Category: Cover Stories

Exciting new adventures in graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate

S’mores seem like a good bet.

They only have three ingredients. You have access to sticks. And even though the leaves have turned and the nights are cold, s’mores, with their accompanying campfire, give you a good reason to keep the deck furniture out a few more weeks. What could possibly go wrong?

Aw, jeez, I just jinxed it, didn’t I? Now even roasting marshmallows seems like too much to wrap your head around. OK, let’s break this down to its essential components: graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate and fire. We’ll ease into it.

The Graham Crackers

Graham crackers are a good place to start. They were designed to be non-threatening. They were invented by the followers of Sylvester Graham, a 19th-century preacher and nutritionist, who was convinced that white flour, sugar and meat of any kind led to poor health and impure thoughts. If you think that you wouldn’t have been likely to get along with him, an angry mob of bakers and butchers in 1837 Boston would agree with you. They laid siege to his hotel while he was on a speaking tour, and were only dispersed when Graham and his followers dropped bags of cement on them from the hotel roof.

Commercial graham crackers, the ones we remember from kindergarten, are delicious, inexpensive and easily available, so who would make them from scratch?

You would. As long as you don’t expect perfection.

Lindsey Bangs, the baker of I Whisked It, a homestead bakery in Raymond, says that the secret is rolling the dough to a consistent thickness.

“If you don’t get the dough completely even, the edges will be a little crispy while the center isn’t done yet.”

This isn’t a huge problem for home bakers but would be a logistical headache for a commercial baker, which is why you don’t see house-baked graham crackers in bakeries very often, she says. But making them yourself also allows you to take some liberties in how you flavor them — adding cardamom, or even a little black pepper.

“Adding more cinnamon would really bump the flavor profile up,” Bangs says.

She likes her marshmallows gently toasted and golden brown.

Homemade Graham Crackers

Lindsey isn’t kidding about how fiddly graham crackers can be. They are straightforward enough to make at home, but making them professionally would be like juggling ice cubes. If you follow each step, though, you will be very pleased with the result.

A note on substitutions:

When making comfort foods, it is very tempting to jazz up a recipe. By their nature, comfort foods are basic; they are there to comfort, not to inspire or excite or intrigue the eater. This is why there are so many recipes and articles about mashed potatoes. Everyone wants to mess with them, but when someone is burned out from work or nursing a broken heart or feeling homesick, they do not want blue cheese in their mashed potatoes.

Most of the ingredients in this recipe lend themselves to intriguing substitutions. I would recommend restraint; feel free to change one ingredient. More than that will muddle the flavor of your graham crackers. Even one substitution will probably get you a pointed comment from a graham cracker purist.

• 1 cup (113 g) Whole wheat flour – You could use stone-ground whole wheat flour for this, but that would be your one substitution.
• 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour – Don’t experiment with this; you don’t want to toughen or soften the texture of your graham crackers by using bread or pastry flour.
• ¼ cup (50 g) white sugar – or brown sugar, or maple syrup, but that would be your one substitution.
• ½ teaspoon salt – I like kosher salt, but again, well, you know.
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon – I like smoked cinnamon.
• 1 teaspoon baking powder – There isn’t really a substitution here, but did you know that you should replace your baking powder every six months? Weird.
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup (50 g) vegetable oil – or hazelnut oil
• ¼ cup (85 g) honey – or hot honey
• 2-3 Tablespoons (28-43 g) milk
• more milk to make cinnamon sugar cling to the top of your crackers
• cinnamon sugar for topping (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – the flours, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients – the sugar, egg, oil, honey, and milk. I don’t know why sugar is considered a wet ingredient, but it is, and it works better when you treat it that way. Chemistry is weird.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, then stir to combine. You might have to knead the dough a little to bring it together.

Wrap the dough, and chill it for at least an hour.

Preheat your oven to 300º (150º C).

Divide the graham cracker dough in half.

Roll each batch of dough to 1/16 inch thick. It is important that the dough is consistently thick. Is there an easy way to do that? And how thick is 1/16 inch, anyway?

Here’s how you’re going to preserve your sanity. Lay down a sheet of parchment paper, and weigh it down with half your dough. Flatten it out a little with the heels of your hands. It turns out that the wire in most clothes hangers is made of 12-gauge steel, 1/16 of an inch thick. Place a clothes hanger on either side of your dough, then cover everything with another layer of parchment paper.

Using the wire as a guide, roll the dough out as thick as the hangers. As you get your dough thinner and thinner, each end of your rolling pin will rest on one of the hangers.

Peel the top layer of parchment paper from each batch, then slide the bottom layer onto a baking sheet, then repeat the whole process with the other half of the dough.

If you are going the cinnamon-sugar route, brush each sheet of dough with milk, and sprinkle it with the cinnamon-sugar.

Bake the sheets of dough for five minutes, rotate them, then bake them for another five minutes.

Remove each sheet from the oven and cut to shape with a bench scraper or a pizza cutter.

Return the dough to the oven, and bake for another 20 minutes or so.

This is the part that seems really fiddly, but it’s important if you want your graham crackers to be crisp and not bendy:

Turn off the heat, and open the oven door all the way. Let it cool for five minutes, then close the door again, and let the crackers cool in the oven for another 20 minutes.

Transfer the graham crackers to a cooling rack. At this point they are exquisitely crispy. They should stay crispy, though not crunchy, for a couple of days, depending on how humid the air is. If you have any of those “Do Not Eat” dehydration packets saved, put those with the crackers in an air-tight container, and maybe store them in your refrigerator, which is the driest place in your kitchen.

So, the natural question: Is making your own graham crackers worth the trouble?

First of all, the number of steps involved is misleading. Tying your shoes or organizing your sock drawer would probably involve 72 separate steps if you broke it down. None of these graham cracker steps is very complicated. I know that there are days when you feel like opening an oven door is at the outer limit of your ability, but you can totally do this.

Secondly, these are delicious. Most of us have never had a thoroughly crisp graham cracker, warm from the oven. It is warm, but crunchy, gently sweet, but with tiny bursts of salt, and — depending on how well you were able to restrain yourself — with a little something extra.

This recipe is based on one from King Arthur Flour, my first stop when looking for any baking recipe. Their recipes are pretty much bullet-proof, but here’s something that even they won’t tell you: Flip a warm-from-the-oven graham cracker upside-down, and smear the bottom with butter. It is the most decadent legal experience you are ever likely to have.

The Marshmallows

When it comes to marshmallows, Sherrie Paltrineri knows what she’s talking about. She runs Sweet & Sassy, a small candy company specializing in pre-made s’mores. It’s fair to say that she’s not a s’more purist.

“Right now we’re making s’mores with up to 12 flavor profiles per week,” she says. “As we get into the fall season, we have pumpkin spice, of course, but we play around with Dark Chocolate with Raspberries, Orange Cranberry, and even Mochaccino.” According to Paltrineri, the surprise sleeper hit of this past summer was made with root beer flavored marshmallows.

She likes her marshmallows completely torched. “I love them burned; I want them to go up in flames,” she says.

Cooking with Marshmallows

There are a lot of people who will assure you that making your own marshmallows from scratch is relatively easy and very rewarding. I am not saying that those people are wrong, but my most recent attempt at home marshmallowing went badly. The term “fiasco” is too kind to describe it accurately.

I am not saying not to try it. There are many very nice instructors who can walk you step-by-step through the process — Martha Stewart springs to mind — but they could speak to this much more authoritatively than I can.

But is there a marshmallow-forward recipe that we can tackle that will help guide you toward s’morehood?

As it turns out, there is:

Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream

• 1 10-ounce bag of mini marshmallows
• 4 egg yolks
• pinch of kosher salt
• ½ cup (99 g) white sugar
• 3 cups (735 ml) half and half
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Toast the marshmallows under the broiler in your oven, or with a blowtorch, either one of the tiny kitchen ones or a regular no-pretense plumber’s blowtorch from a home center. (I like the one with a pistol grip; it has a great sound. Hissssssss, click, WHUMP!) The torch will allow you to get a little more variety in how dark you toast the marshmallows, but in any case, if you prefer them toasted a gentle golden brown, cook them a little darker than you might otherwise do. The ice cream base will dilute the flavor slightly, and a darker marshmallow will bring more marshmallow flavor.

Combine egg yolks, salt, sugar and cream in a small saucepan.

Heat, whisking, until the mixture reaches 175ºF/80ºC.

Strain the hot mixture over 2/3 of the toasted marshmallows. Add the vanilla, and whisk the mixture until it is as smooth as it’s going to get. Do not let this step worry you; clumps of semi-melted marshmallows in this ice cream is not a bad thing.

Chill the mixture for at least three hours or overnight, then churn according to your ice cream maker’s manufacturer’s instructions.

When spooning the soft-serve-textured ice cream into containers, layer with the remaining toasted marshmallows, before hardening it off in the freezer.

Even die-hard marshmallow fans will admit that they can be a little (unrelentingly) sweet. This ice cream carries the toasted marshmallow flavor gently, in a just-sweet-enough base. The flavor is delicate enough that you will probably not want to eat this with any topping that might overpower it.

This is a definite winner.

The Chocolate

Let’s face it: It’s the chocolate that makes or breaks a s’more. The graham cracker provides texture, and the marshmallow provides sweet stickiness, but it is the chocolate that sets the tone for the whole enterprise.

Should you go with a classic milk chocolate, or something darker? Should you let it melt completely, or let your marshmallow cool a little so you still have some resistance to your teeth? Should you use a classic American candy bar or something a little shmancy?

According to Jeffrey Bart, the owner of the Granite State Candy Shoppe in Concord and Manchester, most people don’t put enough thought into this.

