Category: Cover Stories

Meet authors and browse their works at the first New Hampshire Book Festival

Friday night, New Hampshire’s first statewide book festival will kick off in Concord. According to its founder, the New Hampshire Book Festival was born out of a passion readers have for the written word, authors, and meeting like-minded book enthusiasts.

Emilie Christie Burack and Sarah McCraw Crow are both authors and close friends. They used to meet frequently to sit together while they wrote, sometimes independently, sometimes in collaboration. A lot of the time they would meet at the café in Gibson’s Bookstore in downtown Concord.

“For years, we’ve been talking about what a perfect place South Main Street would be for a book festival,” Burack said. “We both attended them as authors and participants in different states and it always kind of drove us nuts that New Hampshire was the one New England state that didn’t have a statewide book festival. Finally, one day about a year ago in April, Sarah and I were talking about it again and I said, ‘Why don’t we just do it?’”

A statewide book festival was apparently an idea whose time had come.

“Authors really like to come to festivals,” Burack said, “and that’s why it’s very competitive for authors to get a spot at festivals. We were just inundated with authors reaching out to be on our rosters and publishers contacting us about their authors and, you know, we haven’t even had an event yet, so we were really thrilled by the interest that people had in coming out to this in New Hampshire.”

The festival will kick off on Friday, Oct. 4. The public face of the festival will begin with a keynote session by Jean Hanff Koretitz, the New York Times bestselling author of The Plot and its sequel, The Sequel. Writer and former longtime host of NHPR’s The Exchange Laura Knoy will be the moderator.

Knoy is eager to have a chance to discuss Koretitz’s work with her.

“I’ve got The Plot and The Sequel in front of me,” she said in a telephone interview. “They are thrillers, but the writing is, oh, just funny and sarcastic, but also rich and literary, I would say. They’re written in the third person, so from the point of view of an omniscient narrator. She does a fantastic job with it. It’s laugh-out-loud funny sometimes, but it’s obviously also a thriller. Like, things are happening and some of those things are a little bit terrifying.”

The keynote session is designed to give readers an insight into Koretitz’s work and her characters. Knoy will ask questions and take questions from the audience.

“I’ll introduce her and then we will do probably about a 20-minute interview,” Knoy said. ”Then I’ll turn to the audience for their questions. Then I’ll go back and do a little more interviewing, and then we’ll do a couple more audience questions. We’ll close it out in about an hour or an hour and 10 minutes.”

Knoy wants to examine some of the philosophical underpinnings of Koretitz’s writing.

“One key, key, key theme in both of these books,” she said, “is who owns ideas? Who owns a story? Who gets to tell that story? And that very interesting question is woven throughout both of these books.”

Eager as she is for the keynote session on Friday, festival co-founder Emilie Burack is even more excited for what will happen earlier in the day.

“We really wanted to reach out to children in schools all over the state,” Burack said, “and we wanted to give an opportunity to under-served schools to make sure that they could get to this book festival — that the kids could get to this book festival and meet live authors. And that’s why we’re starting on Friday, because we are having a special keynote [from childrens’ author] Kate DiCamillo, just for school children. It will be at 10 in the morning so the buses can bring the kids. We have heavily underwritten tickets and we also have a fund that was donated by the Judge Family Foundation, which is supporting the bus transportation. We did a lot of research and we realized why a lot of kids don’t come to these kinds of things is because the school district and the kids can’t afford the bus fees. So we’re underwriting a lot of buses coming in. People are coming in from as far away as Groveton, which is up in Coos County.”

Each child attending will get a first-edition copy of Kate DiCamillo’s new book that will be released the day before the Festival, Burak said. “The school show sold out in a day.”

On Saturday, a three-block section of Main Street will be cordoned off for Book Festival activities. There will be panel discussions with different groups of authors in three different venues: the main stage at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St.) for adult books, an outdoor KidLit Stage about a block away, and two poetry sessions, also at the Capitol Center.

New Hampshire Poet Laureate Jennifer Militello will be part of both poetry sessions, beginning with a Spotlight Session in the morning with Irish poet Paul Muldoon.

“This is a really rare New Hampshire appearance for Muldoon,” Militello said. “He is a premier award-winning poet who has won basically every major prize both in America and internationally.”

In the afternoon Militello will be part of a panel where poets will read poems around the theme of “Hope in Difficult Times.”

“We will be reading poems that consider the role of poetry as both a source of hope and a way to articulate struggles in a time of challenge in the current climate,” Militello said. “These are poets whose work I am familiar with and who I admire deeply. We have a poet, Oliver de la Paz, who is currently the Poet Laureate of Worcester in Massachusetts. We have Kate Marvin, who is from Maine, an excellent poet, and Tim Liorde, who’s a British poet. I think it’s really important for poets and other artists to reflect on these times and have conversations with the broader kind of reader public about what these things mean and how we can cope with them, but also just that we’re encountering them and that it’s important to feel things about them and express those feelings. And I think often that leads to an understanding that also catalyzes change.”

Panel discussions through the day will include literary topics as different from each other as Suspense and Mystery, Debut Novels, and Fantasy. Emilie Burack said the discussions will be especially fresh because all the authors on the panels have published novels within the past year. “All of the works at our festival are new works,” she said. “They’re 2024 releases. Even though many of these authors are very well-known and have written books in years past and have other titles behind their names, everyone that we have coming here are going to be people with fresh work. Many of the books are not coming out until just days before the festival. It gives it kind of a fun, exciting feel for New Hampshire.”

One of those authors is Matt Tavares, the author of Hoops, a graphic novel about an Indiana girls’ basketball team in the 1970s. He will be part of a panel called Graphic Novel Spotlight, Saturday afternoon. He said interacting with authors and readers at festivals like this is one of the best parts of writing work for children and teens.

“You kind of just go into it not really knowing what the conversation is going to be,” Tavares said, “but just being able to chat with a couple other children’s book creators is always something that I get a lot out of. It’s always interesting to hear questions from the audience, especially if we have a bunch of kids in the audience.” He has written and illustrated picture books before, but Hoops is Tavares’ first graphic novel. “It’s interesting,” he said. “I’ve really noticed a difference in the audience. With picture books you get a lot of questions about, ‘How did you do this?, How did you do that?’ I found with Hoops a lot of the questions are specifically about the characters, things that happened in the book, that kids are really thinking about, ‘Why did Lisa do this in this scene?’ They get so excited to meet the people who made the book that they’ve read 10 times.”

Even though the festival hasn’t happened yet, Emilie Burack said plans are already underway for next year’s event.

“We already have lots of thoughts,” she said. “We’re so excited. We don’t know what our panels are going to be, but we’ve had a lot of suggestions from people. There are a lot of people who are fans of horror. … and there’s also a big appetite for nonfiction. We don’t have nonfiction this year, but there’s just so much of that that people really, really love. We’ve created this [the Book Festival] from the beginning to be an annual event. We hope it becomes a beloved annual event and a not-to-be-missed New Hampshire thing every fall.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE BOOK FESTIVAL

Venues

The NH Book Festival takes place in downtown Concord

CCA Authors Stage (Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St.)

KidLit Stage (NHBF Village, South Main Street)

Poetry Salon (Capitol Center for the Arts)

Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S Main St., 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) Immediately following each panel discussion, the authors will be at Gibson’s or at a Gibson’s tent for book signings.

Friday, Oct. 4

10 a.m. Children’s Keynote: Kate DiCamillo, author of Ferris and Hotel Balzaar (ticketed event), CCA Authors Stage

7 p.m. Inaugural Keynote: Jean Hanff Korelitz, author of The Sequel, with Laura Knoy, moderator (ticketed event), CCA Authors Stage

Saturday, Oct. 5

9 to 9:55 a.m.

Family Secrets: T. Greenwood, A.H. Kim, Sharon Wishnow and Shannon Bowring, with Julie Gerstenblatt, moderator. CCA Authors Stage.

Picture Books! Author/Illustrator Spotlight: Lita Judge, Jennifer Goldfinger, and Maryann Cocca-Leffler. KidLit Stage.

Poetry Spotlight: Paul Muldoon reads from his work. Intro by Jennifer Militello, NH Poet Laureate. Poetry Salon.

10:20 to 11:15 a.m.

Debuts: Kayla Min Andrews, Joseph Earl Thomas, Alina Grabowski and Vinson Cunningham, with David Moloney, moderator. CCA Authors Stage.

Earth Day Every Day — Kids Make a Better Tomorrow: Linda Sue Park, Evan Griffith and Melissa Stewart, with Amanda Gokee, moderator. KidLit Stage.

11:40 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Spotlight Conversation: Claire Messud and Ann Hood, with Katie Crouch, moderator. CCA Authors Stage.

MG Fantasy Spotlight:Kekla Magoon, MT Anderson, Lisa Stringfellow, with Erin Bowman, moderator. KidLit Stage.

1 to 1:55 p.m.

Suspense & Mystery:Sarah Stewart Taylor, Margot Douaihy, Edwin Hill and CB Bernard, with Margaret Porter, moderator. CCA Authors Stage.

Families: It’s Complicated: Michael Leali and Michael Stewart, with Virginia MacGregor, moderator. KidLit Stage.

2:20 to 3:15 p.m.

20th Century Historical Fiction: Marjan Kamali and Dawn Tripp, with Brinda Charry, moderator. CCA Authors Stage.

Graphic Novel Spotlight: Matt Tavares and Jannie Ho, with David Elliott, moderator. KidLit Stage.

Poetry Spotlight: Jennifer Militello, Oliver de la Paz, Cate Marvin and Tim Liardet. Poetry Salon.

3:40 to 4:20 p.m.

Epics, Quests, and Magic: Ann Dávila Cardinal, Mark Cecil, MT Anderson and Lyra Selene, with Jocelyn Winn, moderator. CCA Authors Stage.

Co-Authors: Two Pens are Better than One Terry Farish & Lochan Sharma and Donna Gephart & Lori Haskins Houran, with Kari Allen, moderator. KidLit Stage.

5 to 8:15 p.m.

Family Keynote: From Novel to Netflix: Kate DiCamillo, with Veronica Chao, moderator. Program and movie (ticketed event). CCA Authors Stage.

See nhbookfestival.org for more.

Eats with your books
In addition to Sue’s Kimbap House in the Capitol Center for the Arts (sueskimbaphouse.com), the Festival’s website says, “The festival will host several fabulous local food vendors in the festival village: Analog Wood-Fired Pizza, Batulo’s Kitchen, and Hackleboro Orchard, so you can find a snack or a meal easily.”

Lita Judge Q&A

Lita Judge is the author of Don’t Worry, Wuddles. She will be part of the panel discussion “Picture Books! Author-Illustrator Spotlight” at the New Hampshire Book Festival, Saturday, Oct. 5, at 9 a.m. She lives in Peterborough.

Could you tell me a little bit about your work?

I write and illustrate books for children and I work anywhere from preliterate wordless picture books all the way through YA, young adult. I’ve written a book called Mary’s Monster, which is a young adult novel in verse, fully illustrated. But a lot of my work is nonfiction, and the other half is whimsical fiction.

What will your session at the Book Festival be like?

It will be children’s book illustrators. We’re going to be sharing our process. I know we’re going to be talking about what inspires our stories, how we develop our characters, where do our stories come from, a little bit of the process of how we create and how we get together as well.

Will you be taking questions from the audience?

Yes. We always wish and hope that it will be young people [at the session], but you’d be surprised how often it’s adults — both librarians, teachers, and people who want to break into publishing. We try to read the audience and we’ve all talked about various things that we’d like to discuss and we have a Plan A, hoping that there’s youngsters, and Plan B, if it’s mostly adults.

What kinds of questions do you get from kids?

The kids I write for are at that stage where they’re learning how to ask questions. And so a lot of times they want to know about your favorite character. And they are so wrapped up in the story that the questions are kind of like as if you’re talking about a mutual friend, which I really like. They’re talking about your character as if it’s your friend that you’ve created, but it’s also their friend. And so I really love that.

If it’s more of an adult audience, what would a librarian, for instance, ask you?

A librarian is probably thinking more about your process and how you created your book, and maybe about the many layers to a picture book. I do a lot of fiction and nonfiction, but I always try to incorporate layers so that children of different ages can read it and that teachers can use it in classrooms for a topic. Like I wrote a book about the history of dogs and there’s a lot of history and evolution and 40,000 years of how dogs developed around humans. Teachers are going to be asking questions like that, like move them in and use that in a classroom.

What are you particularly looking forward to at this festival?

It’s always just so fun to connect with readers, and as a picture book author and illustrator, I know a lot of times the focus at every event is around authors. I like to share how much a picture book is for all ages, and that we as creators, when we’re drawing pictures, that’s constructing a story narrative in the same way that words do.

At the Festival

Here are authors and moderators participating at the NH Book Festival. Bio information is according to bios at nhbookfestival.org unless otherwise stated.

Moderators

• Kari Allen — Bio: Allen lives in New Hampshire and is an author and a teacher, according to her website. She has worked with the National Writing Project in New Hampshire as a teacher consultant, her bio says. Books: Children’s books including the Maddie and Mabel Series of children’s books about two sisters, the fifth of which, Maddie and Mabel Ready For Snow, is slated for release Nov. 19, and Little Golden Books about the Bee Gees and Julia Child. More info: kariallenwrites.com

• Erin Bowman — Bio: A New Hampshire resident, Bowman is the author of books for children and teens. Books: The Taken Trilogy (the final book of which, Forged, was released this year), Vengeance Road, Retribution Rails, the Edgar Award-nominated Contagion duology, The Girl and the Witch’s Garden and Dustborn, a 2021 release described on Amazon: “Delta of Dead River sets out to rescue her family from a ruthless dictator rising to power in the Wastes and discovers a secret that will reshape her world in this postapocalyptic Western.” More info: embowman.com

• Veronica Chao — Bio: Chao is editor of The Boston Globe Magazine. She has worked at the Boston Globe since 2007. More info: bostonglobe.com/magazine

• Brinda Charry — Bio: Charry is a professor of English at Keene State College and lives in Keene. Books: Her website describes her novel The East Indian: “Inspired by a historical figure, The East Indian tells the story of Tony, a native of the Indian subcontinent who came to colonial America.” She has also published several books and articles on the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, a collection of short fiction, and two other novels, her bio said. More info: brindacharry.com

• Katie Crouch — Bio: Crouch lives in Vermont and teaches creative writing at Dartmouth College. She has written essays for The New York Times, Glamour and other outlets. Books: Her 2021 novel Embassy Wife, about a woman posing as the wife of an American diplomat in Nigeria, was a Joyce Carol Oates Prize nominee and a recommended read from Time, EW, Buzzfeed and other sources; Kirkus Reviews called it “a sharp, funny, page-turning romp.” She’s also the author of Men and Dogs: A Novel (2010). More info: us.macmillan.com/author/katiecrouch

• David Elliott — Bio: Now an emeritus at Lesley University’s Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, where he taught for 20 years, Elliott spent time as “a cucumber washer in Greece, a popsicle stick maker in Israel, a teacher in Libya, and a singer in Mexico,” according to his bio. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife, the bio said. Books: Elliott is the award-winning author of more than 35 books for young people, including the picture books Finn Throws a Fit, Baabwaa and Wooliam and And Here’s to You!.He is also the author of three critically acclaimed YA verse novels: Bull, Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc and The Seventh Raven. More info: davidelliottbooks.com

• Julie Gerstenblatt — Bio: Her website describes her a native New Yorker now living in Rhode Island, a novelist, essayist and educator, and says she is a producer and on-air host for A Mighty Blaze.Books: Daughters of Nantucket is her debut novel: “Set against Nantucket’s Great Fire of 1846, this sweeping, emotional novel brings together three courageous women battling to save everything they hold dear,” her website says. More info: juliegerstenblatt.com

• Amanda Gokee — Bio: Gokee covers New Hampshire news for the Boston Globe, according to her bio; she co-writes the Globe N.H. Morning Report. More info: See bostonglobe.com.

• Marty Kelley — Bio: Kelley “spent his formative years drawing action-packed pictures of his teachers being eaten by dinosaurs,” according to his online biography. “Marty spent many years as a second grade teacher and loved it when students gave him pictures of himself being eaten by dinosaurs.” Books: Among the 30+ books he’s written and/or illustrated are Almost Everybody Farts (2017) and Almost Everybody Farts: The Reek-quel (2022), as well as the Molly Mac series and many more. More info: martykelley.com, which features activity sheets related to his books.

• Laura Knoy — Bio: Longtime host of NHPR’s The Exchange, Knoy now hosts the podcast ReadLocalNH and in 2022 she joined the Rudman Center at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law as its Director of Community Engagement. Books: Knoy wrote a novel called The Shopkeeper of Alsace, which she describes on her website as “a dramatic family saga spanning the World Wars, based on a true story that unfolds in a unique, little-known region with a complex past: Alsace, France.” More info: lauraknoy.com

• Virginia Macgregor — Bio: Now a New Hampshire resident, Macgregor was born in Germany, lived on the island of Corsica until age 5, moved to Oxford in England and spent her early career teaching at British boarding schools, her bio said. Books: She has written five novels for adults — What Milo Saw (2014), The Return of Norah Wells (2016), Before I Was Yours (2017), You Found Me (2018) and The Children’s Secret (2021) — and two young adult novels, Wishbones (2017) and As Far As the Stars (2019). About The Children’s Secret, her website says: “one hot Saturday afternoon, at a back-to-school party, nine children sneak into a barn — and only eight come out unharmed.” More info: virginiamacgregor.com

• David Moloney — Bio: A graduate of Middlesex Community College and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, he now teaches creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University. Books: Barker House (Bloomsbury 2020) revolves around a number of correctional officers at a fictional county jail in New Hampshire. More info: davidrmoloney.com

• Margaret Porter — Bio: “Margaret and her husband live in New England with their dog, dividing their time between an architecturally unique book-filled house in a small city and a waterfront cottage located on one of the region’s largest lakes,” according to her bio.

Books: Contemporary novels A Change of Location (2024) and Sequins and Starlight (2025), historical fiction The Myrtle Wand (2022), The Limits of Limelight (2021), Beautiful Invention: A Novel of Hedy Lamarr (2018), and others. More info: margaretporter.com

• Jocelyn Winn — Bio: Winn is a New Hampshire–based freelance writer and the associate nonfiction editor for The Maine Review, her online bio says. Books: “Her recent work can be found in WTWH Media publications, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Eratio, The Waterwheel Review as a Pushcart Prize nominee, and Fourth Genre as a Steinberg Memorial Essay Prize finalist,” her bio said. More info: theeleventhletter.com

Authors

• M. T. Anderson — Bio: A lifelong New Englander who lives in Vermont, Anderson earned a B.A. from Cambridge University and an MFA from Syracuse University, his online bio says; and “He has curated concerts that bring together text and classical music all over New England.” Books: His 2024 release is Nicked, his adult fiction debut: “Based on a bizarre but true quest to steal the mystical corpse of a long-dead saint, Nicked is a fantastical, genre-defying, and delightfully queer historical romp,” according to his website. He’s written picture books for children, adventure novels for young readers, graphic novels, books for teens and adults. His books include Feed, a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the LA Times Book Prize and which made both Time Magazine’s and NPR’s lists of the 100 best YA novels of all time, and Elf Dog & Owl Head, a Newbery Honor book for 2023. More info: mtanderson.com

• Kayla Min Andrews — Bio: She grew up in central New Hampshire and is now a New Orleans resident. Andrews was a finalist in the Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival’s Very Short Fiction Contest in 2023 and assisted Putnam on the posthumous publication of her mother’s (Katherine Min) novel The Fetishist (January 2024). She is an MFA candidate in fiction at Randolph and is working on a novel, the bio said. More info: kaylaminandrews.com, where you can find links to her published works.

• C.B. Bernard Bio: After spending much of his adult life in Alaska and Oregon, he can now be found on the Rhode Island coast and is the author of the novels and a nonfiction travel narrative, the bio said. Books: His 2024 release is the Alaska-set novel Ordinary Bear, described on Amazon as “dark and humorous, literary but with the heart of a detective novel.” Previous books include his debut novel Small Animals Caught in Traps (2023) and the non-fiction Chasing Alaska: A Portrait of the Last Frontier Then and Now(2013). More info: cbbernard.com

• Shannon Bowring — Bio: She lives in Bath, Maine, and her work has been nominated for Pushcart and Best of the Net prizes, her bio said. Books: The Road to Dalton, her debut novel, which Amazon describes as “a novel of small town America,” was selected as an NPR Best Book in 2023 and won the Maine Literary Book Award for Fiction in 2024, according to her website. Its sequel, Where the Forest Meets the River, was published in September, and a third book in the series, In a Distant Valley, is forthcoming from Europa Editions, according to her website. More info: shannonlbowring.com

• Ann Dávila Cardinal — Bio: Ann Dávila Cardinal is a Nuyorican, Vermont-based author from a long line of Puerto Rican writers, her bio says, and lives in Vermont with her husband “in a lovely little house with a massively creepy basement.” Books: Her young adult Five Midnights won the 2020 International Latino Book Award for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Adventure and an AudioFile’s Earphones Award for the audiobook, and was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award; the story continues in Category Five (2020), which was a 2021 finalist for International Latino Book Award category. She had a 2023 young adult horror novel Breakup From Hell; co-wrote a middle grade biography, Hispanic Star: Bad Bunny (2024), and has two recent adult novels — the Puerto Rican magical realist mystery The Storyteller’s Death (2022) and We Need No Wings, slated for release Oct. 10, according to her bio. More info: anndavilacardinal.com

• Mark Cecil — Bio: Host of The Thoughtful Bro podcast, Cecil was originally from Worcester, Mass., and is head of strategy for A Mighty Blaze as well as a journalist and author Books: His debut novel is Bunyan & Henry; Or, the Beautiful Destiny, a book described on the publisher page of a reimagining of the stories of Paul Bunyan and John Henry. More info: markcecilauthor.com

• Maryann Cocca-Leffler — Bio: Cocca-Leffler grew up in the Boston area and now lives in Portland, Maine. She writes kids’ books and is also a playwright and has a BFA in illustration from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Her daughter, Janine Leffler, inspired the book Janine (2015) as well as We Want To Go To School! The Fight for Disability Rights (2021), which the two co-authored, her bio said. Books: Cocca-Leffler is an award-winning author and illustrator of over 70 books for children including her most recent book Don’t Ask Cat, about which the Amazon description says: “A cat who struggles with social skills learns ways to be honest without being rude.” Her book Marabella’s Moments is slated for April 2025, her website says. More info: maryanncoccaleffler.com

• Vinson Cunningham — Bio: Cunningham is a critic for The New Yorker and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2024. He teaches at Yale and is a co-host of the weekly podcast Critics at Large. Books: His debut novel, Great Expectations, came out earlier this year; Publishers Weekly called it a “remarkable first novel.” More info: vinson.nyc

• Kate DiCamillo — Bio: Born in Philadelphia and raised in Florida, DiCamillo now lives in Minneapolis, according to her website, which also says: “I am short. And loud. I hate to cook and love to eat. … I think of myself as an enormously lucky person: I get to tell stories for a living.” Books: Her books include picture books, and early chapter books such as the Mercy Watson series, the Tales from Deckawoo Drive series and the 2024 release Orris and Timble: The Beginning. Her many novels include Because of Winn-Dixie, Flora & Ulysses and 2024 release Ferris. More info: katedicamillo.com

• Margot Douaihy — Bio: Born in Scranton, Douaihy lives and works in Northampton, Mass., and is an assistant professor at Emerson College, according to her website. Books: Douaihy is the author of three books of poetry and the queer hardboiled mysteries Blessed Water (2024) and Scorched Grace (2023). The next mystery in her Sister Holiday series, Divine Ruin, will be published in 2025, her bio said. More info: margotdouaihy.com

• Terry Farish — Bio: Farish lives in Portsmouth. According to her website: “I really like doing writing workshops with kids, teens, and adults who are finding their own stories to tell. I love collaborating with illustrators, writers, and in a classroom with everyone while we all inspire each other to create.” Books: Farish is the author of young adult books including The Good Braider and Either the Beginning or the End of the World and picture books such as A Feast for Joseph, which was written with OD Bonny and illustrated by Ken Daley. More info: terryfarish.com

• Donna Gephart — Bio: Gephart grew up in Philadelphia, where “the books that I write are on the shelves of that library I used to love as a kid,” she says in her online bio. Books: Death by Toilet Paper (ages 9-12), How to Survive Middle School (ages 10-12), Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen (ages 8-12), Lily and Dunkin (ages 10-13), the Woofmore series, cowritten with Lori Haskins Houran, about a luxury hotel for dogs, (ages 5-8) and many more. More info: donnagephart.com

• Jennifer Goldfinger — Bio: Goldfinger lives in Portland, Maine. She writes and illustrates picture books and is a fine artist whose work has been shown throughout the country.Books: Her most recent is this year’s humorous picture book Daisy the Daydreamer. There’s also My Dog Lyle (2007), Hello, My Name is Tiger (2016) and A Fish Named Spot (2001). More info: jennifergoldfinger.com

• Alina Grabowski — Bio: Grabowski grew up in Massachusetts and now lives in Texas, according to her website. Books: Her debut novel, Women and Children First, published earlier this year by SJP Lit (Sarah Jessica Parker’s publishing imprint), earned starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. More info: alinagrabowski.com

• T. Greenwood — Bio: Greenwood grew up in rural Vermont and now splits her time between San Diego and Vermont. She has a background in dance, teaches creative writing and is also a photographer. Books: She’s written 15 novels, including Keeping Lucy (a 2020 Target Book Club pick), the true crime story Rust & Stardust and The Still Point (2024, an Indie Next pick, about the cutthroat world of dance moms). More info: tammygreenwood.com

