The Hippo Press – Page 40

Let’s spice things up

NE Hot Sauce Fest comes to Hampton

By Maya Puma
food@hippopress.com

Hot sauce companies from across the Northeast will come together for the second annual New England Hot Sauce Fest, happening at Smuttynose Brewery in Hampton on Saturday, July 29. The event is organized by Gabe DiSaverio, owner of his own hot sauce company, Spicy Shark.

“I wanted to put New England on the map as a spicy region and bring this unique event that has never been done before in New England,” DiSaverio said.

DiSaverio opened the Spicy Shark six years ago and travels across the country to different hot sauce festivals to sell his product.

“There were so many people that helped us early on to get exposure … and I was able to get our sauce out to a lot of different places,” he said. “I really wanted to provide that for Northeast hot sauce companies.”

The event is bigger this year with an addition of nine new hot sauce vendors, bringing the total number to 35. Some vendors include Angry Goat Pepper Co., Butterfly Bakery, High River Sauce and Bodacious Heat. Each vendor will be giving attendees free samples of their products. There will also be 10 food trucks, including Seacoast Street Eats, the Big Bad, Wing-itz, Tacos & More, Chubba Wubba’s, Sweeties, Bees and Thank You, Palms to Pines Empanadas and Kona Ice of the Seacoast. Smuttynose Brewery will also be serving beer.

Festivities begin at 11 a.m. with the first spicy eating contest, the Jalapeño Contest, at noon, where local participants compete to see who can eat the most jalapeños in 10 minutes. The next event of the day will be the SAGES family-friendly magic show. Another spicy eating contest will follow at 1:30 p.m., where contestants are challenged to eat progressively hotter chicken wings. According to DiSaverio, this contest is inspired by the celebrity interview show Hot Ones and features sauces with five levels of spiciness, beginning with Spicy Shark’s hottest sauce. Each contestant must eat two wings with each sauce. Those who make it to the fifth level will compete in a challenge of who can eat the wings the fastest. The super hot contest is next, at 2:30 p.m., and participants will eat progressively hotter hot peppers, beginning with a jalapeno and ending with a California reaper. According to DiSaverio, the California reaper was crossbred by Ed Curry from PuckerButt Pepper Co., and it is widely known as the hottest pepper. Curry recently created a new pepper called Pepper X which is only available through PuckerButt hot sauces and their Duel Chips.

“Picture a potato chip that’s completely covered in Pepper X powder,” DiSaverio said. “One of those would destroy a regular human being.”

“[This] has never been done before, a Pepper X chip challenge,” DiSaverio continued. “These six people are going to be on stage to see who can eat the most pepper and chips in an hour, but also, maybe, [to see] if one of them can break the all-time record of most Pepper X chips eaten.”

The Duel Chip challenge will take place at 3:30 p.m. and is a new addition to the festival.

Back from last year are MCs Bella and Dark from YouTube channel “Heat 101,” and there will be a DJ playing ’80s music all day.

The majority of the festival’s proceeds will go to two nonprofits, the Seacoast Science Center and the Blue Ocean.

“The Spicy Shark [got its name] because I’m a scuba diver and very passionate about shark conservation, so when I put together the festival, I wanted that to be a piece of it,” DiSaverio said.

According to Jen Kennedy from The Blue Ocean, the funds will support ocean research and education programs in the Seacoast region.

Karen Provazza, chief communications officer at Seacoast Science Center, said, “We are so grateful to be part of this festival and will use the funds to expand our education program.”

2nd Annual New England Hot Sauce Festival
When: Saturday, July 29, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (opens at 10 a.m. for VIP ticketholders)
Where: Smuttynose Brewery, 105 Towle Farm Road, Hampton
Cost: $11 general admission and $15 for VIPs
Visit: newenglandhotsaucefest.com

Featured photo: New England Hot Sauce Fest. Courtesy photo.

Meet me at The Spot

Breakfast and lunch restaurant to open in Hooksett

By Mya Blanchard
mblanchard@hippopress.com

Your potential new favorite place to grab breakfast or lunch is set to open in August in Hooksett. The Spot Eatery will serve coffee, espresso, smoothies and juices, pastries, breakfast and lunch sandwiches as well as scrambler bowls and salads, Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will have seating as well as a grab-and-go section.

