The Hippo Press – Page 251

This Week 21/12/09

Big Events December 9, 2021 and beyond

Thursday, Dec. 9

Productions of A Christmas Carol take place on stages throughout the area this weekend. Tonight, the Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) continues its run (shows continue through Dec. 22) with shows at 7:30 p.m. tonight and tomorrow; 2 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, and noon on Sunday, Dec. 12.

The Hatbox Theatre’s (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com) production (which continues through Dec. 19) has showtimes Friday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 12, at 2 p.m.

For a slightly different take on the main character, the Majestic Theatre presentsScrooge in Loveat the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway in Derry) on Friday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 11, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 12, at 2 p.m. This continuation of the Christmas Carol story looks at Scrooge a year later when the ghosts return to help Ebenezer find love, according to majestictheatre.net.

Friday, Dec. 10

This week’s craft fairs kick off tonight.

• The Great New England Craft & Artisan Show (gnecraftartisanshows.com) runs today from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Hampshire Hills Athletic Club (50 Emerson Road in Milford). Admission is free; Santa will make an appearance on Saturday.

• The Auburn Village School (11 Eaton Hill Road in Auburn) will hold its Holiday Craft and Vendor Fair Saturday, Dec. 11, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with more than 30 vendors and crafters, kids crafts and games, concessions and a visit from Santa, according to the school’s Facebook page.

• Bishop Brady High School (25 Columbus Ave. in Concord; bishopbrady.edu) will hold its Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• On Saturday, Dec. 11, the Holly Jolly Craft Fair (joycescraftshows.com/nh-craft-fairs-schedule) will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel (2 Somerset Plaza in Nashua).

• The Canterbury Community Farmers Market Association (canterburyfarmersmarket.com) will hold a special indoor holiday-themed market with food, art and crafts on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside the gymnasium of Canterbury Elementary School (15 Baptist Road).

• The NH Audubon McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road in Concord; nhaudubon.org) will host a Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Nature Store will also be open.

• The Wrong Brain Holidaze Bizaare (facebook.com/wrongbrain) will take place Saturday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Millspace (55 Main St. in Newmarket) featuring artwork and artisan crafted items.

• The Santa’s Workshop Craft Fair will run at the Derry VFW (18 Railroad Ave. in Derry) on Sunday, Dec. 12, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 10

Celebrate the annual Amherst tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. at the Amherst Town Green. Treats will be available for purchase, according to amhersttreelightingfestival.weebly.com. Keep the holiday spirit going in Amherst with a performance by the Souhegan Valley Chorus Saturday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. at Souhegan High School (tickets on sale at the door) and a free holiday concert by the Amherst Town Band Sunday, Dec. 12, at 2 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 11

The Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road in Canterbury; shakersorg) kicks off two weekends of its “Merry Merry Canterbury” celebration today. The events take place Dec. 11 and Dec. 12 (as well as Dec. 18 and Dec. 19) from 1 to 5 p.m. Reserve a spot in advance for $20 per adult (free for kids). The days will include a seasonal display in the bar, a craft, a 19th-century magic show and carols. (For $50, attend the Candlelight Tours the following weekend.)

Saturday, Dec. 11

Take a drive and see some lights: Light Up New Boston will take place on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. Find a map to houses with holiday displays at newbostonnh.gov. The event follows the S’mores with Santa event from 4 to 6 p.m. which features a tree-lighting, a chance to meet Santa and s’mores.

Featured photo: Glass art window by Doris massetti. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 21/12/09

Putting a damper on shopping

The Mall of New Hampshire had to shut down its food establishments temporarily after a massage chair caught fire. According to a press release, the Manchester Fire Department responded to the call around 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 5 and found heavy smoke throughout the mall. The sprinkler had turned on and contained the fire to the area of the massage chair, which, according to a report from WMUR, was said to have been in a hallway outside of Best Buy and the food court. There was water damage in the area of the fire and smoke damage throughout, according to the fire department’s report, but no one was injured. The mall’s eateries were scheduled to reopen upon passing inspection from the Manchester Health Department, according to WMUR.

Score: -1

Comment: What is Christmas shopping without snacks and a massage?