• Evan Griffith — Bio: Griffith studied creative writing at UNC Chapel Hill, earned an MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, worked as an editor at Workman Publishing and now lives in Austin Texas, teaching online writing classes. His hobbies include rocking climbing and playing guitar, according to his website’s FAQ. Books: Griffith’s middle-grade novel Manatee Summer (2022) was nominated for several awards and praised by critics. Its “sweet characters facing complicated problems will keep readers hooked,” wrote Kirkus Reviews. Griffith also wrote the middle-grade The Strange Wonders of Roots, released this year, and the picture books Secrets of the Sea and Wild at Heart. More info: evangriffithbooks.com

• Edwin Hill — Bio: A teacher at Emerson College, Hill lives in Roslindale, Mass. Books: Hill is a suspense writer and author of novels including Who to Believe (2024) The Secrets We Share, and the Hester Thursby mysteries. The description of Who to Believe on his website says: “In this twisting domestic suspense thriller … the aftermath of a murder in a quiet New England coastal town reveals a web of dark secrets.” More info: edwin-hill.com

• Jannie Ho — Bio: Ho studied at Parsons School of Design in hopes of being a fashion designer, her website bio says, but then became an illustrator and worked as a designer and art director at Nickelodeon and Scholastic. She lives near Boston and illustrates for books, magazines and games and also writes her own stories. Books: The Lost Mitten (a 2023 ALA Best Graphic Novels for Children selection), Bear and Chicken (“When Bear finds a chicken frozen in the winter snow, he brings it home to try to defrost it.”) and more. More info: chickengirldesign.com

• Ann Hood — Bio: Hood grew up in Rhode Island and worked for TWA as a flight attendant. She’s won two Pushcart Prizes and two Best American Food Writing Awards and written for several magazines. Books: The Knitting Circle: A Novel (2006), The Stolen Child: A Novel (2024), Fly Girl: A Memoir (2022) and several other novels and memoirs, plus a ten-book series for middle-grade readers and a short story collection. She is the editor of Life’s Short, Talk Fast: Fifteen Writers on Why We Can’t Stop Watching Gilmore Girls, set for release on Nov. 12. More info: annhood.us

• Lori Haskins Houran — Bio: She’s a former children’s book editor and author of more than 50 books for kids and lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts, her bio said. Books: Her books include nonfiction books such as Little Golden Book biographies of Jane Goodall, Tom Brady, Johnny Appleseed and George Washington, an I Can Read book about Thomas Edison, and books about animals. Her fiction books include books for learning to read, picture books and a series called The Woofmore co-authored with Donna Gephardt — “Welcome to the Woofmore, where the water bowls are always full, and there’s kibble on every pillow!” according to her website. More info: lorihaskinshouran.com

• Lita Judge — Bio: An author and illustrator who has written more than 35 nonfiction and fiction books, Judge lives in Peterborough, her bio said. Books: Among her many books are two Hoot and Peep books about owl siblings, Red Sled, Mary’s Monster: Love, Madness and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein (which combines verse and black-and-white watercolors) and the forthcoming Old Blue Is My Home (April 8, 2025), described as “poignant yet reassuring picture book [that] follows a family and the van that provides them with safety, warmth, and togetherness amidst economic and housing insecurity,” and Wake Up, Moon! (Oct. 29), in which “An energetic squirrel isn’t ready to give up on winter fun and go to bed”). More info: litajudge.me

• Marjan Kamali — Bio: Kamali received the National Endowment for the Arts 2022 Creative Writing Fellowship. Her novels have been published in more than 25 languages and her essays have run in The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Review of Books. She holds an MFA from New York University and an MBA from Columbia University. Having spent her childhood in Turkey, Iran, Germany, Kenya and the U.S., she lives in the Boston area and is writer-in-residence at Brandeis University, according to her website. Books: Kamali is the author of the 2024 novel The Lion Women of Tehran (an Apple Must-Listen for July and an Indie Next pick) as well as 2019 national bestseller The Stationery Shop and 2013’s Together Tea. More info: marjankamali.com

• A.H. Kim — Bio: A.H. (Ann) Kim was born in South Korea, immigrated to the U.S. as a child, attended Harvard College and Berkeley Law School, and practiced corporate law for many years, her website bio says. Books: Kim’s debut novel was A Good Family, inspired by her family’s experience when her sister-in-law was held in a women’s prison camp. Her second novel, Relative Strangers, was published earlier this year and is a contemporary take on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. More info: ahkim.net

• Jean Hanff Korelitz — Bio: Born in New York City, where she lives today with her husband, Irish poet Paul Muldoon, Jean Hanff Korelitz graduated from Dartmouth College and Cambridge University and is the author of nine novels, according to her website. Her book You Should Have Known (2014) was adapted as a limited series for HBO as The Undoing; her book Admission (2009) was adapted as a movie starring Tina Fey. The Latecomer (2022) and The Plot (2021) are both in development as limited series, the website said. Books: The sequel to The Plot, called The Sequel, was released this week. “With her signature wit and sardonic humor, Jean Hanff Korelitz gives readers an antihero to root for while illuminating and satirizing the world of publishing in this deliciously fun and suspenseful read,” according to her website. She has also written a novel for children. More info: jeanhanffkorelitz.com

• Michael Leali — Bio: “Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, Michael currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area,” according to his bio. Leali is “an award-winning writer and veteran educator. He earned his MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts,” the bio said. Books: “His widely-praised debut novel, The Civil War of Amos Abernathy (2022), won the prestigious Golden Kite Award in 2023 and was a finalist for the Lambda literary award among many other honors,” his bio said. His second novel, Matteo (2023), was a 2024 Lambda award finalist; author Cynthia Leitich Smith said, “This enchanting, modern homage to Pinocchio reminds us anything is possible if we’re true to ourselves.” His third novel, The Truth About Triangles, was released in May and is described on Amazon as “A heartfelt contemporary middle grade novel perfect for fans of Front Desk, following Luca Salvatore, a young gay Italian American trying to save his family’s pizza restaurant….” More info: michaelleali.com

• Tim Liardet — Bio: Born in London in 1959, Liardet is Professor of Poetry at Bath Spa University according to his website. Books: Eleven collections of poetry; The World Before Snow and The Blood Choir were shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize. Recently he received an Authors’ Foundation work-in-progress award from the Society of Authors for his 12th collection, Atlas, Tick, Hog and Gold, his bio said. More info: timliardet.org

• Kekla Magoon — Bio: Magoon grew up in Indiana, graduated from Northwestern University, and earned an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is a full-time author, speaker and writing teacher and received the 2021 Margaret A Edwards Award for her contribution to Young Adult literature. Books: The Season of Styx Malone, Chester Keene Cracks the Code and other middle-grade books, as well as non-fiction and YA novels including Fire in the Streets, which was an NAACP Image Award Nominee, and The Rock and the River, which won a Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award. More info: keklamagoon.com

• Cate Marvin — Bio: Marvin has two MFAs and a Ph.D.and teaches poetry writing at the University of Southern Maine, according to her website. Books: She’s written four books of poetry and co-edited an anthology. Her collection Fragment of the Head of a Queen received a Whiting Award, and her book Oracle was named one of the best poetry books of 2015 by The New York Times. More info: catemarvin.com

• Claire Messud — Bio: “A recipient of a Guggenheim and Radcliffe Fellowships and the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her family.” her bio said. Books: Her latest is This Strange and Eventful History (2024), which is longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize and on several lists of most anticipated books of 2024, her website said; “from 1940 to 2010, the pieds-noirs Cassars live in an itinerant state — separated in the chaos of World War II, running from a complicated colonial homeland, and, after Algerian independence, without a homeland at all,” according to the book’s description on her website. Other books include The Emperor’s Children (2006) and an “autobiography through essays,” Kant’s Little Prussian Head and Other Reasons Why I Write (2020). More info: clairemessud.com

• Jennifer Militello — Bio: A poet and memoirist, Militello is the Poet Laureate of New Hampshire and “teaches in the MFA program at New England College,” according to her bio. Books: “She is the author of the forthcoming collection Identifying the Pathogen, named a finalist for the FC2 Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Prize; The Pact (Tupelo Press/Shearsman Books, 2021), and the memoir Knock Wood, winner of the Dzanc Nonfiction Prize (Dzanc Books, 2019), as well as four previous collections of poetry,” her bio said. More info: jennifermilitello.com

• Paul Muldoon — Bio: “Paul Muldoon was born in County Armagh in 1951. He now lives in New York. A former radio and television producer for the BBC in Belfast, he has taught at Princeton University for thirty-five years,” his bio said. Books: 15 collections of poetry, including Joy in Service on Rue Tagore this year, his bio said. “In his latest collection, Paul Muldoon continues his longtime trick of marshaling obscure references into fluent, fun and rollicking lyrics,” according to a quote from the New York Times review of the book on Muldoon’s website. More info: paulmuldoonpoetry.com

• Linda Sue Park — Bio: “Linda Sue is the founder and curator of Allida Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. She serves on the advisory boards of We Need Diverse Books and the Rabbit hOle museum project, and created the kiBooka website, kibooka.com, to highlight children’s books created by the Korean diaspora,” her bio said. Books: 2002 Newbery Medal winner A Single Shard and the NYTimes bestseller A Long Walk to Water (2010), and many other books. Her most recent title is The One Thing You’d Save (2021), a collection of linked poems. More info: lindasuepark.com

• Oliver de la Paz — Bio: The current Poet Laureate of Worcester, Mass., de la Paz teaches at the College of the Holy Cross and in the Low-Residency MFA Program at Pacific Lutheran University, his bio said. Books: He is the author and editor of seven books, including The Diaspora Sonnets (2023), which won the 2023 New England Book Award for Poetry,and was longlisted for the 2023 National Book Award, according to his bio. More info: oliverdelapaz.com

• Lyra Selene — Bio: According to her website, Selene “grew up on a steady diet of mythology, folklore, and fantasy,” and now lives in New England “in an antique farmhouse that probably isn’t haunted.”Books: Selene is the author of the YA duology Amber & Dusk and Diamond & Dawn, as well as the adult novel A Feather So Black. Its follow-up A Crown So Silver, about a trickster king and ancient magic, is due in January. More info: lyraselene.com

• Lochan Sharma — Bio: Sharma’s family is from Nepal and lived as refugees in Bhutan before moving to New Hampshire. He’s currently a student at Keene State working on a degree in biology, according to a writeup at Shelf Awareness, and said he loved the Percy Jackson books as a kid. Books: Sharma co-authored the 2024 YA novel Go Home with author Terry Farish.

• Melissa Stewart — Bio: “While gathering information for her books, she has explored tropical rainforests in Costa Rica, gone on safari in East Africa, and swum with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands,” her website said. “When Melissa isn’t writing or exploring the natural world, she spends time speaking at schools, libraries, and conferences for educators.” Books: “Melissa Stewart has written more than 200 science books for children,” according to her bio. Her website lists books on animals, earth and space science, environment and plants, health and the human body, physical science, technology and math and more. A recent release was Mega-Predators of the Past (2022), and Meet the Mini-Mammals: A Night at the Natural History Museum is slated for a March 4, 2025, release. More info: melissa-stewart.com

• Michael Stewart — Bio: Stewart has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Ottawa, Canada, the bio said. Books: He is the author of more than “two dozen books for kids and young adults,” his bio said. His latest is Seeking Draven (2024), described in a blurb on his website as a novel-in-verse — “Using free verse, wordplay, concrete poetry, and more, Stewart’s story provides a lovely mycorrhizal mutualism for readers of all ages,” K.A. Holt, award-winning author of Ben Bee and the Teacher Griefer, is quoted as saying. More info: michaelfstewart.com

• Lisa Stringfellow — Bio: Stringfellow is a middle school teacher who lives in Boston; her work “often reflects her West Indian and Black southern heritage,” according to her bio. Books: Middle-grade fantasies Kingdom of Dust (2024) and A Comb of Wishes (2022). Her website describes Kingdom of Dust as “a West African-inspired fantasy about a girl who is determined to return both magic and justice to her people — and whose destiny holds more surprises than she could ever imagine.” More info: lisastringfellow.com

• Matt Tavares — Bio: An author and illustrator, Tavares was born in Boston and now lives in Maine, “and he’s even done a few book signings at Fenway Park,” according to his website. Books: Tavares has created more than 20 books since his first, Zachary’s Ball, about a boy who catches a foul ball at a Red Sox game, was published and “named one of Yankee Magazine’s 40 Classic New England Children’s Books,” according to his website. Hoops (2023), a graphic novel about a girls’ high school basketball team in 1975 inspired by a true story, received multiple awards. He also wrote and illustrated Dasher (2019) and Dasher Can’t Wait for Christmas (2023). More info: matttavares.com

• Sarah Stewart Taylor — Bio: Taylor is a former journalist and teacher who lives and writes mysteries in Vermont. Books: The acclaimed Maggie D’arcy mystery series, featuring an American detective in Ireland. Her latest mystery is Agony Hill, the first in a new series set in rural Vermont in the 1960s. More info: sarahstewarttaylor.com

• Joseph Earl Thomas — Bio: “Thomas teaches writing at Sarah Lawrence College, and courses in Black Studies, Poetics, Video Games, Queer Theory and more at The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research,” his bio said.Books: Thomas is the author of Sink, a memoir (one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2023); the novel God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer (2024, named Best of June by the Washington Post and Book Riot), and the short story collection Leviathan Beach (Grand Central, 2025), according to his bio. More info: josephearlthomas.com

• Dawn Tripp — Bio: “She graduated from Harvard and lives in Massachusetts with her sons,” her bio said. Books: Tripp’s books include Georgia (2016), which was a national bestseller, finalist for the New England Book Award, and winner of the Mary Lynn Kotz Award for Art in Literature, and this year’s release Jackie (2024). “Her sixth novel will be published by Random House in 2026,” according to her website. More info: dawntripp.com

• Sharon Wishnow — Bio: Wishnow is “a transplanted New Englander who makes her home in Northern Virginia,” according to her website, and “has been a member of the Boston Malacological Club since she was ten years old.” (They study mollusks.) She’s also the founder of Women’s Fiction Day and has an MFA from George Mason University. Books: The Pelican Tide, released this year, is her first novel. It’s set in Louisiana. More info: sharonwishnow.com

Some books Festival participants love

A River Runs through It and Other Stories by Norman MacLean (1992)

“It’s all about how hard it is to understand the people you love the most, your family.” — Emilie Christie Burack, Festival co-founder and president

By Any Other Name: A Novel by Jodi Picoult (2024)

“I went to a really intriguing event by Jodi Picoult just a couple of weeks ago, and she has this new book that contemplates the history of Shakespeare and whether Shakespeare was a woman. She’s done a lot of research and it really positions the female perspective at a time when we are facing so many challenges surrounding womanhood and the female perspective…” — Jennifer Militello, Poet Laureate of New Hampshire

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2016)

“The writing is so beautiful, and the story is simple, but so incredible…. Actually, strike the simple. The man at the center of the story is very philosophical and I love his sort of musings on life and change and how we must adapt and make the best of what we’re given.” — Laura Knoy, keynote moderator

Mexikid, by Pedro Martin (2023)

“It’s hilarious, poignant, and extremely well-done.” — Matt Tavares, author

This is Happiness, by Niall Williams (2021)

“It feels like a very contemporary novel but captures an old-fashioned literacy. It just slows the world down and makes you feel much more present in your own life. I love the sets of this book; I’m giving it away to all my friends.” — Lita Judge, author-illustrator

This year’s grape harvest is as excellent as last year’s was bad

Some of the most reliable weapons in Amy LaBelle’s yearly battle to bring her grapes through to harvest are bars of soap. Of course there are nets to protect young grapes from birds — “As the grapes start to ripen, birds start to get savvy, and we have to drop our nets,” she said. And who could have predicted the beavers? “We had a few problems with beavers taking out an entire row one year and borrowing our trunks to make a dam in the stream that runs behind the winery. So that was kind of a bummer. Yeah, so we battle, but we’re winning so far. I don’t think anyone ever wins completely.”

But it’s the bars of Irish Spring soap that keep the deer away. “I’m a believer that Irish Spring soap works to protect my perennial beds at home and my grapes at the vineyard,” LaBelle said. “So we hang Irish Spring soap bars from some of the vines closer to the wood lines.”

LaBelle and her husband, Cesar Arboleda, own LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101 in Amherst and 14 Route 111 in Derry, 672-9898, labellewinery.com). They grow 6 acres of grapes between their two vineyards. It turns out you don’t need a huge amount of land to grow grapes. While a small apple orchard generally covers at least 20 acres, grain fields can be hundreds of acres in size, and some cattle ranches are as big as medium-sized European countries, a respectable vineyard often takes up about the same amount of space as a couple of football fields.

“The 3 acres in Derry haven’t matured quite yet,” she said. “We’re not pulling a full crop from there. In Amherst we’re pulling about 14,000 pounds a year.”

Most years.

2023 was a rough year for New Hampshire grape growers. A hard frost toward the end of May killed off new blossoms and buds, more or less destroying last year’s grape crop.

“On May 18 [last year], I lost my entire crop in two hours,” LaBelle said. “The six weeks just before that I had spent meticulously pruning that whole vineyard myself, every single plant, and I was making sure that every plant was perfect. I was trying to have the best year ever. Last year I [harvested] 300 pounds of grapes.”

This year’s grape harvest is looking good across the board.

“This year was our earliest harvest ever,” said Al Fulchino, owner of Fulchino Vineyard in Hollis. “We started picking on Aug. 21. It’s been a fabulous year. We’re three and a half weeks into our harvest, maybe four, and then we probably have two more weeks. The tonnage has been good.” Fulchino said that the sugar content in this year’s grapes have been high, and their acidity has been right about where it should be.

That acidity comes in part from New Hampshire’s climate. Winter temperatures are low enough that most vineyards in the state grow cold-weather varietals that tend to be lower in sugar and fairly acidic.

“It’s interesting,” said Richard Jacob of Vinilandia NH, a wholesaler specializing in wine from small estate vineyards, “because we obviously have a different climate than very famous growing regions for grapes. Normally in New Hampshire grape wine-making, you would get a lower-alcohol wine with higher acidity. So that being said, a classic thing that winemakers would do in New Hampshire is if they do go bone dry, sometimes the acidity can be a little bit overwhelming. And so you can back sweeten by adding some sugar or you can stop your fermentation a little bit earlier, so that way you have a little bit of natural residual sugar and the acidity isn’t as intense.” In that case, he explained, because the fermentation has been stopped early, the resulting wine is normally lower in alcohol.

Ted Jarvis is the owner of Black Bear Vineyard in Salisbury and the President of the New Hampshire Winery Association (260 Stage Road, Hampstead, 770-6719, nhwineryassociation.org). He said that New Hampshire wine makers are not limited to acidic wines.

“Each winemaker can finish the wines however they like,” Jarvis said. Personally, I don’t like sweet wines, and I like my wines finished off fruit-forward. We can’t grow just any type of grape here in the Northeast.”

“For instance,” Jarvis continued, “I do what is called a meritage, which is a blend of a couple of my reds together that we grow here on the property.” He also experiments with flavors in his finished wines. “I do some infusion in wines where I make what is called Amante de Chocolate, which is a raspberry chocolate-infused red wine, which is a big hit. I also do a take on my favorite childhood ice cream; I’ve turned an orange creamsicle into a wine. Yeah. It tastes exactly like an orange creamsicle ice cream. I sought out a certain coffee bean — a Sumatra coffee bean that had some spicy notes and chocolatey notes — and then I infused that into the wine; it’s called Vino Cappuccino.”

Not all grapes in New Hampshire are grown for wine. Owner John Lastowka grows 16 varieties of table grapes at Maple Gate Farm and Vineyard (183 Amherst Road, Merrimack, 759-9174).

“Normally, the table grapes that we get here in New England come from California in one season,” he said, “and in our winter season they come from Chile. Those two locations supply pretty much all the table grapes in the country.” As a result, Lastowka explained, most supermarket grapes have been developed to ship well from the West Coast or South America, and not necessarily for other characteristics, like flavor. “The universities have been doing a lot of research on table grapes to develop hybrids and different rootstocks that will survive our cold winters,” he said.

Like other New Hampshire grape-growers, Lastowka only devotes a small area to his vines. “I have about a half-acre vineyard,” he said. “I’m not done picking, and so far I’ve picked two tons. Each vine will produce on average 20 to 30 pounds of grapes.” His rows are 9 feet long and spaced 4 feet apart.

This sort of density of planting seems to be the norm, but Amy LaBelle says she plants each varietal of grape a little differently. “I’ve planted them a little bit differently depending on their expected vigor,” she said. The Cayuga [varietal], for example, is a very vigorous vine, so I planted those a little closer together to try to control that vigor so I don’t get an all-vine-no-grape kind of situation. It reduces the workload eventually in the vineyard a little bit, because if you can help the plant naturally reduce its vigor then you don’t have to trim it back every week to make sure that the grapes can do their thing.”

Ted Jarvis at Black Bear devotes a little more acreage to his vines. “I’m very old-school, very traditional,” he said. “We have one of the largest vineyards here in the Lakes region. We have about 4 1/2, 5 acres of vines on our property. We grow seven different varietals. We started our vineyard in 2008. It was my oldest son’s senior high school project. He got the A+. My wife and I get to spend every time we have money.”

LaBelle grows six main varietals in her vineyards — three white and three red. “In Amherst, we take all of the white varietals,” she explained, “and we blend those into an estate blend called Amherst Vineyard White. And that wine is so beautiful because it has that little influence from the grape called petit amie, which is, even when you just eat them fresh off the vine, that you get this huge explosion of florals, especially roses. It’s crisp and elegant and lovely and with that floral overtone — just very, very special.”

Al Fulchino said that about half of Fulchino Vineyards’ wines are blends. “I would say we’re closer to 50-50,” he said. “We do a lot of single varietals and we do do a lot of blends. That’s kind of a lot of fun in that. Literally taking the same grapes and doing a tweak one way or the other, aging it differently, oaking it differently, and getting a totally different wine that will be more suitable for one customer over the other.”

Because New Hampshire vineyards are comparatively small, if the grapes are ready to be picked, most or all of a season’s crop can be harvested very quickly, often in a day or two. LaBelle winery brings its customers in on the process.

“We usually select a date for harvest, and then we send out a note to our Vineyard Club,” Amy LaBelle said. “Our Vineyard Club is a long-standing club at LaBelle Wine. They are very loyal, very good customers — folks who have paid money to join the Vineyard Club. [Club members] sponsor a vine in the vineyard. They get their name on one of the vines and they come and visit their vine during the year and they take pictures with their vine. It’s very cute.”

Bill and Mary Reinhardt are Vineyard Club members. They said harvesting grapes at LaBelle is one of the highlights of their year. “What happens is that early in the morning we’ll gather with other Vineyard Club members. Amy and Caesar basically tell us, OK, this is what we’re going to be doing; we’re going to be harvesting these grapes’ and go through the process,” Mary Reinhardt said. “It’s a day where you can just go out and enjoy nature and life, go pick grapes, and talk to the people — just leave all your troubles and what’s going on in the world behind and enjoy yourselves.”

Bill and Mary each sponsor a vine, and of course they have named them. “It’s Mia and Grumpy,” Mary said, “because that’s what our grandchildren call us.” The Reinhardts’ vines are petite amie grapes, which make a dry white wine. “They put your name on it and you can go visit it,” Bill said, “when you’re there for lunch or whatever and see how your grapes are growing.”

Fulchino Vineyards harvests their grapes themselves. “We are hand-harvest,” Al Fulchino said. “We have three different vineyards all within 2 miles of our winery. [Our harvest is] mostly staff. We do have some people who follow our social media page like on Facebook and they know we’re harvesting and they want to get involved. We used to pick much more on Saturdays and Sundays, but because the winery is so much more busy on the weekends we have strategized to move more toward Monday through Friday. We’ll meet up in the morning and target what we want to pick, then we’ll all sit down and have some lunch and some wine and talk. It’s kind of old-school — very simple. It’s a really nice old-fashioned way to enjoy and not rush and remember why we’re here. Oftentimes when you do it on the weekends, you have to rush a bit. We’ve picked 20 tons or so so far.”

Ted Jarvis organizes a ticketed event to get his grapes in. “We throw a big harvest fest weekend,” he said. “Last year we had over 250 people up. We have live music. We have food trucks come in. We have 20 or 30 vendors to set up their New Hampshire crafts, so people can go booth by booth and check all that stuff out. And if people want to help out, we are a family business. I’ve had people come up, families, for years come up and just want to come in and participate in the whole process of it and help pick the grapes. My boys and I set up a crush pad so folks can see how their wine became from vine to glass. They can taste the juice coming right out of the wine press to see what it tastes like just being crushed and then like if they’re having a glass of La Crescent wine, ‘This is the grape, this is how I started it, and that’s what you’re tasting is how I finished it.’

Grape Fun

• Help with the harvest at Black Bear Vineyard (289 New Road, Salisbury, 648-2811, blackbearvineyard.com). Volunteer to help with the harvesting of grapes at Black Bear Vineyard on the weekend until the harvest is in and Black Bear provides lunch and a bottle of wine, according to the vineyard’s Facebook page. Email [email protected] to volunteer and get the details.

• Bottle Your Own experience at Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road, Brookline, 244-3165, averillhousevineyard.com). This is an ongoing series of events held Sundays through Nov. 10, at noon, 1 and 2 p.m. Attendees get a guided tour of the winery and vineyard and will learn directly from staff about the winemaking process. The cost is $59 per person and includes your own bottled wine to take home.

• Harvest and Stomp Festival at Appolo Vineyards (49 Lawrence Road, Derry, 421-4675, appolovineyards.com) Saturday, Sept. 28, and Sunday, Sept. 29. In addition to grape harvesting opportunities, there will be winemaking tours starting at 10 a.m., grape foot stomping and more. Tickets are $60 per person and include a catered lunch and other amenities.