“Many times, someone will just break up a chocolate bar and hope for the best,” he says. His suggestion is to either use two types of chocolate or to finely chop some, but not all, of the chocolate, and use both in a s’more. The little pieces, having more surface area, will melt easily. “That hits the perfect ratio of totally melted and fused with the graham cracker,” he says, “and something to still bite into.”

He prefers his marshmallow gently toasted.

“I’m of the Low and Slow camp,” Bart says.

Rob Delaney and Maggie Pritty of Worldwide Chocolate in Brentwood agree that texture is important but stress the importance of picking the right flavor profile.

“Personally I’d go with a dark milk chocolate,” Delaney says, “which is not a thing that a lot of people are even aware exists.” He says that some dark milk chocolate can have as high a cocoa percentage as 55 to 70 percent, as opposed to the usual 35 percent or so for a typical grocery store chocolate bar. “That would have that milky, caramelly character, without being so sweet.”

Pritty stresses the importance of reading the label on a bar of chocolate. “Make sure to look at the ingredients,” she says. “You want to see that it’s made with cocoa butter and sugar, not hydrogenated palm oil or anything like that.”

She likes her marshmallows dark brown but not quite burnt.

So is there something chocolate-forward and s’moresy that will build your confidence back up?

Yes. Yes, there is.

Dark Chocolate Cheesecake with Graham Cracker Crust and Toasted Marshmallow

Crust

• 403 g graham cracker crumbs – this is almost exactly equal to one box of graham crackers
• 4 Tablespoons (56 g) butter, melted – this is half a stick

Cheesecake Filling

• 24 ounces (678 g) cream cheese, room temperature – this is three 8-ounce packages
• 1 cup (207 g) sugar
• 6 Tablespoons (43 g) dark cocoa powder
• 1 cup (230 g) sour cream, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces (227 g) dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
• 4 eggs, room temperature

Marshmallow Topping

• 1 7.5-ounce jar of marshmallow cream

Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. It will seem like too much crust, until it doesn’t.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool

Put your chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat, 15 seconds at a time, to melt it. Stop when it still has a few lumps. If you stir it at that point, everything will melt without getting too hot.

Cover the outside of the pan with aluminum foil. This is to more-or-less waterproof it, when it goes into a water bath. (Yes, there will be a water bath. Don’t panic. As the Winter Warlock® once put it, put one foot in front of the other.)

Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F (148°C).

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa until completely combined. If you use an electric mixer, use your lowest speed for this. Because Reasons.

Add the sour cream and vanilla, then mix to incorporate them.

Add the melted chocolate in three parts, stirring to combine each time.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.

When everything is completely combined, pour the cheesecake batter into your foiled-up springform pan.

This is where the water bath comes in. In old recipes, it will be called a bain marie. Put your foiled-up pan inside a larger pan, maybe a turkey-roasting pan. (If, like me, you don’t have a pan that big, use your largest non-melty mixing bowl.) Gently fill the larger pan or bowl with hot water that reaches about halfway up the side of your springform pan.

Bake for about 70 minutes. Don’t panic and open the door too much. The whole reason for the water bath is to provide gentle steady heat to your cheesecake. It will have your back for one or two viewings, but try to exercise some restraint. Set a timer, and go clean out your refrigerator. You will not believe what there is in there.

After your timer goes off, check on your cheesecake. It shouldn’t be ready yet, but it will have a nice skin on top of it and be a little wiggly in the middle. Turn the oven off, but leave the cheesecake inside with the door closed, to finish cooking gently. Leave it for another hour.

When the oven is much cooler and your cheesecake has an internal temperature of 150º-175º F (65º-80º C), remove it from the oven, and let it cool on your countertop, then refrigerate for three to five hours or overnight.

When your cheesecake is completely cooled and firm, take it out of the refrigerator and de-pan it. You will rightfully feel proud.

But you’re not done yet.

Coat the top of the cheesecake with marshmallow cream. Use your own judgment as to how much you want to use.

Toast the marshmallow layer. Yes, you could do this under your broiler, but I prefer to use a blowtorch, either one of the mini ones designed for kitchen use or a plumber’s torch from the hardware store.

Serve immediately. If you aren’t serving a dozen people — though if you aren’t, why aren’t you? — wait until service before topping each slice with Fluff individually, then torch it in front of your guests, which is probably more dramatic anyway.

Much like a s’more, this is a very rich, deeply chocolatey treat. Even if you are a “more is more”-type person, you might want to start with a small slice of this. Its intense chocolateness is balanced by the sour tang of the cream cheese and sour cream, but it is still very, very rich. If you wanted to freeze this (and why wouldn’t you?) small slices might be even better.

The Fire

The only element left to discuss is the fire.

Yes, you could toast your marshmallow over the last coals in a charcoal grill, or even a gas one. In an emergency, you could toast it over one of the front burners in your kitchen, especially if you have a gas stove.

But half the experience of making s’mores is navigating actual flames — flirting with disaster, if you are a gently-toasted-golden-brown person, or plunging your marshmallow into the heart of the flame if you belong to the go-for-broke, fully-torched school of marshmallow toasting.

The key to a good marshmallow fire, according to 15-year-old Eagle Scout candidate Hailey Hansen, is starting small: “When I make a fire, I like to make a log-cabin fire, with sticks stacked like walls to a house, but you have to start from the bottom first, with tinder, then kindling, and larger and larger sticks, before you get to that stage.”

She says that coals are better for any campfire cooking, as they provide a steady, dependable heat, which lets a marshmallow roaster confidently choose how done they want to roast their marshmallow, but it’s not a binary situation:

“Your fire doesn’t have to be all coals. You can have half with flames, but let the other half burn down to safer” — by this, she clearly means “old person” — “coals,” she says.

Hailey likes her marshmallows golden brown and crispy but thoroughly melted inside.

At this point you must be feeling pretty confident s’mores-wise. If you can handle that cheesecake, you can host a s’mores party with one hand tied behind your back. But maybe you would like one more easy recipe to keep you bucked up until then. Is there an easy recipe that you can make to keep everyone on a short leash until it’s actually S’mores Time?

As a matter of fact, yes, there is.

S’mores Candy

• Some marshmallows — the big ones, the mini ones, whatever you have around
• Some graham crackers — you know you’re going to have to buy a new box, anyway, so you might as well use up what you have handy at the moment
• Some peanut butter — all natural, or the kind that children actually like, it’s up to you.
• Some chocolate — any chocolate: white, milk, dark, whatever you have stashed away in that cupboard that the kids can’t reach.

Crush the graham crackers into crumbs. A food processor is good for this.

Mix the crumbs with peanut butter — however much it takes to make a nice, stiff dough. You will almost certainly start doing this with a spoon, but almost as certainly end up mushing it altogether with your hands. You decide when it is the right consistency; this is one final exercise to get in touch with your s’mores instincts.

Melt the chocolate in your microwave. (See cheesecake recipe, above)

If you are using large marshmallows, cut them into quarters or eighths. If you are using mini-marshmallows, just let them be themselves.

Coat the marshmallows with the peanut butter dough you just made. You will probably need to play with it in your hands a little, before it reaches the consistency you want, and more-or-less covers the marshmallow. This doesn’t have to be perfect (because of the next step).

Drop the marshmallow/graham cracker/peanut butter ball into the melted chocolate, and then roll it around with a fork, until it is completely coated.

Remove the candy from the melted chocolate with your fork, then gently place it on a plate covered with a piece of waxed or parchment paper.

Repeat this until you run out of an ingredient. Don’t worry if you have some left over; any extra will mysteriously disappear.

Refrigerate the candies for at least 20 minutes. They are very good with tea.

Putting It All Together

At this point you might expect step-by-step instructions on how to make s’mores, but that would be silly. You have known how to make a s’more since you were 5 years old. It was probably the first food you learned to cook. It is less complicated to put together than toast.

Step 1: Toast a marshmallow

Step 2: Put a piece of chocolate on half a graham cracker, then sandwich the marshmallow between the two cracker halves.

(I do have a preference for Mexican chocolate — the gritty stone-ground kind — but when I mentioned this to our three chocolate experts, they stared at me in shock, then started to speak to me in very small words, so use whatever kind suits you personally.)

However, I do have one final recipe:

S’mores Martini

Graham Cracker Vodka

• 1 sleeve (135 g) graham crackers
• 3 cups 80-proof inexpensive vodka

Combine graham crackers and vodka in a blender. Blend at whatever speed pleases you for about one minute. Feel free to chuckle evilly as the graham crackers meet their fate.

Pour into a wide-mouthed, air-tight jar.

Store in a warm, dark place for a week, shaking twice daily.

This is really important: On Day 7, DO NOT SHAKE THE JAR.

Gently pour the clear liquid through a fine-meshed strainer, let it settle, then pour it through a coffee filter, into a labeled bottle.

Chocolate Vodka

This is very similar to the previous recipe.

• ¼ cup/1 ounce/30 g cocoa nibs. Cocoa nibs are the raw ingredient for chocolate-making. You can find them in an upmarket grocery store or online. I like ones from Guittard. They come with this warning: “May contain shell, kernel, plant material or other material from the growing process. Inspect or re-clean before using. This is not a Ready-to-eat food.” In other words, just exactly what we’re looking for in this application.
• 2 cups middle-shelf vodka

Combine the cocoa nibs and vodka in a large wide-mouthed jar, seal, shake vigorously, then place in the basement or under the sink, with the graham cracker vodka.

Shake twice per day for four days.

Strain, filter, and bottle, as above.

