Category: Cover Stories

With fall around the corner, we will soon see the days get shorter, the temperatures cooler, and many hawks in the sky. According to Chris Martin, wildlife and conservation biologist at the New Hampshire Audubon, September through November is the time frame in which hawks migrate to their wintering locations, making fall an ideal time for hawk watching.

Not all hawks migrate. What classifies these species of birds as what we call birds of prey is their feet, which actually makes “raptor” the more accurate term.

“Some people refer to them as birds of prey … but that is sort of an artificial category,” Martin said. “The fact is almost all birds are carnivorous [to] some degree. … What separates these birds of prey is the fact that they have feet that are adapted to grasp living food items. … ‘Raptorial’ refers to that sort of style of foot that includes long claws and strong grasping feet.”

In New Hampshire, seven common categories of raptors are owls, accipiters, buteos, eagles, falcons, harriers and ospreys. Each is broken down further into different species as the result of evolution and natural selection, Martin says.

“The differences are based on their evolution and how they specialize,” he said. “Each group specializes in how they hunt, where they hunt, what they hunt for, and then they have specialties in the kind of habitat they put their nests in. The idea is [they] don’t want to compete with other types of birds of prey if [they] can create a specialty that works for [them].”

Common NH raptor species

Osprey

According to Martin, the driving factor for raptors to migrate is the availability of food.

Ospreys are the perfect example of how important this can be, as they rely almost exclusively on fish. With lakes being covered in ice here in New Hampshire during the winter, ospreys migrate to South America and the tropics in the fall. In the spring they return, except for the young ospreys, who, interestingly, don’t return until the following spring when they are 2 years old. While it is not clear why ospreys do this, Martin says it could be to hone their fish-catching skills.

“It’s certainly an odd strategy, but it seems to work,” Martin said.

The fishing strategy that ospreys use is unlike that of any other raptor, according to Martin.

“They evolved this style of diving into water and catching fish,” he said. “Other birds of prey use [their] feet to fish [but] in a different way than this. Osprey will fly over still water, like a lake, and see a fish near the surface and drop in on it from 50 feet above it. They go in feet first and grasp it as they hit the water, oftentimes [disappearing] into the water before [rising] back to the surface and [flying] off with a fish.”

According to hawkwatch.org, ospreys’ feet are specialized for grasping, with all four of their talons curved more than that of other raptors. They also have spicules, or small spines, on the bottom of their feet and the ability to rotate their outer toe backward to hold slippery objects and carry fish. They have black feathers on their topside, a white head with a black eye-line, and when in flight, they glide on bowed wings that form an “M” shape.

Returning to the north in the spring can be a gamble for osprey.

“[They] push the limits when they come back at the end of March,” Martin said. “Oftentimes the water around their nest site where they spend the spring and summer is still frozen when they get back [and] they have to resort to nearby flowing water and rivers. … That can be a challenge because it can be cloudy or muddy in the spring and they can’t see the fish that they’re trying to hunt.”

Many raptors are in a hurry to return and reclaim their breeding sites before they are taken over by another bird. Ospreys sometimes use dead trees that are exposed in marshes, a niche that most other birds of prey don’t occupy. They can also be found using transmission lines, telephone poles and electrical poles. In fact, Martin adds, it’s possible a quarter of our osprey population uses cell towers for their nests.

“They’re pretty adaptable to all sorts of environments,” he said.

Barred owl

At night, while other raptors are resting at their roosts, owls are active and on the hunt for voles, shrews, mice and other prey. These nocturnal birds have a series of adaptations that make them deft for nighttime hunting. According to Martin, in addition to their ability to see well in the dark, they rely on their hearing and are able to detect prey rustling and moving through blades of grass.

“Their ears are not uniformly placed on either side [of their head],” he said. “One is higher and the other is lower on the side of the skull and that helps them differentiate where a sound is coming from. I think a barred owl could probably locate prey and go after it … even if it was blind.”

The shape of their face also enables them to effectively locate sound.

“‘Facial disk’ is the term that we use for it,” Martin said. “[They have a] flattened face that puts their eyes forward and the face actually focuses sound and delivers it to the ears, so it helps with the process of pinpointing where a rustling sound is coming from.”

Of all the owls we have in New Hampshire, like the barn owl, which doesn’t currently breed in the state, and the snowy owl, which only resides here in the winter, barred owls are the most common.

“Barred owls are medium-sized forest owls that are very vocal and have a call that is easily recognized [that] sounds like ‘who cooks for you?’” Martin said. “It’s one that you often might find in a forested backyard or park and they often vocalize during the day as well. They are the owls in the state that you’re most likely to encounter just in your everyday activities.”

Although they don’t live in wetlands — they nest in cavities in large trees in forests — barred owls are often associated with wetlands, as much of what they eat is located on the forested edge and in grass along the edge of a marsh, like salamanders and leopard frogs. They also hunt on roadside edges, particularly in areas where there are ditches that can collect water, as much of their prey is associated with water. This, however, poses a great risk.

“A lot of times they’re so focused on hunting that when they make a dive at sort of a 45-degree angle from their perch to the ground to grab [their prey], if that dive includes going over a roadside, they often get hit by vehicles,” Martin said. “One of our key wildlife rehabilitators in Henniker … at Wings of Dawn receives many injured barred owls that [are] injured on one side of their head because of impact with a vehicle. That’s a very common injury.”

Peregrine falcon

Among the fastest of all raptors are falcons. With their speed and long, pointed wings, they have adapted to dive and chase their prey down in midair. Three well-known falcons in New Hampshire are kestrels, merlins and, perhaps the most famous, the peregrine falcon. Although their plumage varies, adult peregrines tend to be white below and bluish gray above while juveniles start out with a buff color on their underside and brown to a slate-like color above, according to hawkwatch.org.

“That’s the one that’s been subject to a lot of restoration efforts nationwide in the 1980s through early 2000s, and we’ve pretty much recovered them from a point where they were almost extinct in the U.S.,” Martin said. “They’re still on our New Hampshire state threatened list, but their population has been growing gradually.”

Peregrines take advantage of vertical landscape features for their nests, whether natural like cliffs, or manmade structures such as buildings and bridges. From their perch they have an optimal view to look for prey, which consists mostly of other birds such as starlings, blue jays, robins and other medium-sized birds, or birds as big as pigeons, mourning doves and occasionally a small duck, according to Martin. While birds of prey will take what’s abundant in their environment, he says the size of the prey is a factor.

“There’s a limit to the size of the food item that they can bring back,” he said. “[A] pigeon is probably the biggest, bulkiest thing that they will eat regularly, and that’s a real challenge for a male peregrine because they are the smaller of the two sexes and they do most of the hunting. A pigeon is a big item for them. It probably weighs close to the same amount as a male peregrine.”

In addition to other birds, young peregrines will train for hunting by catching dragonflies and bats.

Something that helps peregrine falcons hunt is their ability to sense weakness or vulnerability in other birds, Martin says. For example, if a bird is fatigued from migrating and struggling to find a place to land, peregrines can pick up on that and home in on that bird as a target.

“[It’s] just remarkable that they can recognize something that is out of its element and utilize that as a food source,” Martin said.

Broad-winged hawk

If you’ve seen a hawk soaring in circles in the open over a field, or dropping down onto a highway median, it was likely a buteo. Their long, broad wings make wide open spaces suitable for these birds to hunt, as they are well-adapted to using thermal lifts to bring them up high where they can scan for food, according to Martin.

“They’ll fly in circles over a field or a forest and look for an item that’s vulnerable and then dive on that,” he said. “Or in some cases they’ll perch on phone poles or wires and drop down on a mammal they see in the grass.”

New Hampshire buteo species include red-shouldered hawks, broad-winged hawks and rough-legged hawks, the last of which are only here during the winter months. While the red-tailed hawk is most commonly seen, the broad-winged hawk is likely the most numerous, nesting in tree canopies in the forest and feeding on prey like squirrels and mice.

According to hawkwatch.org, broad-winged hawks are small buteos with a compact body, bulky chest, a large head and about a 35-inch wingspan.

“[Broad-winged hawks] are very abundant in the state as a breeder, and are famous in the fall for kettling, a whole bunch of them getting together in a group and … migrating south,” Martin said. “Thousands of broad-winged hawks will travel all the way down to the tropics and into northern South America in September mostly, and so hawk watches where you can see these birds kettling and migrating are actually very popular in the eastern U.S.”

Sharp-shinned hawk

While buteos have long wings that enable them to soar through the open sky, accipiters have short wings that allow them to navigate between trees and around obstacles to go after prey, which in most cases are other birds, according to Martin.

“You might encounter an accipiter when you’re hiking in the woods,” he said. “It might come right down the path at you because it’s flying through that gap in the forest. It’s not trying to attack you necessarily, but it’s using those narrow lanes to maneuver and oftentimes surprise its prey.”

The most common accipiter, and the smallest hawk in North America, according to hawkwatch.org, is the sharp-shinned hawk.

“They’re only slightly bigger than blue jays, so that’s a bird most people would recognize … although they’re a little tough to see because the forest canopy hides them much of the time,” Martin said.

In flight, these birds appear stocky with short, rounded wings and a long, slender tail, as reported by hawkwatch.org, which describes them as adeptly maneuverable and buoyant. From below, adults are barred white and rufous, with upper parts being a grayish blue with a blackish head. Their eyes start out yellow as juveniles, eventually turning orange, then dark red as they age.

Bald eagle

While famous for their bright white head, yellow beak, blackish-colored body and expansive wingspan — eagles are the largest of all raptors — bald eagles do not look this way until they are fully mature. As juveniles they appear brown overall with a dark bill and eyes and a black tail with some white mottling, according to hawkwatch.org.

The bald eagle population in New Hampshire has drastically increased in the last 30 years, according to Martin, thanks to efforts to give them better conditions.

“Near a river or a lake you have a really good chance of seeing a bald eagle,” he said. “[People] would not have said the same thing back in the 1960s, ’70s or ’80s, so that’s a really obvious change.”

The slope of the population continues to climb, doubling every six or seven years.

“I’m waiting for it to curve and flatten off,” Martin said. “I assume we’re going to reach a carrying capacity at some point soon, but the charts aren’t showing it yet.”

While not exclusively fish eaters, bald eagles are rather aquatic-focused and build their nests near large lakes and rivers. Rather opportunistic hunters, they’ll eat a variety of prey such as muskrats, herons, duck and turtles and will even scavenge on roadkill and carrion when turkey vultures aren’t around to do so in the winter.

“They’re very adapted to cold weather,” Martin said. “Once an eagle pair establishes a territory for breeding, almost all of them will be on that territory within 5 miles of the nest site year-round through the coldest part of our winter season. They’ll do nest maintenance … and defend their territory from rivals that might want to move in and take over the site.”

Northern harrier

The only type of harrier in North America, appropriately named the northern harrier, is among the rarest raptors in the state.

“In New Hampshire currently their populations are listed endangered,” Martin said. “We probably only have 10 to 20 pairs of them anywhere in the state.”

What sets these birds apart from other raptors is that while most nest on cliffs, trees or other elevated areas, harriers nest on the ground. The breeding population is concentrated up north in Coos County, where there tend to be more hayfields, swamps and shrubby areas.

“They go to great lengths to hide where they nest by landing away from the nest and walking through the grass and shrubs to get to it, as opposed to landing right on the nest, which can pinpoint where it is to anything that might be watching,” Martin said.

They build their nests in high, dry spots of wetlands in areas with shrubs and vegetation. This serves as a platform for their nest and keeps their eggs out of the water. This also means that they are surrounded by water on all sides like a moat, which adds another layer of protection. Like owls, harriers rely a great deal on their hearing, and they even have the facial disk that is characteristic of owls. Adult male harriers have a white underside and gray upper side with black wingtips and yellow eyes, according to hawkwatch.org. Below, adult females are a buff color with streaks of brown and dark brown above. Their eyes start out a dark brown but change to yellow over about three years. Juvenile harriers resemble adult females but have distinct rufous underparts.

In the wetlands they feed on frogs and small wetland birds, but they also travel upland to grassy areas and hayfields where they will follow farmers who are tending to their fields to find other prey.

Martin says, “Harriers will follow these mowers because … they’re oftentimes displacing mice and voles that nest in the grass … [and] creating grasshopper and white footed moth mortality. That makes those things just available … for the picking, for the harriers to grab and then take back to their young.”

Migration and hawk watching

With September through October being migration season for raptors, the fall (and the spring, when they return) is the perfect time for hawk watching.

Phil Brown, bird conservation director and land specialist for the Harris Center for Conservation Education, says the ideal places to spot hawks are along ridge lines with a clear opening to the north, and coastlines, as some species, like ospreys and eagles, will follow the Merrimack and Connecticut rivers, hunting fish along the way.

According to Brown, broad-winged hawks make up the majority of the birds counted during the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory hawk watch at Miller State Park in Peterborough.

“We count about 15 different species of raptors that migrate throughout the fall,” Brown said. “We see hawks that [nest] in New Hampshire and surrounding New England, also species that are coming from farther north that are passing through. … The very common species, the broad-winged hawk … makes up about 75 percent of our annual count.”

The Harris Center is a regional land trust and environmental education organization in Hancock. One of its main missions is land protection, and in its 50-plus years it has helped protect 26,000 acres of land. The Center also focuses on the conservation of species in need and educates the public on these topics. The Harris Center has taken sole responsibility for the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory, which was founded by NH Audubon in 2005. Every day from Sept. 1 through Nov. 20, staff or volunteers count and document raptors during fall migration while also engaging with the public.

“It’s a perfect combination of education and research,” Brown said. “It’s a great way to engage with thousands of visitors every year. I think last year we had over 6,000 visitors, which was about average.”

Second to the broad-winged hawk is the sharp-shinned hawk, with smaller numbers of other raptors like bald eagles, osprey, peregrine falcons and red-tailed hawks.

“Sometimes … we have really excellent days where there are 4,000 to 5,000 hawks seen in one day from the observatory from one point, so that tends to really be something that surprises folks,” Brown said.

As far as what kind of bird you will see on a given day, this varies depending on the point in the season, as they don’t all migrate at the same time. They each respond to different triggers in the environment, whether that be availability of their food source, change in daylight length, thermal formations or the presence of ice or snow, according to Brown.

