Category: Cover Stories

Cocktails to toast the change of season

The calendar says it’s still summer, but customers are already on Rachael Jones’s case about apple drinks.

“The way that we structure our cocktail menu,” she said, “is we change it four times a year, seasonally. But, people are already asking me about fall drinks. I had someone on Sunday like, ‘Do you have apple cider yet?’ I’m like, ‘It is a hundred degrees outside!’ It’s still going to be patio season for at least another month, hopefully.”

Spice it up

One of Jones’s responsibilities at the Firefly Bistro in Manchester is developing seasonal bar menus. She said that earlier in the summer, when the weather was oppressively hot, the focus was on light, spritzer-y drinks with a lot of citrus.

“When we introduce the fall menu, there are some items that definitely lean into the pumpkin and the apple cider,” Jones said, but this end-of-summer/not-quite-autumn period lets her staff play with drink specials that have more rounded flavors.

“We have a couple of fun items — we make a fun Sarsaparilla Old-Fashioned, for instance.That’s awesome for cooler weather — you get your bourbon with a little bit of that sarsaparilla flavor, almost like a root beer flavor. Because it’s an old-fashioned, it’s made in a rocks glass. We make a Madagascar vanilla bean simple syrup, and use that as the sweetener, and then a little bit of sarsaparilla bitters, and it’s perfect for patio sipping, but it is a darker liquor, so that helps ease into the cooler nights, for sure.”

Bengali Mule
adapted from Firefly’s concept

2 ounces rye whiskey
¾ ounce garam masala syrup (see below)
1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
3 ounces ginger beer
2 ounces very bubbly club soda

Mix rye, syrup and lime juice with ice in a mixing glass. Stir thoroughly.
Add ginger beer and club soda. Stir gently to keep the carbonation intact.
Strain over ice.
Traditionally, all mules are served in a copper cup, but feel free to use a Collins glass.

Garam Masala Syrup
1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (227 g) water
1 Tablespoon ground garam masala – This could be whatever curry powder you have on hand, but let’s face it; you have no idea how long you’ve had that. Most whole spices should be replaced once a year, but ground spices and spice mixes go stale much more quickly and are really only good for six months or so. This will be a good excuse for you to buy some fresh curry spices. The pre-ground stuff is fine for this application, but if you decide you want to go a step further, buy a bag of whole garam masala spices, toast them in a dry pan when you want them, and grind them yourself.

Heat all three ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let the mixture boil for 30 seconds or so, to make certain that the sugar has gone completely into solution, then remove from the heat. Let the mixture steep for 20 to 30 minutes, then strain it, and store it in your refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

Jones said another of her favorite drinks during this shoulder season between summer and fall is called a Bengali Mule. “That one has a spicier rye whiskey as the base,” she said. ”And then we’re using a garam masala simple syrup. So if you’re familiar with garam masala, it’s similar to chai spice, but it has a few more savory elements like cumin and coriander in there as well. That’s a good bridge cocktail going into the fall.”

It’s important to listen to the customers when she’s designing a menu, Jones said, but that doesn’t always help when she’s planning a month or more in advance.

“Our fall menu will start just after Labor Day,” she said, “and then our winter menu starts just after Thanksgiving. It’s not necessarily what customers want right now, but it’s what they’ll want in a month.”

“One of the items coming up on the fall menu that would be really nice right now,” Jones said, “is a late summer bridge drink we call The Golden Hour. It’s sort of modeled off of a classic Gold Rush. So that cocktail is just a basic bourbon, with a honey and lemon base. For this, we use a lighter bourbon with a strawberry amaro. That can be hard to get hold of, but it has a really nice strawberry flavor with balanced bitter notes of [an Italian bitter liqueur], and then we’re infusing honey with fresh sage and adding lemon juice, so it gets a little bit of savoryness. It’s perfect for a cooler night.”

Fruits of early fall

For Christine Hepner, the lead bartender at Mesozoic Tiki Bar in Nashua, finding the best drinks for this time of year was rolled into the bigger job of coming up with the cocktail list for the new bar, which opened less than a month ago.

“Fortunately,” she said, “with tiki drinks, it’s an all-year thing. They’re always a good choice. Once we turn into winter, we’ll add some martinis to the menu that might have a heavier base and aren’t a twist on a tiki classic.”

Bar co-owner Aaron Shelton agreed but said that the fruit-forward flavors in most tiki cocktails make them very well suited for the end of summer.

“With a tiki drink,” he said, “you want a cocktail that allows you to escape reality, so you feel like you’re on vacation. Tiki balances tropical fruit flavors, but also with a particular rum.”

Or more than one rum. Hepner pointed out that rums cover a spectrum of flavors.

“Some rums carry a lot of caramel flavors,” she said, “and that’s what you’ll taste. With others you’ll taste a lot of allspice and some of the very Caribbean spices that aren’t very native to our area. The lighter rums will taste a lot different than a darker rum, where you’ll get more of those caramel notes or that clovey kind of taste within them. So they’re not all the same. Captain Morgan’s very different from Smith & Cross.”

“It can be surprisingly complicated,” Shelton added. “Two rums might have the same color profile but completely different flavor profile. Some of them have a musky, ‘funky’

flavor that we might balance with a lighter, sweeter rum.”

Hepner said her personal recommendation for a late summer cocktail is a classic mai tai. “I love a good mai tai,” she said. “And making one well doesn’t happen by accident. I’ve had some pretty bad mai tais. Ours, though, are phenomenal.”

Hepner said another drink for late summer is one of Mesozoic’s recipes.

“It’s called the Clever Girl,” she said. ”We’ve gotten wonderful feedback on it. It has prosecco, vodka and elderflower liqueur. It’s super-refreshing and has a fruit punch ice sphere. The presentation is gorgeous, as well as the flavor.”

Down the street at CodeX B.A.R., the bartenders work under aliases.

Rusty (the one with red hair) and Stretch (the tall one) said late summer is the best time to focus on fresh summer fruits in their cocktails.

“It’s an interesting time of year, cocktail-wise,” Stretch said. “At the end of the summer, for me, what’s most exciting is blueberry season. They just came in. I just got my blueberry syrup all ready to go, today. I’m all about just taking classic cocktails and blueberry-ifying them; that’s really fun for me. This is the time of year when you get to use a lot of fresh, local fruit. Earlier in the summer, I love using strawberries — going to the farm, picking those, and getting the really red strawberries. But by the end of the summer we move into things like stone fruit, as those come into season, cherries, blueberries, peaches, and even figs. We have a fig vodka that we infused that we’re going to be using very soon. We’re just sitting on that until we have a perfect recipe to use it in.”

Rusty agreed that blueberries are a great cocktail ingredient for the late summer, because of their versatility.

“Mint, basil, thyme — blueberry is a flavor that goes great with all these herby green things. The seasons are fun, especially the in-betweens for me. The super-savory flavors you get in winter, versus the super-fruity, super-cold, crushable, summer stuff. I like the in-between stuff. Right now it’s still fairly hot during the day, and using a lot of these ingredients is really refreshing. And of course it’s the perfect time of year for tiki drinks.”

A classic mai tai
¾ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
½ ounce fruit syrup – you can absolutely make your own from fresh fruit and sugar, but in an emergency the juice from a can of fruit cocktail can work, too
¼ ounce orgeat (almond syrup)
½ ounce dry Curacao
2 ounces dark, aged rum – Pusser’s is a good choice

Combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake enthusiastically, until you hear the ice start to break into tiny shards.
Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a tropical flower or a tiny paper umbrella
Fruity and sweet, but not too sweet, with a sophisticated rummy hit at the end, this is an excellent way to see the summer off and wish it well.

Gateway flavors

Jill Barnett is the bar manager at Lovejoy in Milford. She said a summer cocktail ingredient that doesn’t get enough attention is rhubarb.

“Rhubarb’s good,” she said. “I had a rhubarb drink once called Rhubarb’s Drag Race. (Naming cocktails is a big challenge, but super-fun when you find a really good one.)”

Barnett said that by late summer, cooler nights mean she can use flavors with more body than during the hottest part of the summer.

Tomato Spritz
Courtesy Krista Fisher, Local Street Eats

1 ounce botanical gin – Fisher said she likes this with an Irish gunpowder gin
¼ ounce dry vermouth
1 ounce tomato water, made from muddling fresh tomatoes – Fisher suggests cherry tomatoes
¼ ounce tomato shrub (see below)
Prosecco or club soda to top
Serve over ice in a wine glass or a tall Collins glass, garnished with a cherry tomato and fresh dill.

Tomato Shrub
¾ cup halved cherry tomatoes
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 ounces dry rose wine
¾ ounce red wine vinegar
Cook in a saucepan over low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the cherry tomatoes are soft, then puree and strain once it has cooled.

“I think I tend to use orange juice a lot more at the end,” she said, adding that it isn’t too early to start using warmer fall spices. “At this time, pretty much every year, I’ll usually make a big batch of allspice dram, and throw that in some cocktails for that fall flavor. Even if you just add a little bit to a drink, it gives you a great flavor.”

(Jill Barnett on making allspice dram from scratch: “You can just get like a spice grinder — I used a mortar and pestle for a while, but that’s tough. You grind up the allspice berries and infuse it into a light rum, like Bacardi, and just infuse it for a week. After a week, you add however many cinnamon sticks you want for the size of the batch, then let it sit for another day or two. Then you just strain it and mix it half-and-half with a rich simple syrup [two parts sugar to one part water] to make it into a liqueur. If you look hard enough, you can find it and buy it, but it’s always more cost-effective to just make it yourself.”)

One of the things that makes allspice such a good gateway flavor between summer and fall cocktails, Barnett said, is that it’s a classic ingredient in tropical drinks, “but allspice kind of reminds people of cloves and other spices that go well with apples. I used it with an apple shrub — I made an apple-cinnamon shrub, then mixed it with tequila and lemon. It’s super-easy, but people just found it a really tasty combination. That’s my kind of drinks — they’re not always the most complex, but I think that I prefer them to be easy to make, but also balanced and yummy.”

A shrub is a sweet-and-tart syrup, usually made from fresh fruit, sugar and vinegar.

Still sipping in summer

“I definitely try not to rush summer,” Krista Fisher said, “especially in New England. I feel like we really want to hang onto it for as long as possible. So I definitely don’t jump right into the fall flavors right away, but there is that sort of in-between time right now, where we’re starting to get away from watermelon-flavored things and moving into other flavors that aren’t quite fall flavors yet.”

Fisher is the bar manager at Local Street Eats in Nashua. She, too, is a fan of end-of-summer blueberry cocktails. “Because all the produce around here is so fresh,” she said. “But also I think a huge trend right now is more savory cocktails. It’s tomato season for sure. I don’t personally grow them, but my mother-in-law brings them to me, my aunts — everyone’s bringing tomatoes to me. I remember thinking about it last year, toward the end of summer, about staying in that spritz category but maybe moving to a savory spritz, and using tomato as a fruit as opposed to just a vegetable. So something like a tomato with dry vermouth and prosecco and lemon juice is really refreshing, but not that sweet cocktail you feel like in June. Nothing beats an heirloom tomato fresh-picked, you know?”

Fisher says that because gardens are at their peak right now she takes a lot of inspiration from what is at its freshest and most flavorful: “I’m doing blueberry-basil lemonades right now, and using more herbs that are fresh from the garden.” At this time of year, she said, that is the flavor of abundance. “We incorporate dill a lot of the time,” she said. “We have a house-made brine, and the fresher the herbs the better. So I’m a big fan of dill. We just did a Mediterranean martini. It was a really simple gin martini, but jazzing it up with those things like a feta-stuffed olive, fresh lemon peels, and then fresh dill. It’s just so aromatic when you get to work with fresher herbs and ingredients like that.”

Blueberry Basil Mojito
inspired by CodeX B.A.R.

Several fresh basil leaves – this will vary depending on your type of basil and how much you like it.
Tiny pinch of coarse sugar
2 ounces white or silver rum
¾ ounce blueberry syrup (see below)
1 cup crushed ice
5-6 ounces extra bubbly club soda

In the bottom of a pint glass or a Collins glass, muddle the basil leaves and the sugar. You don’t want to take it completely to the paste stage — you want to still be able to identify bits of leaves — but let it know who’s boss.
Add the rum, stir thoroughly, then walk away for a few minutes to let the alcohol strip away some of the flavors in the basil that are not water-soluble.
Upon returning, add the rest of the ingredients, and stir with a long-handled bar spoon. Serve in the glass you mixed it in, and garnish with a couple small basil leaves. Offer your guest a straw, which might be the most civilized way to drink a mojito.

Blueberry Syrup
An equal amount, by weight, of fresh or frozen blueberries and sugar. Even if you have access to super-fresh, flavorful berries, freeze them. Ice crystals will poke holes in the blueberry cells and help syrup-ify them.
Juice of half a lemon
In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, cook the berries and sugar down into a syrup, stirring often. You will be surprised how much liquid the frozen berries will release. Mash the berries from time to time with the back of a spoon or even a potato masher. Bring the mixture to a boil to make certain the sugar has completely dissolved.
Remove from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice, then leave everything to sit and get to know each other for half an hour or so, while it cools. Then strain the syrup and store it in your refrigerator for your cocktail and pancake needs for up to a month. Eat the leftover blueberry conserve on a piece of sourdough toast with too much butter.

This is the time of year, Fisher said, when spritzes start to get a little backbone to them.

“We’re kind of getting to more wine-forward spritzes,” she said. “Even if you’re still keeping it a little bit light, red wine is kind of coming back into the scene of the season. People are ready to put on a little bit more flavor and not just focusing on [drinks] that aren’t just about keeping you refreshed.”

There are subtle signs in late summer drinks, Fisher said, of sweater-weather drinks from later in the year, if you know to look for them.

“There are little ways they creep in,” she said. “So, this might not be full-blown Manhattan season yet, but maybe something like a whiskey sour with maple kind of eases us into it — still lemony and refreshing, but with those pre-fall flavors.”

Summer-to-fall cocktail makers
Firefly Bistro and Bar (22 Concord St., Manchester, 935-9740, fireflynh.com) is open Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with brunch hours on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday dinner from 4 to 9 p.m., and Sunday dinner from 4 to 8 p.m.

Mesozoic Tiki Bar & Lounge (97 Main St., Nashua, 204-5236, mesozoictiki.com) is open Wednesday and Thursday, from 4 to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from 4 to 11 p.m.

CodeX B.A.R. (29 Main St., Nashua) is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 5 p.m. to midnight

Lovejoy Restaurant (40 Nashua St., Milford, 554-8430, lovejoynh.com) is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 5 to 9 p.m.

Local Street Eats (112 W. Pearl St., Nashua, 402-4435, local-streeteats.com) is open Tuesday through Thursday, from 4 to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from 4 to 11 p.m.

Featured photo: Gluten-free loaves at Dishon Bakery. Photo by John Fladd.

A look at the bakeries turning out gluten-free breads and treats

Lisa Withrow had pretty much run out of patience with reading food labels.

“We have eight grandchildren,” Withrow said. “One of our granddaughters was diagnosed with celiac disease when she was 5. And at that point there was significant damage to her intestine. And they suggested the whole family go gluten-free because they did not want her to be around gluten. So learning that — I’m a health care provider and yes, we learned about that in med school but … experience was very humbling. You go through the initial overwhelm of ‘They can’t have the food,’ ‘What can they have?,’ reading the label, trying to figure it out.”

“In this country,” Withrow said, “it’s challenging. There were labeling laws, but it was a pretty humbling process as a health care provider to go through that anticipatory anxiety over buying things that are safe for someone with celiac disease.” She quickly became frustrated with how little of the specific information she was looking for was included in many labels. “Sometimes we’d have to go to three and four and five or more stores, just to get our weekly groceries.”

For Withrow and her husband Paul, the answer was to open their own business, Gluten-Free Express, in Bedford.

“It’s an independent store,” Withrow said. “Gluten-Free Express is a completely gluten-free, celiac-safe food market. It’s a mini-mart with some groceries, but it also has take-out [prepared food]. Everything in the store is going to say “gluten-free” on it or “certified gluten-free,” including what we use to cook the grill items. And, because there are a lot of people who like to know exactly … we have a notebook that has the ingredients of everything in the store.”

Figuring out gluten

Gluten is a term given to a family of proteins found in some grains — especially wheat, barley and rye — that gives a stretchy quality to bread doughs, which bakers love but which can cause havoc in some people who eat it.

According to Dr. Vincent Aguirre, executive director of digestive health with the Elliot Health System, gluten sensitivity is fairly common. The most well known gluten sensitivity is called celiac disease, which he described as “an autoimmune condition, where immune cells called lymphocytes are activated by gluten and attack the interior of the intestines.” This prevents celiac sufferers from being able to metabolize nutrients. In the United States, he said, an estimated one percent of the population suffers from some degree of celiac sensitivity. It can cause a myriad of symptoms, he said, “which is what can make it so difficult to diagnose.” Different people can be more or less sensitive to gluten, Dr. Aguirre said, and their symptoms can be just as individual.

For the Withrows, ensuring their business was completely gluten-free meant they had to consider factors that casual label-readers rarely have to think about.

“That includes anything we cook on the grill,” Lisa Withrow said, meaning the oil that foods are fried in, and even the breading and coating that prepared foods have. “We have takeout items,” she said. “We’re not a restaurant, but [customers] can come for takeout items, so chicken tenders and fries and that sort of food. We have a fryer and we have a grill and we have soup and we have an oven that we cook things in. … And none of those can come in contact with ingredients that might have even trace amounts of gluten in them.”

Withrow said the terminology can be tricky.

“We’ve gone through the certification to be gluten-free,” she said, “and that was an education. There are different labels and levels of ‘gluten-free’ and one of them means there can be no more than five parts per million [of gluten]. One means no more than 10, and the rest are no more than 20. And so it’s just confusing that people don’t know that if they have to stay within certain parameters. And then many people think [gluten-free is] like a dietary fad. You’ll be at a restaurant and the attitude is, ‘OK, you want something gluten-free. Does it HAVE TO be gluten-free, or are you just doing it because you want to?’”

Meant to share

Matt Berry is the chef and owner of Lovejoy Restaurant in Milford. When he put together the menu for Lovejoy, he said, it turned out almost entirely gluten-free accidentally. Everything is either gluten-free already or can be made that way.

“It kind of non-intentionally became a big part of our menu,” Berry said. “At previous establishments, I’ve had a lot of staff members who were gluten-free, so I just kind of got used to preparing our staff meals and stuff toward their restrictions. And as I was writing a menu [for Lovejoy], where I could fit in a gluten-free substitute or having more dishes be naturally gluten-free, I did.”

“I’ve been using a one-to-one flour substitute that works really well for all of my baking stuff,” Berry said. “We came up with a really good gluten-free dredge for [frying] all of our chicken and stuff. Dredge, specifically for something like fried chicken, you can jump down like a deep, deep rabbit hole. People take their fried chicken very seriously. And growing up, this friend that I had in high school, I stayed at his house a lot, and his mom used to make this like fried chicken, but the breading she used was made from instant potato flakes. And I really, really loved it, it was so good! So a couple of years ago, when I was a line cook, I wanted to, like, kind of mess around with that. I started using a lot of potato starch for many things, but specifically for dredge and … tempura batter and stuff, utilizing more starches and less flour with gluten, I found that I enjoyed that crispiness a little bit more, anyway. I felt that it stayed crispy for longer and it just achieved like my ideal fried chicken batter.”

Many of the dishes at Lovejoy are appetizers designed to be shared, Berry said, and they are also fried. As he pulled the menu together, it made sense to stick with gluten-free dredge, similar to the one on his favorite fried chicken, tempura for example.

