was another matter. The fact that you can knit doesn’t mean you can sew.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20) Until then, I had never been to an exhibition of paintings and did not apply the lessons I might have learned from my art books to myself. New insights await.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20) Lower mathematics, on the other hand, was a startling composite. It consisted of arithmetic, which I could just about manage, and domestic science, a catchall subject that must have drawn its inspiration directly from Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management. Math may come in handy.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22) There was one other way at school of sharing … that was at lunch, which we ate together, as far away from the stone school building as possible. We all brought our lunches from home. If you’re going to bring a whoopie pie, bring enough to share.

At the Sofaplex 20/08/13

*Black Is King (TV-14)

Beyonce writes, co-directs and stars in this visual album whose music and story are based on 2019’s photorealistically animated The Lion King, to which she lent her voice, and which inspired the album The Lion King: The Gift (the songs from which appear here).

Not surprisingly, Black Is King is vastly superior to the 2019 movie that served as its creative prompt. Even the song “Spirit,” which felt flat to me in the 2019 movie, feels fresh and cinematic and joyous as used here. The visuals of this movie blend images of Africa (the people, the culture, the land, the flora and fauna), with eyeball-grabbing high fashion and, just, like, Beyonce awesomeness. Each song fits into the overall narrative, which is sort of Lion King-ish in its examination of children and parents and ancestors and duty. Some songs are more literally connected to the throughline than others, but each also offers up its own set of ideas. In particular, the song “Brown Skin Girl” and its accompanying visuals and presentation are so sweet and lovely I feel like I’ll be thinking about its ideas and message long after I’ve stopped thinking about the overall project’s Lion King comparisons. (There are graduate theses to be written on that video’s use of the female point of view in praise and honor of Black and brown beauty.) It’s so cool that this much artistry exists in such a mainstream-accessible way. A Available on Disney+.

Radioactive (PG-13)

Rosamund Pike, Sam Riley

Marie Curie gets the biopic treatment in this movie directed by Marjane Satrapi, author of the graphic novels Persepolis and Chicken with Plums, among others. Her background (she also directed the movie adaptations of those books) makes sense here because this story is specifically adapted from the graphic novel Radioactive and it has an overall graphic novel feel. In between more straightforward depictions of Curie’s life, we get scenes from Hiroshima in 1945, Chernobyl in 1986, a nuclear testing ground in the American West, a hospital in the 1950s where a boy is getting cancer treatment. This narrative choice doesn’t always work great but it also doesn’t not work — it shows the wider ripples of Curie’s work, along with the things she saw in her lifetime (like the use of X-ray technology to help treat soldiers injured during World War I).

Of the more conventional parts of Curie’s life, I liked how Pike shows us how Curie is desperately in love with her husband and fellow scientist Pierre Curie (Riley) but also struggles with the way her field is more comfortable with lauding him for their work than praising them together. We also, delightfully, get a fair amount of that “great scientist, less than great co-worker/boss/parent” element of Curie, which is so common in stories of Great Men. Curie is, at times, an awkward, single-minded person uninterested in the squishy emotional or career-diplomacy side of things. B Available on Amazon Prime.

Animal Crackers (PG)

Voice of John Krasinski, Emily Blunt.

Circus family drama and a box of magical animal crackers are at the center of this very plot-stuffed animated movie that I first heard about on a Cinema Sins Sincast podcast episode (“The Curious Case of Animal Crackers”) a few years ago. That podcast, with this movie’s co-director Scott Christan Sava (who returned to a recent Sincast episode), delved into not only the making of the movie but also the strange and at the time ongoing process of trying to get it distributed. It was an interesting tale and I went into this movie pulling for it.

But…

Owen (Krasinski) grows up loving the circus run by his uncle Bob (voice of James Arnold Taylor) and aunt Talia (voice of Tara Strong). Regular circus goer Zoe (Blunt) grew up loving the circus too — and Owen. When he proposes, she blissfully accepts but her father (voice of Wallace Shawn) wants her to follow in his footsteps at the dog biscuit factory. He bullies Owen into leaving circus stuff behind and coming to work for him. Years later, Owen, an official dog biscuit taster, is miserable in his job. And yet, when offered a chance to run the circus after the death of Bob and Talia, he doesn’t jump at it — Zoe does. On the way home from the funeral, Owen eats one of the strange animal crackers left to him by Bob and Talia and, poof, turns into the hamster whose cookie form he just ate. While his young daughter, Mackenzie (voice of Lydia Taylor) is delighted with her animal-daddy, Owen is at first reluctant to assume the role of “animal performer” that is the true secret to Bob’s successful circus.

There are a lot of other subplots: a dog-biscuit-factory inventor (voice of Raven-Simone) looking to create biscuits that taste like people food who is constantly undermined by a suck-up ladder-climber (voice of Patrick Warburton); Bob’s jealous bad-guy brother Horatio (voice of Ian McKellen), who still thinks the animal crackers and Talia should have been his, and the various exploits of Horatio’s not totally competent henchman Zucchini (voice of Gilbert Gottfried). It’s all a lot, and a serious streamlining of story would have benefited this movie that does have a lot of good elements. There is also a bit of adult “what am I doing with my life” stuff in here that felt like it would just be a lot of action-slowing blah-blah-blah to the kids who should be this circus and funny animal movie’s core audience. B- Available on Netflix.

Kiddie Pool 20/08/13

Tinker Bell & the Fairy Godmother

The 2020 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series wraps up next week at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588). Catch Peter Panon Thursday, Aug. 13, and Cinderella on Tuesday, Aug. 18, or Wednesday, Aug. 19. The kid-friendly shows are at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and are about 45 minutes long. Tickets cost $10 and are only being sold over the phone.

Back to SEE

SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) opens to the general public for weekends starting this weekend, Saturday, Aug. 15, and Sunday, Aug. 16. Buy tickets and register a time in advance (you can call from the parking lot but openings are not guaranteed), according to the website. Some exhibits and demonstrations will not be open; the rules for visiting (including wearing masks, temperature checks, etc.) are on the website.

Play ball

Sign up for the Fisher Cats baseball or softball camp, which runs next Monday, Aug. 17, through Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday. Get baseball instruction from Fisher Cats staff, according to nhfishercats.com, where you can sign up for $125 per child (with discounts for additional children; get a T-shirt for $10 per shirt). The camp is open for kids ages 6 to 15, the website said.

Movie nights

Finding Nemo (G, 2003) will screen Friday, Aug. 14, at 8:30 p.m. (or so, depending on darkness) at Fieldhouse Sports Drive-In (12 Tallwood Dr. in Bow; fieldhousesports.com, 226-4646). Tickets cost $25 per vehicle (for up to four people, $5 for each additional person) and can be purchased online. Tickets may also be available at the gate (cash only).

Catch Back to the Future(a 1985 PG; Common Sense Media gives it an age 10+ rating) on Sunday, Aug. 16, via O’neil Cinemas’ drive-in at The Ridge shopping plaza in Rochester (92 Farmington Road). The screening is one of four held in August by O’neil. Tickets to the Rochester presentation cost $30 per car with up to five occupants (additional people cost $6) and can be purchased in advance at drivedinerewind.com, as can concessions. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the screening starts at 8:30 p.m.

Head to Hampton Beach on Monday, Aug. 17, for Movie Night Mondays on the Beach featuring Frozen II(PG, 2019) starting at dusk, projected to be about 7:42 p.m., according to hamptonbeach.org. Admission is free; social distancing and mask wearing are required, the website said.

Out in Dover, the Dover Public Library (73 Locust St.; library.dover.nh.gov, 516-6050) is kicking off Movies on the Lawn Monday, Aug. 17, at 8:30 p.m. with the movie Labyrinth (PG, 1986; Common Sense Media rates it at age 8+), according to the library website. Showings will be limited to the first 50 people, the website said.

Red River Theatres in Concord (with the Concord Parks & Recreation department and Endicott Furniture) is presenting Toy Story (G, 1995) on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at dusk in Memorial Field. The event is free but preregistration for a spot (with a maximum of six family members per spot) is required. See redrivertheatres.org for the details.

And for a family movie night at home, check out Red River Theatres’ Virtual Cinema’s presentation of One Small Step, a collection of family-friendly short films, according to the website. The collection runs a total of 84 minutes long and costs $8 to rent. Find it at redrivertheatres.org/film/one-small-step-family-friendly-short-films.

Hippo Best of 2020

The results are (finally) in!

Remember February?

Way way back then, before, well, just, before, you voted for your favorite pizza place, the best garden center and the butt-kicking-est fitness instructor. We counted the votes and were about two weeks away from presenting you with the answers when everything changed. We didn’t think it would be particularly helpful to give you a guide to places you couldn’t go and food you couldn’t eat, so we waited.

Now, finally, here are your picks — your favorite sub spot, the best place to shop for clothes to freshen up your wardrobe and outdoor spots for biking, canoeing or just hanging out.

Every year, what we present with our Best Of is a snapshot — here’s what readers loved and were thinking about during February (the voting month) of that year. This year, what we give you here is, like so many things right now, something of a hybrid. Some sections, like the categories that ask about places with a great crowd or spots to hang out after work with co-workers, can feel a little bit like artifacts from another world (remember “crowds”?). Some winners have modified operations right now (not all of the great bars for live music, for example, are currently offering live music) or might even be sitting out the season; we allowed businesses and events that are currently closed or canceled but give indication that they will resume in the future to still claim their win. A lot can happen in five months — businesses come and go, people move — but we did our best to track down the status of the winners. As always, this poll and the results are for entertainment purposes only and all results are (finally) final.

Despite all this, Hippo’s Best of 2020 still offers lots of places to go and delicious food to eat — and this year it feels especially worth celebrating the things that make southern New Hampshire special. We even came back in July with a new poll asking you to give a little extra love to the shops and takeout spots that helped brighten up those tough shutdown months. So get out (safely) and enjoy (with masks when needed) the unique delights of our piece of the 603. Where should you go? What should you do? Here are some ideas …

THE FINE PRINT

The vote
The results of Hippo’s readers poll are based on readers’ answers to a poll conducted online in February. Readers typed in the names of people and locations they voted for. In situations where the vote is tied or otherwise unclear, Hippo editorial staff makes an effort to determine the will of the greatest number of voters. Hippo reserves the right to disqualify individual votes, ballots and/or entries when they are incomplete or unclear, do not meet the letter or the spirit of the question asked or otherwise do not meet the requirements to make them a usable vote. Hippo’s editorial staff make the ultimate determination of the winners in the categories. Hippo’s advertising staff and its advertisers play no role in the determination of the winners. All results are final.

This survey is for entertainment purposes only and is meant to serve as a snapshot of the people and places in southern New Hampshire. Details about businesses, events and people listed may change between the time of the vote and publication — this year in particular. In some situations, winners may have modified schedules or operations or not yet have reopened since the shutdown. Businesses that have permanently closed or are closed with no indication of plans to reopen were no longer eligible.

Bests
The Best of 2020 is a celebration of all things local. Large national and international chains are, for the most part, not included in the count. Smaller chains are eligible. The “Best of the Best” designation goes to the person, place or thing that receives the most votes in the category. “Best of Manchester,” “Best of Nashua” and “Best of Concord” are awarded to the next top entries located in those areas. In categories with a “Best,” “Runner-up” and “Honorable Mention,” those there are the top vote-getters in that category.

Geography
Here, roughly, is the designation of “Manchester,” “Concord” and “Nashua” areas:

• Manchester area includes Manchester, Goffstown, Auburn, Candia, Bedford, Hooksett, Raymond, Litchfield, Derry, Londonderry, Windham, Salem, New Boston, Francestown and towns to the east along Route 101 to include towns on Route 125.

• Concord area includes Concord as well as Bow, Pembroke, Contoocook, Dunbarton, Hopkinton, Loudon, Boscawen, Chichester, Weare, Henniker, Suncook, Lee and some towns in the Lakes Region.

• Nashua area includes Nashua as well as Merrimack, Amherst, Milford, Hollis, Brookline, Hudson, Mason and Wilton.

Questions, Comments, Concerns
Did we get an address or phone number wrong? Do you have an idea for a new category? Let us know. Contact editor Amy Diaz at adiaz@hippopress.com. Corrections will appear on page 4 in future issues. Is your favorite category missing? Categories change regularly with some categories taking a sabbatical and new categories introduced, so please send your suggestions along. And, again, all results are final.

ARTS

Best Performing Arts Venue|
Best of the best: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org. The 890-seat theater is home to its own professional, youth and teen performing companies and hosts visiting theater, music, dance and comedy acts. Its next shows are Peter Pan on Thursday, Aug. 13, and Cinderella on Tuesday, Aug. 18, and Wednesday, Aug. 19, presented by the 2020 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series, and comedian Bob Marley Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 20 through Aug. 22, and Aug. 27 through Aug. 29.

Best of Concord: Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com. The 1,304-seat theater hosts traveling theater shows, dance performances, musical and comedy acts, film screenings and more. Its next event with tickets still available is An Evening with Chevy Chase on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Best of Manchester: Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, tupelohall.com. The 700-seat venue presents music and comedy events and occasionally theatrical shows. It’s currently hosting a drive-in experience with upcoming shows including tribute bands Foreigners Journey on Friday, Aug. 14, and Saturday, Aug. 15, and The Breakers (Tom Petty tribute) on Sunday, Aug. 16.

Best of Nashua: Janice B. Streeter Theatre, 14 Court St., Nashua. The theater is home to Nashua theater companies Actorsingers and Peacock Players.

Best Art Gallery
Best of the best: Jupiter Hall, 89 Hanover St., Manchester, 289-4661, jupiterhallnh.com. The multi-purpose arts venue features visual art exhibitions, performance art, art classes and other events. The gallery is closed until further notice, according to an announcement on its Facebook page.