“It’s definitely been a lot of work,” said Sarah Lucas, owner of The Spot Eatery. “There’s been a lot of setbacks … and we didn’t realize how not up to code everything was [in] the place we took over, so it’s taken a little longer than we hoped for, but it’s also been kind of fun at the same time to be able to create something from scratch.”

Lucas comes from a family with lots of restaurant experience, and will be running The Spot with her mother, Jill Lucas.

“My entire family has always been in the business,” Sarah said. “My parents have owned a couple different places around New Hampshire, Vermont and … Pennsylvania.”

Her family eventually settled down in Hooksett, where Sarah was born and raised. She went on to graduate from Keene State College with a bachelor’s degree in business management.

“I [didn’t really] have much of an idea of what I wanted to do,” Sarah said.

When the owners of Bavaria, the restaurant where Jill worked, retired in September 2022, Jill Lucas started her own online business, Nana’s Cookie Jar. It was a month or two later when Sarah Lucas got the idea to also start something of her own that would also serve as a physical location for her mother’s cookie business.

“They decided to retire, so we decided it [was] time to do something for ourselves, and then decided to open The Spot,” Sarah Lucas said. “My parents have always wanted to do a breakfast [and] lunch spot.”

The original idea was to set up shop in the former space of Bavaria, but upon noticing an open space below that was smaller and would require less work, Sarah decided this would be the best fit. She felt the location on Hooksett Road near a daycare and a bus stop would see a good amount of traffic to bring in business, especially with people passing through on their way up north, while being far enough away from the main area of town to be an option for people on the outskirts and in surrounding areas.

“I wanted it to be a spot [where] people can come and just kind of hang out [or] do some work,” Sarah Lucas said. “The college kids from SNHU can come and do homework and group projects and stuff like that, … so I thought, like, ‘Oh, just go to The Spot,’ like it’s just a spot that everyone goes to.”

The Spot Eatery
Where: 1461 Hooksett Road, Hooksett
Opening: August
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
More info: thespoteatery.com

Featured photo: Photo courtesy of the Spot Eatery.

Rain or shine, the ribs go on

The Great American Ribfest returns

By Delaney Beaudoin
food@hippopress.com

The Great American Ribfest and Food Truck Festival will be returning, rain or shine, to Merrimack from Friday, July 21, to Sunday, July 23. Hosted at The Biergarten, the festival will feature a plethora of food and beverage trucks, hours of live music, and numerous goods and vendors.

Concerts will be held all three nights of the festival, with performances from Ben Cote Band and Slaughterhouse on Friday, FirstBourne, Lexi James and the New Hampshire Army National Guard Rock Band on Saturday and American Idol finalist Alex Preston on Sunday.

Food truck options cover a wide variety, including lobster rolls, fried dough, shaved ice, poutine, french fries, gyro, crepes, kettlecorn, street tacos, cannolis and more. Additionally, vendors will be selling goods and services such as CBD oils and salves, beef jerky, travel services, clothing, hot sauces, condiments and rubs, jewelry, sunglasses, home improvement products and more.

There will also be a 5-mile run taking place Sunday morning, which participants can register for online. The run will take place in person, with the option of participating virtually. Additionally, runners under 8 years old can register for the Stonyfield Lil’ Piglet Run.

The event will be hosted for the third time since 2019 by the Rotary Club of Merrimack, and proceeds from the event will benefit the club.

“[The Great American Ribfest] is something that the Rotary Club does for a number of reasons, partially to have an event that the community can come to and gather around and enjoy each other’s company and celebrate a little bit, but also we do raise funds with it and the funds help us to do things both in our community and internationally,” said Bob Best, a Rotarian in the club. Traditionally, the Rotary Club has utilized fundraising efforts to create thousands of dollars in scholarships locally, invest in the improvement of local parks and facilities, and a number of other community service projects both locally and internationally.

New additions for the 2023 festival include an expanded kids area consisting of a mobile base camp, several bouncy houses, a mobile video game trailer, ax throwing, face painting and more. New features for 2023 also include the addition of several food trucks including 603 Smok’n Que, Northeast Smokehouse, Travelin Bones and the offering of an exclusive People’s Choice Rib Sampler. The sampler allows participants to sample two ribs from five different barbecue vendors. According to Best, there are a number of new activities this year that had previously been taken away due to Covid-19 restrictions,

“There’s been different things that have been added and taken away over time,” Best said. “There had traditionally been a lot of things for kids to do … and when Covid came, there was no real way to keep those clean and sanitary, so they had to go away,” Best said. As we’re able to find partners that can do those things, you add them back in and so there should be a lot for the families to do. It’s not just coming for a few ribs and then leaving — you can listen to music all day and the kids can play and do a bunch of different kid activities.”