• Harvest Weekend at Black Bear Vineyard (289 New Road, Salisbury, 648-2811, blackbearvineyard.com) is Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 6, noon to 6 p.m. Tickets are $18 through eventbrite.com. There will be live music, wine, food trucks, yard games, vendors selling New Hampshire products, and bringing in this year’s harvest.

• “Walks in the Vineyard’ wine class at LaBelle Winery Amherst (345 Route 101, Amherst, 672-9898, labellewinery.com) Sunday, Oct. 6, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Join Wine Educator & Sommelier Marie King and Senior Assistant Winemaker Melaney Shepard for an educational walk through LaBelle Winery’s vineyard and wine cellar in Amherst. Sample five LaBelle wines and learn about the winemaking process during the harvest season. Tickets are $35 through LaBelle’s website.

• The Annual Hollis Grape and Italian Festival will be Sunday, Oct. 20, noon to 6 p.m. at Monument Square in Hollis. The day will include a car show, live music, food vendors and a meatball contest, according to the event’s Facebook page. See fulchinovineyard.com.

• It’s not a local harvest but the Franco-American Centre will celebrate the French harvest with its Beaujolais Nouveau Gala dinner and dance on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 6 to 10 p.m. to celebrate the release of the 2024 Beaujolais in France. The three-course meal, with optional wine pairing with each course, will be at Oscar Barn Wedding Venue, 191 W. River Road in Hooksett. Tickets cost $115 ($90 without wine) for non-members. See facnh.com.

Wild Grapes

Joe Ross is a foraging expert and the owner of Eat the Planet (eattheplanet.org), a business that teaches students how to identify and find edible New England wild foods. According to him, there are three varieties of wild grapes we are likely to run across. “In our region, there’s three different kinds of wild grapes that are native,” Ross said in a telephone interview. “There’s the fox grape, the riverbank grape, and the frost grape.”

“The fox grape is the wild variety that’s called Concord,” Ross said, “but when they make a variety, they breed it specifically for certain traits over time. They select obviously. But if you look up Concord, it should be the same.” Ross said that all three species of wild grape have what’s called a “palmate” leaf structure. “It’s not like an oak leaf that’s got a center line all the way up the leaf with lobes on the side. The lobes can vary in what they look like.”

Ross said that while wild grapes can grow almost anywhere in New England, from the edges of swamps to deep forest, they do best on the edges of woods, where they have access to a lot of sunlight.

“Wooded edges and wetter areas are good areas to look for them; check those spots,” he advised. “Even just old fields where there’s a lot of bramble-type stuff — that’s a good spot to check because they’ll at least have a chance of popping up a vine again above everything else., so they can get to that sun.”

Sometimes older grape vines can be found deeper in the woods, Ross said, but that’s usually a situation of new trees growing up around an established vine. “Some of them are shade-tolerant,” he said, “but growing in the shade, you’re just not going to get a lot of grapes.”

Wine-Making Terms

Crush pad – Where grapes are crushed for their juice. This is usually done outside.

Meritage – A blend of two or more red “noble” Bordeaux varietals — cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec, merlot, etc.

Root stock – The base of a plant that is used to graft onto a different variety. In the case of New Hampshire grapes, the root stock will be of a hardy, cold-tolerant variety, and the vine grafted onto it will have other characteristics, like improved sweetness or acidity.

Terroir – Subtle characters in the taste of a wine, dependent on unique weather and soil conditions in the vineyard where the grapes are grown. Each vineyard has its own terroir.

Varietals – How winemakers describe the types of grapes that go into their wines, instead of “varieties.”

Local varietals

A good resource for finding out more about cold-hardy grape varieties is a website by the University of Minnesota, mnhardy.umn.edu.

Whites

Frontenac Gris: A gray-skinned cold-hardy varietal used in white or rosé wines with fruity flavors, especially peach and pineapple, with hints of honey. Black Bear Vineyard (289 New Road, Salisbury, 648-2811, blackbearvineyard.com) makes a Frontenac Gris white.

Frontenac Blanc: A golden-skinned cold-hardy white wine grape. The vines produce exceptionally high yields of fruit. Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road, Brookline, 244-3165, averillhousevineyard.com) uses this grape in its Fronteanna White.

Petit Amis: A green-skinned cold-hardy grape used in acidic white wines. LaBelle Winery Amherst (345 Route 101, Amherst, 672-9898, labellewinery.com) uses this grape in its Amherst Vineyard Estate White.

Cayuga: A French-American hybrid grape used in light, citrus-tinged wines that can come in a range of styles, from dry and sparkling to late-harvest dessert wines. Flag Hill Winery (297 N. River Road, Lee, 659-2949, flaghill.com) produces a Sparkling Cayuga White.

La Crescent: A very cold-hardy white grape. The wine produced from La Crescent has flavors of apricot, citrus and tropical fruit similar to that of muscat. Zorvino Vineyards (226 Main St., Sandown, 887-8463, zorvino.com) produces a La Crescent White that it describes on its website as “lively with sweet flavors of Meyer lemon and white peach.”

Reds

Frontenac: A classic bluish-black grape known for its rich, red wines. Black Bear Vineyard makes a “deep garnet”-colored Frontenac.

Marquette: Medium-bodied, dry, red wine suitable for extended maturation in oak barrels. Shara Vineyards (82 Currier Road, Concord, 836-9077, sharavineyards.com) uses this variety.

Petit Verdot: Red wine grape whose small, thick-skinned berries are valued for their depth of color. LaBelle Winery uses this grape in its Amherst Vineyard Estate Red.

Chancellor: A black-skinned cold-hardy grape used in full-bodied red wines with notes of plum and apple. Blue Heron Winery (Quinn Court, Newfields, 770-6719, blueheronwines.com) uses Chancellor grapes in its Seacoast Red.

Maréchal Foch: A cold-hardy hybrid grape that is made into deeply colored red wines with jammy, dark-fruit flavors. On its website, Flag Hill Winery describes its Maréchal Fochas having “lingering flavors of cherry and plum, with nice acidity.”

Where to have fun on farms with a live action puzzle

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

In addition to filling totes with apples and picking out a pumpkin or two, at many farms you can extend your visit with a corn maze. These live-action puzzles offer an all-ages fall activity and another way for the farms to benefit from visitors during the harvest season.

At the Coppal House Farm in Lee, you’ll find a different design each year. “Every year our corn maze theme encompasses something that you would see in your own back yard, be it animal, plant, reptile, amphibian, or avian,” according to the farm’s website. “Our crops are rotated around the farm for the health of the soil, so our corn maze is a different experience every year. Depending on the weather, the corn maze has been planted by our Belgian Draft Horses and it is almost always harvested by them. Our corn is not of the human eating variety, instead it is a feed corn used for the nourishment of our sheep flock and our horses.”

At Elwood Orchards in Derry, they posted photos of green corn stalks in early July: “Corn maze construction is underway!” the post read, highlighting the multi-step process and long journey of turning corn to maze.

At Moulton Farm in Meredith, a post from fall 2023 also talks about starting the maze in the summer: “Our corn maze is planted every year in mid to late June, depending on the weather. The field is planted in both directions to create a grid. The maze is then designed by hand. ​An outline of the field is drawn on about 20 pieces of graph paper taped together. Each line on the graph paper represents 1 row of corn. Wes Thomas, who has worked at our farm since he was in high school, starts translating his design idea onto graph paper. This process alone takes one or two days and several erasers.”

At Beech Hill Farm and Ice Cream Barn in Hopkinton, the farm creates two unique corn mazes every fall. This 200-acre farm, under conservation and going back to 1771, is open every day until Thursday, Oct. 31, for corn maze fun until dusk. An admission price of $7 covers both mazes, and children 3 and under get in free.

Holly Kimball, one of the owners of the farm, is a former educator whose love of her family’s farm is apparent.

“This is a multigenerational farm, so we have the seventh, eighth and ninth generations running the farm,” Kimball said. Much of the farm is run and maintained by Holly as well as her son, Nate Kimball-Barr, and his wife, Hannah Kimball-Barr.

Besides corn mazes they have around 500 trees tapped for maple syrup, they raise pork, and there’s a menagerie of farm animals that include baby goats, sheep, lambs, peacocks, Shetland ponies and more.

“We have a wide array of farm animals that people love to visit,” Holly Kimball said. “Over 100 animals here, actually.” Beef cattle are a mainstay as well.

“We have a nice mixture of Black and Red Angus and then we have some Simmental blood mixed in there…. We were a dairy farm for 225 years, and the dairy cattle were sold in 1996. That’s when my parents decided to sell ice cream to keep the farm going,” she said.

Ice cream is as big a draw as the animals at Beech Hill, she noted. “So many times when I’m outside taking care of the plants I’ll hear people come and they’ll say, ‘Do you want to see the animals first or get the ice cream first?’”

As the weather begins to get cooler, fall becomes apparent. “We also grow acres of pumpkins so it won’t be long before we’ll start picking pumpkins and gourds … the barnyard is just a sea of orange once the pumpkins get ripe.”

The mazes opened on Aug. 1 this year, and although they start in the summer the mazes lead the farm into the new seasons.

Kimball’s background in teaching fuels each new maze theme.

“I want one that’s good for school-aged [visitors] and one that’s for everyone,” she said. “We come up with two fresh new themes each year and we come up with designs that complement the themes. I vary it each year so that the format is different. People can make it competitive or a team-building activity.”

These are not your typical mazes.

“I work on some kind of a scavenger hunt-style activity for each one,” she said. “That is hugely popular with people because they are not just walking through a maze. They actually have a piece of paper in their hand and they’re trying to solve a giant crossword puzzle or sometimes it’s a Jeopardy! game. I always try to have at least one that’s a game style.”

One of the themes this year is Museum Mixup.

“It’s based on the Smithsonian Museums that my family actually went and saw last January. I chose a lot of the artifacts that we saw from five different museums and then I turned that into a scavenger hunt where people need to find all of the items listed and match them to the museum that they are displayed in,” she said. These include the National Zoo, the American History museum and the Air and Space Museum. “It’s a lot of pop culture, things that are multi-generational and people will kind of get a kick out of.”

The concept is easy to follow, Kimball said. “What we do is we hide the signs in the maze, all throughout it, and if people can find all the items on the scavenger hunt list they know they’ve been through the entire maze.”

In honor of Hawaii’s 65 years as a state, the second maze is The Amazing Aloha State Maze. “That one’s a giant crossword puzzle. People really love the crossword puzzle. They’re finding signs in the maze that say one-across or 13-down, whatnot, and they fill in the puzzle as they go,” Kimball said.

Mazes have a little something for everyone.

“It appeals to all ages. The kids like to go in because they can spy all the signs and the older children that are reading, that becomes another level, and then the ones that want to do the crossword and check the answers as they go through, and some do it as a team, some as a family, it really makes for a fun fall outing for people,” she said.

Kimball is always figuring out new ways to maze.

“It’s always in the back of my mind. I do research. I look at every different angle…. It gets very tricky not to repeat,” she said.

How do Holly’s designs come to life? First is the planting.

“My son grows the fields, the acres of corn. He plants the corn very close together. It’s almost cross planted so it’s very dense, very close-growing stalks of corn in the field. We’re also using a hybrid corn that grows quickly and it grows tall,” she said. It has reached 10 feet.

The corn is not just for the mazes.

“First and foremost, we’re planting this corn anyway because we have 50 head of beef cattle here on the farm. That corn is 100-day corn that gets planted and it has nutritional value for our cows,” she said. “We have a lot of signs up that say, ‘Please don’t pick the corn,’ because that’s a food crop that is really essential for our farm.”

After agriculture comes the technology.

“Nate and his wife, Hannah, actually use Google Earth and a lot of math and figure out how to put that design and make it fit in the shape of that field,” Kimball said.

“The first step after that is the design. They draw out on graph paper, then they’re looking at Google Earth and they’re deciding which design is going to fit better on one piece rather than the other,” she said.

The shape of each plot is a deciding factor: “One is a little longer and thinner. The other one is a little more boxy, the acreage.”

The growth of the corn helps dictate when the structure gets crafted.

“There’s the old farmer’s saying, ‘knee high by the fourth of July’ — that’s when we start thinking about wanting to cut the corn because if you wait until the corn is eye level, it’s really, really hard to see where your next point is that you’re trying to go to,” Kimball said.

Farm engineering lends a hand as the maze is sculpted out of corn.

“They have to scale the dimensions of the design to the 4-acre plot. They use a GPS point finder and Nate is able to mow the path while his wife is standing and holding a surveyor stick,” she said. “He does an amazing job because his designs come out with a lot of symmetry and that is not easy to do. He’s done an octopus, he’s done a cow, a beehive, some Olympic medals, and it’s remarkable how precise he can be just using your own basic tools like an old beater lawn mower. You have to go over all the paths in the maze several times until it’s just dirt…. It’s very labor-intensive.”

How long is this path? “We do know that it takes 30 to 40 minutes to do each maze. That’s finding the signs, stopping, writing in the answer. People like that too because they don’t want to go in there and get really lost. You still can’t see over your head but the size is very doable.”

After Halloween the corn is siloed. “It will feed our cows all the way through the winter up until April. Not many people that have corn mazes actually do something with the corn, and ours go to the cows.”

How did the maze craze start? Kimball was with her father around 25 years ago in Vermont and saw either a brochure or bumper sticker that sparked the interest. “There’s a maze they call the Great Vermont Maze, and I said to my dad, ‘I think we can do that,’ and over the winter we tried to think of everything that would be involved and what we would have to do…. That’s what started it, a maze in Vermont.”

The belief in themselves has sparked a new tradition at this old farm, Kimball said: “We get a little better each year, I think.”

Where to corn maze

Here are some of the area corn mazes. Call before you go to make sure the maze is open that day as availability can change based on weather and other factors. Know of a maze not mentioned here? Let us know at [email protected].

• Applecrest Farm Orchards (133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, 926-3721, applecrest.com) Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cost: $9 per person and free for ages 5 and under. This 8-acre corn field features a maze of twists and turns that typically remains open through Halloween or early November depending on weather conditions. Applecrest, which features pick your own apples, also hosts a fall festival every weekend through the end of October with live music, tractor rides and food for sale, according to the website. On Sunday, Oct. 20, it’s the annual Great Pumpkin Carve from noon to 4 p.m. when the master carver creates a many-hundred-pound jack-o’-lantern, the website said.

• Beans & Greens Farm (245 Intervale Road, Gilford, 293-2853, beansandgreensfarm.com) Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; a night maze is offered Friday and Saturday from 7:30 to 10 p.m. with last entry at 9:15 p.m. Cost: $14 for adults and $10 for kids 9 and younger Monday through Friday. $16 for adults and $12 for kids 9 and under for Saturday and Sunday. The cost for the night maze is $24 according to their website; it is anticipated to open Friday, Sept. 20. On Saturday, Sept. 28, the Notch Biergarten by Beans & Greens Farm will hold its second annual Oktoberfest from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (with activities such as a sausage toss at 1 p.m., chicken dance-off at 2 p.m., a beer stein holding contest at 3 p.m., a kids’ fun park and more) and a Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with live music, a kids’ fun park, candy cannon, craft fair, hayrides and more, according to the website.

• Beech Hill Farm and Ice Cream Barn (107 Beech Hill Road, Hopkinton, 223-0828, beechhillfarm.com) Hours: Daily, noon to dusk. Cost: $7 per person and free for kids ages 3 and under. Beech Hill Farm and Ice Cream Barn has two 4-acre corn mazes, and $7 gives you access to both. This year’s themes are “Museum Mixup” and “The Amazing Aloha State Maze,” and maze-goers search for signs with clues in a scavenger hunt style. Complete the puzzles to navigate through. The mazes are open daily through Oct. 31. In addition to the ice cream and homemade waffle cones, Beech Hill offers pumpkins, mums and more in its Gardner’s Barn. On Sunday, Sept. 22, from 1 to 4 p.m., author Matt Forrest Ensenwine will sign copies of his picture books; his new book Tractor Dance is for sale at the ice cream barn, according to the farm’s Facebook page.

• Brookdale Fruit Farm (41 Broad St., Hollis, 465-2240, brookdalefruitfarm.com) Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: $4 per person. The corn maze is among several family-friendly activities that will be available at Brookdale Fruit Farm this fall, along with hayrides and apple picking. The farm also features an ice cream stand and a wide variety of local products in its farm stand, including the farm’s own honey, canned vegetables and jellies and more, according to the website.

• Brookford Farm (250 West Road, Canterbury, brookfordfarm.com, 742-4084) Corn maze hours: Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $8 for everyone 3 and over; free for kids 2 and under. This coming weekend, the farm’s pick-your-own offerings include raspberries and pumpkins, according to the website, where you can find the picking schedule through the end of October and purchase corn maze tickets. The weekend of Saturday, Oct. 12, through Monday, Oct. 14, is Pumpkins and Puppets, which will feature pumpkin picking, Wicked Witches of the Lakes Region (on Oct. 12 at 11 a.m.), marionettes (Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m), feed the pigs, cow parades, farm basketball, hayrides, puppet show, build your own scarecrow and more, according to the website, where you can purchase tickets for a day’s admission.

• Coppal House Farm (118 N. River Road, Lee, 659-3572, nhcornmaze.com) Hours: Monday, Thursday and Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entrance is at 4:30 p.m.). Columbus Day hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: $10 for adults, $8 for kids ages 5 to 12 and for students, seniors and active military service members, and free for kids ages 4 and under. This year’s theme is the 2024 Anniversary Moose Corn Maze to celebrate 20 years of Coppal House Farm. There are also three nighttime maze dates that are open to the public, scheduled for Sept. 28, Oct. 12 and Oct. 26 (general admission is $15 per person; online ticketing only) — bring your own flashlight. The farm’s farm stand is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers meats, local maple syrup and more, according to the website. A Harvest Weekend celebration will be held Saturday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, Sept. 22, with events including horse-drawn wagon rides, fairy house building (Sept. 21 from 1 to 3 p.m.), acorn scarecrow building (Sept. 22 from 1 to 3 p.m.), wildlife encounters (Sept. 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and farm animals, according to the website. Catch live music both days and food will be for sale from Crescent City Kitchen, Refuge BBQ and Ken’s Corn, the website said.

• Elwood Orchards (54 Elwood Road, Londonderry, 434-6017, elwoodorchards.com) Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entrance is at 5 p.m.) Cost: $12 per person and free for kids ages 5 and under. The 15-acre corn maze at this family-owned and -operated farm and orchard is open now and typically through the first weekend of November. In addition to pick-your-own apples, the orchard offers “delicious treats at the farm stand” and fall decorations, according to the website.

• J & F Farms (124 Chester Road, Derry, 437-0535, jandffarmsnh.com) Hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: $10 per person. The corn maze is Fall-themed in September and Halloween-themed in October at this longtime family-run farm and is open to the public now through the end of October. Also at the farm, you can visit and feed the animals at the petting farm and buy some fresh produce and honey, according to the website.

• Lavoie’s Farm (172 Nartoff Road, Hollis, 882-0072, lavoiesfarm.com) Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cost: Free. At the family-owned and -operated Lavoie’s Farm, visitors can traverse the 3-acre corn maze. Visitors in the fall “can … enjoy hay rides, a corn maze, a corn boil, and apple cider — all free with any produce purchase,” according to the website. Pinky’s Traveling Smokestack is expected to be selling barbecue at the farm on weekends in September and October, according to a Facebook post from the Farm.

• Mack’s Apples (230 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, macksapples.com, 432-3456) Corn maze is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays Mack’s also has weekend Bee Train rides from noon to 5 p.m. and hayrides around the orchard from 1 to 5 p.m.

• Moulton Farm (18 Quarry Road, Meredith, moultonfarm.com, 279-3915) Corn maze hours: 8 a.m to 4 p.m. daily. The cost is $10 per person, $6 for ages 3 to 6, free for under 3, the website said. The corn maze opens for the season on Saturday, Sept. 21, which will also see the opening of pumpkin picking (which will run through Oct. 14), according to the website. Other events include a view of the baby goats (called “New ‘Kids’ On the Block”), horse drawn carriages and live music some weekends (starting Saturday, Sept. 28) and face painting from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, through Monday, Oct. 14. The farm also features Sal’s Fresh Seafood Thursdays through Sundays; baked goods, salads, meals, soups, sandwiches and more for sale at the farm market; Cider Bellies cider doughnuts Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Moutlon’s Hay Wagon food truck Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and fresh produce from Moulton’s and other farms in the market, according to the website.

• Riverview Farm (141 River Road, Plainfield, 298-8519, riverviewnh.com) Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cost: $8 per person and free for kids ages 4 and under. Artist and illustrator Emily Zea comes up with new themes each year for Riverview Farm’s corn maze, and visitors this year will see monsters and folklore, a similar theme to last year but with a whole new path. The Farm Store is open through October, offering doughnuts, cider, jams, honey and more; visitors can bring a packed lunch to eat at the picnic tables on the lawn.

• Trombly Gardens (150 N. River Road, Milford, 673-0647, tromblygardens.net) Hours: Daily, from 9 a.m. to dusk. Cost: $9 per person and free for kids ages 3 and under. Bringing in a canned good will result in $1 off entry (one can per person) and the item will be donated to a local food bank. Visitors can also “grab an ice cream and visit the animals while you are here,” according to a recent Facebook post from the Gardens. Starting in October on Friday and Saturday there will be a night maze whose times vary based on the schedule of The Dark Woods (thedarkwoodsnh.com), which is a haunted trail on the other side of the farm, through Halloween.

• Washburn’s Windy Hill (orchard 66 Mason Road, Greenville, 878-2101, washburnswindyhillorchard.com) Hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cost: $5 per person and free for kids ages 3 and under. The 5-acre corn maze at Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard is open daily, rain or shine, through the end of October. Visitors can visit farm animals and browse the gift shop; there are picnic tables and a play area for children.

Featured Photos : A previous maze at Beech Hill Farm. Photo by Jody Reynolds.

This year’s apple harvest looks (Golden) delicious

This year’s apple harvest looks (Golden) delicious

By John Fladd
[email protected]

2023 was an exceptionally bad year for apples in New Hampshire.
After a particularly frigid snap in February, temperatures in May across the state plunged well below freezing and killed off almost all the apple blossoms. Without apple blossoms, there can’t be any apples. Many apple-growers lost 80 percent or more of their crop. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen urged Congress to provide disaster assistance to New Hampshire farmers impacted by the weather. The event was later declared a disaster by the U.S Secretary of Agriculture.
But that was last year.
2024 has been as good as 2023 was awful.
“It’s a good apple year,” said Madison Hardy, the president of the New Hampshire Fruit Growers Association (38 Broad St, Hollis, 465-2241, nhfruitgrowers.org). “The weather has been cooperating and people have good crops. We’re looking forward to the fall agritourism since we didn’t have the apples last year; it’s shaping up to be a good fall here.”
In spite of some hail earlier in the summer, the weather has been excellent for apples.This spring and summer were warm, with plenty of, but not too much, rain, and Hardy said the September weather has cooperated, too.
“We’ve had some good, nice, cool weather that’s coming in. That really helps the apples color up this time of year. A lot of people are wrapping up picking Paula Reds and early varieties and we’re starting to get into the McIntosh and Cortland season coming up,” Hardy said.
Dianne Souther, co-owner of Apple Hill Farm (580 Mountain Road, Concord, 224-8862, applehillfarmnh.com), agrees that this year has been a lot less stressful than 2023. Her farm was one of the ones that lost more than 80 percent of its apple crop, but like other apple-growers, she is cautiously optimistic.
“This year’s crop is looking good,” Souther said. “The weather’s been good to us this year. We expect to pick through Indigenous People’s Day in the middle of October.”
Unlike Dianne Souther, Tim Bassett at Gould Hill Farm (656 Gould Hill Road, Contoocook, 746-3811, gouldhillfarm.com) wasn’t badly affected by last year’s weather — at least not directly.
“We did have a pretty decent crop last year,” Bassett said, “and unfortunately I think the news was out that there were no apples and we just didn’t have people coming out. So it just seemed [business was] very off last year and not because we didn’t have apples, just because I think people thought nobody had apples.”
Bassett said that this year is looking good, though.
“We’ve been open for a week for Pick Your Own,” he said. “Our hard cider company is open weekends, and we have a restaurant. I think we have nine varieties of hard cider going. So we kind of try to get people and give them a full day’s experience here,”
As Madison Nelson said, picking has already started on early-season varieties of apples like Paula Red, McIntosh and Summermacs. Mid-season varieties should be ready to pick sometime until the end of September. These include Cortland, Empire, Gala and Macoun apples. Late-season varieties like Mutsu, Honeycrisp, Braeburn and heirloom cider apples should be available through October, and perhaps a little longer.

APPLE FACTS
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as of 2022 (the most recent year with published data) New Hampshire had 271 working apple farms, covering 1,435 acres.

According to Gould Hill Farm (656 Gould Hill Road, Contoocook, 746-3811, gouldhillfarm.com), far and away the most popular apple in New England is the McIntosh, which was developed from a sapling graft in 1870 by John McIntosh of Ontario, Canada. It is a sweet, firm apple, good for out-of-hand eating or baking.

The biggest apple producer in the U.S. is Washington state, which produces 6.7 billion tons of apples annually, according to the USDA.

Pick Your Own

Here are a some of the nearby orchards allowing you to pick your own apples. Dates and times may change according to the weather.