Best of Concord: League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Concord Gallery, 36 N. Main St., Concord, 228-8171, concord.nhcrafts.org. The gallery and shop features a variety of traditional and contemporary fine crafts created by New Hampshire craftspeople.

Best of Manchester: Art 3 Gallery, 44 W. Brook St., Manchester, 668-6650, art3gallery.com. A fine art retail gallery featuring art in a variety of media and styles by local, regional, national and international artists. It also offers custom framing and corporate and residential art consulting. Its current exhibition, “Freshly Imagined,” features works by 70 artists and is on display through Aug. 30.

Best of Nashua: ArtHub, 30 Temple St., Nashua, 966-4429, naaa-arthub.org. The collaborative gallery and workspace features art by Nashua Area Artists Association members and other artists in the greater Nashua area. The current exhibition, “Summertime,” is on view now through the end of the year.

Best Artists Market
Best: Concord Arts Market, 1 Bicentennial Square, Concord, concordartsmarket.net. The juried outdoor artisan and fine art market is currently running weekly on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., through September.

Runner-up: Craftsmen’s Fair, nhcrafts.org. The nine-day craft fair, hosted by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, normally takes place at Mount Sunapee Resort starting the first week of August.

Honorable mention: Manchester Craft Market, 1500 S. Willow St., Manchester, 716-5520, manchestercraftmarket.com. The shop features handmade gifts, souvenirs, decor, gourmet foods and more by New England artisans.

Best Live Theatrical Production
Best of the best: A Christmas Carol, a Palace Theatre professional production. The show ran at the Palace Theatre in Manchester Dec. 6 through Dec. 22, 2019.

Best of Concord: Frozen Jr., performed by the Children’s Theatre Project of The Community Players of Concord at the Concord City Auditorium on Oct. 18 and Oct. 19, 2019.

Best of Manchester: Piano Men, a Palace Theatre professional production. The show ran at the Palace Theatre in Manchester Jan. 10 through Feb. 2, 2020.

Best of Nashua: Frozen Jr., performed by youth theater company Peacock Players at the Janice B. Streeter Theatre in Nashua Dec. 13 through Dec. 22, 2019.

Best Dance Performance
Best of the best: The Nutcracker, performed by Ballet Misha at the Dana Center in Manchester Dec. 21 and Dec. 22, 2019.

Best of Concord: In The Field Irish Dancers’ performance at the Market Days Festival in Concord on June 22, 2019.

Best of Manchester: The Nutcracker, performed by the New Hampshire School of Ballet at the Palace Theatre in Manchester on Dec. 26, 2019.

Best of Nashua: DanceWorks Movement Design’s Recital, held in Milford on June 1 and June 2, 2019.

BEAUTY & HEALTH

Best Barber Shop
Best of the best: Lucky’s Barbershop and Shave Parlor, 50 S. State St., Concord, 715-5470, luckysbarbershop.biz. (Lucky’s also has a location in Portsmouth.)

Best of Concord: American Barber Studios, 4 Park St., Concord, 225-3052, americanbarberstudios.com

Best of Manchester: Dude’s Barber Shop, 1311 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 626-0533, dudesbarbershop.us

Best of Nashua: The Polished Man, 707 Milford Road, Merrimack, 718-8427, thepolishedman.com. (The Polished Man also has a location in Nashua.)

Best Salon
Best of the best: 5 Diamond Salon, 915 Holt Ave., Suite 4, Manchester, 459-3367, 5diamondsalon.com

Best of Concord: Salon K, 18 Pleasant St., Concord, 225-0099, salonkconcord.com

Best of Manchester: Blank Canvas Salon, 1F Commons Drive, No. 38, Londonderry, 818-4294, blankcanvassalon.com

Best of Nashua: Fancy Nancy’s Elite Hair Designers, 295 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, 891-0202, fancynancyssalon.com

Best Spa
Best of the best: Renew MediSpa, 23 B Crystal Ave., Derry, 932-4701, renewmedispa.com

Best of Concord: Serendipity Day Spa & Float Studio, 23 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, 229-0400, serendipitydayspa.com

Best of Manchester: Pellé Medical Spa, 159 Frontage Road, Manchester, 627-7000, pellemedicalspa.com

Best of Nashua: Innovations The Salon & Spa, 228 Naticook Road, Merrimack, 880-7499, innovationsnh.com

Best Gym
Best of the best: Dynamic Strength and Conditioning, 115 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 882-2348, dynamicsc.com

Best of Concord: Get Fit NH, 287 S. Main St., Concord, 344-2651, getfitnh.com

Best of Manchester: Executive Health & Sports Center, 1 Highlander Way, Manchester, 668-4753, facebook.com/executivehealthclub

Best of Nashua: SPENGA, 493 Amherst St., Nashua, 324-0355, spenganashua.com

Workout Class That Will Get You to Your Goal Fastest
Best of the best: Smart Group Training, Get Fit NH, 287 S. Main St., Concord, 344-2651, getfitnh.com. Classes are held Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday on the hour from 5 to 9 a.m., and Monday through Thursday on the half hour from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Best of Concord: Strive Ride, Strive Indoor Cycling, 10 Hills Ave., Concord, 513-9464, striveindoorcycling.com. Classes are held on Monday and Wednesday throughout the day, Tuesday and Thursday in the morning and evening, Friday in the morning and afternoon and Saturday and Sunday morning.

Best of Manchester: Boot Camp, Inspire Strength & Fitness, 200 Perimeter Road, Unit 3, Manchester, 782-7933, inspirestrengthandfitness.com. Classes are held Monday through Friday throughout the day and Saturday mornings.

Best of Nashua: Adult Group Training, Dynamic Strength and Conditioning, 115 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 882-2348, dynamicsc.com. Classes held Monday through Friday throughout the day, and on Saturday mornings.

Best Yoga Studio
Best of the best: YogaBalance, 135 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 625-4000, yogabalance.info

Best of Concord: Sharing Yoga, 64 N. Main St., Concord, 520-8987, sharingyoga.com

Best of Manchester: Sol Power Yoga, 25 S. River Road, Bedford, 732-6185, solpoweryoga.com

Best of Nashua: New Hampshire Power Yoga, 704 Milford Road, Merrimack, 594-2494, nhpoweryoga.com

Best Dance Studio
Best of the best: Dimensions in Dance, 84 Myrtle St., Manchester, 668-4196, dimensionsindance.com

Best of Concord: Concord Dance Academy, 26 Commercial St., Concord, 226-0200, concorddanceacademy.com

Best of Manchester: New Hampshire School of Ballet, 183 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, 668-5330, nhschoolofballet.com

Best of Nashua: The Dance Company, 130 Route 101A, Amherst, 864-8374, thedancecompanyonline.com

BEAUTY & HEALTH PERSONALITIES

Butt-kicking-est Fitness Instructor
Best of the best: Erin Constantin, Get Fit NH, 287 S. Main St., Concord, 344-2651, getfitnh.com

Best of Concord: Meagan Ferns, Strive Indoor Cycling, 10 Hills Ave., Concord, 513-9464, striveindoorcycling.com
Best of Manchester: Ryan Griffin, Inspire Strength & Fitness, 200 Perimeter Road, Unit 3, Manchester, 782-7933, inspirestrengthandfitness.com

Best of Nashua: Matt Skeffington, Dynamic Strength and Conditioning, 115 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 882-2348, dynamicsc.com

Best Barber
Best of the best: Jason Drapeau, 5 Diamond Salon, 915 Holt Ave., Suite 4, Manchester, 459-3367, 5diamondsalon.com
Best of Concord: AJ Caron, South Mane Barbershop, 28 S. Main St., Concord, 952-2202, southmanebarbershop.com
Best of Manchester: Rafael Robles, Lineup Barbershop, 1271 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 218-3294, lineupbarbershop.com

Best of Nashua: Rick Lindof, The Polished Man, 108 Spitbrook Road, Nashua, 718-1468, thepolishedman.com (The Polished Man also has a location in Merrimack.)

Best Hair Stylist
Best of the best: Samantha Courtois, 5 Diamond Salon, 915 Holt Ave., Suite 4, Manchester, 459-3367, 5diamondsalon.com

Best of Concord: Kae Mason, Salon K, 18 Pleasant St., Concord, 225-0099, salonkconcord.com

Best of Manchester: Lauren Gamache Dockx, Salon North, 102 Bay St., Manchester, 483-3011, 102salonnorth.com

Best of Nashua: Erin Crowley, Fancy Nancy’s Elite Hair Designers, 295 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, 891-0202, fancynancyssalon.com

Friendliest Dentist
Best of the best: Dr. Elizabeth Spindel, Spindel General and Cosmetic Dentistry, 862 Union St., Manchester, 669-9049, elizabethspindel.com

Best of Concord: Dr. Shannon Arndt, 280 Pleasant St., Concord, 228-4456, orzechowskiardnt.com

Best of Manchester: Dr. Carlivette Santamaria, Oasis Dental, 1525 S. Willow St., Unit 5, Manchester, 641-5200, oasisdentalnh.com

Best of Nashua: Dr. Charles Pipilas, 280 Main St., Suite 311, Nashua, 881-8280

Best Retail Store With Standout Service During the Shutdown
Best of the best: Junction 71

By Angie Sykeny
asykeny@hippopress.com

Modern, vintage, mid-century, bohemian, country, rustic and shabby-chic are just some of the aesthetics you’ll find at Junction 71 in Amherst. The home decor, furniture and gift shop consists of three separate units within a plaza, totaling 3,600 square feet with spaces by more than 50 artisans and dealers.

“It’s not your typical consignment or thrift shop,” said owner and operator Pam Robinson, who opened Junction 71 in June 2019. “We have a more eclectic mix. [The sellers] all have their own look, and we make sure that any new stuff we bring in isn’t stuff that we already have.”

The shop features handcrafted, locally made, new and antique products, including custom metalwork; framed wall art and paintings; upcycled and hand painted furniture; signs and flags; specialty food items like jellies and dips; and more.

“These are all very unique, one-of-a-kind pieces,” Robinson said.

Robinson decided to close Junction 71 in March, a few days before the statewide shutdown was instated. During the shutdown, she and her team posted pictures of products for sale on social media, interacted with interested buyers online and offered contactless curbside pickup. They processed more than 800 orders during the 10 weeks the shop was closed.

“I am so appreciative of our customers who have been so supportive and continued to shop with us online,” Robinson said. “They kept us in business; I don’t know that we would have made it through this without them.”

Junction 71 has reopened for in-person shopping, requiring customers to wear masks at all times and sanitize their hands at the “sanitation station” upon entry, and providing gloves to customers who want them. There will be a “socially distant social” on Thursday, Aug. 20, from 6 to 8 p.m., with a shop-wide sale, door prizes and complimentary rose wine and appetizers served outside.

Junction 71
Location: 71 Route 101A, Amherst
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More info: Call 213-5201 or visit junction71.business.site

Runner-up: Manchester Craft Market, 1500 S. Willow St., Manchester, 716-5520, manchestercraftmarket.com. The shop features handmade gifts, souvenirs, decor, gourmet foods and more by New England artisans. During the shutdown, customers were able to interact with the artisans directly through the “Manchester NH Craft Market Online” shopping group on Facebook, reserve items for pickup and place custom orders. The shop streamed a showing of its inventory on Facebook Live Sales every Wednesday evening (which it continues to do now every other Wednesday evening) and offered curbside pickup times, flat-rate shipping and local deliveries. Shop hours are Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

Honorable mention: Local Baskit, 10 Ferry St., Concord, 219-0882, localbaskit.com. The marketplace features all-local meal kits and individual food items like craft beer, wine, frozen meats and fish, specialty cheeses, select produce and more. During the shutdown, Local Baskit donated meals to frontline workers; created new meal kits, including a Morning Basics kit (with milk, eggs, coffee and bread), Protein Boxes, Pantry Boxes (included flour and sugar) and Longevity Baskits for older adults with low-sodium and diabetic-friendly options; offered curbside pickup for craft beer; and sponsored the NH Brewers Association’s Virtual Beer Festival. Current store hours are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m., and by appointment for later pickup and beer orders.

WHAT TO WEAR

Best Independent Clothing Store
Best of the best: Gondwana & Divine Clothing Co., 13 N. Main St., Concord, 228-1101, clothingnh.com

Best of Concord: Indigo Blues & Co., 902 Main St., Contoocook, 660-9290, indigobluesandco.com

Best of Manchester: Alapage, 25 S. River Road, Bedford, 622-0550, alapageboutique.com

Best of Nashua: Camaraderie Boutique, 175 Main St., Nashua, 402-1908, camaraderiestyle.com

Best Independent Jewelry Store
Best of the best: Capitol Craftsman & Romance Jewelers, 16 & 18 N. Main St., Concord, 224-6166, capitolcraftsman.com

Best of Concord: Speer’s Fine Jewelry, 24 N. Main St., Concord, 224-1582, speersfinejewelry.com

Best of Manchester: Bellman Jewelers, 1650 Elm St., Manchester, 625-4653, bellmans.com

Best of Nashua: Scontsas Fine Jewelry & Home Decor, 169-173 Main St., Nashua, 882-3281, scontsas.com

Best Independent Shoe Store
Best of the best: Alec’s Shoes, 1617 Southwood Drive, Nashua, 882-6811, alecs-shoes.com

Best of Concord: Joe King’s Shoe Shop, 45 N. Main St., Concord, 225-6012, joekings.com

Best of Manchester: Red’s Shoe Barn, 22 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, 382-7688, redsshoebarn.com. (Red’s also has a location in Dover.)

Best of Nashua: The Shoebox, 17 Route 101A, Amherst, 672-6570, shoeboxnh.com

Best Secondhand Store
Best of the best: Mother & Child Clothing and Gifts, 135 Route 101A, Amherst, 886-6727, mothersays.shoprw.com

Best of Concord: Lilise Designer Resale, 7 N. Main St., Concord, 715-2009, liliseresale.com

Best of Manchester: OutFITters Thrift Store, 394 Second St., Manchester, 641-6691, outfittersnh.org. (The store also has a location in Concord.)