“The usual recipe for a classic tempura batter is something like tonic water or seltzer water, flour, and egg,” he said. “It’s usually pretty straightforward and simple, but we don’t use egg in ours. We use soda water, flour, and some spices and salt — obviously the gluten-free flour. It’s for our tempura oyster mushrooms, which are a heavy eater here.”

“But yeah,” Berry said, “I didn’t go into it intentionally, trying to hunt down gluten or to write a gluten-free menu. It just kind of like naturally became that.” He said a commitment to focusing on fresh and locally grown ingredients has also steered him away from gluten.

“We get our breads from a local bakery, Sunflower Bakery in Nashua, but for everything else? We’re not in a big grain-producing part of the country. What I get from local farms is produce and stuff, not necessarily grain.”

Baking without gluten

Bonne Richards, on the other hand, was very deliberate in her decision to open a gluten-free bakery.

“I own a gluten-free, vegan bakery and market in Nashua [Bonne the Baker Bakery and Market, 2 Cellu Drive, Nashua],” she said. “It’s doing fabulous. I’ve only been open three months, but everyone that comes in the door has the biggest smile on their face and is so happy and relieved that they can come in here and buy anything — and I mean anything in my store — and it has no gluten and is vegan, no dairy, no eggs, no animal products. They know they’re safe if they have celiac or an allergy, and I think southern New Hampshire is becoming the place to come now to find treats and food, if you have a specialized diet.”

Richards said that she has noticed a growing awareness in the general public that food allergies and sensitivities are a medical reality. It wasn’t too long ago, she said, that people who couldn’t eat gluten were viewed as “picky eaters.”

“I don’t think that even now everyone thinks about that,” Richards said. “Gluten-free people can get sick; they’ll get really sick.” Additionally, she said, there is a growing number of people who are trying to cut down on gluten as part of a healthy lifestyle. “I know myself,” she said, “even though I don’t have celiac disease, if I eat gluten, I swell up and my hips start hurting and my knees start hurting — the joints start hurting. So I choose not to eat it for that reason. I am seeing more of that kind of thing. I think a lot of people are worried about what’s in their food more than ever.”

Taking such a non-traditional path in her baking has let Richards reinterpret some classics, she said.

“I make these savory turnovers, and people are all over that. A lot of people are like, ‘I haven’t had an apple pie in forever’ or ‘I haven’t had a breakfast pastry in so long!’ and they’re just so happy. I can’t keep those items in stock. They could go buy that savory pastry somewhere else that says it’s gluten-free. But if it’s in a regular bakery, they have to really seriously think about cross-contamination.” It’s almost impossible for a traditional bakery to not have flour in the air, she said.

Richards is looking forward to finding out the rhythms of the business cycle of a gluten-free bakery.

“I think it’s going to get really busy real soon,” she said, “because we’re coming into apple cider doughnut season, with the fall flavors that everybody loves, apples, pumpkins, that kind of stuff. And then it will be the holidays, and we’ll see a lot more people coming in.” What she’s really interested in, Richard said, is the period right after the holidays, when so many people commit to a healthier diet, even if only briefly.

“It’s the same thing every year, after Christmas into New Year’s, everyone goes on a diet. Nobody’s eating any treats and then all of a sudden Valentine’s Day comes around and everybody’s eating again and it starts all over again.” She wonders how that will translate into gluten-free and vegan baking, she said.

Richards said baking without wheat flour or other ingredients with gluten requires finding substitutes, which might be different for any given recipe. Gluten, she said, creates long strands of protein that form a mesh that traps gas bubbles, which help baked goods rise.

“There’s almost always some xanthan gum involved,” in gluten-free baking, she said. “A lot of times, for breads [which require extra-stretchy dough] people use psyllium husk, which is a binder — a fiber. Some recipes use different types of eggs, or flax seeds, applesauce or bananas. I like aquafaba, which is the liquid from a can of chickpeas.”

Another challenge of baking without gluten, Richards said, is browning.

“That’s one of the things that can make gluten-free bread so tricky,” she said. “Gluten-free flour does not like to brown up.”

According to baker/owner Evan Lang of Dishon Gluten-Free Bakery in Manchester, baking gluten-free bread requires a different mindset than making muffins or brownies.

“We work with an actual dough that proofs,” he said. “It’s not a batter.” To that end, he uses psyllium husk as a binding ingredient.

“It’s the fiber that’s in Metamucil,” he said. “It absorbs water and allows us to create a dough that is workable. In terms of browning, we do add a little bit of sugar to our dough to help with that. [Browning] also has to do with the fermentation process and time. And lastly, it’s about oven temperature. We bake everything pretty hot — between 480 and 525 [degrees], which is pretty hot for bread. But that’s what allows us to get kind of the color that you see here on these breads that comes from baking hot and long.”

Pizza for all

But what if your entire business is built around gluten?

Tyler Carmilia is the kitchen manager at 900 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria in Manchester. The key to a good pizza is its crust. For 900 Degrees, the secret of serving a high-quality pizza crust that is safe for someone on a gluten-free diet, Carmilia said, has been to outsource it.

“We use a [pre-made] brand called Gillian’s,” he said, “which is available through a number of our vendors. It is a gluten-free crust, but given all the flour in the restaurant, we can’t guarantee that anything we make in-house is 100 percent gluten-free.”

“We use a 12-inch crust,” Carmilia continued. “It’s made with a potato starch, tapioca starch and a little bit of rice flour. We bake it in our oven. It comes on aluminum trays to help kind of prevent the cross-contamination.” Regular pizza made with a wheat crust is baked on the floor of the oven, which means that the non-gluten crust needs to be separated from the bricks.

Carmilia said that even though pizzas with non-wheat crusts are still in the minority of pizzas sold at 900 Degrees, customers order them almost every day.

“We probably sell anywhere from 20 to 40 a week,” he said. “We do add an upcharge [for non-wheat crusts] just because it costs more, because we do get it from a vendor.” It’s a fairly crisp crust, he said, “but we get people that’ll order it like well-done as well, just to ensure that it’s a little bit more familiar. With us not cooking it directly on the fire brick in the oven and it being on that aluminum, it doesn’t get that char per se, but it will get a nice crispy crust. We’ve always had a lot of repeat customers coming back in, telling us it’s one of the best ones that they’ve had, especially with the quality of toppings that we use.”

Cupcake fun

When discussing gluten-free diets, a classic conundrum that comes to mind is a child’s birthday party, or cupcakes to celebrate something special at school. Bite Me Kupcakez in Merrimack specializes in that sort of sweet treat.

“Our baked goods are exclusively gluten-, dairy- and nut -free,” said baker Addisen Tilley. “All of our baked goods are made with an all-purpose gluten-free flour, and we replace the milk with other milk alternatives in order to separate the dairy from it. We do also have a vegan section that uses egg replacements instead of egg.”

Because Bite Me doesn’t use any traditional wheat flour, Tilley said, there is little to no chance of cross-contamination.

“There’s absolutely no gluten in the air at all,” she said. “We don’t allow any gluten in our area. Even if employees come in with lunch, they can’t bring anything into the building that is not gluten-free.”

“Cupcakes are our specialization,” Tilley said. “We have a variety of baked goods every day, depending on the supply and demand. But aside from the cupcakes our specialties are whoopie pies, we have muffins, we have brownies that we have pretty often, we have doughnuts, any [sweet] baked goods that you can think of we will likely have.”

Tilley said some groups will place orders for gluten-free items to make sure nobody is accidentally exposed to gluten.

“Some schools will come in knowing that they have kids who are gluten-free. And then other times it’s a safety precaution because in a big population like that, you are likely to have allergies sometimes.”

The cupcakes children like best are pretty much the traditional ones you would assume, Tilley said. “Funfetti is a very popular one. And then our basic chocolate and vanilla is usually the go-to for parties, because that guarantees that every kid gets something that they like. We have some fun sprinkles. One of our favorite decorations is edible glitter, and that always works very well.” She said inclusion is an important principle for Bite Me Kupcakez. “Our doors are open to absolutely everyone. We care a lot about our customers, and especially on last-minute orders we do our best to include them. Everyone is welcome in. Everyone should be able to get some sort of treat, because no one should be left out on a big day.”

Gluten-free expo

Jody Donohue, president of Great New England Events, has taken the gluten-free concept to a new level. Her company will hold the first ever Gluten Never Ever festival Saturday, Sept. 5, and Sunday, Sept. 6, at the Hampshire Dome in Milford.

“I’ve actually been wanting to do this for years,” Donohue said. “I’m a celiac. My two daughters have to eat gluten-free. So this is something my family lives with and has lived with for years. So for this particular event I’m also a customer. I wanted to bring this together for the community of people who have to eat gluten-free. It’s an event where people walk through the door, and they don’t have to worry about labels or if it’s safe for them or if [food] is gluten-free or certified or friendly. I want them to walk in and just be able to eat.”

The Gluten Never Ever Festival will feature craftsmen and vendors dedicated exclusively to gluten-free products, according to the event’s website (glutennevereverexpo.com). There will be “nearly 100 vendors, live music, cocktails and beer, food trucks, workshops, and plenty of food samples.”

“New Hampshire has some incredible gluten-free businesses,” Donohue said, “and not just New Hampshire; New England. There are products throughout New England, but they’re scattered. So I thought let’s bring them all together under one roof.”

“There will be a recipe wall,” Donohue said. “We’re doing a 75-foot recipe wall, and we have a template online. You fill out the recipe of your favorite gluten-free recipe, and we’re going to tape it to the wall. And people can go with their phones and take photos of the recipes. We want everybody to be able to share.”

The inventor of a gluten-tax-calculation app will be on hand. “She will be doing a seminar explaining this new app that she created for people to use to be able to track [gluten-specific] tax deductions for them. So there will be not just food but resources. People will pay $10 for the whole weekend, so if they can come back Sunday to eat off the other trucks they haven’t eaten off of or bring their coolers and stock up again on some of the products that they really like.”

The gluten-free
Gluten Free Express (9 Triangle Lane, Manchester, 782-8386, glutenfreeexpress.com) is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Lovejoy Restaurant (40 Nashua St., Milford, 554-8430, lovejoynh.com)

Bonne the Baker Bakery and Market (2 Cellu Drive, Nashua, 669-4200, bonniethebaker.com) is open Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dishon Bakery (915 Elm St., Manchester, 600-1773, dishonbakery.com) is open Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

900 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria (50 Dow St., Manchester, 641-0900, 900degrees.com) is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Bite me Kupcakez Cafe and Bakery (4 Mound Court, Merrimack, 674-4459, bitemekupcakez.com) is open Tuesday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The First Gluten Never Ever Festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 5, and Sunday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Huge Hampshire Dome (34 Emerson Road, Milford). Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the gate. Visit glutennevereverexpo.com.

Featured photo: Gluten-free loaves at Dishon Bakery. Photo by John Fladd.

Your guide to sports, arts, music and other extracurricular happenings

A new school year means a new chance for after-school adventure.

Here are some area sports, art classes, theater programs, music lessons and more to get kids excited about the new school year. Information comes from the organizations’ websites and social media; call or go online for specifics on cost and other details. Know of an after-school activity not listed here? Let us know at adiaz@hippopress.com.

General Interest

• Beaver Brook Association (117 Ridge Road, Hollis, 465-7787, beaverbrook.org) offers two-, three- and five-day preschool options for kids ages 3 to 5 starting Sept. 7 as well as home-school programs for ages 7 through 17 starting Sept. 7. There is also an after-school adventure club for grades K-3 Tuesdays, Wednesday and Friday, according to the website.

• Boys & Girls Club of Central and Northern New Hampshire (The Bradley Street Clubhouse is at 55 Bradley St. in Concord, 224-1061; this club has other locations in Andover, Berlin, Belmont, Lisbon, Laconia, Holderness, Epsom, Hopkinton, Pittsfield, Warner, Weare, Allenstown and Bradford and operates in some Concord schools; nhyouth.org) has early learning centers for infants through pre-K at nine locations. It offers before- and after-school programs for grades K-8 (grouped by age) as well as drop-in after-school programming for high schoolers at its clubhouses in Concord, Laconia and Suncook, according to the website

• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Derry (40 E. Derry Road, Derry, 434-6695, derrybgclub.org) offers after-school programming as well as arts, health, education, leadership and sports programs, including basketball, karate and wrestling (for pre-K through eighth grade), according to the website.

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Manchester (555 Union St., Manchester, 625-5982, mbgcnh.org) offers morning and after-school programs at its Union Street Club House for grades K-12 (morning program at the club house is for grades K-8; both programs grouped by age) as well as after-school programs at Manchester’s Highland-Goffes Falls School and Jewett Street School (grades K-4) and at the Jordan Singer Youth Enrichment Center on Manchester’s West Side serving Gossler Park, Northwest and Parker-Varney schools (grades K-4), according to the website.

• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua (1 Positive Place, Nashua, 883-0523, bgcn.com) offers before-school programming for grades K-6 as well as after-school programming for grades K-2. The Clubhouse program is open for after-school programming for grades 3-5 with the Stahl Teen Center for grades 6-12. The Greater Nashua club also offers early learning day care for infants through pre-K. It also offers arts programming and athletics including teen co-ed volleyball, basketball, Pride swim team, co-ed indoor soccer (ages 12 and under) and Pride wrestling (grades K-8), the website said.

• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem (3 Geremonty Drive, Salem, 898-7709, salembgc.org) offers after-school programming for grades 1-5 from 3 to 7 p.m. and for grades 6-12 from 2:10 to 7 p.m. The club also offers a preschool for kids “3.9-5 years of age,” according to the website. The club also offers travel basketball for grades 5 & 6 and 7 & 8 and ages 18 and other (with tryouts in October or November); peewee basketball (ages 5 to 9); volleyball for grades 3-5, middle school and high school; wrestling (grades K-5), and a sports club for grades K-1, the website said.

• Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, 672-1002, svbgc.org) offers after-school programs for kids in grades 1-12 (for students from Milford, Amherst, Wilton and Mont Vernon), with before-school programming only for Milford students in grades K-5, according to the website. The club also offers arts, STEAM, theater, dance and karate and teen programs related to service, leadership and life skills, the website said.

• Concord Parks & Recreation (concordnh.gov/1984/Parks-Recreation) offers fall programming (most starting in September) for preschoolers (toddler open gym at the City Wide Community Center and nature programming such as Concord Tiny Explorers Nature Program at Batchelder Mill Trail on Sept. 9 and a Mushroom Hunt in White Park on Sept. 12); tap & ballet for ages 2-6; yoga for ages 3-5; art and baking programs for ages 8-12, 10-15 and 12-17; flag football for ages 6 to 14; rec soccer for preschool-6th grade (grouped by age), and archery for ages 7 and up, according to the website, where you can find the program to register.

• The Culinary Playground (16 Manning St., Suite 105, Derry, 339-1664, culinaryplaygroundnh.com) offers one-hour cooking classes for “mini chefs” (ages 3 to 6) as well as classes for ages 6 through teens including 90-minute weekly classes and two-hour one-time classes, according to the website.

• Franco-American Centre (100 Saint Anselm Drive, No. 1798, Manchester, 641-7114, facnh.com) offers French classes for kids ages 6 through 11, with the next session of classes running Mondays, Oct. 5 through Dec. 7, the website said. Private and semi-private French classes are also available for elementary and high school age students, the website said.

• Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains (1 Commerce Drive, Bedford, 888-474-9686, girlscoutsgwm.org) offers programs for girls in kindergarten through grade 12, focused on leadership-building, community engagement, STEM and nature. Visit their website or call to learn how to join a local troop or join as a solo Girl Scout. Troops set their own start dates, meeting days and times, and meeting locations. Information events about Girl Scouts are usually held at the beginning of the school year and throughout the year. The Girl Scouts will hold their biannual expo on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the New Hampshire Sportsplex in Bedford, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring a variety of exhibits, many STEAM-related, and learn more about Girl Scouts; see the website for tickets, which cost $10 per person.

• Girls Inc. of New Hampshire (340 Varney St., Manchester, 623-1117; 27 Burke St., Nashua, 882-6256, girlsincnh.org) offers after-school programming in Manchester and Nashua, with members arriving at centers via buses and the program open until 6 p.m., according to the website. The girls get snacks, homework time and structured programs, the website said.

• Granite YMCA (30 Mechanic St., Manchester, 623-3558; 116 Goffstown Back Road, Goffstown, 497-4663; 206 Rockingham Road, Londonderry; 437-9622; 15 N. State St., Concord, 228-9622; 35 Industrial Way, Rochester, 332-7334; 550 Peverly Hill Road, Portsmouth, 431- 2334; 35 Bartlett Ave., Somersworth, 692-2081; graniteymca.org) offers before- and after-school programming (including at off-site locations) as well as Early Learning Centers, depending on the location. Manchester, Goffstown and Concord are among the locations that offer swimming lessons for kids as young as 6 months. Goffstown and Concord also have swim teams — the Sailfish Swim Team in Concord (for ages 5 to 18 years) and the Tiger Sharks Swim Team in Goffstown (also starting at age 5), the website said. The YMCA locations also offer a variety of athletic classes for kids, depending on the location as well as STEM programs and adaptive programs, according to the brochure. The Goffstown YMCA offers classes and programs in gymnastics and ninja (including competitive gymnastics teams), indoor tennis for ages 4 to 17, climbing and martial arts, according to the website. Some locations also offer teen nights and other family programming. Brochures for the fall sessions are available on the website.

• Hampshire Hills Athletic Club (50 Emerson Road, Milford, 673-7123, hampshirehills.com) offers kids swim lessons as well as swim team prep for ages 6 to 14. Tennis programs are offered for kids as young as 3. FAST: Fun After School Times runs Monday through Friday, 3 to 5:30 p.m. (with transportation options), with two- to five-day options for grades K-5, according to the website.

• Hooksett’s Best After School & Camp (1271 Hooksett Road, Hooksett; 660-7472, hooksettsbest.com/after-school) offers before- and after-school programs for grades K-5 featuring martial arts and dance, transportation to and from school and more, according to the website. The program opens at 6:30 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, the website said.

• Krazy Kids (60 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, 228-PLAY, krazykids.com) offers an after-school program for grades K-5 with transportation from Pembroke Hill and Three River Schools, according to the website. There are three-, four- and five-day options with activities including arts and crafts, indoor and outdoor playground time, STEM projects and more, the website said.

• Kumon of Bedford (Woodbury Court, 128 S. River Road in Bedford; 370-3779, kumon.com) offers reading and math programs, according to the website.

• Kumon of Nashua (505 W. Hollis St., Nashua, 897-6194, kumon.com) offers reading and math programs, according to the website.

• Manchester Police Athletic League (409 Beech St., Manchester, 626-0211, manchesterpoliceathleticleague.org) offers adventure club (for grades K-2), aikido, cooking, indoor soccer, boxing, Girl Scouts, skateboarding, dodgeball, and leadership programs, according to the website (where you can find age specifics for each program). The fall schedule begins Sept. 3, the website said.

• Mathnasium (257 DW Highway, Nashua, 242-2004; 1 Bicentennial Drive, Manchester, 644-1234; mathnasium.com) offers math sessions for kids in grades K-12 as well as early childhood tutoring for ages 4 to 6, the website said.

• Naticook After School (merrimackparksandrec.org) offered at the Function Hall in Wasserman Park in Merrimack for one to five days a week, 2:45 to 6 p.m., for grades K-6 with bus transportation from Mastricola Elementary School, Thornton’s Ferry Elementary School, Reeds Ferry Elementary School and James Mastricola Upper Elementary School, the website said.

• Nashua Police Athletic League (52 Ash St., Nashua, 594-3733, nashuapal.com) offers after-school programming for ages 7 to 18 as well as summer and athletic programs, according to the website.

