Today at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; 669-6144, currier.og) veterans and their guests can get a free meal (of up to $15 each) in the Winter Garden Cafe, according to the museum website. Also today, at 11 a.m. and noon the “Looking Together” tour, when a docent focuses on a small number of works, will focus on the “WPA in NH” exhibit. The NH DHHS Mobile Covid-19 Vaccination Van will be set up in the Currier parking lot from 3 to 7 p.m. offering booster shots as well as first shots for adults and children, the website said. And today’s Art After Work, when admission is free to all from 5 to 8 p.m., will feature music by Charlie Chronopoulos.
Saturday, Nov. 13
Catch Warren Miller’s 72nd film Winter Starts Nowtoday at noon and 3 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $30.50 ($55 for VIP tickets). Proceeds from this screening will support Kristen’s Gift Endowed Fund at Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. The movie will also screen next week at The Music Hall in Portsmouth.
Saturday, Nov. 13
See Matt Carbonello perform a Neil Young Tribute tonight at the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 St. Anselm Drive in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu) at 7:30 p.m. with proceeds from the show benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. Tickets cost $25.
Saturday, Nov. 13
Another November Saturday, another round of craft fairs.
Today, head to Memorial High School in Manchester for their booster club’s craft sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission costs $1 per person; the fair will feature more than 215 booths and vendors, according to the club’s Facebook page.
The Lil’ Iguana’s Craft Fair & Raffle will run today from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Nashua North High School. Admission is free and more than 70 crafters and vendors are expected to attend, according to liliguanausa.org.
You can also find a fair at the Eagles Wing Function Hall, 10 Spruce St. in Nashua, sponsored by Bazaar Craft Fairs, which will run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and feature more than 40 crafters and vendors, according to Bazaar Craft Fairs Facebook page. Admission is free.
The United Church of Penacook (at Community Drive and Canal Street) will hold its fair today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and has a list of participating crafters with photos of their items at ucpnh.org.
At St. Kathryn Parish (4 Dracut Road in Hudson), the Christmas Bazaar and Penny Sale will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow, Nov. 14. The event will include raffles, sales of theme baskets, baked goods and an appearance by Santa, according to stkathryns.org.
Also on Sunday, Nov. 14, head to the Bedford High School for the Bedford High School Handmade Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring local artists and artisans, according to the group’s Facebook page.
Save the Date! Nov. 19
The Jamantics — Masceo Williams, Freeland Hubbard, Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki, Eric Reingold and Lucas Gallo — will reunite Friday, Nov. 19, at 8 p.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets cost $15 for general admission, $25 for reserved balcony seating (plust fees).
The first Inferno of the Badges, a fundraiser and fitness challenge that will have police, fire, corrections and military personnel compete for a title and to help a good cause, is looking for more teams to make the inaugural event a success. Teams of five will perform CrossFit-type exercises, and the one with the best time gets to choose the charity that the event’s proceeds will be donated to. The Inferno is a community effort: CrossFit of New Hampshire and the Manchester Police Department have helped organize it, McIntyre is providing its facilities for free, McHugh Funeral Home in Manchester is a sponsor, and Messy Mike’s Barbecue from Derry is providing free lunch to competitors and volunteers.
Score: +1
Comment: Though this first Inferno of the Badges, happening Nov. 17, is just for police, fire, corrections and military personnel, if it’s successful it will become an annual event that the public will be invited to watch, according to Bibiana Rummler of McHugh Funeral Home.
Something fishy
Elevated levels of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) have been detected in fish tissue samples in five lakes, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. There are now new and more restrictive fish consumption limits for those lakes: Beaver Lake in Derry, Robinson Pond in Hudson, Horseshoe Pond in Merrimack, Canobie Lake in Salem and Cobbetts Pond in Windham. According to the release, the mercury-based statewide guideline of fish consumption for most freshwater fish is one meal per month for young children and pregnant woman and four per month for adults and children 7 years old or older; in comparison, many of the recommended guidelines for fish consumption in these lakes are more restrictive. The levels of PFOS in Robinson and Horseshoe ponds, for example, are high enough that kids younger than 7 should not eat any amount of any freshwater fish taken from those water bodies.
Score: -1
Comment: NHDES pointed out in the release that there is no known risk to catching and handling these fish, so catch-and-release fishing is not impacted.
