The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
• The League at the Currier: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) will partner with the League of NH Craftsmen to offer a series of one-of-a-kind foundational workshops and classes from local Master Craft artists as part of their spring session, featuring different projects and media that will serve as an “introduction to fine craft as a valuable human expression,” according to a press release. On Saturday, April 6, join League of NH Craftsmen artist Amy McGregor-Radin from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to explore the accessible (and satisfying!) art of white line woodcut printing for a fun one-day workshop, according to the same release. The price is $125 ($112.50 for members) plus a materials fee of $25 to be paid to the instructor on the day of the class. Visit currier.org or call 518-4922.
• Shop crafts: The Capital City Craft Festival on Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Everett Arena (15 Loudon Road in Concord) will feature more than 100 artisans selling their arts, crafts, specialty foods and more, according to castleberryfairs.com. Admission is $8 for adults, free for those under 14.
• New exhibit: Twiggs Gallery’s (254 King St., Boscawen) first exhibit for the 2024 season, “Pushing Our Boundaries,” opens with an artists’ reception on Saturday, April 6, from 1 to 3 p.m. and showcases the talent of four League of NH Craftsmen artists: woodworker Steven Hayden, textile artist Cheryl Miller, ceramist Lori Rollason, and mixed media artist and calligrapher Adele Sanborn, who all collaborate as the 9th State Artisans, according to a press release. Twiggs Gallery is a nonprofit that offers regional art exhibitions, adult art classes and community events and is handicap accessible, according to the release. Hours are on Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twiggsgallery.org or call 975-0015.
• Arts cafe: The Londonderry Arts Council announced in a press release the 2024 Arts Café will take place on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Londonderry Senior Center (535 Mammoth Road, Londonderry). The Arts Café is an annual free family event with local art, music and community spirit where attendees can enjoy complimentary coffee provided by Coffeeberries of Londonderry, hot chocolate and delicious breakfast pastries while they browse the artwork and can engage with the artists, according to the same release.The event will feature live acoustic music performances as well as a 50/50 raffle to be drawn at 3 p.m. with proceeds going to supporting local art events. and participants do not need to be present to win, according to the release. Visit londonderryartscouncil.org.
• Author Fest! The Derry Author Fest is on Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway, Derry, 432-6140, derrypl.org). It will feature workshops, panels and networking for aspiring authors. Find new reads, meet authors and get tips for writing your own book — attendees can stay all day or just drop in for a session. Book sales and signings are interspersed between workshops. The day begins with a keynote address from Virginia MacGregor. See derryauthorfest.wordpress.com/schedule for a detailed schedule.
• Litfest! Exeter Litfest is on Saturday, April 6, at Exeter Town Hall (Front Street) and Exeter Library (4 Chestnut St.). A kick-off party will be held Friday, April 5, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Exeter Public Library with a free concert by Sharon Jones. Events on Saturday include a Crime and Mystery Brunch at Sea Dog restaurant, tickets required; an event with children’s authors Matt Tavares and Suzanne Slade at the Exeter Public Library at 11 a.m.; poetry readings, writers’ panels and author talks during the afternoon; a book-swap table; and a keynote address with Andre Dubus III at 4 p.m. at Exeter Town Hall. Exeter Litfest is a free event but donations are welcome. See exeterlitfest.com.
On Tuesday, April 9, at 6:35 p.m. the New Hampshire Fisher Cats will celebrate their 20th opening day in Manchester. Twenty years of baseball in the Queen City means 20 years of home runs, hot dogs and memories.
“We hope that the 20th-anniversary season really shows how much we are committed to our fans and our community,” said Stephanie O’Quinn, Executive Director of Corporate Sponsorships and Ticket Sales. “We’ll continue to be that community gathering place … [to] provide family-friendly entertainment at an affordable price — that’s something that we take a lot of pride in as an organization and we will never let that go by the wayside.”
Andrew Marais, Senior Manager of Marketing and Promotion, agreed.
“The biggest thank-you we can give is to our community. That’s an honor to be here for 20 years. Blue Jays too,” Marais said. The Fisher Cats are the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Chris Jared, the Manager of Media Relations and Broadcasting and the new voice of the Fisher Cats, expanded on that theme.
“You want to dig into the bag of what you’ve done to the community and what’s worked in the past and then you also want to look at things like what can we do to keep this engaging and keep people on a fresh page,” Jared said.
Michael Neis, General Manager, said, “Every year we try to look for one of those unique ways that we can really give back to the fans … and know that when you come out to the ballpark, certainly you know you’re going to have a good time, but there’s also some new things that you can try and take in, in a little bit different way, so we’re excited about this.”