Granite State gives

New Hampshire is the 9th most generous state, according to GoFundMe’s annual Giving Report. The fundraising platform’s report includes a list of the most generous states and cities in America for supporting individuals, causes and organizations in 2021. According to the report, the top three states are Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut. The rankings are based on the number of donations per capita on GoFundMe.

Score: +1

Comment: All six New England states made it into the Top 10, according to the report.

Student success

Two New Hampshire students — Matthew Blair of Manchester Central High School and Warren Chen of Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua — have been selected to participate in the 60th Annual U.S. Senate Youth Program. According to a press release, the two were nominated by their principals and were selected by a panel of judges. Blair, a senior, is class president, editor-in-chief of Central’s school newspaper, co-captain of the Boys’ Varsity Hockey Team, drum major and a National Honor Society member, and he’s ranked 1st in his class with a 4.0 GPA. Chen, a junior, is the school’s junior communications officer and has “thrived in a challenging program of study … [and] contributed greatly to the school community while engaging and collaborating with everyone,” according to the release. Alternates are Matthew Pemberton at Bedford High School and Max Aframe at Hopkinton High School.

Score: +1

Comment: Both students will receive a $10,000 scholarship and will represent the Granite State in an intensive study of the federal government, joining alums like former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, the release said.

QOL score: 77

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 78

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 21/12/09

Covid-19 update	As of Nov 29	As of Dec 6
Total cases statewide	160,287	169,219
Total current infections statewide	7,078	9,671
Total deaths statewide	1,694	1,744
New cases	9,474 (Nov. 20 to Nov. 29)	8,932 (Nov. 30 to Dec. 6
Current infections: Hillsborough County	2,124	2,436 (as of Dec. 3)
Current infections: Merrimack County	751	923 (as of Dec. 3)
Current infections: Rockingham County	1,251	1,580 (as of Dec. 3)

Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

Covid-19 news

During the state’s weekly public health update on Nov. 30, Gov. Chris Sununu reported that New Hampshire saw a 43 percent increase in hospitalizations due to Covid-19 just in the last two weeks. A total of 433 active hospitalizations were reported on Dec. 6, a new all-time high.

State epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan also gave brief remarks during the press conference about the emergence of the Omicron variant, which was first reported to the World Health Organization from South Africa on Nov. 24. Although the strain has not yet been identified in New Hampshire as of Dec. 6, it has been detected in at least 15 U.S. states, according to the CDC, including in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. “Because of the number and the types of mutations that are seen with this new strain, it’s predicted that this new variant … will be more infectious and possibly evade a person’s immune defense system,” Chan said. “It highlights the importance for everybody who is eligible to be vaccinated and to continue to take precautions.”

About 10,000 Granite Staters are scheduled to receive their booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine on Dec. 11, across more than 20 pop-up community sites statewide. As of Dec. 6, appointments are full at every site except for the Brown Elementary School in Berlin, but booster doses can still be scheduled at participating local pharmacies or doctor’s offices in the coming weeks. Go to vaccines.nh.gov to make an appointment and check availability.

NH HWCA

NH Healthcare Workers for Climate Action, which is open to all clinical and non-clinical health care workers, officially launched with an event on Dec. 4, promoting its mission to increase awareness and knowledge of the impact of climate on health among health care workers. According to a press release, the members of this grassroots nonprofit organization will get support and tools to “educate and activate colleagues, patients and family members, community members and policy makers in support of climate solutions to improve the health of all, particularly the most vulnerable among us.” The group’s first direct action was sending a letter — signed by 19 health care associations and almost 600 New Hampshire health care workers — to the state’s elected officials about the science behind the impact of climate on physical and mental health and stressing the need for urgent action.

Roadside parking

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation is reminding hikers, skiers, snowmobilers and other backcountry users that anyone who leaves a vehicle on the side of the road unattended may be risking having their vehicle towed. According to a press release, the DOT and contract plow drivers often work in low-visibility conditions, making it hard to see vehicles on the side of the road. This puts people in the vehicles at risk and delays snow removal operations due to needed repairs or replacement of the plow equipment. When a vehicle impacts snow removal, police will be called to check on it and determine what action is taken, which may include a ticket or the vehicle being towed, the release said.