S’mores Martini

• 1 ounces crème de cacao
• 2 ounces chocolate vodka
• 2 ounces graham cracker vodka
• a toasted marshmallow, for garnish

In a mixing glass, rinse several ice cubes with crème de cacao, then pour it off.

Pour equal amounts of chocolate and graham cracker vodka over the liqueur-rinsed ice.

Stir gently but thoroughly.

Pour off, into a chilled martini glass.

Garnish with toasted marshmallow, much like you would a conventional martini, with an olive.

The surprising thing about this martini is how well the flavor of graham crackers comes through. Make no mistake; this is a strong, fully adult cocktail. It is not nearly as sweet as you might be tempted to think. This is a s’more to drink in small sips.

Featured Photo: Courtesy photo.

Adult Halloween options abound

By Michael Witthaus
[email protected]

If you’re a grownup who wishes trick-or-treating were an all-ages affair, you can still have fun on Halloween. This year most parties will happen before the official day. The good news is that options run the gamut, from a sober party preceded by an AA meeting to drag shows, decades-themed parties and lots of live music. Here’s a day-by-day rundown of area gatherings.

Friday, Oct. 20

• The Red Rivers Theatres (11 S Main St., Concord; redrivertheatres.org) will show the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show (R, 1975) on Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 20 through Oct. 28, at 10 p.m. Costumes and audience participation are encouraged and tickets are $25 for this 18+ event.
• Catch the Live Dueling Pianos Halloween Party at 8:30 p.m. at Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road in Manchester; chunkys.com).

Saturday, Oct. 21

• MV Mount Washington (211 Lakeside Ave., Laconia, cruisenh.com) Annual masquerade ball on a three-hour cruise with buffet dinner, entertainment, seasonal snacks and beverages, and a costume contest. $70. 6 p.m. • The Rocky Horror Picture Show (R, 1975) will screen on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 9 p.m. at all three area Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com). Props allowed and dressing up encouraged; tickets cost $10.
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show (R, 1975) will screen on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 9 p.m. at all three area Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com). Props allowed and dressing up encouraged; tickets cost $10.

Wednesday, Oct. 25

• Beetlejuice (1988) Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com) will have a 21+ screening Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 26

• To Share Brewing (720 Union St. in Manchester; tosharebrewing.com) will be offering a Beer & Candy Pairing today through Sunday, Oct. 29 (the brewery will close at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28), according to its website.

Friday, Oct. 27

• Hocus Pocus (PG, 1993) will screen for a 21+ audience at Chunky’s in Nashua and Manchester (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; chunkys.com) at 8 p.m.
• Henry J. Sweeney Post (251 Maple St., Manchester, 623-9145) Dance with The Stray Dogs Band. Costumes encouraged but not mandatory. Finger foods provided; members and guests. 8 p.m.
• Newfound Lake Inn (1030 Mayhew Tpk., Bridgewater, 744-0911) BOO’s Fest in SAL’s Birch Bar featuring DJ Jeff Lines. Prizes awarded for best couple, scariest and most creative costume. $55 at evenbrite.com. 6 p.m.
• The Park Theatre (19 Main St., Jaffrey; theparktheatre.org) will host an 18+ Halloween dance party from 9:30 p.m. to midnight. Costumes are mandatory and tickets are $10.
• Pasta Loft (241 Union Sq., Milford, 672-2270) Grateful Dead tribute band Winterland NH performs at 8 p.m.
• Portsmouth Elks Lodge No. 97 (500 Jones Ave., Portsmouth, 436-9606) Three Man Band plays covers, with prizes for best costume; bring an appetizer. 6 p.m.
• Rumors Sports Bar & Bowling (22 N. Main St., Newmarket, [email protected]) Halloween drag show with costume contests and free giveaways. $20 at eventbrite.com. Two shows, 7 and 10 p.m.
• Saddle Up Saloon (92 Route 125, Kingston, 347-1313) Bite the Bullet plays covers, with costumes encouraged but not mandatory. 8 p.m.
• Shaskeen (909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246) Halloween bash with DJ Myth playing the best in Top 100 and throwbacks, Jameson promo. 9 p.m.
• Stone Church (5 Granite St., Newmarket, 659-7700) Two-day Grateful Dead bash has Stone Dead, a group of New England musicians with roots and associations going back to the Stone Church scene of the ’80s and ’90s, from acts like Percy Hill, Groove Child, Thanks to Gravity and Trade. $25 in advance, $30 day of show, $45 two-day pass. 7 p.m.
• The Word Barn (66 Newfields Road, Exeter, 244-0202) Lullafrights – The Rough & Tumble performing spooky songs they wrote as part of an album about various monsters and creatures of lore, all created to make children obey and behave. The show will be accompanied by stories put together and told by John Herman, James Patrick Kelly, Jen Whitley, Tara McDonough and Mark Michael Adams. $16 to $25 at portsmouthnhtickets.com. 7 p.m.
• Wally’s Pub (144 Ashworth Ave., Hampton, 926-6954) Heady Halloween presented by Granite Lion has TreeHouse, Adriya Joy, Caylin Costello and Green Lion Crew playing a free 21+ party. 6 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 28

• American Legion Post 8 (640 Central Ave., Dover, 742-9710) Stiletto – tribute to ’80s hard rock. 21+. 7 p.m.
• Angel City Music Hall (179 Elm St., Unit B, Manchester, 931-3654) Prospect Hill Halloween party with Red Crown, Psycle and DJ Chris Drake. 21+, $20 at ticketweb.com. 7:30 p.m.
• Ash Cigar Lounge (92A Route 125, Kingston, 285-5174) Cigars and costume party with My Father Cigars at 6 p.m.
• Auspicious Brew (1 Washington St., Dover, 953-7240) Tarot on Tap precedes a party with Lovesick, Catwolf and The Bumbling Woohas. Costumes encouraged; $10 at the door. 8 p.m.
• Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road, Brookline, 244-3165) Get some laughs with comedian Will Noonan; The Wine Bar opens 30 minutes before showtime, with more than 15 wines to choose from. Charcuterie board served with cheese, meat, nuts and crackers may be purchased ahead of time. $15. 5:30 p.m.
• Bedford Events Center (379 S. River Road, Bedford, 997-7741) 4th Annual Witch’s Gala Monster Mash Masquerade benefit for Granite State Dog Recovery and Corey’s Closet with raffles, 50/50, DJ, dancing, grazing tables, readers, costume contest and more. 6 p.m.
• Bonfire Country Bar (950 Elm St., Manchester) Halloween costume party has country-flavored music from Maddi Ryan. 7 p.m.
• Bridgewater Inn (367 Mayhew Tpk., Bridgewater, 744-3518) 23rd annual Halloween party with Stray Dog playing covers and cash prizes for best male and female costumes. 8 p.m.
• Brookline Events Center (269 Route 130, Brookline, 582-4491) Halloween DJ dance with Bernie & Bob, $10 at the door. 7 p.m.
• Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) Family-friendly daytime experience with Laurie Berkner performing a pair of Halloween concerts. 11 and 3 p.m.
• Chunky’s Cinema (151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, 880-8055) Grab the popcorn and settle in for the seasonal fave Hocus Pocus at this 21+ viewing party; enjoy the Sanderson Sisters without having to smell the children. 8 p.m.
• Derryfield (625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880) Popular cover band Mugsy is joined by D-Comp for the Halloween Monster Bash. Come in costume; prizes will be given for best overall, most creative and honorable mention. $30 at eventbrite.com. 21+ event. 7 p.m.
• Flight Coffee Dover (478 Central Ave., Dover, 842-5325) Music from Maine’s Lepra, NYC’s Ultor and Agenbite from Dover. Costume contest will be judged by the bands and baristas. $12 at the door; $10 with a costume ($2 refund for anyone who buys a presale ticket at eventbrite.com and shows up in costume). 8 p.m.
• High Octane Saloon (102 Watson Road, Laconia, 527-8116) EXP Band performs at this bash, with costume prizes for sexiest, scariest, best team, funniest, strangest, best handmade, best face paint and best overall. 8 p.m.
• Jewel (61 Canal St., Manchester, 836-1152) Hallowubs Weekend with a musical performance by Smith. Prizes for best costume.21+. Tickets $23 to $28. 9 p.m.
• Lithermans Limited Brewing (126B Hall St., Concord, 219-0784) Halloween party with costumes, craft beer and food trucks. 7 p.m.
• Loaded Question Brewing (909 Islington St., Suite 12, Portsmouth, 852-1396) Halloweeen party at 8 p.m.
• Lone Wolf Brewing (36 Mill St., Wolfeboro, 515-1099) 8th annual bash has live music with Supernothing and a dance party with DJ Synths, specialty cocktails, costume contest and more. 7 p.m.
• Lynn’s 102 Tavern (75 Derry Road, Hudson, 943-7832) Workin’ Stiffs perform, prizes for best costumes. 7 p.m.
• Manchester Elks Lodge 146 (290 Granite St., Manchester, 623-9126) Gemstones Jukebox Jamboree playing ’50s hits, $10 per person. 6 p.m.
• Marker 21 (33 Dockside St., Wolfeboro, 569-8668) Small Town Stranded rocks out in the Lakes Region. 7 p.m.
• McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Court, Manchester, 622-6159) The Morning Buzz crew hosts Buzz Brews & Boos. Come in costume for this 21+ event. $35 tickets at mcintyreskiarea.square.site includes an appetizer buffet, DJ, Halloween contest, games and prizes. 7 p.m.
• Merrimack Biergarten (221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 595-1202) Wolves Halloween party at 6 p.m.
• Newport Opera House (20 Main St., Newport, 863-2412) Masquerade dance with Last Kid Picked. Dress up in your most bewitching costume, and prizes will be awarded for the best in different categories, from boo-tiful to bone-chilling. Cash bar, 21+, $35. 8 p.m.
• North Country Hard Cider (38 Littleworth Road, Dover, 343-2422) Mid-day Halloween Sweat & Soul (formerly Buti Yoga) throwdown. Werk it out and then enjoy a tasty cider in costume. $25 at eventbrite.com. 11 a.m. to noon.
• Palace Theatre – Spotlight Room (96 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588) Witch, Please! Halloween dance party with Queerlective. Spooky art activities, costume contest (categories TBD), live music, dancing, cash bar. This is a safe and inclusive event. All are welcome, ages 18 and older. Costumes must be appropriate (not hateful, no nudity, etc.). Failure to comply may result in ejection from the event with no refund. 7 p.m.
• Pasta Loft (241 Union Sq., Milford, 672-2270) Slakas play this fun Halloween party. 8 p.m.
• Peddler’s Daughter (48 Main St., Nashua, 821-7535) Fox & the Flamingos perform at this costumes-encouraged event. 9:30 p.m.
• Portsmouth Gas Light (64 Market St., Portsmouth, 430-9122) Halloween party in the third-floor nightclub. 8 p.m.
• Press Room (77 Daniel St., Portsmouth, 431-5186) Crush, a Dave Matthews Band tribute act, helps get a spooky spirit started. 8:30 p.m.
• Revolution Taproom (61 N. Main St., Rochester, 244-3022) Paint Nite: Halloween BOO-quet. Local artist Katrina Reid guides participants through all the steps of creating an original painting in less than two hours. $35. 5 p.m.
• Saddle Up Saloon (92 Route 125, Kingston, 347-1313) Throwback Bash has All That ’90s performing and a ‘90s pop culture reference themed costume contest; come as a TV character, musician or movie icon and take home the prize for most creative costume. Costumes of all kinds (especially ‘90s-themed) strongly encouraged but optional. 8 p.m.
• Salsa Secrets Studio (2800 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 584-2985) Halloween dance social begins with an intermediate dance class followed by social dancing until 10:30 p.m. Starts at 7:30 p.m.
• Salt hill Pub Lebanon (2 W. Park St., Lebanon, 448-4532) Scarey-oke with Amy Alexander. Costumes encouraged. 8 p.m.
• Sayde’s (136 Cluff Crossing, Salem, 890-1032) Big Blue Sky provides the music at this party. Costumes encouraged but optional and there will be prizes for the best ones. 7 p.m.
• Shaskeen (909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246) Emo Night with The Black Charade. 9 p.m.
• Strange Brew (88 Market St., Manchester, 666-4292) Son Hobbs & the Mystery Horns Halloween bash. 6:30 p.m.
• The Bar (2B Burnham Road, Hudson, 943-5250) Crave Halloween Bash. 8 p.m.
• The Big House (322 Lakeside Ave., Laconia, 767-2226) Drag brunch, $40 to $135 at evenbrite.com. 6 p.m.
• The Rugged Axe (1887 S. Willow St., Manchester, 232-7846) Ax-throwing Halloween party, with costumes strongly encouraged, drinks specials and a raffle; reservation at theruggedaxe.com. Noon.
• Triumphant Cross Lutheran Church (171 Zion Hill Road, Salem, nhscypaa.com) NHSCYPAA Halloween dance kicks off with an AA meeting at 6:30 p.m. followed by fellowship, fun, music and dance. $15 suggested donation. 6:30 p.m.
• Veterans Club Auxiliary Post 25 (118 John Stark Hwy., Newport, 863-3945) Roadhouse rocks out with prizes for best costume and raffles. $15 per person, $25 per couple. 7 p.m.
• Village Trestle (25 Main St., Goffstown, 497-8230) Halloween costume party with Bob Pratte. 8 p.m.
• Wally’s Pub (144 Ashworth Ave., Hampton, 926-6954) Night of the Living Dreads with Korn and Rage Against the Machine tribute acts. 6 p.m.
• WSCA Radio (909 Islington St., Suite 1, Portsmouth, 430-9722) Teenage Halloween performs. 7 p.m.