• New Morning School (23 Back River Road, Bedford, 669-3591, newmorningschools.com) offers after-school programs at schools in Bedford, Candia and Dunbarton, and before- and after-school programs at schools in Auburn, Hooksett, Manchester and Weare (a before-school-only program is available in Milford), the website said. Imagine is an on-site after-school program at New Morning’s Bedford location offering “choice-based experiences in gym, art, outdoors, academics, and literacy” for grades K-6, the website said, with transportation from Bedford elementary schools. New Morning School also offers a preschool (with a morning and a full-day option) and a full-day kindergarten, the website said.

• Scouting America New Hampshire (625-6431, nhscouting.org) is the center of information for Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts). Contact them for information about joining a local Pack. Packs and Dens set their own start dates, meeting days and times and meeting locations. Many Packs hold fall activities where potential new members can learn more about Scouting.

• The Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (vlacs.org) offers full- and part-time school options for students in elementary through high school, including offering students enrolled in a local school the opportunity to take classes not available in their school or accelerated classes.

• YMCA of Greater Nashua (24 Stadium Drive, Nashua, 882-2011; 6 Henry Clay Drive, Merrimack, 881-7778, nmymca.org) offers before-school (at Amherst Middle School and the Merrimack YMCA) care as well as after-school programming at schools in Amherst and Mont Vernon as well as at the Nashua and Merrimack YMCAs. The YMCA also offers swim lessons and swim team, dance, ninja, preschool sports, basketball, archery, soccer, flag football, tennis, volleyball, gymnastics and martial arts, according to the website. The Y also offers teen sports programs and leagues, the website said. The YMCA also offers full-day child care and early education for ages 6 weeks to kindergarten at its Merrimack facility as well as a three-hour kindergarten readiness program for ages 3 to 5 in Nashua.

Arts

• Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford, 672-2500, creativeventuresfineart.com) offers classes and workshops including sessions for adults and sessions geared to kids.

• Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester, currier.org) will have a “new, drop-in workshop series for families that offers low-cost, supportive artmaking. It is called A Day to Play: Family Workshop,” according to an email from the museum. The first one is “A Day to Play: Family Workshop” on Saturday, Oct. 17, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.; “Make masks inspired by the exhibition Florentine Baroque. $15 for adults/$5 for kids. For ages six and up; Kids must be accompanied by an adult,” the email said.

• Express It Art! (140 Melendy Road, Hudson, 438-7885, expressitarts.com) offers an after-school program for ages 7 and up, 2:30 to 6 p.m., according to the website. Express It Art also has Youth Open Art sessions for ages 7 and up and art classes (see the calendar for ages and themes), the website said.

• Hollis Artspace (30 Ash St., Hollis, 465-4300, hollisartspace.com) offers fall sessions “with classes beginning in mid-September for pre-K, homeschool, afterschool, tweens, and teens,” according to the website. Classes begin Sept. 14, the website said.

• Kimball Jenkins School of Art (266 N. Main St., Concord, 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com) offers youth and teen classes (ages 2 to 7 and 6 to 17, grouped by ages) on a variety of subjects and media in two fall sessions — Sept. 14 to Oct. 17 and Oct. 19 to Nov. 21, the website said. There will be an open house on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to the website, where you can register (the deadline for the first fall session is Aug. 31). A weekly class for grades 5 to 8 called Art Lab is also slated to return for fall, see the website for details.

• Let’s Play Music! (145 Hampstead Road, Derry, 425-7575, letsplaymusic.com) offers art classes (grouped by age) for kids ages 6 to 12 as well as classes for teens and adults. Classes have open enrollment for students to join any time there are openings in a class.

• Paint pARTy (135 N. Broadway, Salem, 898- 8800, paintpartynh.com) offers classes for kids (grouped by age) in grade 1 through high school (as well as adults).

• Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5597, 550arts.com) offers after-school class sessions of eight to 10 weeks in the fall, winter and spring, with fall classes starting the week of Sept. 28, according to the website, where you can check for updates on available classes. The center also offers one-day workshops and family workshops.

Dance

• Allegro Dance Academy (100 Factory St., Nashua, 886-7989, allegrodancenh.com) offers preschool dance classes (for ages 18 months to 6 years); recreational dance classes (for ages 6 to 18); and competitive and company teams, according to the website. Fall registration is open now, the website said.

• Ameri-kids Baton & Dance (Candia Youth Athletic Association, 27 Raymond Road, Candia, 391-2254, ameri-kids.com) has offerings including competition teams, acro, baton & dance and dance technique, according to the website.

• Bedford Dance Center (172 Route 101, Bedford, 472-5141, bedforddancecenter.com) offers classes for all ages (starting with a preschool ballet program for ages 3 to 5.5) and levels in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, tap, hip-hop and acro as well as an ensemble company, according to the website. Classes for the 2026-2027 season begin Sept. 8, the website said.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) offers preschool ballet for ages 2 and up as well as ballet classes for ages 5 through teens, grouped by age. The school also offers lyrical, jazz (ages 5 to teen), tap (ages 5 to teen) and acro (starting at age 4). Classes begin the week of Aug. 31.

• Broadway Bound Performing Arts Center (501 DW Highway, Merrimack, 429-8844, broadwayboundpac.com) offers classes in ballet, hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, tap and tumbling and it has special needs, competition and performing company classes. Kidz Kombo classes have offerings for kids age 2 to kindergarten, according to the website. Classes begin Sept. 14, the website said.

• Concord Dance Academy (26 Commercial St., Concord, 226- 0200, concorddanceacademy.com) offers a competition program for ages 5 to 18 as well as recreational classes grouped by age in tap, acro, jazz, karate, ballet, lyrical, hip-hop and Herchun Karate Kung Fu as well as contemporary (ages 13+) and pointe (age 13+, by invitation). Combo classes in ballet, tap, jazz and tumbling are available for ages 2 to 4 and ages 5 to 7 (for whom there are also karate classes). Classes start Sept. 21, the website said.

• Creative Dance Workshop of Bow (1355 Route 3A, Bow, 225-7711, nhdances.com) offers classes and teams in cheer. For dance the studio offers competition teams for ages 5 to 7, ages 8 to 12 and ages 13 to 18, the website said. Classes are offered for younger kids (starting with Tiny Dancers for ages 18 months to 3 years) up to age 6 with combo classes for ages 5 to 7 and 6 to 9, the website said. Classes for school age kids include ballet (plus pre-pointe and pointe), tap, jazz, musical theater, acro for dancers and tumbling, lyrical/contemporary and hip-hop, according to the website.

• The Dance Company (130 Route 101A, Amherst, 864-8374, thedancecompanyonline.com) offers classes in ballet, tap, lyrical, contemporary, acro, jazz and hip-hop, grouped by age, starting at age 2, as well as performance teams and Cirque Fusion (for ages 6-9 and 10-13), the website said. The school also offers adult, home school and adaptive classes, the website said. Classes begin Sept. 21.

• Dance Connection Fitness & Performing Arts (8 Rockingham Road, Windham, 893-4919, danceconnectionnh.com) will start fall classes Sept. 14. The studio offers classes (depending on age) in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop and cheerdance, as well as combo classes for ages 2.5 (ballet/tap) through teen. Gymnastics classes with varying genre focuses are offered for ages 3 through 12. The studio offers all-boys tap (ages 5 to 9) and hip-hop (ages 5 to 9 and 8 to 12, grouped by age) as well as hip-hop classes for boys and girls (ages 8 to 17). There are also company classes, which meet several times a week, grouped by level, and compete and perform, the website said.

• Dance Visions Network (699 Mast Road, Manchester, 626-7654, dancevisionsnetwork.com) begins its school-year classes Sept. 14. The studio offers tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, contemporary, hip-hop (for ages 8+) and tumbling, for ages 2.5 through adult, as well as a competition team, the website said.

• The Dancing Corner (23 Main St., Nashua, 889-7658, dancingcorner.com) offers classes for kids as young as 3 years old (predance classes, which are available for ages 3 to 6, grouped by age). Classes for older kids include ballet and pointe, jazz, tap, hip-hop, lyrical and musical theater, as well as movement and fitness-based classes, the website said.

• Dimensions in Dance (84 Myrtle St., Manchester, 668-4196, dimensionsindance.com) offers Twirling Twos and Pre Ballet classes as well as classes (grouped by age and level) in acro-jazz, ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, modern, pointe, tap and more, according to the website.

• Happy Feet Dance School (25 Indian Rock Road, Windham, 434-4437, happyfeetdanceschool.biz) classes for ages 6 and up (grouped by age and skill level) include ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, contemporary and more. Classes for ages 2 to 5 include Tiny Tots, Creative Dance and Kinder Kids classes. Fancy Feet Performing Company offers the Fancy Feet Program for ages 6+ and the Fearless Feet Dance Company for ages 8+, the website said.

• Kathy Blake Dance Studios (3 Northern Blvd., Amherst, 673-3978, kathyblakedancestudios.com) offers preschool classes for ages walking to 5 (including ballet, tap and AcroDance) and performing arts classes for ages 5 to 18 that include AcroDance, ballet, jazz, musical theater jazz, hip-hop, lyrical/ contemporary, tap and tap/ballet and tap/jazz combos. There are also Rhythm Works Integrative Dance for ages 3 through teen, and competitive dance teams for ages 4 to 18, the website said.

• Londonderry Dance Academy (21 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 432-0032, londonderrydance.com) offers classes, grouped by age and level, in ballet (to students as young as 2 through teen), pointe, pre-K and kindergarten dance classes, tap and jazz (ages 5.5 and up), contemporary (ages 6 to teen), Triple Threat Prep (ages 8 to 17), hip-hop (ages 6+) and acro (ages 7+), the website said.

• Martin School of Dance (288 Route 101, Bedford, 488-2371, martinschoolofdance.com) offers programming for ages 18 months to 6 years in tap, ballet and tumbling, and for ages 5 to 8 in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap and acro. Programs for dancers aged 7+ include Commercial Division featuring classes in contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop and acro, and Academy Division, which focuses on ballet, the website said.

• Melissa Hoffman Dance Center (210 Robinson Road, Hudson, 886-7909, mhdcdance.com) offers toddler classes (for ages baby through 6 years old); recreational dance classes in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, tumble, lyric and modern; competitive dance classes, and Broadway Dance classes (ages 4 to 7 and 7.5 to 11), the website said.

• Miss Kelsey’s Dance Studio (2626 Brown Ave., Manchester, 606-2820, mkdance.com) offers acro, ballet, breakdance workshops and camps (ages 6+), lyrical/contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, musical theater and tap with preschool classes in movement and pre-dance combo classes (for ages 1.5 to 6 years old, grouped by age), the website said. Find a link to Fall 2026 offerings via the studio’s Facebook page.

• Nancy Chippendale’s Dance Studios (49 Range Road, Building 2, Suite A, Windham, 458-7730, chippswindham.com) offers recreational (ages 3 to 18) and competitive (ages 8 to 18) dance classes as well as a Babysteps program for ages 1 to 4, all grouped by age and level, the website said. Recreational classes include combos of ballet, jazz, tap and hip-hop.

• New England School of Dance (679 Mast Road, Manchester, 935-7326, newenglandschoolofdance.com) offers preschool classes (ages 3-4); classes in ballet, jazz/tap/tumble and performing company for ages 5-6; ballet, modern/contemporary, hip-hop, tap, jazz, conditioning and acro and performing company for ages 7 to 10; pre-intermediate level classes; intermediate level for ages 10 to 13 (where pointe is also offered) and advanced for 13+, according to the website, where you can find more details about the competitive performing company.

• New Hampshire Academie of Dance (1 Action Blvd., No. 4, Londonderry, 432-4041, nhadance.com) offers classes for kids as young as 12 months through 16+. Classes grouped by age and level include ballet, tap, hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, acro and aerial (offerings vary based on age) as well as competitive dance, according to the school’s 2026-2027 brochure, which you can find on its website.

• New Hampshire School of Ballet (183 Londonderry Tpke., Hooksett, 668-5330, nhschoolofballet.com) offers classes in “Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Acro, Hip-Hop, Lyrical, Modern and Acro” for “recreational and career oriented students,” according to the school’s Facebook page.

• NH Scot (nhscot.org) offers Highland Dance classes Mondays at 25 Triangle Park Drive in Concord. The next eight-week session begins Sept. 14 with a beginner and new students class (for ages 5 to 16) from 4:15 to 5 p.m.; a 16+ class 4:45 to 5:45 p.m., and competitive youth from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m., the website said.

• N-Step Dance (1134 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 642-6787, nstepdance.com) offers classes for ages 18 months and up, as well as adult classes. Subjects include ballet and pointe, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop and lyrical, according to the website. Classes start Sept. 8.

• Palace Theatres Dance Studio (most classes at Forever Emma Studios, 516 Pine St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) will begin its fall session, which runs through early November with a Nov. 8 showcase, with classes starting as early as Aug. 30, according to the website. Youth offerings include hip-hop levels 1-3 (grades 4-12), contemporary (grades 4-12) levels 1-3, intro to dance (ages 3 to 5 years), Dance Technique levels 1-4 (grades 6-12), Getting to Know Dance Theater (grades 1-2 and grades 3-5), Jazz 1-3 (grades 6-12) and Tap 1-3 (grades 6-12), according to the website, where you can register.

• Rise Dance Studio (125 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 402-2706, risedancenh.com) offers classes in pre-dance, ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern and hip-hop, according to the website.

• Scottish Arts (nhssa.org/dance) offers Highland Dance classes for kids ages 4 to 7 and then 7+. See the website for updates.

• Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater (19 Harvey Road, Bedford, 637-4398, snhdt.org) offers programs for preschool (18 months to 6 years old), youth (7 to 18 years old) and pre-professional (ages 10 to 18). Dance taught includes ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern and contemporary, the website said. An open house will be held for all ages on Wednesday, Aug. 26, and Saturday, Aug. 29, according to the website, where you can see the schedule of classes.

• Turning Pointe Center of Dance (371 Pembroke St., Pembroke, 485-8710, turningpointecenterofdance.com) offers classes, grouped by age and level, including ballet, jazz, pointe (by invitation), tap, lyrical, hip-hop and combo classes, according to the website.

• Unbound Dance Academy (237 Londonderry Tpke., Hooksett, 714-2821, unbounddanceacademy.com) offers Creative Movement (18 months to 3 years), Tumble Tots (ages 2 to 3 years), Pre Dance I (ages 3 to 4, with ballet and tap), and Pre Dance II (ages 4 to 6, with ballet and tap), according to the website. For older students, classes include ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, modern/contemporary, tap, hip-hop, musical theater and acro, the website said. The school will hold an open house with tryout classes for ages 3 to 12 on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to its Facebook page, where you can find the schedule of classes.

Gymnastics

• A2 Gym & Cheer (16B Garabedian Drive, Salem, 328-8130, a2gc.com) offers gymnastics and tumbling classes for kids ages 18 months through high school, competitive cheer, ballet & jazz dance, tumbling, Tumble Titans: Boys and competitive gymnastics programs as well as open gym opportunities, the website said.

• Core Gymnastics (185 Elm St., Milford, 554-1097, core-gymnastics.com) offers pre-school and elementary school recreational gymnastics, a gymnastics team, Hot Shots (an invite-only class for ages 3 to 6) and USAG programs, the website said.

• Flipz the Gym for Kids (Flipz Gymnastics, 14 Chenell Drive, Concord, 224-3223, flipzgymnastics.com) offers gymnastics-based fitness classes for ages 12 months to 7 years, as well as open gym and special events, according to the website.

• Gymnastics Village (13 Caldwell Drive, Amherst, 889-8092, gymnasticsvillage.com) offers preschool programs (18 months to 3 years old), after-school programs for ages 5 and up, ninja classes for ages 6 to 14, tumbling, recreational classes and girls’ and boys’ competitive gymnastics teams, the website said.

• Gym-Ken Gymnastics (184 Rockingham Road, Windham, 434-9060, gymkengymnastics.com) offers preschool classes (for kids who are walking through kindergarten), recreational classes for grades 1-8 (including a boys’ class for grades 1-3), parkour for grades 1 and above, tumbling classes for grades 1 and above and a girls’ competitive team, the website said.

• Impact Gymnastics (301 River Road, Bow, 219-0343, impact-gymnastics.com) begins its classes Aug. 31, with registration open now. Offerings include coed preschool programs (for kids who are walking through age 5), girls’ recreational gymnastics (with classes for ages 5 to 8 and 8+), a Girls Stars program (which starts at age 4), boys’ programs starting at age 5, coed home-school programs and coed special athletics programs, the website said.

• Noha’s Gymnastics Academy (200 Perimeter Road, Manchester, 518-7660; 30 Pond St., Nashua, 880-4927; ngacademy.us) offers recreational teams for walking through grade 8, as well as invitational classes for students preparing to be on a competitive team, the website said.

• Palaestra Gymnastics Academy (8 Tinkham Ave., Derry, 818-4494, pgagym.com) begins its fall session on Aug. 31 for preschool gymnastics and recreational gymnastics and tumble, the website said. The academy also has a “USAG competitive teams levels 3 through 10,” the website said.

• Phantom Gymnastics (142 Route 111, Hampstead, 329-9315, phantomgymnastics.com) has a competitive team, parkour (grouped by age for ages 4 to 13+), preschool classes (for ages 6 months through 4 years) and classes for ages 5+ as well as open gym opportunities, the website said. The school also offers CPR classes.

• Southern New Hampshire Gymnastics Academy (4 Orchard View Drive, No. 11, Londonderry, 404-6181, snhga.com) offers gymnastics classes for ages 18 months through 18 years and has a tumbling program and a competitive team, the website said. Fall registration is open.

• Spectrum Gymnastics (26 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 434-8388, spectrumgymnast.com) offers preschool classes for walkers through kindergarten and school-age classes for girls and boys (grades 1-5 for boys, according to the website) as well as a competitive team, according to the website.

Martial Arts

Note: most of the locations mentioned here offer classes and training for adults, sometimes in disciplines not offered for kids.

• American Dragon Shaolin Kempo (146 Londonderry Turnpike, Unit 11, Hooksett, 629-9118, americandragonnh.com) offers classes for juniors, teens and adults, the website said.

• Aqueous Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (30 Harvey Road, Bedford, 566-7775, aqueousbjj.com) offers a Little Warriors program for kids.

• ATA Martial Arts of Merrimack (707 Milford Road, Merrimack, 881-5435, atabbanh.com) offers preschool martial arts programming for ages 3.5 and up; kids classes for ages 7 to 12 and a teen program for ages 13 to 18, the website said.

• Averill’s Martial Arts Academy (3 N. Main St., Concord, 223-0300, averillsmartialarts.com) offers youth boxing.

• Balance Point Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (50 Emerson Road, Milford, 470-7136, balancepointbjj.com) offers classes for ages 4.5 to 9 years old and 10 to 12, the website said.

• Bedford Martial Arts Academy (292 Route 101, Bedford, 626-9696; Bedford Martial Arts Academy East, 273 S. River Road, Bedford; 703-2327, bedfordmartialartsacademy.com) offers programs, grouped by age, for ages 3 through 17. The academy also offers an after-school program with sessions at its Route 101 location as well as other locations in Bedford and Chester, the website said.

• Blue Wave Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (1 Progress Ave., Nashua, 321-5032, bluewavejj.com) offers kids’ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes for kids ages 3 through 12 as well as adult classes, the website said.

• Bodyworks Martial Arts Training Center (45 Chenell Drive, Concord, 225-5620, bodyworksnh.com) offers classes for kids age 4 and up as well as teen classes, the website said.