Free ride

For the rest of December, all stops along Manchester Transit Authority’s Route 8 will be offered free of charge. According to a press release, this tradition began during the holiday season in 2018. The Route 8 service starts at 5:30 a.m., and the last return to downtown Manchester is 6:25 p.m. It offers 30-minute frequency, eight times a day on the hour from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., the release. It makes 13 regular loop stops: the Downtown Manchester Doubletree Hotel, Michaels/Burlington Coat Factory Plaza on South Willow Street, Walmart on Gold Street, the Mall of New Hampshire, South Willow Street and downtown Manchester. MTA is encouraging people to use its app, RouteShout 2.0, to get bus arrival time and bus location in real time.

Michelle Xiggoros of Concord and Catherine McArthur of Pelham won $5,000 during the Dec. 2 Double Diamond Spectacular second-chance drawing at the Filotimo Casino & Restaurant in Manchester, according to a press release. The big prize — $1 million — went to Maine resident Beatrice Paisley, and the other two semifinalists each won $1,000. All players who claimed a $1,000 prize from the $20 Double Diamond Spectacular scratch ticket were eligible to enter the semifinalist drawing, the release said.

It seems Queen City residents really like their lights! On Dec. 6, the Manchester Transit Authority added four new times for its free holiday lights Trolley Tours — and as with the first announcement, those time slots were filled within hours. “We saw an overwhelming response,” Mayor Joyce Craig said in a press release. “I’m so grateful to everyone at MTA who worked to double the amount of tours families can take to see the holiday lights displays across Manchester.”

The United Way of Greater Nashua will be presenting gifts of gratitude to St. Joseph Hospital and Southern New Hampshire Health on Dec. 10, according to a press release. The gifts are tokens of appreciation for the work being done by community health care workers and will include gift cards, hand-written greeting cards and artwork designed by students from Nashua schools.

Crafting your favorite things – 12/02/21

Local crafters are making all kinds of fantastic gift-worthy items, from cozy mittens to critter ornaments made from found-in-nature materials, Meet the crafters and find out where you can shop for their goods.

Also on the cover, spend a festive evening in downtown Concord during Midnight Merriment, p. 16. Find good eats and more at the Made in New England Expo, p. 26, And Morgan James brings holiday sounds to The Rex, p. 36.

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Acting skills

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‘Brady or Belichick’ nonsense

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Quality of Life 21/12/02

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This Week 21/12/02

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Crafting your favorite things

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Shop festively

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The Art Roundup 21/12/02

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Kiddie Pool 21/12/02

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Treasure Hunt 21/12/02

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The Weekly Dish 21/12/02

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Gourmet flavors

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Roasted beet terrine

Beets. They definitely were a vegetable that I did not appreciate nor enjoy as a kid. Now that I am ...

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Roasted beet terrine

Beets. They definitely were a vegetable that I did not appreciate nor enjoy as a kid. Now that I am an adult, they have moved quite high on the list of ingredients I enjoy cooking (and eating). I have noticed that they appear on many more restaurant menus as well, so I am not alone in my thinking.

If you are intrigued by beets or want to start using them in your cooking, this is a great recipe. It allows the beets to shine, it has an elegant look and the effort to make it is minimal. The entire recipe does require many hours, but the majority of that time is spent roasting, cooling and setting. Active cooking time is only 30 minutes or so.

The trickiest part of this recipe is the peeling of the beets. I have done this multiple times and have a few tips: (1) Let the beets cool a little bit, so they are easier to handle. (2) Have a generous supply of paper towels, as they aid in removing the skin and they keep your hands from turning purple. (3) If you don’t want a residual pink hue, wear gloves.

Once you have the beet peeling under control, the rest of the recipe is a simple mix of slicing, mixing and layering. From that effort you will have a delicious and beautiful appetizer.

Michele Pesula Kuegler has been thinking about food her entire life. Since 2007, the New Hampshire native has been sharing these food thoughts and recipes at her blog, Think Tasty. Visit thinktasty.com to find more of her recipes.

Roasted beet terrine
Serves 6

4 small beets
5½ ounces soft goat cheese
4 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
Freshly ground black pepper
Honey
2 Tablespoons sliced almonds
Flaked sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wrap each beet in foil and place in oven; roast for 45 minutes or until fork tender.
Remove beets from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Using a paper towel, remove skin from beets; allow to cool fully.
Slice beets thinly.
Combine goat cheese and Greek yogurt until blended. Season to taste with black pepper.
Line a 9″x5″ loaf pan with plastic wrap.
Place a single layer of beets on the bottom of the pan.
Top beets with half of the goat cheese mixture.
Repeat with another layer of beets followed by remaining goat cheese mixture.
Top with final layer of beets.
Wrap plastic wrap around top of beets; refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Unwrap terrine and transfer to a serving plate.
Sprinkle almonds on top of terrine, drizzle with honey, and finish with a sprinkle of salt.
Cut into slices, and serve.