“We have new ownership this year,” Neis said. Diamond Baseball Holdings purchased the team in December 2023, according to a press release, which also stated that all staff will remain “in place under the existing leadership of CEO Rick Brenner, and General Manager Michael Neis.” Former owner Tom Silvia has stayed on in an advisory role.
“They [DBH] have been extremely supportive of our mission here in Manchester and New Hampshire as a whole,” Neis said.
Lights, Camera, Baseball!
So what are some of the new things around the ballpark that you will be able to try and take in?
“Two weeks ago we finished our brand new field lighting project, which is really exciting,” Neis said. “We can now do light shows, cue to music, have different colors on each pole. So there’s a lot that we can do, whether it’s pregame intros, home runs, when we win — because we’re going to win every game, right. We can do a lot of really fun things … to give it that big-league experience. That’s something that fans walking in immediately will have a chance to get to see.”
Changes implemented toward the end of last season include new areas to sit and watch the game above the bullpens. Some changes have been geared toward the players as well.
“In addition to everything that we do for the fans and the community, our job is also to provide that environment for these players too,” Neis said. Updates have included “completely renovating both the home and visiting clubhouse,” Neis said. “We did open up our brand new stand-alone batting tunnel and weight room area. Not only are we meeting MLB compliance in those areas; we have what we feel is a best-in-class facility that really rivals anything we can see at this level or above, quite frankly.”
The fan connection
When the Fisher Cats are on the road, or if you cannot make it to the ballpark, there will be a way to stay connected to the team.
“We’re not partnered with WGIR anymore. We now have an audio stream that we can set up from home and road games and then fans can still watch on the Bally Live App or on Milb.tv,” Jared said. Fans can also listen to the game live on nhfishercats.com under the ‘listen live’ tab.
“It’s a much more intimate environment in minor-league baseball,” O’Quinn remarked. “I think that’s a very key element in the experience that we get to provide.”
“We hear all the time about kids who came to their first Fisher Cats game at 6 years old and now they’re die-hard Toronto Blue Jays fans … never stepped a foot out of New Hampshire but they live, eat, sleep, breathe the Toronto Blue Jays because one player decided to sign an autograph on the ball and now they’re a fan for life and not only a fan of the Blue Jays but a fan of baseball for life,” O’Quinn said.
“From a fan engagement perspective our team last year was phenomenal with meeting people,” Marais said. “Staying after the game to sign autographs or before the game … the team that is coming in I am confident will bring that same energy.”
Cesar Martin, who is returning as the team’s manager for the fourth straight season, said “the support that we get from the fans, I think that’s something that makes myself really happy and feels like I’m home…” The players feel the same way. “They’re excited, we’re excited…” Martin said.
“Whether you’re a bigger kid or the littlest of tykes, there’s something for you,” Marais said. “For example, when kids read five books they get two tickets to a Fisher Cats game, courtesy of our sponsors. [There is the] Oral Health Challenge with Delta Dental, when you brush and floss for seven days a week, you get two tickets courtesy of Delta Dental.”
Fireworks, giveaways and promotions will be back with exciting new additions too. General Manager Neis also revealed that “the New England Honda Dealers Bat Dog … Casey will be joining us for the first time this year. We’re really excited about her. Just really another very cool addition to the experience.”
Description: According to the Mascot Hall of Fame, Fungo was born in the woodlands of New Hampshire but spent much of his youth attending Phish concerts. As the founder of the Fisher Cats’ Kids Club he hopes to promote wildlife education, sportsmanship, good manners and the card game Go Fish.
Enthusiasms: Fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee, Swedish Fish, the movies The Fisher King and A Fish Called Wanda.
Slider
Backup Mascot
Description: Originally from Dunedin, Florida, according to the Mascot Hall of Fame, Slider is Fungo’s favorite cousin. He is young, athletic and frantically enthusiastic about the Fisher Cats. His goal is to add excitement and energy to each Fisher Cats home game.
Enthusiasms: His trademark moves are flexing his muscles, giving high-fives and showing off his athleticism.
Rowdy Red and Bubba Blue
Sumo Guys
Professional History: They come from nowhere between innings, fight furiously on the infield, then vanish as mysteriously as they appeared.
Enthusiasms: Waving to fans, inflicting carnage on each other.
Casey
New England Honda Dealers Bat Dog
Professional History: When Benny, the Fisher Cats’ previous bat dog, retired to work as a therapy dog for veterans and first responders, Casey completed her training in New Jersey, then moved up to the minors. This is her first full season with the Fisher Cats.