Ribfest
Where: The Biergarten, Anheuser-Busch, 221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack
When: Friday, July 21, from 4 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, July 22, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, July 23, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tickets: Tickets can be purchased in advance for a lesser fee, or bought at the gate if available. Tickets will be available for pre-purchase until 11:59 p.m. on July 20. Ticket prices vary depending on day, age, and level of ticket purchased. Friday tickets start at $32.50 for pre-purchase general admission for adults; kids age 10 to 16 get in for $14.50 prepaid, and kids under 10 get in free alongside a paid adult. Saturday and Sunday ticket prices start at $12 for adults (ages 16 to 59) prepaid while kids under 16 enter free with a paid adult. Parking will be offered on site for $20 a day, or offsite 3/4 mile away for $10 a day. The final 90 minutes of the festival on Saturday and Sunday offer free admittance.
More info: Attendees are permitted to bring folding/lawn chairs, blankets for sitting on the ground, and one bottle of sealed water per person. Items prohibited include outside food or beverage (including alcohol), coolers, tents, scooters, wagons and carts, as well as pets. For more details visit greatamericanribfest.com.

Featured photo: Great American Ribfest.

The Weekly Dish 23/07/20

News from the local food scene

• Bubble Tea: The Teen Advisory Board at Chester Public Library (3 Chester St., Chester) invites those ages 10 and up to make and taste bubble tea on Thursday, July 27, from 4 to 5 p.m. at the library. Attendees will learn how bubble tea has grown in popularity, the variations and possible toppings. They will be supplied with everything they need to make and enjoy bubble tea on the patio. It is free to attend. Reserve your spot via Eventbrite.

• Pup crawl: Don’t miss The Humane Society for Greater Nashua’s third annual pup crawl from Friday, July 28, to Sunday, July 30. The event begins with a kickoff party at The Biergarten (221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack) on Friday, July 28, from 5 to 8 p.m. where those who registered can pick up their Pup Crawl t-shirt and “paws-port,” which can be used to earn raffle entries. Visit any of the participating breweries throughout the weekend and get your paws-port stamped or signed at each location. Each stamp or signature will earn a raffle ticket. The finale will be held on Sunday, July 30, from 1 to 3 p.m. (location TBA), when raffle winners will be announced. Participating breweries include Pipe Dream Brewing in Londonderry, Long Blue Cat Brewing Co. in Londonderry, Spyglass Brewing Co. in Nashua, Rockingham Brewing Co. in Derry and From the Barrel Brewing Co. in Derry. The event will benefit the pets waiting to be adopted. For more info or to purchase your $20 ticket, visit hsfn.org.

• Charcuterie board workshop: Get your tickets for an upcoming charcuterie board workshop at Vine Thirty Two wine and graze bar in Bedford (25 S. River Road) on Monday, July 31, from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. The event features Theresa from 603 Charcuterie, a Manchester-based company, who will walk you through the process while you cut, arrange and sample local cheeses and salami. Included is a locally made wooden serving board to keep, $15 worth of wine and cheese and salami samplings during the class. Tickets can be purchased at 603charcuterie.com.

On The Job – Lara Stawasz

Jeweler

Lara Stawasz is a self-taught jeweler who owns her own business, Lara’s Theme Jewelry (495-6689, laras14k@aol.com, larasthemejewelry.patternbyetsy.com), based in Hollis.

Explain your job and what it entails.

I have made jewelry and I have both a retail jewelry store and I have a website. I do a blog online and I also sell on Etsy. I do a lot of hand hammering, selling and designing, I hand make earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and I also have handmade scarves in the winter. Also, I do marketing on Instagram, and I’m on Facebook, I do email marketing. Most of what I have I hand make and I have some other artists and companies I purchase from.

How long have you had this job?

I have had this job since 2000, so 23 years.

What led you to this career field?