“As a result, you never know what you’re going to see at the hawk watch from day to day,” he said. “We have a good idea of who’s coming next and generally what numbers, but we get surprised up there every day to some degree.”

According to the observatory, some birds, like the red-shouldered hawk, pass through at a fairly steady rate throughout most of the migration season. The data for broad-winged hawks, however, is heavily skewed.

“[Broad-winged hawks] all fly together within a two-week period typically,” Brown said. “It’s thought to be more of a social gathering of convenience. They all have to get to where they’re going in the same conditions, so they travel on particular weather days that are advantageous to their migration, and that tends to bring them together in the same places at the same time.”

Transmitters affixed to some of these birds have located raptors traveling as far as South America, with broad-winged hawks being located in Brazil, Bolivia and Colombia, according to Brown. He adds that others, like the bald eagle and peregrine falcon, have less of a journey, traveling a short way south of the state border.

Population and conservation

According to Brown, hawk populations are still in their recovery phase.

When populations were dangerously low in the 1960s, with some breeding species completely gone from the state, efforts were taken across the nation to recover them, Martin said.

“The two species that we’ve focused on the most in the last couple decades have been the bald eagles and the peregrine falcons, and both have seen great recovery,” said Sandi Houghton, wildlife diversity biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

According to Martin, in the 1960s all breeding peregrines and bald eagles in New Hampshire were gone. The culprit was DDT, an insecticide heavily used in the ’50s and ’60s that worked its way up the food chain to top-level predators like raptors, preventing them from breeding successfully. The chemical caused the shells of their eggs to be brittle and thin, which caused them to break during incubation and hindered the shells’ ability to preserve moisture and regulate gas exchange from inside and outside the egg.

“The problem was the adults didn’t die from it, so for years both eagles and peregrines were trying to breed and failing, but for all intents and purposes you’d look at them and you’d see healthy birds,” Martin said. “So the problem snuck up on us when all of a sudden those older adults started to die [and] there were no young birds to replace them. The population just plummeted.”

NH Audubon has worked with other organizations like New Hampshire Fish and Game, The Peregrine Fund and White Mountain National Forest Fund to restore the peregrine falcon population since the early 1980s. This included steps involving the land, the health of the birds and the behavior of people.

“For peregrines, the biggest problem at the beginning was they were all gone,” Martin said. “So there was an effort to return them to the state by releasing young ones that had been raised in captivity [through] a process called hacking.”

He said that two release sites were established in northern New Hampshire, as well as others in surrounding states. Audubon, along with New Hampshire Fish and Game, started asking and training volunteers to look and listen for the presence of peregrines, as well as checking cliffs for nests. In the ’80s, occupied cliffs began being documented. Signs would eventually be put up asking people to not climb in these areas. The Peregrine Fund also collected unhatched eggs to check for high levels of chemicals and the thickness of the shells. Rock climbers were enlisted to put identification bands on peregrine chicks for the purpose of documenting where they would eventually go and where they would nest.

NH Audubon provides a livestream video of a peregrine falcon nest at the Brady Sullivan Tower on Elm Street in Manchester. Martin says an adult pair lives there year-round and fledged four young this past June, marking the 23rd consecutive year the peregrines on Elm Street have produced offspring.

While peregrines are still listed as threatened in New Hampshire, according to Houghton, there have been promising signs of recovery.

“We’ve gone from seven pairs in 1990 to almost 30 pairs currently,” Martin said. “That’s been 30 years, so the population has been growing very gradually.”

Martin says similar efforts were taken to recover the bald eagle population, which has gone from zero documented pairs in the ’60s to 10 sites nests around 2000 and now 100 territorial pairs in the state.

“In 2017 we were able to delist them from our threatened and endangered species list due to their recovery, and since then we’ve continued to see exponential growth,” Houghton said. “They’re in many ways a conservation success story that serves as a model for other species.”

Hawk watches

Visit hawkcount.org for information.

• Alton Bay Hawk Watch
  Alton
  Fall: Sept. 10 to Oct. 15
• Carter Hill Observatory
  Concord
  Fall: Sept. 1 to Nov. 15
• Grant’s Hill
  Gilmanton
• Little Blue Job Mountain
  Strafford, Farmington
• Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory
  Peterborough
  Fall: Sept. 1 to Nov. 20
• Pitcher Mountain
  Stoddard
  Spring: March 1 to June 1
  Fall: Aug. 20 to Nov. 30
• Peter Wood Hill
  Deering
  Spring: March 15 to April 30
  Fall: Sept. 1 to Oct. 30

Featured photo: Bald eagle. Photo by Joe Grande.

Your guide to Martial arts, Sports, Dance, Music and More spectacular extracurriculars

Soccer practice, theater rehearsals, painting class, guitar lessons, pointe — fall can present a packed schedule. As kids go back to school, their after-school activities also kick off a new season. Looking for something new to get your kid excited about the new school year? Or a place to build on skills? Or a sport to keep them active? Here are several area after-school activity offerings. Information is according to the organizations’ websites and social media. Registration has already begun or will begin shortly for many of these activities. Know of some fall fun not mentioned here? Let us know at [email protected].

ART

• Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford, 672-2500, creativeventuresfineart.com) has an after-school class for the 8-to-12 age group called “Painting Fun for Children and Tweens”; the class meets on Thursdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. See the website for details.

• Currier Museum Art Center (180 Pearl St., Manchester, 518-4922, currier.org) offers weekly classes for kids and teens Wednesdays afterschool and Saturdays. The first fall session starts Sept. 20; registration opens Monday, Aug. 21.

• Kimball Jenkins School of Art (266 N. Main St., Concord, 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com) offers youth classes and teen classes in various art forms.

• Let’s Play Music! (145 Hampstead Road, Derry, 425-7575; letsplaymusic.com) offers art classes (grouped by age) for kids ages 6 through 12 as well as classes for teens. 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) A stop-motion animation film class for ages 8 to 16 will run Tuesdays, 4 to 5:30 p.m., from Sept. 12 through Oct. 24. The cost is $140. Other classes in painting, drawing and art lessons in other media run continuously (for children as well as for teens and adults). Home-school and toddler-and-me classes are also available.

• Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5597, 550arts.com) The 10-week fall session begins Tuesday, Sept. 5. Clay classes for kids 9 to 12 years old run Monday or Tuesday afternoons at 4 p.m. (the cost is $175 for a nine-week session on Mondays or $185 for a 10-week Tuesday session); a teen (ages 13 to 18) clay class runs Thursdays at 4 p.m. and costs $200. Classes for home-school students can also be scheduled (for six or more students); contact the studio.

DANCE

Note on dance classes: In addition to monthly tuition, many dance classes also have registration, performance and costume fees. Many studios also offer discounts for siblings and for taking multiple classes per month.

• Alicia’s School of Dance (Fox Pond Plaza, 58 Route 129, Suite 201, Loudon, 406-0416, aliciasschoolofdance.com) The new season of classes begins Tuesday, Sept. 5. Offerings include a creative dance class for 2- to 3-year-olds, tap/jazz/ballet combo classes for 4- to 10-year-olds (grouped according to age), hip-hop, gymnastics and teen classes. Classes cost $60 per month for one class a week plus $20 per class for extra classes and $35 per class for siblings and parents.

• Allegro Dance Academy (100 Factory St., Nashua, 886-7989, allegrodancenh.com) offers a variety of classes for several age groups, starting with ages 1.5 to 2.5 and up to ages 14 and older. Classes must have a minimum of six dancers to run. Classes include ballet, tap, hip-hop, tumbling, boys’ intro to hip-hop, acro, jazz, lyrical & contemporary, and performance team & technique. Pricing is per family; preschool registration is $69 per month, other pricing is tiered, depending on number of classes per week, and there is an annual registration and recital fee of $65 per student or $80 per family.

• Ameri-kids Baton & Dance (Candia Youth Athletic Association, 27 Raymond Road, Candia, 391-2254, ameri-kids.org) offers baton-twirling and dance in recreational and competitive programs for kids ages 5 and up, September through May. Classes start at $65 for a 45-minute session, plus an annual $30 registration fee.

• Bedford Dance Center (172 Route 101, Bedford, 472-5141, bedforddancecenter.com) Classes start in September; tuition costs between $59 and $74 per month, based on the hours per week of class, and a $315 per month pass allows for unlimited classes. Classes are available for ages 3 through 18 with subjects including ballet, acro, jazz, tap, modern dance and ensemble for different age and skill levels.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) Classes begin the week of Aug. 28 and run through June 8, 2024. Dance classes include preschool ballet (starting at age 2) as well as ballet, acro, jazz and tap (for ages 5 through 18). Prices vary based on class and age and are charged monthly. BYPC also offers music and theater classes.

• Broadway Bound Performing Arts Center (501 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-8844, broadwayboundpac.com) Classes start the week of Sept. 11 and include preschool classes (ages 2 through 5), ballet, hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, tap, tumbling, musical theater, theater arts and competition classes as well as special needs classes. The center also offers adult ballet and tap. Most classes are $65 or $70 per month.

• The Cadouxdle Dance Studio (297 Derry Road, Hudson, 459-4392, thecadouxdledancestudio.com) Classes start Sept. 5. Classes start at age 3 and beginner-friendly classes are available for elementary and middle school-aged kids. Cadouxdle also offers private lessons and beginner-friendly adult classes. Offerings include tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical and more.

• Concord Dance Academy (26 Commercial St., Concord, 226-0200, concorddanceacademy.com) Classes start Sept. 18 and include tap/ballet/jazz combo classes (for ages 2 to 4 and 5 to 7), ballet, tap, hip-hop, jazz, contemporary (for ages 13+), pointe (also age 13+, by invitation) and karate. Tuition starts at $80. Adult classes in several subjects are also available.

• Creative Dance Workshop of Bow (1355 Route 3A, Unit A & B, Bow, 225-7711, nhdances.com) Classes start Sept. 11 and include Tiny Dancers (for ages 18 months through 3 years), Dance Kids (for ages 3 to 4), combo classes (tap/ballet/jazz or tap/jazz) grouped by age, and single-subject classes — ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater, acro, lyrical/contemporary and hip-hop. There are also dance teams (auditions required) and adult classes. Tuition per class is $70 per month.

• The Dance Company (130 Route 101A, Amherst, 864-8374, thedancecompanyonline.com) Classes begin in September. Offerings include preschool (grouped by age, from under 3 through 5) classes (ballet, tumble, tap) as well as acro, ballet, hip-hop, jazz, tap and theater for ages 5 through 18. Lyrical/contemporary and power clinics are also offered for ages 6 and up. Monthly tuition starts at $60 and is based on length of class.

• Dance Connection Fitness & Performing Arts (8 Rockingham Road, Windham, 893-4919, danceconnectionnh.com) The new season begins Sept. 18. Combo classes, grouped by age, are available for ages 2.5 through 8 (combos include ballet/tap, ballet/tap/jazz, hip-hop/gymnastics) as well as a cheerleader/gym class for ages 7 to 10. Single-subject classes include hip-hop (starting at age 5, including an all-boys class), contemporary (starting at age 8), gymnastics (starting at age 6) and company classes (which perform and compete).

• Dance Visions Network (699 Mast Road, Manchester, 626-7654, dancevisionsnetwork.com) Classes begin after Labor Day and are geared toward age 7 and up. Subjects include ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop and tumbling. Monthly tuition is based on length of class.

• The Dancing Corner (23 Main St., Nashua, 889-7658, dancingcorner.com) Classes for the fall/winter/spring begin after Labor Day. Tuition is based on classes per week and charged at the beginning of five seven-week sessions. Classes range in age from 3 through adult with pre-dance classes (grouped by age) available for kids ages 3 through 6. Class subjects include ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, lyrical, musical theater and more.

• Dimensions in Dance (84 Myrtle St., Manchester, 668-4196, dimensionsindance.com) Classes begin Sept. 5. Classes are available for ages 2 through adult and focuses include ballet, acro-jazz, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, modern, tap, theater dance and more. Monthly tuition is based on class length and starts at $48.

• Happy Feet Dance School (25 Indian Rock Road, Windham, 434-4437, happyfeetdanceschool.biz) Classes start at age 2 and are available through teens. Dance classes for ages 2 through 5 include Tiny Tots, Creative Dance and Kinder Kids classes. Offerings for ages 6 and up (grouped by age and skill level) include ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, contemporary and more. Monthly tuition is based on length of class and starts at $64.

• Highland Dance of NH Scot (nhscot.org) is accepting new students for its classes which will run in four sessions during the 2023-2024 school year, starting with the first session on Oct. 9. Eight-week sessions take place on Monday at 25 Triangle Park Drive in Concord, divided by ages with the youngest group (ages 4 to 6) dancing from 4:30 to 5 p.m. through a beginner class for ages 16+ at 6:15 p.m.

• Kathy Blake Dance Studios (3 Northern Blvd., Amherst, 673-3978, kathyblakedancestudios.com) Classes begin Sept. 6. Classes are available for kids as young as 1 (walking) and classes for older preschoolers include ballet, tap & ballet and AcroDance. Classes for ages 5 through 18 (grouped by age and skill) include jazz, musical theater jazz, hip-hop, lyrical contemporary, AcroDance, ballet, tap and more. The studio also offers dance teams (grouped by age) and adult classes. Monthly tuition is based on class length and starts at $60.

• Londonderry Dance Academy (21 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 432-0032, londonderrydance.com) Class offerings include ballet (starting at ages 2), jazz, tap, contemporary, hip-hop, acro and triple threat prep (open to ages 8 through 17). Tuition is billed every two months and is based on class length.

• Martin School of Dance (288 Route 101, Bedford, 488-2371, martinschoolofdance.com) Classes include ballet, hip-hop, tap, acro and jazz. Classes are available for ages 2 through 5, ages 5 to 7 and ages 7+, including a program focused solely on ballet. (Adult fitness classes are also available).

• Melissa Hoffman Dance Center (210 Robinson Road, Hudson, 886-7909, melissahoffmandancecenter.info) Classes begin Sept. 11 and include offerings from babies through teens. Dance focuses include ballet, tap, hip-hop, tumble, modern, lyric and jazz.