Best of Nashua: Lucky Dog Thrift Shop, 23 Elm St., Nashua, 882-3647, luckydogthriftshop.com

HOME & SERVICES

Best Car Repair Shop
Best of the best: Pro Image Automotive, 254 Sheffield Road, Manchester, 968-5159, proimageautomotive.com. Shop offers passenger vehicle and small engine automotive repair services with a specialization in snow plows.

Best of Concord: Weed Family Automotive, 124 Storrs St., Concord, 225-7988, weedfamilyautomotive.com. Services include New Hampshire state inspections, oil changes, electrical and electronic systems, brakes, air conditioning and repairs for hybrid vehicles.

Best of Manchester: Henry’s Collision Center, 330 March Ave., Manchester, 624-4086, henrysab.com. Shop offers cosmetic services like pinstriping, painting and small dent and scratch repair, as well as mechanical fixes like wheel alignments and frame repair.

Best of Nashua: Precision Collision, 234 Amherst St., Nashua, 809-4527, find it on Facebook. Services include repainting and custom paint jobs, scratch and dent repair and suspension work with a specialization in high-end performance cars.

Best Garden Center or Nursery
Best of the best: Demers Garden Center, 656 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, 625-8298, demersgardencenter.com. Five acres of greenhouses help to keep the center stocked with a wide line of annuals, perennials, trees, herbs and gardening supplies like soil, fertilizer and more.

Best of Concord: Cole Gardens, 430 Loudon Road, Concord, 229-0655, colegardens.com. Find annuals, tropicals, perennials, trees and gardening supplies as well as a weekly farmers market.

Best of Manchester: Bedford Fields Home and Garden Center, 331 Route 101, Bedford, 472-8880, bedfordfields.com. Garden center offers trees, shrubs and perennials; fruit, berry and vegetable plants; and home decor and pet items.

Best of Nashua: House by the Side of the Road, 370 Gibbons Highway, Wilton, 654-9888, housebythesideoftheroad.com. Browse a wide assortment of annuals, perennials, house plants, shrubs, several greenhouses and a wide array of gardening accessories.

Most Fun Shopping Experience in an Indie Shop
Best of the best: Manchester Craft Market, 1500 S. Willow St., Manchester, 716-5520, manchestercraftmarket.com. Shop features crafts, confections, handmade clothing and more by more than 180 local vendors and artisans.

Best of Concord: Gondwana & Divine Clothing, 13 N. Main St., Concord, 228-1101, gondwanaclothing.com. Shop offers designer clothing, jewelry and accessories that rotate with the seasons, as well as in-store styling services.

Best of Manchester: Apotheca Flowers and Gifts, 24 Main St., Goffstown, 497-4940, apothecaflowershoppe.com. Shop offers coffee, tea and pastries; a wide selection of flowers and artisan gifts; and on-site craft workshops.

Best of Nashua: M&C Clothing and Goods, 135 Route 101A, Amherst, 886-6727, m-c-clothing-and-goods.myshopify.com. Browse handmade local items as well as consigned clothing, accessories, shoes, jewelry and household wares.

BEST RESTAURANTS

Best Restaurant
Best of the best: The Puritan Backroom, 245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 669-6890, puritanbackroom.com

Best of Concord: Revival Kitchen & Bar, 11 Depot St., Concord, 715-5723, revivalkitchennh.com

Best of Manchester: Copper Door Restaurant, 15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677, copperdoor.com (The Copper Door Restaurant also has a location in Salem.)

Best of Nashua: Buckley’s Great Steaks, 438 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 424-0995, buckleysgreatsteaks.com

Best New Eatery
Best of the best: Troy’s Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar, 4 Orchard View Drive, No. 6, Londonderry, 965-3411, troysfreshkitchen.com. Londonderry native Troy Ward Jr. opened this quick-service eatery in June 2019 with the help of his father and other family members. Troy’s is 100-percent gluten-free and dairy-free, offering smoothies, fresh-pressed juices, grain bowls, grilled wraps, breakfast scrambles and other items with fresh, all-natural and plant-based ingredients, many of which are made in house. The eatery also serves specialty coffee drinks using the Manchester-based Hometown Coffee Roasters.

Best of Concord: Georgia’s Northside, 394 N. State St., Concord, 715-9189, georgiasnorthside.com. A takeout-only Southern kitchen and craft beer market, Georgia’s Northside quietly opened its doors in late June 2019 in the space formerly housing the Korner Kupboard general store. Owner and chef Alan Natkiel posts the ever-changing menu to Facebook each day, which will often include meats from buttermilk fried chicken to barbecue ribs, smoked brisket and pulled pork, plus fresh market sides like Texas caviar, potato salad, tomato cucumber salad, grilled corn on the cob or green beans with bacon and blue cheese. Prior to opening the eatery, the Hill, New Hampshire, native owned Georgia’s Eastside BBQ in New York City for more than a decade.

Best of Manchester: California Burritos Mexican Grill, 655 S. Willow St., No. 103, Manchester, 722-2084, californiaburritosnh.com. Its fourth location overall, this fast casual Mexican eatery arrived in the Queen City this past February. Three locations in the Granite State preceded it — the original California Burritos opened at 101 Factory St. in Nashua in late 2014, followed by two more at 35 Lowell Road in Hudson, in 2017, and 2 Cellu Drive in Nashua, in 2018. Each location serves authentic Mexican options like tacos, burritos, burrito bowls and quesadillas, plus a few specialty items, like carne asada fries (loaded french fries with steak, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, pico de gallo and salsa verde), Dos Equis-infused fish tacos, and pupusas, or traditional Salvadoran dishes that feature cheese, refried beans and chicharrón (pork) filled inside a thick handmade corn tortilla.

Best of Nashua: Greenleaf, 54 Nashua St., Milford, 213-5447, greenleafmilford.com. Greenleaf is a casual farm-to-table restaurant that arrived in Milford in early May 2019. The space formerly housed the Souhegan Valley National Bank, which was operational all the way back in 1865 — an old bank vault has even been repurposed into a private dining area. Greenleaf’s menu changes all the time, and that’s because it’s based on what the chefs can get for product from the farms they partner with. But you’ll always find some type of beef, chicken, pork or vegetarian options; some popular options have included the grass-fed burgers, as well as the risotto. In late May they introduced Greenleaf Grille, an outdoor dining concept offering several backyard barbecue options under a tented space at the rear of the restaurant.

Best Fine Dining Restaurant
Best of the best: Hanover Street Chophouse, 149 Hanover St., Manchester, 644-2467, hanoverstreetchophouse.com

Best of Concord: Angelina’s Ristorante Italiano, 11 Depot St., Concord, 228-3313, angelinasrestaurant.com

Best of Manchester: Copper Door Restaurant, 15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677, copperdoor.com (The Copper Door Restaurant also has a location in Salem.)

Best of Nashua: Buckley’s Great Steaks, 438 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 424-0995, buckleysgreatsteaks.com

Best Family Restaurant
Best of the best: The Puritan Backroom, 245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 669-6890, puritanbackroom.com

Best of Concord: The Red Blazer Restaurant and Pub, 72 Manchester St., Concord, 224-4101, theredblazer.com

Best of Manchester: T-Bones Great American Eatery, 25 S. River Road, Bedford, 641-6100, t-bones.com (T-Bones also has locations in Bedford, Derry, Laconia and Salem, and a sixth one scheduled to open in mid-September in Concord.)

Best of Nashua: T-Bones Great American Eatery, 77 Lowell Road, Hudson, 882-6677, t-bones.com (T-Bones also has locations in Bedford, Derry, Laconia and Salem, and a sixth one scheduled to open in mid-September in Concord.)

Best Diner
Best of the best: The Red Arrow Diner, 61 Lowell St., Manchester, 626-1118, redarrowdiner.com (The Red Arrow Diner also has locations in Concord, Londonderry and Nashua.)

Best of Concord: The Red Arrow Diner, 112 Loudon Road, Concord, 415-0444, redarrowdiner.com (The Red Arrow Diner also has locations in Londonderry, Manchester and Nashua.)

Best of Manchester: Airport Diner, 2280 Brown Ave., Manchester, 623-5040, thecman.com

Best of Nashua: The D.W. Diner, 416 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 424-1116, thedwdiner.com

Best Eatery Whose Takeout Got You Through the Shutdown
Best of the best: Presto Craft Kitchen

By Matt Ingersoll
mingersoll@hippopress.com

Last month Chef Joe Grella and his wife Jessica celebrated the one-year anniversary of Presto Craft Kitchen, a carry-out restaurant on Manchester’s West Side specializing in Italian pasta dinners and made-to-order subs known as “sticks.” Grella also incorporated his dessert catering business, Custom Eats & Sweets, into the mix by featuring all kinds of unique items out of a refrigerated case, from his wildly popular Oreo cheesecake truffles to other treats like tiramisu, cheesecake and pudding cups, cookies and cannolis.

Already primarily a takeout restaurant, Presto Craft Kitchen has stayed open for business all throughout the shutdown, offering call-ahead ordering and over-the-phone payment options to minimize surface contact. During the onset of the pandemic, the eatery provided discounts for area hospital workers and free lunches for kids who had transitioned to remote learning.

“We didn’t just want to be busy. We also wanted to know that the community could count on us,” Grella said. “We’ve remained a part of so many people’s day-to-day lives and their dinner plans.”

In January, Grella began introducing a specials menu each month of his own unique takes on jumbo arancini, pasta and “stick” sandwiches. He kept it going even as the pandemic arrived in mid-March. The specials for the month of July — chicken Parmesan arancini, roasted garlic chicken florentine pasta, and an Italian cold cut stick — were so well received that he decided to keep them for another month, through the end of August.

Grella said he was very excited about learning he had been recognized in the Hippo’s mini Best Of poll, especially since Presto Craft Kitchen is just one year old.

“I think it shows that our goal is paying off, of putting our best foot forward and putting out food for the community that we are proud of,” he said.

Presto Craft Kitchen
Where: 168 Amory St., Manchester
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Contact: Visit prestocraftkitchen.com, find them on Facebook @prestocraftkitchennh or call 606-1252

Best of Concord: Revival Kitchen & Bar, 11 Depot St., Concord, 715-5723, revivalkitchennh.com. Known more for its in-house fine dining experience than for takeout, Revival Kitchen & Bar had to quickly pivot its daily operations back in March when restaurants in New Hampshire received an executive order by Gov. Chris Sununu to close for indoor dining. The eatery started with selections like special farm-to-table meals for two and burger and beer combos. When Granite State restaurants received the green light to reopen for outdoor dining in May, Revival had an all new outdoor deck built out in front of the restaurant’s doors. Indoor dining is back as of mid-June, but takeout from Revival is still available every Tuesday through Saturday.

Best of Manchester: Union Street Takeout, 90 Union St., Manchester, 260-7663. Union Street Takeout quietly opened its doors in January, before the onset of the pandemic. But since then, manager and cook Edwin Ward said that the takeout-only eatery has quickly become a popular spot for its meal deal options, including burgers, chili dogs, subs and more, all of which are served with chips and a drink.

Best of Nashua: Papa Joe’s Humble Kitchen, 237 South St., Milford, 672-9130, find them on Facebook. When the pandemic hit, Papa Joe’s felt its effects early on, spacing out the scheduling of its large volume of orders and choosing not to cook Easter dinners for the first time in more than two decades. The longtime Milford staple has always been known for its cooked-to-order gourmet burgers — of which there are countless customizable options — and it’s continued to feature specialty burgers every week.

FOOD SHOPPING

Best Bakery
Best of the best: Bread & Chocolate, 29 S. Main St., Concord, 228-3330

Best of Concord: The Crust & Crumb Baking Co., 126 N. Main St., Concord, 219-0763, thecrustandcrumb.com

Best of Manchester: Klemm’s Bakery, 29 Indian Rock Road, Windham, 437-8810, klemmsbakery.com

Best of Nashua: Buckley’s Bakery & Cafe, 436 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 262-5929, buckleysbakerycafe.com (Buckley’s Bakery & Cafe also has a location in Hollis.)

Best Butcher
Best of the best: The Tuckaway Tavern & Butchery, 58 Route 27, Raymond, 244-2431, thetuckaway.com

Best of Concord: Concord Beef & Seafood, 75 S. Main St., Concord, 226-3474, find them on Facebook @concordbeefandseafood

Best of Manchester: Mr. Steer Meats & More, 27 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 434-1444, mrsteermeats.com

Best of Nashua: The Flying Butcher, 124 Route 101A, Amherst, 598-6328, theflyingbutcher.com

Best Farmers Market
Best: Concord Farmers Market, concordfarmersmarket.com; after its opening date was delayed by a week, the market began its 2020 season on May 9. It’s expected to continue every Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, on Capitol Street in Concord (near the Statehouse), through October.

Runner-up: Nashua Farmers Market, downtownnashua.org/local; this market began its 2020 season on June 21 and will continue every Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., through Oct. 18. Due to several lane closures on either side of Main Street to accommodate outdoor dining space for restaurants, this year’s market moved from its normal spot between Temple and Pearl streets down to the area in front of City Hall Plaza (229 Main St.).

Honorable mention: Bedford Farmers Market, bedfordfarmersmarketnh.org; the market began its 2020 season on June 16 and will continue on Tuesdays, from 3 to 6 p.m., through Oct. 13. The market is a new spot this year, in the parking lot of the former Harvest Market (209 Route 101, Bedford), which closed its doors earlier this year.