• Brazilian Top Team Londonderry (73 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 212-9258, bttlondonderry.com) offers kids classes for ages 4 t-6 and 7-16, the website said.

• Bulsajo TaeKwonDo (703-1914, bulsajotkd.com) offers classes at locations in Goffstown for ages 6 and up including a weapons class for ages 12+ (about ancient weapons), the website said.

• Central Tae Kwon Do Academy (222 Central St., Suite 8, Hudson, 882-5617, central-tkd.com) offers tae kwon do classes for kids as well as taerobics classes, according to the website.

• Checkmate Martial Arts (200 Elm St., Manchester, 666-5836, checkmateselfdefense.com) offers a kids program, according to its Facebook page.

• Chung’s Tae Kwon Do Academy (115 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 883- 2577, chungs-tkd.com) offers children’s classes for various levels, according to the website.

• Concord Karate Studio and Academy (89 Fort Eddy Road, No. 3, Concord, 224-5425, cks-nh.com) offers an after-school program with three- and five-day options, for kids kindergarten through grade 6, according to the website. Karate classes are available for ages 3 and up, with preschool, kindergarten and older kid programs as well as classes for teens and adults.

• Determined Martial Arts (Salzburg Square, 292 Route 101, Amherst, 672-3570, determinedma.com) offers classes for ages 4 and up including teen classes for ages 13+, according to the website.

• Dojo Sante (1 Winn Ave., Hudson, 467-9384, mbsdojosante.com) offers preschool and kids martial arts programming, the website said.

• Empowering Lives Martial Arts (542 Mast Road, No. 15, Goffstown, 978-414-5425, martialartsnewhampshire.com) offers martial arts classes for kids starting at age 3 as well as special abilities classes and Leadership Life Training, a by-invitation program, the website said.

• Eric Menard’s Complete Martial Arts Academy (220 Innovative Way, Suite E, Nashua, 888-0010, cma-martialarts.com) offers martial arts classes for kids (ages 5 to 9) and teens (ages 10 to 14) as well as adults for 15+, the website said.

• Full Circle Martial Arts & Fitness Center (880 Page St., Manchester, 505-0048, fullcirclemafc.com) offers programs for kids ages 4-6, a karate program for ages 5 to 13, a youth judo/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program for ages 5 to 13 and youth boxing for ages 5 to 13, according to the website.

• Gate City MMA (28 Charron Ave., Unit 8, Nashua, 722-0238, gatecitymma.com) offers kids’ MMA.

• Golden Crane Traditional Martial Arts (46 Lowell Road, No. 6, Windham, 437-2020, goldencranenh.com) offers kids’ programming for ages 5 to 6 and 6 to 11 and a teen program for ages 12 to 15, the website said.

• Granite State American Kenpo Karate (290 Derry Road, No. 5, Hudson, 598-5400, gsakenpo.com) offers kids’ programming for ages 3 to 5, 6 to 12 and teen classes for ages 13+, according to the website. The school also offers an after-school program in Hudson.

• House of the Samurai (28 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 434-2265, samurainh.com) offers youth classes for ages 4 to 12 and teen classes for 13+.

• Independent Martial Arts School (138 Lake St., Nashua, 882-6917, imasnh.com) offers classes for kids including specialty classes.

• Inner Dragon Martial Arts (77 Derry Road, Hudson, 864-8756, innerdragonma.com) offers martial arts programs for kids and an after-school program in Hudson.

• Inspired Martial Arts (58 Range Road, Windham, 893-7990, inspiredmartialartscenter.com) offers kids’ martial arts programs

• Integrity Martial Arts (114 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, 660-6921, integritymartialartsnh.com) offers classes for ages 3-5, 6-9, 10-12 and 13-17 as well as for adults and unique needs, according to the website.

• Karasu Tengu Academy (1 Chestnut St., No. 5D, Nashua, 689-4966, ktacademymma.com) offers Youth MMA Striking for ages 7 to 12 and youth Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the website said.

• Karate International of Windham (60 Rockingham Road, No. 14, Windham, 898- 5367, windhamkarate.com) offers preschool (ages 4-6), kid (ages 7-11) and teen (12 to 15) classes, according to the website.

• Kenpo Academy of Self Defense (40 Manchester Road, Derry, 437-9900, kenpo-academy.com) offers preschool classes (ages 3 to 5) as well as classes for older kids (ages 6 to 12) and teens (13 to 18), according to the website. Cardio Kickboxing is available for ages 16+, the website said.

• Leverage Jiu Jitsu (70 Pembroke Road, Concord, 738-0227, leveragebjjnh.com) has classes for kids grouped in ages 5 to 8 and 9 and up, according to the website.

• Manchester Karate Studio (371 S. Willow St., Manchester, 625-5835, manchesterkarate.com) offers karate programs for ages 4-5, 6-11 and 12+, with 14+ eligible for adult classes, the website said.

• The Martial Arts Zone (31 Auburn St., Manchester, 206-5716, themartialartszone.com) offers a youth Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program for ages 5 to 11, the website said.

• Merrimack Karate (534 DW Highway, Merrimack, 424-7458, merrimackkarate.com) offers children’s programs for ages 6 to 12 and teen & adult programs for ages 13+.

• Mindset Wrestling (185 Elm St., Milford, 721-2551, mindsetwrestling.net) offers wrestling classes for grades K-2, grades 3-5 and middle school through adult, the website said.

• Neil Stone’s Karate Academy (22 Proctor Hill Road, Hollis, 672-8933, neilstoneskarate.com) offers programs for ages 2-3, ages 3-4, ages 4-12 and 13+ as well as a young leaders program for ages 7+, the website said.

• New England Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy (30 Henniker St., Unit 9, Concord, 369-4764, nebjj.com) offers kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for ages 5-8 and ages 9-15, the website said.

• NH Kicks Taekwondo Family Fitness (90 Airport Road, Concord, 714-5472, nhkicks.com) offers family taekwondo for ages 6 and up, the website said.

• Ocasio’s True Martial Arts – Plaistow (160 Plaistow Road, No. 5, Plaistow, 382-4199, ocasiostma.com) offers kids martial arts, the website said.

• Phoenix Fire Martial Arts (79 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, 234-8665, phnixfire.com) offers classes for children through adults in Shotokan and teen through adult classes in Krav Maga.

• Polished Mirror Budo Karate (33 Indian Rock Road, Suite 3, Windham, 978-415-9658, polishedmirrorbudokarate.com) offers kids and teen martial arts programs, the website said.

• Professional Martial Arts Academy (15 E. Broadway, Derry, 434-7995, pmaderry.com; 501 DW Highway, Merrimack, 429-0008, pmamerrimack.com; 37 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, 974-2455, pmaplaistow.com) offers kids’ programs in martial arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

• Souhegan Valley Karate Club (1 Main St., Brookline, 505-6777, svkc.online) offers “Karate Kids,” a program for ages 5 to 10.

• School of Warrior Arts (122 N. Lowell Road, Windham, 781-249-7073, facebook. com/schoolofwarriorarts), described as “a Holistic and Christ-centered education through the combative, creative, performing, and healing arts,” offers programs for children and teens, according to the Facebook page and forerunnerfitness.net/sowa-about-us.

• SDSS Martial Arts of Concord (124 Hall St., Suite E, Concord, 224-3777, sdsskungfu.com) offers kids’ (grouped by ages 4-5, ages 5-7 and ages 7-11) and teens’ programs, the website said.

• Strikeback Dynamic Defense Systems (458 DW Highway, Merrimack, 262-9299, strikebackdds.com) offers classes for youth, according to its Facebook page.

• Tiger Black Belt Academy (11 Kimball Drive, Unit 121, Hooksett, 627-7744, tigerblackbeltacademy.com) offers tae kwon do for kids and Kumdo, which means “way of the sword,” according to the website.

• Tim Barchard’s Professional Martial Arts Academy (15 E. Broadway, Derry, 434- 7995, pmaderry.com) offers kids’ classes in martial arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

• Tokyo Joe’s Studios of Self Defense (85A Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 889- 4165; 20 Hammond Road, Milford, 672- 2100; tokyojoes.net) both locations offer kids’ and teens martial arts programming.

• Tokyo Joe’s Studios and Team Link NH (1338 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 641- 3444, tokyojoeshooksett.com) offers kempo karate for ages 3-6 and ages 7-12; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for ages 5 to 15 and kickboxing for ages 5 to 12, the website said.

• Triumph Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (456 W. Hollis St., Nashua, 769-3819, teamtriumphbjj.com) offers kids’ classes.

• Universal Kenpo Federation (37 Wilton Road, Milford, 547-5226, ukfkenpo.org/) offers private and group lessons.

• Valle Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (44 Nashua Road, Unit 19, Londonderry, 553-1736, vallebjj.com) offers kids’ and teens’ classes, the website said.

Music

• AB Music School (Whispering Pines Lane in Merrimack, 978-677-9244, abmusicschool.com) offers music lessons for kids starting at age 4. Instruments taught include flute/piccolo, ukulele, piano, violin and cello, according to the website.

• Amy Conley Music (102 Elm St., Milford, 249-9560, amyconleymusic.com) offers special needs classes, private lessons (piano, guitar and ukulele, for ages 6 and up) and more. A 10-week session of classes, including Ukulele Beginners (open to kids 10+ and teens as well as adults), starts on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the website said.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) offers private lessons in piano, voice, guitar and drums as well as group voice lessons (ages 7-10 and 11-13), instrument prep for ages 5 to 7 (grouped by age) and rock band ensembles for ages 10+ and ages 14+ (by audition), the website said. The school also offers the Kindermusik program for ages 0 to 7. Classes begin the week of Aug. 31.

• Bemish Green Piano Studio (188 Central St., Hudson, 235-9378, greenpiano.com) offers piano lessons weekly or twice per week, for class duration options from 30 to 90 minutes, the website said.

• Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St., Concord, 228-1196, ccmusicschool.org) offers private lessons for audio production, voice, banjo, bass, bassoon, cello, clarinet, composition, double bass, fiddle, flute, French horn, guitar, mandolin, oboe, percussion, piano, recorder, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, tuba, ukulele, viola and violin, according to the website. The school offers Music & Movement for ages 4 months to 6 years as well as Beginning Recorder Class (ages 5-8), Suzuki Violin (ages 4 and up), Piano Playscape (for ages 5-6) as well as other group classes for kids, the website said. For teens, the school offers choirs, choruses, ensembles (including a Celtic Fiddle Ensemble) and a Teen Rock Band, the website said. The school will hold its Family Music Festival, featuring demo classes and an instrument petting zoo (as well as jams, activities, live entertainment, food trucks and face painting), on Saturday, Aug. 29, from noon to 4 p.m., the website said.

• Don Sanni Guitar & Bass Lessons (108 Taylor St., Nashua, 882-7468, donsanni.com) teaches students 8 years old and up, the website said.

• Figaro Music Studios (254 N. State St., Unit G, Concord, 369-0265, figaromusicstudios.com) offers piano and guitar lessons as well as a preschool program (for ages 2 to 5) and a choir for ages 6 to 11, the website said.

• Jeanne Martin Piano Studio (38 Pearson Road, Merrimack, 493-2961, musictoenjoy.com) offers piano lessons, with programs for students ages 4 and 5 and up, the website said.

• Jimmy Mags Music Lessons (321 Laxson Ave, Manchester, 682-2550, jimmymagsmusiclessons.com) offers guitar, bass and piano lessons, according to the website.

• John Medeiros Jr. Music (498-3819, johnmedeirosjr.com) offers drum, guitar and bass lessons in southern New Hampshire, according to the website.

• Let’s Play Music! (2626 Brown Ave., Unit A2, Manchester, 218-3089; 145 Hampstead Road, Derry, 425-7575; 136 Lowell Road, Hudson, 882-8940; letsplaymusic.com) has choral groups and musical theater programs and rock bands as well as private lessons in piano, guitar & bass, stringed instruments, singing, drums, horns and reed instruments, ukulele, banjo, mandolin and accordion. Kindermusik classes are available for newborns through 4 years old and Ready to Rock classes for kids as young as 4 years old through 11.

• Lidman Music Studio (419 Amherst St., Nashua, 913-5314, lidmanmusic.com) offers lessons in viola, violin and piano, according to the website.

• Manchester Community Music School (2291 Elm St., Manchester, 644-4548, mcmusicschool.org) offers group programs, including a jazz ensemble, orchestras and choirs. Private lessons are offered in woodwind, brass, percussion, strings, voice, music theory, composition, piano, guitar, harp, ukulele, mandolin and more. Early childhood classes are also available. See the fall catalog on the website; the fall term begins Monday, Aug. 31.

• Merrimack Music Academy (1 Bryce Drive, Merrimack, merrimackmusicacademy.com, 493-9214) offers private lessons in guitar, bass, piano and voice, the website said.

• Mike Loce Music (5 Bowers Landing Drive, No. 304, Merrimack, 318-1723, mikelocemusic.com) teaches guitar, bass and ukulele to students of all ages, according to the website.

• Music Class with Mr. Aaron (mraaronmusic.com/classes). See the website for classes with Mr. Aaron, a “multi-instrumentalist performer and composer” for kids and their grown-ups. A fall session held at Concord Parks and Rec will start Wednesday, Sept. 16, the website said.

• Music Lessons By Lisa N (Concord, 781-832-2127, musicbylisan.wixsite.com) offers lessons in saxophone, clarinet, violin, piano, music theory and more and is now offering lessons at Ted Herbert Music in Manchester to ages 10+.

• Nashua Community Music School (2 Lock St., Nashua, 881-7030, nashuacms.org) offers private lessons in piano, guitar, voice, violin, cello, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone and percussion. The school also offers music therapy for all ages, a group music class, early childhood music classes and ensembles including a rock band for current students, the website said.

• NH Tunes (250 Commercial St., No. 2017, Manchester, 660-2208, nhtunes.biz) offers lessons in voice, guitar, piano, ukulele, drum, banjo/mandolin and brass, according to the website. There are also music discovery lessons (where a student can try multiple instruments) and a music production class, according to the website.

• North Main Music (28 Charron Ave., Nashua, 505-4282, northmainmusic.com) teaches students of all ages guitar, drums, piano, bass, voice, violin, saxophone, ukulele and trumpet and offers group lessons and band options, the website said.

• Palace Theatre Voice Studio (palacetheatre.org) offers vocal lessons for grades 2-12, according to the website.

• Peter Hostage Music Lessons (12 Adams Road, Londonderry, 437-2575, peterhostagemusiclessons.com) offers lessons in piano, guitar, bass guitar, voice, drums, banjo and mandolin to ages 5 and up, in person or on zoom, according to the website.

• Piano Studio of Jacqueline Morin (15 Marion St., Concord, 508-633-5534, missjackienotes.com) teaches piano to students from 4 to adult, according to the website.

• The Real School of Music (10 A St., Derry, 260-6801, therealschoolofmusic.com) offers music and voice lessons for students ages 5 and up, bands and ensembles for students ages 9 and up, Yamaha group classes for ages 3 to 7, musical theater for ages 6 to 14 and an adaptive music program, according to the website.

• School of Rock Nashua (225 DW Highway, Nashua, 600-7625, schoolofrock.com) offers music lessons in guitar, drum, singing, bass, keyboard and piano. The school also offers music programs for kids as young as 4 years old that mix individual and group learning as well as house bands, songwriting lessons (ages 12 and up) and camps and workshops. School of Rock Nashua’s House Band is slated to perform at the 8th Annual Family Fun Day in Field of Dreams park in Salem on Saturday, Aug. 22, which runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the website. The House Band and Rock 101 are slated to perform at the Tyngsboro Party by the Bridge (on Winslow Road in Tyngsborough, Mass.) on Saturday, Aug. 29; that event runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., see the website for tickets.

• Scottish Arts (nhssa.org) offers individual lessons in bagpipe and fiddle. See the website for updates.

• Strings and Things Music (339 Village St., Concord, 228-1971, stringsandthingsmusic.com) offers lessons in voice, banjo, mandolin, bass, clarinet, djembe, drums, fiddle, flute, sax, guitar, piano, trumpet and ukulele, according to the website.

• Suzuki Violin Studio (890 Valley St., Manchester, 785-1884, musiclessonsnh.com) offers lessons in violin, viola, cello, guitar, bass, mandolin and piano, according to the website.

• Ted Herbert Music School (Majestic Studio Theatre, 880 Page St., Manchester; majestictheatre.net, tedherbert.com) offers lessons in brass, drums, guitar/bass, piano/keyboard, strings, theater/dance, voice and woodwind. Instrument rentals are available. The school also holds open mic nights for musicians of all levels.

• Travis Shelby Music Lessons (370-8853, travisshelbymusic.com) offers guitar lessons on acoustic, electric and bass guitar in Exeter, Manchester, Bedford, Nashua, Merrimack, Hooksett, Concord and Derry, according to the website.

• The Voice Studio (16 Crystal Ave., Derry, 560-2495, thevoicestudione.com) teaches lessons to students of all ages in voice, piano, guitar, bass, ukulele and saxophone, according to the website.

• Weare School of Music (77 Barnard Hill Road, Weare, 206-0135, see listing on Facebook). “We teach all band instruments, strings, voice, piano, guitar, ukulele, and recorder,” according to a Facebook post in May.

Sports

• Amherst Basketball (amherstnh.gov/parks-recreation-department/pages/basketball) offers rec basketball for grades 3-9 and travel basketball for grades 5-9, as well as a Hoops Basketball program for grades 1-2, the website said. Last year, tryouts took place in October with practices beginning in December, the website said.

• Amherst Lacrosse (amherstlacrosse.com) offers competitive travel teams for boys and girls in spring in grades 1-6 as well as a development league for grades K-2, the website said.

• Amherst Soccer Club (amherstsoccerclub.com) is a developmental league offering soccer with fall and spring seasons and winter training for U3 through U10, according to the website. See Hampshire United SC (hampshireunitedsc.com) for travel teams.

• Amoskeag Rowing Club (amoskeagrowing.org) offers a youth rowing team for grades 7-12 in the fall, spring and summer with the fall practice schedule slated to begin Aug. 17.

• Auburn Soccer Club (auburnsoccerclub.org) offers a tots program for ages 3 and 4 and a development league for grades K to 1 as well as competitive soccer for ages 6 to 14, according to the club’s Facebook page and to the website, where you can find information to register for fall and spring seasons.

• Baboosic Lake Rowing Club (baboosiclakerowing.org) offers fall and spring season rowing programs for grades 8-12, with a fall season starting with pre-season training on Aug. 24, according to the website.

• Bedford Athletic Club (bedfordac.com) offers fall and spring recreational soccer (grades pre-K through 6 with coed U15 and U18 teams); an adaptive program (ages 5 to 15), and a travel program with fall and spring seasons (for U8 through U15). The fall rec season begins the first week in September but registration is open through Sept. 19, the website said.

• Bedford Basketball League (bedfordbl.com) offers winter basketball for boys and girls with recreation programs (grades 1-8) and a grades 9-12 Biddy League (a boys team and a coed team) and a travel program (for grades 3-8). Last year travel registration opened in August and tryouts took place in September, the website said.

• Bedford Cannons Youth Lacrosse (bedfordcannons.org) offers spring programs for ages 4 and up as well as grades 1-8. Indoor winter skills begins in mid-January with outdoor practices and games usually beginning in April. Look for registration to open around December.

• Bedford Crew (bedfordcrew.org) began its fall season Aug. 17 and is open to Bedford High School students. There is also a spring season and a fall “Learn to Row” session for Lurgio Middle School students.

• Bedford Little League (bedfordll.com) offers spring, summer and fall leagues, with the largest age range offered in spring teams — ages 4 through 13. Registration for spring begins in early December and registration for fall closes Aug. 31, according to the website.