• Miss Kelsey’s Dance Studio (2626 Brown Ave., Manchester, 606-2820, mkdance.com) Classes include acro, ballet, breakdance, lyrical/contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, tap and musical theater as well as a series of classes for preschool (as young as 1.5 years) students.

• Nancy Chippendale’s Dance Studios (49 Range Road, Building 2, Suite A, Windham, 458-7730, chippswindham.com) The studio will have open house events on Tuesdays, Aug. 22, Aug. 29 and Sept. 5, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The studio offers Babysteps (ages 1 to 4) programming as well as recreational (ages 2 to 19) and competitive (entering grades 3 through 12; audition required) offerings. Recreational classes (grouped by age) include combo classes featuring ballet, tap, jazz and hip-hop (the mix of styles is based by age). Monthly tuition is based on length of class/number of class hours and starts at $80.

• New England School of Dance (679 Mast Road, Manchester, 935-7326, newenglandschoolofdance.com) offers a variety of classes that range from an hour or two per week for younger students to classes for students hoping for a career in dance or theater (students in the pre-professional track, for example, take 6 to 10 hours of dance per week). Dance styles include ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical and acro. Monthly tuition is based on class length/number of class hours.

• New Hampshire Academie of Dance (1 Action Blvd., No. 4, Londonderry, 432- 4041, nhadance.com) Classes start Sept. 11 with classes that range from babies (Dance and Play With Me, starting at 8 months) through teen. Dance classes include ballet, aerial, hip-hop, jazz, acro, lyrical and tap. Monthly tuition is based on length of class/number of class hours and starts at $57.

• New Hampshire School of Ballet (183 Londonderry Tpke., Hooksett, 668-5330, nhschoolofballet.com) Class offerings include ballet (for kids starting at 2.5 years), tap, jazz, tumblers and lyrical. Students perform in two shows a year. Monthly tuition is based on class level and number of classes per week.

• N-Step Dance Center (1134 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 641-6787, nstepdance.com) Class offerings include preschool offerings (tiny tots for ages 1.5 as well as pre-dance), as well as multiple levels of ballet, lyrical, musical theater, jazz, hip-hop and tumbling. Monthly tuition varies by level and number of classes per month.

• Palace Theatres Dance Studio (palacetheatre.org) offers 11-week sessions starting in September, teaching technique and choreography in jazz, tap, contemporary and more. Classes are held at Forever Emma Studios, 516 Pine St., Manchester. Intro to Dance is for ages 3 to 5; a tap/jazz/ballet hybrid class is offered for grades 1 and 2, and for grades 3 to 5. Classes in hip-hop and contemporary dance are offered for grades 4 to 12, and for grades 6 to 12 there are three levels of classes in tap, jazz, and dance technique. Classes cost $220 with some categories offering additional courses for $165.

• Rise Dance Studio (125 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 402-2706, risedancenh.com) Class offerings include pre-dance as well as ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary and hip-hop. The studio also features by-invitation ballet, hip-hop and contemporary companies.

• Showcase Dance & Performing Arts Center (5 Executive Drive, Hudson, 883- 0055, showcasehudsonnh.com) offers dance classes starting at 12 months as well as cheerleading, a competitive dance team, tumbling classes and music and voice lessons. Graded technique classes include ballet, tap, acro, hip-hop and jazz.

• Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater (19 Harvey Road, Bedford, 637-4398, snhdt.org) Open house days are scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 23, from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 26, from 9:30 a.m. to noon for prospective dancers ages 18 month to adults (see the website for the specific window to try out specific dance classes). Classes are offered in divisions — preschool (ages 18 months to 6 years), youth (ages 7 to 18), pre-professional (ages 10 to 18) and adult. Youth classes include ballet, modern, jazz, tap and hip-hop. There is also a student company.

• Turning Pointe Center of Dance (371 Pembroke St., Pembroke, 485-8710, turningpointecenterofdance.com) Monthly tuition is based on number of classes and starts at $65. Classes include ballet, jazz, lyrical and hip-hop/tap.

• Unbound Dance Academy (237 Londonderry Tpke., Hooksett, 714-2821, unbounddanceacademy.com) An open house will be held Saturday, Aug. 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; find the academy on Facebook to see a schedule of classes offered for tryout (starting with a pre-ballet class for ages 3 to 5). Classes begin Wednesday, Sept. 7. Class offerings start with parent and tot (ages 2+) through pre-dance classes (grouped by age to 6 years old). Classes for older students include ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern/contemporary, tap, hip-hop and musical theater.

GENERAL

• Beaver Brook Association (117 Ridge Road in Hollis; 465-7787, beaverbrook.org) offers preschool as well as home school (with a class for 1st through 6th grade and one for 7th through 9th grade) programming, beginning the weeks of Sept. 5 and Sept. 11.

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America (555 Union St., Manchester, 625-5031, mbgcnh.org; 1 Positive Place, Nashua, 883-0523, bgcn.com; 3 Geremonty Drive, Salem, 898- 7709, salembgc.org; 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, 672-1002, svbgc.org; 55 Bradley St., Concord, 224-1061, nhyouth.org; 40 E. Derry Road, Derry, 434-6695, derrybgclub.com) offers a variety of before- and after-school programs that include homework assistance, sports and recreation, arts and crafts, leadership development, life skills and more. Programs and costs vary at each location and based on age. The Union Street Clubhouse has a teen center (for grades 9 to 12).

• The Culinary Playground (16 Manning St., Suite 105, Derry, 339-1664, culinary-playground.com) offers one-time classes for mini chefs (ages 3 to 6) and older kids (6 to 10 and 10+) as well as six-week series that meet for an hour once a week. There are also one-time kid-with-adult cooking classes. See the website for upcoming classes.

• Daniel Webster Council Scouts BSA (625-6431, nhscouting.org) is the center of information for Scouting in New Hampshire (formerly the Boy Scouts of America). 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.

• Franco-American Centre (100 Saint Anselm Drive, No. 1798, Manchester, 641- 7114, facnh.com) Children’s Beginner French is offered for ages 6 to 11 for 10 weeks, Tuesdays, Sept. 19 through Nov. 28. The classes run from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. and operate over Zoom. The cost is $150 plus a French workbook.

• 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. The council also offers programming and events.

• Girls at Work (200 Bedford St., Manchester, 345-0392, girlswork.org) offers after-school workshops for ages 8 to 13 where girls can learn building skills. Some classes are specifically offered for students of certain Manchester schools and some are open to all schools; see the website for details.

• Girls, Inc. of New Hampshire (340 Varney St., Manchester, 623-1117; 27 Burke St., Nashua, 882-6256, girlsincnewhampshire.org) Girls are picked up by bus at Nashua and Manchester schools to go to a Girls, Inc. center where they can participate in a variety of classes. The program runs from 2 to 6 p.m. (or 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on full days) with a snack and dinner provided. The cost is $75 per week; financial assistance is available.

• 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. in Somersworth, 692-2081; graniteymca.org/child-care) YMCAs offer before- and after-school programs for kids and teens. Programs vary at each location; call the local branch. The Ys also offer athletic programs that can include, depending on the location, swimming, climbing, tennis, gymnastics, dances and a variety of sports. These programs run on sessions, with the first fall session running Sept. 5 through Oct. 23 (registration opens Aug. 21) and the second fall session running Oct. 30 through Dec. 17 (registration opens Oct. 16).

• Hampshire Hills Athletic Club (50 Emerson Road, Milford, 673-7123, hampshirehills.com) offers classes, events and activities for children as well as adults.

• Manchester Police Athletic League (409 Beech St., Manchester, 626-0211, manchesterpoliceathleticleague.org) offers aikido, boxing, skateboarding and wrestling, as well as occasional cooking classes. MPAL is open to kids ages 5 to 18 who are attending school; membership is free.

• Mathnasium (257 Daniel Webster Hwy., Nashua; 1 Bicentennial Drive, Manchester; mathnasium.com) offers math classes for kindergarten through high school as well as test prep. Students are recommended to attend Mathnasium two to three times a week.

• YMCA of Greater Nashua (24 Stadium Drive, Nashua, 882-2011; 6 Henry Clay Drive, Merrimack, 881-7778, nmymca.org) offers before-school programs at Amherst Middle School and at the Merrimack YMCA (with transportation to schools included) and after-school programs at Amherst Clark-Wilkins Elementary School, Merrimack YMCA, Mont Vernon Village School and Nashua YMCA. The Ys also offer swim, dance, arts, music, sports, ninja, teen classes and more; fall programs start Sept. 5 with registration starting Aug. 28.

GYMNASTICS

• A2 Gym & Cheer (16B Garabedian Drive, Salem, 328-8130, a2gc.com) Classes in gymnastics and tumbling start the week of Sept. 5 and registration is open now.

• Flipz the Gym for Kids (Flipz Gymnastics, 14 Chenell Drive, Concord, 224-3223, flipzgymnastics.com) offers classes for ages 12 months through 5 years, with ongoing openings as space is available. Classes are 45 minutes long with tuition based on number of classes taken per week. Classes are Mondays through Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. Starting Oct. 1, the schedule will also include classes Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

• Gymnastics Village (13 Caldwell Drive, Amherst, 889-8092, gymnasticsvillage.com) The school-year schedule begins Wednesday, Aug. 30. Gymnastics classes are offered for preschoolers and as after-school sessions (hour-long classes grouped by age). The studio also offers ninja challenge classes and boys’ and girls’ competitive gymnastics teams.

• Gym-Ken Gymnastics (184 Rockingham Road, Windham, 434-9060, gymkengymnastics.com) offers classes starting with walkers and preschoolers through a competitive girls team. Offerings include tumbling, gymnastics and parkour.

• Impact Gymnastics (301 River Road, Bow, 219-0343, impact-gymnastics.com) Classes start Tuesday, Sept. 5, and offerings include a preschool program (with classes for walking through 3 years old and 3 through 5 years old), a girls’ recreational program, a coed home-school program, a boys’ recreational program, a girls’ pre-competitive program and trampoline/tumbling.

• Noha’s Gymnastics Academy (200 Perimeter Road in Manchester, 518-7660; 30 Pond St. in Nashua, 880-4927; ngacademy.us) offers recreational classes as well as a team.

• Palaestra Gymnastics Academy (8 Tinkham Ave., Derry, 818-4494, pgagym.com) offers preschool, recreational and team gymnastics as well as cheer/tumble. Fall classes start Sept. 5.

• Phantom Gymnastics (142 Route 111, Hampstead, 329-9315, phantomgymnastics.com) Fall #1 session starts Sept. 11. The studio offers gymnastics for preschool and school age as well as a competitive team. Parkour and CPR education are also offered.

• Sky High Gymnastics (185 Elm St., No. 2, Milford, 554-1097, skyhighgym.com) offers classes and open play.

• Southern New Hampshire Gymnastics Academy (4 Orchard View Drive, No. 11, Londonderry, 404-6181, snhga.com) Fall session begins Aug. 28. There are classes for ages 18 months through 18 years as well as a team program.

• Spectrum Gymnastics (26 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 434-8388, spectrumgymnast.com) offers preschool and school-age classes grouped by age (including boys’ classes for grades 1 to 5). There are also two competitive teams.

• Tumble Town Gymnastics (444 E. Industrial Park Drive, No. 10, Manchester, 641-9591, tumbletownnh.com) offers preschool and school-age recreational and advanced classes as well as team programs. The new school year starts Sept. 5.

MARTIAL ARTS

• Al Lima’s Studio of Self Defense (28 Lowell Road, Hudson, 765-5753, alssd.com) offers year-round classes for children and adults.

• Amherst Karate Studio (Salzburg Square, 292 Route 101, Amherst, 672-3570, amherstkaratestudio.com) offers classes for kids as young as 4 through adults.

• Bedford Martial Arts Academy (292 Route 101, Bedford, 626-9696, bedfordmartialartsacademy.com) offers classes for mini masters (ages 3 through 6), as well as for school-age kids and teens and adults. The academy also operates the Elite After School program at Bedford elementary schools and on site at the academy.

• Central Tae Kwon Do Academy (222 Central St., Suite 8, Hudson, 882-5617, central-tkd.com) offers tae kwan don and taerobics (a self-defense class).

• Checkmate Martial Arts (200 Elm St., Manchester, 666-5836, checkmateselfdefense.com) offers youth martial arts for ages 5 to 13 as well as adult classes.

• Chung’s Tae Kwon Do Academy (115 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 883-2577, chungs-tkd.com) offers classes for ages 4 through adults.

• Empowering Lives Martial Arts (542 Mast Road, No. 15, Goffstown, 978-414- 5425, martialartsnewhampshire.com) has programs for ages 4 through 6 and 7 through 12 as well as teen and adult programs and special abilities programs (for children and adults). There is also a cardio kickboxing program open to teens and adults.

• Eric Menard’s Complete Martial Arts Academy (220 Innovative Way, Suite E, Nashua, 888-0010, cma-martialarts.com) offers classes for kids and adults.

• Family Martial Arts of Pelham (122 Bridge St., No. 6, Pelham, 635-8323, familymartialartsofpelham.com) offers classes for tots through teens.

• Golden Crane Traditional Martial Arts (46 Lowell Road, No. 6, Windham, 437-2020, goldencranenh.com) offers classes grouped by age for age 5 through teens as well as a variety of adult classes.

• Granite State American Kenpo Karate (290 Derry Road, No. 5, Hudson, 598-5400, gsakenpo.com) offers programs for kids as well as teens and adults.

• Inner Dragon Martial Arts (77 Derry Road, Hudson, 864-8756, innerdragonma.com) is enrolling beginner kids’ martial arts programs in August. There is also an after-school program.

• Inspired Martial Arts (58 Range Road, Windham, 893-7990, inspiredmartialartscenter.com) offers martial arts classes for kids as well as adults.

• Kaizen Academy (17 Freetown Road, No. 6, Raymond, 895-1545, raymondkarate.com) offers a juniors program for ages 6 through 12 as well as teen and adult programs.

• Kenpo Academy of Self Defense (40 Manchester Road, Derry, 437-9900, kenpo-academy.com) offers preschool, kid and teen programs (as well as adults).

• Manchester Karate & Gracie Jiu Jitsu Center (371 S. Willow St., Manchester, 625-5838, manchesterkarate.com) offers a kid program (for ages 4 to 12) and adult programs (13+) as well as self-defense programs for ages 14+.