DELICIOUS DISHES

Best Dish or Drink You Had in the Last Year
Best of the best: Chicken tenders at The River Casino & Sports Bar, 53 High St., Nashua, 881-9060, therivercasino.com. These hand-battered tenders are available with your choice of blue cheese, ranch, honey mustard, honey barbecue, sweet chili, Caribbean jerk sauce or mild, medium or hot inferno sauce.

Best of Concord: Garlic chicken nachos at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana, 11 Hills Ave., Concord, 224-5669, hermanosmexican.com. These nachos feature hand-cut yellow or blue corn tortilla chips with chicken, cheese and jalapenos, topped with garlic dressing.

Best of Manchester: Mudslides at The Puritan Backroom Restaurant, 245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 669-6890, puritanbackroom.com. Options include the original mudslide with Baileys Irish cream, Kahlua coffee liqueur and vodka, as well as an Almond Joy mudslide, a maple mudslide and a Milky Way mudslide.

Best of Nashua: Filet mignon at Buckley’s Great Steaks, 438 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 424-0995, buckleysgreatsteaks.com. The filet mignon available at Buckley’s features a red wine demi-glace and comes with creamy mashed potatoes and the vegetable of the day.

Best Barbecue
Best of the best: KC’s Rib Shack, 837 Second St., Manchester, 627-7427, ribshack.net

Best of Concord: Smokeshow Barbeque, 89 Fort Eddy Road, Concord, 227-6399, smokeshowbarbeque.com

Best of Manchester: Goody Cole’s Smokehouse and Catering Co., 374 Route 125, Brentwood, 679-8898, goodycoles.com

Best of Nashua: Smokehaus Barbecue, 278 Route 101, Amherst, 249-5734, smokehausbbq.com

Best Breakfast
Best of the best: Tucker’s, 1328 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 206-5757, tuckersnh.com (Tucker’s also has locations in Concord, Dover, Merrimack and New London.)

Best of Concord: Tucker’s, 80 South St., Concord, 413-5884, tuckersnh.com (Tucker’s also has locations in Dover, Hooksett, Merrimack and New London.)

Best of Manchester: Purple Finch Cafe, 124 S. River Road, Bedford, 232-1958, purplefinchcafe.com (The Purple Finch Cafe reopened on Aug. 1.)

Best of Nashua: Tucker’s, 360 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 413-6477, tuckersnh.com (Tucker’s also has locations in Concord, Dover, Hooksett and New London.)

Best Restaurant for Weekend Brunch
Best of the best: The Foundry Restaurant, 50 Commercial St., Manchester, 836-1925, foundrynh.com

Best of Concord: The Red Blazer Restaurant and Pub, 72 Manchester St., Concord, 224-4101, theredblazer.com

Best of Manchester: Tucker’s, 1328 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 206-5757, tuckersnh.com (Tucker’s also has locations in Concord, Dover, Merrimack and New London.)

Best of Nashua: Tucker’s, 360 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 413-6477, tuckersnh.com (Tucker’s also has locations in Concord, Dover, Hooksett and New London.)

Best Burgers
Best of the best: The Barley House Restaurant & Tavern, 132 N. Main St., Concord, 228-6363, thebarleyhouse.com (The Barley House also has a location in North Hampton.)

Best of Concord: Vibes Gourmet Burgers, 25 S. Main St., Concord, 856-8671, vibesgourmetburgers.com

Best of Manchester: The Tuckaway Tavern & Butchery, 58 Route 27, Raymond, 244-2431, thetuckaway.com

Best of Nashua: Papa Joe’s Humble Kitchen, 237 South St., Milford, 672-9130, find them on Facebook

Best Fish & Chips
Best of the best: The Peddler’s Daughter, 48 Main St., Nashua, 821-7535, thepeddlersdaughter.com

Best of Concord: Johnson’s Seafood and Steak, 1334 First New Hampshire Turnpike, Northwood, 942-7300, find them on Facebook @johnsonsnorthwood

Best of Manchester: Goldenrod Restaurant, 1681 Candia Road, Manchester, 623-9469, goldenrodrestaurant.com

Best of Nashua: The Lobster Boat, 453 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 424-5221, lobsterboatrestaurant.com (The Lobster Boat also has locations in Litchfield and Exeter.)

Best Mac & Cheese
Best of the best: Mr. Mac’s Macaroni & Cheese, 497 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 606-1760, mr-macs.com (Mr. Mac’s also has locations in Portsmouth and Massachusetts)

Best of Concord: O Steaks & Seafood, 11 S. Main St., Concord, 856-7925, magicfoodsrestaurantgroup.com (O Steaks & Seafood also has a location in Laconia)

Best of Manchester: The Tuckaway Tavern & Butchery, 58 Route 27, Raymond, 244-2431, thetuckaway.com

Best of Nashua: Pressed Cafe, 108 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, 718-1250; 3 Cotton Road, Nashua, 402-1003 (this location is drive-thru only); and locations in Massachusetts; pressedcafe.com

Best Essential New Hampshire Dish
Best: Chicken tenders at The Puritan Backroom Restaurant, 245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 669-6890, puritanbackroom.com

Runner-up: Poutine at Chez Vachon, 136 Kelley St., Manchester, 625-9660, find them on Facebook

Honorable mention: Lobster roll at The Beach Plum, 3 Brickyard Square, Epping, 679-3200; 2800 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 433-3339; 16 Ocean Blvd., North Hampton, 964-7451; thebeachplum.net

Best Nachos
Best of the best: Hermanos Cocina Mexicana, 11 Hills Ave., Concord, 224-5669, hermanosmexican.com

Best of Concord: Dos Amigos Burritos, 26 N. Main St., Concord, 410-4161, dosamigosburritos.com (Dos Amigos Burritos also has a location in Portsmouth, and a third location in Dover under the name “Dos Mexican Eats.”)

Best of Manchester: La Carreta Mexican Restaurant, 545 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 628-6899; 1875 S. Willow St., Manchester, 623-7705; lacarretamex.com (La Carreta also has locations in Derry, Londonderry, Nashua and Portsmouth.)

Best of Nashua: La Carreta Mexican Restaurant, 139 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, 891-0055, lacarretamex.com (La Carreta also has locations in Derry, Londonderry, Portsmouth and two locations in Manchester.)

Best Noodle Bowl
Best of the best: Buba Noodle Bar, 36 Lowell St., Manchester, 935-7864, bubanoodle.com

Best of Concord: Whiskey & Wine, 148 N. Main St., Concord, 715-8575, whiskey-wine.business.site

Best of Manchester: Pho Golden Bowl, 12 Lake Ave., Manchester, 622-2000, phogoldenbowlnh.com

Best of Nashua: You You Japanese Bistro, 150 Broad St., Nashua, 882-8337, youyoubistro.com

Best Pizza
Best of the best: Alley Cat Pizzeria, 486 Chestnut St., Manchester, 669-4533, alleycatpizzerianh.com

Best of Concord: Constantly Pizza, 39 S. Main St., Concord, 224-9366, constantlypizza.net (Constantly Pizza also has a location in Penacook.)

Best of Manchester The Pizza Man of Hooksett, 254 W. River Road, Hooksett, 626-7499, thepizzamandelivers.com (The Pizza Man also has locations in Manchester, and in Lyndonville, Vt.)

Best of Nashua: Nashua House of Pizza, 40 E. Hollis St., Nashua, 883-6177, nashuahouseofpizza.com

Best Poutine
Best of the best: Chez Vachon, 136 Kelley St., Manchester, 625-9660, find them on Facebook

Best of Concord: Vibes Gourmet Burgers, 25 S. Main St., Concord, 856-8671, vibesgourmetburgers.com

Best of Manchester: New England’s Tap House Grille, 1292 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 782-5137, taphousenh.com

Best of Nashua: Bar One, 40 Nashua St., Milford, 249-5327, find them on Facebook @baronenh

Best Salad and/or Grain Bowls
Best of the best: Pressed Cafe, 108 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, 718-1250; 3 Cotton Road, Nashua, 402-1003 (this location is drive-through only); pressedcafe.com (Pressed Cafe also has locations in Burlington, Mass., and Newton, Mass.)

Best of Concord: Live Juice, 5 S. Main St., Concord, 226-3024, livejuicenh.com

Best of Manchester: Troy’s Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar, 4 Orchard View Drive, No. 6, Londonderry, 965-3411, troysfreshkitchen.com

Best of Nashua: Big Kahunas Cafe & Grill, 380 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 494-4975, nhkahuna.com (Big Kahunas opened a sister restaurant in Hooksett, Big Kahunas Smokehouse, in July)

Best Sandwich
Best of the best: Steak & Cheese sub at Sub Station, 1292 Hooksett Road, Suite H, Hooksett, 625-1800, substationhooksett.com. A shaved steak sandwich with your choice of American or provolone cheese. Subs can also be customized with teriyaki or barbecue sauce.

Best of Concord: The Black Russian sandwich at Beefside Restaurant, 106 Manchester St., Concord, 228-0208, beefsidenh.com. A white turkey breast and roast beef sandwich with Thousand Island dressing and Swiss cheese on pumpernickel bread, with hand-cut house fries.

Best of Manchester: Steak & Cheese sub at Nadeau’s, 776 Mast Road, Manchester, 623-9315; 100 Cahill Ave., Manchester, 669-7827; 805 Canal St., Manchester, 644-8888; 1095 Hanover St., Manchester, 606-4411; nadeaus.com. Steak & cheese subs can be ordered as steak tips or shaved steak. (Nadeau’s has a fifth location in Exeter and a sixth location in Concord that is temporarily closed.)

Best of Nashua: The Roman sandwich at Marc’s Pizza & Subs, 704 Milford Road, No. 5, Merrimack, 883-7000, eataroman.com. The sandwich includes mortadella, cooked salami, Genoa salami, imported ham, capicola and provolone cheese.

Best Seafood
Best of the best: Surf Restaurant, 207 Main St., Nashua, 595-9293, surfseafood.com (Surf also has a location in Portsmouth.)

Best of Concord: Makris Lobster & Steak House, 354 Sheep Davis Road, Concord, 225-7665, eatalobster.com

Best of Manchester: Hooked Seafood Restaurant, 110 Hanover St., Manchester, 606-1189, hookedonignite.com

Bets of Nashua: The Lobster Boat, 453 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 424-5221, lobsterboatrestaurant.com (The Lobster Boat also has locations in Litchfield and Exeter.)

Best Subs
Best of the best: Nadeau’s, 776 Mast Road, Manchester, 623-9315; 100 Cahill Ave., Manchester, 669-7827; 805 Canal St., Manchester, 644-8888; 1095 Hanover St., Manchester, 606-4411; nadeaus.com (Nadeau’s has a fifth location in Exeter and a sixth location in Concord that is temporarily closed.)

Best of Concord: Constantly Pizza, 39 S. Main St., Concord, 224-9366, constantlypizza.net (Constantly Pizza also has a location in Penacook.)

Best of Manchester: Sub Station, 1292 Hooksett Road, Suite H, Hooksett, 625-1800, substationhooksett.com

Best of Nashua: Bill Cahill’s Super Subs, 8 Kimball Hill Road, Hudson, 882-7710, find them on Facebook @billcahills

Best Tacos
Best of the best: Dos Amigos Burritos, 26 N. Main St., Concord, 410-4161, dosamigosburritos.com (Dos Amigos Burritos also has a location in Portsmouth, and a third location in Dover under the name “Dos Mexican Eats.”)

Best of Concord: Hermanos Cocina Mexicana, 11 Hills Ave., Concord, 224-5669, hermanosmexican.com

Best of Nashua: California Burritos Mexican Grill, 101 Factory St., Nashua, 718-8745; 2 Cellu Drive, Nashua, 417-6151; californiaburritosnh.com (California Burritos Mexican Grill also has locations in Hudson and Manchester.)

BEST RESTAURANT FOR

Specialty Diet
Best of the best: Troy’s Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar, 4 Orchard View Drive, No. 6, Londonderry, 965-3411, troysfreshkitchen.com

Best of Concord: Hermanos Cocina Mexicana, 11 Hills Ave., Concord, 224-5669, hermanosmexican.com

Best of Manchester: Republic Cafe, 1069 Elm St., Manchester, 666-3723, republiccafe.com (Republic Cafe is currently operating under the roof of its sister restaurant, Campo Enoteca, at 969 Elm St. in Manchester.)

Best of Nashua: Pressed Cafe, 108 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, 718-1250; 3 Cotton Road, Nashua, 402-1003 (this location is drive-thru only); pressedcafe.com (Pressed Cafe also has locations in Burlington, Mass., and Newton, Mass.)

Best Guilty Pleasure Food
Best of the best: Cheesy bread at Romano’s Pizza, 27 Colby Court, Litchfield, 424-0500, romanosnh.com

Best of Concord: Drunken mac and cheese at Tandy’s Pub & Grille, 1 Eagle Square, Concord, 856-7614, tandyspub.com

Best of Manchester: Chicken tenders at The Puritan Backroom Restaurant, 245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 669-6890, puritanbackroom.com

Best of Nashua: Chicken tenders at The River Casino & Sports Bar, 53 High St., Nashua, 881-9060, therivercasino.com

SWEET TREATS

Best Baklava
Best of the best: Glendi, stgeorge.nh.goarch.org. Glendi is a popular three-day festival celebrating Greek culture through food, music and dancing that’s usually held in mid-September at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Manchester (2020’s Glendi celebration has been canceled).

Best of Concord: Cookies and Cakes Hooray, 585 Union Ave., Laconia, 528-2253, cookiesandcakeshoo.wixsite.com/website

Best of Manchester: Amphora Restaurant, 55 Crystal Ave., Derry, 537-0111, amphoranh.com

Best of Nashua: JajaBelle’s, 143 Main St., Nashua, 769-1873, jajabelles.com (In February, JajaBelle’s relocated to its current location from down the street, in the former space of Graffiti Paintbar.)

