The Hippo Press – Page 56

This Week 25/02/27

Thursday, Feb. 27

Open extra days during school vacation, the Aviation Museum of N.H. (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org) will be open today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Elite Flight Simulator will be available from 1 to 4 p.m. for kids age 12 and up. Admission costs $10 for ages 13 and up; $5 for kid ages 6 to 12 and veterans, and is free for kids under 6 years old.

Friday, Feb. 28

The Community Players Children’s Theatre Project’s Winter Vacation Theatre Camp presents “The Story of Hansel and Gretel” tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord, 228-2793, theaudi.org). This production is a comical musical retelling of the Brothers Grimm classic tale of two lost children, a gingerbread house and a witch, but with some twists. This is a one-hour show. Tickets are by donation.

Friday, Feb. 28

The Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) will host Gimme Gimme Disco, a DJ-based dance party playing ABBA hits plus other disco hits by artists of the ’70s and ’80s. Disco attire is encouraged. Tickets start at $21 through the Center’s webpage. This is a general admission, open floor show. Ticketholders must be 18+.

Saturday, March 1

Catch Classic Stones Live at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry; tupelomusichall.com) today at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $39.

Sunday, March 2

As part of its Sunday Cinema Classics series, the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua, 589-4600, nashualibrary.org) will screen 1939’s The Women this afternoon at 1 p.m. Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer star in this classic comedy about a happily married woman who lets her catty friends talk her into divorce when her husband strays. This showing is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, March 4

Laissez les bons temps rouler: Today is Mardi Gras and Lisa Marie & All Shook Up will play Fat Tuesday at Strange Brew (88 Market St. in Manchester; strangebrewtavern.net) at 8 p.m. Seeallshookup.us for more about performers; the website describes Lisa Marie this way: “From jump-swing to swamp boogie, country blues to funky New Orleans grooves, her deep husky vocals express an unmistakable joy.”

Wednesday, March 5

Tonight is Comedy Night at the Shaskeen Pub (909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, shaskeenirishpub.com). Seating for this free 21+ show is first come, first served. The comedy starts at 9 p.m. Find Ruby Room Comedy on Facebook for updates on who will be at the mic.

Save the Date! Friday, March 28

The New Hampshire Orchid Society presents Flight of Fancy, its 32nd Annual Orchid Show and Sale, Friday, March 28, through Sunday, March 30, at the Courtyard Nashua (2200 Southwood Drive, Nashua, 880-9100, marriott.com). There will be exhibits, plants, supplies, jewelry, artwork and more. A speaker program and free guided tours will be provided daily. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and free for children 12 and under.The public is invited for dinner among the orchids and an award ceremony beginning with a cash bar on Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. Advance ticket purchase is required for the dinner. Visit nhorchids.org/NHOS_2025_show.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 25/02/27

A really big wedding

Intown Concord will pay for the wedding of one couple who agree to get married in public at Concord’s Market Days Celebration on Friday, June 27. “Intown Concord will handle everything,” the organization announced on an online registration from, “from the ceremony to the reception — so all you have to do is show up wedding ready!” The couple selected for the public wedding will receive a ceremony with licensed officiant, a live band for dancing, a free meal and drink provided by Market Days vendors (for the couple only), ceremony seating for 20 close friends/family in front of the New Hampshire Statehouse, an ice cream cake provided by Social Club Creamery, and an overnight stay in Concord. the website said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Adventurous couples should register at marketdaysfestival.com by Friday, March 21.

Action Jack

Manchester chicken tenders booster and musician (and more) Nick Lavallee has, via his business Wicked Joyful (wickedjoyful.com),made multiple action figure works of art over the years, such as a Vermin Supreme complete with head boot and a Chicken Tender Capital of the World “Tendie” action figure. Recently he made a custom action figure of musician Jack White, which was presented to White by a show promoter after two sold-out shows in Boston, according to several social media posts by Jack White and Lavallee. “I love the orange toys r us price tag with the date of the shows encoded in it!” White said in a Feb. 20 Instagram post.