• Bedford Youth Football & Cheer Bulldogs (bedfordbulldogs.org) offers football and cheer (ages pre-K through 8) with programs in the fall including flag football for younger players (coed, grades K to 2) and adaptive cheer, according to the website and the club’s Facebook page.

• Bow Athletic League (bowathleticclub.com) offers programs including basketball, field hockey (grouped by age for grades K-8), soccer (grades 1-8), golf (grades 1-8), wrestling (grades 1-8; last year practice began in November), golf (grades 1-8) in the spring, lacrosse (8U to 14U for girls, 8U to 12U for boys) and baseball (ages 4 to 14) and softball (5 to 16). Registration for baseball begins in spring, the website said. The season for softball runs from mid-March to mid-July, the website said.

• Brazilian Art Soccer Training (basoccertraining.com) offers holiday and vacation camps as well as summer programming and winter training.

• Cannons Baseball Club (Manchester, facebook.com/CannonsNH, cannonsbc.com) offers baseball and softball for players age 9 through 18U as well as other opportunities throughout the year.

• Cap City Basketball (based at Capital City Sports & Fitness, Concord, capcitybasketball.com) offers AAU basketball teams for boys and girls, grades 3 through high school, during spring and fall (final fall tryouts are Aug. 25) as well as vacation camps, a winter Sunday league and more.

• Capital City Sports & Fitness (10 Garvins Falls Road, Concord, 224-7787, capitalcitysportsandfitness.com) offers swim lessons for kids and teens starting at 6 months old and martial arts for kids starting at 2 years old, according to the website. The facility is also the home to AAU basketball organizations.

• Concord Crew (concordcrew.org) offers fall, spring and summer middle school-age and high school-age programs (as well as programs for adults), according to the website. Practices take place at Bert Whittemore Boathouse, 15 Loudon Road in Concord. Fall programs start the weeks of Aug. 24 and Aug. 31, with a “Learn to Row” program in September for grades 5-8, the website said.

• Concord Youth Hockey Association and the Concord Capitals (concordyouthhockey.org) offer programs for ages 6 through 14U, as well as skills programs for ages 4 to 8, according to the website.

• Conway Arena (5 Stadium Drive, Nashua, 595-2400, conwayarena.com) offers learn to skate (ages 4 to 9) and learn to play hockey (ages 5 to 9), youth leagues, camps and clinics and more. See the website for upcoming sessions.

• Derry Diamond Athletic Association (derryll.org) offers baseball programs (ages 6 to 13, as well as Babe Ruth for ages 13 to 16) and softball (8U through juniors and seniors) in fall and spring (as well as winter and summer offerings).

• Derry Demons Football and Cheer (derrydemons.com) offers flag football (ages 5 to 8) and tackle football (8U to 11U), as well as cheer programs (for ages 4 to 10, grouped by age) in fall and winter. Registration for fall programs is in late spring into summer. Camps and clinics have also been offered.

• Derry Soccer Club’s Hawks (derrysoccerclub.org) offers a full year (fall and spring) of soccer in both rec (ages U4 to U18) and travel teams (U10 to U15), the website said.

• Derry Wolverines Youth Football and Cheer (derry-wolverines.sportngin.com) offers football for grades 5-8 and cheer for grades 6-8.

• Executive Swim Club (gomotionapp.com/team/neehsc/page/home) is a year-round competitive team with seasons September through March and April through August, the website said.

• FC Stars New Hampshire Region (starsofma.org/new-hampshire) has soccer teams for boys and girls U9-U18 with teams at a variety of skill levels, the website said.

• 4 Leaf Lacrosse (4leaflax.org) offers programming around northern New England including in Hooksett and Dover with teams, clinics and camps for boys and girls (see the website for ages, listed by graduation year).

• Futsal NH (futsalnh.com) offers futsal training and leagues as well as holiday and vacation camps, according to the website.

• Futsanity Academy (soccerskillscamp.org) offers a six-week indoor futsal program, which last year ran from November into January for boys and girls in age groups U9-11 and U12-14.

• Girls on the Run New Hampshire (girlsontherunnh.org) is offered for girls in grades 3-5 and 6-8 with a junior coach program for girls 16 to 18 years old, with registration open for a lottery for a spot on each team through Aug. 20 and then spots available when open after. See the website for locations, which set their own weekly meet-up and run schedules, or to start a team. The fall season culminates in a 5K on Nov. 14.

• Goffstown Junior Baseball (goffstownjrbaseball.com) offers baseball programs starting with Tee Ball for ages 4 to 7 and baseball divisions for ages 6 (or 5 with one year of Tee Ball) to 16, the website said. Last year registration for spring opened in early January, according to the website.

• Goffstown Screamin’ Eagles (screamineagles.com) offers competitive cheer for ages 4 to 16, according to the website.

• Granite State Kids New Hampshire Junior Team Tennis (granitestatekids.com) offers fall, spring and summer programs based in Bedford for ages 5 to 18, according to the website. Registration for the fall program is open through Aug. 31, which is the first day of play, the website said.

• Greater Manchester Colt League (manchestercoltleague.com) offers baseball in “four divisions for players ages 12-23,” according to the website.

• Granite State Volleyball Club (granitestatevolleyballclub.com), a Manchester-based organization, offered teams for U13 through U18 in the 2025-2026 school year, according to the website, where you can find tryout information.

• Hampshire United SC (hampshireunitedsc.com) offers competitive travel soccer for ages 7 to 19 with fall and spring seasons as well as winter training and camps and clinics, according to the website.

• Healthy Kids Running Series (healthykidsrunningseries.org) offers a fall running series with races on Sundays, Sept. 13 through Oct. 11, in the afternoon at locations in Amherst, Concord, Litchfield, Manchester, Nashua and Plaistow, according to the website. The series is open to kids in grades pre-K through 8 with age-appropriate events including 50- and 75-yard dashes and the 1/4-mile, the 1/2-mile and the 1-mile run, according to the website.

• Hollis-Brookline Youth Lacrosse (hblax.com) held learn-to-play sessions last year in January and indoor practice started in March, the website said.

• Hooksett Lacrosse (hooksettyouthlacrosse.com) offers lacrosse programming for U6 through U14, for boys and girls, with a spring season where indoor practices start in February and outdoor practices start, weather permitting, in April, the website said.

• Houligan Lacrosse (based in Epping, houlaganlacrosse.com) offers fall, spring and summer teams for boys and girls in grades 3-12.

• Hudson Litchfield Bears (hudsonlitchfieldbears.isportz.us) offers cheer for ages 5 to 14 (as well as adaptive cheer), tackle football for grades 2-8 and flag football for ages 5 to 7, according to the website. See facebook.com/Bears4life603 for information on registering for next fall and for winter clinics and other activities.

• Londonderry Soccer Club (londonderrysc.org) offers fall and spring recreational programs (for U3 through U18) as well as a travel program (U8 through U18). “Rec Express Fall player registration is now open! Express Opening Day will be Saturday, September 12th, with practices beginning the week of September 7th for age groups with a weeknight practice (U7 and above). The season will run through Saturday, October 31st,” the website said.

• Londonderry Wildcats (lyfs.org) offers cheer programs (ages 4-6 and 7-14), flag football and tackle football (for grades 2-6) with practices that begin in July. Check back with the website for information on next fall, summer and other programming.

• Londonderry Youth Lacrosse Association (londonderrylax.org) offers boys’ and girls’ lacrosse with teams that begin indoor practice in February, according to the website.

• Manchester Angels (maysl.org) offers a recreational spring soccer league for U4 through U19.

• Manchester Basketball League (manchesterbasketballleague.com) offers basketball programs for boys and girls ages 4 through 12+. The new season is slated to start in November, according to the website.

• Manchester Bears (manchesterbears.com) offers youth football for grades 2-8. The fall session began in late July. See facebook.com/manchester.bears for updates.

• Manchester Cal Ripken Baseball (manchestercalripken.org) offers baseball programming for boys and girls ages 4 to 12 as well as summer baseball for ages 4 to 10, according to the website. See their Facebook page for updates.

• Manchester East Soccer League (mesl.org) offers intra-league competition for ages 4 to 19 and inter-league competition for ages 12 to 19, according to the website, where fall registration is open.

• Manchester Flames, Manchester Regional Youth Hockey Association (mryha.org) offers a JB12 Skills Development Program 6U-15U, which begins Sept. 1; a recreation league that runs Sept. 11 through March 28 (register by Sept. 10); Learn to Skate and Learn to Play programs with sessions that start Sept. 11, and a travel league for ages 6U/8U through 18U, the website said.

• Manchester Girls Softball League (mgslnh.com) offers softball for ages 4 to 18. Last year, registration for the spring season started in November, according to the Facebook page, which also showed registration in November for winter clinics.

• Manchester NH Little League (manchesternhlittleleague.com) offers fall baseball for ages 6 to 13, according to facebook.com/ManchesterNHLL, where you can find links to register and updates on spring.

• Manchester North Soccer League (mnsl.org) is a coed recreational league for ages 5 to 19, and its fall season begins Aug. 29, the website said.

• Manchester Parks & Recreation (manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation) offers programs including fencing, tennis, swimming lessons (in summer), ice skating lessons September through March, Stick & Puck in West Side Arena and more.

• Manchester Soccer League (manchestersoccerleague.com) offers a fall program in partnership with the Beech Street Football Club and an elementary school recreation program in the spring, among other programing, according to the website.

• Manchester South Junior Soccer (msjsl.com) offers fall soccer (U6 through U19), spring skills and drills (ages 4 to 13) and winter indoor soccer (U6 through high school), according to the website.

• Manchester South Sabres (manchestersouthsabres.com) offers flag football for ages 5 to 8, tackle football for ages 7 to 13 and cheer for ages 5 to 16, according to the Sabres’ Facebook page. The seasons began in late July.

• Manchester Thunder (manchesterlacrosse.com) offers girls’ lacrosse for grades K-8 with training beginning in spring, the website said. Last year, registration opened in December with indoor training beginning in March, according to the group’s Facebook page.

• Meraki Volleyball (merakivolleyball.com) offers volleyball for girls in U12 through U17/18 age groups with tryouts at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford and the season running November through May, according to the website. Boys’ teams are for age groups 14U through 18U and the season runs from August to March, the website said.

• Merrimack Jr. Tomahawks (merrimackjrtomahawks.org) offers cheer (grades K-8), flag football (ages 5 to 7) and tackle football (grades 2-8). The season begins in late August, according to the Tomahawks’ Facebook page, with practices having started in early August. Registration this year began in April, according to the Facebook page.

• Merrimack Rec Soccer (myasoccer.org) offers recreational and travel teams, with soccer opportunities for ages 4 to 18, according to the website. Fall registration is open now, the website said.

• Merrimack Youth Baseball (myabaseball.com) offers a fall baseball program for ages 7 to 16 and spring programs with T-ball (ages 3 and 4) and baseball (ages 5 through 16). Last year, spring registration opened in January, according to the website and the organization’s Facebook page.

• Merrimack Youth Lacrosse (myalax.org) offers boys’ and girls’ lacrosse for grades K-8, playing in a spring season, according to the website. Last year, registration opened in November.

• Milford Community Athletic Association (mcaa.us) offers programs including baseball (for ages 5 to 15), soccer (for ages 3 to 11), basketball (for grades K-8; beginning in October) and softball (for ages 6 to 11), the website said. Registration is open for fall baseball and softball and fall soccer.

• My Gym Bedford (410 S. River Road, Bedford, 668-7196, mygym.com/bedford) offers classes for infants starting at 3 months old through preschool with a few classes for older kids (up to 10 years old, according to the website) including dance, ninja training and gymnastics (ages vary by classes), according to the website.

• My Gym Londonderry (30 Main St., Londonderry, 818-4107, mygym.com/londonderry) offers classes for infants starting at 3 months old through just under 6 years old (5 years and 11 months, according to the website), including, for the older part of that age range, gymnastics and ninja jr.

• Nashua Blast Lacrosse (nashualacrosse.com) offers a Little Stix program (ages 4 to 6) as well as boys’ and girls’ teams for 8U through 14U, with spring registration available in January last season (as well as clinics and skills and drills programs), according to the website.

• Nashua Cal Ripken Baseball (nashuacalripken.org) offers spring baseball for ages 7 to 12 as well as T-ball (age 4 to 8) in the spring and Babe Ruth Fall Baseball for ages 13 to 16, according to the website.

• Nashua Parks & Recreation (nashua.recdesk.com) offers Biddy Basketball for ages 7 to 15 (register by Sept. 30 for the November through March season) and Fall Babe Ruth Baseball (ages 13 to 16; registration for the fall closes Aug. 30) and Softball (ages 7 to 14; register now for the fall season, which runs in September and October), according to nashuanh.gov.

• Nashua Police Athletic League (52 Ash St., Nashua, 594-3733, nashuapal.com) offers athletic programs including basketball (ages 7 to 18, year-round), boxing (ages 11+), cheerleading (ages 3-14, fall and winter), cross-country, football (ages 4 to 14, fall and winter), street hockey (middle school) and track and field (ages 7 to 18, spring), according to the website.

• New England Crusaders (necrusaders.com) offers girls’ basketball programming throughout New England, including in New Hampshire, and has offered elementary school, middle school and high school programs. See the website for contact information related to the program you’re interested in.

• NE Inferno Baseball (noreastersbaseball.com) operates in regional facilities including in Nashua (3 Progress Ave.) with programs starting at U8/9, depending on location.

• New England Storm (new-england-storm.com) offers AAU basketball for boys and girls in grades 3-12 (varying by season) with fall, spring and summer programming. Last year, tryouts for spring took place in early January. Last year there was also a winter program for girls in grades 6-8.

• NH Climbing and Fitness (10 Langdon Ave., Concord, 715-9171, nhclimbinggym.com) has climbing classes for ages 3 through 5, ages 6 through 8 and ages 9+ and clubs and teams for ages 8 through 19, according to the website, where you can register for an open house on Sunday, Aug. 30, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• New Hampshire Junior Roller Derby (nhjrd.com, facebook.com/NHJrRollerDerby) teaches roller derby to any gender ages 8-17. See the website for updates on upcoming sessions.

• New Hampshire Prospects Basketball Club (cannonsbc.com/nhp-basketball), which is Manchester based and year-round, “is Prospects Athletics’ premier travel basketball program for athletes ages 10U–18U who are driven to compete, develop their skills, and reach their full potential on and off the court,” according to the website.

• New Hampshire Mountain Kings Hockey (Tri-Town Arena, 311 W. River Road, Hooksett, mountainkingshockey.com) offers youth hockey (starting with teams for kids under 8 years old), Academy hockey and other options for teens, skating lessons, figure skating and more, according to the website.

• New Hampshire Spartans Youth Basketball (nhspartans.com) offers AAU basketball with programming during all seasons and teams on the Seacoast and in Derry. Tryouts for fall are going on now; see the website for times and locations. Contact Chris Coates at CoatesNew@hotmail.com with questions, according to an email.

• New Hampshire Sportsplex (68 Technology Drive, Bedford, 641-1313, nhsportsplex.com) offers youth flag football (grouped by ages) for ages 5 through high school (the next session starts in October); youth recreational soccer in five age groups (next session starts in October); youth 3 x 3 basketball (in summer), softball and a Lil Athlete series of offerings (such as Lil Laxers and Lil Dribblers) to introduce younger kids to specific sports. See the website for the seasons for these sports. The Sportsplex is also the indoor home to sports clubs, such as the NH Tomahawks Lacrosse, New England Phantoms Flag Football and more.

• New Hampshire Tomahawks Lacrosse (nhtomahawks.com) offers fall, spring and summer lacrosse teams for boys and girls and indoor winter leagues (for town teams and free agents) as well as clinics, some for kids as young as 3 years old.

• North Manchester Hooksett Baseball (nmhll.com) offers spring T-ball, adaptive challenger divisions and baseball, with programs for ages 4 through 16, as well as fall programming, the website said.

• One Dream Basketball (based at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford; onedreambasketball.com) has boys’ and girls’ basketball teams for grades 3 to 12. Tryouts for the fall teams take place Saturday, Aug. 22, for girls (see the website for time by age) and Sunday, Aug. 23, at 10 a.m. makeup tryouts for boys and girls, according to the website. One Dream has teams in the fall and in the spring, with tryouts for both sessions.

• Phantoms Flag Football (nhsportsplex.com/phantoms-flag-football.html) operates out of the NH Sportsplex in Bedford and offers teams in the 8U, 10U and 12U age divisions. See facebook.com/nhsportsplex for updates on upcoming seasons.

• Plex Softball Club (based at NH Sportsplex in Bedford; plexsoftballclub.com) offers an indoor Friday Night Softball League for U12 through U18. Outdoor teams play in the spring and the club offers other training opportunities.

• Queen City F.C. (qcfcnh.com) is a nonprofit organization offering competitive soccer in Manchester for boys and girls, according to the website.

• Queen City Flag Football (queencityflag.com) offers flag football for ages 4 through 11+, grouped by age, with fall programs (registering now through Aug. 29) and spring programs including a girls-only division offered in spring, the website said. Games are played at Livingston Park in Manchester.

• Rivals Elite Basketball (rivalselite.com) offers boys’ and girls’ AAU basketball programs in New Hampshire with boys’ tryouts (grades 8-10) taking place at the Manchester Ballers’ Association in Manchester on Aug. 23 and Aug. 30 and girls’ tryouts (for grades 3-12, grouped by age) at the Plaistow YMCA on Aug. 30, according to the website.

• Seacoast United Soccer Club (seacoastunited.com) offers soccer programs for boys and girls ages 4 to 18 with teams at various skill levels and year-round programs, as well as camps, according to the website. Seacoast United has programs including in Concord, Bedford and Epping, according to the website.

• Summit Field Hockey (summitfieldhockey.com) offers indoor and outdoor field hockey, with an indoor travel team and academy and outdoor fall, spring and summer season as well as clinics and more. The fall season starts Sept. 13 at New England College with registration open now for grades K-8, the website said. The indoor season starts Sept. 20 at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford and registration is now open (for ages U10 to U19), the website said.

• Vertical Dreams (250 Commercial St., Manchester, 625-6919, verticaldreams.com) has offered youth climbing teams and climbing clubs. Check the website or Facebook page for updates.

• Weare Athletic Club (weareathleticclub.com) offers flag and tackle football, soccer, softball, lacrosse, field hockey, cheer, baseball and basketball. See the website for information about seasons and registration.

• Wrestling Rebels (Boys & Girls Club of Greater Derry, 40 E. Derry Road, Derry, 434-6695, derrybgclub.org/team-page) is a youth wrestling club for boys and girls K through eighth grade. See the club’s Facebook page for updates.

• USA Ninja Challenge (locations at Gymnastics Village, 13 Caldwell Drive, Amherst, 889-8902, gymnasticsvillage.com; Flipz Gymnastics, 14 Chenell Drive, Concord, 224-3223, ninjaconcordnh.com; 17 Friars Drive, Unit 18, Hudson, 417-6820, ninjahudson.com; and 444 E. Industrial Park Drive, Manchester, 935-7100, ninjamanchesternh.com) offers classes for boys and girls age 2.5 through 17. Manchester, Concord and Hudson offer ninja teams for ages 6 and up, as well as summer and holiday camps, according to the website.

Theater

• Actorsingers (219 Lake St., Nashua, actorsingers.org) offers teen and youth productions, as well as adult productions. See the website for upcoming audition information.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) offers performance and acting classes, grouped by age, for ages 4 through 12+, as well as musical theater and performance by-invitation classes. An acting and improv class is available for ages 13+. BYPC also has productions kids can join including a production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for grades 1-6, a March musical for grades 7-12 and a musical for grades K-6. Classes begin the week of Aug. 31.