• The Martial Arts Zone (31 Auburn St., Manchester, 206-5716, themartialartszone.com) Beginner kids’ classes are enrolling in August. Classes (grouped by age) run for ages 5 through 15. There are also a variety of adult classes.

• Merrimack Karate (534 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 424-7458, merrimackkarate.com) has kid programs for ages 5 through 12 as well as teen/adult programs for 13+.

• Neil Stone’s Karate Academy (22 Proctor Hill Road, Hollis, 672-8933, neilstoneskarate.com) offers programs (grouped by age) for ages 2 through 12 as well as teen/adult programs for 13+. There is also a home-school program.

• New England Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy (30 Henniker St., Unit 9, Concord, 369-4764, nebjj.com) offers a program for ages 5 to 8 and ages 9 to 13.

• Phoenix Fire Martial Arts (79 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, 234-8665, phnixfire.com) offers Shotokan martial arts for ages 3 and up as well as teen/adult krav maga classes.

• Professional Martial Arts Academy (15 E. Broadway, Derry, 434-7995, pmaderry.com; 501 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-0008, pmamerrimack.com; 37 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, 974-2455, pmaplaistow.com) offers kids’ martial arts and jiu jitsu as well as adult programs.

• Spero’s Martial Arts Academy (31 Westville Road, Plaistow, 275-7111, speromma.com) offers kids MMA for ages 8 to 13 and kids jiu jitsu.

• Tiger Black Belt Academy (11 Kimball Drive, Unit 121, Hooksett, 627-7744, tigerblackbeltacademy.com) is offering a start-up special for the fall of $99, which includes a uniform and a month of classes. Classes start at age 3½ and are available for all ages and levels of training.

• Tokyo Joe’s Studios of Self Defense (85A Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 889-4165; 20 Hammond Road, Milford, 672-2100, tokyojoes.net) offers programs, grouped by age, for kids starting at age 3, including a teen group for ages 13 to 17. There are also adult classes.

• Tokyo Joe’s Studios and Team Link NH (1338 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 641-3444, tokyojoeshooksett.com) offers youth programs including kempo karate for ages 3 through 12, Brazilian jiu jitsu for ages 5 to 15 and kickboxing for ages 5 to 12. Adult programs start at 13 or 15, depending on the discipline.

• The Training Station (200 Elm St., Manchester, 505-0048, thetrainingstationnh.com) offers programs for kids, grouped by age, starting at age 3 with a teen class for ages 12 to 14 and adult and fitness programs starting at 15+.

• 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 ninja classes starting at age 4. The Concord location offers a teen fitness class and a class for 13- to 17-year-olds. Hudson’s classes start at 2½, as do Manchester’s. There are also team programs for ages 6 and up.

• World Class Martial Arts (25 Nashua Road, Unit D3, Londonderry, 845-6115, londonderrymartialarts.com) offers classes for ages 3½ and up.

• Zenith Martial Arts (40 Thorndike St., Concord, 513-9993, zenithmartialarts.net) offers kung fu classes grouped by age, starting at age 3, as well as kickboxing for ages 14+. An after-school program for 6+ is offered, with transportation from some Concord schools.

MUSIC

• Amy Conley Music (102 Elm St., Milford, 249-9560, amyconleymusic.com) offers programs for families/early childhood and special needs; ukulele classes for teens and adults, and private guitar, ukulele, piano and banjo classes for ages 7 and up. Early fall classes start Sept. 12.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) offers musical programs for as young as infants and toddlers as well as lessons for older kids in guitar, voice, piano, drums and percussion. BYPC also offers musical ensembles, including rock bands (by audition) for ages 10+. Fall lessons start Aug. 28.

• Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St., Concord, 228-1196, ccmusicschool.org) offers private lessons for 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. There are also group classes and ensembles for kids and teens (including, for teens, folk, rock and jazz bands). Tuition is based on a 16-week semester; financial aid is available. The fall semester for private lessons and choral ensembles begins Sept. 11 and two weeks later for all non-choral classes and ensembles.

• 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 Kidzrock classes are available for 4- to 7-year-olds.

• Lidman Music Studio (419 Amherst St., Nashua, 913-5314, lidmanmusic.com) offers lessons in piano, violin and viola, with individual instruction and yearly recitals, for children as well as adults.

• 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.

• Manchester Music Mill (329 Elm St., Manchester, 623-8022, manchestermusicmill.com) See mmmlessons.com for the lessons-related landing page. Lessons include guitar, bass, drums, saxophone, clarinet, flute, trumpet, trombone, piano and voice.

• Merrimack Music Academy (1 Bryce Drive in Merrimack; merrimackmusicacademy.com, 493-9214) offers customized private music (including guitar, bass guitar and piano) and voice lesson for children and adults, according to their Facebook post.

• 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. Fall session starts Sept. 11. The school also offers musical therapy for all ages, a group music class and ensembles including a rock band for current students. Introductory classes for kids include Mini Musicians (for ages 4 to 7) and Broadway Star Search (ages 7 to 10). Take a free trial lesson or try out a group class demo at the open house on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 5 p.m.

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

• Palace Theatre Voice Studio (palacetheatre.org) offers private vocal coaching each month, in person at Forever Emma studios in Manchester and via Zoom with professional performers from around the country, for grades 2 through 12, $30 per half hour. Email [email protected] for information.

• Ted Herbert Music School (Majestic Studio Theatre, 880 Page St. in Manchester; majestictheatre.net, tedherbert.com) offers lessons in brass, drums, guitar/bass, piano/keyboard, strings, theater/dance, voice and woodwind. Instrument rentals available. The school also holds open mic nights for musicians of all levels; the next one is scheduled for Nov. 9.

SPORTS

• Amherst Soccer Club (amherstsoccerclub.com) Programs include tots (birth year 2019 to 2021), non-travel (birth year 2014 to 2018) and travel (birth year 2005 to 2015). In addition to a fall season, there is also winter skill training and a spring season.

• Bedford Athletic Club (bedfordac.com) Registration for fall is open now with recreational programs for pre-K and kindergarten (which start Sept. 9) and 1st through 6th grade (starting Aug. 28). (Grades 1 through 4 has separate girls’ and boys’ teams.) An adaptive program is also listed. Tryouts for the travel program (open to birth years 2009 through 2016) were in the spring; the travel program runs in the fall with a spring option.

• Bedford Cannons Youth Lacrosse (bedfordcannons.org) offers teams for boys, 1st-graders through 8th-graders, and girls, 1st-graders through 6th-graders. Registration for lacrosse opens toward the end of the year (usually in early December). In previous years, indoor skills clinics take place starting in January with outdoor team practices and games beginning in April. Lacrosse for pre-K and kindergarten is outdoors only and starts in April.

• Bedford Little League (bedfordll.com) Fall baseball runs Sept. 5 through Oct. 30 with one game per week for five weeks and two weeks of playoffs. Teams are open for ages 12-13, 10-12 and 8-10. A six-week clinic is open for ages 5 to 7. The Challenger Division (adaptive baseball) runs for ages 4 to 18 (or up to 22 if the player is still in school).

• Cannons Baseball Club (Concord, cannonsbaseballclub.com) offers year-round baseball and softball. A fall baseball season runs Sept. 9 through Oct. 29 for 9U-12U, middle school and high school.

• Conway Arena (5 Stadium Drive, Nashua, 595-2400, conwayarena.com) Registration for fall skating opened Aug. 9; there are two eight-week fall sessions, one starting Sept. 6 and the other starting Nov. 1 open to ages 4 and up. A fall “Learn to Play Hockey” session for ages 5 to 9 runs from Sept. 26 through Dec. 19, and a winter session runs Jan. 2 through March 24. Registration is also open now for the Junior Hawks Hockey 2023-2024 season.

• Derry Diamond Athletic Association (derryll.org) offers baseball (ages 6 through 13) and softball (ages 6 through 14) fall programs; registration closes Aug. 25.

• Derry Soccer Club (derrysoccerclub.org) offers recreation, intertown and travel leagues. Recreational programs are open for ages 2.5 and up with fall and spring seasons. The fall season begins in September.

• Girls on the Run New Hampshire (137 Water St., No. 3, Exeter, 778-1389, girlsontherunnh.org) is offered for girls in 3rd grade through 8th grade. Registration for the lottery for a spot in Girls on the Run NH opened Aug. 7. 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. 18 in Concord.

• Granite Base Camp (300 Blondin Road, Manchester, 617-615-0004, experiencebasecamp.org) offers programming in archery, STEM, fishing, hiking, arts and crafts, environmental studies and more for ages 6 to 17.

• Granite State Kids N.H. Junior Team Tennis (granitestatekids.com) offers fall and spring programs in Bedford and winter junior team events at the YMCA in Goffstown. Fall tennis meets Mondays and Wednesdaydays and begins Wednesday, Sept. 6. Classes are available for kids as young as 5 through kids 11+, with beginner, advanced beginner and intermediate levels.

• The Icenter (60 Lowell Road, Salem, 893-4448, icentersalem.com) offers competitive and recreational figure skating, learn to skate and learn to play hockey programs (which start Sept. 16) and Top Gun Hockey.

• Londonderry Soccer Club (londonderrysc.org) offers fall and spring recreational programs as well as a travel program. Recreation programs are available for ages 2.5 through 18. There is also a Unified Top Soccer program for grades K through 8 for “athletes who need physical or emotional assistance in order to participate,” open to kids in Londonderry, Litchfield and Hudson.

• Longfellow New Hampshire Tennis & Swim Club (140 Lock St., Nashua, 883- 0153, longfellownh.com) offers junior tennis clinics for ages 5 through 18 of all abilities, starting Wednesday, Sept. 6, through Sunday, Oct. 29.

• Manchester East Soccer League (mesl.org) offers soccer for ages 4 through 18 (with interleague play for ages 12 through 18). Registration for fall costs $60 per player, $140 max per family.

• Manchester North Soccer League (mnsl.org) offers recreational soccer for kids ages 5 through 19 ($90 per kid for the season) and for younger kids ($55 per player).

• My Gym Children’s Fitness Center (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 ninja training and gymnastics.

• Nashua Cal Ripken Baseball (multiple field locations in Nashua and surrounding towns, nashuacalripken.org) offers fall ball for ages 4 through 12 (with ages 4 through 6 playing tee-ball). The fall season starts in September and runs through October.

• NE Inferno Baseball (noreastersbaseball.com) operates in regional facilities including in Nashua (3 Progress Ave.) for 10U to 16U.

• NH Climbing and Fitness (10 Langdon Ave. in Concord; 715-9171, nhclimbinggym.com) The 10-week fall session begins Sept. 11 with climbing classes for ages 3 to 5, 6 to 8 and 9+.

• New Hampshire Junior Roller Derby (nhjuniorrollerderby.com) teaches roller derby to any gender ages 8 to 17. See the website for future sessions and events.

• New Hampshire Spartans Youth Basketball (nhspartans.com) offers three tryout dates for Seacoast and Derry AAU teams starting Aug. 20 for grades 2 through high school for a season that starts Sept. 18.

• New Hampshire Sportsplex (68 Technology Drive, Bedford, 641-1313, nhsportsplex.com) offers youth flag football (grouped by ages) for ages 5 through high school and youth recreational soccer. During the past summer, the Sportsplex also offered 3X3 basketball leagues for high school and adults. An 8-week session of soccer for ages 18 months through 7 years begins Sept. 16. A Lil Dribblers basketball session for ages 3 to 12 starts Sept. 12. Tee-ball/baseball for ages 3 through 7 begins on Sept. 6. An introductory lacrosse program for ages 4 to 8 begins Sept. 9.

• Salem Youth Baseball (salemyouthbaseball.net) has a fall ball season that opens Sept. 9 and runs through Oct. 28. Tee-ball is available for 4- to 6-year-olds; baseball is available for ages 7 to 14. A challenger division (adaptive baseball for children of all abilities) may also be open for fall 2023, based on player interest, and would be open to ages 4 through 22 (for players enrolled in school).

• Seacoast Fencing Club (271 Wilson St., Manchester; 261 N. Main St., Rochester, 428-7040, seacoastfencingclub.org) offers group lessons for as young as 7, as well as competitive training starting at ages 7 and private lessons.

• Tri-Town Ice Arena (311 W. River Road in Hooksett; tri-townicearena.com, 270-1024) is accepting registrations for its learn to skate, learn hockey and hockey league programs. The hockey league season begins Sept. 23; the Mini Mountain Kings/Wildcat Cubs program (for ages 4 to 10) begins its first 2023/2024 session Sept. 6.

• Vertical Dreams (250 Commercial St. in Manchester, 625-6919; 25 E. Otterson St. in Nashua, 943-7571; verticaldreams.com) offers a Youth Climbing Club, a 10-week session for kids aged 6 to 12 who are beginning climbers. The session starts on Sept. 26 in Manchester and Sept. 27 in Nashua, both running from 4 to 6 p.m. A Youth Climbing Teams is for experienced climbers ages 12 to 18 at both locations (starting Sept. 27 in Nashua; Sept. 28 in Manchester). The 10-week sessions run from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on either Wednesdays or Thursdays (depending on location). For either age group, the cost is $285.

THEATER

• Actorsingers (Nashua, actorsingers.org) amateur community theater group holds auditions for Teen Actorsingers productions in spring with show dates in summer.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) Classes begin the week of Aug. 28 and run through June 8, 2024. BYPC offers several classes in performance and acting starting at age 4 through high school as well as by-invitation musical theater classes. Students can also participate in fall, Christmas and spring productions.

• The Community Players of Concord (communityplayersofconcord.org) offer winter and summer vacation camps and workshops as well as audition opportunities through their Children’s Theatre Project. The current show being auditioned is The Sound of Music, with auditions Sunday, Aug. 13, and Monday, Aug. 14, for 16+ and Sunday, Aug. 20, and Monday, Aug. 21, for 15 and under. See the website for details and requirements.

• Kids Coop Theatre (Londonderry, [email protected], kids-coop-theatre.org) is open to kids ages 8 to 18. To audition for a show, membership to Kids Coop costs $30. The next show is the SpongeBob Musical, with auditions Aug. 20 and performances Nov. 17 through Nov. 19. See details about auditions and rehearsals on the website.