Featured Photo: Courtesy photo.

Happenings for ghosts and ghouls of all ages

Compiled by Renee Merchant
[email protected]

Check out these Halloween events that anyone can enjoy, no matter their age.

The Allenstown Economic Development (EDC) Committee presents a Halloween lighting contest. From Wednesday, Oct. 18 through Friday, Oct. 27, the Allenstown EDC, Fire Department and Police Department will choose the winners. On Saturday, Oct. 28 at 4 p.m., there will be a Halloween lighting awards ceremony at Town Hall (16 School St.) where the winners will be announced. See allenstownnh.gov.

The Rochester Opera House (31 Wakefield St.) presents the musical comedy The Addams Family now through Sunday, Nov. 5, with showtimes on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. Tickets range from $18 to $30. Visit rochesteroperahouse.com to purchase tickets.

J&F Farms (124 Chester Road in Derry; jandffarmsnh.com) has a Halloween-themed corn maze through October. The farm is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to the farm’s website; on Saturdays and Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the farm will also feature a food truck and cider doughnuts, according to the farm’s Facebook page. The cost is $10 per person.

Concord Parks and Recreation will show 1993’s A Nightmare Before Christmas (PG) on Friday, Oct. 20, at 6 p.m. in Keach Park (2 Newton Ave. in Concord). See concordnh.gov.

Hocus Pocus (PG, 1993) The original Hocus Pocus will screen at all three area Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com) Friday, Oct. 20, through Thursday, Nov. 2, with at least one screening per day and three screenings Fridays through Sundays.

The Strand (20 Third St., Dover) presents live performances of Dracula for some “Halloween fun for the whole family.” Shows on Friday, Oct. 20, Saturday, Oct. 21; Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, are at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $20. On Saturday, Oct. 21; Sunday, Oct. 22; Saturday, Oct. 28, and Sunday, Oct. 29, shows are at 2 p.m. and tickets cost $18. Visit breakaleglegally.com to purchase tickets.

The Players’ Ring Theatre (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth, playersring.org) presents Gay Bride of Frankenstein Friday, Oct. 20 through Sunday, Nov. 5. Shows are from Friday to Sunday — 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday — and tickets are $28.

Devriendt Farm (178 S Mast St. in Goffstown; devriendtfarm.com) opens its corn maze (and its pumpkin patch) on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at its 47 Story Road in Goffstown location. The cost is $8 for ages 13 and up, $4 for ages 4 to 12; kids 3 and under get in free, according to the website.

Coppal House Farm (118 N. River Road, Lee; nhcornmaze.com) has a Flashlight Night Corn Maze on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time and are $15. Flashlights will not be provided. Additionally, there is a daytime maze that is open on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Daytime admission can be purchased at the farm stand and costs $10 for adults and $8 for children, students, seniors, and military. For both events, children under age 4 get in free. On Sunday, Oct. 22, the farm will feature Wildlife Encounters from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to the website.

The Portsmouth Farmers Market (1 Junkins Ave.) will host a Pumpkin Smash on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 8 a.m. to noon. For $5, participants can choose a pumpkin to smash with a mallet, a two-by-four or “the trusty ol’ Louisville Slugger.” All pumpkins will be fed to pigs after the smash, and the proceeds will go to the Portsmouth Halloween Parade. Visit facebook.com/Market03801.

The Exeter Parks and Recreation department is hosting a Halloween Parade and Costume Contest on Saturday, Oct. 21, at Swasey Parkway. The costume contest will be judged at 10:30 a.m., and the parade will begin at 11 a.m. From noon to 3 p.m. there will be trick-or-treating downtown. Visit exeternh.gov.

Join Applecrest Farm (133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls) for their Fall Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 21, and Sunday, Oct. 22, from 1 to 5 p.m. featuring live music, a corn maze, barnyard animals and more. The following weekend, on Saturday, Oct. 28, and Sunday, Oct. 29, the farm will host a Hunter’s Moon Fall Harvest Festival from 1 to 5 p.m., which will feature the Viking reenactor group Straumfjordr and the carving of an 800-pound pumpkin. Admission and parking are free for both events. Visit applecrest.com.

The Wilton Main Street Association will host The Haunting of Wilton on Saturday, Oct. 21, with various events throughout the day. At 1 p.m. there will be a costume parade down Main Street, followed by trick-or-treating with Main Street merchants until 2:30 p.m. From 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., enjoy burgers, cider, s’mores and live music at the police station parking lot (7 Burns Hill Road) followed by a $5 haunted trail from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Visit visitwilton.com.

Prayers of Nature (33 Howard St., Wilton) will host a Bizarre Bazaar during the Haunt of Wilton on Saturday, Oct. 21, from noon to 7 p.m. Visitors will receive a free gemstone or wire wrap gemstone (while supplies last) and be entered in a raffle for a free tarot reading. From noon to 6 p.m. there will be 20-minute tarot readings by Victoria of Eye of Ethereal for $25, which can be booked at prayersofnature.com/tarotbazaar. Additionally, local jeweler Earthly Elan will host a pop-up shop and there will be spooky displays created by artist Little un Miniatures. From 3 to 6 p.m., there will be a meet-and-greet with Brittany Batchelder, author of Avian Tarot.

The American Independence Museum (1 Governer’s Lane in Exeter; independencemuseum.org, 772-2622) will host Ghosts of Winter Street Cemetery, featuring a tour through Winter Street Cemetery in Exeter led by a colonial tour guide on Saturday, Oct. 21, with start times every 30 minutes from 4 to 5:30 p.m. with a family tour at 3 p.m. Tours are about 45 minutes long and guests are encouraged to bring flashlights, according to a press release. Children in costume receive a special colonial treat, the release said. Tickets cost $10 ($7 for ages 6 to 8; children under 6 get in free), family-tour tickets (the 3 p.m. event) cost $15 for a family of four — tickets include a return pass to visit the museum, the release said.