Enthusiasms: Meeting small fans, bats, balls and belly rubs.
On the field
Jared expressed his thanks to the crew that sets up the game for the fans and the players.
“There have been game-day workers that have worked with us … I’ve talked to guys that have been here 15, 17 [years], some that have been here for as long as the Fisher Cats have…. Those people make things entirely possible from a game-day perspective of what to expect.”
More than 150 Fisher Cats have gone into the major league, according to the December press release.
“We always welcome the new crop of players,” Neis said. We need to work really well with them, [so] that when players come to New Hampshire they have everything they need. … There’s nothing more exciting than an eventual superstar that you got to see here in New Hampshire, and we’ve certainly had more than our fair share over the years.”
Where do these players come from? From all over, but the Toronto Blue Jays have their high-A team, the Vancouver Canadians, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the triple-A team with the Bisons in Buffalo, New York. Their single-A team is the Dunedin Blue Jays and they are in Florida. Last year the Vancouver Canadians bested the Everett, Washington, AquaSoxs, a Seattle Mariners affiliate, to win their league championship.
“The talent jump from the single-A level to come to double-A is the largest jump. Triple A is essentially an extension of the major-league team,” Jared said. When players do move up from single-A, or high-A, they tend not to move alone. “Statistically they’ll keep coaches sometimes with guys. It is great to see when you have a team that, they’re in the lower ranks than you and they win a championship, sometimes those guys move in bunches and the chemistry is already there for them when they slide right in here in New Hampshire, they’re on the same page with each other.”
On the current roster, Manager Cesar Martin said that “a couple of new pitchers are coming from Vancouver.” The entire field will be well staffed too. “The most exciting part is we are going to have a really good defensive team and we have a lot of players that can put the ball in play…”
Fisher Cats fans will also have opportunities to catch major leaguers on the field.
“Last year we had the Blue Jays’ No. 1 prospect in Ricky Tiedemann … [major-leaguers sometimes on] the visiting teams that come in, like the New York Yankees having Spencer Jones,” Marais said. “The product on the field is very good baseball and very competitive, to the point where a player could be playing here tomorrow and [then] be playing in Toronto, or Fenway.”
Tuesday, April 9, is only a line drive away and the Fisher Cats hope all the hard work pays off.
“It is really exciting and rewarding for us as a staff and organization,” O’Quinn said. “We just want to be able to share that with our fans and our community and hope that they perceive it the way we present it.”
Players to watch
layer, they do all they can to get them on the team. Here are a few of the Fisher Cats to keep an eye on this season.
Josh Kasevich: The Blue Jays selected shortstop Josh Kasevich, a native of Palo Alto, California, out of Oregon with the 60th overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft. He spent 2023 in high-A Vancouver, where he helped the Canadiens win the Northwest League title and finished with the third-best batting average on the team at .284, according to the Fisher Cats. MLB.com lists Kasevich as Tornto’s 11th-best prospect for 2024. Kasevich worked on improving his bat speed and path in the off-season, along with getting stronger and faster, and hopes to continue his sharp eye of the zone, according to the Fisher Cats.
Adam Macko: Originally from Slovakia, with a brief stint in Ireland before moving to Alberta, Canada, this southpaw (left-handed pitcher) ranks 16th amongst fellow Toronto prospects according to Baseball America, while MLB.com slots Macko ninth, according to the Fisher Cats.
Alan Roden: Toronto called the outfielder’s name as the 98th overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft from Creighton University, according to the Fisher Cats. Originally from Middleton, Wisconsin, Roden spent his off-season in Florida to focus on improving his swing by building strength and increasing explosiveness, according to the Fisher Cats. After spending the first three and a half months of last season with high-A Vancouver, Roden received his double-A promotion to the Fisher Cats in Manchester and reached base safely in his first nine games, According to the Fisher Cats. Baseball America ranks Roden as Toronto’s ninth-most-promising prospect and MLB.com slots him in spot No. 7.
Phil Clarke: A catcher from Franklin, Tennessee, Clarke received his draft selection in the ninth round of the 2019 MLB draft out of Vanderbilt after his sophomore year concluded with a national championship in Omaha, according to the Fisher Cats. Clarke spent two seasons with the Fisher Cats and his third is set for 2024, and he received honors from MiLB.com at the conclusion of last season, making the site’s Organizational All-Star list, according to the Fisher Cats, and was also named best defensive catcher amongst Toronto prospects by Baseball America, who cited his fundamentals and natural skill as the reasoning behind the decision.