• The Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts (880 Page St., Manchester, 669-7469, majestictheatre.net) privdes performing opportunities in community theatre productions year-round. The fall youth production is Zombie Night; see website for audition dates.

• Palace Youth Theatre (Forever Emma Studios, 516 Pine St., Manchester, 688-5588, palacetheatre.org) The Palace Youth Theatre is open to performers in 2nd grade through 12th grade. The Palace Teen Company and the Palace Teen Apprentice Company are open to students ages 12 through 18 interested in pursuing theater beyond high school. Dance classes are offered (grouped by age) for ages 3 through 18+ beginning Sept. 10 and running for 11 weeks, culminating in a student showcast at the Palace Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 26. There will also be acting classes this fall. There are also several upcoming auditions for shows and for the teen companies; see palacetheatre.org/pyt/pyt-auditions.

• Peacock Players (14 Court St., Nashua, 886-7000, peacockplayers.org) offers vacation camps as well as productions for youth (ages 6 to 14), teens (ages 14 to 18), crossover (ages 6 to 18) and all ages. Upcoming auditions include James and the Giant Peach Jr. on Aug. 23 and Aug. 24 (for ages 6 to 14) and Beauty and the Beast on Aug. 27 and Aug. 28 (for ages 14 through 18).

• Riverbend Youth Company (Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley, The Amato Center for the Performing Arts, 56 Mont Vernon St. in Milford, amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company) presents mainstage plays and musicals with performers ages 6 to 18. The Company will hold auditions for High School Musical on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22.

Featured photo: Tri-Town Ice Arena. Courtesy photo.

Michael Witthaus checks in with comedians and bookers about the state of the local comedy scene and looks at some upcoming shows

Comedy catch-up: Jimmy Dunn’s Beach Party

What began 14 years ago as a backyard barbecue for fellow comics at Jimmy Dunn’s beach house that ended with a show has now stretched out to five nights and become a midsummer fixture on the sandy shore. But the Hampton Beach Comedy Festival, beginning Wednesday, Aug. 16 at McGuirk’s Ocean View, has remained true to its origins. It’s a party first, with admission contingent on making the host laugh.

“It’s my real comedy friends,” Dunn said by phone recently. “I’ve been working with them forever, and the show almost becomes secondary. We just have so much fun up here at the house … we hang out, then go down there and have a blast.”

Dunn has thought about letting fans eavesdrop on the offstage action, but it hasn’t happened. “I pitched it; I made a demo of it as a cartoon, trying to film our poker game,” he said. “But when you threaten to do that, a lot of the guys dummy up. They don’t want people hearing the real stuff that we’re saying.”

The gang ventures out for fried dough on the boardwalk; kayaking and surfing are popular as well. Given the prevalence of rip currents and other ocean dangers, Dunn does a safety check first. “Every time anybody gets to the house, before I take them in the water, I go, all right, what’s your swim level? Let’s see what we’re dealing with — how many life jackets I gotta put on you?”

That said, the wake of a storm is a magnet for Dunn and his daredevil buddies. One year he and Mark Riley hit the water after a coastal hurricane. “We went off the north beach, rode into a monster wave, and then we flipped; it was so big that people on the beach called the cops,” he said. “I heard from one of my cop buddies later, he said, ‘We got a call that two idiots were out in a kayak.’ I said, ‘Yeah, that was us.’”

Riley is back for this year’s festival, so the Coast Guard should be advised. Opening night has Harrison Stebbins, whose credits include Comedy Central and Dave Attel’s Insomniac Tour. He’s joined by Carolyn Plummer, who last year did her first Comics Come Home benefit at Boston’s TD Garden. Kelly MacFarland, Jimmy Cash and ​Ryan Gartley round things out, plus Dunn and Dave Rattigan, who are at all five shows.

Thursday includes Jim Colliton, who has a new Dry Bar Comedy special, and Mike Donovan, a Boston mainstay and published author. Dunn is looking forward to Friday’s show, which is a multigenerational affair.

“Tony V’s son Gus has turned into a great comedian,” he said. The young comic spent last winter in Southern California, working with Dunn on a television project that he’s not allowed to discuss due to the current actors and writers strikes.

“Everybody in L.A. is getting shut down and it’s tough,” he said. Dunn is in both guilds. “I support them a ton. Whatever they’re doing, they need to be paid fairly. I feel badly for professional actors and TV writers … they’re fighting for their livelihoods. I do what I can to support them. I am very lucky that I got to go back to stand-up comedy when those doors got closed out there.”

Dunn cautioned comedy fans about actors who might decide to jump into his livelihood to make ends meet.

“This is going to draw a lot of people who aren’t stand-up comics out to the comedy rooms, so buyer beware,” he said. “People that are funny on a show have writers. Standup is a different thing, man. You gotta be out doing it all the time. Anybody with a little bit of background can make the show look good, but do your homework before you go spend an evening with a comedian you never heard of.”

He points to a few comics that embody his ideal.

“Every time you see Gary Gulman, you’re going to see a whole new hour. Bob Marley’s got an unparalleled work ethic. He makes it look so easy on stage, but he works harder than anybody I know. I was talking to Juston McKinney a few weeks back, same deal. These are guys that every time you see them it’s a new thing.”

To that end, Dunn has some new material.

“My uncle used to be a bookie. That’s how I learned to gamble at a young age. But now you can bet pretty much anywhere legally. So one of my favorite new bits explores those two different worlds and what Uncle Sully would see if he walked into Draft Kings today. He ran his book out of a sandwich shop in Beverly. Guys would come in and buy a cheese steak and then give him $609. I’d be sitting there going, ‘I think he overpaid you, Uncle Sully.’”

While in California, Dunn encountered another new normal, the many marijuana stores that are now open. He’s less focused on weed’s new ubiquity than on whoever’s in charge of branding. “I will not do business with anyone that uses a ‘Z’ as a plural,” he said. “That means that someone already beat them to the S, and they’re hacks. Hair salons do it all the time. Now all the weed places have a Z as a plural too. It seems like every weed pun has been written, trademarked and put on a sign. I know they think it’s funny because they’re high, but these are bad puns.”

Hampton Beach Comedy Festival
When: Wednesday, Aug. 16, through Sunday, Aug. 20, 8 p.m.
Where: McGuirk’s Ocean View Hotel, 95 Ocean Boulevard, Hampton Beach
Tickets: $20 per show at eventbrite.com
Lineup: Aug. 16 Carolyn Plummer, Kelly MacFarland, Jimmy Cash, ​Ryan Gartley, Harrison Stebbins; Aug. 17 Mike Donovan, James Dorsey, Ken Rogerson, Paul Nardizzi, Jim Colliton; Aug. 18 Tony V, Gus V, Steve Scarfo, Jason Merrill, Tony Moschetto; Aug. 19 Karen Morgan, Will Noonan, Casey Crawford, Dan Miller, Chris Zito; Aug. 20 Andrew Della Volpe, Mitch Stinson, Mark Riley, Steve Bjork, Dan Crohn. Jimmy Dunn and Dave Rattigan appear all nights.

Female forward: Mother of a Comedy Show

Like the Hampton Beach Comedy Festival, camaraderie is the guiding force for three women performing Mother of a Comedy Show, an occasional event happening Friday, Aug.18, at Nashua Center for the Arts and Saturday, Sept. 23, at Laconia’s Colonial Theatre. Its slate of standups ― Kelly MacFarland, Kerri Louise and Christine Hurley ― have equal star power; each is a headliner.

For the shows, MacFarland opens and Hurley closes, which suits Kerri Louise just fine.

“The middle spot is the sweet spot,” Louise said by phone recently. “Everybody’s warmed up, no one’s coming in late, they’re all set up. I hit it out of the park and then go home … they’ve laughed for a whole hour nonstop and then Christine goes up, but she kills it. We’ve done it for so many years now and it’s just like clockwork.”

The fully female lineup is unique in the comedy world, she continued. “Usually, you don’t ever work with other women. I’m always the one woman on the show, the token woman, and when I get to go and work with these girls, it is so fun. We just bring energy and excitement; we’re like little kids.”

Audiences do tend to be more female. “It depends on the market and what time of year we’re in,” Kerri Louise said. “In September, it’s mostly women. The kids get back in school, they’re out and about and they can come to shows.” Jokes lean in that direction as well; one of Kerri Louise’s best deals with something she calls a “period bump” being confused with early pregnancy.

The three don’t need a target audience for their material to land, though. There’s a frustratingly enduring notion that female comics aren’t as funny as men, but it’s more self-fulfilling prophecy than anything supported by data. In Kerri Louise’s view, the situation is improving, but the battle is far from over.

“We’re getting better, but we’re not past it,” she said. “I think there’s just not enough of us and that’s why. Bookers usually are men and they’re afraid to headline women because they feel the numbers aren’t going to be there, but men are so dumb. Women decide what they’re doing for the weekend, and they tell their husbands. ‘We’re going to go to a comedy show.’ Why not headline a woman?”

The success of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amazon’s popular show about a housewife stumbling into standup, may have a halo effect, she agreed, but she offered a caveat. “They can’t be it if they can’t see it, so I think it helped for younger women to glorify being a comedian,” she said. “I love the show. I love the outfits. I love the ’50s. Here’s what I didn’t like about it ― it’s not easy. They make it look that way; I mean, she was a mother.”

Her husband is also a comedian. She and Tom Cotter have three sons, including a set of twins. One night she told a crowd that her twins were outside in the car while she did her set. “The reason why that’s a joke is it was true,” she said. “I didn’t have time to drop my kids off because I was in major traffic…. I did have someone in the car watching them, but I ran up on stage and I’m like, ‘Hey, how are you? I have twins in the car,’ and it got a huge laugh. I use it all the time, and now they’re 21.”

Another time, she played Atlantic City for a week. Through the casino she was working at, she hired an overpriced babysitter, who was unavailable at the last minute. “Then they got this crack addict,” she said. The show is minutes from starting and she’s telling her new care provider to please leave her sons in the bathroom in their pack-and-play for the 15 minutes she needs to open. She comes back and the kids are up and jumping on the bed, watching a movie that the babysitter has purchased.

Here’s the problem: Kerri Louise has another set to do, and for the moment this ne’er-do-well is her sole child care option.

“The only saving grace is I’m in a casino and there are cameras everywhere,” she continues. “I ran downstairs, and I said to the security guy, ‘If a woman comes with two babies, they are mine, stop her.’ I don’t know how I got through my set. I just put it on autopilot, ran back and said, ‘You’re fired.’ It wasn’t even her fault but whatever. I called the agency and then the next day I had to look for another babysitter situation. So that’s my real Marvelous Mrs. Maisel story.”

Booker report: Big rooms are back (mostly)

Beginning with booking a 1989 Lenny Clarke show in the back room of a Nashua gym, Jim Roach has been a force in New England’s comedy scene. His involvement began earlier; Roach worked a Henny Youngman show in 1984. He’s had a hand in appearances including George Carlin, Jay Leno, Sam Kinison, Denis Leary and an early ’90s Jerry Seinfeld/Adam Sandler double bill in Lowell, Mass.

His “all-time best” night was comedy legend Don Rickles’ show at Manchester’s Palace Theatre in 2006, when Rickles, his musical director and his road manager — who had a similar job with Frank Sinatra — took him to dinner. The evening produced some great stories.

Roach still books comedy at the Palace, along with a long list of opera houses and showcase rooms in New Hampshire. He’s got upcoming shows at Nashua’s new Center for the Arts, the Capitol Center in Concord, the Lebanon Opera House and both Colonial Theatres, in Keene and Laconia.

So Jim Roach is a good person to take the pulse of professional comedy. A recent phone interview began at a familiar point, the transition from socially distanced events to something approaching normal: “Two summers ago, when the Colonial in Laconia opened up with Bob Marley, we did seven shows and we sold them all out. That was when we felt like, OK, we’re on the right side of this.”

Demand was met with an onslaught that included some subpar efforts.

“Everybody was doing comedy shows, little bars and little places,” Roach said. “Not all of it was great … people that weren’t ready to do even those small rooms were doing it, but it gave them stage time and that’s the most important thing for any comedian.”

Overall, Roach remains cautiously optimistic.

“It really has jumped up quite a bit,” he said. “I don’t know if we’re exactly back where we were before the pandemic where everybody’s feeling like coming out, but we’re very close and I think it’s going to continue to grow over the next couple of years.”

Time-worn patterns with his client comics Bob Marley, Juston McKinney and Jimmy Dunn haven’t fully returned. “I like to be on a calendar circuit; every November Marley is at the Capitol Center, every spring he’s at the Palace. Then we’ll usually do the spring in Keene and the fall in Lebanon,” Roach said. “We’re not back in the routine yet.”

On the other hand, he said, “There’s also a lot of rooms that took time to do work on the venues, like the Lebanon Opera House is in their second phase.” Keene added its Showroom, to complement midsize spots like Manchester’s Rex Theatre and Bank of New Hampshire Stage in Concord; Lebanon Opera House is reportedly working on a second room.

“It really does help; when you’re booking big national artists, agents love it when you can book their smaller acts,” Roach said. “I love working with a lot of young comics, and I’ve worked with a bunch of young kids recently.”

He names Kathy Ferris, Emily Ruskowski, Carolyn Cook and Kristy Kielbasinski as some of his recent favorites. The latter is a working mother of three who published her first children’s book in 2022.

“Nick Hoff is a national comedian, he was at the Rex for me, what a great kid. He’s on the road with his family, his wife and three kids. They’re touring the country trying to do as many states as possible this summer. What a cool thing — they’re experiencing America, he’s getting to work and they’re doing it together.”

Justin Hoff is another up and comer, a mid-30s comic Roach booked to open for Marley’s recent run of shows at Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury Beach, Mass.

“There’s a lot of good stuff coming out and there are so many tools now for comics to get their message out there,” he said.

Roach is also pleased with the response to the all-female, all-headliner Mother of a Comedy Show. “I love the Mothers, getting and putting that together with them and working with them closely on it,” he said. “However, I will tell you than when I go to the show, I can’t get a word in edgewise, because they’re all brilliant and extremely funny, and all they want to do is torture me.”

On balance, “I think comedy is in a good place right now,” Roach said, adding that a plethora of venues may be a double-edged sword, but it’s good that aspirants have time and space to experiment and learn.