• Broadway Bound Performing Arts Center (501 DW Highway, Merrimack, 429-8844, broadwayboundpac.com) offers classes in musical theater and theater arts. Classes start the week of Sept. 14.

• The Community Players of Concord (communityplayersofconcord.org; Players Studio is at 435 Josiah Barlett Road in Concord) offer winter and summer vacation camps and workshops as well as audition opportunities through their Children’s Theatre Project.

• The Dance Company (130 Route 101A, Amherst, 864-8374, thedancecompanyonline.com) offers musical theater jazz classes for ages 6 and up as well as teen musical theater jazz for ages 12+. The school also offers “Bravo Ensemble” for ages 4 to 7 and “Encore Ensemble” for ages 8 to 12 as well as a kids’ production for a November show for grades K-8, according to the website. There is also a spring production for grades K-12. Classes begin Sept. 21.

• Kids Coop Theatre (46 E. Derry Road, Derry, kctnh.org) is open to kids ages 8 to 19. Check their website and Facebook page for upcoming productions and audition dates. The Little Mermaid Jr. will be presented in November.

• The Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts (880 Page St., Manchester, 669-7469, majestictheatre.net) provides performing opportunities in community theater productions and workshops year-round. See the website for audition updates.

• Palace Academy and Palace Youth Theatre (688-5588, palacetheatre.org). The Palace Academy offers classes, starting the week of Sept. 1, for grades K-12 (grouped by age) in acting and, for ages 8 to 18 in improv at Forever Emma Studios, 516 Pine St. in Manchester. The Palace Youth Theatre offers six mainstage productions (starting with School of Rock The Musical in September) during the 2026-2027 school year, as well as three plays (the first is The Giver in October) and two small cast musicals (Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in December and Hadestown Teen Edition in April 2027), according to the website, where you can find audition information.

• Peacock Players (14 Court St., Nashua, 886-7000, peacockplayers.org) offers vacation week camps as well as productions for youth (ages 6-14), teens (ages 14-18), crossover (ages 6-18) and all ages. Upcoming productions include the youth mainstage production of Between the Lines Jr. (auditions Aug. 19 & 21; production Oct. 9-18) and teen mainstage production Once Upon a One More Time (auditions Aug. 23 & 24; production Nov. 13-22). Peacock Players also features private lessons in voice, piano and music theory and acting and monologue coaching.

• Riverbend Youth Company (Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley, The Amato Center for the Performing Arts, 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company) presents mainstage plays and musicals with performers ages 6 through 18. Visit the Company’s website for news of upcoming auditions and productions. Upcoming shows include Seussical The Musical (auditions in early November for grades 3-12 for a February production) and Honk! Jr. The Musical (auditions in February for grades 3-10 for a May production).

A talk with comedians Jody Sloane and Jimmy Dunn plus a look at upcoming shows

Last summer, the official story was that Jimmy Dunn skipped his own comedy festival due to a dream-come-true gig headlining at Casino Ballroom. That much was true. What didn’t make press reports was the bigger reason he was missing. Two days after that big show, Dunn checked into Massachusetts General Hospital to have his spine rebuilt.

“I was essentially laid up waiting to do the Casino, and then they wanted to do the surgery like two days before, and I said I can’t do that because I have to be able to stand on stage,” Dunn recalled by phone from his home in Hampton Beach recently.

He made it, walking out under the lights the way he’d visualized since he was a kid who’d sit on the venue’s back stairs to listen to Buddy Hackett and George Carlin. Then after what Dunn calls as a career highlight, surgeons were putting $30,000 worth of titanium into his back.

“That was just the parts,” he said with a wry laugh. “It’s a bad joke, but I was a stand-up comedian who couldn’t stand up, so that’s not good.” A year later, Jimmy Dunn is back, and by his own account, firing on all cylinders in a way that he hasn’t in two decades.

“I feel great, man. I haven’t felt this good in 20 years. I’m open ocean swimming and walking every day,” he said. The Hampton Beach Comedy Festival, the institution he built from scratch 19 years ago, returns with Dunn fully mobile again after a stretch where the injury quietly reshaped what he could do on stage.

“It was really tough to be on stage for about a year because of this back injury, and it limited my movement and just what I could do creatively,” he said. “But now I can fly around on stage again, and I love it.” The Casino Ballroom night itself, he admits, ran largely on adrenaline and painkillers.

“I would have done that show with one leg,” he said. “I’ve been waiting 30 years to do that show, and to be a headliner at the Casino Ballroom was just a dream come true.” Local radio helped fill the room, and while Dunn won’t swear it was a total sellout, “it was packed.”

This year’s festival — the 17th edition, missing two along the way to Covid and an earlier back surgery — comes with a lineup change Dunn is clearly proud of. In past years, he says, the show ran long because organizers kept squeezing in new comics eager for stage time, which meant rushing seasoned headliners off before they got going.

This year, the roster is smaller and the sets are longer for the veteran Boston comics who don’t just tell good jokes. “Any good comic can get a laugh, but the ones that can just hammer laugh after laugh, that’s what Boston has always been known for; that’s what Boston comics do best.”

Dunn is also handing off hosting duties so he can do a 20-minute set each night, which allows him to actually hang out with his friends instead of running the show.

“I just don’t like breaking up my thoughts,” he said of hosting. “I’m going to go in there and have fun with my friends … just tell some jokes and hang with the gang like I used to.”

Among this year’s hammers: Will Noonan, whom Dunn remembers showing up to the festival’s earliest years at the old Ashworth venue “in a suit … looking like a young Elvis Costello,” and who’s since become, in Dunn’s words, a true Boston headliner.

There’s also Andrew Della Volpe, Karen Morgan — fresh off a viral run on social media and a national touring schedule — Ken Rogerson, Mike Donovan, Brian Glowacki and Paul D’Angelo.

A notable thread running through this year’s bill: two father-son comedy pairs. Tony V, Dunn’s best friend and longtime collaborator — the man who helped him pick material for his Letterman audition — shares the stage with his son Gus, who started doing stand-up at Emerson College before moving to Los Angeles.

“They look alike and they sound alike, but they’re talking about completely different things,” Dunn said. “It’s really fun.” The second pairing features Ethan Printz, son of veteran comic Robbie Printz, a friend of Dunn’s for three decades.

“Robbie called and asked, ‘Hey, can you get my son on the festival?’ With a friend like that, that’s all I need,” Dunn said. New comics get one shot to prove themselves in front of an audience that, in Dunn’s words, isn’t a young comedy-club crowd — it’s real Hampton Beach tourists who “will let you know real quickly if you’re not funny.”

Festival lore runs deep for Dunn: cash Pachinko games at Playland with Tony V, Danny Miller, Gus, Dave Rattigan and Steve Bjork; a homemade ice cream sundae bar on his back deck; a banner plane he hired to fly over the beach reading “Hampton Beach Comedy Festival Tonight.”

Marketing, even now, stays defiantly old-school — hand-to-hand flyers on the sand, because half the audience is tourists who won’t see a Facebook ad. “The only way to market to the beach is to be on the beach,” he said.

Dunn is also branching out this fall in a new direction: teaching. Starting Sept. 23, he’ll lead a four-week stand-up comedy course in the Cantin Room of Concord’s BNH Stage. He’ll walk students through finding their comedic voice, writing jokes that land and performing them with confidence, capped by a mainstage graduation set Oct. 15.

It’s the first time Dunn has put together anything like it, and he says the idea had been around for a while waiting for a good moment.

“People have been asking me forever to teach a class,” he said. “It seemed like the right time and the perfect venue.”

Off stage, Dunn is also finishing a book about his comedy career, aiming for a Thanksgiving release alongside a show at Portsmouth’s Music Hall Lounge, and still looks back fondly on his two seasons on Frasier, including one surreal week trading lines with Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth.

The combination of surgery and weather nearly ended the festival for him. Last year, lying in a hospital bed listening to pouring rain and wondering whether to cancel a night of the festival, Dunn wondered if he should carry on. Then his back healed, and his head cleared like a summer thunder buster.

“Of course I want to keep it going,” he said.

Holding the field (and the crowd)

Comedy veteran writes her own advice book

As a standup comic, Jody Sloane is adept at reading a room — it’s a means to survival. Recently she wrote a book that places that and other life skills in the context of mental well-being. It’s called Hold the Field — A Practice for Staying Present Without Disappearing.

The book grew out of her own lifelong habit of feeling responsible for defusing tense situations, even if her help was never requested, a form of social diplomacy that quickly becomes conscription. It’s a reflex, she believes, that most people recognize in themselves if they’re honest.

“Everybody who does it thinks they’re coming from a helpful place, and often they are,” she said in a recent Zoom meeting. The trap, as she describes it, is that they end up fully responsible for the problem, absorbing a job that was never theirs to begin with, often at the cost of their own presence. It’s its own kind of vanishing act.

To deal with it, Sloane created the APART™ framework: Awareness, Permission, Attunement, Restraint, and Trust. In a classic self-help format, she describes the toxic behavior and ways to address it. Real life examples, many that are deeply personal, illustrate corrective work.

It all begins with a bad tattoo.

Sloane stresses that she isn’t writing as a professional or offering a therapy substitute. Rather, she’s someone who’s “read all the books,” but didn’t find one that spoke to her. She’s there for people who “need a way to notice tension without absorbing it,” and avoid vanishing into a fog of good intentions.

She spent years in therapy herself to deal with PTSD, every modality from IFS to cognitive behavioral and EMDR. All valuable, she said, but not definitive.

“What it did was tell me why I am the way I am, and not necessarily how to be in the world with these things I was dealing with,” she said. “I didn’t really find a book like that.”

So Sloane wrote it herself, believing she wasn’t alone in knowing that compulsively trying to lower everyone’s emotional temperature was fruitless. “The most important takeaway is, you do it at the expense of yourself,” she said. “You’re not helping yourself … and that’s the opposite of what you were hoping for.”

What, then, is this … Field?

It’s not the room, but rather what happens inside it, specifically its collective energy and tension. In comedy, it gives Sloane cues for things like dealing with a heckler, owning a joke when it triggers one audience member but makes everyone else laugh — or introducing a slate of comics.

That’s something she’ll do when she returns to the Hampton Beach Comedy Festival to host its final night on Aug. 23. It’s a job she describes, only half-joking, as one she doesn’t even like.

“I hate hosting, too,” she said, echoing fellow comic Jimmy Dunn, who said the same thing in an interview to preview the festival he launched in 2010.

Her job as host is to gauge the temperature of the room and follow its flow, comedian by comedian. If a high-energy act is coming up, she’ll ramp up the crowd’s energy up to meet them. If it shifts down — for example, with a Stephen Wright type following Bobcat Goldthwait — her task then is to ride it, so the next comic lands on their own terms.

A few days prior to HBCF, Sloane will be at Beans & Greens Farm in Gilford, this time not as the person running the whole show but as part of Frank Santorelli & Friends. There she’ll perform an extended set, longer than the 20 minutes she’ll lead with at McGuirk’s Ocean View before yielding to six more comics, including closer Dunn.

Sloane’s 29-year-old daughter is woven into the act these days, a way to examine the friction between Gen X and Gen Z sensibilities. It’s a reluctant choice.

“I normally hadn’t brought her in,” she said. “I was worried she’d be sensitive about what I’d say about her, but what I say is fun and sweet. And it’s true.”

Now that Hold The Field is out — it’s on sale at Sloane’s shows, by the way — she’s exhaling, happily.

“The experience of doing it, and fulfilling it, has been huge,” she said. “There are a lot of people who are willing to support me in this endeavor, and that’s been the most heartening thing, I think — that people are like, ‘go, go, go!’ It’s been awesome.”

Night after night

The Hampton Beach Comedy Festival runs six nights at McGuirk’s Ocean View, in their outdoor Post 8 bar and restaurant. Festival creator Jimmy Dunn will do a 20-minute set to close each show, with Dave Rattigan also telling jokes nightly.

A big change from previous years is fewer comics with more stage time. Dunn wants The Hammers — his name for the veteran comics who’ve anchored the festival since it began 19 years ago — to have room to stretch out. In past years, packed lineups precluded that.

“Mike Donovan would get up there and just start murdering the crowd, and I’m like, I don’t want to give him the light, I want him to keep going,” Dunn said. “So some of the bigger names, or the more experienced comics, or my friends that I just find funnier, we’re going to let them go a little bit longer.”

All shows are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. (doors 5:30 p.m.) weather permitting, with rainouts announced 2 p.m. day of show. Shows are 21+ and include adult content. “No, your kids can’t come even if they’ve heard it all,” reads the festival website, hampton-beach-comedy-festival.weebly.com, where you can purchase tickets. “Send your child to Playland with a handful of quarters like a good parent.”

Tickets remain $20 per show, something Dunn is quite proud of. “Most of these comics you can’t see on their own for $20,” he said. “I’ve been working hard with my management [to] lower those ticket prices. People are feeling it, and I want them to be able to come out and have a good time.”

Tuesday, Aug. 18

Paul D’Angelo

Once an assistant district attorney and criminal-defense trial lawyer, D’Angelo is a comedy veteran with nearly four decades of standup under his belt. He’s the author of six books and appeared in the Showtime standup concert film The Godfathers of Comedy. He’s performed at venues ranging from New York’s Friars Club to the Waldorf Astoria ballroom, as well as Harrah’s and Caesars Palace.

Paul Nardizzi

A winner of both the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival and the Boston Comedy Festival, Nardizzi has appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central, NESN and Fox Sports’ Best Damn Sports Show Period. He offers observational humor about his family life, sports, and more, and is touring New England through 2026 with a parenting-focused show, including a September date at Cary Hall in Lexington, Mass.

Mike Hanley

He’s opened for Jay Mohr, Tom Arnold, David Koechner and Jessica Kirson. One of his best bits is about being the father of an infant girl and accidentally brushing his teeth with Desitin and calling for emergency medical assistance. He became the funniest thing the help line encountered that evening. He’s been on the Today show and Good Morning America, and his 2014 daddy/daughter dance YouTube clip topped 24 million views.

Wednesday, Aug. 19

Mark Riley

He was once a professional ice hockey referee (with a very short stint in the NHL) who also ran a Gymboree. He headlines in Boston as well as playing in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Atlantic City, and he’s a former first runner-up at the Boston Comedy Festival. Also a school teacher, he co-authored a movie script, Penalty Box, drawn from his hockey-reffing days, and is finishing his first book, Not Every Kid Should Get a Trophy.

Mike Donovan

A mainstay in the Boston comedy world who’s also written several books, including one on U.S. history that began as a manuscript twice as long as the Bible. “He’s not a normal guy,” comic Steven Wright once said of Donovan. “His head is not a casual head. He’s got like 18 Harvards up there.” His writing has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald and Sports Illustrated as he continues to headline New England rooms in 2026.

Mitch Stinson

Ex-Navy jet pilot with more than 200 carrier landings during his career, he’s now a comedian. Stinson’s material frequently touches on the transition from military to civilian life. He appears at comedy clubs all over New England. He’s the winner of Rhode Island’s Funniest Stand-Up and a Boston/Rhode Island Comedy Festival performer. Still a fixture on the New England club circuit in 2026, including dates at Nick’s Comedy Stop.

Ethan Printz

16-year-old comic turning his teen years into laughs, frequently performing with his father, a multi-decade standup veteran. He frequently tours with his comedian father Robbie in their joint A Night with the Printzes shows, while building a following on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for his insights into coping with his voice and body changing, while entertaining crowds in rooms he won’t be able to drink in until five years from now.

Robbie Printz

When he shares the stage with his son Ethan, it will be a rare gig on land for the seasoned comic, as he’s spending most of August and September telling jokes on cruise ships. He’s been a headliner aboard Princess Cruises since 2004, and in 2016 he earned the line’s Entertainer of the Year. He still splits his year between cruise ship gigs and land dates with son Ethan.

Thursday, Aug. 20

Ken Rogerson

A veteran of Rescue Me and When Standup Stood Out, the superb documentary about Boston’s comedy heyday in the 1980s. “I legitimately find him one of the funniest people on the planet,” Dunn said of Rogerson. “I would put his Zookeeper bit up there in the top five or 10 comedy bits of all time.” Other TV credits include “Pat the Cop” on It’s All Relative, plus Conan O’Brien, Letterman and Comics Come Home.

Paul Gilligan

This perennial Boston headliner likes to riff on family life and his pale Irish heritage. “On summer vacations,” goes one joke, “I hide under the deck in a ski mask with 68 sunblock, wrapped in a towel.” Gilligan is a solid draw throughout New England clubs. He’s also a licensed electrician who emcees the Boston Construction Awards, as well as a regular on NESN’s Charlie Moore Outdoors and Dirty Water TV.

Harrison Stebbins

Observational comic who created his persona following a family tragedy when his teen brother was disabled in a car accident. He’s shared the stage with Lewis Black, Mitch Hedberg and Bill Burr, and is a winner of the Sam Adams Best of Boston Comedy Festival. Other credits for the New England funny man include Comedy Central and Comcast Comedy Spotlight.

Friday, Aug. 21

Brian Glowacki

He’s headlined Boston’s Wilbur and the Cape Cod Melody Tent. Glowacki has a secret weapon: a face that telegraphs mischief. When he pauses with a sly smirk during a joke setup, it’s like watching a Mento dropped into a bottle of Coke; audience laughter builds, then explodes. A few years ago, he was the first independent local comic to headline Boston’s Wilbur Theatre.

Andrew Della Volpe

A Boston Comedy Festival finalist and a regular all over New England for the past six years, Volpe has appeared at Boston’s Comedy Attic as well as Manchester’s Shaskeen and Rex Theatre. From 2021 to 2023, he co-hosted a podcast, The Soft Boys, with HBCF favorite Will Noonan. Recently named a Boston Globe “Comedian on the Rise.” Now newly married, with 2026 dates at the Spire Center and Music Hall Lounge.

Kristy Kielbasinski

Boston-based stand-up comedian and author, drawing inspiration from her life as a stay-at-home mom and housewife. Her children’s book, I Don’t Know, combines her comedic sensibilities with a love of reading. Won the 2025 Mohegan Sun Comix Contest (Feature Division) and has opened for Bobcat Goldthwait, Matt Rife and Natasha Leggero. Continues touring New England clubs through 2026.

Jeff Koen

He regularly supports Juston McKinney at his shows, and performs throughout New England. Koen’s self-deprecating humor lands well with audiences, and some may remember him from his role as Uncle Rick in the 2011 cult film Heavy Times. Won $10,000 on America’s Funniest Home Videos in 2015 and co-starred with Juston McKinney in the short film “Suck It Up.” Still a frequent support act for McKinney’s shows.

Saturday, Aug. 22

P.J. Thibodeau

Comedian, basketball coach, sports official and New England comedy circuit veteran known for blue-collar charm, easy stage presence, and observational storytelling frequently drawn from family life, aging and athletics. He’s now among the Northeast’s upper-tier headliners, having grown from the college circuit into opening for major national acts and headlining clubs throughout the region in 2026.

Karen Morgan

Former trial attorney who got her start as a finalist on Nickelodeon’s Search for the Funniest Mom in America. “Fortunately she’s a dear friend who’s right up the street; otherwise I wouldn’t be able to get her at something like this,” Dunn said. In 2024, her third album, Shiny Happy People Laughing, arrived. Her two Dry Bar Comedy specials, Go Dawgs! and Rub Some Dirt On It, have millions of online views, with her third due soon.