Save the date
Here are some of the special events planned at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.
• Waggin’ Wednesdays: On Wednesdays when the Fisher Cats are not playing a home game, four-legged fans are invited (on-leash) to Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester. A waiver must be filled out prior to bringing your dog into the ballpark.
• Foodie Fridays: Experience specialty food items at the ballpark every Friday. The first Foodie Friday, on April 12, will celebrate all things chili, with chili dogs, chili burgers and chili fries.
• Copa de la Diversión: For the games on Thursday, April 25, and Thursday, June 20, the team will rebrand as Gatos Feroces de New Hampshire, with specialty uniforms (get a peek at all the specialty jerseys at milb.com/new-hampshire/tickets/specialty-jerseys). Gatos Feroces merch is available for purchase on the team’s website.
• Princesses at the Park: The first of four specialty brunches at the park will be on Sunday, April 28, with a Princess Brunch to be held before the 1:35 p.m. game. Tickets to the brunch cost $30.85 and include a ticket to the game.
• Manchester Chicken Tenders: On Saturday, May 11, the Fisher Cats will celebrate one of the defining moments in American history: the 1974 invention of the chicken tender at Manchester’s Puritan Restaurant. The team will temporarily rebrand as the Manchester Chicken Tenders. Chicken Tenders merch is available for purchase on the team’s website.
• Cats-Con: On Saturday, May 25, The Fisher Cats’ annual Cats-Con game will celebrate their favorite movies, comic books, heroes, villains, and much more, featuring characters from Double Midnight Comics.
• Blue Heeler Appreciation Brunch: The second specialty brunch of the season will take place on Sunday, May 26, before the 1:35 p.m. game. Tickets to the brunch cost $30.85 and include a ticket to the game.
• Father’s Day Celebration: To honor Fisher Cats dad fans, the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a limited-edition Fisher Cats bucket hat on June 16.
• Super Bros. Brunch: The third specialty brunch of the season will take place on Sunday, June 23, before the 1:35 p.m. game. Tickets to the brunch cost $30.85 and include a ticket to the game.
• Game Show Night: On Friday, July 11, the whole game will be dedicated to famous game shows.
• Star Wars Night with Atlas Fireworks: Star Wars Night strikes back on Saturday, July 12. By popular demand, the iconic theme night will return with Star Wars characters, music, specialty on-field jerseys and more.
• A Pure Night of Imagination: The Fisher Cats promise a scrumdiddlyumptious night dedicated to everybody’s favorite fictional candy maker on Friday, July 26.
• Sitcom Night: On Thursday, Aug. 8, the Fisher Cats will dedicate their game to classic sitcoms.
• ’90s Night with Atlas Fireworks: Put your hair in a scrunchie and practice your macarena. On Saturday, August 10, the Fisher Cats will celebrate all things ’90s. The first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a clear fanny pack. Beanie Babies get in free.
• Hockey Night in New Hampshire with Atlas Fireworks: The Fisher Cats will celebrate New Hampshire hockey on Saturday, Aug. 24, with new jerseys, new hats, a new giveaway and a celebrity appearance from Max the Monarch. The first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Monarchs-vs.-Fisher Cats bobblehead.
• Piggy Tea Party: The final specialty brunch of the season will be held at the park on Sunday, Aug. 25, with a Piggy Tea Party Brunch to be held before the 1:35 p.m. game. Tickets to the brunch cost $30.85 and include a ticket to the game.
Nashua Silver Knights
Want more baseball? Nashua is home to the Silver Knights, a summer collegiate team of New England players at Division I, II and III levels, who split their time between Holman Stadium in Nashua (67 Amherst St. in Nashua) and Centennial Field in Burlington, Vermont. They play in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.
General Manager Cam Cook says most of his players are working their way up the baseball ladder.
“A lot of people have heard of the Cape Cod League,” Cook said. “A lot of our guys are freshmen and sophomores who play with us for a year or two, then go to the Cape Cod League.”
Cook says that this is shaping up into a good season.
“It’s looking good,” he says. “We’re as busy as we’ve ever been. We’ve got great sponsors, and we’re planning some great theme nights.” Some of these theme nights include a Princess in the Park night, when fans, especially young ones, are encouraged to dress as their favorite princesses; a celebration of National Hot Dog Day; a visit from the Boogie Bros traveling mascot show, and a baseball card give-away.
The biggest game of the season will be the Knights’ July 25 exhibition game against the War Dogs, a team made up of active-duty and reserve military players.