QOL score: +1 for some fame for a local artist

Comments: Lavallee crafted an action figure honoring the retiring Fritz Wetherbee, complete with “$6.03” fake price tag and “I’ll tell you the story” tagline; see the figure in a Feb. 8 post on the Wicked Joyful Facebook page.

Also a great band name

In a Feb.19 press release, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats announced the creation of a team alternate identity: theNew Hampshire Space Potatoes. “With rooted history beyond baseball in New Hampshire,” the press release read, “the Space Potatoes [will] take the field for three nights in 2025, beginning Saturday, April 19, at Delta Dental Stadium.” According to the Fisher Cats general manager Taylor Fisher, this alternate identity baseball team honors “two notable New Hampshire firsts into one brand,” New Hampshire’s official state vegetable, “first [planted in] American soil in Derry, New Hampshire, by early 18th century Scots Irish settlers” and “the infamous Barney & Betty Hill incident that occurred on Route 3 in New Hampshire’s White Mountains late in the summer of 1961, remarked as the first widely reported alien abduction in the United States.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The New Hampshire Space Potatoes will take the field against the Harrisburg Senators on April 19 at 4:05 p.m. Space Potatoes tickets and merchandise are available at milb.com/new-hampshire/team/space-potatoes.

QOL score last week: 53

Net change: +3

QOL this week: 56

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Unique art

See ‘Currents’ at Pillar

Fallon Rae is the co-founder and owner of Pillar Gallery + Projects (205 N. State St., Concord). The gallery is open on Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. and by appointment. The name was inspired by a hope to be a pillar in the community, and by the Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula, which is only around 7,000 light-years from New Hampshire. The exhibition “Currents” will be on display until Wednesday, April 2, according to the Pillar website. Visit pillargalleryprojects.com or their socials @pillar_galleryprojects.

What was the inspiration behind starting Pillar Gallery?

Pillar Gallery has been… in the works for a few years now before it came to full fruition. The other founder [Mike Howat] and I, when we first started … we actually started at Kimball Jenkins in Concord, New Hampshire. In 2021 and 2022 we started the salon series. It was the biggest open call in New Hampshire. … Then from there it became an opportunity to have a set space so we weren’t having to use other venues…. We really wanted to bring that New York City avant-garde kind of style to the area.

Could you describe the ‘Currents’ exhibition?

This exhibition has four artists in it: Hannah Perrine Mode, Elizabeth Nelson, Jackie Brown and Mary Mead. We wanted to exemplify how climate change is affecting all different parts of the world, so each artist actually has pieces from different regions of the ocean. Mary Mead exemplifies with trash in the Bahamas. Then we have Liz Nelson, who has some pieces from her artist residency in Iceland. Hannah Mode actually has a melting ice core with some of the water from a glacier in Alaska to pair along with her Alaskan glacial made cyanotypes. Then we have Jackie Brown, who’s representing more of the Maine and local side of things, the local fishery and all the debris that comes from that industry as well. It’s really impactful to see such different voices come together in a way and have a really good resonating theme. One of our artists said she’s been a part of a few shows named ‘Currents’ and this is the most unique and different one…. Five percent of the sales from this show are going to the Blue Ocean Society.

Do you all put on any other types of events?

We also do drink-and-draws…. We’re going to be starting it on the third Friday, every other month, we’re going to be doing a drink and draw, so the next one will be March 21.

Is there a particular style or medium that Pillars is really drawn toward?

We’re really drawn toward sculpture or multimedia or artists. One of the artists in the show right now, Mary Mead, she’s kind of known for being a printmaker but she actually started out as a sculptor and over time printmaking is just one of the things that she ended up having a niche at … One of our favorite things to do is go into the studio itself and do studio visits and actually pick out the work and see it. One of our artists for the show, Liz, ended up driving down pieces. We just saw how the light looked, how they paired together, and I think it’s just about that greater conversation about the arts. … for the most part we prefer a unique voice…

Are there any sorts of exhibits or events you’d like to see at Pillar that you all haven’t done yet?