Three more cases of Jamestown Canyon virus
Three adults have tested positive for Jamestown Canyon virus, a viral infection transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. The adults are from Loudon, Pittsfield and Rumney, and they are the second, third and fourth detections of the virus in the state this season. According to the release, the adults from Rumney and Pittsfield were hospitalized with neurological symptoms but are now recovering at home, and the person from Loudon was not hospitalized and is in good health.
Score: -1
Comment:“It is important to remember the season of mosquitos is longer than just the summer months. Mosquitos can continue to transmit infections like Jamestown Canyon Virus until there is a mosquito-killing hard frost,” Dr. Benjamin Chan, New Hampshire State Epidemiologist, said in the release.
Letter a scam
A consumer alert has been issued by the Attorney General’s Office after scammers sent a fraudulent letter purporting to be from the Office to a New Hampshire resident. According to a press release, it appears to be issued on Attorney General’s Office official letterhead and has a forged signature from the New Hampshire’s Deputy Attorney General. It claims the recipient’s identity has been used in connection with a purchase through an online retailer and warns that any of the accounts linked with the resident’s Social Security number will be shut down.
Score: -1
Comment:The resident called the number in the letter and was asked to buy gift cards from a local retailer and send photos of the gift card numbers, and to send cash through the mail with personal identifying information, the release said.
QOL score: 77
Net change: -2
QOL this week: 75
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. *Numbers not available on Oct. 26 when the state’s Covid dashboard was undergoing maintenance.
Covid-19 news
Due to a continued increase in Covid-19 numbers in New Hampshire, Gov. Chris Sununu recently announced that state officials will be returning to press conferences on a weekly basis.
During the state’s weekly public health update on Nov. 2, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that New Hampshire continues to average between 500 and 600 new infections of the virus per day, while test positivity and hospitalization rates remain high. As of Nov. 8 there were 5,164 active infections of Covid-19 statewide and 212 current hospitalizations. All 10 counties in the state still remain at substantial levels of community transmission.
Pfizer vaccines are now available for kids ages 5 to 11 in New Hampshire, following the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s Oct. 29 authorization for emergency use. Dr. Chan said during the Nov. 2 press conference that 5- to 11-year-olds receive a smaller dose, about one-third of a dose compared to adolescents and adults. “Even with this smaller dose … it creates a similar antibody response, and has been shown to be effective at preventing symptomatic disease,” he said. A statewide map of locations by town can be found at vaccines.nh.gov.
OSHA vaccine mandate lawsuit
New Hampshire will join a coalition of states filing a lawsuit to challenge the Emergency Temporary Standard issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration mandating that all private employers with 100 or more employees require their employees to be vaccinated, or conduct weekly Covid-19 testing and implement mask requirements. The Petition for Judicial Review was filed in the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on the morning of Nov. 5, Attorney General John M. Formella announced. New Hampshire is the 11th state to challenge the mandate, joining Missouri, Arizona, Nebraska, Montana, Arkansas, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska and Wyoming, as well as a number of private businesses and organizations. “Covid vaccines are the most effective tool we have to protect ourselves and our community from this virus,” Gov. Sununu said in a statement. “but as the head of state, I recognize the limitations of government in mandating this personal medical decision. President Biden has created a loophole to facilitate this overreach, which is why I fully support the Attorney General’s decision to sign on to this lawsuit.”
No Senate for Sununu
Gov. Chris Sununu will not pursue a 2022 run for the U.S. Senate, but will seek re-election as the New Hampshire governor, he announced in a news conference on Nov. 9. According to WMUR, the decision is a surprise to Washington Republicans, who expected to see Sununu in a run for the Senate in a possible match-up against Sen. Maggie Hassan. “My responsibility is not to the gridlock and politics of Washington, it’s for the citizens of New Hampshire,” Sununu told reporters in Concord, according to WMUR. If reelected as governor, Sununu will be the second governor to serve four two-year terms, following Democrat John Lynch.
Craig re-elected
The Manchester mayoral election on Nov. 2 ended in another victory for incumbent Joyce Craig, as she was elected to her third term as the mayor of the state’s largest city. According to WMUR, Craig defeated former state Rep. Victoria Sullivan by a significant margin; the unofficial count from the Manchester City Clerk’s office on election day was 10,228 votes for Craig and 9,005 votes for Sullivan, a margin of 53 to 47 percent, with Craig winning eight of the city’s 12 wards. Craig won her first term in 2017, defeating incumbent Ted Gatsas, and her second term in 2019, defeating Sullivan by a margin of 56 to 43 percent. In her victory statement Craig reflected on the challenges that faced the city at the beginning of her second term, specifically in regard to the Covid-19 pandemic. “We took decisive action — developing guidelines, increasing access to city services, and providing free testing and vaccinations — all to ensure the health and safety of our community,” she said. “And through it all, we continued to move Manchester forward. We prioritized public safety, made investments in affordable housing, returned our students safely to the classrooms, and fostered economic growth.”