Back to the Future (1985) will screen on Saturday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m. at Cinemark Salem, O’neil Cinemas in Epping, AMC Londonderry and Regal Fox Run in Newington (as well as at 4 p.m. at Cinemark). See fanthomevents.com.

The Birds (1963) from director Alfred Hitchcock will get a 60th anniversary screening on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 1 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. at O’neil Cinemas in Epping, AMC Londonderry, Cinemark in Salem and Regal Fox Run in Newington. See fathomevents.com.

The Seacoast Repertory Theatre (125 Bow St., Portsmouth) presents Bat Boy on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 27, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 28, at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 29, at 2 p.m. Ticket prices vary from $35 to $60 based on seating. Visit seacoastrep.org to purchase tickets.

The 17th Annual Celebrate Samhain Festival will be held on Sunday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hilton in Nashua (2 Somerset Pkwy.). The Samhain Festival is a celebration of the final harvest and of those who have passed and will feature vendors, artisans, psychic readings and a ritual led by Serenity Coven to honor the dead. Admission is $12 or $10 with the donation of a nonperishable food item. Visit facebook.com/NHSamhain.

Join Golden Dog Adventure Co. for their 3rd Annual Corn Maze & Halloween Pawty at Beech Hill Farm (107 Beech Hill Road, Hopkinton) on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to noon (rain date Oct. 29). Tickets are $35 for members and $50 for non-members for one dog and one human. Tickets are $10 for additional humans, but children under age 3 are free. There will be various activities, including a costume contest, visiting farm animals, a custom illustration of your dog (an additional $15) and a peanut butter licking contest for your dog. Visitors must pre-register at goldendognh.com.

Nosferatu (1922), the classic vampire tale from director F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck, will screen at Wilton Town Hall Theatre (40 Main St., Wilton, wiltontownhalltheatre.com, 654-3456) on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 2 p.m. with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis.

Root Up & More (Concord, rootupconcord. com) is holding Guided Haunt Tours in downtown Concord on Sunday, Oct. 22; Monday, Oct. 23; Sunday, Oct. 29, and Monday, Oct. 30, beginning at 7 p.m. Sign up for a specific date via Root Up’s Facebook page.

Beetlejuice (1988) will have multiple screenings at area Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com). On Sunday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. the movie will screen with a five-course dinner from The Farmers Dinner; the cost is $75 or $110 with wine. The movie will also screen on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. in Nashua. The movie will screen at all three locations on Monday, Oct. 23, and Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. A 21+ screening will be held Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m.

The Rex Theatre (Amherst St., Manchester) presents a silent film with live music on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m. Jeff Rapsis will provide musical accompaniment for the silent film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) starring Lon Chaney. Tickets are $10. Visit palacetheatre.org.

Join the town of Canterbury for a theatrical presentation titled Canterbury Tales: Famous and Infamous, which is a 35-minute tour, running every 10 minutes. On Thursday, Oct. 26, and Friday, Oct. 27, the event will run from 6 to 7 p.m. and on Saturday, Oct. 28, it will run from 1 to 2 p.m. at Center Cemetery (5 Center Road). Admission is $10 and all proceeds will benefit the Canterbury Cemetery Association. Tickets are available on eventbrite.com and are limited, so preregistration is recommended. Strollers, costumes and pets will not be permitted.

On Friday, Oct. 27, Saturday, Oct. 28, and Sunday, Oct. 29, Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury) will host Ghost Encounter Tours at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. The 45-minute tours will explore the evolution of spiritualism in Shaker faith and will include “firsthand accounts of otherworldly encounters,” according to the website. Tickets purchased in advance are $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets cost $25 day of. Register at shakers.org.

On Friday, Oct. 27, there will be a Downtown Trick-or-Treat and Zombie Walk on Main Street in Rochester. Businesses downtown will be handing out candy from 4 to 6 p.m. The Zombie Walk will feature “dozens of dancers from several local dance studios,” according to the website. The walk will begin at the Citizens Bank parking lot (90 N. Main St.) and proceed down Bridge Street to River Street and back to North Main Street.

The Majestic Theatre (880 Page St. in Manchester; majestictheatre.net, 669-7649) presents Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play Friday, Oct. 27, through Sunday Oct. 29, with showtimes at 7 p.m. on Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for 65+ and 17 and under.

Catch the Murder Mystery Dinner: Best Laid Plans at the Bank of NH Stage (S. 16 Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, Oct. 27, at 6:30 p.m. Or check out Murder Mystery Dinner: Midnight Masquerade on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 6:30 p.m.

Join the town of Merrimack for their 31st Annual Halloween Party on Saturday, Oct. 28, from noon to 3 p.m. at Wasserman Park (116 Naticook Road). There will be a costume contest and a Pumpkin Race Car Derby along with free games, crafts and face painting. Nonprofit organizations Merrimack Friends & Families and Less Leg More Heart will have food for sale. Visit merrimackparksandrec.org.

The Park Theatre in Jaffrey (19 Main St.) is hosting a Halloweenie Weekend featuring some scary movies. Tickets are $10 for adults and $9 for children, seniors, students, military and teachers. On Friday, Oct. 27, there will be a showing of the 1973 film The Exorcist (R) at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 28, Ghostbusters (PG, 1984) will play at 1 p.m., followed by a showing of the 1982 American slasher film Friday the 13th Part III (R) at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 29, at 4 p.m. the theater will show What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). On Monday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m., Jeff Rapsis will perform a live music score to accompany a screening of Dracula (1931). Visit theparktheatre.org/halloweenie for event details and to purchase tickets.

Intown Concord will host a Halloween Howl on Friday, Oct. 27, on Main Street. At 5 p.m. there will be a free kids’ fun run in Bicentennial Square, followed by activities including trick-or-treating, witch hat ring toss, Trunk or Treat and a Pumpkin Photo Op from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. At 5:45 p.m. there will be a “not so scary” costume parade, and participants will gather at City Plaza in front of the Statehouse arch. Additionally, there will be a costume contest at 6 p.m. on Capitol Street. Pre-registration is required for the costume contest. Visit members.intownconcord.org.

Fritzy’s Fright Fest is a free haunted attraction located at 37 Maple Ave. in Newton. The event will run on Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, from 6 to 9 p.m. Visit facebook.com/Fitzysfrightfest.

The Witch of Weston Tower will haunt McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Court, Manchester) from Friday, Oct. 27, through Sunday, Oct. 29. Activities will run on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. For a scenic chairlift to Weston Tower, tickets are $22 for adults, $15 for children and seniors, and $5 for children 5 and under. Those who do not wish to ride the chairlift to Weston Tower may purchase a witch ticket, which is a $10 donation per family. For an additional cost there will be food trucks, face painting and pumpkin painting. The proceeds from the event will benefit the Manchester Historical Association. Additionally, on Saturday there will be a touch-a-truck and a trunk-or-treat event that are free to attend. See mcintyreskiarea.com for a detailed schedule of events.

The Park Theatre (19 Main St., Jaffrey; theparktheatre.org) will host a free costume contest for adults, kids and pets on Saturday, Oct. 28,, at 2:45 p.m. The contest will be judged on stage, and participants are asked to arrive by 2:30 p.m. in the lobby, according to the website.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (PG, 2001) will screen at all three area Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com) Saturday, Oct. 28, through Monday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m.

CAKE Theatre (12 Veterans Square, Laconia, 677-6360) will host a Spook N’ Groove hangout and dance party with mixed drinks, root beer floats, doughnut ice cream sundaes and more on Friday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.. The theater level dance party has a DJ and laser lights. Kids 12 and under free with a paid adult. Teens and adults 13+ are $10 per person. Costumes welcome but not required.

The 17th Annual Dover Zombie Walk will take place on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 2 p.m. The walk will begin at the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce (550 Central Ave.) and activities include eating Jell-O brains and a costume contest. Dress in a zombie costume or another Halloween costume. Visit facebook.com/doverzombiewalk.

• The City of Nashua will host its Halloween Boo Bash on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Greeley Park (100 Concord St.). Activities include hay rides, pumpkin decorating, a haunted house and a bonfire. Costumes are encouraged and admission is free. Visit nashuanh.gov.

The Amherst Orthodontics Trick or Trot 3K will be held at Arms Park (10 Arms St., Manchester) on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 11 a.m. Participants ages 9 and up are welcome to participate in the race and preregistration is encouraged. 21+ adult tickets cost $25 in advance and $30 on race day. Youth (ages 12 to 20) tickets cost $20 in advance and $25 on race day. Kids (ages 9 to 11) cost $15 in advance and on race day. Admission includes a T-shirt for the first 850 registered participants, refreshments, free race photos and a finish line video. For participants over the age of 21, registration includes a beer ticket. Additionally, at 9:30 a.m. there will be a Kids Halloween Festival featuring vendors, magic and animals. At 10:15 a.m. children ages 8 and under can participate in the 100-meter dash Stonyfield Lil’ Pumpkin Fun Runs for $10. Visit millenniumrunning.com/trick-or-trot to register. Bibs can be picked up on race day from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. at Race Day HQ in Arms Park or on Friday, Oct. 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Millennium Running Retail Store (138 Bedford Center Road, Bedford).

The 2nd Annual Halloween Howl Hustle for Housing is a 5K that will benefit Fellowship Housing Opportunities. The adult 5K costs $30 and will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 28, at Masonic Lodge (53 Iron Works Road, Concord). Registration will end on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 11:59 p.m. To register, visit runsignup.com/halloweenhowlhustle5k.