When I was 16 I started working in a jewelry store. At that time I didn’t realize how much I loved it so I went off to college. After college I did different jobs until I realized I wanted to create a business on my own so I started with jewelry because that’s what I knew. I started with home shows out of my condo and when I moved to Hollis we found a spot where I could have my shop.

What kind of education or training did you need?

Most of it is basically hands-on training, and a lot of what I learned was from jewelry stores or was self-taught. I had done some jewelry making and repair when I worked in previous stores as well.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

On Saturdays when my retail store is open I dress nicely in a dress or dress pants, but when I’m making jewelry for Etsy or my website I dress casually in jeans, T-shirts or shorts.

What is the most challenging thing about your work, and how do you deal with it?

The most challenging thing is that the retail sector is rapidly changing. You have to pivot from the retail store to online, to Instagram, to Etsy. There are so many changes all the time, especially in the internet space. You have to try to keep up and learn all these things while maintaining the business as well.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Don’t be afraid to change and just keep moving on, keep learning, keep pivoting and you’re going to be successful, you’re going to do fine, you can’t just get in a rut and make it be the way it always was. You have to keep up with things, go forward and keep changing with the times.

What was the first job you ever had?

I worked at Market Basket at 14 as a cashier.

What is the best piece of work-related advice you have ever received?

My mom always said you’d be good at doing your own business and I would probably say that was the best advice in starting the business.

—Maya Puma

Five favorites

Favorite book: The Millionaire Next Door
Favorite movie: Dirty Dancing
Favorite music: Keith Urban
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite thing about NH: the changing of the seasons

Featured photo: Lara Stawasz. Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 23/07/20

Family fun for the weekend

Game time

• The Nashua Silver Knights, playing in the Future Collegiate Baseball League of New England, have their next home game at Holman Stadium (67 Amherst St. in Nashua) on Thursday, July 20, at 7 p.m. vs. the Brockton Rox. Single game tickets cost $10; see nashuasilverknights.com.

Showtime

• The 2023 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series at The Palace (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) continues with Rapunzelthrough Friday, July 21, and Peter Pan July 25 through July 28. Children’s Series productions have shows Tuesday through Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday at 10 a.m.Tickets cost $10.

• Head Into the Woodswith RB Productions at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Friday, July 21, and Saturday, July 22, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $18.75 for adults, $15.75 for students and seniors.

• See the Kidz Bop Kidz on their “Never Stop Live Tour”on Sunday, July 23, at 4 p.m. at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com). Tickets start at $29.

• The Smirkus comes to town! Circus Smirkus will bring its traveling show to the High Mowing School (222 Isaac Frye Highway in Wilton) with “A Midsummer Night’s Circus” on Monday, July 24, at 1 and 6 p.m. and Tuesday, July 25, at 1 and 6 p.m. Tickets cost $35 for ages 13 and over and $20 for children ages 2 to 12. See smirkus.org.

• Mr. Aaron will perform at the Manchester City Library (405 Pine St. in Manchester; manchester.lib.nh.us) Thursday, July 27, from 6 to 7 p.m. A familiar performer at family-friendly music events, Mr. Aaron has a packed schedule of appearances at area libraries and other locations. See mraaronmusic.com.

On the big screen

• O’neil Cinemas’ (24 Calef Hwy., Epping, 679-3529, oneilcinemas.com)Summer Kids Series screenings on Monday, July 24, and Wednesday, July 26, at 10 a.m. will be 2021’s Sing 2(PG) featuring the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Taron Egerton and Scarlett Johansson. Tickets cost $3 and the theater has an $8 popcorn-and-drink combo as well.

• The Summer Movie Express Series lineup at Regal Cinemas in Concord (282 Loudon Road in Concord) for Tuesday, July 25, and Wednesday, July 26, is Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank(PG, 2022) and Sing 2. Tickets cost $2. The movies screen at 2 p.m.

Outdoors

• Pumpkin Blossom Farm (393 Pumpkin Hill Road in Warner; pumpkinblossomfarm.com) continues its lavender you-pick daily through July 23, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (check with the website before you head out to see if weather has changed the schedule). Walk through the lavender fields and on a shaded trail, take photos and bring a picnic lunch to enjoy. Lavender plants and other lavender items will be available for purchase, according to the website. Lavender bundles cost $20 on weekends and $15 during the week.