“From a pure baseball point of view, it’s really interesting to see a freshman pitcher from Vanderbilt go up against an active-duty Marine,” Cook said. “It’s like an AI simulation, and we get to see it in real time.” The Knights have invited local veterans’ groups and VFWs to the game, to pump up interest in the game.
“We’ve already sold out our suites,” Cook said. It will be an unusual home game, he thinks, because most of the fans will be rooting for the visitors. “I’ve already started preparing the team,” he says, “warning them, ‘You’re probably going to get booed.”
This yearly exhibition game always honors the military in general, but this year it will have a special focus on the Air Force. “We’re trying to arrange a military fly-over, and a helicopter to deliver the First Pitch Ball,” Cook said. He noted that a point of particular interest is Silver Knight Player No. 7, pitcher Frankie Melendez, who is an ROTC cadet at Stonehill College. “He’ll be playing against soldiers he might run into in the service in a few years.”
The Nashua Silver Knights’ season begins on May 24 with a home game against the Vermont Lake Monsters. For more information, tickets and the team’s season schedule, visit their website at nashuasilverknights.com. —John Fladd
Fan food
An essential part of attending a baseball game is the food. It’s even in the song: “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack….” Stephanuie Vangjel is the Operations Manager for Professional Sports Catering, the company that provides snacks to Fisher Cats fans. It’s her job to make sure everyone in the stadium has access to baseball food during home games. That includes classics like hot dogs, fried dough and chicken fingers for the audience in the bleachers, but also lobster rolls and steak tips for the fans in the luxury suites.
“I’m making myself hungry,” Vangjel says, describing the food.
Feeding Delta Dental Stadium means more than handing out hot dogs. Vangjel’s staff is in charge of running concessions during home games but also providing service to the suites and running the Brewhouse Restaurant — the Fisher Cats’ onsite restaurant — as well as handling outside catering jobs.
Vangjel says her team is especially proud of their promotional food specials.
“We put together special packages like our Ballpark Buffet, a barbecue package, and a comfort food package [which includes burgers, chicken sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, and baked beans]. We set up nacho bars and fajita bars. On Video Game Night, we’re planning an ‘Italian Plumbers’-themed menu.” “Italian Plumbers,” she explains, to avoid any trademark infringement with Nintendo.
The enthusiasm for this season’s ballpark food extends to the Fisher Cats’ front office.
“A highlight this year is we are introducing what we call ‘Foodie Fridays,’” says General Manager Michael Neiss. “That’s really taking that day of the week, taking that game, whether there’s a theme or not, and providing unique food [and] beverage options that you wouldn’t be able to get on a normal night.” Foodie Fridays will kick off the season on April 5 with an all-chili theme — chili dogs, chili burgers and chili fries — according to Stephanie Vangjel.
Andrew Marais, Senior Manager of Marketing and Promotions for the Fisher Cats, says management is excited about the Manchester Chicken Tenders returning to the field, referring to a Fisher Cats tribute to Manchester’s iconic food, when the team will dress in specially themed uniforms.
“The first [Chicken Tenders] game will be on May 11 — that will be your original Chicken Tender on-field uniform jersey — and then on July 27 we turn up the heat with Buffalo Tenders. So, brand new Buffalo Tender jerseys, very very cool. I believe they’re on our website too and you can purchase them in the team store.”
Hungry fans will also be able to eat brunch at the ballpark. The Fisher Cats will host four themed brunches this season, to correspond with special theme days. There will be a “Princess” brunch on April 28, a “Blue Heeler Appreciation” brunch in May, a “Super Bros” brunch in June and a “Piggy Tea Party” brunch in August. Each brunch ticket includes admission to the brunch and a ticket to the game following it. Brunch tickets are available through the Fisher Cats’ website (milb.com/new-hampshire). —John Fladd
Time to view the eclipse — with eclipse glasses to protect your eyes and weather permitting, New Hampshire will have a view of the eclipse in the afternoon. In Nashua, Great American Downtown will be on Main Street Bridge from 1 to 2 p.m. with 300 pairs of solar eclipse viewing glasses to give out, first come first served, according to a newsletter. Find more eclipse events in our story in the March 28 issue of the Hippo. Find the e-edition at hippopress.com; the story is on page 33.
Thursday, April 4
The New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival kicks off tonight with an opening night reception at 5:15 p.m. at the Palace Theatre’s Spotlight Room in Manchester and a screening of Remembering Gene Wilder at the Rex Theatre in Manchester at 7 p.m. See the full line up of events and get tickets at hjewishfilmfestival.com. And find out more about the festival, which runs through April 14 with in-person screenings and April 21 with virtual screenings, in the story on page 33 of the March 28 issue of the Hippo. Find the e-edition at hippopress.com.