“They need to figure out who they are on stage, what their particular brand of comedy is,” he said. “Listen, we’re all messed up … when you go on stage, you’re able to talk about stuff that’s real in your life. Maybe exaggerate it, build it up a little bit, but if you’re coming from a place of love in your heart and the craziness that’s in your life, people in the audience are going to get it, they’re going to understand it — because we’re all messed up.”

The fan: Alt comedy has a new producer

When it debuted as Laugh Free or Die 15 years ago in the back room of Shaskeen Pub in Manchester, weekly standup was an open mic affair. When cofounder Nick Lavallee and Dave Carter took it over in 2013, it evolved into an alt comedy hub, with national performers like W. Kamau Bell, Kyle Kinane, Dan Soder and Emma Willmann often stopping by. Local comics like Jay Chanoine and Drew Dunn parlayed early open mic success at the Shaskeen onto bigger stages.

Geneva Gonzales began attending shows there around 2016 and quickly became a regular. As live comedy returned after the pandemic, Lavallee announced he was leaving his role as a comedy producer, along with Carter. A worried Gonzales begged him to not let shows end permanently. His response surprised her.

“He was like, ‘Why don’t you run it?’” she recalled while sitting outside the Shaskeen, where headliner Ryan Donahue and three other comics would perform later. “I was like, OK, I will.’” Her company, Ruby Room Comedy, produced its first show on Sept. 8, 2021, and has been operating steadily since.

It turned out that Gonzales was just getting started as a comedy producer.

Last year she was approached by Don’t Tell Comedy, a national effort that sponsors pop-up shows at mystery locations, to be its lead producer in New Hampshire. More recently she began running weekly comedy shows at BLEND.603, a Portsmouth art gallery. Her new goal is “balancing those three rooms and getting them to work together,” she said.

Gonzales sounds like a seasoned pro as she discusses luring comics from New York City with the promise of routing them to gigs in multiple rooms, but seven years ago she hadn’t even seen live standup.

“I just heard people at work talking about it, and I wanted to see a comedy show,” she said about venturing to the Shaskeen that first time. “I always loved SNL, Mad TV…. When I came to this one, the level of talent opened my eyes to a whole world that I went head over heels into.”

Among the shows Gonzales has booked at the Shaskeen are Eddie Pepitone, Mary Mack, Daniel Simonsen, Mo Mussa, Shaun Murphy, Jenny Zigrino and Andrew Della Volpe. Many have performed multiple times, and the Irish pub’s beloved back room hasn’t lost a step in the transition. It continues to offer a brand of national comedy unlike anywhere else in the region.

Most unique is Don’t Tell Comedy and its unconventional way of luring fans to shows. It’s reminiscent of the movie Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, where a couple search for a private location where a band named Where’s Fluffy is playing, but it’s a bit easier than that, Gonzales said.

The next one happens Friday, Aug. 11, an early and late show somewhere in Portsmouth ($25 at donttellcomedy.com), and the 21+ event is BYOB. “You buy a ticket, but you don’t know who the comics are until the day of show, when you get an email with the location. We’ve done the Bookery, the Currier, yoga studios, art spaces, usually places where you wouldn’t expect to have a comedy show, and it could be a huge comic from L.A. or a local guy.”

As far as her favorite comedians, Dunn and Chanoine are high on the list, but Gonzales is hesitant to name a top moment in her two years as a producer. It’s electricity that’s happened many times.

“When you get those loud moments of laughter, you feel the energy shift in a room of people that are enjoying themselves and letting themselves go,” she said. “There’s no control sometimes when you laugh and there’s that wave … that’s the best thing. I crave it; it’s dopamine for me.”

Gonzales tries to keep an open mind with her booking. She tries to offer enough variety to please everyone, not just herself. She does try to be inclusive. “As a Hispanic female in comedy it’s been really important to me to promote diversity in my shows,” she said. “In the past we’ve celebrated different cultures with shows that include all Hispanic and all Asian line-ups and I hope to do more in the future.”

She’s also part of a group that runs monthly mental health meetups. These are “conversations about the importance of maintaining mental health and supporting each other in the New England comedy community,” she said. “In past meetings we’ve had guest speakers from NAMI, and guided meditations.”

Through it all Gonzales is still the same fan who showed up at the Shaskeen back when looking for laughter.

“Honestly, I enjoy comedy,” she said. “I’m putting on shows that I want to see, but I try and make sure that I’m getting well-rounded talent. I may not find all of them funny, but I know other people will find them funny. Ultimately I want to put on a good show. As a fan, I have that perspective where I’m playing the politics that a comedian would need to play … then at the end of the day, I sit down and watch the show and I’m ready to laugh.”

Just a joke?: cancel or consequence

There’s a growing sentiment among fans and some purveyors of comedy that goes a bit like this: “Almost anything a comic says on stage these days might get them canceled.” Most comedians get it, though — the trick is don’t be more mean than funny.

Comedy veteran and national touring standup Steve Hofstetter, who will perform in October at Nashua’s Center for the Arts, has a formula for whether a bit has crossed the line. “Jokes need to be more than fifty-one percent funny than whatever else they are, or it’s not a joke,” he said. “If there’s a joke about race that is less than fifty-one percent funny, it’s not a joke at all, it’s just a racist thing…. If something is so funny that it eclipses the subject matter that a comic is talking about, that’s what makes it a joke. If something is a little bit funny, but overwhelmingly something else, then the funny of it doesn’t matter at all.”

Two of the comics interviewed for this story offered their takes on how far is too far.

Jimmy Dunn: “There are certain things that no matter who you are you’re not going to make it funny, but people will try to make it funny. The No. 1 rule is it must be funny. Look, people are not coming out to be challenged or for you to insult their sensibilities. They’re just coming out for a good time. My attitude is usually I can write a joke that would have a point and would piss half the audience off. I have no interest in doing that. My job is to make everybody laugh, have everybody leave and have a good time. I don’t want controversy. That’s not what I do. There’s some great comics that do that that I follow and some of my friends have made great livings being the ‘I can’t believe he said that’ guy, you know? Not what I want to do. I want the husband and wife to have a great time and have a couple of drinks. I want the guy who owns the club to hand me a big bag of money and say, ‘Thanks for coming in. We’ll see you next week.’”

Kerri Louise: “I do think there is a line, but mine is so far north it’s unbelievable. The line has come down so far where you can’t even talk about a black crayon and someone’s gonna be like, ‘Wait, that’s racist.’ That’s where I get so angry and sad for every comedian. It does make you work harder; it makes you think, but it shouldn’t. Years ago, there was a line. You’re not going to be mean but you’re going to make fun of what everybody else makes fun of. When you make fun of a stereotype, everybody can get the joke at the same time. If no one has that common knowledge, how can we make fun? We’re all making fun and having a good time, so relax. Kathy Griffin, I read her book, and she’s like, ‘Find your audience, because I know I’m not for everybody.’ It’s true. But what’s happening is people are seeking you out just to cancel you. I can only wish to be canceled; that means I’m popular. But no one’s canceled me right now, so I don’t have to worry about it.”

Steve Hofstetter, again: “I happen to think that cancel culture doesn’t exist. I cannot name a single comedian who has been canceled. I can name some who have been fired. I can name some who have been arrested. But anyone that someone holds up as a canceled icon, like Louis C.K.? He hosted SNL; that doesn’t sound canceled. Shane Gillis was canceled? No, he was fired from SNL. But now he’s playing venues twice the size that he was playing before that happened. There’s no one that’s gotten canceled, because the entertainment industry is direct to consumer these days. They determine whether or not you work. So the people who are worried about getting canceled or complaining that they’ve been canceled are either liars or people who don’t want to bother writing a new joke.”

Comedy shows

Chunky’s Cinema Pub in Manchester
707 Huse Road, Manchester; chunkys.com. Most shows start at 8:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary.
Friday, Aug. 11 Lenny Clarke
Saturday, Aug. 12 Harrison Stebbins
Saturday, Aug. 19 Jody Sloane
Saturday, Aug. 26 Phillip Anthony
Saturday, Sept. 2 Tim McKeever
Saturday, Sept. 9 Brad Mastrangelo
Saturday, Sept. 16 Steve Bjork
Saturday, Sept. 23 Chris D
Saturday, Sept. 30 Kyle Crawford
Friday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 7 Greg Fitzsimmons
Saturday, Oct. 14 Marty Caproni
Saturday, Oct. 21 Pat Napoli
Sat., Oct. 28 Harrison Stebbins

Don’t Tell Comedy
Donttellcomedy.com. Shows are at locations and with comedians announced after you obtain tickets. Upcoming shows include Aug. 11, Aug. 19 and Aug. 25, with 7 and 9 p.m. shows in a Portsmouth location.

Palace Theatre
80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org
Saturday, Aug. 12, 7:30 p.m., Kevin Pollak (in conjunction with the Manchester International Film Festival)
Sunday, Sept. 17, 7 p.m. Colin & Brad: Scared Scriptless
Saturday, Oct. 7, 5 and 8 p.m. Juston McKinney

Tupelo Music Hall
10 A St., Derry; tupelomusichall.com
Saturday, Aug. 12, 8 p.m. Lenny Clarke
Friday, Aug. 25, 8 p.m. Tupelo Night of Comedy: Tony V, Sean Sullivan and Dave Decker
Saturday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m. Paula Poundstone
Saturday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m. Tupelo Night of Comedy: Paul Gilligan, Paul Landwehr
Thursday, Nov. 2, 8 p.m. Brad Mastrangelo, Steve Bjork and Kennedy Richard (NH Chiefs of Police Fundraiser)

Murphy’s Taproom, Manchester
494 Elm St., Manchester; scampscomedy.com/shows. Shows are Saturdays at 8 p.m. See website for tickets.
Aug. 12 Janet McNamara
Aug. 19 & Aug. 26 TBA
Sept. 2 Dave Rattigan

Headliners Manchester
At the DoubleTree Hilton Manchester (700 Elm St. in downtown Manchester); headlinersnh.com. Tickets cost $20. Saturday shows start at 8:30 p.m. Ticket sales at the door begin at 6 p.m.
Aug. 12 Jody Sloane
Aug. 19 Dan Crohn
Aug. 26 Steve Bjork
Sept. 2 Chris D
Sept. 9 Amy Tee
Sept. 16 Skip Daniels
Sept. 23 Kyle Crawford
Sept. 30 Cory Gee
Oct. 7 Tim McKeever
Oct. 14 Amy Tee
Oct. 21 Brad Mastrangelo
Oct. 28 James Dorsey

BLEND.603 Gallery
82 Fleet St., Portsmouth; blend603.com. Tickets start at $20.
Saturday, Aug. 12, 8 p.m. Jason Cordova
Friday, Aug.18, 8 p.m. Gary Petersen
Saturday, Aug. 26, 8 p.m. BLEND.comedy TBA

Shaskeen Pub
909 Elm St. in Manchester; shaskeenirishpub.com. Comedy by Ruby Room Comedy, rubyroomcomedy.com. Find them on EventBrite for tickets to Wednesday, 9 p.m., shows. Tickets start at $10.
Aug. 16 Ashton Womack
Aug. 23 Matt Lopes
Aug. 30 Jon Tillson

Colonial Theatre of Laconia
609 Main St., Laconia; coloniallaconia.com
Thursday, Aug. 17, 8 p.m. Tony V, Steve Scarfo and Ryan Gartley (Franklin Animal Shelter Comedy Night)
Saturday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m. Mother of a Comedy Show
Thursday, Oct. 12, 8 p.m. Daniel Sloss
Friday, Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m. Brad Upton

Nashua Center for the Arts
201 Main St., Nashua; nashuacenterforthearts.com, 800-657-8774.
Friday, Aug. 18, 8 p.m. Mother of a Comedy Show
Saturday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m. Steve Hofstetter
Saturday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m., Chelcie Lynn

Rex Theatre
23 Amherst St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org. Most Friday Night at the Rex shows start at 7:30 p.m. and ticket prices are generally $25.
Aug. 18 Al Park
Sept. 15 Tony V. and Friends
Sept. 22 Brian Glowacki and Friends
Sept. 29 Robert Dubac’s The Book of Moron

Bank of NH Stage
16 S. Main St., Concord; ccanh.com
Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m. Jimmy Dunn

Music Hall
The Music Hall Historic Theater is at 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth; the Lounge is at 131 Congress St., Portsmouth. themusichall.org.
Sunday, Aug. 27, 8 p.m. Jen Kober (Lounge)
Saturday, Sept. 2, 8:30 p.m. Nick Callas (Lounge)
Thursday, Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m. Pinky Patel (Theater)
Friday, Sept. 29, at 6 and 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 30, at 6 and 9 p.m. Bassem Yousef (Lounge)
Friday, Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m. Michael Carbonaro (theater)
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m. Howie Mandel (Theater)
Saturday, Nov. 4, 6 and 8:30 p.m. David Koechner: The Office Trivia with “Todd Packer” (Lounge)
Thursday, Nov. 9, 6 and 8:30 p.m. Ben Bailey (Lounge)
Saturday, Nov. 11, 6 and 8:30 p.m., Brian Glowaki (Lounge)
Tuesday, Dec. 26, at 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Dec. 27, at 7 p.m., and Thursday, Dec. 28, at 8 p.m. Juston McKinney’s Comedy Year in Review (Theater)

Chunky’s Cinema Pub in Nashua
151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; Chunkys.com. See website for Saturday show times and ticket prices.
Sept. 2 Al Ghanekar
Sept. 9 Mike Hanley
Sept. 16 Peter Lui
Sept. 23 Brian Beaudion
Sept. 30 Tim McKeever
Oct. 7 Steve Bjork
Oct. 14 Ace Aceto
Oct. 21 Kyle Crawford
Oct. 28 Brad Mastrangelo

Amato Center
56 Mont Vernon St., Milford. See bmarley.com for tickets.
Friday, Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m. Bob Marley

Capitol Center for the Arts
Chubb Theatre, 44 S. Main St., Concord; ccanh.com
Saturday, Sept.16, 8 p.m. Demetri Martin
Thursday, Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m. Jonathan Van Ness
Saturday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m. Nurse Blake
Sunday, Oct.15, 7 p.m. Penn & Teller Present: The Foolers
Friday, Nov. 3, and Saturday, Nov. 4, 8 p.m. Bob Marley

SNHU Arena
555 Elm St., Manchester; snhuarena.com
Saturday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. Bill Burr

Murphy’s Taproom, Bedford
393 Route 101, Bedford
Sunday, Oct. 29 Lenny Clarke

Featured photo: Jimmy Dunn. Courtesy photo.