Best Candy or Chocolate Shop
Best of the best: Granite State Candy Shoppe, 13 Warren St., Concord, 225-2591, granitestatecandyshoppe.com (Granite State Candy Shoppe also has a location in Manchester.)

Best of Concord: Kellerhaus, 259 Endicott St. N, Weirs Beach, 366-4466, kellerhaus.com

Best of Manchester: Van Otis Chocolates, 341 Elm St., Manchester, 627-1611, vanotis.com

Best of Nashua: Nelson’s Candy and Music, 65 Main St., Wilton, 654-5030, nelsonscandymusic.com

Most Craveable Cookie
Best of the best: Peanut butter cookie (Union Street Takeout, 90 Union St., Manchester, 260-7663)

Best of Concord: M&M cookie (Pats Peak Ski Area, 686 Flanders Road, Henniker, 428-3245, patspeak.com)

Best of Manchester: Triple chip cookie (The Cake Fairy, 114 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, 518-8733, cakefairynh.com. According to Brianna Lucciano, whose mother Lisa owns The Cake Fairy, the bakery was set to reopen on Aug. 12.)

Best of Nashua: Chocolate chip cookie (Buckley’s Bakery & Cafe, 436 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 262-5929, buckleysbakerycafe.com. Buckley’s Bakery & Cafe also has a location in Hollis.)

Best Locally Made Doughnuts
Best of the best: Klemm’s Bakery, 29 Indian Rock Road, Windham, 437-8810, klemmsbakery.com

Best of Concord: Brothers Donuts, 426 Central St., Franklin, 934-6678, find them on Facebook @brothersdonuts

Best of Manchester: The Local Moose Cafe, 124 Queen City Ave., Manchester, 232-2669, thelocalmoosecafe.com

Best of Nashua: Crosby Bakery, 51 E. Pearl St., Nashua, 882-1851, crosbybakerynh.com

Best Ice Cream
Best of the best: Hayward’s Homemade Ice Cream, 7 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, 888-4663, haywardsicecream.com (Hayward’s also has a location in Merrimack.)

Best of Concord; Arnie’s Place, 164 Loudon Road, Concord, 228-3225, arniesplace.com

Best of Manchester: The Puritan Backroom Restaurant, 245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 669-6890, puritanbackroom.com

Best of Nashua: The Big 1, 185 Concord St., Nashua, thebig1icecream.com

DRINKS

Best Beer Selection (at bar/restaurant)
Best of the best: New England’s Tap House Grille, 1292 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 782-5137, taphousenh.com

Best of Concord: Area 23, 254 N. State St., Concord, 552-0137, thearea23.com

Best of Manchester: The Thirsty Moose Taphouse, 795 Elm St., Manchester, 792-2337, thirstymoosetaphouse.com (The Thirsty Moose also has locations in Dover, Exeter, Merrimack and Portsmouth.)

Best of Nashua: The Thirsty Moose Taphouse, 360 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 670-0270, thirstymoosetaphouse.com (The Thirsty Moose also has locations in Dover, Exeter, Manchester and Portsmouth.)

Best Beer Selection at a Retail Shop
Best of the best: Bert’s Better Beers, 545 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 413-5992, bertsbetterbeers.com (In mid-December 2019, Bert’s Better Beers moved from Hooksett to its current location in Manchester.)

Best of Concord: Local Baskit, 10 Ferry St., Suite 120A, Concord, 219-0882, localbaskit.com

Best of Manchester: Lazy Dog Beer Shoppe, 27 Buttrick Road, Suite B4, Londonderry, 434-2500, lazydogbeer.com

Best of Nashua: The Beer Store, 433 Amherst St., Nashua, 889-2242, thebeerstorenh.com

Best New Hampshire Winery
Best: Labelle Winery, 345 Route 101, Amherst, 672-9898, labellewinerynh.com (LaBelle Winery also has a location in Portsmouth.)

Runner-up: Zorvino Vineyards, 226 Main St., Sandown, 887-8463, zorvino.com

Honorable mention: Flag Hill Distillery & Winery, 297 N. River Road, Lee, 659-2949, flaghill.com

Best New Hampshire-made Cider or Mead
Best: Ancient Fire Mead & Cider, 8030 S. Willow St., Building 1, Unit 7-2, Manchester, 203-4223, ancientfirewines.com

Runner-up: Moonlight Meadery, 23 Londonderry Road, No. 17, Londonderry, 216-2162, moonlightmeadery.com

Honorable mention: Contoocook Cider Co. (Gould Hill Farm), 656 Gould Hill Road, Contoocook, 746-1175, contoocookcider.com

Best New Hampshire Brewery
Best of the best: 603 Brewery, 42 Main St., Londonderry, 404-6123, 603brewery.com

Best of Concord: Lithermans Limited Brewery, 126 Hall St., Unit B, Concord, 219-0784, lithermans.beer

Best of Manchester: Pipe Dream Brewing, 49 Harvey Road, Londonderry, 404-0751, pipedreambrewingnh.com

Best of Nashua: Able Ebenezer Brewing Co., 31 Columbia Circle, Merrimack, 844-223-2253, ableebenezer.com

Where They Make Your Coffee Perfect Every Time
Best of the best: Revelstoke Coffee, 100 N. Main St., Concord, revelstokecoffee.com

Best of Concord: White Mountain Gourmet Coffee, 15 Pleasant St., Concord, 228-3317, wmgconline.com

Best of Manchester: Cafe La Reine, 915 Elm St., Manchester, 232-0332, cafe-la-reine.square.site

Best of Nashua: A&E Coffee & Tea, 135 Route 101A, Amherst, 578-3338, aeroastery.com (A&E Coffee & Tea also has a cafe location in Manchester and a wholesale roastery in Nashua.)

FOOD PERSONALITIES

Most Inventive Chef
Best of the best: Chris Viaud, Greenleaf, 54 Nashua St., Milford, 213-5447, greenleafmilford.com

Best of Concord: Corey Fletcher, Revival Kitchen & Bar, 11 Depot St., Concord, 715-5723, revivalkitchennh.com

Best of Manchester: Nicole Leavitt, Purple Finch Cafe, 124 S. River Road, Bedford, 232-1958, purplefinchcafe.com (The Purple Finch Cafe reopened on Aug. 1.)

Best of Nashua: Michael Buckley, Michael Timothy’s Dining Group (MT’s Local Kitchen & Wine Bar, 212 Main St., Nashua, 595-9334, mtslocal.com; Buckley’s Great Steaks, 438 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 424-0995, buckleysgreatsteaks.com; Surf Restaurant, 207 Main St., Nashua, 595-9293; 99 Bow St., Portsmouth, 334-9855; surfseafood.com; Buckley’s Bakery & Cafe, 436 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 262-5929; 9 Market Place, Hollis, 465-5522; buckleysbakerycafe.com)

Restaurant with the Friendliest Staff
Best of the best: Talia’s Breakfast and Eatery, 44 Nashua Road, Londonderry, 260-5339, taliaseatery.com

Best of Concord: Tucker’s, 80 South St., Concord, 413-5884, tuckersnh.com (Tucker’s also has locations in Dover, Hooksett, Merrimack and New London.)

Best of Manchester: The Pizza Man of Hooksett, 254 W. River Road, Hooksett, 626-7499, thepizzamandelivers.com (The Pizza Man also has locations in Manchester, and in Lyndonville, Vt.)

OUTDOORS

Best Farm for Pick-Your-Own
Best of the best: Lull Farm, 65 Broad St., Hollis, 465-7079, livefreeandfarm.com. Pick-your-own opportunities include strawberries, apples and pumpkins. (Lull Farm also has a seasonal farm in Milford.)

Best of Concord: Carter Hill Orchard, 73 Carter Hill Road, Concord, 225-2625, carterhillapples.com. Pick-your-own opportunities include peaches, blueberries and apples.

Best of Manchester: Mack’s Apples, 230 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 434-7619, macksapples.com. Pick-your-own opportunities include apples and pumpkins.

Best of Nashua: Brookdale Fruit Farm, 41 Broad St., Hollis, 465-2240, brookdalefruitfarm.com. Pick-your-own opportunities include strawberries, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries, apples and pumpkins.

Best City Park
Best of the best: White Park, 1 White St., Concord, 225-8690, concordnh.gov/facilities/facility/details/White-Park-21. Amenities include a baseball field, a basketball court, playground equipment, a pool, walking trails, soccer fields, a roller hockey rink, a sledding trail and an ice skating rink.

Best of Concord: Rollins Park, 116 Broadway St., and parking at 33 Bow St., Concord, 225-8690, concordnh.gov/facilities/facility/details/Rollins-Park-17. Amenities include paved walking paths, a full-sized playground, picnic tables with shelter, baseball and softball fields, a basketball court, tennis courts, a pool and ice skating.

Best of Manchester: Livingston Park, 156 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 624-6444, manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Trails-and-Facilities/Parks/Livingston-Park. Amenities include a baseball diamond, a soccer field, a running track, a green space, two playgrounds, walking trails, fishing, ice skating and a pool with a slide.

Best of Nashua: Greeley Park, 100 Concord St., Nashua, 589-3370, nashuanh.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/Greeley-Park-29. Amenities include baseball and softball fields, a playground, picnic areas, horseshoes, a tennis court, walking trails, a wading pool and sledding.

Best State Park
Best: Pawtuckaway State Park, 7 Pawtuckaway Road, Nottingham, 895-3031, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/pawtuckaway-state-park. The park features more than 5,000 acres of land and trails, overnight camping, a large beach on the lake, boat rentals, a picnic pavilion and a playground.

Runner-up: Bear Brook State Park, 61 Deerfield Road, Allenstown, 485-9874, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/bear-brook-state-park. 10,000 acres and 40 miles of trails makes it the largest developed state park in the Granite State. Activities include biking, hiking, camping, archery, swimming and fishing.

Honorable mention: Hampton Beach State Park, 160 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, 926-8990, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/hampton-beach-state-park. In addition to the sunny shoreline fit for all beachgoing pleasure, the park offers year-round recreation like swimming, fishing, picnicking and RV camping with full hook-ups in the campground.

Best Bike Trail or Spot for a Bike Ride
Best of the best: Nashua River Rail Trail, Nashua. The 12.3-mile asphalt rail trail connects Nashua to Ayer, Mass.

Best of Concord: Bear Brook State Park, 61 Deerfield Road, Allenstown, 485-9874, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/bear-brook-state-park. The park features 40 miles of trails with opportunities for biking on various terrains and inclines.

Best of Manchester: Goffstown Rail Trail, Goffstown. The Goffstown Rail Trail is unpaved and runs for 7.5 miles from Goffstown to Manchester.

Best of Nashua: Mine Falls Park, Whipple Street, Nashua, 589-3370, nashuanh.gov/491/Mine-Falls-Park. The 325-acre park features around eight miles of trails.

Best Hike in Southern New Hampshire
Best: Mount Monadnock, Jaffrey/Dublin, 532-8862, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/monadnock-state-park. The 3,165-foot mountain features more than 35 hiking trails of various levels of difficulty leading to the summit.

Runner-up: Mount Major, Alton, blog.nhstateparks.org/mt-major-family-friendly-hike. The main trail is 1.5 miles to the 1,785-foot peak, which offers panoramic views of Lake Winnipesaukee.

Honorable mention: Pack Monadnock, 13 Miller Park Road, Peterborough. Three hiking trails and a 1.3-mile paved, driveable road lead to the 2,290-foot summit.

Best Lake to Canoe or Kayak
Best: Lake Massabesic, Manchester, 624-6482, manchesternh.gov/departments/water-works/lake-massabesic-watershed. Three public boat launches allow for canoeing and kayaking over the 2,500-acre lake.

Runner-up: Pawtuckaway State Park, 7 Pawtuckaway Road, Nottingham, 895-3031, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/pawtuckaway-state-park. The park offers canoe and kayak rentals and has a public canoe and kayak launch on Pawtuckaway Lake.

Honorable mention: Newfound Lake, boat launch at Wellington State Park, 614 W. Shore Road, Bristol, 744-2197, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/wellington-state-park. The 4,106-acre lake is about 2.5 miles wide and seven miles long. Kayak rentals are available at the park.

Best Route for a Motorcycle Ride
Best: Kancamagus Highway, kancamagushighway.com. It offers a 34.5-mile scenic drive from Lincoln to Conway along New Hampshire’s Route 112, with views of the White Mountains, the Swift River and Lower Falls.

Runner-up: Route 1A on the Seacoast, or the Coastal Byway, visit-newhampshire.com/seacoast/scenic-drives. An 18.4-mile drive along New Hampshire’s coastline through Portsmouth, Rye and Seabrook.

Honorable Mention: Route 3A, northern segment. The 31-mile drive runs from Franklin to Plymouth and offers scenic views of the Lakes Region.

Best Road Race
Best: Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter Run & Walk for Food & Shelter, Nashua, held in April, 889-7770, nsks.org/run-and-walk-for-food-and-shelter. The race includes a Kids Sprint, 10K Run, 5K Run and 3K walk. All proceeds benefit the programs of the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter.

Runner-up: Payson Center for Cancer Care Rock ’N Race, Concord, held in May, 225-2711., giveto.concordhospital.org/rock-n-race/home. The race includes a five-mile run and a one-mile walk. All proceeds benefit the HOPE Resource Center at Payson Center for Cancer Care at Concord Hospital.

Honorable mention: Hollis Fast 5K, Hollis, held in June, hollisfast5k.com. The unique 5K course drops 224 feet from start to finish, earning the title of the fastest 5K in New England. All proceeds are distributed by the Hollis-Brookline Rotary Club to local charities to be used to fund educational scholarships.