Thursday, April 4
Experience Club d’Elf at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord, ccanh.com, 225-1111) tonight at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). Club d’Elf plays a fusion of jazz, Moroccan traditional music, rock, and dub music. Advance tickets start at $30.75.
Friday, April 5
Listen to music from the Wandering Souls Band (5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Bicentennial Square) and buy eats from Wicked Tasty Food Truck, which will be parked on Main Street in Concord, as part of tonight’s First Friday in downtown Concord. See intownconcord.org for a look at participating businesses and their plans for this month’s event.
Sunday, April 7
The Chubb Theatre at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord, ccanh.com, 225-1111) hosts an evening of game show excitement with “The Price is Right Live.” Attendees will be able to experience the excitement of listening for their names to be called to “come on down” and play pricing games from television’s longest-running game show. The show will begin at 7 p.m.; tickets start at $39.75.
Tuesday, April 9
Manchester Community College (1066 Front St. in Manchester, mccnh.edu) will host an Automated Manufacturing and Bio-fabrication Career Fair on Tuesday, April 9, from 3 to 6 p.m. The Fair will focus on high-tech jobs and is free to recent high school graduates, college students and adults seeking a new career. See nhmep.org for more information.
Save the Date! Saturday, April 13 Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive in Goffstown, anselm.edu, 641-7000) will host its annual Spring Festival on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 120 vendors and crafters will offer product demonstrations, free samples and homemade goods. There will be a food court, a dedicated Kids’ Zone, and a visit from New Hampshire Fisher Cats mascot Fungo. General admission will be $4 for ages 12 and older.
The peregrine falcon couple that lives in the nest box atop the Brady Sullivan Building in Manchester has welcomed this year’s eggs — four, brick-red-colored eggs, with the first egg laid March 20 and the fourth laid during the afternoon on March 28, according to the daily log of the peregrine activity (find a link in the chat on the YouTube live feed of the nest box). According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, peregrine eggs take about a month to hatch, so by May Day, Manchester should have new peregrines to add to its bird count.
QOL score: +1
Comments: A live camera feed of the Brady Sullivan Nest Box can be viewed by searching YouTube for Peregrine Networks Live Peregrine Falcon Feed1.
A cleaner New Hampshire
A recently released report from the Environmental Protection Agency shows that toxic pollutants in New Hampshire have decreased over the past decade. The 2022 Toxics Release Inventory (commonly known as a TRI Report) announced that toxic releases and toxic pollutants to the air, land and water have decreased significantly over the past 10 years, and that toxic emissions have “decreased by 71% over the last 10 years, due to the significant reductions of certain TRI chemicals at several manufacturing facilities and significant reductions from power plants,” the EPA reported last week in a press release.
QOL score: +1
Comments:Nationwide, releases of TRI chemicals have decreased by 21 percent. See awsgispub.epa.gov/trina2022/summary.
Faster fire rescue responses
Last week Nashua Fire Rescue announced the launch of a new emergency vehicle traffic preemption system, replacing the outdated Opticom system that has served for nearly 35 years. As reported by Nashua Ink Link on Thursday, March 28, Nashua’s new Glance Traffic Preemption system uses GPS, cellular and 900 MHz signaling technology to alert traffic signals at more than 90 intersections across the city of the approach of a fire apparatus, and changes the lights to allow emergency vehicles through, for a faster response time. In a phone interview, Fire Dispatch confirmed that the new system went online this week.
QOL score: +1
Comments: The $600,000 project was made possible through funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and was approved by the Nashua Board of Aldermen in 2022.
A cold night out
More than 165 people signed up to raise funds for Waypoint’s 10th Annual SleepOut on Friday, March 29, according to a story in the Boston Globe. Participants spent a night sleeping outside to earn money for programs at Waypoint, a statewide nonprofit that provides services for homeless young adults across New Hampshire’s programs, the story said. According to Cindy Stewart, Development Director at Waypoint, money is still coming in from the event, but so far, this SleepOut has raised more than $420,000.
QOL score: +1 for the fundraising and fundraisers
Comments:According to Waypoint, up to 15,000 New Hampshire youth experience homelessness each year.
QOL score: 62
Net change: +4
QOL this week: 66
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?
Jennifer Militello, award-winning Goffstown poet and MFA Director at New England College, on being named New Hampshire Poet Laureate, to begin her five-year term in April.