• Head to Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia) for Forest Trail Games for Kids and Adults on Saturday, July 22, from 10 a.m. to noon. Discover ways to make nature time enjoyable and captivating for the whole family (ages 6+) through immersive games that spark children’s imagination and sense of adventure. The cost is $15 per person. Visit prescottfarm.org.

The Art Roundup 23/07/20

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

• Celebrating water: The Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road in Warner; indianmuseum.org, 456-2600) will display the exhibit “Nebizum: Water Is Life” starting Saturday, July 22, when Vera Longtoe Sheehan will discuss the exhibit at 1 p.m.The exhibit is on display through Tuesday, Oct. 31, during which time the museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Admission costs $11 — $10 for seniors, students and veterans; $8 for ages 6 to 12, and free for kids under 6 and Native Americans, with a household price of $35 (for two adults and up to three kids), according to the website.

Big Fish
RGC Theatre will present the musical Big Fish at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) starting Friday, July 21, and running through Sunday, July 30. Shows are Friday and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $25, $22 for seniors and students.

• The Second Coming: The Majestic Studio Theatre (880 Page St. in Manchester; majestictheatre.net, 669-7469) will present Nunsense II: The Second Coming on Friday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 12, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 13, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for 65+ and 17 and under. The musical returns to the Little Sisters of Hoboken for a sequel to Nunsense, according to a press release. The production is directed by Carole Neveux with musical direction by A. Robert Dionne and is choreographed by Bruce Williams, the release said.

• Uncommon Art: Get ready for Goffstown Main Street’s 15th Annual Uncommon Art on the Common on Saturday, Aug. 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This art festival will feature the works of more than 45 area artists and artisans displayed in booths along Main Street, according to a press release. The event will include the return of Uncommon Bling (gather beads and handcrafted items at participating booths to be strung on a necklace), an art raffle, a kids’ craft tent and more, the release said. See goffstownuncommonarts.org.

History in stone
The Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road in Canterbury; shakers.org) will hold a two-day Stone Wall Workshop on Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Learn the history of stone walls in New England and help restore some of the village’s stone walls with master stone artisan and mason Kevin Fife, according to a press release. The workshop costs $250 per person and includes materials and a gourmet lunch. The workshop will also be held Aug. 26 and Aug. 27 and Oct. 21 and Oct. 22. Visit shakers.org to enroll.

• Original theater: Cue Zero Theatre Company (cztheatre.com) presents Join/Empathy, a project from the Cue Zero Laboratory Series, on Friday, Aug. 4, and Saturday, Aug. 5, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 6, at 2 p.m. at the Arts Academy of New Hampshire (19 Keewaydin Drive, No. 4, in Salem). Tickets cost $15 per person. Join explores how and why people fall into cults, according to a press release. Empathy was created by a small group of performers looking at what “empathy” means in daily life and is set in a restaurant, the release said.

• Book event at Gibson’s: Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) will participate in a virtual launch day author event on Tuesday, July 25, at 7 p.m. with Michael Korta for the new book An Honest Man, a thriller about the murder of several politicians at sea, talking to fellow thriller author Lisa Unger. Register online.

• Book event at the Aviation Museum: Author Paul Houle will discuss his book The Crash of Delta Flight 723: The Worst Air Disaster in New England History on Thursday, July 27, at 7 p.m. at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; 669-4877, aviationmuseumofnh.org). Tickets cost $10 and are available at the door (or in advance by calling); books will be for sale for $35, according to a press release.

MacDowell medal awardee
The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; 669-6144, currier.org) will present a screening of Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises, an autobiographical documentary by filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, who will receive the Edward MacDowell medal this weekend at MacDowell in Peterborough (see macdowell.org), according to a Currier newsletter. The screening will take place Thursday, July 20, at 6 p.m.; register online. The screening takes place during the weekly Art After Work programming, when admission to the museum is free and the museum features live music (this week from Goodwin Street Jazz).

Spread the news

Ovation Theatre Company presents Newsies

By Mya Blanchard
mblanchard@hippopress.com

A week and a half away from opening night, the cast of Newsies at Ovation Theatre Company gave an electric preview of the second act of the show at their rehearsal on July 10. The production will be held at the Derry Opera House on Friday, July 21, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, July 22, at 1 and 7 p.m.