The Groovy Witch is hosting Dover’s Second Annual Witches Market (288 Central Ave.) on Sunday, Oct. 29, from noon to 5 p.m. The market will feature more than 50 local vendors who specialize in witchcraft, spiritual readings and handmade goods. There is no admission fee. Visit groovywitch.com.

On Monday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m., Lane Memorial Library (2 Academy Ave., Hampton) will host presenter Margo Burns for a presentation titled “The Capital Crime of Witchcraft: What the Primary Sources Tell Us,” which focuses on the colonial witch trials in New England. The event is free to attend and registration is available via hampton.lib.nh.us/calendar.

The Portsmouth Halloween Parade will take place on Halloween, Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. Visit portsmouthhalloweenparade.org for the parade route and details.

More pumpkins, more patches
Still looking for that perfect pumpkin to turn into a jack-o’-lantern?
Check out the story about pumpkins in the Oct. 12 issue of the Hippo for a list of area pumpkin patches. See hippopress.com for the e-edition; the story is on page 21. Brookdale Fruit Farm (41 Broad St., Hollis, 465-2240, brookdalefruitfarm.com) — whose expert Rick Hardy spoke about pumpkins for last week’s story — offers its picked pumpkins daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the farm stand, where you can grab a photo with the large “pumpkin man” (and on weekends, check out Brookdale’s corn maze, open from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays). Here are some farms where you can go into the patch to choose your gourd. Know of any not mentioned here or in our story? Let me know at [email protected].

Devriendt Farm (178 S. Mast Road in Goffstown; devriendtfarm.com, 497-2793) offers pumpkin picking and a corn maze at its 47 Story Road location in Goffstown on Saturday and Sundays, starting at 10 a.m. with the last entry into the maze at 4:30 p.m. Take a free hay ride to the pumpkin patch; admission to the maze costs $8 for adults (13 and up), $4 for ages 4 to 12 and kids under 3 get in free.

Elwood Orchards (54 Elwood Road in Londonderry; 434-6017, ElwoodOrchards.com) is open daily from 9 to 6 p.m. and offers a pumpkin patch as well as a 15-acre corn maze

McQuesten Farm (330 Charles Bancroft Hwy. in Litchfield, 424-9268) offers free hay rides to its pumpkin patches on weekends — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to a Facebook post.

Featured Photo: Courtesy photo.

Special events for the younger crowd

Compiled by Angie Sykeny
[email protected]

Here are some Halloween happenings geared specifically at kids and families.

Kids special events

Hotel Transylvania (PG, 2012) will screen on Friday, Oct. 20, at 3:30 p.m., a “Little Lunch Date” screening at all three area Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com). Admission is free but reserve a seat with a $5 food voucher.

The New Hampshire Audubon’s McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road in Concord; nhaudubon.org, 224-9909) will hold its annual Enchanted Forest Friday, Oct. 20, and Saturday, Oct. 21, with admission times from 5 to 7:45 p.m. Follow a trail in the forest illuminated by jack-o-lanterns, watch skits, hear stories by the campfire and more, according to the website, where you can purchase tickets for $15 per person.

Kids age 12 and under are invited to the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry) on Saturday, Oct. 21, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when they can meet the ghosts of aviation past, enjoy Halloween treats and receive their “Broomstick Pilot License.” The experience is free with admission to the museum; admission costs $10 for visitors age 13 and up. Visit aviationmuseumofnh.org or call 669-4820.

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover) hosts its Not-So-Spooky Spectacular on Saturday, Oct. 21, with sessions from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes and explore the museum’s exhibits. The event will feature interactive science experiments, crafting in the STEAM Lab, photo opportunities with a moonlit backdrop and a pumpkin scavenger hunt that offers a special prize. A highlight of the afternoon session includes a concert and dance party with kids’ musician Mr. Aaron at 2 p.m. No candy will be given out. Admission is covered by the regular museum entry fee, which is $12.50 for adults and children over age 1 and $10.50 for seniors age 65 and up. Register in advance online at childrens-museum.org.

Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia) will offer its Children’s Trick-or-Treat experience on Saturdays, Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, and Sundays, Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, with start times available on the hour between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. In addition to trick-or-treating, families can meet a friendly witch, see wildlife exhibits and barnyard animals, take a horse-drawn wagon ride, decorate pumpkins, ride a pony and watch a juggling show. Tickets cost $29 per person — admission is free for children under age 2 — and must be purchased online in advance. A Harvest of Haunts offering spookiness that’s not too scary (geared toward ages 12 and under) will take place on the evenings of Saturday, Oct. 21, and Saturday, Oct. 28. Visit visitthefarm.com.

LaBelle Winery (14 Route 111, Derry) hosts its Kids’ Halloween Bash on Sunday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to noon. The event will feature a performance by kids’ musician Mr. Aaron. Attendees are invited to wear costumes and can expect treats, crafts and games suitable for the entire family. Tickets cost $35 for adults, $29 for children ages 2 through 12 and are free for children age 1 and under. Visit labellewinery.com.

The 2nd annual CPL Comic Con at the Concord Library (45 Green St.) is set for Monday, Oct. 23, from 6 to 7 p.m. Teens and tweens ages 11 through 17 are invited to dress as their favorite comic characters and enjoy an evening of snacks, crafts and art. Costumes should be library-appropriate, and no weapons are allowed. Registration is required at concordnh.gov.

The Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford) will host Halloween on the Farm on Tuesday, Oct. 24, from 4 to 6 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to come in costume to enjoy a bonfire, scavenger hunt and Halloween music. The event is free, and fireside treats such as s’mores, apple cider, hot cocoa and hot dogs will be available for purchase at the farm stand. Each child will receive a complimentary Halloween treat. Visit theeducationalfarm.org.

Downtown trick-or-treating in Manchester will take place Friday, Oct. 27, from 3 to 6:30 p.m. The afternoon will feature family-friendly activities, treats and more, according to a press release from Mayor Joyce Craig’s office. Craig will hand out books to kids, who are encouraged to dress up, and visit participating businesses. Stanton Plaza will feature children’s activities, a live DJ and more, the release aid.

Join kids’ musician Laurie Berkner for a Halloween show at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord) on Saturday, Oct. 28, with performances at 11 a.m.and 3 p.m. Laurie will blend her hits with Halloween tunes. Attendees are encouraged to wear dancing shoes and bring a stuffed animal. Tickets cost $31.75 to $86.75 at ccanh.com/show/laurie-berkner.

Join the Kiwanis Club of Manchester at the Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester) on Oct. 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for a Trick-or-Treat-themed storytime and craft session. Visit bookerymht.com to register.

• Families with children of all ages are invited to participate in the family costume parade at the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St.) on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 11 a.m. to noon. Attendees are encouraged to don their costumes and parade around the building. Each department of the library will offer a special treat for the participants. Visit nashualibrary.org.

Trick-or-treat/trunk-or-treat events

Amherst: Trunk-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 4 p.m. in the Clark-Wilkins School parking lot (80 Boston Post Road). Visit amherstnh.gov.

Auburn: Trunk-or-treat on Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Safety Complex (55 Eaton Hill Road). Visit auburnparksandrec.com.

Barnstead: Trunk-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 4 to 8 p.m. at T.L. Storer (1513 Province Road). Visit barnsteadnhparks-rec.com.

Bedford: Trunk-or-treat on Sunday, Oct. 29, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Murphy’s Tap Room parking lot at 393 Route 101. See bedfordnh.myrec.com.

Boscawen: Trick-or-treat on Monday, Oct. 30, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Elektrisola (126 High St.). Visit boscawennh.gov.

Bow: Trunk-or-treat on Sunday, Oct. 29from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Bow High School parking lot (55 Falcon Way). Visit bownh.gov.

Brookline: Trunk-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 3 to 4 p.m. at Brookline Public Library (16 Main St.). Visit brooklinenh.gov.

Canterbury: Trick-or-treat on Friday, Oct. 27, from 5 to 6 p.m. at Canterbury Woods (15 West Road; on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., in the Town Center; and on Sunday, Oct. 29, from 3 to 5 p.m., at Sherwood Forest. Visit canterbury-nh.org.

Concord Farmers Market: Wear costumes and trick-or-treat at vendors at the Saturday, Oct. 28, market, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Capitol Street (next to the Statehouse).

Concord: Trunk-or-treat (part of the Halloween Howl event) on Friday, Oct. 27, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Main Street. Visit intownconcord.org.

Deerfield: Trick-or-treat on Sunday, Oct. 29, at 1 p.m. at the Deerfield Fairgrounds (34 Stage Road). Visit townofdeerfieldnh.com.

Derry: Trick-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 28, from noon to 3 p.m. downtown. Visit derrynh.org.

Epping: Brickyard Scare Trick-or-Treat on Thursday, Oct. 26, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the town’s Brickyard Square. Visit brickyardsquarenh.com.

Exeter: Trick-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 21, from noon to 3 p.m. downtown. Visit exeternh.gov.

Hudson: Trunk-Or-Treat on Sunday, Oct. 29, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Hudson Mall (77 Derry Road in Hudson; thehudsonmall.com)

Manchester: Trick-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 28, from noon to 2 p.m. at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive). Visit milb.com/new-hampshire/events/trick-or-treat-at-the-ballpark.

Milford: Trick-or-treat at the Oval on Friday, Oct. 27, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. downtown. Visit milford.nh.gov.

Newton: Trunk-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. behind Memorial School (31 W. Main St.). Visit newton-nh.gov.

Northwood: Trunk-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Northwood Athletic Fields (611 First NH Turnpike). Visit northwood.recdesk.com.