Photo: Roasted beet terrine. Courtesy photo.

This Week 21/12/02

Big Events December 2, 2021 and beyond

Friday, Dec. 3

Need a little naughty mixed into your holiday celebrations? Join Fright Kingdom (12 Simon St., Nashua) for its Krampus-themed holiday event, “The Fright Before Christmas,” tonight through Sunday, Dec. 5, from 7 to 10 p.m. each night, featuring a costume contest, scary winter wonderland and more. Tickets are $29 and must be purchased in advance. Visit frightkingdom.com or call 809-1173.

Saturday, Dec. 4

There are several art gallery shopportunities today (find more details on these and other holiday events in Hippo’s Holiday Guide, starting on page 10 of the Nov. 25 issue; the e-edition is available at hippopress.com).

Studioverne Fine Art Fused Glass and Creative Framing Solutions (81 and 83R Hanover St., Manchester; facebook.com/verneorlosk) host a Holiday Open House from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Picker Collaborative Artists (3 Pine St., Nashua) host their Holiday Open House from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. See pickerartists.com.

The Concord Arts Market hosts a Mini Holiday Arts Market at the Kimball Jenkins Estate (266 N. Main St., Concord) from noon to 3 p.m. See concordartsmarket.net.

Art Gallery 46, at Remember This Antiques and Collectibles (46 Route 101A, Amherst) has its Holiday Open House from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; see facebook.com/ artgallery46.

Saturday, Dec. 4

More holiday fairs today!

Arlington Street United Methodist Church (63 Arlington St., Nashua; asumc.org, 882-4663) holds its Holly Town Fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring vendors with handmade items, baked goods, to-go lunches from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and more.

The GFWC Hudson Women’s Club hosts its fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hudson High School; in addition to crafts, the event features gift baskets, food, a penny raffle and more. See facebook.com/GFWCHWC.

The Amherst Lions Club holds its Craft Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Amherst Middle School (14 Cross Road). See e-clubhouse.org/sites/amherstnh.

Christmas in Strafford, an event featuring 17 stops and pieces from more than 50 artists and craftspeople, runs today; see the map at christmasinstrafford.com.

A Holiday Craft Fair at Somersworth High School (11 Memorial Drive) runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; see nhfestivals.org.

Saturday, Dec. 4

Manchester’s Christmas parade returns! The Manchester Holiday Parade will take place today at 4 p.m. on Elm Street. The event follows the BASC Santa Claus Shuffle, a 3-mile road race presented by Millennium Running. The main race — which features samples of “Santa’s four major food groups,” milk & cookies, maple, chocolate and candy — starts at 3 p.m. A 100-yard Lil Elf run starts at 2:30 p.m. Register by Friday, Dec. 3, at millenniumrunning.com/santa.

Find more information on runs in December, including the Jingle Bell Run scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 5, at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester in the Nov. 11 issue of the Hippo, where Meghan Siegler looks at charitable runs in a story that starts on page 10.

Save the Date! Saturday, Dec. 11

Save the date for delicious cookies: on Saturday, Dec. 11, you can find two cookie tours in New Hampshire. The Currier & Ives Cookie Tour will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature nearly a dozen businesses in the Monadnock region. Tickets cost $15 per person; see currierandivescookietour.com. On Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 12, the Inn to Inn Holiday Cookie and Candy Tour runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day at participating inns in the White Mountains region. Tickets cost $35; see countryinnsinthewhitemountains.com.

Featured photo: The BASC Santa Claus Shuffle. Photo courtesy of Millennium Running.

Author: The Hippo Press

This Week 21/12/09

Big Events December 9, 2021 and beyond

Quality of Life 21/12/09

News & Notes 21/12/09

Crafting your favorite things – 12/02/21

Roasted beet terrine

This Week 21/12/02

Big Events December 2, 2021 and beyond

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