We are connected to a commercial kitchen space called State Street Kitchen. … I’d really love to keep expanding our collaboration with them more, having date nights where people can either be making art and then make food, or something along those lines that just brings more and more people together from different places. … That’s probably one of our favorite parts of being curators, is to be a good safe space for people to feel like they can be vulnerable and show off their art…

Is there anything else about the gallery that you’d like to mention?

I just did a great presentation at Bow High School letting kids know a little bit about curating. I’m also writing a book on curation because it is such a unique and niche subject matter. —Zachary Lewis

News & Notes 25/02/27

Scam updates

The United Way of Greater Nashua is offering a free scam alert newsletter called the “Scam Alert Email List” that will send “alerts on trending scams as well as fraud prevention tips and resources for reporting suspicious activity,” according to a United Way press release. Sign up via tinyurl.com/ScamAlertsUWGN.

Tiny films

The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua; nashualibrary.org) will hold its third annual Tiny Film Festival on Friday, March 7, at 6 p.m. The fest will feature 60-second all-ages films submitted to the library, according to the library’s website. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with a red carpet, photo booth and free popcorn, the website said. Films will be judged in the ages 12 and under, 13-17 and 18+ categories. Winners will be announced on the library’s website Saturday, March 11.

Help for vets

Service Credit Union Impact Foundation and Robert Irvine Foundation awarded Liberty House (221 Orange St., Manchester, libertyhousenh.org), an organization that helps veterans, a $20,000 grant, according to a press release. “The grant will support Liberty House’s transitional housing program for veterans facing homelessness, post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury and other challenges,” the release said.

Poetry contest

The 8th annual MacGregor Poetry Contest will accept submissions Monday, March 10, through Saturday, April 12. The contest, run by the Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway, Derry; derry.org), offers prizes in two age groups — poets 15 and up and poets 14 and under. Email (macgregorpoetrycontest@derrypl.org) or snail mail (addressed to “Derry Public Library Poetry Contest”) up to two poems, no more than two pages each (no Google docs), according to an email from the library. See the website for entry rules. Winners will be announced in May.

Rock’N Race

Registration is open for the 23rd Annual Rock’N Race, which raises money for HOPE Resource Center at Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care, slated for Wednesday, May 7, at 6 p.m., according to a press release. The race starts at the Statehouse and racers can choose a 5K run, 5K walk or 1-mile walk. The cost to enter is $35 for adults through March 1, $40 after, at rocknrace.org.

Badges battle

Tickets are now on sale for the 2025 Battle of the Badges Hockey Championship, presented by the Elliot Perry Foundation and raising funds for Dartmouth Health Children’s and the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, which will have Team Fire and Team Police face off on the ice on Sunday, March 16, at 1 p.m. at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, according to a press release. A family fun event starts at 11 a.m. on SNHU Arena plaza featuring first responder vehicles and more; doors open at 11:30 a.m. Advance tickets cost $16 (plus fees) for ages 13 and up, 12 and under get in for free but still need a ticket; tickets on the day cost $20 for ages 13 and up, according to chadhockey.org. Tickets include access to the Kids Zone, a scavenger hunt and more, the release said.

The Gafney Library (14 High St. in Sanbornville; gafneylibrary.org) will host Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki for the program “Songs of Emigration” on Tuesday, March 5, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Howie Newman, former sportswriter for the Boston Globe and other publications, will present “The Musical Baseball Show” at the Goffstown Public Library (2 High St.) on Saturday, March 22, at 11 a.m. The event is free.

The country band Locash will play the Dana Center for the Humanities at Saint Anselm College in Manchester on Thursday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $65. See tickets.anselm.edu.

The NH State Home Show comes to the Manchester Downtown DoubleTree, 700 Elm St. in Manchester, Saturday, March 1, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, March 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for adults, free for ages 12 and under.

Leah Dearborn, associate director of the Aviation Museum of NH, will discuss her new book Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Front at Balin Books in Nashua (Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St., balinbooks.com) on Saturday, March 8, at 2 p.m.