Finding the fun in foraging for fungi

On July 7, while walking a trail in Goffstown, mushroom forager Christine Gagnon shared with me her No. 1 piece of advice for foraging beginners.

“Don’t eat anything until you can identify it yourself. [Not] until you’re 100 percent sure,” she said. “The only way to know if a mushroom is safe to eat is if you have learned to 100 percent, confidently, identify that mushroom on your own and you’ve researched edibility. … The only rule is to know your mushrooms before you eat them.”

With about 30,000 different species of mushrooms in New Hampshire, according to Gagnon, it’s no wonder that more and more Granite Staters are joining in on mushroom hobbies from observing, foraging and collecting, to cooking, eating and making dye.

“The interesting thing about the Northeast in general is that I think we have a greater variety of species than a lot of other parts [of the country], or at least the east in general,” she said. “So that kind of makes it exciting.”

Mushroom foraging classes and events

• Mushroom Walk Join Christine Gagnon of Uncanoonuc Foraging Company for a two hour introduction to all things mushrooms and foraging in Dunbarton on Saturday, Aug. 5 at 4 p.m. The cost is $30 and $10 for ages 10 to 13. Children 9 years old and under are free. Email christine at [email protected] to reserve your spot, arrange payment and for the exact location. Find Uncanoonuc Foraging Company on Facebook.
• Friday Night Forage Join New Hampshire Mushroom Co. (153 Gardner Hill Road, Tamworth; nhmushrooms.com) for their Friday Night Forage this month on Aug. 4, Aug. 18 and Aug. 24, from 5 to 7 p.m. Attendees will walk or carpool to a neary trail to collect, observe and identify mushrooms using proper techniques. Tickets are $20.
• Sunday ID Session New Hampshire Mushroom Co. (153 Gardner Hill Road, Tamworth; nhmushrooms.com) will hold their Sunday ID Session on Aug. 6 and Aug. 20, from 1 to 3 p.m. Everyone is invited to bring mushrooms they have found to lay out on a picnic table for Eric to go around and identify. The cost is $15.
• Can you Eat it? Mushroom ID SessionNew Hampshire Mushroom Co.’s next Can you Eat it? Mushroom ID session is on Sunday, Aug. 13, from noon to 4 p.m. starting at the farm (153 Gardner Hill Road, Tamworth; nhmushrooms.com). The class begins at the farm with a brief introduction to mushroom hunting before going to the woods to gather some. Students will enjoy a meal at the farm and discuss their findings.
• Mushroom Walk Join Eric Milligan of New Hampshire Mushroom for a mushroom walk at Weeks State Park (200 Week’s State Park Road, Lancaster) on Saturday, Aug. 19, from 1 to 4 p.m. to observe, collect and learn about mushrooms and their role in the ecosystem. Participants will meet on the porch of the Summit Lodge before the start time. Visit weeksstateparkassociation.org.
• Foraging: Wild Mushroom Walk: Beginner Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia) is holding a wild mushroom foraging walk on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m. to noon. New Hampshire Mushroom Foraging Co. will guide you along the trails to collect, identify and learn about the different species of mushroom. The event is recommended for adults and costs $30. Visit prescottfarm.org.
• Mushroom Meander with the Morel Quandary Club in Walpole Naturalist John Benjamin and mushroom enthusiast George Caughey lead this walk through Distant Hill Gardens (507 March Hill Road) in Walpole from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31. Register at harriscenter.org.
• Women in the Woods: Fun Fungi Foray Society for the Protection of NH Forests mushroom enthusiast Carrie Deegan leads this foray through the Merrimack River Outdoor Education & Conservation Area in Concord (54 Portsmouth St.) on Sept. 28, from 1 to 4 p.m. Learn about mushroom biology and how to collect and identify mushrooms before putting this into practice on the Merrimack River floodplain. Make sure to bring a basket to collect your findings. This event is limited to 25 participants. Register at extension.unh.edu.

Mushroom season

Gagnon founded Uncanoonuc Foraging Co. in 2021. She led me through our walk much like she would lead her foraging classes on local trails where she looks for mushrooms and talks about the different characteristics that can help people identify them. It turns out, the rain and humidity we got in July made for perfect mushroom weather. Gagnon had returned to New Hampshire from California the day before, and told me how she couldn’t wait to get back.

“I saw here that it was exploding [with] mushrooms with all the rain and suddenly, of course, [they] decided to show themselves while I was on the other side of the country,” she said. “I got back yesterday morning … and [by] noon I was in the truck … to go look for mushrooms.”

According to Gagnon, as long as they have adequate rain and moisture, mushrooms can be found and foraged anywhere, from your lawn with full sun exposure, to a shady spot in the woods under a tree.

She says August through October, ending around November, is generally the ideal time for mushroom foraging, but each mushroom has its own season, with morels popping up the earliest, usually any time between April and June.

Corey Fletcher, owner and chef at Revival Kitchen & Bar in Concord, who often cooks with mushrooms, adds that chanterelle season is typically in July and August, chicken of the woods around August and September, and hen of the woods in September and October. The seasons all depend on having the ideal weather conditions.

“A lot of times it’s related to rain,” Gagnon said. “If we have a really dry summer, we’re not going to see a lot of mushrooms until the fall when it starts to get wet again.”

Gagnon administers several groups on social media where she helps people identify mushrooms, and speaks at events where she educates people about mushrooms’ role in the ecosystem and planet.

During our walk, she told me how her fascination for mushrooms sprouted when she was in elementary school while living on her grandparents’ farm in Quebec.

“Down the road there was a log cabin in the woods that a Scandinavian family lived in and they foraged for mushrooms,” she said. “I remember going in and they had all these mushrooms on the table … and I became immediately fascinated. Even though I never did anything with mushrooms for years, that image always stuck in my head.”

Her obsession was reignited about five years ago when hiking the Uncanoonuc Mountains with her family.

“I saw the most bizarre mushroom I had ever seen at the time on the side of a tree. … I got it identified as a Hericium americanum, which is bear’s head tooth, … so that’s when I became obsessed again.”

What are mushrooms?

During our forage, Gagnon and I came across Monotropa uniflora, a plant that is often mistaken for a mushroom. While not a mushroom itself, it does rely on mushrooms to grow.

“It [doesn’t have] chlorophyll, so it can’t convert heat to energy [or] photosynthesize,” Gagnon said. “So it parasitizes the mycelium from the ground to get what it needs to grow.”

Mycelium is the organism for which mushrooms are the reproductive body. The mushrooms emit spores to propagate the organism.

As Eric Milligan puts it, the fruit body we pick, the mushroom, is like the apple on a tree. Milligan is the manager of New Hampshire Mushroom Co. in Tamworth, through which he leads forages and identification sessions. While existing underground, mycelium has a white, cotton-like appearance that he says can be found in the woods underneath logs. According to Milligan, the role of mycelium in ecosystems is critical.

“You could say mycelium is sort of like Mother Nature’s internet,” he said. “If we had four pictures next to each other of mycelium underground, … a picture of the internet and how that sends out information, a picture of the human brain and how that sends out electrical impulses and then a picture of the universe, all four pictures are exactly the same. How they operate are exactly the same.”

Mushrooms, he says, keep ecosystems all over the planet balanced, mycelium being an agent for bioremediation, the process through which biological organisms break down pollutants. He notes that mushrooms have been used to clean up oil spills, a species exists that blocks radiation, and some could potentially be used to digest plastic by turning petroleum-based hydrocarbons into biodegradable hydrocarbons.

“There isn’t an aspect of our lives right now that fungi could not benefit,” Milligan said.

Mushroom Turnovers
6-8 servings. 30 minutes.

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed according to the package instructions
8 ounces black pearl oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 Tablespoon butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons truffle oil
3 Tablespoons balsamic glaze
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Preheat your oven to the temperature indicated on the puff pastry package instructions.
Add the oyster mushrooms to the skillet and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and lightly browned. Season with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme leaves. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the mushroom mixture cool slightly.
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic, and sauté until the onion becomes translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
On a lightly floured surface, unfold the thawed puff pastry sheet. Roll it out slightly to smooth the creases and create an even thickness. Cut the puff pastry sheet into squares or rectangles of your desired size.
Drizzle a little truffle oil and balsamic glaze over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top. Place a spoonful of the mushroom mixture a few inches apart.
Bake the mushroom puff pastries in the preheated oven according to the package instructions for the puff pastry, usually around 15 to 20 minutes, or until they turn golden brown and flaky.
Once baked, remove the puff pastries from the oven and let them cool slightly before serving.

Recipes from New Hampshire Mushroom Co.’s forthcoming cookbook, Mycophile’s Kitchen: The Culinary Kingdom Fungi

Identifying

When you spot a mushroom, you will notice many characteristics, such as its size, the color of the stem, its cap, gills, and spores, and the location where it is found. Some mushrooms even have distinct scents, like candy caps, which Gagnon says smell like burned sugar or maple syrup. There are various factors to consider, making the identification process very tedious. While people often try to make generalizations on how to identify them, Gagnon says there is no one way to identify any mushroom. The description of one mushroom could match that of a totally different one.

“A lot of mushroom books have a key where you start by saying, ‘Does it have gills, pores, tubes or teeth?’”she said. “‘Does it have a stem or does it not have one? Are there decorations on it? ….’ There are so many things to look at when identifying and the rules aren’t across the board, so you really have to learn each mushroom or least genus of each mushroom.”

While it’s important to be confident in the identity of a mushroom, confidence can be a killer.

“Sometimes when people are new they start to get a little confident,” Gagnon said. “Deadly mushrooms I think make up 0.2 percent of all the mushrooms in the world, so it sounds very small, but they occur a lot. They’re here all the time. There’s a mushroom called Galerina marginata, also called funeral bells or deadly Galerina, and it looks very much like some more edible mushrooms.”

Gagnon cited a time when someone posted a picture on social media announcing that she found what she thought was wild enoki and was going to cook with them for Thanksgiving. Come to find out, it was actually Galerina.

“I [was] desperately trying to reach her and message her not to eat those,” Gagnon said.

Luckily she saw Gagnon’s message before it was too late.

Common edible mushrooms

According to Gagnon, some of the most common edible types in the state are chicken of the woods, hen of the woods, chanterelles and black trumpets. The following descriptions come from Michael Kuo at mushroomexpert.com.

• Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus and Laetiporus cincinnatus)

Characteristics: Perhaps the most obvious characteristic for this mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus) is its yellow and orange colors, but the suede-textured caps eventually become dull, sometimes almost white as they age. They can grow to be 90 centimeters across with overlapping clusters and no stem. Their flesh is thick, watery and soft when they are young, but becomes tougher with age.

Where they grow: Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) is a saprobic mushroom found living on oak trees, dead or live ones, and sometimes on other hardwoods as well. Gagnon adds that Laetiporus cincinnatus has a white pore spore surface with rose and peach colors, and this mushroom appears to grow near hardwoods from the ground.

• Hen of the woods (Grifola frondosa)

Characteristics: Hen of the woods has clusters of brown caps spanning 15 to 40 centimeters across and 10 to 30 centimeters high. Each individual cap is around 3 to 14 centimeters across, can be dark to a pale gray-brown and are usually fan-like in shape.

Where they grow: These mushrooms can be found near the base of oak and hardwood trees.

• Chanterelles

Characteristics: There is an unknown number of chanterelle species, and not all will match any given description. In general, they are usually recognized as being medium or large-sized mushrooms ranging from yellow to orange in color. They are known for their fruity aroma, similar to the smell of apricots.

Where they grow: Chanterelles do not tend to have any specific mycorrhizal relationships. They are usually found in hardwood forests.

• Black trumpets (Craterellus fallax)

Characteristics: The cap and stem of black trumpets are not as clearly defined as in other mushrooms. While they are black, their outer surfaces can turn yellow or orangeish as the spores mature. They stand about 3 to 9 centimeters high and 1 to 5 centimeters wide with smooth, sometimes slightly wrinkled outer surfaces and have thin, brittle flesh.

Where they grow: Black trumpets are mycorrhizal with oaks and possibly other hardwoods as well and are usually found in mossy areas.

According to Gagnon, they can also be found in dead oak leaves. She says they grow in small clusters or scattered loosely down embankments and slopes where water travels after rainfall.

Common toxic mushrooms

These descriptions also come from Michael Kuo at mushroomexpert.com.

• Jack O’Lanterns (Omphalotus illudens)

Characteristics: Jack O’Lanterns, often confused with chanterelles, are bright orange mushrooms with gills that run down the stem and spores that are white or pale yellow.

Where they grow: You will find these mushrooms often growing in large clusters on buried roots or stumps.

• Deadly Galerina or funeral bells (Galerina marginata)

Characteristics: Deadly Galerina are fairly small mushrooms with brown or tawny colored caps

Where they grow: They grow on rotting hardwoods and conifers.

Gagnon adds that they can also be found in mulch.

Cooking with mushrooms

From broth to tea, the possibilities are endless when it comes to cooking with mushrooms. Each mushroom has its own flavor, which is something you likely have not experienced if you’ve only ever had mushrooms from the grocery store.

“In the grocery store, if you buy a button mushroom, a baby bella or a portobello, those are all the exact same mushroom at different stages of growth, so they’re not going to taste much different,” Gagnon said. “If you don’t like mushrooms and that’s all you’ve ever had, I would always suggest trying wild mushrooms because … each mushroom has a completely different flavor.”

One of Gagnon’s favorite mushrooms to eat is chicken of the woods. When it’s young, she says, it has a moist, meaty texture with a hint of lemon flavor, and as the name suggests, can be prepared the same way you would prepare chicken for many dishes.

“Hen of the woods [is] very similar but they have the tendency to be more flaky,” Fletcher said. “They have more of a grain to them so you can almost shred them. Some people will make a pulled mushroom dish with them depending on the size. I’m simpler in my preparation of them [as] I just want the natural mushroom flavor, look and texture to be there, so I’ll just do a quick sauté with oil or butter, salt [and] maybe a little … garlic and let them speak for themselves.”