• Applecrest Farm Orchards (133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, 926-3721, applecrest.com) Open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The orchard also features a corn maze and a sunflower trail. For up-to-the-minute weather and picking conditions, call the orchard’s PYO hotline at 926-3721. Apples can also be ordered online.
• Apple Hill Farm (580 Mountain Road, Concord, 224-8862, applehillfarmnh.com) Open 7 days a week, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year there are 19 varieties of apples available. Different varieties will be ready to pick at different times throughout the season. Apple prices for PYO is $24 for a peck, $36 for a half bushel.
• Appleview Orchard (1266 Upper City Road, Pittsfield, applevieworchard.com, 435-3553) Open for PYO Saturday and Sunday only, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Enjoy baked treats, ice cream and a petting zoo.
• Brookdale Fruit Farm (41 Broad St., Hollis, 465-2240, brookdalefruitfarm.com) Open 7 days a week, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. An ice cream stand is open daily from 11 a.m to 6 p.m. Call the Farm for current picking conditions.
• Carter Hill Orchard (73 Carter Hill Road, Concord, 225-2625, carterhillapples.com) Open 7 days a week, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. An on-site bakery offers a variety of pies, sweet breads and cookies, cider doughnuts and whoopie pies. Visit the Orchard’s website for apple variety descriptions, calendar and orchard map.
• Currier Orchards (9 Peaslee Road, Merrimack, 881-8864, currierorchards.com) Open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the last entry for PYO at 5 p.m. Apple varieties include Jonastar, Honeycrisp, Liberty and Empire.
• Elwood Orchards (54 Elwood Road, Londonderry, 434-6017, elwoodorchards.com) Open 7 days a week, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is a corn maze on site.
• Gould Hill Farm (656 Gould Hill Road, Contoocook, 746-3811, gouldhillfarm.com) Open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. More than 100 varieties of apple are available during the picking season. Visit the website for a description of each variety and to find out which are ripe and ready to be picked.
• Hackleboro Orchards (61 Orchard Road, Canterbury, 783-4248, hackleboroorchard.com) Open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pick your own in half peck, peck, and half bushel amounts. The orchard’s owners report having a very good crop this season.
• Hazelton Orchards (20 Harantis Lake Road, Chester, 490-9921, facebook.com/HazeltonOrchardsChesterNH) Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m Saturday and Sunday. Many varieties of apple, including McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Gala and Zestar.
• Kimball Fruit Farm (184 Hollis St, Pepperell, Mass., 978-433-9751, kimball.farm) Open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Lavoie’s Farm (172 Nartoff Road, Hollis, 882-0072, lavoiesfarm.wordpress.com) Open 7 days a week, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Apple varieties include Fuji, Spartan Macs, Gravenstein and Sansa. Guests can enjoy hay rides, a corn maze, a corn boil and apple cider, all free with any produce purchase.
• Lull Farm (65 Broad St., Hollis, 465-7079, livefreeandfarm.com) Open 7 days a week, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Mack’s Apples/Moose Hill Orchard (230 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 434-7619, macksapples.com) Open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mack’s Apples is the largest pick-your-own destination in New Hampshire. Driving between picking stations is recommended. Call the Orchard’s hotline at 432-3456 for the latest picking conditions and to find out what varieties are ready.
• McLeod Brothers Orchards (735 N. River Road, Milford, mcleodorchards.com) Open Monday through Friday, 1 to 5:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Apple varieties include McIntosh, Gala, Mutsu and Cortland.
• Meadow Ledge Farm (612 Route 129, Loudon, 798-5860, meadowledgefarm.com) Open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fresh-pressed apple cider and award-winning apple cider doughnuts are available at Meadow Ledge’s farm store. For the most current information, visit the Farm’s Facebook page.
• Oliver Merril and Sons (569 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 622-6636, facebook.com/olivermerrillandsons) Open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Smith Orchard (184 Leavitt Road, Belmont, 387-8052, facebook.com/SmithOrchardNH) Open 7 days, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Stone Mountain Farm (522 Laconia Road, Belmont, 731-2493, stonemtnfarm.com) Open Thursday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 30 apple varieties are available as they become ripe.
• Sunnycrest Farm (59 High Range Road, Londonderry, 432-7753, sunnycrestfarmnh.com) Open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call Sunnycrest’s PYO hotline at 432-9652 for daily updates on picking conditions and varieties available. There is a “Meet the Farm Animals” area, home to goats and sheep along with the occasional pig. Visitors can feed and pet the animals through the fence.
• Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard (66 Mason Road, Greenville, 878-2101, washburnswindyhillorchard.com) Open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is a corn maze, ice cream and hot apple cider doughnuts.
  
  

Making an apple pie is as easy as — well, it’s not hard
Advice from an expert

Lynn Donnelly is the owner of Bittersweet Bake Shoppe (272 Derry Road, Litchfield, 978- 649-2253, bittersweetbakeshoppe.com), a small-batch bakery that specializes in seasonal desserts. It would be fair to call her an apple pie expert.

What makes a good apple pie?
A well-made apple pie has color and texture — the greens, the reds — brown sugar so it’s a little more caramely, and of course a fresh homemade crust.

A top and bottom crust?
Yes, though we do switch it up [at the bakery]. We do a Dutch crust with the crumbs on top, and sometimes we do a lattice crust. Some people just want it like an old-fashioned rustic tart, so to speak. We just fold the edges in. But our typical [apple pie] is a two-crust pie.

What’s the secret to a good crust?
The secret to the crust is a secret.
Actually, it’s a technique. Everybody has one. We have one that works for us, but you have to make sure that fat you choose — whether it’s shortening or butter or a little of both — you have to make sure it’s good and cold so that when you bake it, your layers will explode and pop with the fat and create the flakes.
What kind of fat do you use in your crust?
Do you ever use shortening? The shortening crust can be delicious. But stay with the Crisco because at least you know where it’s been, what it’s doing, and it is non-hydrogenated. They were the first ones to jump into that. I will use shortening in my crust because it adds to the flake.

Do you cook the apples down before you put them in the crust?
Not really. The apples are the last thing to go in. I make my filling, the roux [a thickened sauce], and I put in my fruit last. And then I cook it until it’s just right. The apples aren’t fully cooked. They’re only somewhat cooked. And it’s only because they’ll release some juice and change the texture of the roux. So you’ve got to make sure that all comes together; then you pour it into the pie, and it’ll finish baking in the oven. That way, your apples aren’t mushy. You want them to hold up so when you slice it [the pie] you’ll see pieces of apple.

—John Fladd

Apple pie
This recipe comes from owner Brookdale Fruit Farm owner Cameron Hardy’s grandmother Betty Hardy. Cameron and his wife, Nicole, recommend baking this pie with raw, crispy apples, preferably Baldwin, Northern Spy or Jonagold. They, too, are proponents of a Crisco crust.

1 recipe pastry for a 9-inch double-crust pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste.
Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly.
Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the apples, and cover with a latticework of crust. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until the apples are soft.

Additional apple reading
To learn more about the long and strange history of apples, Louisa Spencer from Farnum Hill Cider recommends reading The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World (2001) by Michael Pollan. “In a way, I think that’s the best book he ever wrote,” she says. The movie documentary based on the book was partially filmed at Farnum Hill’s orchard.

Apple by the glass

A look at cider, brandy & wine — from apples

By John Fladd
[email protected]

When most of us think about apple season, we think of apple-picking, pies and lunch boxes. There is a completely different side to apples, though — one best enjoyed in a glass.
Flag Hill Distillery and Winery (297 N. River Road, Lee, 659-2949, flaghill.com) makes an apple-cranberry wine around the holidays, but its main interest in apples is for making brandy. Brian Ferguson is the owner of Flag Hill. According to him, fermenting apples and distilling brandy from them are important, and taken very seriously, but the key process for making excellent apple brandy is how it’s aged.
“After fermentation, we double pot distill [the cider],” Ferguson explained. “It’s very similar to the way we would make bourbon, but with a very full flavor, very rich. And then we put it in a barrel and it sleeps there for about six years.” He said Flag Hill uses several types of oak for the barrels — toasted, to bring out specific flavors to infuse the brandy — but that it is vital that some of the oak has been aged for at least three years, which allows microscopic strands of fungi to tunnel through the wood. “The mycelium [fungus], as it grows throughout the oak, creates more porosity over that longer period of time,” he said. “So we get more micro-oxidation during this process. These are much more expensive barrels to use, but they result in much more of the exciting compounds that we’re looking for out of the brandy.” The porosity — the tiny tunnels — in the oak provides more surface area to allow the exchange of flavor-bearing chemicals.
Apple brandy and its slightly more relaxed cousins apple wine and hard cider are enjoying a renaissance. It has taken about a century to recover from an involuntary hiatus that knocked the apple alcohol industry back on its heels since 1920. The Volstead Act, otherwise known as Prohibition, was rough on apple farmers.
Up until that time, in the U.S. and around the world, apples were used more for making alcohol than for eating or cooking. Louisa Spencer of Farnum Hill Ciders (98 Poverty Lane, Lebanon, 448-1511, farnumhillciders.com) explained that American orchardists had to rethink everything about their industry. Prior to Prohibition, the vast majority of apples grown in the U.S. were specialized varieties that were excellent for fermenting into hard cider but not very good for eating out-of-hand.
“When you’ve got acres and acres and acres of woody plants that do not produce anything that anybody would put in a pie or a fruit bowl, what are you going to do?” Spencer said. “You can see in these old agricultural journals people talking about in the run-up to Prohibition whether they’re going to stop making cider, and what they’re going to do was disassociate the word ‘cider’ from alcohol. And alone on Earth, we became a culture that thinks of cider as apple juice. That was quite intentional. They distinguished sweet cider from hard cider and it happened incredibly fast.”
For several generations, apples remained lunch-box fruit and cider was a cold, refreshing, alcohol-free beverage. That changed in the 1980s. Woodchuck hard cider, made from Vermont apples, was the first mainstream commercial cider, and Farnum Hill led the way with artisanally made cider from heirloom varieties of apple.
“So the decision was made here at Poverty Lane Orchards to plant a whole lot of apples that no one in the States had ever heard of and no one would be able to eat even if they had heard of them,” Spencer said.
Since then, apple-based alcohols have become increasingly popular, especially in apple-growing regions like New England.
In addition to making traditional red and white wines, Sweet Baby Vineyard (260 Stage Road, Hampstead, 347-1738, sweetbabyvineyard.com) produces eight different fruit-based wines. Lewis Eaton is the vineyard’s owner; he has made apple wines for 16 years, making his vineyard one of the pioneers in New Hampshire apple wine. “You know it,” he said. “We’ve been around a bit.”
Sweet Baby makes two apple wines: a cranberry-apple wine, and one with apples only. Their complex flavors come in part from the number of varieties of apple used to make them.
“[We use] 13 different kinds of apples,” Eaton said, “heirloom and standard varieties. The heirloom apples are old English-style apples.” Sweet Baby starts with a proprietary blend of apple juices from Applecrest Farm Orchard (133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, 926-3721, applecrest.com). “It’s what they call their holiday cider,” Eaton said. “So it’s the best of the best, in that it has all those 13 or so different kinds of apples. Obviously they adjust the blend, depending on whether it’s too sweet or too tart, and then we take it in as fresh pressed cider. We remediate it to get up to 12 percent alcohol.” Eaton and his team use Champagne yeast, which tolerates higher levels of alcohol than traditional cider yeast, which normally tops out at 4 or 5 percent alcohol by volume.
Sweet Baby Vineyard makes about 400 cases of the straight apple wine per year, and 200 cases of their apple-cranberry.
“We sell out of it every year,” Eaqton said. The apple-cranberry wine is extremely popular around the holidays. “It goes bonkers and we never seem to make enough,” he said. “People get a little mad, but whatever. It is what it is. Maybe that makes them want it more, I suppose. If we made too much of it, then they wouldn’t want it so much.”
By contrast, Pete Endris, the owner and cider-maker at Bird Dog Farm and Cidery (150 Bayside Road, Greenland, 303-6214, birddogcider.com), has been in business for two years. He, too, is a firm believer in using juice blends from different apples to make a complex cider.
“At Bird Dog we focus on making ciders using traditional methods,” he said, “and definitely paying attention to the right cider varieties. So what I like to tell people is much like with wine, you don’t make the best wine from table grapes, and it’s usually the case that you don’t make the best cider with just any old apple.” He credits the popularity of hard ciders to the resurgence of bitter-tasting heirloom apple varieties. “They tend to have more tannins, which are usually associated with bitterness or complexity, and they have different flavor compounds that, honestly, over the years have made them maybe less desirable for eating, and some of these apples have fallen by the wayside. And the traditional cider movement is bringing some of these apples back to the forefront.”
As a small cider producer, Bird Dog Farm is just getting started. “We’re just getting kind off the ground,” Endris said. “We make around 2,000 gallons of cider a year, but alongside the cider we’re growing out our orchard, so we have nearly 1,500 trees planted. My wife and I bought this farm, which for most of its modern history was a working dairy farm, but it hasn’t been a working farm for about 50 years. And so we have planted all these trees, and we’re growing them in a high-density fashion, like a vineyard, basically. They’re on a trellis, they’re dwarf rootstocks, the trees only get to be about maybe 12 feet tall, and they’re kept within about a 3-foot space.”
Endris is in the process of opening a tasting room where customers can compare Bird Dog Farm’s eight varieties of cider.
“We’ve been spending a lot of time renovating an old dairy barn built in the 1950s,” he said, “and it now houses our cidery. Recently we’ve been focusing on the tasting room part of it, which we will be planning to open up here in late September.”

An apple vocabulary word to make you look cool
Under certain conditions, apples can develop rough, brownish skins. This is called “russeting”. Some varieties that are particularly susceptible to russeting have the word “russet” in their names — golden russet or English russet, for example. Russet potatoes are called that because they are entirely covered with russetted skin.

Featured Photos : Brookdale Fruit Farm. Courtesy photo.

A season of fairs, music, festivals, theater, and more

It’s time for crisp mornings, pumpkin spice in everything and a packed calendar of arts events. Fall — the season of happenings if not quite yet the official season — kicks off this weekend with fairs, festivals, theater, art exhibits and so much more. We present our annual guide to all the autumnal fun, running now until the holidays take over.

FAIRS & FESTIVALS

• The Hillsborough County Agricultural Fair takes place Friday, Sept. 6, through Sunday, Sept. 8, at 17 Hilldale Lane in New Boston. The fair is open Friday noon to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. New events this year include pedal tractor pulling and a zero-turn obstacle course. Visit hcafair.org.

• The 11th annual New Hampshire Monarch Festival (petalsinthepines.com/monarch-festival) continues at Petals in the Pines (126 Baptist Road, Canterbury, petalsinthepines.com, 783-0220) Friday, Sept. 6, through Sunday, Sept. 8. Online reservations for two-hour time slots are required; the cost is $7 for adults, $3.50 for kids, and infants (non-walkers) get in free. Learn about ways to help migrating monarchs and other pollinators at the festival, which will feature kids’ activities and games, monarch tagging, book readings, labyrinths, ask a master gardener, free milkweed seeds and 2 miles of woodland trails and garden paths, according to a press release. Butterfly wings and costumes are encouraged, according to the website.

• Auburn will hold its 31st annual Duck Race on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 2 p.m. as part of 2024 Auburn Day, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Auburn Village on Hooksett Road. Winning ducks get their ticket-holders prizes — from $1,000 for first prize through $25 for 6th through 10th place. The day will also feature an apple pie contest, a cookie baking contest for kids, a small petting zoo, music by Ray Zerkle, the Pinkerton Marching Band, a New Hampshire National Guard Black Hawk helicopter, food trucks, children’s games and more. See auburnhistorical.org.

• Friends of Benson Park’s third annual Family Fun Day will take place Saturday, Sept. 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Benson Park (19 Kimball Hill Road, Hudson, friendsofbensonpark.org). Details to be announced.

• The Nashua Multicultural Festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Nashua Public Library plaza (2 Court St.). The event will feature music, dance, food and more from the cultures of Nashua. See nashuanh.gov.

• There will be a Harvest Festival Psychic and Craft Fair Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Londonderry American Legion (6 Sargent Road, Londonderry).There will be food, vendors, crafters, psychic readers, live music and more. Admission is free. Visit the event’s Facebook page.

• Concorso Italian, a free Italian car show at Tuscan Village (9 Via Toscano, Salem, tuscanvillagesalem.com), will run Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature live music, street food, entertainment and more than 150 exotic cars.

• The Granite State Fair at 72 Lafayette Road in Rochester will run Thursday, Sept. 12, through Sunday, Sept. 15, and Thursday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 22. Find a ride list with height requirements at granitestatefair.com. One-day tickets cost $10 per person through Sept. 11, or $12 per person Sept. 12 and beyond (children 8 and under get in free).

• Pelham Old Home Day is Saturday, Sept. 14, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 3 Main St. in Pelham. The day will include music, fitness demonstrations, dance and martial arts demonstrations, food trucks (meat pies, poutine, hot dogs, fries, chicken fingers, ice cream, beverages and desserts), a pancake and sausage breakfast at the Church Fellowship Hall, crafts and goods vendors, a white elephant yard sale, a 5K road race, kids’ games, touch a truck, a cornhole tournament, a grand parade, a performance by the Windham Community Band, a penny sale raffle and more, according to pelhamoldhomeday.org.

• Greater Derry’s Got Talent will take place Saturday Sept. 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway, Derry, 404-2928, derryoperahouse.org). This is a community-wide talent show. Admission is free but you may purchase vote tickete. Snacks and water will be available for $1 each (cash only). Visit derryoperahouse.org/events.

• The Hampton Falls Craft Festival will run Saturday, Sept. 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Town Common (Route 1, Hampton Falls). Admission to this outdoor event is free. More than 75 juried artisans from all over New England will display and sell theirworks. See castleberryfairs.com.

• The Manchester City-Wide Art Festival returns for its second year and runs Monday, Sept. 16, through Saturday, Sept. 21, culminating in a free arts & crafts fair on Saturday, Sept. 21, in the Opera Block of Hanover Street. See palacetheatre.org/manchester-citywide-arts-festival.

• The Humane Society for Greater Nashua will hold its Wags to Whiskers Festival Saturday, Sept. 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Anheuser-Busch Brewery (221 DW Highway, Merrimack, 595-1202, anheuser-busch.com/breweries/merrimack-nh). It will be a day of fun, featuring vendors, food trucks, demos, games and raffles. There will be an adoption tent on site with puppies. Visit hsfn.org/festival-2024. Tickets are $15 for adults 21 and up, $12 for ages 17 to 20. Ages 16 and younger attend free.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover, childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) will hold Toddlerfest, its annual celebration of the littlest museum-goers featuring special activities and events, Tuesday, Sept. 17, through Sunday, Sept. 29. A visit to the museum requires online reservations.

• The New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival celebrates Scottish music, sports and culture and runs from Friday, Sept. 20, through Sunday, Sept. 22, at Loon Mountain Resort in Lincoln. An adult pass to all three days costs $100 (children ages 6 to 14 cost $10; ages 5 and under get in free); single-day adult tickets cost $40 to $64 depending on the day. The event features several food and drink events — a beer tasting, a whiskey master class, a Cape Breton dinner, Scottish spirits and stories, a beer pairing dinner and more — each of which has its own tickets. Musical performances also have their own tickets. The main festival will also feature music, a clan village, Scottish living history, classes in aspects of Scottish culture, kids’ programs, Scottish-themed vendors, Scottish and fair food and more. See nhscot.org to purchase tickets.

• Hollis Old Home Days take place Friday, Sept. 20, and Saturday, Sept. 21, at Nichols Field and Lawrence Barn on Depot Road in Hollis. Events include rides, exhibits such as heritage demonstrators (spinning, fly tying, rug hooking, small handiwork and more), an artisan market, entertainment, a pet pageant, a town parade, food trucks both days and fireworks Saturday night, according to the event’s Facebook page. See hollisoldhomedays.org.

• Granite State Comicon will take place Saturday, Sept. 21, through Sunday, Sept. 22 (with a sneak preview night on Friday, Sept. 20), at SNHU Arena and the Doubletree by Hilton, both venues near each other in downtown Manchester. Saturday night there will also be a screening of the live action 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with a cast Q&A at the Rex Theatre in Manchester. Tickets are available for a single day or for a weekend pass; a VIP ticket gets entry for all three days plus other perks. See granitecon.com for a rundown of participating artists and vendors as well as other special guests.

• Hooksett Old Home Day is Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with fireworks scheduled after dusk. The day starts with a parade from Lamberts Park to Donati Park (behind Town Hall, 35 Main St., Hooksett). The day will feature live music, demonstrations, vendors, eating contests and kids’ activities. See hooksettoldhomeday.org.

• Derryfest will run Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day features a vendor fair, performances and more. See derryfest.org.

• Aerospacefest is Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord, 271-7827, starhop.com). The keynote speaker will be astronaut JayGregory C. “Ray J” Johnson. This year AerospaceFest will extend to inside the Discovery Center (weather permitting), meaning visitors can enjoy the Discovery Center exhibit halls and observatory as well as all the guest exhibitors, science-based activities, and a full line-up of fun on the main stage outside. The event is free, though a $5 10 $10 donation will be appreciated. Food will be for sale.

• See airplanes, fire trucks, helicopters, police vehicles and electric vehicles close up at Wings and Wheels on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Nashua Airport (93 Perimeter Road, Nashua, nashuaairport.com). Explore big trucks and planes and see how they work. This free event will include fire trucks, police vehicles, planes, helicopters, DPW vehicles, electric cars and more.

• The Presentation of Mary Academy (182 Lowell Road, Hudson) will hold its Fall Fun Fest on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This fundraiser will feature inflatables, face painting, pumpkin painting, ax throwing, food trucks, a petting zoo, touch a truck, a bake sale, vendors and more. Find them on Facebook.

• Portsmouth Fairy House Tours take place Saturday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, Sept. 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Portsmouth at the Strawbery Banke Museum, John Langdon House, Prescott Park and Gundalow waterfront. The day featuresmore than 250 fairy houses as well as storytelling, face painting, crafts and games — wearing wings is encouraged, according to strawberybanke.org, where you can purchase tickets). Visit fairyhousetour.com.

• The East Kingston Summer Market will be held Sunday, Sept. 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the East Kingston Public Library (47 Maplevale Road, East Kingston, 642-8333, eastkingstonlibrary.org) and will feature crafts, baked goods, artisan vendors and seasonal produce.

• The Concord Multicultural Festival will take place Sunday, Sept. 24, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Keach Park in Concord. There will be music, dance and food vendors with cuisine from a variety of culinary traditions. The food can be purchased with vouchers, which will be available for purchase for $1 and $5 in cash, according to concordnhmulticulturalfestival.org. The event comes after “Welcoming Week,” which runs from Friday, Sept. 13, through Sunday, Sept. 22.

• The Deerfield Fair runs Thursday, Sept. 26, through Sunday, Sept. 29, at the Deerfield Fair grounds (34 Stage Road in Deerfield). The fair is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdaythrough Saturday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost $12 for adults (13 and older). Kids 12 and younger get in free. Discounted entry for seniors is available at the gate on Thursday and Friday; military is free with identification. Ride special wristband days are Friday (9 a.m. to 6 p.m., $30) and Sunday (9 a.m. to 6 p.m., $35). Tickets for rides cost $1.50 each, $30 for a sheet of 25 and $40 for a sheet of 40. In addition to the rides, the fair features live music in multiple locations throughout each day; agricultural and animal shows, demonstrations and competitions; strolling entertainers; the Miss Deerfield Fair scholarship pageant, and concessions. See deerfieldfair.com.

• The Harvest Moon Festival at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road, Warner, indianmuseum.org, 456-2600) is Sunday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. According to the website, the Harvest Moon Festival celebrates the traditional harvest season; it is a family-friendly event featuring craft demonstrations, activities for kids, and educational exhibits. Food for sale, prepared using Native American recipes, includes bison stew, chicken wild rice stew, several varieties of cornbread, and sweets.

• The Joppa Hill Educational Farm (174 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford, 472-4724, sites.google.com/theeducationalfarm.org/joppahillfarm) will hold a Fall Fair on Saturday, Sept. 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will feature artisan booths, food trucks, vendors, tractor rides, apples, pumpkin decorating, live music, kids’ activities and farm fun.

• The Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) will host the New Hampshire Book Festival on Friday, Oct. 4, and Saturday, Oct. 5. This is a premier cultural event featuring live presentations, panels and book signings by more than 40 nationally recognized authors. Visit nhbookfestival.org.

• Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia, visitthefarm.com, 483-5623) holds its Pumpkin Festival Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 6, as well as Saturday, Oct. 14, through Monday, Oct. 16. Admission costs $29 per person (23 months and younger get in free). Pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, take a tractor or horse-drawn wagon ride, enjoy live music and more. The festival also features a cow milking contest (not involving a real cow), pumpkin art, costumed characters and a visit with the farm’s animals. Charmingfare’s Halloween events include children’s trick-or-treat (the last three weekends in October) for families and younger kids and Harvest of Haunts (Oct. 19, Oct. 20, Oct. 26 and Oct. 27 in the early evening) for families and ages 12 and under (but who are old enough for some spookiness).

• The 25th Annual Autumn Craft Festival on the Lake at Mills Falls Marketplace (312 DW Highway, Meredith) will take place Saturday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 85 juried craftsmen and artisans from all over New England will display their work.. See castleberryfairs.com.

• The Milford Pumpkin Festival will take place Friday, Oct. 11, through Sunday, Oct. 13, in and around the Milford Oval with live music at two stages; the Haunted Trail Friday and Saturday; a beer, wine and spirits tasting on Friday and Saturday; a historical walking tour Saturday and Sunday; face and pumpkin painting; scarecrow making; pumpkin carving; a pumpkin flash mob on Sunday, eats and more. See milfordpumpkinfestival.org.

• The Warner Fall Foliage Festival will take place Friday, Oct. 11, through Sunday, Oct. 13, at locations along Main Street in Warner. Events include a parade on Sunday, a kids’ fun run on Sunday morning and an ice cream eating contest on Sunday at noon. See wfff.org.