Disney’s Newsies, the Broadway musical written by Harvey Fierstein, was inspired by the true events of the New York City newsboys’ strike in 1899 against paper prices and unfair conditions.

“I love the show because it’s got a lot of energy, it’s really upbeat, it involved a lot of people, really dynamic dancing and I love the message it says to young people about having their voices [be] heard,” said Meg Gore, the director of Ovation’s production and the founder of the Londonderry-based theater company.

Although over a week away from opening, the numbers were commanding and clean, no doubt the result of Gore’s establishment of a fun yet serious rehearsal environment and the talent and hard work of the cast and crew. I was immediately impressed with the high-energy opening number of the second act, “King of New York,” featuring strong tap dancers and powerful vocalists.

“If there’s anything that’s going to blow [the audience’s] socks and shoes off, it’s going to be the dancing,” said Carson Curtis, who is making his Ovation debut with the role of Les. “The harmonizing is awesome [too].”

For Curtis, the youngest member of the show, playing the comedic 9-year-old has been fun, but a challenge.

“I am almost 13, so having to play a younger role [with] bad grammar and that stuff, it’s been challenging,” Curtis said. “I have a little brother that’s 9 and it’s fun because I can rehearse my lines and see how he says it.”

Jack Kelly, the ringleader of the newsies, is played by James Bridges, who embodies the character with such authenticity, right down to the spot-on New York accent, it seems as if he were made for the role. Surprisingly, portraying Jack did not come naturally to Bridges.

“He’s grown up on the streets all his life, and when Joseph Pulitzer raises the price of the papers, he’s the one who organizes the union to strike against the unfair practices,” he said. “I think Jack is a very assertive, confident and aggressive person, which is not how I would describe myself at all. … It’s been interesting and fun to be more of an exaggerated, confident swagger-filled guy.”

The newsies are helped by Katharine Plummer, a journalist who uses her skills as a writer to support the strike. For Chloe Ferraro, a dynamic vocalist with a flawless vibrato, playing Katharine is a dream come true.

“It’s actually been one of my dream roles forever, so I’ve been having a lot of fun,” Ferraro said. “It took me a lot to prepare for this character. Katharine’s very posh and elegant and I am not really those things, so it was really fun to kind of put myself into the character and just kind of send it.”

Although it was only a rehearsal, the cast gave a high-caliber performance.

“The experience with this cast has been amazing,” Gore said. “They’re great people and they’re very very very talented, but in addition to that they’re just very kind human beings. They’ve been great to work with.”

Ovation Theatre Company presents Newsies
When: Friday, July 21, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, July 22, at 1 and 7 p.m.
Where: Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry
Cost: Tickets are $25
More info: Visit ovationtc.com

This Week 23/07/20

Big Events July 20, 2023 and beyond

Thursday, July 20

Finally, today, we have reached “Barbenheimer” — the potential for a double feature with Greta Gerwig’s very pink movie Barbie (clocking in at an hour and 54 minutes) and Christopher Nolan’s Manhattan Project-era biopic Oppenheimer (three hours). Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord; redrivertheatres.org) sent out a press release explaining some of its Barbenheimer opportunities starting with today’s 4 p.m. screening of Barbie and 6 p.m. screening of Oppenheimer. On Friday, July 21, and Saturday, July 22, you can catch Barbie at 4:15 p.m. and Oppenheimer at 6:30 p.m. Or wait until Sunday, July 23, when you can see Oppenheimer at 12:30 p.m. and Barbie 4:15 p.m. See the website (or our film section on page 30) for more screening times.

Thursday, July 20

Catch the first show in two weekends of Shakespeare under the stars at “Shakespeare on the Green” featuring Macbeth tonight through Saturday, July 22, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream Thursday, July 27, through Saturday, July 29, with all shows at 7:30 p.m., according to a press release. The plays, presented by Theatre Kapow (tkapow.com), will take place on Founder’s Green outside the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu). Tickets cost $25 for general seating; ages 12 and under get in free. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, coolers and snacks, according to the website.

Friday, July 21

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn — the “rebel girl” who helped found the American Civil Liberties Union, eventually joined the U.S. Communist Party, died in 1964 (while in the U.S.S.R.) and was the focal point of controversy this year when a historical plaque about her was briefly displayed in Concord — is the subject of a presentation from New Hampshire Humanities this evening at 5 p.m. via Zoom. Lara Vapnek, author of a book about Flynn, will give the presentation. Register via nhhumanities.org (click on “programs”).