Tilton: Trunk-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on Main Street. Visit tiltonnh.org.

Wilton: Trick-or-treat on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. on Main Street. Visit visitwilton.com.

Trick-or-Treat Times

Sunday, Oct. 29
New London: 4 to 6 p.m.
Sanbornton: 4 to 7 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 30
Barrington: 5 to 7 p.m.
Lee: 5 to 7 p.m.
Newington: 5 to 7 p.m.
Penacook: 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Strafford: 5 to 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 31
Atkinson: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Bedford: 6 to 8 p.m.
Belmont: 5 to 8 p.m.
Bennington: 5 to 7 p.m.
Bow: 5 to 8 p.m.
Brentwood: 6 to 8 p.m.
Brookline: 6 to 8 p.m.
Candia: 5 to 8 p.m.
Chester: 6 to 8 p.m. on Chester Street
Danville: 6 to 8 p.m.
Derry: 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Dunbarton: 4 to 7 p.m.
Epping: 5 to 7 p.m.
Goffstown: 6 to 8 p.m.
Hampstead: 6 to 8 p.m.
Henniker: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Hill: 6 to 8 p.m.
Hollis: 6 to 8 p.m.
Hooksett: 6 to 8 p.m.
Hopkinton: 5 to 7 p.m.
Kensington: 5 to 7 p.m.
Kingston: 5 to 8 p.m..
Litchfield: 6 to 8 p.m.
Londonderry: 6 to 8 p.m.
Manchester: 6 to 8 p.m.
Merrimack: 6 to 8 p.m.
Milford: 6 to 8 p.m.
Mont Vernon: 6 to 8 p.m. on Main Street
Nashua: 6 to 8 p.m.
New Boston: 6 to 8 p.m.
Newfields: 5 to 7 p.m.
Northfield: 5 to 8 p.m.
Nottingham: 5 to 7 p.m.
Pelham: 5 to 8 p.m.
Pittsfield: 5 to 8 p.m.
Plaistow: 5 to 7 p.m.
Raymond: 5 to 7 p.m.
Salem: 6 to 8 p.m.
Stratham: 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Warner: 5 to 8 p.m.
Wilton: 6 to 8 p.m.
Windham: 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Featured Photo: The Aviation Museum. Courtesy photo.

Parties, spooky attractions and more for Halloween fans of all ages

Enter, if you dare

New Hampshire’s favorite haunted attractions

By Mya Blanchard
[email protected]

Halloween is just over a week away and what better way to get into the spooky spirit than visiting a haunted house? New Hampshire is home to many haunted trails, woods and houses, such as The Dark Woods in Milford, open now through Sunday, Oct. 29, and the award-winning Fright Kingdom in Nashua, now open until Saturday, Nov. 4, for its 19th year.

The Dark Woods at Trombly Gardens in Milford, an offshoot of The Dark Crop haunted corn maze in Hollis, is back for its fourth season.

“It’s got a little bit of everything out here in the woods,” said Willard, The Dark Woods’s hospitality manager. “It’s creepy, it’s really dark, it’s got some jump scares, but most of all it’s got a collection of really unique characters [who] interact with the guests and make jokes. We’ve been [told] we’re just as funny as we are creepy and that’s what sets us apart.”

In addition to the regular walk-through show there is a trauma-free tour with music and theatrical lighting. New for this year is The Darker Woods, an even darker version with only a flashlight provided and the chance of being touched by the trained actors. You can also stop by the farm stand for apple crisp, kettle corn and other treats.

“We like to call ourselves a boutique haunt and in our world what that means is basically we aren’t looking to put through tens of thousands of people,” Willard said. “We have a very specific amount, we tend to sell out on our tickets and we try to give everybody a unique experience.”

A bit to the south is the accredited Fright Kingdom in Nashua.

“Fright Kingdom is like nothing else,” said Tim Dunne, who created Fright Kingdom along with his wife. “[It] is one of the most detailed haunted attractions on the eastern seaboard.”

Set in a 150,000-square-foot building, Fright Kingdom comprises five indoor haunted attractions, this year including Apocalypse Z, Bloodmare Manor, Psycho Circus in 3D, Grim and The Abandoned, with animatronics, more than 100 actors, and pop and theatrical scares coming from high and low.

“Every year we make changes and add all kinds of new effects, we change scares [and] we add animatronics,” he said. “We’ve had more animatronics operating at our facilities than pretty much all the haunted attractions in New Hampshire combined.”

General admission tickets grant you access to all five attractions as well as concessions, T-shirt sales and the chance to get your picture taken with some of the monsters. On Friday, Nov. 3, and Saturday, Nov. 4, is Fright Kingdom In the Dark, which you must sign a waiver to attend. Guests will be given a single light source to navigate through the houses and also face the chance of being touched by the actors. For the younger crowd is Hardly Haunted on Sunday, Oct. 22, a children’s Halloween party and haunted house tour with face painting, dancing, crafts, games, a costume parade and trick-or-treating.

“The way we decide what we’re going to add every year is from customer input,” Dunne said. “We pull from every customer that comes out. We have an area where they can write in their favorite parts. They give us all types of feedback … and we take all that data on an annual basis and decide what we’re going to do for the next season.”

The seasoned haunted house has accumulated many accolades and impressive credits over the years, including being rated the scariest haunted house in New Hampshire by WMUR, and this year will be featured in TransWorld and NetherWorld Haunted House’s Legendary Haunt Tour, a prestigious opportunity for those in the haunted house business, according to Dunne.

Dunne and the Fright Kingdom team were involved in the Adam Sandler movie Hubie Halloween, renting animatronics and props to the production team, with Dunne working as a consultant and some of the Fright Kingdom actors being hired for the film.

“Our goal is to try to scare every single person that goes through Fright Kingdom,” Dunne said. “My hope for this year is every customer that leaves Fright Kingdom feels like they just found their new favorite haunted house.”

Haunted attractions

Fright Kingdom
Where: 12 Simon St., Nashua
General admission
When: Friday, Oct. 20, through Tuesday, Oct. 31
Friday and Saturday, 7 to 10:30 p.m; Sunday, 7 to 10 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 31, 7 to 10 p.m.
Hardly Haunted
Sunday, Oct. 22, 1 to 4 p.m.
In the Dark
Friday, Nov. 3, and Saturday, Nov. 4, 7 to 10 p.m.
Cost: General admission and In the Dark tickets are $35, Hardly Haunted tickets are $10

The Dark Woods
Where: Trombly Gardens, 150 N. River Road, Milford
Scary Walk-Through Show
Fridays, Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, and Saturdays, Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, gate opens at 7 p.m., last ticket sold at 10 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 29, gate opens at 6:30 p.m., last ticket sold at 9:30 p.m.
Trauma-Free Tours
Sundays, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22, 6 to 8 p.m. $13
The Darker Woods
When: Thursday, Oct. 19, 7 to 9 p.m.
Cost: Tickets are $26 for the walk-through tour and trauma free tour, $25 for The Darker Woods

Nightmare New England Presents Spooky World
Where: 454 Charles Bancroft Hwy., Litchfield
When: Thursdays, Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, 7 to 9:45 p.m.; Fridays, Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, 7 to 11:15 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 3, 7 to 10:15 p.m.; Saturdays, Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, 6 to 11:15 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 4, 6 to 10:15 p.m.; Sundays, Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, 6 to 10:15 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 31, 7 to 10:15 p.m.
Cost: Tickets range from $48.51 to $85.53; both general admission and VIP admission tickets are offered.

Haunted Overload
Where: DeMeritt Hill Farm, 20 Orchard Way, Lee
When: Thursday, Oct. 19, through Tuesday, Oct. 31
Main event
Fridays, Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, 7 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays, Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, 6:45 to 9 p.m.; Sundays, Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, 6:30 to 8 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 26, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Friday Night Lite
Thursday, Oct. 19, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Black Out Night
Tuesday, Oct. 31, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Cost: Tickets are $35 for main event, $21.50 for Friday Night Lite, $25 for Black Out Night, $12 for Day Walk

The Salisbury Woods Haunted Barn and Trail
Where: 19 Franklin Road, Salisbury
When: Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 20 through Oct. 28, 7 to 10 p.m.
Cost: Tickets are $15

Screeemfest at Canobie Lake Park
Where: 85 N Policy St., Salem
When: Fridays, Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, 5 to 11 p.m.; Saturdays, Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, 3 to 11 p.m.; Sundays, Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, 1 to 9 p.m.
Cost: General admission tickets range from $40 to $64; those under 48 inches tall and 60 years or older are $36

Featured Photo: The Dark Woods at Trombly Gardens. Courtesy photo.

The state of NH’s bat population and what people can do to help

Bat Week, an international celebration and week of awareness for bats, runs from Tuesday, Oct. 24 through Halloween. While bats are a standard of Halloween scene-setting, many species of bats spend this time of year through mid-April hibernating in caves and mines. There, they face a threat — a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome that has, in addition to habitat loss and fragmentation, nearly obliterated the bat population in New Hampshire.

Bats in peril

“I wouldn’t call any of our bat species common because they all have threats to their population that result in population decline over the last 15 years or so,” said Haley Andreozzi, a wildlife conservation state specialist with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. “We have eight species of bats in the state of New Hampshire and all of them are what we consider species of greatest conservation need, which means they’ve been identified in the state wildlife action plan as species that warrant special concern.”

Half of these species, the little brown bat, eastern-small footed bat, tricolored bat and the northern long-eared bat, are all state endangered, the last of which is also federally threatened. The other species in the state include the big brown bat, the hoary bat, the silver-haired bat and the eastern red bat.