• Brookford Farm (250 West Road, Canterbury, 742-4084, brookfordfarm.com) will host its annual Pumpkins and Puppets event Saturday, Oct. 12, at 10 a.m. through Monday, Oct. 14, at 4 p.m. Get ready for pumpkin picking, hayrides, puppet shows, building your own scarecrow, and more. General admission tickets are $10 online ($15 at the door), children 3 to 12 years old $7 online ($10 at the door). Children 2 and under are free.

• The New Hampshire Wool Arts Tour takes place Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with happenings on five farms (Spinner Farm in Deering; Glory Be Farm in Bennington; Windfall Farm in Antrim; Ten Talents at La Bergerie Dumas in Greenfield, and Maple Lane Farm in Lyndeborough) including demonstrations of creating yarn, hay rides, music, live animals, food, an opportunity to meet fiber artists, and fiber from a variety of animals for sale, according to woolartstournh.com.

• Concord Sound and Color: Music and Arts Festival will take place in downtown Concord Friday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 19. There will be live performances from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and an outdoor artist market from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. This is a free art and music festival taking place at venues and outdoor locations in the city. Visit concordsoundandcolor.com.

• Windham Recreation Department will hold its annual Harvest Fest on Saturday, Oct. 19, in Griffin Park. See windhamnh.gov for more on this family fun event.

• The Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off and Regatta in downtown Goffstown takes place Saturday, Oct. 19, and Sunday, Oct. 20, with a variety of events each day as well as vendor booths throughout the weekend. See goffstownmainstreet.org/pumpkin-regatta.

• Fulchino Vineyard (187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis, 438-5984, fulchinovineyard.com) will host the 2024 Grape & Italian Festival Hollis Car Show, Sunday, Oct. 20, from noon to 6 p.m. There will be classic cars, music, grape-stomping, vendors and more. Tickets are $15. V

• The New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival will take place Friday, Oct. 26, from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 27, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in downtown Laconia. Events will include doughnut and pumpkin pie eating contests, the Runaway Pumpkin 10K & 5K, a masquerade ball aboard the M/S Mt. Washington, pumpkin carving and decorating, and more. See nhpumpkinfestival.com.

• The Third Annual BeadStock, an event celebrating the artistry of beading from around the world, will take place Saturday, Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road, Warner, indianmuseum.org, 456-2600).

FOOD – FESTIVALS & EVENTS

• The 35th Annual Hampton Beach Seafood Festival will take place Sept. 6 through Sept. 8. More than 50 local food vendors will offer appetizers, entrees and desserts. There will be free parking and shuttle service. Admission each day is $10. Three-day admission is $30. Children 12 and under are free. Visit seafoodfestivalnh.com.

• The Egyptian Food Festival at St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church (29 Chandler St., Nashua, stmarycoptsnh.org) will take place Friday, Sept. 7, through Sunday, Sept. 9, offering Egyptian shish kebab platters, kebba, beef shawarma, falafel, baklava and zalabya. The festival will be open Friday 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

• The Vintage & Vine Fine Wine and Food Festival, a fundraiser for the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, will take place Thursday, Sept. 12, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. (VIP admission at 4 p.m.) on the museum’s grounds. Enjoy wines along with appetizers created by Seacoast area chefs, according to strawberybanke.org, where you can purchase general admission tickets for $95, $40 for designated drivers.

• Glendi, the 45th annual celebration of Greek food and culture at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral (650 Hanover St., Manchester, stgeorgenh.org/activities/glendi, 622-9113), will take place Friday, Sept. 13, through Sunday, Sept. 15. Admission is free but bring money for the dinner or gyros and coffee, pastries and other Greek eats. The festival is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Food service ends at 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday

• Concord Craft Brewing (117 Storrs St. in Concord; concordcraftbrewing.com) will hold its Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 14, noon to 7 p.m. with German food, a stein holding competition and more, according to a post on its Facebook page.

• To Share Brewing Co. (720 Union St., Manchester, tosharebrewing.com) will hold Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 14, beginning at 1 p.m. The day will feature live music, brats topped with kraut, a stein-holding competition and more.

• Candia Road Brewing Co. (840 Candia Road, Manchester, 935-8123, candiaroadbrewingco.com) will host Füt-Fest on Saturday, Sept. 14. “It’s like Oktoberfest, but with your fëët,” they say. Hosted by Bigfüt, the event will feature six local bands.

• The Great New Hampshire Pie Festival will take place at the New Hampshire Farm Museum (1305 White Mountain Hwy., Milton, nhfarmmuseum.org) on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $15 ($6 for kids 12 and under, and free for pie-bakers). Local bakeries will have pies for sampling while local pie makers will compete in a pie contest (kids 12 and under can enter a pie in their own category). The day will also feature a pie crust rolling demonstration, a raffle, a silent auction, tractor rides, visits with the animals, tours of historic buildings, and live music.

• The 10th Annual Manchester BrewFest will take place on Sept. 21, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Arms Park in Manchester. This festival will feature food, beer, live music and much more. General admission tickets are $50, VIP tickets are $60, and tickets for designated drivers are $20. This is a child- and pet-friendly event. Visit manchesterbrewfest.com.

• The Red, White & Brew Craft Beer and Wine Festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 25, at FunSpot (579 Endicott St. N., Laconia) with a general admission time of noon to 4 p.m. The event benefits Veterans Count NH and will feature craft beer, wine, food, a car show, an auction, raffles, live music with The Bob Pratte Band and more. Admission includes sampling tickets and a commemorative glass, while supplies last. Admission does not include the cost of food. $50 VIP access, $35 general admission.

• Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (68 N. State St., Concord, 225-2961, holytrinitynh.org/taste-of-greece-festival) will hold its Taste of Greece Festival on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival will feature homemade Greek dishes and pastries such as dolmades, moussaka, spanakopita and baklava.

• The NH Wine & Cheese Fest will take place at The Biergarten (221 DW Highway, Merrimack). The date is still to be announced. Taste wines from a selection of more than 40 wine varietals, as well as artisan cheeses and regional chocolates. The day will also feature food trucks. Visit winecheesefest.com.

• The 40th Annual Apple Harvest Day will take place in downtown Dover on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature more than 300 vendors including a variety of food vendors as well as live music. Visit appleharvestday.com.

• 603 Brewery (42 Main St., Londonderry, 603brewery.com) will hold a Fall Fest Block Party on Saturday, Oct. 5, from noon to 9:30 p.m. This event will take over Main Street with food trucks, live music, a stein-holding competition, axe-throwing, 603 scratch kitchen specials and more, according to the brewery’s website.

• The 11th annual Powder Keg Beer & Chili Festival will take place Saturday, Oct. 5, from noon to 4 p.m. at Swasey Parkway in downtown Exeter. The day features samples of chili from local restaurants and artisans for all ticket holders. General admission tickets are $45 online ($55 at the door); VIP tickets are $60 online ($70 at the door); chili-only tickets are $10 online ($15 at the door). The event will also feature food vendors and live music. See powderkegbeerfest.com.

• Black Bear Vineyard (289 New Road, Salisbury, 648-2811, blackbearvineyard.com) will hold its Annual Harvest Weekend Saturday, Oct. 5and Sunday, Oct.6. There will be dueling pianos, food trucks, live music vendors, yard games, and more. As always, the Vineyard will welcome volunteers to assist with the grape harvest.

• Mile Away Restaurant (52 Federal Hill Road, Milford, mileawayrestaurantnh.com/oktoberfest, 673-3904) will hold its Oktoberfest on Sunday, Oct. 6, from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. The event is cash only. In past years the celebration has included German foods, Oktoberfest beers, live music and more. This year, there will be a performance by the Tubafrau Hofbråu Band.

• The New Hampshire Brewfest Craft Festival will take place at Cisco Brewers in Portsmouth Saturday, Oct. 12, from noon to 4 p.m., with a noon entrance for VIP ticket holders ($80) and a 1 p.m. entrance for general admission ($60). Tickets for designated drivers are $20. This 21+ event features beer samples, food vendors, live music and more. See nhbrewfest.com.

• The Chocolate Expo will be held Sunday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown (700 Elm St., Manchester) and feature tastings of chocolates, baked goods, specialty foods, cheeses, craft beverages and ready-to-eat foods as well as chef demos, magic, music and kids’ activities, according to thechocolateexpo.com. Tickets cost $30 for a VIP entry at 9:30 a.m. and other perks, $20 for adults (with the choice of a two-hour window) and $10 for kids (ages 5 to 12); entry after 4 p.m. is $10 for all ages.

• Mount Uncanoonuc Brew Fest will take place Saturday, Oct. 19, from 1 to 5 p.m. at 553 Mast Road in Goffstown. Tickets cost $35 in advance, $45 at the door. See workerbeefund.org/events for details.

• The annual Taste of New Hampshire will take place Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord). The event features sweet and savory eats from area restaurants as well as live music and a silent auction — all to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Central New Hampshire. See tasteofnh.com.

• The 11th annual Distiller’s Showcase of Premium Spirits, part of New Hampshire Distiller’s Week, will be Thursday, Nov. 7, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown with general admission from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and early access and VIP openings at 5 p.m. There are three levels of tickets, for $65, $80 and $120. The evening also features 25 food and beverage vendors. See distillersshowcase.com.

• There will be a Wine and Cheese Festival at Fulchino Vineyard (187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis, 438-5984, fulchinovineyard.com) Saturday, Nov. 16 and Sunday, Nov. 17. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be wine tastings, paired with an array of artisan meats, cheeses, oils, vinegars, desserts and much more. Tickets are $55. Visit the Vineyard’s website.

Meals, tastings and classes

• The Grazing Room at Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker, colbyhillinn.com, 428-3281) will hold an “Into the Woods Wild Game & Foraging Dinner” on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m. featuring a six-course dinner, a bourbon tasting and a tented dessert station. The cost is $150 per person.

• The Londonderry Fish and Game Club (5 Lund St., Litchfield) will hold its annual Pig Roast on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for one person, $35 for a couple or family of four (kids under 12 eat free). The spread will include barbecue sauce choices, baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad and hamburgers and hot dogs. Find the event on EventBrite.

• The Milford Pumpkin Festival will feature a Beer, Wine and Spirits Tasting: “Raise One for Charity” on Friday, Oct. 11, and Saturday, Oct. 12, 5:30 to 8 p.m. both days. Ten tasting tickets are $25 and include a complimentary tasting glass. This is a 21+ event. See milfordpumpkinfestival.org.

• The Grazing Room at Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker, colbyhillinn.com, 428-3281) will host a Harvest Dinner Friday, Oct. 18, at 6 p.m. This will be a five-course barn dinner featuring of estate-grown wines. This event costs $150 per person.

• Tuscan Village (9 Via Toscano, Salem, tuscanvillagesalem.com) offers cooking classes on subjects such as different varieties of pasta, Italian cocktails, Italian desserts and more. Prices vary according to class.

• LaBelle Winery in Derry (14 Route 111, 672-9898) and Amherst (345 Route 101, 672-9898) will hold a variety of food, wine, and cooking events this fall, including Autumn Cookie Decorating, Chinese Cooking with Wine, Autumn Cake Decorating, Walks in the Vineyard wine classes, Oktoberfest Cooking with Wine, and Halloween Candy and Wine Pairings. Prices and dates are available at labellewinery.com.

• The Cozy Tea Cart (104 Route 13, Brookline, thecozyteacart.com, 249-9111) will hold a series of tea tastings and lectures this fall. Most cost $30 per person, and reservations are necessary.

• WineNot Boutique (25 Main St., Nashua, winenotboutique.com, 204-5569) will hold a variety of wine classes and tastings this fall.

CONCERTS

Capitol Center for the Arts has a variety of concerts, dance parties, movie screenings with live music on the schedule and more at both the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) and the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord). At the Chubb:

• Lorrie Morgan Friday, Sept. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
• Roger McGuinn Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m.
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Live in Concert Friday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m.
• Jim Henson’s Labyrinth in Concert Saturday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m.
• Jessica Kirson Friday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m.
• Lotus Land Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m.
• Concord Sound & Color Festival — Yonder Mountain String Band with Adam Ezra Group & Tyler Hinton Friday, Oct. 18, at 6 p.m.
• Children’s musician Laurie Berkner solo Halloween Concert Saturday, Oct. 26, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• KITKA Women’s Vocal Ensemble Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m.
• Vampire Circus Thursday, Oct. 31, at 7:30 p.m.
• NH 39th Army Band Veterans Day Concert Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m.
• Celtic Thunder Odyssey Sunday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m.
• The Wailin’ Jennys Friday, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m.
• Tusk Saturday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m.
• Magical Mystery Doors Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m.
• The Last Waltz Celebration featuring The The Band Band Sunday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m.
• Gillian Welch & David Rawlings Monday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m.
• Grand Funk Railroad Friday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
• Top of the World: A Carpenters Tribute Saturday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m.

At the BNH Stage, catch these acts:

• John Gorka Thursday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m.
• Journeyman — A Tribute to Eric Clapton Friday, Sept. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
• NightOUT with Free Range Revue: tribute to Saturday Morning Cartoons Saturday, Sept. 7, at 7:30 p.m.
• Choir!Choir!Choir! An Epic Anthems Singalong Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m.
• Steamroller — The Music of James Taylor Friday, Sept. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
• Danny Bedrosian & Secret Army Saturday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
• Texas Flood: A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan Friday, Sept. 27, at 8 p.m.
• Swing Dance Night with the NH Jazz Orchestra Saturday, Sept. 28, at 3:30 p.m.
• Highway to the RangerZone open mic night with Andrew North and the Rangers Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m.
• Broadway Rave — a Musical Theater Dance Party Friday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m.
• End of The Line: A Tribute to the Allman Brothers Band Thursday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
• NightOUT with Free Range Revue: Dracula’s Wedding Friday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
• Patty Larkin & Lucy Kaplansky Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m.
• Concord Sound & Color Festival — Oliver Hazard with Billy Wylder & Golden Oak Friday, Oct. 18, at 6 p.m.
• Tony Yazbeck Friday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
• Moon Walker Friday, Nov. 1, at 8 p.m.
• Highway to the Ranger Zone open mic night with Andrew North and the Rangers Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m.
• Christopher Paul Stelling Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
• Night OUT with Free Range Revue: That ’90s Show Friday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m.
• Swing Dance Night with NH Jazz Orchestra Saturday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m.
• Symphony NH Illuminated Ensembles Sunday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m.
• Highway to the Ranger Zone open mic night with Andrew North and the Rangers Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m.
• Roomful of Blues Saturday, Dec. 7, at 8 p.m.
• An evening with Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul & Mary) with Mustard Retreat Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m.
• deSol Friday, Dec. 20, at 7:30 p.m.

In the Cantin Room at the BNH Stage:

• The Starlight Honeys as part of the NH Music Collective Sunday Sessions on Sunday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m.
• Charlie Chronopoulos as part of the NH Music Collective Sunday Sessions on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m.
• • Crows’ Feat Farm (178 Drinkwater Road, Kensington, 498-6262, crowsfeatfarm.org) will finish its 2024 lawn concert series with with two September performances: The Mallett Brothers on Sunday, Sept. 8, and Gnarly Darling on Sunday, Sept. 15, both at 3 p.m.
• • Dana Center For the Humanities at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu) has shows on its fall schedule including the Matt Savage Quartet and James Fernando Trio on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m., The Legendary Wailers on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. and Mac McAnally on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m.
• • The Flying Monkey Movie House & Performance Center (39 Main St., Plymouth, 536-2551, flyingmonkeynh.com) has fall concerts including these:
• Damn the Torpedoes, a Tom Petty tribute, Friday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m.
• Prince/Bowie, a tribute fusion band, Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m.
• Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m.
• Red Wanting Blue Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m.
• EagleMania, an Eagles tribute band, Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m
• Kris Allen Friday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m.
• Jimmy Kenny & the Pirate Band Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
• Pink Talking Fish Friday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m.

So far on the fall schedule at Fulchino Vineyard (187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis, 438-5984, fulchinovineyard.com) are Ring of Fire — a Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash Tribute on Friday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m., and the Sunday, Sept. 15, Sinatra Wine Pairing Dinner with Chris Jason & Joelle Righetti and the Sinatra Live Big Band (dinner starts at 5 p.m.).

Live events this fall at the Jewel Music Venue (61 Canal St., Manchester, 819-9336, jewelmusicvenue.com) include these:

• DRI, Re-Tox A.D., Candy Striper Death Orgy and Inverter Thursday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m.
• The Dee Allen Memorial Noise Showcase featuring Cost of Living, Journey to the Center of the Colon, BedTimeMagic, Puppy Problems, Signal Chain and BellToneSuicide Saturday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m.
• CancerSlug, Street Trash and Grip Bite Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m.
• Celph Titled with Suave Ski, N.M.E. The Illest, EyeNine and Hush Stryfe Saturday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m.
• Mr. Bill with Camna, Sine Language, Fermented Beats and Concert Winner Saturday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m.

LaBelle Winery (672-9898, labellewinery.com) has live music on the schedule at both its Amherst (345 Route 101) and its Derry (14 Route 111) locations this fall.

In Derry:

• Dueling Pianos Show with The Flying Ivories Thursday, Sept. 5, at 8 p.m.
• Draw The Line: Aerosmith Tribute Concert Thursday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m.
• A Tribute to Sting & The Police Thursday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m.
• 1 Wild Night: Bon Jovi Tribute Thursday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m.
• Best Shot: Pat Benatar Tribute Thursday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m.
• Absolute Queen Tribute Concert Thursday, Nov. 14, at 8 p.m.

In Amherst:

• Being Petty: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Tribute Thursday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m.
• Dueling Pianos Show with The Flying Ivories Thursday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m.
• AM Gold: Yacht Rock Concert Thursday, Nov. 7, at 8 p.m.

Concerts and dance parties at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) this fall:

• Gimme Gimme Disco Friday, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m.
• The Sixties Show featuring former members of the bands of The Who and John Forgerty from Creedence Clearwater Revival on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 8 p.m.
• Five for Fighting with String Quartet Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m.
• The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA Friday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m.
• The Doo Wop Project Saturday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m.
• Live from Laurel Canyon Songs and Stories of American Folk Rock on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m.
• Debbie Gibson Acoustic Youth: Songs and Stories from the Electric Youth Era Thursday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
• Lonestar Sunday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
• Todd Rundgren Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m.
• Koo Koo Saturday, Oct. 19, at 1 p.m.
• 10,000 Maniacs Friday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
• Jesus Aguaje Ramos and his Buena Vista Orchestra Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m.
• Symphony NH presents Mahler 4 Sunday, Oct. 27, at 4 p.m.
• Symphony NH presents Beethoven’s 3rd Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
• Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives Thursday, Nov. 14, at 8 p.m.
• United Way of Greater Nashua presents Care-E-Oke Friday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m.
• Jesse Cook Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m.
• Rocking Mountain High Experience: A John Denver Christmas Starring Rick Schuler Thursday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 p.m.
• Beatles vs. Stones Monday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m.

The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org) and its sister theater the Rex Theatre (823 Amherst St., Manchester) have a big schedule for fall. At the Palace:

• Sweet Baby James: James Taylor Tribute Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7:30 p.m.
• Celebrating Celine with Jenene Caramielo Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m.
• Classic Albums Live performs Abbey Road Friday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m.
• Bruce in the USA, a tribute to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, on Friday, Oct. 11, and Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m.
• Cheek to Cheek: A Tribute to Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga Thursday, Oct. 31, at 7:30 p.m.
• Theatre Rock: A Tribute to the Best of Rock Musicals Friday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m.
• The Fabulous Thunderbirds Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m.

At the Rex:

• The Ultimate Variety Show: Vegas Top Impersonators on Friday, Sept. 6, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m.
• Soultown Band Sunday, Sept. 8, at 4 p.m.
• Pousette-Dart Band Friday, Sept. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
• Silver Springs: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute Saturday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
• Bedford Big Band Sunday, Sept. 15, at 2 p.m.
• Candlelight: a Tribute to Queen Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m.
• Candlelight: a Tribute to Coldplay and Imagine Dragons Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 8:30 p.m.
• Manchester Citywide Arts Festival Open Mic Night Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m.
• Dueling Pianos: Live at the Rex Friday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m.
• Mary Gauthier with special guest Jaimee Harris Friday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m.
• American Elton Saturday, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m.
• Darrell Scott Friday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m.
• 603 Music: An Evening of Singer-Songwriters with Cosy Sheridan and Kate Redgate Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m.
• Candlelight: the Best of the Beatles Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m.
• Candlelight: Tribute to Taylor Swift Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 8:30 p.m.
• Amy Helm and Band Thursday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
• Souled Out Show Band Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m.
• Freese Brothers Big Band Sunday, Oct. 20, at 2 p.m.
• Muse: A Salute to Divas of Rock Friday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
• Harvest Blues Festival with The Love Dogs Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m.
• Yesterday Once More: A Tribute to The Carpenters on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m.
• A History of Women in Music featuring The Femmes Friday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m.
• Damn The Torpedoes: A Live Tom Petty Concert Experience Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
• A Salute to Veterans Celebration with The New Hampshire Jazz Orchestra Sunday, Nov. 10, at 2 p.m.
• Candlelight: a Tribute to Queen Thursday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m.
• Candlelight: a Tribute to Coldplay and Imagine Dragons Thursday, Nov. 14, at 8:30 p.m.
• Willie Nile Friday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m.
• Moondance: The Ultimate Tribute to Van Morrison Saturday, Nov. 16, at 2 & 7:30 p.m.
• Ishna: An Irish Christmas Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
• Memories of Patsy: The Patsy Cline Tribute Show Sunday, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m.
• Nefesh Mountain: The Love and Light Tour Sunday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m.
• Whammer Jammer: Live J. Geils Band Tribute Experience Friday, Dec. 20, at 7:30 p.m.

• There will be three concerts at The Range (96 Old Turnpike Road, Mason, 878-1324, therangemason.com) in September: Ballyhoo! With Mad Caddies and Keep Flying (Friday, Sept. 6, 6 p.m), all-female tribute act Lez Zeppelin (Friday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m.), once described as “the most powerful all-female band in rock history,” and Jatoba (Friday, Sept. 20, 7 p.m.).

• Shows scheduled at SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com) this fall: Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, and founder of founded the Lilith Fair tour, Sarah McLachlan on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m.; 1980s supergroup Duran Duran on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m., and the Godmode Tour Part 2 for In This Moment with Kim Dracula, Nathan James and Mike’s Dead on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 6:30 p.m.

• Stockbridge Theatre (Pinkerton Academy, 5 Pinkerton St., Derry; stockbridgetheatre.com) will host Tommy Dorsey Orchestra on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m. and Stairway to Zeppelin on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m.

So far, the scheduled fall concerts at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, tupelomusichall.com) include:

• Anthony Gomes Friday, Sept. 6, at 8 p.m.
• Unforgettable Fire U2 tribute Saturday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m.
• “The Breakers,” a tribute to Tom Petty, on Friday, Sept. 13, at 8 p.m.
• KK’s Priest with special guest Accept Saturday, Sept. 14, at 7:45 p.m.
• Croce Plays Croce Sunday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m.
• King X with special guest Trope Thursday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m.
• John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band Saturday, Sept. 21, at 8 p.m.
• X Sunday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m.
• Slaughter Thursday, Sept. 26, at 8 p.m.
• Liz Longley Friday, Sept. 27, at 8 p.m.
• Phillip Phillips Saturday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m.
• Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras Sunday, Sept. 29, at 8 p.m.
• Kashmir: the Live Led Zeppelin Show Friday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m.
• Thunder From Down Under Thursday, Oct. 10, at 8 p.m.
• Panorama and Bikini Whale Two bands paying tribute to The Cars and The B-52’s on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 8 p.m.
• Ana Popovic Sunday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m.
• Richie Kotzen Thursday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m.
• Foreigners Journey tribute band Friday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m.
• Tom Rush with Matt Nakoa openingSunday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m.
• Awaken: The Music of Yes on Friday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m.
• Hollywood Nights — Bob Seger tribute Saturday, Nov. 2, at 8 p.m.
• Adrenalize — The Ultimate Def Leppard Experience Friday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m.
• Coco Montoya and Ronnie Baker Brooks Friday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m.
• Glenn Miller Orchestra Sunday, Nov. 17, at noon and 4:30 p.m.
• Matisyahu Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 8 p.m.
• The Artimus Pyle Band honoring the music of Ronnie Van Zant’s Lynyrd Skynyrd on Friday, Nov. 22, at 8 p.m.
• The British Invasion Years Saturday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m.
• The Four Horsemen: The Ultimate Tribute to Metallica Friday, Nov. 29, at 8 p.m.
• The Fools Saturday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m.
• Carbon Leaf Saturday, Dec. 7, at 8 p.m.
• Wishbone Ash Thursday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m.
• Tab Benoit with Jesse Dalton Band opening Friday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m.
• Beck-Ola the music of Jeff Beck with Johnny A Saturday, Dec. 14, at 8 p.m.
• Quiet Riot Thursday, Dec. 19, at 8 p.m.
• Thunderstruck “America’s AC/DC” Friday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m.

The Bank of NH Pavilion (80 Recycle Way, Gilford, 293-4700, banknhpavilion.com) will continue to host concerts through Sept. 20. Scheduled acts include:

• Jordan Davis, Mitchell Tenpenny, and Ashley Cooke Friday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m.
• The National and The War on Drugs with special guest Lucius Thursday, Sept. 12, at 6:45 p.m.
• Cody Jinks and Josh Meloy Friday, Sept. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
• Staind and Breaking Benjamin Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 5:30 p.m.
• Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and John Mellencamp Friday, Sept. 20, at 5 p.m.

The Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, 929-4100, casinoballroom.com) has concerts scheduled through mid-November, including:

• Sevendust Friday, Sept. 23, and Saturday, Sept. 24, at 6:30 p.m.
• Clutch and Rival Sons with Special Guest Fu Manchu Sunday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m.
• Alkaline Trio with Spanish Love Songs and Slomosa Sunday, Sept. 22, at 7:30 p.m.
• Beth Hart Thursday, Sept. 26, at 8 p.m.
• Mother Mother with Winnetka Bowling League Saturday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m.
• Clint Black Saturday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m.
• Voyage, celebrating the music of Journey, with Desolation Angels, a tribute to Bad Company, on Friday, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m.
• Scotty McCreery Saturday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m.
• Theory Of a Deadman Unplugged, with Saint Asonia and Cory Marks Friday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m.

Fall concerts at the Colonial Theatre (609 Main St., Laconia, 657-8774, coloniallaconia.com) include:

• A Temptations Experience Sunday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m.
• The Sixties Show Friday, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m.
• Almost Queen: A Tribute to Queen Saturday, Sept. 21, at 8 p.m.
• The Concert: a Tribute to ABBA Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m.
• Five For Fighting with String Quartet Friday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m.
• Live From Laurel Canyon: Songs & Stories of American Folk Rock Saturday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m.
• Let’s Sing Taylor: A Live Band Experience Celebrating Taylor Swift Friday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
• 10,000 Maniacs Sunday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.
• Lonestar Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
• Rocky Mountain High Experience Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m.
• Beatles vs. Stones Thursday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m.

Due to ongoing renovations to the Franklin Opera House (316 Central St., Franklin, 934-1901, franklinoperahouse.org) this fall’s concerts will take place at other venues. This season’s concerts are Dueling Pianos of New Hampshire at the Franklin Elks Lodge on Saturday, Sept. 21, and Eloise & Co. at the Franklin Public Library on Saturday, Oct. 12. Eloise & Co. features the combined creative force of two of the country’s most sought-after traditional musicians, fiddler Becky Tracy and accordionist Rachel Bell.

This fall Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club (135 Congress St., Portsmouth, 888-603-JAZZ, jimmysoncongress.com) will host performances including:

• CKS Band Thursday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m.
• Stanley Plays The Dead Friday, Sept. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
• Dan Walker Band Monday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m.
• Bywater Call Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
• Sam Morrow Band Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7:30 p.m.
• J.P. Soars & the Red Hots Friday, Sept. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
• Orrin Evans and Captain Black Big Band Sunday, Sept. 15, at 7:30 p.m.
• Colin James Monday, Sept. 16, and Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 7:30 p.m.
• Southern Avenue Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7:30 p.m.
• Dennis Chambers, Jeff Berline and Michael Wolff Sunday, Sept. 22, at 7:30 p.m.
• James Montgomery Band Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
• Cécile McLorin Salvant with Glenn Zaleski Friday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m.
• Eddie Palmieri Sextet Saturday, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m.
• Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra: Colombian Music for Clarinet & String Quartet Sunday, Sept. 29, at 6:30 p.m.
• An Evening with Lady Luck Burlesque featuring Bunny Wonderland Monday, Sept. 30, at 7:30 p.m.
• The Steepwater Band Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m.
• Curtis Stigers Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m.
• Artemis Sunday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
• Mica’s Groove Train Monday Night Local Artists Series Monday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m.
• Laurence Juber’s Airfoil Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
• Bob James Quartet Thursday, Oct. 10, and Friday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
• Van Morrison Saturday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 13,at 8 p.m.
• John Scofield Trio featuring Vicente Archer and Bill Stewart Friday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m.
• Peter Parcek Blues Review Sunday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m.
• The Brothers Project Monday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m.
• Christian McBride and Inside Straight Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m.
• Grace Kelly Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
• Acoustic Alchemy Thursday, Oct. 24, and Friday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
• Roomful of Blues Thursday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m.
• Arturo Sandoval Friday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
• Eric Gales Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
• Quinn Sullivan Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 7:30 p.m.

The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St, Portsmouth, 436-2400, themusichall.org) has concerts slated for both the Historic Theatre and the Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St., Portsmouth). There will also be a Live Under the Arch performance, a venue space outside the Theatre, on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 7:30 p.m. by Coyote Island with special guest Sneaky Miles. At the Historic Theatre:

• Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m.
• Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers Saturday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m.
• Everclear with Marcy’s Playground and Jimmie’s Chicken Shack Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m.
• The Machine performs Pink Floyd Friday, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m.
• LeAnn Rimes Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m.
• Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra Fall Concerts — Musical Portraits Sunday, Oct. 27, at 3 p.m.
• Pink Talking Fish Thursday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m.
• The Brit Pack Sunday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m.

At the Lounge, see:

• Ari Hest Thursday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m.
• Jill Sobule Friday, Sept. 6, at 8 p.m.
• Lisa Bastoni Sunday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m.
• Taylor O’Donnell and Mike Effenberger Friday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m.
• Gabe Lee Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m.
• Brendan James Thursday, Sept. 26, at 7:30 p.m.
• Bruce Sudano Friday, Sept. 27, at 8 p.m.
• Lucy Kaplansky Saturday, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m.
• Daniela Schächter Quintet Sunday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m.
• Peter Bradley Adams Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.
• Trace Bundy Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m.
• Richard Shindell Friday, Oct. 4, at 6 & 8:30 p.m.
• The Mammals Saturday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m.
• Ben Sollee Thursday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
• Dean Owens and the Sinners Friday, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m.
• Willy Porter and Maia Sharp Saturday, Oct. 12, at 8:30 p.m.
• Geneviève Racette Sunday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m.
• Tray Wellington Band Monday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m.
• Joshua Hyslop Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m.
• Smithfield Thursday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m.
• Ward Hayden and the Outliers Friday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m.
• Antje Duvekot Saturday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m.
• Debashish Bhattacharya Trio Monday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m.
• Ken Yates Friday, Nov. 1, at 8 p.m.
• Chadwick Stokes Sunday, Nov. 3, at 5 & 8 p.m.
• Halley Neal Trio Friday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m.
• BBMAK Friday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m.
• Griffin House Saturday, Dec. 6, at 6 p.m.

Rochester Opera House (31 Wakefield St., Rochester, 335-1992, rochesteroperahouse.com) will host regional and national acts this fall, including:

• The Best of the ’70s with DizzyFish and the Uptown Horns Saturday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m.
• Kanin Wren’s Taylor Swift Experience Friday, Sept. 13, at 8 p.m.
• Start Making Sense: A Tribute to Talking Heads Saturday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m.
• Danny Klein’s Full House Saturday, Sept. 21, at 8 p.m.
• Shemekia Copeland Friday, Sept. 27, at 8 p.m.
• PorchFest 2024 Sunday, Sept. 29, at noon
• The Ultimate Doors Friday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m.
• Dancing Dream: A Tribute to ABBA Friday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m.
• The Martin Sexton Abbey Road Show Friday, Nov. 22, at 8 p.m.
• Molly Hatchet Saturday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m.

Fall performances at Stone Church (5 Granite St., Newmarket, 659-7700, stonechurchrocks.com) include:

• Space Bacon and Lee Ross Friday, Sept. 6, at 9 p.m.
• Joyce Andersen Saturday, Sept. 7, at 4 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m.
• Dave Gerard Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 6:30 p.m.
• Elsa Cross Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m.
• Wolfman Jack Friday, Sept. 13, at 9 p.m.
• David Fiuczynski’s KiF with Amorphous Trio Saturday, Sept. 14, at 9 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m.
• The Village Acoustic Jam on Zion Hill, hosted by Adriana Scott and Mike Skrip Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m.
• Sans Souci Jerry Garcia Band Tribute Thursday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m.
• Yam Yam and Clandestine Friday, Sept. 20, at 9 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m.
• Seth Yacavone Band Friday, Sept. 27, at 9 p.m.
• Creamery Station and The Chops Saturday, Sept. 28, at 9 p.m.
• Jim & Jordan’s Irish Sundays Sunday, Sept. 29, at 4 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m.
• The Village Acoustic Jam on Zion Hill, hosted by Adriana Scott and Mike Skrip Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.
• Dreadnoughts, Hub City Stompers, and Penniless Jacks Thursday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m.
• Escaper and Mono Means One Saturday, Oct. 12, at 9 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m.
• The Village Acoustic Jam on Zion Hill, hosted by Adriana Scott and Mike Skrip Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m.
• Scissorfight, Murcielago, The Long Wait, Paul Jarvis Friday, Oct. 18, at 8 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m.
• Jim & Jordan’s Irish Sundays Sunday, Oct. 27, at 4 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.
• Halloween Show: Jimkata with special guests Px3 Thursday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m.
• The Village Acoustic Jam on Zion Hill, hosted by Adriana Scott and Mike Skrip Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m.
• Strange Machines, The Edd Saturday, Nov. 9, at 9 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m.
• The Village Acoustic Jam on Zion Hill, hosted by Adriana Scott and Mike Skrip Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m.
• Jim & Jordan’s Irish Sundays Sunday, Nov. 24, at 4 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m.
• The Village Acoustic Jam on Zion Hill, hosted by Adriana Scott and Mike Skrip Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m.
• The Village Acoustic Jam on Zion Hill, hosted by Adriana Scott and Mike Skrip Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m.
• The Best Open Mic in the World with Dave Ogden Sunday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m.

The Strand (20 Third St., Dover, 343-1899, thestranddover.com) will host Soultown Band on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 8 p.m.; Neon Wave New Wave tribute band on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m., and Little Lies tribute to Fleetwood Mac on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m.

Musical performances at 3S Artspace (319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth, 766-3330, 3sarts.org) generally start at 8 p.m. Scheduled shows include:

• Bob Mould with J. Robbins Sunday, Sept. 8
• Karina Rykman Thursday, Sept. 12
• Vapors of Morphine and Dub Apocalypse Friday, Sept. 13
• Shovels & Rope, with Al Olender Tuesday, Sept. 17
• Indigo De Souza with ill Peach Tuesday, Sept. 24
• Southern Culture on the Skids with The Woggles Wednesday, Spet. 25
• Big Something Thursday, Sept. 26
• Augustana with verygently Sunday, Sept. 29
• Mihali with Dry Reef Thursday, Oct. 10
• Low Cut Connie with Will Dailey Friday, Oct. 11
• Sneaky Miles and The Wolff Sisters Saturday, Oct. 12
• Pom Pom Squad Thursday, Oct. 17
• Bendigo Fletcher with Anna Tivel Tuesday, Oct. 22
• Destroyer Wednesday, Oct. 23
• Kash’d Out with Dale and the Zdubs Sunday, Nov. 10
• Alisa Amador with Beane Wednesday, Nov. 13
• Lady Lamb with Humbird Sunday, Nov. 17
• Habib Koité, Aly Keïta, Lamine Cissokho, Mandé Sila Thursday, Nov. 21
• Futurebirds Friday, Nov. 22
• Donna The Buffalo Saturday, Dec. 14

The Word Barn (66 Newfields Road, Exeter, 244-0202, thewordbarn.com) has live music scheduled, with most shows starting at 7 p.m. through the fall, including:

• Jeffrey Foucault Thursday, Sept. 5
• Haley Heynderickx Friday, Sept. 6
• Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road Saturday, Sept. 7
• Darlingside Sunday, Sept. 8, 3:30 & 7 p.m.
• David Wilcox Thursday, Sept. 12
• Jake Swamp and The Pine with Harrison Goodell Friday, Sept. 13
• The Wildmans with Rachel Sumner Sunday, Sept. 15
• Country Gongbang Thursday, Sept. 19
• Jolie Holland Friday, Sept. 20
• Sol y Canto Thursday, Sept. 26
• Clem Snide with Rye Valley Friday, Sept. 27
• May Erlewine Sunday, Sept. 29
• Mark Erelli Thursday, Oct. 3
• King Kyote Friday, Oct. 11
• Little Wishbone with The Mountain Sunday, Oct. 13
• Robert Ellis Wednesday, Oct. 16
• Molly Parden, Eliza Edens and Louisa Stancioff Friday, Oct. 18
• John Smith Monday, Oct. 23
• Laura Cortese and The Dance Cards Friday, Oct. 27
• California Guitar Trio Friday, Nov. 1
• Shane Koyczan with Derrick Brown Monday, Nov. 4
• Ryanhood Friday, Nov. 8
• Cheryl Wheeler with special guest Kenny White Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 10, at 2 p.m.
• Fireside on the Mountain with the Fireside Collective Sunday, Nov. 10
• David Francey Friday, Nov. 15
• Zachariah Hickman’s Power Outage Party Saturday, Nov. 16, & Sunday, Nov. 17
• Haley Jane Band Thursday, Nov. 21
• David Francey Friday, Nov. 22
• Jane Siberry Friday, Nov. 29

ART – Events

• Concord Arts Market,an outdoor artisan and fine art market, has its final Saturday market of the season on Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Rollins Park (33 Bow St., Concord). The Market will also be at Intown Concord’s First Friday on Nov. 1 in Bicentennial Square from 4 to 8 p.m. Visit concordartsmarket.net.

• Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury, shakers.org, 783-9511) will hold its annual Artisan Market on Saturday, Sept. 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free to this event featuring handcrafted arts, music and family activities, according to the website.

• The International Sculpture Symposium at the Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline, andresinstitute.org, 673-7441) kicks off Saturday, Sept. 14, with an opening ceremony at 1 p.m. Sculptors Morton Burke of Alberta, Canada; Jim Larson of Portland, Maine, and Adrian Wall of Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico, are this year’s artists. There will be a reception with an opportunity to meet the artists on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 5 p.m. The closing ceremony will be Sunday, Oct. 6, at 1 p.m. See andresinstitute.org for a look at the artists’ past works as well as a trail map.

• Manchester Citywide Arts Festival runs Monday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Sept. 22, with a series of events culminating in a street festival on Saturday, Sept. 21, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. See palacetheatre.org/manchester-citywide-arts-festival for the full list of workshops and demonstrations throughout the festival and events such as the open mic night at the Rex on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m.; a Art After Work night at the Currier Museum of Art on Sept. 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. and the Spotlight Room Pop-Up Gallery on Saturday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, Sept. 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• The Beaver Brook Association (117 Ridge Road, Hollis, 465-7787, beaverbrook.org) hosts its annual Fall Festival and Art Show on Saturday, Sept. 28, and Sunday, Sept. 29, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature an adult and children’s art show, children’s crafts, a Maple Hill Gardener’s Bake Sale, a story walk, a scavenger hunt, owl activities, an insect safari, music, a birds of prey show on Saturday, puppet shows both days, local exhibitors and more.

• Monadnock Art Open Studio Tour runs Saturday, Oct. 12, through Monday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with more than 65 participating artists in Peterborough, Dublin, Jaffrey, Sharon, Harrisville, Hancock and Marlborough. Find a map with a listing of all the artists at monadnockart.org/monadnock-art-open-studio-tour.

• Center for the Arts (centerfortheartsnh.org) will hold its Open Studios for artists in the New London area on Saturday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. See the website for updates on participating art studios.

• Concord Sound & Color Music and Arts Festival Friday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 19, at locations in downtown Concord. Catch live music both evenings at three different venues as well as the Mr. Aaron Halloween Party at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Queen City Improv at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. The event will also feature three public art installations and a community art mosaic. The festival is free. See concordsoundandcolor.com for more.

• Deerfield Arts Tour takes place Saturday, Oct. 19, and Sunday, Oct. 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 20 artists are slated to participate, according to deerfieldarts.com where you can find a map of the studios.

shows open now

• “Speaking for Wildlife — Alpine Averill Photography Exhibit” featuring the photos of Rebecca Scott will run through Saturday, Sept. 7, open daily until then 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the New Hampshire Audubon’s McLane Center (84 Silk Road Farm, Concord, nhaudubon.org, 224-9909).

• “Somewhere to Remember,” an exhibit featuring the works at Lizzy Berube, who “paints large seasonal landscapes in acrylic and oil, inspired by places in New England where she has spent time,” at Two Villages Art Society (846 Main St., Contoocook, twovillagesart.org) through Saturday, Sept. 7. The gallery is open Thursdays through Sunday noon to 4 p.m.

• “Constructs,” described as a “group exhibition exploring distinct visual languages through geometric abstraction and sculptural works” and featuring the work of Damion Silver, Eric Katzman, Don Williams, Jenny McGee Doughery and Trevor Toney, is on display at the Pillar Gallery (205 N. State St., Concord, pillargalleryprojects.com) through Sept. 15. The gallery is open Sunday, Tuesday and Friday, 3 to 7 p.m.

• Sandy Cleary Community Art Gallery at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) currently features the works of artists Kate Pritchard, Krysta Rhiann LaBlanc, Matthew Robertson and Madeleine LaRose, on display through September.

• “Rick Freed: The World Through My Window” is on display at the art gallery at the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua, nashualibrary.org) through the end of September. The library is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

• “Full Circle: The Speed of Light” at Mosaic Art Collective (66 Hanover St., Manchester, mosaicartcollective.com) will run through Tuesday, Oct. 1, with an opening reception and birthday celebration to celebrate the collective’s second anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 14, 4 to 8 p.m.

• “Daniel Otero Torres: Sonidos Del Crepusculo (Twilight Sounds)” will be on display at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester, currier.org) through Sunday, Oct. 6.

• “Stories of the Sea” includes Van Gogh’s first outdoor painting and two by Andrew Wyeth and will be on display at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester, currier.org) until Friday, Oct. 18.

• “Harvest of Arts” presented by the Manchester Artists Association and the New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn, nhaudubon.org, 668-2045) will feature 15 artists paintings and photographs that “capture the iconic images and colors of autumn in New England” and will be on display at the Massabesic Center through Nov. 1. The center is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. A reception for the exhibit will be held Saturday, Sept. 7, from noon to 3 p.m.

• “Olga de Amaral: Everything is Construction and Color” featuring works by the abstract artist from Latin America who “works with materials that she sources locally, such as raw wool, wood branches, luffa, horsehair, plastic, and most notably, gold” at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester, currier.org, 669-6144) on through Sunday, Jan. 12.

Shows opening soon

• “Wide Open Spaces: En Plein Air” En plein air is a French expression meaning “in the open air” and refers to the act of painting outdoors with the artist’s subject in full view, according to the website, at Twiggs Gallery (254 Kings St, Boscawen, twiggsgallery.org, 669-6144) on view from Saturday, Sept. 7, till Sunday, Oct. 27, with an opening reception on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 1 to 3 p.m.

• “Native New Hampshire Birds Exhibit” features the acrylic paintings of artist Shannon Bender of Enfield at the New Hampshire Audubon’s McLane Center (84 Silk Farm, Concord, nhaudubon.org, 224-9909) Thursday, Sept. 12, through Saturday, Nov. 2. The McLane Center is open Wednesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. A reception will be Friday, Sept. 20, 4 to 6 p.m.

• “Colorful Contemplations, Abstract Realities” featuring the works of Bedford artist and teacher Marcie Roberts at Two Villages Art Society (846 Main St., Contoocook, twovillagesart.org) Saturday, Sept. 14, through Saturday, Oct. 12. The gallery is open Thursdays through Sunday noon to 4 p.m.

• “Dan Dailey: Impressions of the Human Spirit” “is a retrospective examination of a transformative sculptor whose creative ideas and inventiveness expanded the vocabulary of art” at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester, currier.org, 669-6144) on view Thursday, Sept. 26, through Sunday, Feb. 2.

• “October 9th – November 9th Show” will display the unique work of six local artists as well as the art of curator Christina Landry-Boullion at Glimpse Gallery (Patriot Building, 4 Park St., Concord, theglimpsegallery.com, 892-8307) with receptions from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12; Friday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Nov. 2.

THEATER

The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) kicks off the St. Mary’s Bank 2024-2025 Performing Arts Series with Oliver!the musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist on Friday, Sept. 6. The show runs through Sunday, Sept. 29, with shows Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. as well as Thursday, Sept. 26, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $45 to $59.

• Jersey Boys will run Friday, Oct. 18, through Sunday, Nov. 10, with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays as well as Thursday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $45 to $59.

Other productions at the Palace include:

• Witch Perfect, a parody of Hocus Pocus, featuring performers from the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race — Tina Burner, Scarlet Envy and Alexis Michelle — on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $49 through $60. For an additional $60, purchase a pre-show meet and greet.
• Theatre Rock, a tribute to rock musicals from 1970 to the present, on Friday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $25 to $45.
• The Nutcrackerfrom Southern New Hampshire Dance Theatre. on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 23, at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 24, at noon and 4 p.m. Tickets cost $45 to $59.
• The Palace Youth Theatre, whose productions feature student performers in grades 2 to 12, will present Camp Rock The Musical on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $12 to $15.
• The young actors are also slated to present Legally Blonde The Musical Jr. in October.

At the Rex Theater (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org), scheduled productions include

• The Ultimate Variety Show presented by Anthony & Eddie Edwards with Vegas’ top impersonators and impressionists on Friday, Sept. 6, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $29 to $49.
• Manchester’s Got Talent! An open mic and variety show as part of the Manchester Citywide Arts Festival on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m.
• Sausagefest with the Calamari Sisters comedy musical show on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 13, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $35 to $45.
• Magic Rocks with illusionist Leon Eitenne on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 4 & 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

At the Seacoast Repertory Theatre (125 Bow St., Portsmouth, seacoastrep.org), Rock of Ages continues through Sunday, Sept. 8. Also at the Rep are Nick Dear’s Frankenstein (Thursday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Oct. 27); Lizzie Thursday, Sept. 26, through Sunday, Oct. 27; The Rocky Horror Show Live (Wednesday, Oct. 30, through Friday, Nov. 1, plus Tuesday, Dec. 31); Under Pressure (Sunday, Nov. 3), and Cats (Thursday, Nov. 14, through Sunday, Dec. 22).

Pre-Thanksgiving shows at the Players’ Ring Theatre (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth, playersring.org) include Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike(Friday, Sept. 6, through Sunday, Sept. 22); Nurse! (Friday, Sept. 27, through Sunday, Sept. 29); Lindsay and Her Puppet Pals on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Head, Heart and Heather (Friday, Oct. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 20); Trick and Treat (Saturday, Oct. 12, through Sunday, Oct. 20); Sisterhood of the Survivors on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2:30 p.m.; The Fall of the House of Usher (Thursday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 17), and A Tuna Christmas (Friday, Nov. 22, through Sunday, Dec. 1).

Head to the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord, theaudi.org) for the The New Hampshire State Community Theater Festival on Saturday, Sept. 7. See the story in this week’s Arts section.

The Powerhouse Theatre Collaboration (powerhousenh.org) has shows on its fall schedule. The Immigrant, described as “a play reading about one Jewish immigrant’s experience arriving in Galveston, Texas, in the early 1900s,” on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 3 p.m. at the Laconia Public Library and Sunday, Sept. 8, at 3 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Laconia. RSVP online. After the reading, there will be a discussion with the cast.

• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will be presented Sunday, Sept. 15; Saturday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, Sept. 22, with performances beginning every 20 minutes from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets cost $10.
• The Crucible will be presented at the Colonial Theatre (609 Main St., coloniallaconia.com) on Friday, Oct. 11, and Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 13, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $18 to $22.

At the Dana Center for the Humanities (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu) see Aaron Tolson Institute of Dance Presents: Tapped In on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25. The website describes the show as featuring “dancers from Speaking In Taps, a training ground for young dancers. It is a pre-professional tap company that provides tailored, advanced instruction to broaden and strengthen the breadth of each dancer’s individual scope and fosters their goals. ”

The Majestic Theatre kicks off its season on Friday Sept. 20, and Saturday, Sept. 21, at 6:30 p.m. with “Paris! City of Lights,” its fundraiser featuring “performances by Majestic’s adult, teen, & youth actors, Ted Herbert Music School faculty & students, and special guests. Silent auction … Special theme raffles, and refreshments each evening,” according to the website. Tickets cost $20 and the event will be held at the Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester). Check back with majestictheatre.net for more on their plans this season.

The Capitol Center for the Arts (ccanh.com) has theatrical presentations scheduled at both the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord) and at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord).

At the Chubb:

• The Great Gatsby presented by Literature to Life on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 10:30 a.m. Tickets cost $8.
• Vampire Circus, a mix of circus cabaret and theater, Thursday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $44 through $64.
• A Conversation with Kathryn Grody & Mandy Patinkin Friday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $58 through $95.
• Cirque Kalabanté “Afrique en Cirque is a show by Yamoussa Bangoura, inspired by daily life in Guinea. This performance shares the beauty, youth and artistry of African culture,” according to ccanh.com. The performance will take place Friday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $48 through $68.
• My Father’s Dragon, part of the Education Series, will take the stage Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 10:30 a.m. Tickets cost $8.
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, The Musical, also part of the Education Series, will take the stage Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 10:30 a.m. Tickets cost $8.

At the BNH Stage:

• Life Sucks. Presented by Theatre Kapow, which describes the play as a “brash and revelatory reworking of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya,” Friday, Sept. 20, and Saturday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 22, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $33.75, $26.75 for students and seniors. According to tkapow.com the show contains “Strong Language, Adult Situations, Gunshots. Recommended for ages 13+.”
• Broadway Rave musical theater dance party on Friday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20.75 for early bird purchase, $23.75.
• Death of a Gangster an 18+ show presented by Murder Mystery Co. with a dessert buffet on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 4 & 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $48.75.
• Sh*t-Faced Shakespeare will present Much Ado About Nothing on Friday, Nov. 22, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $39.75 in advance, $5 more at the door.

Pontine Theatre (1 Plains Ave., Portsmouth, pontine.org) will feature Odysseus presented by Kingfisher Theatre on Friday, Sept. 20, through Sunday, Sept. 22, and John Farrell with “Four Quartets” Friday, Oct. 25, through Sunday, Oct. 27. See website for available times and ticket prices.

Advice to the Players will present The Tempest on Saturday, Sept. 21; Saturday, Sept. 28, and Sunday, Sept. 29, at 4 p.m. at Quimby Park in Center Sandwich. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students. See advicetotheplayers.org.