What do you believe led to your nomination?
There is a process. There is a selection committee that goes through the applications, or nominations, and it’s made up of members of the different art communities around the state: New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, New Hampshire Writers Project, Poetry Society of New Hampshire. It is a pretty long, extensive process. Then they bring the name that they choose to the governor and he nominates that person and then the Executive Council finally approves it. I think I’ve just been doing a lot of work to increase the visibility of poetry throughout the state for a long time. I’ve been advocating for poets…. There are many excellent poets in the state and many people who could do an excellent job in this role, but hopefully people saw that I had started a festival, run an MFA program, invite visiting poets, and I am in schools a lot. Hopefully, it was a natural next step for some of the work that I’ve been doing.
What does the Poet Laureate do?
There’s no real definition or expectation or role. I think each Poet Laureate chooses the way they want to grow and support the poetry community individually. I think ideally it is someone who is really active in connecting with other members of the poetry community. Someone who is thinking about young people, who is thinking about schools, who’s thinking about libraries, who’s thinking about event organizing, and also who’s just increasing the visibility of poetry. I know there have been poet laureates who have started websites or put together anthologies with New Hampshire poets’ poems featured, there are people who have worked to support poetry in schools. One poet laureate I know created a conference and got together all the poet laureates from across … the different states and then had them do readings in different parts of New Hampshire for a weekend, which was really cool…. I think really it’s just the person who is like ‘poetry is here,’ and it’s amazing, kind of the poster child for New Hampshire poetry for five years. If people are interested in poetry or have questions about poetry they can go and shoot me an email and let me know and I’m here.
What is your take on the state of poetry in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire is in a really exciting place at the moment. One of the things that I always think about when I think about New Hampshire is the incredibly rich literary history of the state. There’s a foundation here. It’s a state full of poetry history. Robert Frost is, of course, the first person we all think of and then, more recently, we have Donald Hall, Jane Kenyon, Sharon Olds, who were all living here. I think now the poetry community in New Hampshire is … writing poems that are rooted in the poems of their foremothers and fathers, but … also looking to contemporary poetry to find out what a poem wants to be in the current moment…. It’s a really rich place, it’s pretty exciting.
What led you to the state of New Hampshire?
I was born in New York City and grew up in Rhode Island but I wanted to live in New Hampshire from the time that I knew that you could choose where you wanted to live. We used to come up to go camping when I was a kid, and sometimes skiing. I wanted to be a poet since I was really young and I always saw those two things hand in hand. I always wanted to live in the woods and write some poems and be in a place that felt like a place poets would live in my very young, naive mind, and Robert Frost wrote some of the first poems I was familiar with and loved… When I turned 17 I came up to UNH to study with Charles Simic. I have spent a few short stints away in other places but for the majority of my adult life I’ve lived in different parts of New Hampshire. … It’s an adopted role, my New Hampshirite-ness, but it is something that has always been a dream of mine to live here.
Do you have a favorite poem about New Hampshire?
This is so cliche but I really love ‘Birches’ by Robert Frost…. One of the great things about literature is that it can permanently change the way you see things. When I am here and I see birch trees, there are always moments from that poem. There’s one moment where Frost talks about the birch trees bent over by an ice storm as women who have kind of thrown, bent over throwing their hair over their heads, and I see that image in my head every time I drive through New Hampshire after a snow or ice storm and I have read it so frequently to my daughter that she has it memorized; it’s a really long poem. So yeah, it’s an oldie but goodie and I would say, just off the top of my head, it’s the one I think of.
What’s more important, the sound of the poem or the meaning of the poem?
I actually think a lot of times the meaning grows out of the sound, ideally. I always tell my students to think about songs on the radio that they love. The lyrics are important but the music is important and poems only have the language to accomplish both of those things. You are responding with your intellect but you are also responding with your instinct or emotions. For me, I really like it when a poem is an experience that hits me emotionally and then the intellectual aspects of it follow. So, I am a sound person.
—Zachary Lewis
Featured image: Jennifer Militello. Courtesy Photo.
According to a March 28 press release, Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais outlined the city’s budget when he delivered the FY 2025 budget address before a special meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The budget included a historically high 4 percent cost of living adjustment.
Ruais detailed several decisions made to reduce spending, including the elimination of $792,957 from the Cash CIP project line, and did not allocate funding for $1,839,748 in department requests, according to the press release.
Mayor Ruais said in a statement that a “hiring freeze will continue for non-emergency personnel until our fiscal condition dictates otherwise.”