Mind & Body — 02/20/2025

On the cover

10 Karate lessons (and other forms of martial arts) aren’t just for kids. John Fladd looks at picking up martial arts at any age and what the benefits might be. Photo at right and on the cover: Lenny Demers of Kenpo Academy of Self Defense in Londonderry (courtesy photo).

Also on the cover

Vote now! It’s time to make your voice heard on the spot that serves the best steak dinner, serves the hottest manicures and serves serious fashion lewks. Voting in Hippo’s Best of 2025 readers’ poll is happening now, get your picks in at hippopress.com.

Michael Witthaus talks to Shawn Barker about his show “The Man in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash” coming to Nashua Center for the Arts on Sunday, Feb. 23. See the story on page 26.

Read the e-edition

News & Notes 25/02/20

250220 Featured Content News

Landfill moratorium During her Feb. 13 budget address, Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced “a landfill moratorium and a revamped regulatory process ...

Future homeowners

250220 Q&A

New Hampshire Housing helps Granite Staters find their home New Hampshire Housing was established by statute in 1981 and is, ...

Sox finally open the wallet

250220 News Sports

The Big Story – Alex Bregman: There is an old adage that says it’s not how much you spend, it’s ...

Quality of Life 25/02/20

250220 News Quality Of Life

Headed for the Big Show Venomous snake on Aisle Four As reported by WMUR in a Feb.16 online article, an ...

This Week 25/02/20

250220 News This Week

Thursday, Feb. 20 The Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) will host Less is More: ...

A priest, an atheist and a teacher walk onto a stage

Jim Sears, Stephanie Lazenby, Michelle Levine, and Matt Recine. Courtesy photo.

250220 Art & Theater Featured Content

Faithless is a fast-paced look at modern religion By Michael Witthaus mwitthaus@hippopress.com A play with humor, intelligence, drama and the ...

The Art Roundup 25/02/20

250220 Art & Theater Visual Arts

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities • Art Off the Walls: The Currier Museum of Art (150 ...

Treasure Hunt 25/02/20

250220 Family Fun Treasure Hunt

Dear Donna, I recently picked this up and fell in love with it. There is no information on it or ...

Mind & Body

Lenny Demers poses in a long fighting stance with a wooden staff in his studio.

250220 Cover Stories Featured Content

Events and spots for a night out with longtime sweethearts, first dates and friends! By John Fladd jfladd@hippopress.com Lenny Demers ...

Spring is on its way

A cardboard box containing many small pots of young daffodils.

250220 Outdoors The Gardening Guy

It’s flower time By Henry Homeyer listings@hippopress.com Here in Cornish Flat, this seems like an old-fashioned winter. Temperatures have been ...

Kiddie Pool 25/02/20

250220 Family Fun Outdoors

Family fun for whenever Ski days Area ski hills are offering special events and camps during New Hampshire’s February vacation ...

The Weekly Dish 25/02/20

250220 Food

News from the local food scene By John Fladd jfladd@hippopress.com • New coffee shop: Two Moons Coffee and Curiosities has ...

Kitchen futures

250220 Featured Content Food

Culinary cards get you thinking about your day and your meals By John Fladd jfladd@hippopress.com There are any number of ...

Shakes and teas

PowerThirst owner Sean Wren. Photo by John Fladd.

250220 Food

New shop offers beverages with purpose By John Fladd jfladd@hippopress.com Sean and Gina Wren picked a challenging location for a ...

In the kitchen with Amanda Spooner

250220 Food Q&A

Chef at Honey Cup Tea Room in Manchester. Spooner is also a caterer and personal trainer. “I was raised in ...

Chocolate Mint Crinkle Cookies

250220 Food

By John Fladd jfladd@hippopress.com A brief lesson in food science There is a trick that some bartenders use called “fat ...

Album Reviews 25/02/20

Sanhedrin, Heat Lightning (Metal Blade Records) & Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke, “Back In The Game,” Warp Records

250220 Albums Pop

Sanhedrin, Heat Lightning (Metal Blade Records) I haven’t checked in with the Metal Blade Records stable in quite a while ...