The Gallery at 3S Artspace (319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth, 3Sarts.org, 766-3330) has shows on the schedule including Shadows – A Physical Theater Dramapresented by Articine, directed by Elizabeth Daily, on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 for members and $28 for general admission.

The Nashua Theatre Guild will present A Prelude to a Kiss Friday, Sept. 27, and Saturday, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 29, at 2 p.m. at the Court Street Theatre, 14 Court St., Nashua. Tickets cost $20, $18 for students and seniors. See nashuatheatreguild.org.

The Milford Area Players will present The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company) Friday, Sept. 27, through Sunday, Oct. 6. Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. See milfordareaplayers.org.

Upcoming shows at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse (33 Footlight Circle, Meredith, winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org) include Behind the Curtain with Ashely Meekin and Tegan Marie Kelly, a cabaret show fundraiser,on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $60 to the show, $100 to include a pre-show reception. A Year With Frog and Toad, presented by the professional theater for young audiences, will run Saturdays, Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 27, at 1 p.m. Tickets cost $10 to $20. The Improv Olympics will be on Saturday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10.

The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, the musichall.org) will present Story Pirates, described as “sketch comedy podcast brings their fast-paced, hilarious, and inspiring show to The Music Hall with actors, singers, comedians, and the funniest Story Pirate characters around,” on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 through $50.

Catch A Conversation of Alan Ruck — known for the TV show Succession and the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off among many other credits — on Friday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $45.

Literature of Life will present The Great Gatsby on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 9:30 a.m.

Enrichment Theatre Company presents My Father’s Dragon on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Ogunquit Playhouse presents Disney’s Frozen Wednesday, Nov. 27, through Sunday, Dec. 22, with shows Wednesdays through Thursdays (except for Thanksgiving). See specific days and times for ticket prices.

Theatrical offerings at the Stockbridge Theatre (5 Pinkerton St., Derry, pinkertonacademy.org/stockbridge-theatre) include:

• The Pout Pout Fishpresented by Theatre Works USA on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10 to $12.
• Dracula presented by PUSH Physical Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $35.

In addition to its lineup of music and comedy, Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) will present Saw The Musical: An Unauthorized Parody on Friday, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $40 to $113.

Lend Me A Theater (lendmeatheater.org) will present Mandate For Murder, a political satire murder mystery with audience interaction, on Saturday, Nov. 9, when dinner is at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 10, when dinner is at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for dinner and a show ($55) and just the show ($25).

The Manchester Community Theatre Players will perform Disney’s The Little Mermaid at The MCTP Theatre at North End Montessori School (698 Beech St., Manchester) Friday, Oct. 18, through Sunday, Oct. 27. Showtimes are at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. See manchestercommunitytheatre.com.

SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, snhuarena.com) offers its own kind of excitement on a stage:

• Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow Party on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 12:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 13, at 2:30 p.m.
• Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey on Friday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 16, 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 17, noon and 4 p.m. Tickets cost $19 to $119.

Community Players of Concord have shows on the schedule this fall. Charlotte’s Web will be presented by the Community Players of Concord Children’s Theatre Project (Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St., Concord, communityplayersofconcord.org, 224-4905) with showtimes on Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15.

The Players will take on Bye Bye Birdie at the Audi in November, with showtimes on Friday, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 24, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 age 17 and under as well as 65+. Tickets available online at or at the Audi box office 90 minutes before the show.

The Peacock Players will present Alice in Wonderland Jr. at Janice B. Streeter Theatre (14 Court St. in Nashua) Friday, Oct. 18, through Sunday, Oct. 27. Shows are 7 p.m. on Fridays, 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets cost $15 and $18 for adults; $12 and $15 for students and seniors.

The fall teen mainstage production will be Mean Girls: High School Version,presented at Janice B. Streeter Theatre (14 Court St., Nashua) Friday, Nov. 15, through Sunday, Nov. 24. Shows are 7 p.m. on Fridays, 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets cost $15 and $18 for adults; $12 and $15 for students and seniors. See peacockplayers.org.

Cue Zero Theatre’s fall show is [title of show], which will run Friday, Oct. 25, through Sunday, Oct. 27, at Arts Academy of New Hampshire in Salem. The play is “a love letter to the musical theater — a uniquely American art form — and to the joy of collaboration,” according to cztheatre.com.

Epping Community Theater (38 Ladds Lane, Epping, eppingtheater.org) will present Disney’s Descendants on Friday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 26, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and $15 for ages 12 and under.

Riverbend Youth Company will present Beetlejuice Friday, Nov. 1, through Sunday, Nov. 3, at the Amato Center for the Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company). See the website for updates.

Actorsingers will present Beauty and the Beast Friday, Nov. 8, through Sunday, Nov. 10, at the Keefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St., Nashua). See actorsingers.org.

Safe Haven Ballet (safehavenballet.org) has several holiday productions on its schedule. Some early ones:

• The Nutcracker at The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, the musichall.org) on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $48.50 to $53.50.
• The Nutcracker at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., nashuacenterforthearts.com) Saturday, Nov. 23, at 4:30 p.m. Adult tickets cost $45; seniors and students cost $40.
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas at Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., nashuacenterforthearts.com) Sunday, Nov. 24, 4:30 p.m. Adult tickets cost $45; seniors and students cost $40.

Kids Coop Theatre will present Disney’s Descendants The Musical Friday, Nov. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 24. (Auditions are Sunday, Sept. 8, from noon to 4 p.m.) See kctnh.org for updates.

CLASSICAL

• Evenings at Avaloch in the concert barn space at Avaloch Farm Music Institute with visiting artists and ensembles of different genres from around the world who are in residence at Avaloch Farm Music Institute (16 Hardy Lane, Boscawen, avalochfarmmusic.org). Suggested donation is $10. On Friday, Aug. 30, at 7:30 p.m. the performers are Trio Oko, saajtak, Balourdet Quartet and Trio Simsive-Spiegelberg-Yang. On Friday, Sept. 6, at 7:30 p.m. the performers are Ayano Ninomiya, Rasa String Quartet, Thalea String Quartet, Sophie Delphis and Ari Livne. On Friday, Sept. 13, at 7:30 p.m. the performers are Hinterlands, Ariel Mo, KJ Mcdonald and Tanjo & Crow.

• Choir! Choir! Choir! “Hallelujah An Epic Anthems Sing Along” on Thursday, Sept. 12, 7 p.m. at BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com). Tickets cost $43.75 and $53.75.

• “Out of This World” with Principal Winds a Family Matinee Series performance by the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 3 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 101 Chapel St. Portsmouth. The concert will pay “homage to space travel and otherworldly themes” and include “selections from the Star Wars soundtrack and Gustav Holst’s ‘The Planets’” as wella s other pieces, according to portsmouthsymphony.org. $15 suggested donation at the door.

• Bedford Big Band on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 2 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $29.

• “Harmony Returns!” presented by the Concord Coachmen and guest chorus Greenlight Quartet and Northern Voices, on Sunday, Sept. 22, at 2 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord, theaudi.org). Tickets cost $20 at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord and at the door. See concordcoachmen.org.

• “Take 3 — Where Rock Meets Bach” a concert that is all-ages and “ranges form Beethoven to the Beach Boys” from the Concord Community Concert Association on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord, theaudi.org). Tickets cost $20 at the door and $23 online at ccca-audi.org.

• Swing Dance Night with the NH Jazz Orchestra on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 3:30 p.m. at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com). Tickets cost $30.75. Swing dance lessons start at 3:30 p.m. followed by dancing and music at 4 p.m.

• Colombian Music for Clarinet & Strings featuring clarinetist Santiago Baena Florez and members of the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra’s string section in a night of Colombian music featuring two suites by composers Jose Revelo Burbano and Alfredo Mejia Vallejo on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 5 p.m. at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club (135 Congress St., Portsmouth) with optional dinner service starting at 5 p.m., a meet and greet with PSO music director John Page at 5:30 p.m. and performance at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $20 to $40. See portsmouthsymphony.org.

• Fall Fiddle Festival Concert at the Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St., Concord, 228-1196, ccmusicschool.org) in the Recital Hall on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m featuring guest faculty members Hanneke Cassel, a fiddling champion, and Don Roy, and two New Hampshire fiddlers Audrey Budington and Liz Faiella joined by Cindy Roy on piano and Dan Faiella on guitar. Tickets cost $25 for adults, $20 for students.

• Tommy Dorsey Orchestra on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2 p.m. at the Stockbridge Theatre (Pinkerton Academy, Derry, pinkertonacademy.org/stockbridge-theatre). Tickets cost $15 to $35.

• Matt Savage Quartet & James Fernando Trio billed as “an evening of genuine jazz,” will perform Sunday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m. at the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu). Tickets cost $35.

• Candlelight: Tribute to The Beatles on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $43 to $60.

• Candlelight: A Tribute to Taylor Swift on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 8:30 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $43 to $60.

• Eliot Fisk in a solo guitar concert at the Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St., Concord, 228-1196, ccmusicschool.org) on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. Free.

• Fanfare Kick Off to the season of Symphony NH and the final season of Maestro Roger Kalia will be held Sky Meadow Country Club (6 Mountain Laurels Drive, Nashua) on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m. The evening will include food and an auction. Tickets cost $100. See symphonynh.org.

• Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue NH Philharmonic Orchestra kicks off its season with the premiere of Peter Boyer’s homage to George Gerswhin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” “Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue” featuring Steinway artist Jeffrey Biegel performing both works. The concert will also feature Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide Overture,” Joan Tower’s “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman” and William Grant Still’s Symphony Nov. 3 the “Sunday Symphony.” The concert will be at Seifert Performing Arts Center (44 Geremonty Drive, Salem) on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 27, 2 p.m. Tickets cost $35 for adults, $30 for seniors, $10 for students and $5 for Salem students. See nhphil.org.

• KITKA Women’s Vocal Ensemble will perform as part of the Gile Series at the Chubb Theatre Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m.

• Mahler 4 — Visions of Heaven a concert from Symphony New Hampshire will feature “soprano Carley DeFranco on a journey through Mahler’s delightful vision of heaven with his Fourth Symphony paired with Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915”’ according symphonynh.org. The concert takes place Sunday, Oct. 27, at 4 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashucenterforthearts.com). Tickets cost $32 to $67.

• Musical Portraits the season opening concert of the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra featuring Shostakovich’s Symphony Nov. 10 in E minor, Op. 93 and Copland’s Lincoln Portrait on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 3 p.m. at the Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, themusichall.org). Tickets cost $25-$45, $15 for students. See portsmouthsymphony.org.

• “Faith In The Seed With the Thoreau Piano Trio” inspired by Thoreau’s essay “The Dispersion of Seeds” with a piano/violin/cello trio featuring the music of Bernstein, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord, theaudi.org). Free, no tickets required.

• Brahms Requiem the fall concert from the Nashua Chamber Orchestra will take place Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at Nashua Community College and Sunday, Nov. 3, at 3 p.m at Milford Town Hall. See nco-music.org for tickets.

• “Brother Four” on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. presented by the Concord Community Concert Association at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord, theaudi.org). Tickets $20 at the door and $23 online at ccca-audi.org.

• Concord Community Music School 40th Anniversary Year Fundraising Gala on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 5:30 p.m. at Pembroke Pines Country Club (42 Whittemore Road, Pembroke). Tickets cost $125. The evening will feature music, food and more. See ccmusicschool.org.

• NH 39th Army Band Veterans Day Concert on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Chubb Theatre at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) as part of the Gile Series.

• Beethoven’s 3rd Exploring Eroica, a concert from Symphony New Hampshire that will “delve into the intricacies of Beethoven’s pivotal Third Symphony with musical excerpts provided by the SNH musicians,” according symphonynh.org on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashucenterforthearts.com). Tickets cost $32 to $67.

• Candlelight: Tribute to Queen on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $43 to $60.

• Candlelight: Tribute to Coldplay and Imagine Dragons on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 8:30 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $43 to $60.

• “Adventures with Beethoven” with Essex Piano Trip a Family Matinee Series performance by the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 3 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 101 Chapel St., Portsmouth. The concert will feature Beethoven’s Op. 97 Archduke Trio, according to portsmouthsymphony.org. $15 suggested donation at the door.

• Swing Dance Night with the NH Jazz Orchestra on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com). Tickets cost $30.75. Swing dance lessons start at 6:30 p.m. followed by dancing and music at 7 p.m.

• Jesse Cook, a Nuevo Flamenco guitarist, will perform on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com). Tickets cost $39 through $69.

• Illuminated Ensembles — American Standards, a concert from Symphony New Hampshire. The Symphony at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord presents a “three-part series of Illuminated Ensembles. Join the Symphony New Hampshire Jazz Quartet for the first of a series of concerts by candlelight at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage. This intimate and immersive experience will bring the Great American Songbook into a whole new light,” according symphonynh.org. The concert takes place Sunday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m. at Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com. Tickets cost $37.

COMEDY

Bob Marley will perform at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, 672-1002, amatocenter.org) on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m.

The Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord (225-1111, ccanh.com) will host comedy this fall. At the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord) see Jimmy Dunn on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m.

At the Chubb Theater (44 S. Main St.), catch:

• Nurse John Saturday, Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m.
• Jessica Kirson Friday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m.
• Bored Teachers: The Struggle is Real Sunday, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m.
• Tracy Morgan Saturday, Nov. 2, at 8 p.m.
• Matt Mathews Sunday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m.
• Nick Swardson Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
• Bob Marley Saturday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m.
• Nikki Glaser: Alive & Unwell Tour Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 13, at 7 & 9:30 p.m.
• Joe Gatto: Let’s Get Into It, with Mark Jigarian Monday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m.

The Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, 929-4100, casinoballroom.com) will host Brad Williams on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m.; Lewis Black on Friday, Sept. 27, at 8 p.m.; Becky Robinson on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m., and Steve Trevino on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m.

Colonial Theatre Laconia (609 Main St., Laconia, 657-8774, coloniallaconia.com) will host The Jimmy Dunn Comedy All-Stars featuring Andrew Della Volpe, Frank Santorelli, Jimmy Cash and Ken Rogerson on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 8 p.m.

Comedians performing at Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road, Manchester, 206-3888, chunkys.com/movie-theater/chunkysmanchester) in September include Phillip Anthony on Saturday, Sept. 14; Steve Bjork on Saturday, Sept. 28, and Peter Coppola R-Rated Hypnotist on Saturday, Sept. 28. All shows begin at 8:30 p.m.

Headliners Comedy Club (DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown, 988-3673, headlinersnh.com) has shows most Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20. So far on the fall schedule are:

• Kyle Crawford Sept. 28
• Corey Manning Oct. 5
• Chris Tabb Oct. 12
• Steve Bjork Oct. 19
• Tim McKeever Nov. 2
• Dan Crohn Nov. 9
• Mark Scalia Nov. 16
• James Dorsey Nov. 23

The Flying Monkey Movie House & Performance Center (39 Main St., Plymouth, 536-2551, flyingmonkeynh.com) will host Bob Marley on Friday, Sept. 13; The No Apologies Comedy Show featuring Tammy Pescatelli, Tom Cotter and Jim Florentine on Saturday, Sept. 28, and Funny Women of a Certain Age featuring Carole Montgomery, Kerri Louise and Monique Marvez on Saturday, Nov. 16. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Juston McKinney will perform on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m.

Upcoming acts at McCue’s Comedy Club at the Roundabout Diner(508 Portsmouth Traffic Circle, Portsmouth, 844-424-2420, mccuescomedyclub.com) include Janelle Draper on Thursday, Sept. 7, and Jim McCue on Thursday, Sept. 14, both at 8 p.m.

Comedy shows at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) this fall include The No Apologies Comedy Show featuring Tom Cotter, Tammy Pescatelli and Jim Florentine on Friday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m.; Jimmy Dunn Comedy All-Stars featuring Jimmy Dunn, Andrew Della Volpe, Frank Santorelli, Jimmy Cash and Ken Rogerson on Friday, Nov. 1, at 8 p.m., and Gary Gulman on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m.

The Palace Theatre and its sister Rex Theatre in Manchester (668-5588, palacetheatre.org) have comedy on the schedule for the fall. At the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St.):

• Justin McKinney Saturday, Oct. 5, at 5 and 8 p.m.
• Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood Sunday, Oct. 6, at 5 p.m.

At the Rex Theatre (823 Amherst St.):

• Roger Kabler – The Robin Williams Experience on Friday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
• The Calamari Sisters’ SausageFest Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 13, at 2 p.m.
• Robert Dubac’s Stand Up Jesus Friday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m.
• R-Rated Hypnotist Frank Santos Friday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m.
• The Ladies of Laughter Comedy Tour with Patty Rosborough and Liz Glazer Friday, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m.
• Emily Ruskowski’s Thanksgiving Leftover Comedy Show Friday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m.
• Lenny Clark Friday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m.

Look for comedians at the The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, 436-2400, themusichall.org) and its Lounge this fall. In the Historic Theatre:

• Charlie Berens Saturday, Sept. 21, at 8 p.m.
• Paula Poundstone Saturday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m.

In the Music Hall Lounge:

• Carmen Lynch Saturday, Sept. 7, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
• Heather Shaw Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m.
• David Drake Saturday, Sept. 21, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
• Gabby Bryan Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
• Chris Franjola Friday, Nov. 22, at 8:30 p.m.
• Kelly MacFarland Saturday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m.
• Jackie Fabulous Thursday, Dec. 19, at 6 p.m.

Rochester Opera House (31 Wakefield St., Rochester, 335-1992, rochesteroperahouse.com) will host New England treasure Tim Sample on Friday, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m. and Jimmy Dunn on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.

Comedy shows at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, tupelomusichall.com) this fall include Robby Printz and Chris D on Friday, Sept. 20; Brian Regan on Thursday, Oct. 3; Jason Merrill and Kindra Landsburg on Saturday, Oct. 26, and Christopher Titus on Saturday, Nov. 16. All shows begin at 8 p.m.

BOOKS- Author appearances

Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St., bookerymht.com) has several authors on its schedule.

• Ann Melim will celebrate the launch of her book Peaches or Pickles on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 5 to 7 p.m.
• Amanda Huot will discuss her book Code Mercy on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 3 to 5 p.m.
• Tim Baird presents his new fantasy book The Dragon in the Whites: Omnibus Volume II n Saturday, Sept. 28, from 2 to 4 p.m.
• Wendy Murphy will discuss her book Oh No He Didn’t! on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 3 to 5 p.m.
• David Miller will be speaking on the historic link between exorcism and revival with his new book Redacted: The Secret History of Exorcism on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 5 to 7 p.m.

At Balin Books (375 Amherst St., Nashua, balinbooks.com) Susanna Hargreaves presents her kids’ book Ghost Stories from Amherst, New Hampshire on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 3 to 4 p.m.

Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) has several authors on its schedule.

• Abi Maxwell, a New Hampshire author, will talk about her book One Day I’ll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman: A Mother’s Story on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m.
• Rachel Harrison will talk about her latest horror novel, So Thirsty, in conversation with fellow horror author Clay McLeod Chapman, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 6:30 p.m.
• Maren Tirabassi will talk about her latest cozy mystery novel, Death in Disguise: A Rev & Rye Mystery, on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 6:30 p.m.
• Paula Munier will talk about her latest Mercy Carr mystery, The Night Woods, on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 6:30 p.m.
• Chad Finn will talk about his new book, The Boston Globe Story of the Celtics: 1946-Present, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 6:30 p.m.
• Jacquelyn Benson will talk about her fantasy novel Tomb of the Sun King in conversation with her audiobook narrator, Alex Picard, on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 6:30 p.m.
• Award-winning author and photographer Jon Waterman presents his new book, Into the Thaw: Witnessing Wonder Amid the Arctic Climate Crisis, , on Monday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 p.m. in conversation with Richard Adams Carey, professor emeritus of SNHU.
• Katrina Emmel returns to her hometown of Concord to talk about her debut YA novel, Near Misses & Cowboy Kisses, on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 6:30 p.m.
• Sy Montgomery will talk about her new book, What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Famous Bird, on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m.
• Eric Orff will discuss his new book What’s Wild: A Half Century of Wisdom from the Woods and Rivers of New England on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 6:30 p.m.

The Poetry Society of New Hampshire will feature Abbie Kiefer at its afternoon of verse on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 4:30 p.m.

At the Barnes & Noble in Manchester (1741 S.Willow St., 668-5557, bn.com) John Leahy, a local author and sports broadcaster, will talk about his books Breakaway Wisdom: Life Strategies from the Coaches of Hockey East and Living a King’s Life: The Story of the 2009 Kalamzaoo Kings from the Radio Broadcast Booth on Saturday, Sept. 14, from noon to 2 p.m. Sarah DeLaVergne, author of the novel Shattered Skies, will hold a meet-and-greet on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

As part of the New Hampshire Book Festival, the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) has authors on the schedule including Kate DiCamillo on Friday, Oct. 4, at 10 a.m. and Saturday, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m. and Jean Hanff Korelitz on Friday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m.

The Cap Center will also present Dana & Greg Newkirk’s Haunted Objects Live, a story-telling presentation, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord). Alexander McCall Smith, author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series among many other books, will speak at the Chubb Theatre at 44 S. Main St. on Monday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. Candace Bushnell, of the book Sex and the City fame, will speak at the Chubb Theater on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m. And on Friday, Nov. 1, Kathyrn Grody and Mandy Patinkin, the married couple and multi-hyphenates who had some Covid-era online fun, will speak at 7:30 p.m.

Water Street Bookstore in Exeter (125 Water St., waterstreetbooks.com) will feature Mark DeCarteret with his new book, Props: Poetic Intros, Praises, Co-conspiracies, Pairings, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. Greg Bastianelli will talk about his new thriller, October, at Water Street on Friday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m.

The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, 436-2400, themusichall.org) will feature author talks including:

• Rachel Kushner at The Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St.) on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 5:30 p.m. for a discussion and Q&A about her novel Creation Lake. Tickets cost $45 and include a signed copy of the book. The moderator will be Lara Prescott, author of The Secrets We Kept.
• Richard Powers on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. for a discussion and Q&A about his latest novel, Playground. Tickets cost $56.50 including fees and a signed copy of the book for every 1-2 tickets.
• Elizabeth Strout at The Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St.) on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. for a discussion and Q&A about her novel Tell Me Everything. Tickets cost $45 and include a signed copy of the book. The moderator will be Lara Prescott, author of The Secrets We Kept.
• Ariel Lawhon at The Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St.) on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. for a discussion and Q&A about her novel The Frozen River. Tickets cost $33 and include a signed copy of the book.

Book events

• Geisel’s Library 34th Annual Book Sale occurs during Saint Anselm’s (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, anselm.edu, 641-7000) Family Weekend on Friday, Sept. 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept 29, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Prices are $1 for paperbacks, DVD/VHS/CD and puzzles, $2 for hardcover books and board games.

• New Hampshire Book Festival will be held Friday, Oct. 4, and Saturday, Oct. 5, in Concord, with panels, book signings and presentations. Friday features a children’s keynote by author Kate DiCamillo at 10 a.m. and an adult keynote by Jean Hanff Korelitz at 7 p.m. Visit nhbookfestival.org for a full schedule and to purchase tickets.

HISTORY

• Nashua Historical Society (5 Abbott St., Nashua, nashuahistoricalsociety.org, 883-0015) has several fall programs on the schedule, according to its website.

• The “Notable Nashuans with a Twist: Voices from the Past” Cemetery Tour will take place on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church cemetery behind White Wing Preschool (58 Lowell St., Nashua). Participants will select from 18 grave sites where reenactors adorned in period attire will tell their stories. Tickets are $20.
• A tree planting will occur on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Florence H. Speare Memorial Museum lawn. Andrew Morin of Regenerative Roots has donated three apple trees and three pear trees to be planted on the grounds.
• Jane O’Neail will give a free talk titled Heroes and Homecomings: Norman Rockwell and World War II on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. in Florence H. Speare Memorial Museum Library​​​.
• A museum open house will take place Saturday, Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Abbot-Spalding House Museum (1 Abbott Square; $10; free for members) and Florence H. Speare Memorial Museum (free).
• Write at the Museum will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Florence H. Speare Memorial Museum in celebration of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. participants are invited to tour the Abbot-Spalding House Museum for free.
• The documentary At Home and Abroad: Nashua and World War II will be shown on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. in the Florence H. Speare Memorial Museum; it was created by experienced local filmmakers John Sadd and Jeremy Frazier. The run time is approximately one hour and this event is free and open to the public.

• The Manchester Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St., manchesterhistoric.org, 622-7531) celebrates the Grace Metalious centennial on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. To commemorate the 100th birthday of Grace Metalious, author of the best-selling and controversial novel Peyton Place, historian and Metalious scholar Robert B. Perreault will give a talk titled “Before Peyton Place: In Search of the Real Grace Metalious” about her life and formative years in Manchester. The Museum partners with the Majestic Theatre for Murder and Mayhem: A Manchester Game of Clue on Oct. 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. featuring three distinct historic Manchester murders; participants can experience a first-person reenactment of the events. And the exhibit “Who Wore It? The Forensics of a Dress” in the Millyard Museum’s Henry M. Fuller State Theatre Gallery will be up until Friday, Nov. 1, showcasing 200 years of dresses worn by remarkable women from Manchester’s past.

New Hampshire Humanities (nhhumanities.org) will offer a slate of programming around the state this fall, including these events:

• From Mickey to Magoo: The Golden Age of American Animation presented by Margo Burns on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. at Plaistow Public Library (85 Main St., Plaistow).
• Faberge Imperial Easter Eggs on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. at the Merrimack Historical Society (10 Depot St., Merrimack, 424-5207).
• 2024 Annual Celebration of the Humanities at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St.,
• Derry) on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 6:30 p.m. featuring keynote speaker Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, and interviewer Jaed Coffin, author of A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants (2008) and Roughhouse Friday (2019).
• New Hampshire Cemeteries and Gravestones at Chichester Grange Hall (54 Main St., Chichester, 798-5613) with presenter Glenn Knoblock on Monday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m.
• The Capital Crime of Witchcraft: What the Primary Sources Tell Us at Rodgers Memorial Library (194 Derry Road, Hudson, 886-6030) on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 6:30 p.m. with presenter Margo Burns, the 10th-generation great-granddaughter of Rebecca Nurse, who was hanged in Salem in 1692 on the charge of witchcraft.

• Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., 589-4600, nashualibrary.org) presents two online events this fall. Jennie Powers: The Woman Who Dares is a one-hour illustrated online presentation by Jennifer Carroll on Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. about Jennie Powers, a humane society agent in Keene from 1903 to 1936 who was one of the first to become a deputy sheriff in New Hampshire. A History of Shipwrecks with Capt. Greg Ketchen (ret.) is presented online by Nashua Public Library in partnership with Ashland Public Library on Thursday, Oct. 24, from 1 to 2 p.m. To attend these events, visit the Nashua Public Library website event calendar at nashualibrary.libcal.com.

• Center for the Arts NH (centerfortheartsnh.org) will host Nora Lewis for a discussion of the Black Heritage Trail NH on Monday, Sept. 16, at 5:30 p.m. and Simon Brooks with an hour of storytelling on Monday, Oct. 21, at 5:30 p.m., both at the Center for the Arts’ Whipple Hall in New London. For details call 844-564-2787 or visit centerfortheartsnh.org.

• The New Hampshire Historical Society (30 Park St., Concord, 228-6688, nhhistory.org) will offer several programs this fall. These programs are held at the NHHS in Concord unless otherwise noted.

• Leah Dearborn will give a lecture titled Lighter-Than-Air: Early Ballooning in New England on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m. Dearborn, assistant director of the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, gathers tales to show the panorama of colorful personalities who shared the skies over 19th-century New England. Admission is $7. No registration required.
• Award-winning writer, editor and columnist Keith Gentili, author of White Mountains State, will give a lecture titled Hiking the New Hampshire 48 on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 2 p.m. Admission is $7. No registration required.
• A virtual lecture titled The History of the Kancamagus Highway will occur Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. Historian and author Glenn Knoblock details the development of this Granite State treasure and gives a glimpse into what the “Kanc” has to offer. Admission is $5. Advance registration is required.
• The New Hampshire Furniture Masters exhibition takes place Friday, Oct.18, and Saturday, Oct. 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The NHHS was a founding partner of the Furniture Masters and will be celebrating the group’s 30 years of craftsmanship. Admission to the exhibition is $7. Visit furnituremasters.org.
• A virtual workshop titled Who’s Taking Care of Your Local History? will be offered online on Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Maggie Stier of the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance talks about how different groups at the local level work to save and preserve history. The program is free, but advance registration is required.
• Matthew Bowman, professor of religion and history at Claremont Graduate University, presents a lecture and book signing of Three Ways of Thinking about the UFO: Betty Hill, Barney Hill, and UFO Culture in America on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 4 p.m. Copies of the book will be available for sale at the event and through the Society’s online store. This program, which is free, is being offered both in person and virtually. No registration is required to attend in person but advance registration is required for virtual attendees.
• Retired news reporter David Tirrell-Wysocki will give a lecture titled The New Hampshire Primary: A Light-Hearted Look at the Long Shots on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m., offering a light-hearted nonpartisan look at New Hampshire’s presidential contest. Admission is $7. No registration required.
• Glen Rodgers, emeritus professor at Allegheny College and author of Traveling with the Atom: A Scientific Guide to Europe and Beyond, presents a lecture titled Traveling with Count Rumford on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m., recounting Rumford’s scientific, economic, diplomatic and military accomplishments while tracing his footsteps across the United States and Europe. Admission is $7. No registration required.
• A virtual workshop on Creating Dynamic Cemetery Tours takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 13, from 7 to 9 p.m. where participants will learn about the many ways that local organizations can put together compelling, crowd-pleasing cemetery tours. The workshop is $25. Advance registration is required.
• Paul Wainwright gives a lecture titled New England’s Colonial Meetinghouses and Their Impact on American Society on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m., using photographs of the few surviving “mint-condition” meetinghouses as illustrations. Admission is $7. No registration required.
• A lecture titled New England’s General: Franklin Pierce and the War with Mexico will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. where participants will join doctoral candidate James Irving from the University of New Hampshire as he uncovers the wide and tangled network of individuals — from President James K. Polk to local friends, foreign foes, and even horses, mules and mosquitos — who helped determine the course of Pierce’s wartime experience. Admission is $7. No registration required.

The Manchester City Library (405 Pine St., manchesterlibrary.org) presents a Tour of Valley Street Cemetery led by local historian Stan Garrity on Friday, Oct. 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. The tour starts at the Library and will walk to the cemetery and then return to the library. For details, call 624-6550, ext. 7620, or email [email protected]. The library also welcomes Debra LeClair presenting Irish Castles at the Time of the Tudors on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. in the Library auditorium. For details, call 624-6550, ext. 7620, or email [email protected]. Signup is not required for either of these events, but you can sign up via the library calendar in order to receive a reminder email

FILM

Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord; redrivertheatres.org) has multiple movies on the schedule each week — on Thursday, Sept. 5, for example, you can catchIt Ends With Us(PG-13, 2024) at 4 p.m.; Widow Clicquot (R, 2024) at 4:30 & 6:30 p.m.; Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (PG-13, 2023) at 4:16 & 6:45 p.m. and Between The Temples(R, 2024) at 7 p.m. For October, Red River has some Halloween-themed programming in the works. The annual Rocky Horror Picture Show tradition returns Fridays, Oct. 18 and Oct. 25, and Saturday, Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, with special guest hosts, prop bags and rewards for the best costumes. The theater is also working on a late night scary movie schedule for the first two Fridays and Saturdays in October, according to Red River executive director Angie Lane.

Chunky’s (707 Huse St. in Manchester; chunkys.com) has become a go-to spot for comedy (many Saturdays), trivia (most Thursdays as well as monthly family trivia nights), games (such as scratch ticket bingo on Sept. 13 and Sept. 25) and other events (such as a paint night on Sept. 15 and the monthly Life’s a Drag show, next on Sept. 21 at 9 p.m.). But of course there is still a solid offering of first-run movies as well as specialty screenings. Upcoming events include:

• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (PG-13, 2024) a 21+ screening on Thursday, Sept. 5, 8:30 p.m.
• Abominable (PG, 2019) a “Little Lunch Date” screening on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 11:30 a.m. Tickets cost $5 plus fees and include a $5 food voucher.
• The Peanuts Movie (G, 2015) a “Little Lunch Date” screening on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 11:30 a.m. Tickets cost $5 plus fees and include a $5 food voucher.
• Transformers One (PG, 2024) a Sensory Screening on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 11:30 a.m.
• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (PG-13, 2024) presented as part of a five-course Farmer’s Dinner on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. Dinners (with a vegetarian option) are $75 per person, $110 with a wine package.

The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) has some silent screenings on the schedule: Speedy (1928), a silent Harold Lloyd comedy with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, will screen on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. Lon Chaney Halloween Creepfest Double Feature with The Unknown (1927) and West of Zanzibar (1928) featuring live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis will screen on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m.

As part of the Granite State Comic Con (granitecon.com), the 1990 live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtleswill screen on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m.

Inside The Mind Of A Genius: Leonardo Da VinciFilm Premiereand Conversation with Ken Burns will take place on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu, 641-7700). Tickets cost $100, $250 for a VIP which includes a pre-show reception with Ken Burns.

Fathom Events (fathomevents.com) hosts screenings at several area theaters including Apple Cinemas in Hooksett and Merrimack, O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square in Epping, AMC Londonderry, Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem and Regal Fox Run in Newington. Movie events include anniversary screenings, Studio Ghibli Fest, The Metropolitan Opera HD and religious films. The upcoming schedule includes:

• God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust (PG, 2024) Thursday, Sept. 12, through Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Apple Cinemas, AMC Londonderry, O’neil in Epping and Regal Fox Run (not all theaters have the movie on all days; see website for times).
• Blazing Saddles (1974) Sunday, Sept. 15, at 4 p.m. at Cinemark in Salem, O’neil in Epping and AMC Londonderry (where it also screens at 7 p.m.) and Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. at those theaters.
• The Matrix (R, 1999) Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. at both Apple Cinemas, Cinemark in Salem, O’neil in Epping and Regal Fox Run, and Sunday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Apple Cinemas and at 3 & 7 p.m. at Cinemark and Regal Fox Run.
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeves Story (PG-13, 2024) will screen Saturday, Sept. 21, at 4 & 7 p.m. at Cinemark in Salem and Regal Fox Run and Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 4 & 7 p.m. at AMC Londonderry, Cinemark in Salem and Regal Fox Run.
• Howl’s Moving Castle (PG, 2004) Friday, Sept. 26, through Thursday, Oct. 3, at the Apple Cinemas, AMC Londonderry, O’neil in Epping and Regal Fox Run. See website for times and for a listing of which screenings are subtitled and which are dubbed.
• Mean Girls (PG-13, 2004) Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. at Apple Cinemas, AMC Londonderry, Cinemark in Salem, O’neil in Epping and Regal Fox Run and on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m. at all of those theaters (except the Apple in Merrimack) as well as at 7 p.m. at the Apple in Hooksett, AMC Londonderry and Regal Fox Run.
• Les Contes d’Hoffmann Saturday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m. (when it is broadcasting live) at both Apple Cinemas, O’neil Epping and Regal Fox Run as well as in an encore broadcast on Wednesday, Oc.t 9, at 6:30 p.m. at both Apples and at 1 p.m. at O’neil Epping and Regal Fox Run.
• Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan StoryTuesday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. at both Apple Cinemas and Regal Fox Run.
• Average Joe (PG-13, 2024) Thursday, Oct. 10, through Thursday, Oct. 17, at both Apple Cinemas, AMC Londonderry and Regal Fox Run.
• Grounded Saturday, Oct. 19, at 1 p.m. (when it is broadcasting live) at both Apple Cinemas, O’neil in Epping and Regal Fox Run as well as in an encore broadcast on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m. at the Apple Cinemas and 1 p.m. at O’neil and Regal.
• Back to the Future Part II (1989) Saturday, Oct. 19, and Monday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. at both Apple Cinemas, Cinemark in Salem and Regal Fox Run.
• Kiki’s Delivery Service (G, 1989) Saturday, Oct, 26, through Wednesday, Oct. 30, at Apple Cinemas in Hooksett and Merrimack, O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square in Epping, AMC Londonderry, Cinemark in Salem and Regal Fox Run. See website for times at each theater and for which screenings are dubbed or subtitled.
• For the One a film about the Summer Worship Nights Tour, Sunday, Oct. 27, through Tuesday, Oct. 29.
• Radiating Joy: The Michelle Duppong Story on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
• The Fifth Element (PG-13, 1997) Sunday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m. at Cinemark Salem, Oneil in Epping, Regal Fox Run (where it will also screen at 7:30 p.m.) and AMC Londonderry (where it will also screen at 7 p.m.) as well as Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. at AMC Londonderry, Cinemark in Salem, O’neil in Epping and Regal Fox Run.
• Tosca Saturday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m. (when it is broadcasting live) at both Apple Cinemas, O’neil in Epping and Regal Fox Run as well as in an encore broadcast on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the Apple Cinemas and 1 p.m. at O’neil and Regal.
• Pom Poko (PG, 1994) Sunday, Nov. 24, when it will be dubbed, at Apple Cinemas in Merrimack and Hooksett (3 & 7 p.m.), Cinemark in Salem (3 & 7 p.m.), O’neil in Epping (7 p.m.) and Regal Fox Run (3 &7 p.m.) and Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 7 p.m. when it will be subtitled at those theaters.
• The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (PG, 2013) Monday, Nov. 25 (dubbed), and Wednesday, Nov. 27 (subtitled), at 7 p.m. at the Apple Cinemas, Cinemark in Salem and Regal Fox Run (O’neil in Epping only has the Monday screening).
• My Neighbor Totoro (G, 1988) Saturday, Dec. 7, through Wednesday, Dec. 11, at Apple Cinemas in Hooksett and Merrimack, O’neil in Epping, AMC Londonderry, Cinemark in Salem and Regal Fox Run in Newington. Not all theaters will screen all days; see website for times and for a breakdown of which screenings are dubbed or subtitled.

The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St. in Portsmouth; themusichall.org) once again hosts Telluride by the Sea, the film festival featuring six new films from the Telluride Film Festival that screen at the Music Hall Friday, Sept. 13, through Sunday, Sept. 15. Tickets range from weekend passes with varying levels of perks (priced at $120 through $490) to individual film tickets. This year’s films are Conclave, Memoir of a Snail, Nickel Boys, Saturday Night, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Will & Harper and Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight.

• The Ritual Mountain Bike Film Tour, a collection of films about mountain biking, will screen on Friday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m.
• Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour, a slate of seven short films from 2024 Sundance, will screen on Tuesday, Sept. 24, and Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. on both days. Tickets cost $16, $14 for students, seniors, veterans & military and first responders.
• The New Hampshire Film Festival will also take place at The Music Hall as well as venues around Portsmouth. See nhfilmfestival.com for updates on titles and ticket information.
• And catch CatVideoFest 2024, a compilation of cat videos, on Thursday, Sept. 5, 7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 8, at 1 p.m.

The Music Hall regularly screens National Theatre London in HD and The Met broadcasts, the next of which is an encore of Porgy & Bess on Sunday, Sept. 8, at 3 p.m. And catch recently released movies such as:

• Water Brother (NR, 2024) Friday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m.
• Ezra (R, 2024) Tuesday, Sept. 10, and Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m.
• Yamnuska (NR) Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m.
• The Thicket (R, 2024) Wednesday, Sept. 18, and Thursday, Sept. 19, 7 p.m.
• One Hand Clapping — Paul McCartney and Wings (1974) Thursday, Sept. 26, and Saturday, 28, at 7 p.m.
• Seven Samurai (1954) Saturday, Sept. 28, and Sunday, Sept. 29, at 1 p.m.
• Beyond the Fantasy from Teton Gravity Research, a ski and snowboard film, Friday, Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m.

The Capitol Center for the Arts venues (Chubb Theater at 44 S. Main St. and BNH Stage at 16 S. Main St., both in Concord; ccanh.com) have film events scheduled for the fall. Catch two Live In Concert screenings: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (PG, 2023) on Friday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. and Jim Henson’s Labyrinth (1986) on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m., both in the Chubb Theatre. The Chubb Theatre also hosts broadcasts of The Metropolitan Opera. The schedule includes Les Contes D’Hoffmann on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m.; Grounded on Sunday, Oct. 20, at 1 p.m. and Tosca on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m.

Other events include a lecture based on Netflix’s Our Planet on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. and the ski and snowboard film Beyond the Fantasy on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 3 and 8 p.m.

Wilton Town Hall Theatres (40 Main St. in Wilton; find them on Facebook) will continue its silent film series, with live musical accompaniment provided by Jeff Rapsis. Admission is free, though a $10 donation is suggested. The schedule includes The Show (1927) with Lionel Barrymore on Sunday, Sept. 22, at 2 p.m.; Der Golem (1920) on Sunday, Oct. 20, at 2 p.m., and It’s the Old Army Game (1926) with W.C. Fields on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m.

The Park Theatre (19 Main St., Jaffrey, theparktheatre.org, 532-9300) has some specialty screenings on the schedule:

• Edward Scissorhands: Matthew Bourne’s dance version of Tim Burton’s classic will be screened on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 29, at 2 p.m.
• Paul McCartney & Wings’ One Hand Clapping on Thursday, Sept. 26, and on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. on both days.
• The Exhibition on Screen series includes Young Picasso (2019) on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 1:30 p.m.; Canaletto & The Art of Venice (2017) on Oct. 9 at 1:30 p.m.; Cezanne: Portraits of a Life (2018) on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 1:30 p.m., and Matisse: From MoMA and Tate Modern (2014) on Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 1:30 p.m.
• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (PG-13, 2024) is also slated to screen Thursday, Sept. 5, through Thursday, Sept. 19.

Movies in the Park, hosted by the Hall Memorial Library (hallmemoriallibrary.org), wraps up its season of screenings in Riverfront Park in Tilton on Friday, Sept. 27, at 6 p.m. with the movie starting at 8 p.m.

Manhattan Short film festival makes the audience the judge for the competition of the 10 finalist short films. This year’s lineup includes films starring Emma D’Arcy (The Talent, from the U.K.) and Zoe Saldana (Dovecote, from Italy), see manhattanshort.com for information on each film. The festival films will screen all over the world; in New Hampshire, the festival will run at NHTI in Concord on Friday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 5, at 2 & 7 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m.

The Walker Lecture Fund Travelogue series at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord, 333-0035, walkerlecture.org) will offer two presentations. “Great Cities of Europe” is on Wednesday, Oct.23, at 7:30 p.m.; cinematographer Marlin Farrah travels from Norway to France, through fjords and fish markets, palaces and parks, cathedrals and canals. “A Visit To New Zealand” is on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. Travel with Paul and Deb Doscher through a range of natural and cultural attractions from tropical to frozen. Both events are free and doors open at 7 p.m.

The Flying Monkey (39 S. Main St. in Plymouth; flyingmonkeynh.com) will screen The Lost World(1925), a silent film based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel about dinosaurs found by “modern” explorers, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m. The presentation features live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis.

Nosferatu (1922), the silent film directed by F.W. Murnau, will be presented with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway in Derry) on Friday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m.

The Milford Drive-In (531 Elm St. in Milford; milforddrivein.com) will be open for weekend screenings through the weekend of Oct. 25 and Oct. 26, according to an email from the drive-in.

Enjoy the view with local murals

By John Fladd and Zachary Lewis

On the exterior walls of buildings in Concord, Manchester and Nashua, you can find a wealth of murals, some commissioned by organizations or businesses, others semi-spontaneous expressions of artistic passion.

David Hady is one of the people behind some of Manchester’s murals. As Creative Director of the Orbit Group in Manchester he helps up-and-coming artists, including street artists, get a toe-hold in the notoriously difficult art field.

“Part of what Orbit Group wants to do is give back and contribute to the Manchester local arts community,” Hady said. “One of our arms does property development and another one of our arms is centered on the arts. We’re trying to find emerging artists who are looking for stepping stones to cross this bridge so that they can step toward their professional career.”

One of Orbit’s early projects was revitalizing Cat Alley in Manchester.

“Cat Alley was originally painted in 2011,” Hady said. “We did a local [artist] submission and we had around 60 people apply. We chose 18 artists and we cleaned up the alley, primed it all, then prepared the different spaces for each artist to come in and create their own version of cat artwork. We kind of gave them free rein to do whatever they wanted, as long as it was cat-centric. They created a bunch of different styles, colors and aesthetics, which is really nice.”

Another project is an Art Walk Scavenger Hunt Map, to help visitors to Manchester find murals and other outdoor art they might not be familiar with. It is a map of downtown Manchester, with 42 works of public art plotted on it.

“We’re trying to create multiple avenues of things for people to do downtown,” Hady said. “This just kind of layers into an afternoon. You have lunch, you go to a Fisher Cats game and then maybe you do this art tour and it’s all kind of centered within a one-and-a-half-mile radius. It’s got a bunch of great locations of sculptures and mural works.”

James Chase is an Associate Professor at New England College, and the founder of Art Builds Community, an organization with a mission to connect and empower the community through the Arts. Chase said that one of the organization’s strengths is its grass-roots nature.

“It’s led by artists and creators and community members through shared art experiences,” he said. “I think the art that is out in the public has been blossoming, especially over the last few years, as residents are comfortable lending their walls for voices to be heard.” Public acceptance of street art has been growing, he said.

“When I first started doing murals, it was a little, ‘Oh, it’s graffiti! I don’t want you to put a mark on our building and degrade it.’ And what I’ve noticed now is a lot more people are coming to the table to bring change and to make areas destinations, to have them be conversation pieces,” Chase said.

Chase sees public art as a form of dialogue that a community has with itself.

“I think it’s really important to have a [clear vision of] where you can bend [and] where you can’t. But everyone has been so accommodating. And even if people don’t get to physically sometimes pick up a paintbrush, they get to see their voice, their mark. And lots of times they’re actually painting too, which is even more amazing,” he said.

He cited two murals under traffic bridges along the Piscataquog Rail Trail on the West Side of Manchester.

“Once again, it was a collective group of people,” Chase said. “What I love about those types of projects is when people come together, something new is going to happen. Just from afar, I had helped, my students were going to do that project and just with the timing it didn’t work out.” Eventually, he said, a group of local artists and community members ended up painting the murals.

Amber Nicole Cannan was one of the organizers responsible for getting the murals completed. She sees them as another example of a community dialogue.

“We wanted to make sure we were including lots of community members,” she said, “[to make sure we included a] wide variety of opinions and perspectives, and we all worked together to get it done. We grabbed anyone who would walk by and asked them to participate, and a lot of people contributed to it.”

Cannan said that conditions were not ideal for painting a mural. “It was a unique challenge,” she said, “because obviously that spot is far from any electrical hookups or water or bathroom.” Eventually, she got permission to park at an apartment on the street above and used her car as a power station for the equipment the artists needed. Cannan said there was another unexpected complication. “We did run into a small snag. We were told the city would prime it for us. But they painted it with anti-graffiti paint.”

Despite technical challenges, and some backlash from some community members, for the most part the murals have been embraced by the community, including an unexpected part of it.

“It became really interesting,” Cannan said, “because while we were there, notes would get left on what we were working on, like the paint pens and Sharpies. It was mostly from the transitory population. And they just talked about how beautifying that space made them feel thought of. They said they saw themselves in it, and they just felt the love from it. And that was really important to us.”

Yazamine Safarzadeh sees a growing and surprising amount of support for street art. She is the Special Projects Coordinator forPositive Street Art, a group based in Nashua dedicated to bringing under-represented voices to public spaces.

“We have a very good relationship with the city of Nashua,” she said. “I’ve never seen such a copacetic relationship between the city and an arts organization which, in turn, benefits the city. We can’t do what we do without the support of the community.”

Safarzadeh said Positive Street Art has spent the past few years building a relationship with people who rarely see themselves in the art around them.

“We’ve had multiple-year relationships with nonprofits who trust us and let us come into this space with the demographics that are highly, highly vulnerable because we too are from those demographics. So that’s a really unique thing about this organization is you’re, you know, we’re serving the community, but we’re also of the community’s working class,” she said.

Local mural artists have seen more and more support in recent years from the business community, as well.

815 Cocktails & Provisions is a plush bar in downtown Manchester. There are comfortable chairs and sofas, the lighting and the music is soft and the drinks innovative, like the Smoked Lemon Drop or the Moxie Mule. And then there are the murals. Roughly two thirds of the bar’s wallspace is covered with floor-to-ceiling murals.

They were painted by Nashua artist Jason McDonald, who goes by the name JayMac and paints under the name @The_Backstah. He has been an artist for 30 years.

“I started off as a graffiti artist in Boston as a young kid,” McDonald said. “I actually got in a bunch of trouble when I was younger for graffiti, and then as I grew older and got more into artwork, I turned it more, honed it more professionally and positive and turned it into a career.” After years of work, he has developed a following and is becoming a known name in the art world.

“I do everything from custom canvases all the way to big murals to my own clothing as well,” McDonald said. “I have all kinds of projects, anything from cartoon to realism to flowers to lettering. I’ve done custom cars. I’ve done projects for Porsche and Acura. The most recent big wall I did was for UMass Memorial for their mental health building. They have an outside fresh air space, and I redid the basketball area. We did a positive hopscotch and a mural going over the whole side of the building.”

JayMac sees Manny Ramirez from Positive Street Art as a guiding force in local art. “His stuff is fantastic,” he said. “Manny’s probably, as far as this area, the only other artist that I’ve really seen who has an in with the city where he’s been able to get some really prime locations for his murals.”

James Chase summed up the burgeoning local mural scene: “I see all these pieces of the puzzles really fostering connections,” he said, “and then giving more platforms for things that we don’t even know about yet.”

New murals

Arts Builds Community held its second Community Canvas Mural Festival in August, resulting in new public murals in Manchester.
At the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester at 555 Union St. you can see the work of Sophy Tuttle (560 Union St.); Jason Naylor (161 Lowell St.); and Alex Ferror (163 Lowell St.), according to ABC.

At 77 Amherst St., behind the Palace Theatre, there’s the work of Liz Pieroni, Nick Alexander, Jozimar Matimano and Ambar Ruiz. (All photos below by Zachary Lewis.)

Cat Alley, Manchester

Cat Alley is located on the west side of Elm Street in downtown Manchester, next to Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester, 836-6600, bookerymht.com). It was originally painted with cat-themed murals in 2011. The Orbit Group commissioned independent artists to paint new murals in 2022. For more information on this project, visit orbitgroup.com/cat-alley-revival. Photos by John Fladd.

Arms Park pillars, Manchester

The traffic pillars in Arms Park (10 Arms St., Manchester) that support the Notre Dame Bridge were painted by a collaboration of artists and Art Builds Community. Photos by John Fladd.

Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez (@phelany) is the co-founder and Creative Director of Positive Street Art (48 Bridge St., Nashua, positivestreetart.org). He is one of the leading muralists in the business. Photos by Chris Boncoddo.

Jyl Dittbenner

Jyl Dittbenner is a prolific local artist and muralist. She posts her work online at JylDrawsEveryDay.wordpress.com. Here are some of her notable murals. Photos by John Fladd.

Union Street, Manchester

Union Street is a great place to see surprising murals.
There is a pair of excellent murals on the rear wall of the Seven Days Market (360 Union St., Manchester, 622-4331). Photos by John Fladd.