In regard to the school budget, Mayor Ruais said in a statement, “we were able to invest an additional $1 million into our School District. The $227 million we are proposing to allocate … represents the most ever allocated by the City of Manchester.”
Public safety and first responders garnered funding for mental health clinicians for the Manchester Police Department, the retention of 10 police officers previously funded by the federal government, and the hiring six additional police officers since Jan. 2 as well as $100,000 for firefighter protective gear and $3 million in upgrades to city fleet including MTA, Police, Fire and Highway Departments, according to the press release.
The budget allocates money from the FY 2025 CDBG and ESG programs to end homelessness such as Families in Transition, which will receive $70,000 for family emergency housing. WayPoint will receive $89,000 for their homeless youth shelter, YWCA will receive $70,000 for Emily’s Place, and 1269 Café will receive $50,000 to double its residential room capacity, according to the same release.
The press release also mentions the allocation of $1.65 million of federal funds to help construct 45 units of affordable housing on the Pearl Street parking lot.
The budget also includes investing $5.3 million in road infrastructure and improvements, allocating $1 million toward sidewalk maintenance and upgrades to promote pedestrian safety and investing $1 million in park renovations, upgrades and maintenance that includes significant playground renovations at Livingston, Wolfe and Howe parks and an additional allocation of $200,000 for a league partnership program, according to the same release.
Further community investment includes $50,000 for the Manchester Police Athletic League CHOICES program, $20,000 to Hillsborough County Child Advocacy, $110,000 to Manchester Community Resource Center, $42,000 to Meals on Wheels, $100,000 for Fun in the Sun summer camps for students in grades 1 to 7, and $150,000 to six agencies to provide youth services counseling, according to the same release. Visit manchesternh.gov/Government/Mayor-and-Aldermen/Mayors-Office/Press-Room.
Funding for shelters
A March 27 press release stated that the Executive Council approved $8.5 million in funding for local emergency shelter services supporting individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness while $6.74 million of those funds approved were allocated in Gov. Sununu’s FY2024-2025 budget. This includes $1,929,200 to Families in Transition serving Hillsborough County, $1,446,900 to New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence with statewide services, $1,019,200 to Cross Roads House in Rockingham County, $773,500 to Southwestern Community Services serving Cheshire and Sullivan counties, $755,300 to The Salvation Army serving Belknap and Merrimack counties, $464,100 to The Front Door Agency serving Hillsborough County, $436,800 to Hundred Nights serving Cheshire County, $419,200 to Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter serving Hillsborough County, $291,200 to Marguerite’s Place serving Hillsborough County, $263,900 to My Friend’s Place serving Strafford County, $254,800 to The Friends Program serving Merrimack County, $236,600 to Tri-County Community Action Program serving Coos and Grafton counties, and $209,300 to New Hampshire Catholic Charities serving Rockingham County, according to the release.
McAuliffe art competition
According to a March 29 press release, the Christa McAuliffe State House Memorial Commission announced the creation of a student arts-based competition to correspond with the creation, installation and unveiling of the new Christa McAuliffe Memorial in 2024. Submissions for the arts-based competition will consist of three categories — a visual art medium, poetry, and an essay shorter than 1,000 words — and will be divided into three grade levels — K-4, 5-8, and 9-2, according to the same release.
The contest’s theme is the life and work of Christa McAuliffe, a longtime educator and selectee of the NASA Teacher in Space Project. Winners will be recognized at the unveiling ceremony. All submissions must be entirely original, not utilize any form of artificial intelligence software, and must be delivered by Saturday, June 1, according to the release. Physical submissions must be sent to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (Attention Jeanne Gerulskis), 2 Institute Drive, Concord, NH 03301, and works of writing must be sent in a word processing document to [email protected].
At Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord (45 S. Main St.) on Wednesday, April 10, at 6:30 p.m., Concord author Renee Plodzik, APRN, returns to discuss her book Eat Well Move Often 2. Plodzik will share nutrition and wellness practices to help cancer survivors and the community stay strong, according to the event website. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com or call 224-0562.
On Thursday, April 4, at 7 p.m. the Exploring Aviation presentation series at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry) presents a User’s Guide to the 2024 Total Eclipse that will review everything you need to know about the rare total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8. Visit aviationmuseumofnh.org or call 669-4820.
Craft and Chat on the first and third Thursday of every month at Kelley Library (234 Main St. in Salem) from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Adults can gather, craft and chat. Participants are welcome to bring whatever project they are working on, according to their website. Visit kelleylibrary.org or call 898-7064.