ENTERTAINMENT

Best Bowling Alley
Best of the best: Leda Lanes, 340 Amherst St., Nashua, 889-4884, ledalanes.com

Best of Concord: Boutwell’s Bowling Center, 152 N. State St., Concord, 224-0941, boutwellsbowl.com

Best of Manchester: Lakeside Lanes, 2171 Candia Road, Manchester, 627-7722, lakesidelanes.com

Best of Nashua: Merrimack Ten Pin Center, 698 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 429-0989, merrimacktenpin.com

Best Bookstore or Comic Book Store
Best of the best: Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com

Best of Concord: MainStreet BookEnds of Warner, 16 E. Main St., Warner, 456-2700, mainstreetbookends.com

Best of Manchester: The Bookery, 844 Elm St., Manchester, 836-6600, bookerymht.com

Best of Nashua: The Toadstool Bookshop, Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St., Nashua, 673-1734, toadbooks.com. (The Toadstool also has locations in Peterborough and Keene.)

Best Game Night
Best of the best: Boards & Brews, 941 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5184, boardsandbrewsnh.com. A board game cafe.

Best of Concord: Trivia Night, Area 23, 254 N. State St., Concord, 552-0137, thearea23.com. Held every Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Best of Manchester: Trivia Night, The Farm Bar & Grill, 1181 Elm St., Manchester, 641-3276, farmbargrille.com. Not currently running.

Best of Nashua: Trivia Night and Bingo Night, The Pasta Loft Restaurant, 241 Union Square, Milford, 672-2270, pastaloft.com. Not currently running.

Best Escape Room
Best of the best: Granite State Escape, 795 Elm St., Manchester, 935-7455, escapenh.com

Best of Concord: Escape Room Concord, 240 Airport Road, Concord, 225-2271, escaperoomconcordnh.com

Best of Manchester: LOK’d Room Escape, Mall of New Hampshire, 1500 S. Willow St., Manchester, 945-3113, lokdrocks.com

Best of Nashua: Key to Escape, 3 Bud Way, Nashua, 809-4018, keytoescape.com

Best Place to See a Movie
Best: Red River Theatres, 11 S. Main St., Concord, 224-4600, redrivertheatres.org. The theater is not currently open but is screening movies through its virtual cinema program, featuring a line-up of new and older independent films; see the website for details.

Runner-up: Chunky’s Cinema, 707 Huse Road, Manchester, 206-3888, chunkys.com. (Chunky’s also has locations in Nashua and Pelham.)

Honorable mention: Chunky’s Cinema, 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, 880-8055, chunkys.com. (Chunky’s also has locations in Manchester and Pelham.)

EVENTS

Best Community Event
Best of the best: Market Days Festival, Concord, intownconcord.org. A three-day street festival, hosted by Intown Concord, featuring shopping, games and live entertainment on Main Street. Typically held in June, this year’s event has been reimagined as Market Month, with “Mini Market Days” going on every weekend in August.

Best of Concord: Midnight Merriment, Concord, intownconcord.org. A holiday event, put on by Intown Concord, featuring food, shopping, entertainment and more. This year’s event is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4.

Best of Manchester: Intown Taco Tour, Manchester, intownmanchester.com. An annual street festival organized by Intown Manchester in May. Restaurants create and sell their own unique tacos, and attendees vote on their favorites. Intown stated that this year’s event has been postponed, with a new date TBD.

Best of Nashua: Winter Holiday Stroll, Nashua, downtownnashua.org. A holiday event, presented by Great American Downtown, featuring live music, food, holiday shopping, a candlelight stroll and a tree-lighting ceremony downtown. It’s normally held the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but Great American Downtown stated that the status of this year’s event is TBD.

Best Food or Drink Event
Best of the best: Glendi, Manchester, stgeorge.nh.goarch.org. A three-day festival hosted by St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral celebrating Greek culture through food, music and dancing. The festival is usually held in mid-September but has been canceled this year.

Best of Concord: New Hampshire Brewers Festival, Concord, granitestatebrewersassociation.org. The annual festival, presented by the New Hampshire Brewers Association in July, invites craft breweries from all over the state to pour their original brews for beer-lovers.

Best of Nashua: Great American Ribfest, Merrimack, greatamericanribfest.com. The three-day event at Anheuser-Busch features professional barbecue vendors from across the country as well as other food vendors, a beer experience, live entertainment, kids activities and more. It’s typically held on Father’s Day weekend but was canceled this year.

Best Event to Show Off Your Cosplay
Best: Granite State Comic Con, Manchester, granitecon.com. A two-day comic and pop culture convention produced by Double Midnight Comics, featuring guest celebrities and comic artists, educational panels and workshops, costume contests, gaming, vendors and more. It’s normally held in September, but this year’s event has been canceled.

Runner-up: Queen City Kamikaze, Manchester, facebook.com/queencitykamikaze. A one-day comic and pop culture convention held in March, featuring a cosplay contest, video game and tabletop game tournaments, live game shows, panels, vendors, artists and more.

Honorable mention: Free Comic Book Day, freecomicbookday.com, at Double Midnight Comics (245 Maple St., Manchester, 669-9636; 67 S. Main St., Concord, 669-9636, dmcomics.com) and Jetpack Comics (37 N. Main St., Rochester, 330-9636, jetpackcomics.com). The annual worldwide event, held the first Saturday in May, encourages comic book shops to hand out free comic books created specially for that day. The largest FCBD celebration in the state is the Rochester Free Comic Book Day Festival, a partnership between the City of Rochester and Jetpack Comics, featuring local comic creators, vendors, live entertainment, food, a cosplay contest and more throughout downtown. Double Midnight Comics in Manchester hosts a popular cosplay contest at its Manchester store. This year’s FCBD has been reworked as Free Comic Book Summer. Every Wednesday, now through Sept. 9, participating local comic book shops will put out five or six different free comics.

Best Parade
Best: Manchester St. Patrick’s Parade, saintpatsnh.com.

Runner-up: Litchfield Memorial Day Parade

Honorable mention: Manchester Christmas Parade, intownmanchester.com. Typically held in early December.

FUN — WITH PEOPLE!

Best After-Work Hang-Out Spot
Best of the best: The River Casino & Sports Bar, 52 High St., Nashua, 881-9060, therivercasino.com

Best of Concord: Area 23, 254 N. State St., Concord, 552-0137, thearea23.com

Best of Manchester: Strange Brew, 88 Market St., Manchester, 666-4292, strangebrewtavern.net

Best of Nashua: The Thirsty Moose Taphouse, 360 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 670-0270, thirstymoosetaphouse.com. (The Thirsty Moose also has locations in Manchester, Dover, Exeter and Portsmouth.)

Best First Date Place
Best of best: Boards & Brews, 941 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5184, boardsandbrewsnh.com. A board game cafe.

Best of Concord: Angelina’s Ristorante Italiano, 11 Depot St., Concord, 228-3313, angelinasrestaurant.com

Best of Manchester: Mint Bistro, 1105 Elm St., Manchester, 625-6468, mintbistronh.com

Best of Nashua: Buckley’s Great Steaks, 438 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 424-0995, buckleysgreatsteaks.com

Most Impressive Date Spot
Best of the best: Hanover Street Chophouse, 149 Hanover St., Manchester, 644-2467, hanoverstreetchophouse.com

Best of Concord: Angelina’s Ristorante Italiano, 11 Depot St., Concord, 228-3313, angelinasrestaurant.com

Best of Manchester: Bedford Village Inn, 2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com

Best of Nashua: Buckley’s Great Steaks, 438 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 424-0995, buckleysgreatsteaks.com

Best Crowd at Whatever
Best: Get Fit NH, 287 S. Main St., Concord, 344-2651, getfitnh.com

Runner-up: The River Casino & Sports Bar, 52 High St., Nashua, 881-9060, therivercasino.com

Honorable mention: Area 23, 254 N. State St., Concord, 552-0137, thearea23.com

FAMILY FUN

Best Family or Kids Event
Best of the best: Market Days Festival, Concord, intownconcord.org. A three-day street festival, hosted by Intown Concord, featuring shopping, games and live entertainment on Main Street. Typically held in June, the event has been reimagined this year as Market Month, with “Mini Market Days” going on every weekend in August.

Best of Concord: Deerfield Fair, deerfieldfair.com. One of the largest agricultural fairs in the state, featuring rides, entertainment, food and more. It’s usually held for four days in September, but this year’s event has been canceled.

Best of Manchester: Glendi, Manchester, stgeorge.nh.goarch.org. A three-day festival hosted by St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral celebrating Greek culture through food, music and dancing. The festival is usually held in mid-September but has been canceled this year.

Best of Nashua: Kids Con New England, Nashua, kidsconne.com. The first and largest comic convention in New England created just for kids. Held in June, the one-day event features comic-centric activities, workshops and panels, gaming, family-friendly comic book creators and children’s book authors and artists.

Best Place to Take Your Kids
Best of the best: Fun City Trampoline Park, 553 Mast Road, Goffstown, 606-8807, funcitygoffstown.com. Closed until further notice, according to its Facebook page.

Best of Concord: Krazy Kids, 60 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, 228-7529, gokrazykids.com. An indoor playground and party venue. Currently running summer camps, but the indoor play area is closed to the public until further notice, according to the website.

Best of Manchester: Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, 27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, 669-4820, nhahs.org. Open only on select dates until further notice. Upcoming dates are Saturdays, Aug. 15 and Aug. 29.

Best of Nashua: Nuthin’ but Good Times, 746 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 429-2200, nuthinbutgoodtimes.com. An indoor playground and party venue.

Best Indoor Play Area
Best of the best: Fun City Trampoline Park, 553 Mast Road, Goffstown, 606-8807, funcitygoffstown.com. Closed until further notice, according to its Facebook page.

Best of Manchester: Cowabunga’s, 725 Huse Road, Manchester, 935-9659, mycowabungas.com. An indoor inflatable playground and party venue. Currently closed, but plans to reopen this month.

Best of Nashua: Nuthin’ but Good Times, 746 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 429-2200, nuthinbutgoodtimes.com. An indoor playground and party venue.

Best Kids Summer Day Camp
Best of the best: Melody Pines Day Camp, 510 Corning Road, Manchester, 669-9414, melodypines.com

Best of Concord: New Hampshire Audubon Nature Day Camp, McLane Audubon Center, 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, 224-9909, nhaudubon.org. (Camp is also held at the Massabesic Audubon Center in Auburn.)

Best of Manchester: Boys & Girls Club of Manchester’s Camp Foster, 36 Camp Allen Road, Bedford, 625-5031, begreatmanchester.org

Best of Nashua: YMCA of Greater Nashua’s Camp Sargent, 141 Camp Sargent Road, Merrimack, 880-4845, campsargent.org

Best Place to Hold a Kids Birthday Party
Best of the best: Cowabunga’s, 725 Huse Road, Manchester, 935-9659, mycowabungas.com. An indoor inflatable playground and party venue. Currently closed, but plans to reopen this month.

Best of Manchester: Fun City Trampoline Park, 553 Mast Road, Goffstown, 606-8807, funcitygoffstown.com. Closed until further notice, according to its Facebook page.

Best of Nashua: Wild Salamander Creative Arts Center, 30 Ash St., Hollis, 465-9453, wildsalamander.com.

PETS

Best Doggie Day Care
Best of the best: American K9 Country, 336 Route 101, Amherst, 672-8448, americank9country.com. Day care and boarding for dogs and cats and training classes in dock jumping, obedience, agility and more for dogs.

Best of Concord: Paws on Pine, 913 Pine St., Contoocook, 568-4022, pawsonpinenh.com. A small boarding and day care center for dogs that specializes in Flower Essence aromatherapy for dogs.

Best of Manchester: All Dogs Gym & Inn, 505 Sheffield Road, Manchester, 669-4644, alldogsgym.com. Training, boarding and day care services for dogs as well as classes in various dog sports.

Best of Nashua: Cloud K9, 29 Columbia Circle, Merrimack, 424-6166, cloudk9.net. Day care and boarding for dogs with an enclosed turfgrass play area.

Best Dog Groomer
Best of the best: Sarah’s Paw Spa, 16 Manning St., Derry, 512-4539, sarahspawspa.com. A certified grooming service with a custom tub and full spa experience that includes tooth brushing, nail painting and aloe facial cleanses.

Best of Concord: Bark Now, 237 S. Main St., Concord, 229-3700, barknow.com. Full grooming treatments available as well as facials, luxury baths, paw pedicures and Reiki energy therapy.

Best of Manchester: Hollywood Hounds Pet Spa, 250 Wallace Road, Bedford, 472-7387, hollywoodhoundsnh.com. A full-service pet spa using only all-natural, hypoallergenic materials and offering basic grooming, flea and tick removal and emergency de-skunking.

Best of Nashua: Cloud K9, 29 Columbia Circle, Merrimack, 424-6166, cloudk9.net. Grooming services include blow-outs, brush-outs, ear cleaning and plucking and nail trims and cuts. Package deals with half-day day care and grooming are available.

Best Place to Let Your Dog Off Leash
Best of the best: Hudson Dog Park at Benson Park,19 Kimball Hill Road, Hudson, 886-6000, hudsonnh.gov/bensonpark/page/dog-park. A fenced-in public dog park that includes two separate areas for large and small dogs. Dog waste bags are available.

Best of Concord: Terrill Park, Old Turnpike Road, Concord, 225-8690, concordnh.gov/facilities/facility/details/Terrill-Park-28. The 21-acre park features a fenced-in dog park for both large and small dogs.

Best of Manchester: Hooksett Dog Park, 101 Merrimack St., Hooksett, 668-8019, hooksett.org/parks-recreation-cemeteries-division/pages/dog-park. Two off-leash fenced-in play areas for small and large dogs. Dog waste bags are available.

Best of Nashua: American K9 Country, 336 Route 101, Amherst, 672-8448, americank9country.com. Fenced-in dog park available at the doggie day care, free of charge.