Veterans Day parade
The Manchester Veterans’ Council will present a Veterans Day Parade in Manchester on Thursday, Nov. 11, at 10:30 a.m. The parade will proceed down Elm Street starting at the north end and concluding at Veterans Park. Visit sweeneypost.org.
Enrollment open
The open enrollment period for the Healthcare.gov Marketplace, during which New Hampshire residents can purchase or change their Affordable Care Act individual health coverage for 2022, kicked off on Nov. 1 and will run through Jan. 15, 2022. According to a press release from the New Hampshire Insurance Department, New Hampshire has two Navigator grantees this year, First Choice Services and Health Market Connect, who will award a total of $1.6 million aimed at making affordable health insurance more accessible. Lower individual premium rates on the Marketplace were also made possible through a 1332 State Relief and Empowerment waiver approved in 2020, allowing New Hampshire to run a state-based reinsurance program that provides partial claim reimbursements to insurers from 2021 through 2025. “Premiums for individual and small group markets are the lowest in New England,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement. Insurance companies offering ACA-compliant individual health insurance plans on the Marketplace for coverage through 2022 include Anthem, Ambetter from NH Healthy Families and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Residents are still eligible to enroll for Marketplace insurance outside of the enrollment period if they have a life event such as a marriage, the birth of a child or a change in employment status, according to the release.
Sports betting
Retail locations for sports betting are now permitted to operate in Nashua, according to a press release from New Hampshire Lottery. The sports betting legislation drafted in 2019 allows individual communities in New Hampshire to have their residents vote on whether or not to allow the operation of sports betting retail locations in their own communities. Nashua residents voted to permit retail sports betting during city elections on Nov. 2, becoming the 21st community in the state to do so. There are currently three retail sportsbooks operating in the state, located in Seabrook, Manchester and Dover, and the New Hampshire Lottery and DraftKings are looking to eventually operate as many as 10, according to the release. September was the state’s largest sports betting month on record with more than $68.1 million wagered.
CASA of New Hampshire is hosting a virtual information session to recruit new advocates in the Manchester area on Wednesday, Nov. 17, at 5:30 p.m. CASA is a nonprofit that trains volunteers to advocate for children who have experienced abuse and neglect, according to a press release. To register for the session, visit casanh.org, click on the Volunteer tab and select Virtual Info Sessions.
The State Historical Resources Council has added six properties to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places, according to a press release. Most locally, it includes the Milford Suspension Bridge, which has been in nearly continuous use since it was built in 1889, and the Goodhue House in Deerfield, which was built circa 1773 and is a Georgian-style, center chimney farmhouse with an attached ell, according to the release.
The Fairgrounds Middle School in Nashua, built in 1961, was rededicated on Nov. 4, according to a press release. It is the first phase of a $118 million middle school project that includes ongoing expansion and renovations at Pennichuck Middle School and the building of a new middle school at Buckmeadow Road, the release said.
The NH Tech Alliance TechWomen|TechGirls Annual Awards, delivered virtually this year, were presented to women who are making an impact in STEM education or professional advancements. The Tech Student of the Year is Isha Mistry of Salem High School, who graduated third in her class and was a part of her school’s FIRST robotics team and Girls Who Code. Tech Educator of the Year went to Kimberly Eckenrode, the Career and Technical Education Pathways Director at Nashua Community College. The Tech Professional of the Year is Melissa Jurkoic, Chief Customer Experience Officer at Addapptation.
Meet local entertainers who are bringing magic to kids and families, dressed as princesses, clowns and other fun characters.
Also on the cover, meet artists, watch art in progress and get hands-on with crafts along the Route 3 Art Trail, p. 16. Elevate your picnic experience with a new Bedford-based company, p. 27. And find guaranteed laughs at a comedy show this weekend, p. 36.
The season of eating has begun! Or at least in my eyes it has. Halloween kicks off a series of holidays and parties that are food-centric. Why not add a fall-themed recipe to the list of treats you can make to share at these gatherings?