Dan Miller

According to his bio, Boston native Miller was “born a comedian but made it official in 1992.” He’s shared stages with local and national headliners including Lenny Clarke, Dane Cook and Dave Attel. Dunn calls catching up with Miller one of his favorite things about the HBCF. He remains a regular headliner at Nick’s Comedy Stop and Giggles Comedy Club at Prince Pizzeria.

​Sunday, Aug. 23

Tony V.

A Boston comedy legend and Dunn’s best friend. “Tony V. and I will probably be walking through the gates of Hell together at some point,” Dunn said. Voted “The Funniest Man in Massachusetts” by Showtime back in 1986, he’s a national headliner who’s been on late night television and shared stages with everyone from Steven Wright to Adam Sandler.

Jody Sloane

Doing a sit-down shtick as a cheeky “conducktor” named Penny Wise on more than 4,000 Boston Duck Tours was the perfect tee-up to becoming a stand-up comic for Sloane, who now tours regularly from New York to Maine. Sloane also authored Hold The Field, a self-help book. “It was something I needed that no one else wrote,” she said. She’s been invited back to host and perform at HBCF multiple times.

Will Noonan

Noonan self-released his Live in Boston special on YouTube rather than waiting on a streaming deal, part of a wave of Boston comics producing their own specials. He made an impression on the festival organizer at his initial HBCF appearance, and now he’s a regular. “The first time Will came up, he was wearing a suit,” Dunn recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh, I like this kid’s style already.’”

Carolyn Plummer

She appeared at Denis Leary’s annual Comics Come Home benefit in 2022, along with the far-flung Burbank Comedy Festival on the West Coast. A New Hampshire native — she grew in Wolfeboro, a minister’s daughter — Plummer got into comedy after responding to an ad. Now 25 years into her comedy career, Plummer’s also a Woody Herman Jazz Award-winning trumpet player.

Gus V.

Comedian, writer, playwright and a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, he’s now based in Los Angeles. Gus has worked on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Cobra Kai, and When Stand Up Stood Up. In addition to his writing credits, he runs a monthly show in L.A. called Bughouse with Ben Zieper at the Yard Theater. His appearance with dad Tony V. is one of two father-son HBCF combos.

Upcoming comedy shows

Averill House Vineyard 21 Averill Road, Brookline, mikedupcomedy.com
Saturday, Aug. 15 – Carolyn Plummer

Beans & Greens Farm (Notch Biergarten) 245 Intervale Road, Gilford, strideevents.com
Thursday, Aug. 13 – Lenny Clarke
Saturday, Aug. 15 – Frank Santorelli & Friends w/ Jody Sloane

BNH Stage 16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com
Friday, Aug. 28 – NightOUT with Bunny Butchers Broadway
Saturday, Aug. 29 – Dulcé Sloan
Wednesday, Sept. 23 – Jimmy Dunn Comedy 101

Capitol Center for the Arts – Chubb Theatre 44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com
Saturday, Aug. 22 – GenX Takeover Comedy Tour
Thursday, Sept. 3 – Jerry Seinfeld
Friday, Sept. 11 – Maria Bamford
Saturday, Sept. 26 – Jessica Kirson

Chunky’s 707 Huse Road, Manchester, chunkys.com
Friday, Sept. 11 – Tom Cotter

Colonial Theatre 609 Main St., Laconia, etix.com
Saturday, Aug. 15 – Juston McKinney

Earth Eagle Tavern 350 Route 108, Somersworth, eventbrite.com
Saturday, Aug. 22 – Anders J Nielsen, Katy Coughlin, Zach Valencia
Friday, Sept. 11 – Emily Ruskowski

The Flying Monkey 39 Main St., Plymouth, etix.com
Friday, Aug. 14 – Peter Antoniou
Saturday, Sept. 19 – Bob Marley

Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom 169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton Beach, ticketmaster.com
Sunday, Sept. 27 – Terry Fator
Friday, Oct. 16 – Kathleen Madigan

Headliners Comedy Club 700 Elm St., Manchester, ovationtix.com
Saturday, Sept. 19 – Tim McKeever
Saturday, Sept. 26 – Rob Steen
Saturday, Oct. 3 – Jody Sloane
Saturday, Oct. 10 – Steve Bjork
Saturday, Oct. 17 – James Dorsey

McCue’s Comedy Club 580 Portsmouth Traffic Circle, Portsmouth, eventbrite.com
Saturday, Aug. 15 – Rodney Norman

Moka Pot 8 Hanover St., Manchester, eventbrite.com
Friday, Aug. 21 – Robby Slowik
Saturday, Sept. 19 – Sarah Tollemache, hosted by Ethan Cannon and featuring Dan Doherty
Saturday, Sept. 26 – Josh Day & Friends

The Music Hall Lounge 131 Congress St., Portsmouth, themusichall.org
Sunday, Aug. 30 – Dulcé Sloan
Saturday, Oct. 3 – Heather Shaw

Nashua Center for the Arts 201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com
Thursday, Sept. 24 – Natalie Cuomo
Monday, Oct. 5 – Nurse Blake

Newmarket Millspace 55 Main St., Newmarket, portsmouthnhtickets.com
Friday, Aug. 21 – Lamprey River Comedy Competition

Palace Theatre 80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org
Thursday, Oct. 1 – Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood
Friday, Oct. 9 – Juston McKinney

Players’ Ring 15 Marcy St., Portsmouth, portsmouthnhtickets.com
Friday, Aug. 14 – Stranger Than Fiction Improv

Queen City Center 215 Canal St., Manchester, wickedjoyful.com
Saturday, Sept. 19 – Jay Chanoine, Matt Barry, Brienna Woodward (comic-con event)

Rex Theatre 23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org
Friday, Sept. 18 – David Nihill
Saturday, Oct. 3 – Frank Santos, Jr.

Rockingham Ballroom 22 Ash Swamp Road, Newmarket, portsmouthnhtickets.com
Saturday, Sept. 5 – Jim Colliton

Sunstone Brewing Co. 298 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, eventbrite.com
Saturday, Aug. 22 – Amy Tee, Matt Barry, Alex Giampapa

Tupelo Music Hall 10 A St., Derry, tickets.tupelohall.com
Friday, Aug. 14 – Orlando Baxter, Kristy Kielbasinski and Ethan Printz
Saturday, Sept. 12 – Pete Correale

Zorvino Vineyards 226 Main St., Sandown, eventbrite.com
Thursday, Aug. 13 – Steve Bjork & Friends, Tim McKeever and Pat Napoli

Featured photo: Jody Sloan. Courtesy photo.

On enjoying one of New England’s seafood treats

Fred Fullerton is the owner of Freddie’s Fish in Manchester. According to him, he’s sold more lobsters than anybody on the planet.

“Well, maybe …,” he said. “I’m not 100 percent sure, but it’s not that far from the truth. I’ve been dealing with lobsters since I was 10 years old. My father had a boat. My brother and I were fishing on a boat, and the boat caught fire one night, so I ended up going to work for the largest live lobster company in the world, and he ended up going fishing with my cousin….”

The point is that Fullerton has spent decades working with lobsters. Like most seafood markets, Freddie’s sells lobster meat, whole cooked lobsters and live lobsters. For lobster fans who want to make sure they get the highest possible quality of lobster Fullerton recommended buying and cooking live lobsters.

“The reason supermarkets [precook] lobsters, he said, “is because what ends up happening is they’re selling lobsters that, you know, aren’t in the best shape. … Lots of people think, ‘Oh, they’re cooking a lobster for me!’ They don’t necessarily know what they’re getting.”

Lobster shopping

Fullerton explained that all the lobsters in the Northeast — the ones with two claws — are the same species, so a consumer should look at the condition of individual live lobsters.

“You want to look for hard-shell lobsters,” he said. Because lobsters grow throughout their lives, but their shells do not, they moult once a year or so. After they’ve shed their old shells, they are referred to as “soft-shell” lobsters, until the new shell hardens up.

“Hard-shell lobsters are the best bet,” Fullerton said. “They’ve got the most meat content inside. That’s where [a customer is] going to get the best bang for their buck. You’re going to pay more money if you buy a soft-shell lobster because there’s less meat inside. You’re not eating the shell, right? You’re only going to get [each lobster] a dollar, maybe two dollars cheaper. But there’s probably half as much meat.”

(If you’re worried about how much pain a lobster will experience as it is boiled, most chefs recommend dropping the lobster into the water head-first, which they say will kill it instantly. Some chefs will quickly cut through the lobster’s head with a sharp chef’s knife before dropping it into the boiling water. The website getmainelobster.com advises chilling the lobster before cooking: “We recommend killing the lobster humanely just before cooking. Place lobster in freezer for 2 hours. Remove from freezer, making sure it is no longer moving. Push the tip of a skewer or large, sharp, heavy knife into the center of the cross on its head.” Contrary to what your brothers or cousins might have told you when you were little, the whistling sound a cooking lobster makes is not “screaming”; it is the sound of steam escaping the shell.)

Actually cooking a live lobster is easy, Fullerton said. If you’re cooking a lot of lobsters at the same time, he recommends steaming them.

“It’s a little faster,” he said. “It just takes less time for the water to heat up. And that way you don’t have water spilling out, like I did the other day. I had water spilling all over my stove.” Either boiled or steamed, he said, cooking lobsters doesn’t take long.

“Hard-shell lobsters take 16 minutes after you boil them. So as soon as the water boils, throw them in — 16 minutes. Two to three takes 18 minutes. And there’s an easy way to check … take it by the antenna. Give the antenna just a little tiny pull. If the antenna pops off, it’s done. … that’s good to know. Soft shell lobsters take way less time to cook — eight minutes,10 minutes.”

Mark Merrik is the warehouse manager for Shyer’s Lobster Pound in Salem. He’s worked there for more than 30 years. Shyer’s has a retail store that sells lobster and other seafood, but the bulk of the business is shipping lobster around the country and around the world, he said.

“We ship lobsters, primarily. Seventy to 85 percent of the business is wholesale shipping into places like Florida and Texas. We do some stuff to casinos out in Nevada, but we primarily go into Fort Lauderdale and then the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Our big orders we ship basically through truck as well as via air out of Boston.”

According to Merrik, the idea of a “lobster season” is a bit of an illusion.

“Summertime prices for lobsters tend to come down a little bit — we are bringing in soft-shell lobsters now, since they do moult every year, and there’s less meat, so the prices do come down a little bit through that.” But from a wholesale perspective, he said, lobsters ship out throughout the year. “We’re generally busy during the holidays — Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July and stuff like that, but apparently lobster is a traditional present on Mother’s Day. For some people, anyway. In the old days we used to have people come in at Thanksgiving, instead of getting a turkey. We used to bring in, you know, jumbo lobsters and … it used to be a tradition with a couple of New England families who used to come here. We’d get them a 16-, 17-pound lobster and that would be their turkey dinner. But it would give you a nice look, like a roast, a roast of a lobster tail.”

Merrik said lobsters are picky about their water. It has to be very cold salt water.

“If they’re actually in water, it’ll kill them if they’re in warm water.” It has to be 40 to 45 degrees, he said. So surprisingly, lobsters are shipped dry. “As long as they’re cool and dry, they’re good for two or three days during transit.” They are packed into compartmentalized coolers that look like wine cases. “We ship them overnight to Florida. We’ve got three-pound gel packs we use to keep them cool. You keep them cool and when they get to their destination the following day some of the companies we ship through have their own tanks with refrigerated water down there where they put them.”

Lobster dinner

Andy Day, chef at Cask & Vine in Derry, described lobster as “New England soul food.”

“It’s one of those things,” Day said, “where if you’re from this area you want lobster. You want a lobster bake. You want to crack them. You want to make a mess. You want the butter. You want all of that experience. And it is fairly unique to this area. It’s our thing.”

While restaurants add lobster to a great number of dishes, Day prefers simple preparations that showcase the flavor and texture of the lobster itself.

“Personally,” he said, “one of my favorite things to do is butterfly the tail — take the tail off, butterfly that — and then if I’m feeling fancy I’ll … take some of the claw and knuckle meat and after I’ve butterflied it I’ll stuff some of that in there so it’s kind of like a double stuffed tail so you’re getting a little bit more meat, a little bit of the knuckle and a little bit of the tail. I might do something with risotto, with some sort of green sauce. But at the end of the day, I am, yes, I’m pouring some garlic butter over it, and then maybe another sauce with it. Something that complements it.”

Paul Saella, who describes himself as the “Head Bottle Washer” at Makris Lobster and Steakhouse in Concord, said that although his restaurant makes any number of lobster dishes, the most popular one is a traditional steamed whole lobster, which can be intimidating to some customers at first, but he and his staff are happy to guide them through it.

“We shuck hundreds of pounds of lobster a day,” Saella said, “and we’re more than happy to show anybody who comes in how to do it.”

“We crack off the arms first,” he said, “then the tail off of the body. Then we crack the tail in half so that we can rip it in half to get the meat out. And then we crack the claws and get the meat out of the claws. And if the lobster is big enough we even take the meat out of the body. We use rolling pins to get the meat out of the legs.” That’s more of a professional technique, he said, better suited for in the kitchen than at the table. “If you come to my establishment,” he said, “it’s even simpler. All of our placemats have a how-to guide on them. It gives the breakdown right there.”

Because of its rich taste and firm texture, lobster lends itself to a host of rich dishes, Saella said.

“We make a lobster and asparagus fettuccine; that’s with an alfredo sauce. It’s very popular. We do lazy man lobster — we take it out of the shell. And to get eight ounces of lobster meat, we’re probably looking at about three pounds of lobster in the shell. We get about a third of the weight out of the lobster. A one-pound lobster gives us about four ounces of meat.” That’s enough for a small lobster roll, he explained. “With a four-ounce lazy man’s lobster, we use a simple lemon butter and crumbs and we bake it.”

“We stuff lobster,” Saella continued. “We stuff it with sea scallops, shrimp, haddock, and crab. And our lobster stew is very popular — it’s the best. We make everything from scratch here, so we can make [the lobster stew] with stock that doesn’t have anything but lobster bodies in it.”

Saella views lobster as the perfect complement for rich foods. “I think that just the texture of it and the flavor goes well with natural fats and butters. Like with bacon, it goes wonderful. With cream, it goes wonderful. It goes great with eggs. But just as a lobster cocktail, cold is great too if you like lobster.”

Lobster roll

Perhaps the quintessential summer lobster dish is a classic New England lobster roll.

Chrysanthi’s Restaurant in Belmont is well-known for its lobster roll, co-owner Evan Gerekos said.

“We are worth traveling for, for a lobster roll, 100 percent,” he said. “We have people that come from all over the place for ours. It is a half-pound lobster roll, seasoned with a light mayo and a little bit of lemon — not overly powered — and we do it in a nice buttered roll.”

There are two schools of thought about the lobster salad that goes into a classic lobster roll, Gerekos said. “We only do one type of lobster roll here. Many do a buttered lobster roll. Our lobster salad only includes lobster and some lemon and that’s about it. And mayo of course.” The other type is butter-based, he said. “People take hot liquid butter and they pour it on top of the roll. Clarified butter, or ‘drawn butter’ as the lobster people like to call it.”

Lobster rolls at most restaurants use either a four-ounce or an eight-ounce portion of lobster.

“We use eight ounces of claw and knuckle lobster meat for our lobster roll,” Gerekos said. “There’s no cutting corners; it’s a whole lobster. And we don’t use a hot dog bun either. We use a brioche roll. We bake it in-house and then we butter the inside and then we grill it and then we fill it with a lobster. We heat the roll up, which makes the bread just easier to eat and also makes it more malleable, so it contours to the lobster meat. That way when you bite it, it doesn’t just all fall out. Have you ever had an overstuffed anything? The moment you bite it, it all comes out of the roll. So if the bread has more elasticity to it when we heat it up, it makes it possible to hold the food inside.”

While there really isn’t a season for lobster, lobster rolls definitely have one, Gerekos said.

“We only do it seasonally,” he said. “We start in May, right around Mother’s Day. And we run it till the end of August, beginning of September. It’s definitely a summertime season. And that’s pretty much the case — I’m not going to say everywhere — but that’s a rule of thumb in the industry. I think it’s one of those things that, in February, you would prefer something like beef stew in New Hampshire. In July, you wouldn’t mind a light lobster roll.” (“Light” for half a pound of lobster meat, dressed in mayonnaise, being a relative term.)

Because of its richness, Gerekos suggested something sharp-tasting to drink with a lobster roll. “Probably some sort of beer,” he suggested, “an IPA of some sort. We like one by Great North Brewing out of Manchester. For non-drinkers, such as myself, I’d suggest something carbonated — Coca-Cola is always a good choice.”

Gerekos said most restaurants in New England get their lobsters from the same sources.

“We all use a pretty similar lobster or lobster meat,” he said. “So from the coast of Maine to even here in interior New Hampshire, you’re getting a quality product as long as it’s treated with respect.”

Spend some summer at NH’s lakes, beaches and caves

New Hampshire’s summers are getting hotter, stickier and, this year especially, wetter. It’s the kind of weather that makes a person start eyeing every pond, quarry and roadside dam as a potential escape hatch. The good news is that the Granite State is, without much exaggeration, one of the best places in the country to jump into a body of water.

The state routinely ranks among the nation’s top three to five for water clarity and water quality, according to Amy Smagula, the Chief Aquatic Biologist with the state’s Department of Environmental Services, as well as Director of the Jody Connor Limnology Center.

Smagula has spent 29 years with NH DES — starting as an intern, running the Exotic Species Program for years, and now overseeing 13 staff and 22 programs that monitor lakes, ponds, rivers and beaches across New Hampshire. If anyone’s an authority on where it’s safe to swim this August, and how to know where it isn’t, it’s her.

“New Hampshire has very good water quality overall,” Smagula said by phone recently — with a caution: “However, these are natural systems, so things do happen.”

Both the National Weather Service and the Old Farmer’s Almanac expected this summer to run hotter than average, and so far that’s happened. Overall, summers here are trending warmer and more humid — which makes this less a lifestyle diversion than a genuine survival guide.

In other words, a pool membership or a $50 water park ticket isn’t required to cool off in the dog days of August. New Hampshire is stitched with public lakes, ponds and rivers. Getting wet isn’t a necessity, either, with a trio of genuinely strange and wonderfully cold cave systems left behind by the last Ice Age.

But natural water isn’t a chlorinated backyard pool, so a little bit of homework — the kind Smagula and her team at NHDES have made pretty easy — helps ensure a cool-down doesn’t turn into a rash, a stomachache, or worse.

Where to swim

Before picking a spot, begin with the NH Healthy Swimming Mapper. It monitors roughly 70 bodies of fresh water and 16 coastal beaches for bacteria. It’s updated at least once a day, and during bloom season sometimes multiple times a day, for fecal bacteria and cyanobacteria samples as they come back from the lab.

NHDES (des.nh.gov) introduced this oh-so-useful tool a few years ago, and Smagula calls the current version “the best iteration that I’ve seen of it.” It’s the closest thing New Hampshire has to a real-time weather report for water safety, and it’s free.

However, Smagula stressed that the mapper can’t cover everything.

“We can’t possibly sample 950 lakes and ponds and 11,000 miles of rivers and streams every single day in New Hampshire,” she said.

That’s why it’s essential that swimmers conduct what Smagula calls a “self-risk assessment.”

That’s a 30-second check before jumping into any body of water, mapped or not. Steps include scanning the sand for waterfowl or pet waste, then looking at the water itself. Is it clear, or does it look like a shaken snow globe, with flecks or scum floating in it?

Ask Smagula what she wishes she could correct about how people think about lake safety, and she doesn’t hesitate: the assumption that every beach is being watched.

“Anybody anywhere in the state could jump into a surface water,” she said — and plenty of people do, at ponds and river bends that appear on no list or map at all.