Best On-Leash Dog Outing
Best of the best: Mine Falls Park, Whipple Street, Nashua, 589-3370, nashuanh.gov/491/Mine-Falls-Park. A 325-acre park with forest, wetlands, open fields and around eight miles of trails.

Best of Concord: Downtown Concord, North Main Street, Concord. The open lawn green space of the Statehouse lawn, the weekly Farmers Market and Market Days offer a great chance for humans and dogs alike to get out and about in the Capital City.

Best of Manchester: Livingston Park, Hooksett Road, Manchester, 624-6444, manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Trails-and-Facilities/Parks/Livingston-Park. Includes a loop walking trail that circles Dorr’s Pond.

Best of Nashua: Benson Park,19 Kimball Hill Road, Hudson, 886-6000, hudsonnh.gov/bensonpark. A 166-acre recreational spot with plenty of walking trails.

NIGHTLIFE

Best Bar for Live Music
Best of the best: The Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant, 909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, theshaskeenpub.com. Regular live music has not yet resumed, but there will be a trial run performance by Marty Quirk on the patio on Sunday, Aug. 16, at 3 p.m.

Best of Concord: Area 23, 254 N. State St., Concord, 552-0137, thearea23.com. Live music every Friday and Saturday night and Saturday afternoon.

Best of Manchester: Strange Brew, 88 Market St., Manchester, 666-4292, strangebrewtavern.net. The bar stated that it will not be having any live music in the near future due to Covid-19 regulations.

Best of Nashua: The Pasta Loft Restaurant, 241 Union Square, Milford, 672-2270, pastaloft.com. The bar stated that it does not have live music at this time.

Best Bar with an Outdoor Deck
Best of the best: The Derryfield Restaurant, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880, thederryfield.com

Best of Concord: Downtown Cheers Grille & Bar, 17 Depot St., Concord, 228-0181, cheersnh.com

Best of Manchester: Murphy’s Taproom, 494 Elm St., Manchester, 644-3535, murphystaproom.com

Best of Nashua: The Pasta Loft Restaurant, 241 Union Square, Milford, 672-2270, pastaloft.com.

Best Pub
Best of the best: The Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant, 909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, theshaskeenpub.com

Best of Concord: The Barley House Restaurant & Tavern, 132 N. Main St., Concord, 228-6363, thebarleyhouse.com. (The Barley House also has a location in North Hampton.)

Best of Manchester: Strange Brew, 88 Market St., Manchester, 666-4292, strangebrewtavern.net

Best of Nashua: The Peddler’s Daughter, 48 Main St., Nashua, 821-7535, thepeddlersdaughter.com

Best Sports Bar
Best of the best: Billy’s Sports Bar & Grill, 34 Tarrytown Road, Manchester, 622-3644, billyssportsbar.com

Best of Concord: The Draft Sports Bar and Grill, 67 S. Main St., Concord, 227-1175, draftsportsbar.com

Best of Manchester: The Thirsty Moose Taphouse, 795 Elm St., Manchester, 792-2337, thirstymoosetaphouse.com. (The Thirsty Moose also has locations in Merrimack, Dover, Exeter and Portsmouth.)

Best of Nashua: The Thirsty Moose Taphouse, 360 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 670-0270, thirstymoosetaphouse.com. (The Thirsty Moose also has locations in Manchester, Dover, Exeter and Portsmouth.)

Best Regular Event at a Bar
Best of the best: Famous Friday Rubber Chicken Toss at The River Casino & Sports Bar, 52 High St., Nashua, 881-9060, therivercasino.com. Held every Friday at 7 p.m. Players get three rubber chickens. Sink one rubber chicken into the pot and win a six-piece chicken tenders dinner; sink two, win a 12-piece chicken tenders dinner; sink all three, win $200.

Best of Concord: Open Mic Night at Area 23, 254 N. State St., Concord, 552-0137, thearea23.com. Every Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Best of Manchester: Queen City Improv at Stark Brewing Co., 500 Commercial St., Manchester, 625-4444, starkbrewingcompany.com. The Manchester-based improvisational theater troupe typically performs at the bar monthly, but shows have been put on hold until further notice.

Best of Nashua: Open Mic at Fody’s Tavern, 9 Clinton St., Nashua, 577-9015, fodystavern.com. Fody’s is planning to resume open mic soon.

Where to Go when you want to See and be Seen
Best of the best: The Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant, 909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, theshaskeenpub.com

Best of Concord: Tandy’s Pub & Grille, 1 Eagle Square, Concord, 856-7614, tandyspub.com

Best of Manchester: The Derryfield Restaurant, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880, thederryfield.com

Best of Nashua: The River Casino & Sports Bar, 52 High St., Nashua, 881-9060, therivercasino.com

NOTABLE LOCALS

Friendliest Mechanic
Best of the best: Mike Alton, Pro-Image Automotive, 254 Sheffield Road, Manchester, 644-8480, proimageautomotive.com

Best of Concord: Gunnar Wicklund, Wicklund’s Automotive Center, 240 N. State St., Concord, 224-2102, wicklundsauto.com

Best of Manchester: Ralph Brutus, Brutus Auto Repair & Service, 148 Merrimack St., Manchester, 624-8881, brutusauto.com

Best of Nashua: Chad Tanguay, Merrimack Auto Center, 9 Webb Drive, Merrimack, 216-9596; 150 Amherst St., Nashua, 546-0157; merrimackautocenterllc.com

Best Local Music Act
Best: Alli Beaudry, allibeaudry.com

Runner-up: Matt the Sax, find him on Facebook @mattthesax

Honorable mention: Songs With Molly, find them on Facebook @songswithmolly

Friendliest Librarians
Best: Concord Public Library, 45 Green St., Concord, 225-8670, concordpubliclibrary.net (The Concord Public Library reopened to the public on July 13, operating under limited hours.)

Runner-up: Bedford Public Library, 3 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford, 472-2300, bedfordnhlibrary.org (The Bedford Public Library is currently closed to the public, but contact-free curbside pickups are available every Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m.)

Honorable mention: Aaron Cutler Memorial Library, 269 Charles Bancroft Highway, Litchfield, 424-4044, cutlerlibrary.blogspot.com (The Aaron Cutler Memorial Library is currently closed to the public, but porch pickups are available every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

New Hampshire-based Celebrity Who Seems Like They’d Be the Most Fun at a Party
Best: Pete Psaledas, Director of Distributor Relations at Presence Marketing and a Litchfield resident

Runner-up: Fred “Fritz” Wetherbee, “Fritz Wetherbee’s New Hampshire,” as seen on WMUR’s New Hampshire Chronicle

Honorable mention: Steven Tyler, frontman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band Aerosmith

Favorite Fictional Granite Stater
Best: The Old Man of the Mountain (a series of cliff ledges resembling the profile of a man’s face, The Old Man of the Mountain was a popular tourist attraction at Franconia Notch State Park until its collapse in May 2003.)

Runner-up: President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet (who is portrayed by Martin Sheen in the critically acclaimed political drama series The West Wing.)

Honorable mention: Binky Sears (a fictional character often featured in Fritz Wetherbee’s stories in “Fritz Wetherbee’s New Hampshire,” as seen on WMUR’s New Hampshire Chronicle.)

LIVING HERE

Happiest Place in NH
Best: Get Fit NH (287 S. Main St. in Concord; getfitnh.com, 344-2651). Get Fit NH is currently offering both in-person and virtual fitness classes.

Runner-up: The White Mountains (The Forest Service’s website, fs.usda.gov/whitemountain, sells day-use passes online to the White Mountain National Forest as well as maps and more. At visitwhitemountains.com, you can find more about visiting the area, including advice on alternative hiking and parking sites when popular locations are crowded.)

Honorable mention: Hampton Beach (Though many of the regular Hampton Beach events have been canceled for this summer, you can still find outdoor movies on Monday nights and nightly live music starting at 7 p.m. See hamptonbeach.org.)

Best Thing About Living in NH in the Winter
Best: Skiing (As one reader said “Skiing is Awesome.”)

Runner-up: Snow

Honorable mention: Snowshoeing

Best Thing We Forgot to Ask About
Best: Best New Hampshire Product/Best Jams and Jellies made in NH: Laurel Hill Jams & Jellies (laurelhilljams.com). Find them at stores throughout the area including Bedford Hannaford and Christmas Tree Shops in Nashua and Salem; see a list on the website.

Runner-up: Best Tattoos: Arrows and Embers Tattoo (117 Manchester St. in Concord; arrowsandemberstattoo.com, 988-6067)

Honorable mention: Best Massage Therapist: Bethany Chabot, LMT 444 Hands, Innately Integrative Massage & Energy Therapy, located in The Wellness Center at Family Chiropractic of Merrimack, 36 Baboosic Lake Road, Merrimack, 834-2758, 444hands.com.

This Week 20/08/13

Thursday, Aug. 13
The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) inches closer to opening by holding a member preview weekend today through Sunday, Aug. 16. Go online to reserve timed tickets for members (memberships currently start at $50 for an individual, $80 for a household). The Currier will open to the general public on Thursday, Aug. 20, when it will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with music from Paul Nelson starting at 5 p.m. The Currier is recommending about two-hour gallery visits and safety protocols include wearing masks, offering hand sanitizer and more.

Friday, Aug. 14
The Fisher Cats kick off their “Socially Distanced Concert Series at the Stadium” with David Clark’s Songs in the Attic (the music of Billy Joel) tonight at 7 p.m. (the gates open at 5:30 p.m.) at Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester. Tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 15, catch Changes in Latitude (the music of Jimmy Buffett), also at 7 p.m. Tickets to either show cost $23. See NHFisherCats.com. The series continues the weekend of Aug. 28 and runs through Sept. 12.

Friday, Aug. 14
It’s a tribute-band-lover’s summer! Catch more tribute bands playing this weekend at the Tupelo Music Hall’s Drive-In (10 A St. in Derry; tupelomusichall.com, 437-5100). Foreigners Journey plays Friday, Aug. 14, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 15, at 3 and 6 p.m. Or, for the music of Tom Petty, see The Breakers on Sunday, Aug. 16, at 3 and 6 p.m. Crazy on You, a Heart tribute band, will perform on Aug. 22 at 3 and 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 19
Enjoy a mid-week evening of relaxation with a live performance of the band Crossroads at the Merrimack Parks & Recreation Summer Concert Series in Abbie Griffin Park (6 Baboosic Lake Road) tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. Bring blankets and dinner; organizers ask for masks and social distancing, the website said. Crossroads plays classic rock, modern rock, country and pop, according to merrmackparksandrec.org.

Save the date! Friday, Aug. 21
Add a little sweetness to these final days before school starts with La Belle Winery’s cupcake frosting and decorating class for kids on Aug. 21, from noon to 1 p.m. The cost is $29 per kid and kids will make their own frosting and decorate their cupcake (and then eat it), according to the website, which also recommends that parents can enjoy lunch in the Bistro during the event. The event will take place at the winery (345 Route 101 in Amherst; labellewinerynh.com) and is recommended for ages 9 and up; register in advance, the website said.

Quality of Life 20/08/13

Saving Valley
Efforts to take back and clean up Valley Cemetery in Manchester are being relaunched as a group of volunteers — the Original Friends of Valley Cemetery — pivots its focus to restoring gravestones and the chapel, according to Tanya Frazier Orr, who is leading the efforts. Orr said in an email that on Saturday, Aug. 22, a cleaning and restoration workshop will be held for anyone who wants to learn how to conserve various types of gravestones. In addition, the Manchester Memorial Company will be cleaning the Samuel Bell monument to provide an example of what can be accomplished with simple cleaning.
Score: +1
Comments: “Combined forces and fresh energy spell nothing but success for this team and their restoration goals,” Orr said in her email.

Pick up trash with Carter
Five-year-old Carter Manson of Manchester was named July’s Granite Stater of the Month by U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan for encouraging people to get outside and help clean up their communities, according to a press release. Carter has wanted to be a garbage collector since he was 3, so it was fitting that during the April stay-at-home orders he asked his mom, Kelly, if he could go outside and pick up trash. Kelly said yes and took pictures of him in the act, then posted them on Facebook. After getting positive feedback from her friends and family, she decided to create a group called Carter’s Clean Up Crew, which now has nearly 800 members from across the United States and Canada, according to the release. The crew has raised $1,400 to help get members of the group supplies like trash grabbers and gloves.
Score: +1
Comment: Carter is asking local residents to join him and his crew on Saturday, Aug. 29, at Pulaski Park in Manchester from 8 to 10 a.m. for a community clean-up, according to a post on wzid.com.

Second Jamestown Canyon virus case this year
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that an adult from Bow tested positive for Jamestown Canyon virus. According to a press release from the Department, the person experienced fever and mild neurological symptoms but was not hospitalized and is doing well. This is the second case of the mosquito-borne pathogen in New Hampshire this year, and the 11th since the first case was reported in 2013. The arboviral risk level, which indicates the risk of transmission of these infections from mosquitoes, for Bow has been increased to high and is at moderate for the surrounding towns of Goffstown, Dunbarton, Hopkinton, Allenstown, Hooksett, Pembroke and Concord.
Score: -2
Comment: DHHS noted in its press release that risk of infection with Jamestown Canyon virus as well as Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus and West Nile virus will continue to increase throughout the summer and into fall.

All aboard for Hopkinton history
The Hopkinton Historical Society has created a driving tour that includes seven stops in Hopkinton and Contoocook that feature railroad points of interest. According to a press release, the tour is taking the place of what was supposed to be a summer exhibit: “Given the continued uncertainty regarding opening dates and people’s comfort levels with gathering in groups indoors, we decided the best approach was to take our exhibit on the road!” the release reads. The tour looks at how the railroad impacted farmers, tourism, mills and factories, among other things.
Score: +1
Comment:The tour can be found at HopkintonHistory.org, or followed on Clio, a downloadable app for driving tours of historical and cultural sites.