According to Sandra Houghton, wildlife diversity biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, maternity colonies begin to disperse and head to their winter locations in mid-to-late August. Andreozzi says that the hoary bat, eastern red bat and the silver hair bat head south while the rest hibernate in the New England area, mostly Vermont and New York, in caves and mines, where they face the threat of acquiring white-nose syndrome.

“White-nose syndrome was first found in New Hampshire in 2009 and it really has decimated bat populations in the state for those species that spend the winter hibernating in caves and mines,” Andreozzi said. “Their populations have seen declines of [around] 99 percent … in the last 14 years since the occurrence of white-nose syndrome in the state.”

The conditions that are ideal for this fungus to spread are the same that are ideal for bats to hibernate: damp, 40-degree cave environments. The white fungus can be on an affected bat’s ears, wings, tail or nose, and while the fungus itself doesn’t directly result in a bat’s death, it leads to abnormal behaviors that do.

“Bats are typically what we consider true hibernators; they’re really doing everything they can to expend very little to no energy in the winter months,” Andreozzi said. “They’re really kind of shutting down their bodies to make it through the winter so they don’t require any fuel, because their major food source, which is insects, isn’t available in winter. This fungus causes them to become more active and is really forcing them to use up fat stores that they otherwise really rely on to get through those winter months.”

Impacted bats will sometimes fly out of their hibernation sites into the cold to look for food and water and face the risk of freezing or starving to death.
As with many wildlife species, Andreozzi notes, habitat loss and fragmentation pose further threats to bat populations.

“As development and human population has increased, we’ve seen an increase in habitat loss and fragmentation that’s had negative consequences for those species and populations,” she said.

Bats in the ecosystem

Losing the bat population could have negative impacts ecologically and economically.

In tropical areas, bats are very important pollinators for flowering plants, according to Andreozzi. Here, in more northern parts, their primary role is different.

“They eat a ton of insects and here in New Hampshire bats are actually the greatest predator of night flying insects that we have, and that’s because they have extremely high energy,” she said. “It takes a ton of energy for them to fly and so they’re typically eating half their body weight every night in insects, but even more if they’re a female who’s nursing pups.”

According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, this can equate to 1,500 mosquitoes per bat per night. They also feed on agricultural pests, providing a pest control service valued at $3.7 billion annually according to an analysis mentioned on the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department website.
One of the best things people can do to help bats combat the effects of white-nose, according to Andreozzi, is simply let them be and help maintain their habitat. Disturbing them during hibernation and rousing them can threaten their survival during the winter. During the summer, bats’ roosting sites vary depending on the species, eastern small-footed bats preferring hillside or cliffs and northern long-eared bats roosting in cracks in trees or crevices under tree bark. Others, like the big brown bat and the little brown bat, have adapted to using human structures.

“We encourage people to let bats exists where they have for centuries, which is in their barn or other outbuilding, so if someone has bats in their barn, shed or even their attic [if] it’s in a place where it’s not bothering them and there’s no human health concern,” Andreozzi said. “It’s really become an important, valuable bat habitat … and there is a way that bats and people can coexist if there’s no chance of direct contact with humans.”

If you meet a bat…

If you do come in contact with a bat, it’s important to take the right measures. While bats have a reputation for carrying rabies, they don’t carry rabies at a higher rate than any other mammal. Andreozzi says the issue with bat bites versus another animal, like a raccoon, is that their bites are so small you might not even notice you were bitten.

“Any case where a bat is found in a living space, like with a sleeping child [or] some other considerations, it needs to be treated as if the bat does have rabies regardless, and then you should get in touch with the department of health and human services through the state,” Andreozzi said.

If there is no chance of contact and you just wish to remove a bat from your house, she recommends turning off all the lights and opening a window and allowing the bat to fly out on its own. If that doesn’t work or the circumstances are more complicated, you can hire a licensed wildlife control professional for help.

Bat hospitality

Instead of sharing yours, there’s also the option of making bats a home of their own.

“People can install a bat house, which is basically an artificial roost structure,” Andreozzi said.

It’s not as simple as putting up a wooden box and hoping for the best, she says. There are specific features that make a bat house successful.

“You want them to be large, you want them to be dark in color, ideally facing south or southeast so they get really hot, because that’s what the bats are looking for,” Andreozzi said.

According to Bat Conservation International’s “The Bat House Builder’s Handbook,” the chambers of a bat house should be a minimum of 20 inches tall and 14 inches wide to be successful with at least one chamber. The bigger the house, and the more chambers it has, the better. While it’s important for the houses to be hot, ventilation slots are needed to prevent overheating when the average temperature in July is 85 degrees or higher. Having at least three chambers will likely be better at providing appropriate temperature ranges and will be more suitable for a larger number of bats and nursing colonies, according to the guide.

“You want them pretty high off the ground, typically more than 12 feet high or so,” Andreozzi said.

The guide says that bats are better able to find bat houses when they are mounted on poles or buildings as opposed to trees. This is also a more attractive location, as bat houses on trees will likely receive less sun and be more vulnerable to predation. Positioning them under an eave is a way to protect them from both predators and rain.

“With proper specifications and installation practices, those bat houses can be successful,” Andreozzi said. “They’re not always, but they do get occupied by bats pretty regularly when installed around the state.”

Bat Conservation International has further information on building and installing successful bat houses.

If building your own doesn’t sound like your thing, you can always purchase one and install it. In addition, there are other measures you can take when caring for your property.

“People can maintain or enhance bat habitat on their property or in their communities,” Andreozzi said. “Bats are using forested areas for roosting [and are] really interested in some of these dead trees we call ‘snags,’ these dead standing trees or cavity trees, so leaving some of those on the landscape can be beneficial.”

Other ways to be more “bat friendly,” according to Bat Conservation International, include opting for organic practices in your garden instead of using pesticides and remedial timber treatment agents, both of which can poison bats, and planting native plants and moth hosting plants that will attract native insects, noting that white and light-colored flowers are especially attractive to nighttime pollinators. On a larger scale, Andreozzi adds that conserving large areas of land that are ideal for foraging near ponds and streams is also helpful.

Another way people can help is by participating in UNH Cooperative Extension and New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Bat Counts program.

“Bat counts take about an hour and a half in an evening, starting a half hour before dusk, and volunteers are asked to conduct at least one count in June and one count in July, though they can count more frequently than that if desired,” Andreozzi said in an email. “The data collected helps us understand where bats currently live in New Hampshire and in what numbers, as well as help us learn more about the site characteristics where bats exist and are maybe even thriving.” In the 2022 Bat Count, 3,777 bats were counted, according to data provided by Andreozzi.

Training for the counts take place in May or June every year both virtually and in person. If interested, you can visit wildlife.nh.gov. For more information on upcoming sessions and training opportunities, as well as summer bat count results, you can sign up for the NH Bat Counts newsletter.

Bats of New Hampshire

The following information comes from the New Hampshire Wildlife Action Plan.

Big brown bat
Big brown bats have three habitat types: forests, buildings and caves or mines. They can be found statewide in all forests, but are unlikely to be found in forests at high elevations. Forests with wetland, streams or other openings offer sites for foraging. During their active season, they use trees for day and night roosting and buildings for night and maternity roosting. During hibernation, they will use insulated buildings, caves, mines and artificial subterranean structures. Their habitat is highly threatened due to habitat conversion and the evicting bats out of buildings. Their bigger size and ability to hibernate in buildings means they are not quite as affected by white-nose syndrome as other hibernating bat species.

Little brown bat
Like big brown bats, little brown bats live in forests, buildings and caves or mines and can be found anywhere in the state in different kinds of forests, but likely not in ones of high elevation. Their population has been greatly affected by white-nose syndrome, and they also have a high risk rating for human disturbances in their hibernation habitats.

Tricolored bat
Tricolored bats hibernate in caves and mines, and occasionally in other structures, but there is no data available about where they roost during the summer in New Hampshire. Data from the Midwest shows that they are generally a foliage-roosting species, with females from maternity colonies living in the dead foliage of deciduous trees, particularly oak and maple.

Silver-haired bat
The biggest threat to silver-haired bats is not white-nose syndrome — they migrate south in the fall — but wind turbines and habitat loss. Findings in their habitat studies have varied but it seems they typically roost in tree hollows and deep cavities in early to moderately decayed tall trees.

Northern long-eared bat
Northern long-eared bats rely on caves and mines for hibernation — often in crevices or on the surface of walls and ceilings — and also use them year-round. They also roost in trees, both alive and dead. High-ranking threats for them are disturbance from humans as well as white-nose syndrome.

Eastern red bat
Eastern red bats are another species that head south for the winter. They spend their New Hampshire summers roosting in tree foliage high off the ground in a variety of large deciduous trees near permanent water sources. They may roost closer to the ground when roosting in fragmented habitats like urban areas and farmland. Their biggest threats are habitat loss and wind turbines.

Hoary bat
As with many other migrating bat species, the biggest threat facing hoary bats are wind turbines and habitat loss. While in New Hampshire for the summer, they roost in tree foliage, often woodpecker holes or squirrel nests and in branches sheltered by foliage about 12.7 meters off the ground.

Eastern small-footed bat
Eastern small-footed bats live in rocky outcrops in the summer and in caves or mines in the winter. Their species status is not well known, but they have been caught in southern parts of the state during the summer months. They prefer colder hibernation temperatures and seem to arrive at their hibernation spot later and leave earlier than most other bat species, where the threat rank is high for disturbance from humans. One known winter site is the abandoned Mascot Lead Mine, which has stability concerns and accumulation debris, putting it at risk of collapsing.

Cover Photo: Big Brown Bat. Courtesy photo.