Mood Machine, by Liz Pelly

250220 Books Pop

Mood Machine, by Liz Pelly (Atria, 241 pages) Spotify is in the news this month, having recently reported that 2024 ...

Nickel Boys (R)

250220 Featured Content Film Reviews by Amy

A Complete Unknown (R) A Black teen with a promising future is derailed when he’s sent to a Florida reform ...

Here’s Johnny

250220 Featured Content Nightlife

The Man In Black is a convincing Cash By Michael Witthaus mwitthaus@hippopress.com Shawn Barker walked into auditions for the rock ...

The Music Roundup 25/02/20

250220 Music This Week

By Michael Witthaus mwitthaus@hippopress.com • Family affair: With their reputation as Canada’s first couple of music set, Natalie MacMaster and ...

Kiddie Pool 25/02/20

Family fun for whenever

Ski days

Area ski hills are offering special events and camps during New Hampshire’s February vacation week.

• McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Way in Manchester; mcintyreskiarea.com/kids-vacation-camps, 622-6159) has single-day and five-day camps, which run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., for ages 6 to 12. Five-day lessons for ages 4 to 6 (12:30 to 1:30 p.m.) and 6 to 16 (9:30 to 11:30 a.m.) are also available. See the website for pricing for camps and rentals.

McIntyre is also holding its Rail Jam on Sunday, Feb. 23 — rider registration is 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m. riders meeting at the top of the park, at noon the GROM Heat (13 and under) starts and then skiers open class at 12:30 p.m. and snowboarders open class at 1:30 p.m. Registration costs $25 and includes a lift ticket during the event; helmets are required, the website said.

McIntyre is open daily; lift skiing hours during vacation week will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and tubing hours will have two-hour sessions starting at 11 a.m. and ending at 9 p.m.. McIntyre also offers a one-rate fee for lift tickets and rentals during the end of the day until 9 p.m.; prices vary based on start time. See the website or call for each day’s offerings and times.

• Pats Peak Ski Area (686 Flanders Road in Henniker; patspeak.com, 428-3245) offers a three-day camp, Feb. 24 through Feb. 26, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., for 7- to 14-year-olds, with and without rentals.

Pats Peak also offers a Pay One Price ticket for skiing, snowboarding, snowtubing, rentals and lessons for the end of the day — through 10 p.m. starting at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., price varies based on start time. The promotion runs through vacation week (except for Sunday, Feb. 23).

Art vacation

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) is offering a three-day workshop for ages 6 to 12 during February vacation. The half-day workshops are themed “My Favorite Things” and run Wednesday, Feb. 26, through Friday, Feb. 28 — 9:30 a.m. to noon for grades 1 to 3 and 1 to 3:30 p.m. for grades 4 to 6. The cost is $180 ($162 for members).

Visit the museum Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free for kids ages 12 and under and $5 for ages 13 to 17, $15 for students and 65+ and $20 for regular admission.

• Kimball Jenkins (266 N. Main St. in Concord; kimballjenkins.com) has February Break Programs for ages 7 to 14 with morning programs (9 a.m. to noon) for ages 7 to 11 and afternoon programs (1 to 4 p.m.) for ages 11 to 14. Classes are $198 and “rotate through a diverse array of artistic mediums with each class featuring an art activity that aligns with our arctic theme,” the website said.

Air and space

• During February school vacation week, the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org) will be open additional days — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday Feb. 25, through Thursday, Feb. 27. The museum will offer the Elite Flight Simulator on Feb. 25 and Feb. 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. for kids ages 12 and up, according to a museum release. The museum will also host a story time on Feb. 26 at 11 a.m., the release said.

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com) is open daily through Sunday, March 2, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $13; $12 for ages 13 through college and 62+, and $10 for ages 3 to 12, according to the website. Planetarium show tickets are an additional $7 for everyone ages 3 and up.

Author: The Hippo Press

This Week 25/02/27

Quality of Life 25/02/27

Unique art

News & Notes 25/02/27

Mind & Body — 02/20/2025

Kiddie Pool 25/02/20

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!