QOL score: 51
Net change: +1
QOL this week: 52
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 20/08/13

Covid-19 update	As of August 3	As of August 10
Total cases statewide	6,660	6,840
Total current infections statewide	395	326
Total deaths statewide	417	419
New cases	219 (July 28 to Aug. 3)	180 (Aug. 4 to Aug. 10)
Current infections: Hillsborough County	197	137
Current infections: Merrimack County	19	13
Current infections: Rockingham County	104	103

Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Covid-19 news

On Aug. 4, Gov. Chris Sununu issued Exhibit O to Emergency Order No. 29, which had been issued on April 9. Emergency Order No. 29 requires state agencies, boards and commissions to submit recommendations to Sununu if any regulatory deadlines should be adjusted in response to the state of emergency. Per Exhibit O, the deadline to complete two hours of continuing education for licensees as pump installers or well water contractors through the New Hampshire Water Well Board has been extended for one year, from June 30, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

On Aug. 5, Sununu issued a statement in response to reports that some states may be improperly taxing New Hampshire residents who are working remotely during the pandemic. “The New Hampshire Department of Justice will conduct a review of … each state’s Department of Revenue’s actions to determine whether any state is engaging in improper taxation of our citizens,” the statement reads. “We will take immediate steps to stop any attempts to impose income taxes on Granite Staters in a manner that violates the law or the New Hampshire or United States Constitution.”

Also on Aug. 5, Sununu announced the federal government’s approval of New Hampshire’s plan to reduce premium rates in the state’s individual health insurance market. The reinsurance program, according to a press release issued by the Governor’s Office, is estimated to reduce premiums in 2021 by approximately 16 percent over what they would have otherwise been. The individual market’s unsubsidized population is expected to grow by about 8 percent due to lower premium costs resulting from the stabilization of the market.

Also on Aug. 5, Sununu issued Emergency Order No. 62, an order protecting the pre-existing non-conforming use status for summer camps in the state that have been unable to operate, have had their seasons shortened or have had their capacities reduced this year as a result of the pandemic.

On Aug. 7, Sununu issued Executive Order 2020-16, extending the state of emergency in New Hampshire due to the pandemic for another three weeks through at least Aug. 28. It’s the seventh extension he has issued since originally declaring a state of emergency on March 13.

Details of all of Sununu’s Emergency and Executive Orders can be found at governor.nh.gov.

Legislative action

Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed several more bills in the past week, according to press releases from his office. These include:

House Bill 687, also known as the “extreme risk protection” bill. While the New Hampshire Democratic Party said in a statement that the bill would “keep Granite Staters safe by keeping guns out of the hands of people in crisis when there is evidence they pose an extreme risk of harming themselves or others,” Sununu said in his veto statement that while mental health, including suicide prevention and awareness, continues to be one of the state’s top priorities, “the process laid out in House Bill 687 goes too far and would weaken the constitutional rights of law-abiding New Hampshire citizens.”

House Bill 1375, regarding claims for medical monitoring related to exposure to toxic materials. In his veto statement, Sununu said that while the bill was created with good intentions, “this legislation would subject businesses to increased liability by creating a pathway for almost anyone exposed to hazardous or toxic substances to prove a claim for medical monitoring damages, regardless of the level, risk or consequences of exposure.” He also said he is willing to work with proponents to explore a more tailored and responsible approach in the next legislative session.

House Bill 685, the Reproductive Health Parity Act. According to a press release from the New Hampshire Democratic Party, the bill “would have ensured Granite Staters access to a range of affordable reproductive health services, including abortion.” In his veto statement, Sununu called the legislation unnecessary and said it would threaten the state’s ability to get federal funding for health care programs.

House Bill 1494, which would have established benefits for public works employees who die on the job. In his veto statement, Sununu said that while he supports parts of the bill, there are parts that he is unable to support “because of negative policy and financial impacts on the state and municipalities.”

City school reopenings

With all of New Hampshire’s school districts creating their own plans for reopening, “back to school” is going to look different across the state. Some smaller districts are working toward full in-person reopenings or hybrid learning models, but all three of the state’s biggest cities have approved reopening plans that have most students learning remotely for the start of the 2020-21 school year.

The Manchester Board of School Committee voted during a five-hour meeting Monday night to reopen with fully remote learning for grades 2 through 12 for the first quarter of the school year, with students in pre-kindergarten through first grade attending school in person two days a week, according to a report from WMUR. “While a full in-person reopening may work for other communities, it was simply not feasible or responsible for our district to do so. In choosing to slowly bring students back in person — starting with specialized programming and our youngest students — I believe we are striking the right balance for our students, families and staff,” Superintendent Dr. John Goldhardt said in a statement. Mayor Joyce Craig said in a statement that throughout the first weeks of school, “the school administration, along with stakeholders, including the Manchester Health Department and the City Facilities Division will assess whether a blended model can be implemented by the end of November.”

On Aug. 5, the Nashua Board of Education approved a plan that will have students starting the year remotely on Sept. 8. The reopening plan, which is posted on the school district’s website, will start with full remote learning (Model III) until Oct. 5, when a rollout of a hybrid model (Model II) will begin. Based on Nashua’s numbers of Covid-19 cases, public health officials advised that the district eliminate Model I, a return to in-person teaching, from consideration. According to the plan, parents/guardians will be able to choose whether their children will participate in Model II when it is rolled out or stay in Model III. The plan also says that “Flexibility and the ability to pivot between models is key … as local epidemiology may possibly alter our schedules for teaching and learning at any time during the school year.”

On Aug. 6, the Concord School Board voted to “employ a fully remote learning model for students this fall,” according to a letter to students, families and staff posted on the district’s website, with the first day of remote learning starting Sept. 8. The letter said that pushing back the start date will allow staff to continue to train for best practices for remote learning. “We understand that all of the return to school models will present difficulties for some of our families, and we want to assure you that the Board took into account hundreds of concerns and questions which parents, staff and students have expressed,” Interim Superintendent Kathleen Murphy wrote in the letter.

Law enforcement

New Hampshire Police Standards and Training will undergo several changes, including the creation of guidelines regarding use of force as well as improvements to diversity training, after the initial recommendations from the New Hampshire Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community, and Transparency were endorsed by Gov. Chris Sununu last week, according to a press release. These recommendations include the creation of a Job Task Analysis for entry-level law enforcement officers and entry-level corrections officers, as well as a review of the present Academy curriculum; improving police academy training on diversity; amending administrative rules to mandate that background investigations vet police recruit candidates to see if they have ever “demonstrated outward bias of a protected group by way of past history, behavior, affiliation with a subversive group, social media posts and other objective sources to help determine the overall fitness for duty the candidate possesses and to consider those findings in the overall decision to hire the candidate”; and the creation of guidelines relative to: use of force, duty to intervene, code of conduct, duty to report misconduct, prohibition of chokeholds, procedures to guard against positional asphyxia.

Saint Anselm College in Manchester has started welcoming students back and is one of the first schools in the area to do so, according to a report from WMUR. Around 200 students are moving in each day over the course of 10 days, and classes are scheduled to start Aug. 19, which will allow for some classes and other activities to be held outdoors, according to the report.

Susan Downer of Souhegan High School in Amherst and Michelle Morton-Curit of Exeter High School have been named this year’s recipients of the Presidential Excellence Awards in Mathematics and Science Teaching, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Education. The award is given by the U.S. government to educators who excel in their roles as math and science teachers for grades K through 12.

The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire in Londonderry is hosting a volunteer open house on Monday, Aug. 17, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., according to a press release. Volunteers are needed in a variety of areas, including tour leaders, administrative work, historical archiving, education outreach, tech support and more. Find details at aviationmuseumofnh.org.

The American Cancer Society recently honored Tracy McGraw of Merrimack with the Sandra C. Labaree Volunteer Values Award for her support of the Society’s mission. McGraw is a two-time cancer survivor and has been a volunteer with the American Cancer Society for the last six years, according to a press release. She is currently the event chair for the Relay For Life of Nashua.

Soundtrack to your summer

On the cover
23 soundtrack to your summer Seven local musicians talk about what performing has been like this summer, plus what’s on tap for the rest of the season, what’s on their set lists these days, and where you can see them live.

Also on the cover, Wilton Town Hall Theatre celebrates funny silent films, p.6. Downtown Concord turns Market Days into Market Month, p. 10. And as of Tuesday, the Great New England BBQ and Food Truck Fest is still scheduled to take place — live! — on Saturday, p. 14.

Cover photo: April Cushman. Courtesy photo by Almorinda Photography.

3 months until disaster?

In less than three months, America will go to the polls to elect a new president, Joe Biden, or re-elect ...

Album Reviews 20/08/06

Fantastic Negrito, Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? (Cooking Vinyl) In a sense, Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, a.k.a. Fantastic Negrito, reminds ...

Book Review 20/08/06

Make Russia Great Again, by Christopher Buckley (Simon & Schuster, 274 pages) When word got out that Christopher Buckley had ...

Bowlful of goodness

Manchester eatery to specialize in rice and pasta bowls Inside Nickles Market on the east side of Manchester, a new ...

Downtown for days

Concord’s Market Days converted to a month-long festival The annual Market Days Festival returns to Concord this summer with a ...

European tour with dinner

With stops in Loire River Valley and Piedmont region Take a virtual trip to two famous European wine-producing regions. Imagine ...

In the kitchen with Ashley Reisdorf

Ashley Reisdorf of Raymond is the owner of Ashley’s Eats & Sweets (find them on Facebook), a homestead business specializing ...

Kiddie Pool 20/08/06

More than peanuts and Cracker Jack The Fisher Cats are hosting “Dinner on the Diamond” on Friday, Aug. 7, and ...

Laugh out loud

Town Hall Theatre hosts Silent Film Comedy Week The Town Hall Theatre in Wilton restarted its silent film series in ...

NBA bubble thoughts

Let’s take a look at the first week of action as the NBA got restarted a week ago. Even though ...

News & Notes 20/08/06

Covid-19 updateAs of July 27As of August 3Total cases statewide6,4416,660Total current infections statewide407395Total deaths statewide409417New cases211 (July 21 to July ...

Quality of Life 20/08/06

Millyard Museum on a missionThe Manchester Historic Association has announced that it plans to restore and display the “Sweaters” portion ...

Signs of Life 20/08/06

All quotes are from Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning, by Leslie Odom Jr., ...

Soundtrack to your summer

7 performers talk about playing in a time when local music is center stage In the midst of live music’s ...

Summer flavors

Great New England BBQ and food truck festival returns If you’ve been cooped at home for most of the summer, ...

The Art Roundup 20/08/06

• Audio art tours: Great American Downtown, a nonprofit organization that promotes activities and businesses in downtown Nashua, has partnered ...

The Music Roundup 20/08/06

• Celtic cousins: A free downtown show stars Rebel Collective, who blend traditional Irish songs with modern rock. The band ...

The Rental (R)

Film Reviews by Amy Diaz Two couples on a weekend away have extremely bad luck with their beach house in ...

The Weekly Dish 20/08/06

• Barbecue and bluegrass: The Concord Coalition to End Homelessness will hold a socially distanced bluegrass barbecue on Sunday, Aug ...

Treasure Hunt 20/08/06

Hi, Donna,I recently came across this item in a box that belonged to a deceased family member. While he was ...

Signs of Life 20/08/06

All quotes are from Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning, by Leslie Odom Jr., born Aug. 6, 1981.

Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22) There is a freeing power of an honest no. It’s the yang to yes’s yin. … Do not let your fear, or anyone else’s, rob you of the power of your yes and your no. Own them both and use either as you see fit.Yes? No!

Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22) Don’t sell yourself short. You will meet people along the way who will be lining up to place limits on you. You don’t need to beat them to the punch. Those people have nothing better to do, but you do.

Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22) You either fine-tune and keep making it better until they rip the pencil from your hand, or, once you intuit that you’ve finished and that you’ve conveyed what you intended to convey in your work, you put your own pencil down, step back … and triple-check. And then go get a sandwich.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21) Hamilton the Broadway musical was a hard habit to kick. Binge responsibly.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21) Gabe, my coach, is part Jedi, part yogi. My favorite repeated refrain from Gabe comes whenever I’m in bad form or when some fundamental he’s repeatedly shown me isn’t clicking once again. Gabe reminds me, ‘Les, relax your shoulders.’ Nine times out of ten, it is all I need to hear to get me back on track. Do it.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19) When you take steps to better yourself it is never in vain. A step is a step.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18) I love questions that begin with how. They activate the listener. Ask how.

Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20) I didn’t want to be in show business. I wanted to be in Rent. I was sixteen years old and I had never been to see a Broadway show, but I wanted to be in Rent on Broadway more than anything. Stay in touch with what inspires you.

Aries (March 21 – April 19) I didn’t know anyone in show business. And for a long time, I don’t think it even registered for me that these were jobs you could seek out. You can make it work.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20) Star or roadie, usher or ensemble member — I didn’t know what the capacity would be. But I believed that there could be, in or around the thing that I loved, a place with my name on it. You can work your way up.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20) The next day, I went to the record store to sample the [Rent] cast album. I’d meant to only listen to a song or two. Ninety minutes later I was still standing there. Frozen. I was at the cash register five minutes after that ponying up the $19.99 for my very own copy of the double-disk recording — more than I’d ever spent on a single piece of art. An art experience may be better than expected.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22) You hear a lot about the Big Break from successful people. But I would challenge you to think of your Big Break as an inside job instead of something that you’ll find externally. Opportunities are made.

Author: The Hippo Press

Hippo Best Of 2020 – The results are in!

Signs of Life 20/08/13

At the Sofaplex 20/08/13

Kiddie Pool 20/08/13

Hippo Best of 2020

This Week 20/08/13

Quality of Life 20/08/13

News & Notes 20/08/13

Soundtrack to your summer

Signs of Life 20/08/06

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!