Friday, July 21

Kick off the weekend with Jon Pond — a singer-songwriter and musician who is a co-founder of Spare Souls — at the Millyard Brewery (25 E. Otterson St. in Nashua; millyardbrewery.com) tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (Go to sparesouls.com for a preview of the music). The “funky, high-energy psych rock band” Fiesta Melon will play Millyard Saturday, July 22, from 4 to 6 p.m. Find more live music at area in the Music This Week listings, which start on page 32.

Saturday, July 22

Catch the band Horizon, which plays classic and modern rock covers, at the Event Center at Hampshire Hills (50 Emerson Road in Milford) tonight with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the show starting at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and are available at hampshirehills.com (click on “events”). Find more area concerts on page 36.

Tuesday, July 25

After a run of games in Portland, Maine, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats return to Northeast Delta Dental Stadium for six games versus the Hartford Yard Goats starting tonight at 7:05 p.m. See milb.com/new-hampshire.

Save the Date! Saturday, Aug. 5
The League of NH Craftsmen kicks off its 90th annual Craftsmen’s Fair on Saturday, Aug. 5, at the Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury. It is open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., through Sunday, Aug. 13. The fair will feature the Art, Craft & Design and Sculpture Garden exhibitions as well as artist demonstrations, live music, workshops, a “Craft Clues” Scavenger Hunt, a “Kids Create” tent, food and more, according to a press release. Tickets cost $18 for general admission, $28 for a two-day pass, $17 for 62+, and kids under 12 get in free. See nhcrafts.org.

Featured photo: Barbie.

Quality of Life 23/07/20

A rain-soaked Sunday

Torrential rain in New Hampshire caused significant damage, including sinkholes, flooded basements and over 120 road closures, NHPR reported. The downpour lasted throughout Sunday, July 16, with flash flood warnings in effect for most of the day. The continuous rain disrupted traffic and made many roads impassable, presenting challenges for authorities. State emergency officials activated support teams to aid communities dealing with flooded and damaged roads while urging residents to stay inside if possible and drivers to seek alternate routes when encountering closures or flooding. WMUR reported that Manchester city officials had opened an emergency operations center, and firefighters conducted a rescue operation in Manchester after a driver became trapped in a flooded car.

QOL score: -2

Comment: One of the biggest disruptions was the postponement of The Crayon 301 NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon until Monday. Race officials made the decision to ensure the safety of attendees, WMUR reported. Fans who weren’t able to attend the rescheduled event can exchange their tickets for tickets of equal or lesser value to another race within the next calendar year.

More libraries, more books

The University System of New Hampshire (USNH) campus libraries, including those at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Durham and Manchester campuses, Keene State College (KSC) and Plymouth State University (PSU), now offer free borrowing services to New Hampshire residents. According to a press release, this allows residents to access over 3 million physical and digital items for research, education, and continued learning. Previously, residents had access to library spaces and resources, but free borrowing provides more flexibility. Library cards can be obtained by New Hampshire residents over 18 years old with valid identification and proof of residency. The libraries also provide access to special collections and archives unique to each institution.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The libraries’ special collections provide a number of unique resources for academic exploration and historical research, such as the internationally famous Betty and Barney Hill papers at the Dimond Library at the UNH Durham campus and the Charles and Judith Hildebrandt Collection at the Mason Library at KSC, which supports the only undergraduate program in the U.S. dedicated to Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

Recognition for CMC

Catholic Medical Center (CMC) in Manchester has been recognized by the American Heart Association (AHA) with the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award. According to a press release, this award signifies CMC’s commitment to providing high-quality stroke care based on nationally recognized guidelines, and educating patients, leading to improved patient outcomes and reduced disability. Get With The Guidelines is an in-hospital program that helps hospitals align patient care with evidence-based guidelines, ultimately enhancing stroke treatment and preventing long-term effects.

QOL score: +1

Comment: CMC also received the Target: Stroke Honor Roll award and the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award from the AHA for their efforts in reducing treatment time for eligible stroke patients and providing specialized care to those with Type 2 diabetes, according to the release.

QOL score: 80

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 80

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

Author: The Hippo Press