The other misconception is subtler: that showing up and jumping in is itself the plan.

It isn’t, in her view — the plan is showing up, looking around, and deciding.

“We have many beaches around the state that they could go to if the beach that is their first choice has something going on with it,” she said, “so they can have a plan B to go to another beach if they need to.”

Science aside, talking with Smagula reveals a sentiment that has little to do with algae counts or cell thresholds, that New Hampshire residents genuinely love their lakes. This dedication helps shape how the state agency charged with overseeing them approaches its task.

“A lot of people spend a lot of time growing up on lakes, going to camps on lakes, living on lakes, visiting lakes,” she said. “They’re meaningful to people.” Beyond that, tourism and recreation are a real economic engine for the state, one that depends on keeping the water clean enough to jump into.

All about algae
Cyanobacteria, commonly called blue-green algae, are native and normally present in trace amounts in nearly every water body in the state. However, they’re only a problem when they bloom. Even then, not every bloom is toxic, and NHDES has a reliable testing program to suss out potential danger.

“When we see a bloom, we collect a sample,” Smagula said. “Our threshold in New Hampshire is 70,000 cells per milliliter.” Above that density, the risk that toxins are present becomes significant enough to matter.

One more wrinkle is that blooms move.

“A place could be really unsafe in the morning because of high cell density, and then the wind blows,” Smagula said. “It shifts the bloom to another part of the lake.” Cyanobacteria cells can float, so a lake can look clean at 9 a.m. and develop a visible scum by afternoon, especially after hot, still weather.

Most blooms in New Hampshire last from an hour to a few days, but some lakes with heavier nutrient loads have bloomed for what amounts to an entire summer. The good news, reports Smagula, is that the algae gods have been kind so far.

“This has been a really quiet summer,” she said. “We don’t have any [active blooms] right now.”

With that in mind, here’s the list.

Per nhstateparks.org, this information is current for the 2026 season. Most beaches have no lifeguards, so it’s swim at your own risk. Costs at all parks are $2 for ages 6 to 11, $4 or $5 for ages 12 and up, free for NH residents 65 and older.

Bear Brook State Park — Beaver Pond & Catamount Pond (157 Deerfield Road, Allenstown / 485-9874)Hours: Open daily June through September

New Hampshire’s largest developed state park at over 10,000 acres offers two swimming areas: Beaver Pond, with a campground beach, and Catamount Pond, which offers a day-use area and pavilion. Canoe and rowboat rentals are available at both ponds on weekends. Pets are allowed in the campground and on trails, not on the beach. The park is also home to the NH Antique Snowmobile Museum, a cool indoor option for a break from the sun.

Clough State Park — Everett Lake (455 Clough Park Road, Weare / 529-7112) Hours: 9 a.m.–7 p.m. (through early Sept.); 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (Sept. 8–Oct. 13)

A 900-foot sandy beach on 150-acre Everett Lake, formed by a dam on the Piscataquog River. The park store rents boats, paddleboards and floats, and sells snacks and ice cream. No pets on the beach. Carry in, carry out — no trash receptacles on site. Weekend and holiday reservations are strongly recommended, as the beach can reach capacity. Note: GPS can be wonky, and it’s recommended to use Everett Dam Road in Weare as a destination.

Contoocook Lake — Lake Contoocook (Squantum Road, Jaffrey / 532-8100) Hours: 11 a.m.–5 p.m. daily (lifeguard hours); facilities open 8 a.m.–dusk

A classic small-town public beach on clear, quiet Contoocook Lake at the foot of Mount Monadnock, making it a popular post-hike cool-down destination. There’s a lifeguard on duty during posted hours, bathrooms, picnic tables, a concession stand, a covered pavilion and changing rooms. No floatation devices, alcohol, glass containers or loud music. Non-residents park at Humiston Field (31 Howard Hill Road) and walk approximately 0.8 miles to the beach.

Ellacoya State Park – Lake Winnipesaukee (280 Scenic Drive, Gilford / 293-7821) Hours: Daily 9 a.m.–6 p.m., After Sept. 20, unstaffed and weekends only through Oct. 24

A 600-foot sandy beach on the southwest shore of New Hampshire’s largest lake, with views across the water to the Sandwich and Ossipee mountains, one of the few state park beaches with a lake view on that scale. It offers picnic pavilions, an accessible bathhouse and a playground. Parking is limited and fills fast on nice weekends and holidays, but reservations can be made up to 30 days ahead. Pets are not allowed anywhere in the park.

Greenfield State Park – Otter Lake (52 Campground Road, Greenfield / 547-3497) Hours: Open daily late June through mid-October; generally 10 a.m.–7:30 p.m.

Reopened last year after renovations, this 400-acre park sits on the shore of Otter Lake. Its Picnic Beach has a small sandy swim area, picnic tables with grills, restrooms, and a small store selling snacks and camping supplies. Kayak and canoe rentals available. The park is the state’s largest campground, so it sees traffic, but the lake itself remains undeveloped and peaceful. It’s close enough to Mount Monadnock to pair a morning hike with an afternoon swim.

Kingston State Park – Great Pond (124 Main St, Kingston / 642-5471) Hours: Daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m., weekends 8 a.m.–7 p.m., through Labor Day

Situated in the state’s southeastern corner, its beach is flanked by two bath houses, one near the park office, another by the store, along with picnic tables, a playground, and a snack stand. On nice weekends the beach routinely fills to capacity by mid-morning, so an early arrival or an online day-use reservation (nhstateparks.org) can be worth it. No alcohol or smoking anywhere in the park; no pets on the beach or in the picnic area.

Mt. Sunapee State Park – Lake Sunapee (86 Beach Access Road, Newbury / 763-5561) Hours: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. through Oct. 24.

The state beach sits on Lake Sunapee with a view of the mountain’s base, with a wide grassy lawn, a bathhouse, a store, a playground, and canoe/kayak rentals. Hiking trails leave from the beach area up toward Lake Solitude and the summit, making it an easy pairing of a morning hike and an afternoon swim. A restricted boat launch is on site. The beach reliably sells out by late morning on nice summer weekends and holidays, so reserve ahead if you can.

Pawtuckaway State Park — Pawtuckaway Lake (128 Mountain Road (Main Entrance) or 7 Pawtuckaway Road, Nottingham / 895-3031)Hours: 8 a.m.–7 p.m. daily

An 800-acre glacial lake with a 600-foot sandy beach, playground and new restroom building, set against a densely forested 5,500-acre park. The beach faces west and gets full afternoon sun. The beach area reaches capacity by mid-morning most summer weekend days, so arrive early. Canoe and kayak rentals are available at the camp store. Alcohol and pets are prohibited in the beach area. Oh, and prepare to untether — there is limited to no cell service inside the park.

Silver Lake State Park – Silver Lake (138 Silver Lake Road, Hollis / 465-2342) Hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all season long, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

An 80-acre park with a 1,000-foot beach curved along a 34-acre lake. Only open Friday through Sunday during the season, so a weekday drive out will find it closed. The park store rents canoes and kayaks, also selling snacks, ice cream and beach supplies. A short loop trail starts at the beach, with more hiking into the adjoining Spalding Town Forest. The restrooms are portable toilets rather than a bathhouse this year. No pets, no alcohol.

Wadleigh State Park – Kezar Lake (78 Wadleigh State Park Road, North Sutton / 927-4724) Hours: Open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. through Labor Day

Tall pines and hemlocks shade the picnic grove right up to the sandy beach on Kezar Lake. Canoes and kayaks are available to rent, and paddlers can cross to a small island loaded with wild blueberries, or follow a 3-mile loop trail around the lake with views of Mount Kearsarge. Amenities include a bathhouse, picnic tables, a playground, a baseball field across the street, and a boat ramp near the entrance. No pets.

Wellington State Park – Newfound Lake (614 West Shore Road, Bristol / 744-2197) Hours: Daily 8 a.m.–6 p.m. through Sept. 20, weekends only through Oct. 11

One of New Hampshire’s deepest, clearest lakes, Newfound is the largest freshwater swimming beach in the entire state park system. A peninsula nature trail runs along the shore with picnic areas, fishing spots, and views across to Cliff and Belle Islands; longer trails connect out to Mt. Cardigan, Welton Falls, and the Sugarloafs. The snack bar sells ice cream and beach gear, and there are volleyball and horseshoe courts. No pets.

Wentworth State Park – Wentworth Lake (297 Governor John Wentworth Hwy., Wolfeboro / 569-3699) Hours: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. through Labor Day

Allen Albee Beach is a small, quiet 50-acre beach on the north shore of Wentworth Lake, often called the quiet sister of Lake Winnipesaukee, which it connects to. Amenities are simple, with picnic tables, flush toilets, and a group-use area, which makes it a good pick on a summer weekend when the bigger Lakes Region beaches are full with the seasonal crowds. No pets.

Where to hit the beach

New Hampshire’s ocean coastline is the shortest of any non-landlocked state. But there are still 16 beaches and a separate NHDES program monitoring them for the same bacteria that show up in the state’s lakes. Smagula’s title covers fresh water, but she’s monitoring the coastal side while the state looks for a new beach program coordinator.

She says the calculus for salt water isn’t much different: Watch for crowds and waterfowl congregating on the sand, since both can signal higher bacteria levels, check the mapper, and run the same self-risk assessment.

Hampton Beach State Park 160 Ocean Blvd., Hampton / 227-8722 Hours: Parking area 8 a.m.–midnight; lifeguards on duty 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (10:15 a.m.–4:45 p.m. Sept. 2–Oct. 5).

New Hampshire’s best-known coastal attraction, it’s also been recognized by the Natural Resources Defense Council as a “Superstar Beach” for consistently clean water. It pairs a mile of wide sand with a boardwalk full of arcades, ice cream stands, restaurants and shops. In other words, it’s a festive, resort-town beach rather than a quiet escape. Beach amenities include a bath house and food vendors, with metered parking.

Jenness State Beach 2280 Ocean Blvd, Rye / 227-8722 Hours: Parking area 8 a.m.–midnight; lifeguards on duty 10:15 a.m.–4:45 p.m. daily through late August.

A half-mile stretch of sand in Rye, Jenness is a favorite among surfers and local families who prefer it to Hampton’s larger crowds. The beach has a small bathhouse with restrooms and outdoor showers, plus a snack bar in season. Its consistent wave breaks make it one of the seacoast’s more popular surf spots outside of lifeguard hours. Street-side metered parking lines Route 1A. It offers a more laid-back, neighborhood feel while still being fully equipped for a day at the shore.

North Beach 920 Ocean Blvd, Hampton / 227-8722 Hours: Parking meters active 8 a.m.–10 p.m.; lifeguards on duty 10 a.m.–5 p.m. daily through mid-to-late August.

The northern end of Hampton Beach State Park along Ocean Boulevard, North Beach is quieter than the Main Beach strip a mile south, with fewer commercial distractions. It’s a favored spot for surfers and long-boarders thanks to its more open swell. Parking is metered street-side along the seawall, with head-in-only spaces from 6th to 19th Street and no overnight parking. Facilities are limited compared to Main Beach, making it better suited to visitors who want sand and surf without the boardwalk scene.

North Hampton State Beach 27 Ocean Blvd., North Hampton / 227-8722 Hours: Parking area 8 a.m.–midnight; lifeguards on duty 10:15 a.m.–4:45 p.m. daily thru late August.

A small, low-key beach in North Hampton, this spot draws mainly local residents and surfers rather than tourists. It has minimal amenities — no boardwalk, concessions or bath house — just sand, surf, and roadside parking along Ocean Boulevard. Pets are prohibited here year-round, unlike most other state beaches. Its modest size and quieter crowds make it a good choice for visitors seeking a simpler, less commercial beach day on the seacoast.

Odiorne Point State Park (Rye) 570 Ocean Blvd, Rye / 436-7406 Hours: Typically 8 a.m.–8 p.m. in summer, shorter in spring and fall; check current schedule before visiting.

The largest stretch of undeveloped shoreline on the New Hampshire coast, Odiorne Point offers tide pools, salt marsh, and a mostly rocky and pebble shoreline rather than open sand. Swimming is allowed in a designated area but unguarded, so it’s swim-at-your-own-risk. The park includes walking trails, picnic areas, WWII-era bunker remnants, and the Seacoast Science Center. It’s better suited to exploring tide pools, birdwatching and picnicking than traditional beach lounging, appealing to visitors who want nature and history alongside ocean views.

Rye Harbor State Park (Rye) 1730 Ocean Blvd, Rye / 227-8722Hours: Parking area open 8 a.m.–8 p.m. daily.

Rye Harbor is more working harbor than swimming beach, with a boat ramp, commercial wharf, and public dock alongside picnic tables and salt-water fishing access. Whale-watching and deep-sea fishing charters depart nearby. There’s no lifeguarded swimming area, so it’s best for anglers, boaters, and anyone wanting harbor views and sea breeze rather than sand time. Its small size and working-harbor character make it a quick, scenic stop rather than a full beach-day destination.

Seabrook Beach (Seabrook) Runs along Ocean Boulevard/Route 1A in Seabrook Beach village. Call 474-3252.Hours: Open year-round; no official gate hours, though parking is restricted seasonally.

New Hampshire’s southernmost coastal beach, Seabrook Beach sits in a quiet, largely residential beach town backed by protected dunes. From Memorial Day weekend through mid-September, beachfront parking is limited to residents with a permit, so most visitors park along Route 1A and walk to public access points. The vibe is low-key and cottage-community rather than commercial, with fewer amenities than Hampton just to the north. It suits visitors looking for open sand and a quieter, small-town coastal feel.

Wallis Sands State Park 1050 Ocean Blvd., Rye / 436-9404 Hours:Parking area open 8 a.m.–midnight; lifeguards on duty 10 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, June 1–September 1.

Wallis Sands offers a 700-foot sandy beach that widens to about 150 feet at high tide, making it one of the more spacious swimming spots on the seacoast. It has a full bathhouse with showers and restrooms, a snack bar, a playground, and lifeguard coverage through the summer. Day-use parking reservations are available online, which helps manage the popular summer crowds. Its combination of amenities and swimmable sand makes it a solid family-friendly choice between the busier Hampton Beach and quieter Jenness Beach.

Into the Earth: NH’s caves

If checking a bacteria map before swimming sounds like too much homework for a beach day, here’s a pivot: New Hampshire has three genuinely excellent cave systems, all of them naturally, permanently, gloriously cold, no water-quality mapper needed.

All three cave systems are, geologically speaking, cousins — talus caves formed when retreating glaciers left massive granite boulders stacked against each other roughly 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. According to Dr. Simon Pendleton of Plymouth State University, a few factors keep these caves cold through summer. One is thermal mass.

“It takes them a long time to heat up or cool down, so the boulders themselves act like cold packs well after the cold winter temperatures have gone,” he wrote in an email. “The boulders also insulate the cold air pockets below them very well from the warm air temperatures.”

In nearby Polar Caves Park, boulders and trees also minimize solar radiation, which keeps the talus field shaded, he continued. “Also, the air in these boulder pockets is cold coming out of the winter and this cold air is denser than the warm summer air above it, which prevents mixing and keeps cold air trapped … in the voids between boulders.”

Asked about the effects of climate change on these geological marvels, Pendleton said warmer air will affect cold boulder pockets, “but due to all the factors keeping them cool, the impact will be muted.”

Polar Caves Park (705 Route 25, Rumney, 536-1888, polarcaves.com) is the state’s original cave attraction. Family-owned since 1922, it’s unmistakably built around a single selling point: cold. Nine glacially formed granite boulder caves sit beneath Hawk’s Cliff in the Baker River Valley, linked by a network of boardwalks and stairs.

The deepest of them, aptly named the Ice Cave, holds frozen water even while temperatures rise outside. The others have self-explanatory names like Fat Man’s Misery, Lemon Squeeze, Orange Crush and Polar Pinch. Bypass routes exist at every cave for anyone who’d rather not squeeze through granite. Wear closed-toe shoes with real traction, and bring a light layer even on a 90-degree day — the cold air is the entire point.

Open daily from mid-June through Labor Day weekend (Wednesday through Sunday in the shoulder seasons); tickets run about $24.50 for adults and $15.50 for youth ages 4-11 when booked online, with kids 3 and under free.

Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves (1712 Lost River Road, North Woodstock) offers a different flavor of the same phenomenon: a place where a river literally disappears underground. A one-mile wooden boardwalk winds through Kinsman Notch past nearly a dozen glacially formed boulder caves, including Lemon Squeezer and Bear Crawl, along with cascading waterfalls and towering rock walls.

Plan on 1.5 to 2 hours to enjoy a shaded gorge and dark cave interiors that create a genuine micro-climate much cooler than the surrounding forest. The site is only closed during lightning,. Thanks to bypass routes throughout, most of the trail can be walked without entering a cave — but why skip chilling? Gemstone panning, a nature garden, a gift shop and café round things out.

Open daily through October, though the current schedule runs Monday and Thursday through Sunday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday); tickets run $25 online, $29 walk-up, with kids 3 and under free.

Loon Mountain’s Glacial Caves (60 Loon Mountain Road, Lincoln, 745-8111) Ride the White Mountain Express, New Hampshire’s longest enclosed gondola, up to the summit of Loon Peak, then walk a short distance to explore boulder caves formed by the same Ice Age geology as Polar Caves and Lost River. Cave access is included with a Skyride ticket, making this a genuine two-for-one — mountain views and underground chill in a single trip.

Athletic footwear is required, and the caves can close temporarily during or after wet weather when the rocks get slick, so check the Loon Mountain Report before heading out. The gondola can accommodate folded wheelchairs, walkers and strollers. One practical note: Missing the last gondola means a hike down, so keep an eye on the clock.

Open daily from late May through mid-October, with the gondola typically running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Window tickets are about $45 for adults (ages 13–64), purchase online a day early to drop the price to $35.

Top 10 things to keep in mind

1. Do a risk assessment, every time. Before wading in the water, look at the beach for animal or waterfowl waste, and check the water for scum, film or flecks that resemble a shaken snow globe.
2. New Hampshire’s water is genuinely excellent. The state consistently ranks in the top three to five in the country for water clarity and quality.
3. It’s not all watched. New Hampshire has roughly 950 lakes and ponds and 11,000 miles of rivers and streams; the state actively monitors about 70 freshwater beaches and 16 coastal beaches. Exercise good judgment for the rest.
4. The Healthy Swimming Mapper (des.nh.gov/water/healthy-swimming/healthy-swimming-mapper) is invaluable and is updated at least once daily for bacteria and multiple times a day during active cyanobacteria sampling.
5. Cyanobacteria are normal until they’re not. There are trace amounts almost everywhere. The concern is when they bloom and cross the state’s safety threshold of 70,000 cells per milliliter. Then toxins become a real possibility.
6. Blooms float and can move around. Within hours, wind can push a bloom from open water onto a beach, or clear a beach by blowing it elsewhere. Most blooms last from an hour to a few days; the worst last 90 to 120 days.
7. If you swim into a bloom, get out immediately, move away quickly and then shower without delay — dogs too. Watch for skin rashes, gastrointestinal upset, headache, dizziness or fatigue. Seek medical attention if symptoms escalate.
8. Rivers aren’t exempt — look below. They rarely get water-column blooms, but benthic cyanobacteria mats — fuzzy, dark green or blackish carpets on the river bottom — are a growing concern, and they can produce the same toxins.
9. Be part of the monitoring system. NHDES’s Look, Check, Report campaign relies on the public, so anyone who spots a suspected bloom can fill out a report and trigger an inspection.
10. Hold off after heavy rain. Bacteria can survive outside a human or animal for about 24 hours. Waste, runoff and sewage overflow wash downhill into the nearest body of water during a storm.