These whoopie pies are really quite simple to make — not much more effort is required than in making a batch of cookies. However, a tray of these mini whoopie pies garners much more attention than a plate of cookies. Trust me.
When making these whoopie pies there are a couple items of note. First, make sure you buy canned pumpkin puree. You don’t want pie filling, which will be too sweet, and you don’t want to use fresh pumpkin. Fresh pumpkin sounds nice, but it takes a lot more time to cook it, and it probably won’t be as smooth as the canned version. Second, when baking the cakes, if you don’t trust your judgment when testing their springiness, you also can use a cake tester or toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cakes are done. Don’t overbake the cakes; you want them to be moist.
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.
Mini pumpkin whoopie pies Makes 15
Cakes ½ cup unsalted butter, melted & cooled 1 cup light brown sugar 1 egg 1½ cups canned pumpkin puree 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 teaspoons cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ¾ teaspoon salt 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
Cakes Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place ½ cup butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, and beat with paddle attachment on speed 2 until smooth. Add egg, mixing until fully incorporated on speed 2. Add pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, ground cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mixing well on speed 2. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides, and mix again. Add flour, mixing on low; scrape sides with spatula and mix until fully blended. Scoop approximately 1½ tablespoons batter, spaced evenly, onto baking sheet. Bake for 18 minutes or until cakes spring back when touched. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet. Transfer to baking rack to cool completely.
To assemble In a stand mixer cream together the cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter on speed 2 for about 4 minutes. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix on low speed until combined. Spread the flat side of 15 cooled cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.
Symphony New Hampshire will present “Suites and Schubert” at St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church (39 Chandler St. in Nashua) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $30 ($25 for seniors; children 18 or younger get in free).
Saturday, Nov. 6
Get a little more Halloween fun at the Halloween Trivia Extravaganza at Liquid Therapy (14 Court St. in Nashua; 402-9391, liquidtherapynh.com) today at 1 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 6
With November comes craft fair season. Today, find the Village Craft Fair at the First Congregational Church (15 Lawrence Road in Salem) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a snack bar that closes at 3 p.m. Admission and parking are free. The Lakes Region Fall Craft Fair will run today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Tanger Outlets in Tilton. The fair will feature 90 exhibitors; see joycescraftshows.com. The Knights of Columbus will host the Merrimack Craft Fair today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (and also on Friday, Nov. 5, from 5 to 8 p.m.) at Mastricola Upper Elementary School (26 Baboosic Lake Road in Merrimack), where, in addition to handmade crafts, you can find a bake sale, food concessions and a chance auction, according to kofc6725.org. The Hampstead Mothers’ Club will hold their annual craft fair today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hampstead Middle School (28 School St.) with more than 80 crafters, a raffle and a food court, according to the group’s Facebook page. St. Jude’s Women’s Guild will hold its 42 annual Country Christmas Fair today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Jude Community Parish (435 Mammoth Road in Londonderry). The event will feature hand-crafted items, a quilt raffle, a bake sale and more. Coe-Brown Northwood Academy (901 First NH Turnpike in Northwood; coebrown.org) will hold its craft fair today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. St. Luke the Evangelist (8 Atkinson Depot Road in Plaistow; stlukenh.org, 382-8324) will hold its Christmas Craft Fair from 9 am. to 3 p.m. featuring more than 20 vendors, a silent auction, jewelry table, raffles, “Cookie Heaven,” breakfast and lunch items available for purchase, live entertainment and children’s entertainment (including possibly photos with Santa from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), according to the church’s website. Do you know of a craft fair this season? Let us know at listings@hippopress.com.
Sunday, Nov. 7
See Kathryn Lewek, a coloratura soprano called “the Metropolitan Opera’s reigning Queen of the Night” in a press release, at the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; anselm.edu/dana-center-humanities) today at 4 p.m. She will be accompanied by pianist Elizabeth Blood and by opera tenor (and Saint Anselm College professor) Sean Parr, who wrote the book Vocal Virtuosity and will offer historical commentary, according to a press release. Tickets cost $45.
Save the Date! Nov. 19
You may still be snacking on trick-or-treat candy but the season of The Nutcracker is nearly here. The Southern New Hampshire Dance Theatre will present its production of the classic Christmas ballet at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Friday, Nov. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 21. Shows are Friday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 20, at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 21, at noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $46.