Gagnon adds that hen of the woods, which she says has an earthy umami flavor, is very versatile, makes for a great chicken marsala, and can be pickled and made into jerky.

Chanterelles, on the other hand, have a fruity aroma according to Kuo. Fletcher, who says their texture is soft and meaty, loves to pair them with corn as the earthiness of the mushroom pairs well with the sweetness of the corn.

According to Fletcher, there are some classic Italian recipes that call for mushrooms. Black trumpets, which have a strong, sweet aroma and nutty, smoky taste according to Gagnon, are often the one of choice for risotto. Mushrooms also offer nutritional value, according to Milligan. He gives the example of king oyster mushrooms, which have five grams of protein, fresh weight, and all 11 essential amino acids.

In order to reap the nutritional benefits, he says almost all mushrooms need to be cooked, as humans do not have enough of the necessary enzymes to break down the mushroom’s cell structure. In fact, some mushrooms are toxic if eaten raw. Button mushrooms, brown mushrooms, baby bellas and portobellos, which are all the same species, contain chemicals that do not flush out of your system but instead build up in your liver when consumed raw. Heat is required to cook these chemicals away.

Buying fresh mushrooms

Two mushroom varieties that you are likely to find at local farmers markets this season are chestnut mushrooms and black oyster mushrooms. These mushrooms are listed on Joyberry Farm’s website as seasonal mushrooms as well as on New Hampshire Mushroom Co.’s website as mushrooms that they cultivate. Joyberry Farms attends the Bedford, Nashua and Salem farmers markets, and New Hampshire Mushroom Co.’s products can be found at the Concord farmers market.

Once you get them home, Fletcher says, it is best to keep them in a cool, dry place, ideally the refrigerator. As far as when to eat them, he says the fresher the better.

“You want to try to eat them as soon as possible because the quality of them is just going to diminish [and] you’re not going to get as much flavor out of them,” he said.

According to New Hampshire Mushroom Co., phoenix oyster mushrooms have a mild flavor that makes for a great addition in creamy soups, over pasta, with eggs or other lighter dishes. This fluffy, woodsy-flavored mushroom, as reported by Joyberry Farms, is very versatile and is also great when sautéed with butter or olive oil, onions and garlic.

Chestnut mushrooms have a nutty flavor that goes well in gravy, stuffing, stir-frys and roasted with chicken, according to New Hampshire Mushroom Co.

Mushroom farms

• Cindy’s Mushroom Farm 189 Route 302, Glen, cindysmushroomfarm.com, 733-7012
• Dunk’s Mushrooms Products and Foraging 313 Route 125, Brentwood, dunksmushrooms.com, 952-7411
• Joyberry Farms 369 Briggs Road, Mason, Joyberryfarms.com, 577-0578
• New Hampshire Mushroom Co. 153 Gardner Hill Road, Tamworth, nhmushrooms.com, 323-0097

Where to buy local mushrooms

Dunk’s Mushrooms Products and Foraging

• Benedikt Dairy (97 Shirley Hill Road, Goffstown)
• Dowie Farm (2 Collettes Grove Road, Derry)
• Johnson Golden Harvest (412 W. River Road, Hooksett)
• Sunnycrest Farm (59 High Range Road, Londonderry)
• Trombly Gardens (150 N. River Road, Milford)

New Hampshire Mushroom Co.

• Brasen Hill Farm (71 Warren Road, Barrington)
• Seaport Fish (13 Sagamore Road, Raymond)
• Concord Farmers Market (Capitol Street., Concord) Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to noon

Joyberry Farms

• Bedford Farmers Market (393 Route 101, Bedford) Tuesdays, 3 to 6 p.m.
• Nashua Farmers Market (6 Hartshorn Ave., Nashua) Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Salem NH Farmers Market (1 Mall Road, Salem) Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Devriendt Farm (178 S Mast St., Goffstown)

Blueberry and Black Trumpet Mushroom Upside-Down Cake
2 servings. 15 minutes

Ingredients for the topping:
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup fresh blueberries
4 to 6 black trumpet mushrooms, sliced

Ingredients for the cake:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup milk
zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves.
Pour the butter and brown sugar mixture into the prepared cake pan, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle in blueberries and sliced black trumpet mushrooms.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a separate large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract.
Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk. Fold in the lemon zest, if using.
Spread the batter over the topping in the cake pan, ensuring it’s even.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, invert the cake onto a serving platter or plate.

Recipes from New Hampshire Mushroom Co.’s forthcoming cookbook, Mycophile’s Kitchen: The Culinary Kingdom Fungi

Dyeing with mushrooms

One of the things I was most surprised to learn during my walk with Gagnon was that mushrooms can be used to make dye. According to Allison Allen, this is a fairly new phenomenon.

“The earliest publication on using mushrooms to get a rainbow of color is from the 1970s from Miriam Rice out of Mendocino, California,” she said. “She was a natural dyer and was drawn to experimentation with it … found mushrooms and threw them into a pot of boiling water, simmered them with wool and, lo and behold, she started getting really promising results of color. We’re still in our infancy of discovery with what fungi can do as far as getting color.”

Allen started her business, Mycopigments, a term she coined back when she started dyeing with mushrooms in 1998, in 2011. From Seattle, Washington, Allen travels where she is requested to hold workshops. Having formerly lived in Massachusetts right on the New Hampshire border, she would often forage mushrooms in New Hampshire, and still comes back to the Granite State to collect mushrooms for dyeing.

“It’s a pretty simple process … and there are some nuances to testing mushrooms for color that I teach in my workshops,” Allen said. “Basically, you boil the mushrooms and you add the fiber and then that mushroom imparts color into that fiber and it’s permanent … brilliant dye.”

When choosing what fiber you want to work with, Allen says that wool, or other protein, animal-based fibers like silk, work best. In some instances you can even add mordant, mineral salts such as aluminum sulfate or ferrous sulfate, to intensify, brighten or darken the colors. For efficiency, Allen prefers to dry her mushrooms before using them for dye due to their high water content.

“It takes away the guessing game of how much mushroom you have to dye your wool,” she said. “When you’re dyeing wool you use one part mushroom to one part fiber by dry weight, so if you have an ounce of wool, you’re going to need an ounce of dry mushroom, which is actually a lot of mushrooms. But if you had an ounce of freshly picked mushrooms, depending on where you are with the rain cycle, they could be 99 percent water and so that ounce isn’t very much mushroom dye material. It’s just water so you can miscalculate and get disappointing results, so by dehydrating them you take away that guessing part.”

One New Hampshire mushroom that is suitable for dyeing is Cortinarius semisanguineus. These are small mushrooms, about 2 inches across with a mustard-colored cap and blood-red gills and result in a bold red when used with aluminum sulfate mordant. Red dye, according to Allen, is historically considered one of the most precious.

Dyer’s Polypore is a fairly common mushroom in New Hampshire that grows with conifers and pine.

“It is one of the strongest dye-makers in the fungal world, so a little bit goes a long way for that mushroom,” Allen said. “If I find it fresh and young … [I] can get away with using one part fungus to five parts fiber. … It will make a brilliant yellow and a deep gold and a nice olive green depending on how you extract the dye and what mordants you add.”

It is fairly simple to achieve yellow according to Allen. She breaks up the fungus into smaller pieces and adds a splash of vinegar to the mix. If you’re more advanced, you can add modants to get the yellows to come out, but vinegar does the trick just fine, she says.

To get a green hue, add iron by using ferrous sulfate power. You can even use iron vitamins, Allen says, after washing off the coating.

The most complicated color to achieve from dyeing with mushrooms is blue. To get a dye this color from mushrooms, Allen says you need identification skills, as very few mushrooms have the potential to make blue, access to pristine forests and a little bit of open-mindedness on the definition of blue.

“Blue is really hard to achieve in the mushroom dye world, especially as a beginner,” Allen said. “You have to have the right mushroom, you have to pre-mordant your fiber … then you have to monitor the pH of the extraction and then you can get, if you’re lucky and the temperature didn’t get too hot, some blue-green shades.”

Mushrooms in New Hampshire that have this potential belong to the Hydnellum, Sarcodon and Feldon genuses.

A mushroom that proves that what you see isn’t necessarily what you’re going to get for dye is Tapinella atrotomentosa, a suede brown-colored mushroom with tan gills that makes purple without any mordants and a deep forest green when iron is added.

According to Allen, the most prized dye species in New Hampshire is the Hapalopilus.

“This mushroom makes a purple dye that is dark and deep and really permanently binds to the fiber, so in that way I think it’s one of the most precious purple dye makers in the world because other purple sources tend to have some fading and some trouble with sticking around.”

According to Allen, mushroom dyeing is a very approachable mushroom hobby.

“You go out and you forage them and you don’t have to worry about if they’re edible or poisonous or anything,” Allen said. “it’s a really accessible way to get your hands on mushroom hunting without taking any risks at all. It’s a way to get engaged with nature and access these colors.”

Featured photo: Chanterelles. Photo courtesy of Christine Gagnon.

Checking in with farmers markets

By Delaney Beaudoin

[email protected]

There are few traditions upheld in the modern day that truly run back to the roots of civilization. The rise of technology in just the past few decades has virtually transformed life past a point of recognition for generations past. But one cornerstone of community has remained throughout: the farmers market.

Being one of the few business models that not only survived the pandemic, but thrived, farmers markets were one of the few opportunities to venture out of the house during lockdown. Taking place outside, with limited required contact, New Hampshire farmers markets saw a record high number of attendees and vendors. According to Richard Stadnick, president of the Bedford Farmers’ Market and owner of Pup’s Cider Co. of the Houndstooth Brewing Co., “When Covid came along, everybody’s sales went through the roof. Farmers markets are viewed as a great way of getting outdoors and supporting local merchants, etc. Everybody’s numbers just skyrocketed. … A lot of people were home and they were looking for side gigs and they were looking for other ways to make money. Lots of vendors came into the market and we probably had more vendors than we had markets to sustain them.”

Although the transition to comply with Covid guidelines wasn’t completely seamless, Stadnick explained that the changes to the overall function of most markets were minimal. Indoor markets were hit the hardest, either having to relocate to an outdoor location or shutting down. Markets which had typically operated outdoors simply implemented masks and social distancing policies. One noticeable change was in the procedures surrounding payment. As contact-free became the norm, more vendors utilized technology for payment, beginning to accept Venmo or card, instead of cash. Stadnick noted, however, that about half of vendors still continue to accept cash only.

“The credit cards were accelerated a little bit by Covid, but not dramatically, I think no more so than the societal in, as younger consumers have entered the market, they’re less likely to carry cash,” he said.

Now three years after summer 2020 Covid-19, according to Wayne Hall, the president of the Concord Farmers’ Market, interest in the markets has sustained.

“There was definitely an increase in business, but we really didn’t see much of a slowdown…. The more interest gathered, the more people come, and it’s just kind of a snowball effect, which is a wonderful thing,” Hall said.

Tom Mitchell, owner of Ledge Top Farm in Wilton, founded the Milford Farmers’ Market alongside Tim O’Connell back in 1978 and has been selling at farmers markets ever since. Mitchell noted that the change in attendance numbers didn’t so much seem to be due to Covid.

“I mean, I’m not so sure really if it is significant in my particular case as to whether or not Covid made a big difference. The sales were still pretty good. They’re actually less now. There may be totally different reasons and so on. I don’t know, maybe there’s more competition and people are getting tired of farmers markets. I think one of the things that hurts farmers markets is there’s so many of them, almost every town has a farmers market,” Mitchell said.

Stadnick pointed out the different experiences among the markets.

“In some cases, they [attendance numbers] declined after Covid waned. But in other cases they didn’t. We had established a new set of customers and people wanted to come out and support. They discovered this was a great venue. Instead of just going to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods or something, they could get great produce and great products at the farmers market. So there’s not a consistent pattern,” he said.

Stadnick mentioned another interesting shift in the market schedules, not necessarily attributed to Covid, but rather to the changing landscape of producers and the desires of consumers.

“In some cases, in many cases, they’re doing some greenhouse gardening as well. So they’re getting an earlier start. They can offer cherry tomatoes at the end of May. They’ll offer full-size tomatoes by the middle to the latter part of June. You end up seeing that they’ve got produce available earlier. So the markets are shifting. Even the outdoor markets are starting to shift into May,” he said.

Although sickness may not be the daily barrier it once was, a new stressor has taken its place now — rising prices. How have farmers markets fitted into the budget of New Hampshire locals conscious of pricing?

“If you’re in a financial bind, stretching your food dollar as far as you can, the farmers market isn’t necessarily a good place to do that,” Stadnick said. “Strawberries are a great example. Strawberry season is just now over. A few weeks ago, typical prices for a quart of strawberries at the farmers markets was about $10. Now, you can go to Shaw’s or Market Basket and get those same strawberries for about $4. It’s not the same strawberries, they’re not locally grown or they’ve got a lot of food miles on them and everything else…. Farming is not a particularly cost-effective venture. It’s a labor of love as much as anything else.”

Mitchell, who has been selling at markets for 45 years, noted that the prices have always been reflective of the amount of work that goes into local farming.

“We’ve tried to keep our prices fairly consistent over the years. I have increased a few of them here and there, and if we have a new product we price it a little higher. But farmers markets aren’t necessarily, in my estimation, places to go for a real bargain…. We’re all about quality and we try to give people the best possible quality that we can have. But we have to keep the price point high enough that we can actually keep the whole farm going,” he said.

For Hall, the farmers market is a place for shoppers to invest in the quality and freshness of their food.

“They are looking for a reasonable price but they want the quality, the freshness. The value to them is being able to say, ‘Hey, how did you grow those tomatoes?’” Hall said.

Even more, to Hall, the value of the market lies beyond just your weekly grocery shop. It is a place to directly invest in your local community.

“All your markets are going to be fantastic. You’re going to get some of the best products, you’re going to get local, you’re going to get fresh. It’s a good reason to get out. It’s a good event to socialize with your townspeople,” he said.

“I think the interest actually started before Covid. People definitely want to know where their food is coming from and they want to meet the farmers. They’re looking for a small, more personal touch to their farms…. The reason most of the farmers come to market is because of the patrons, because we enjoy engaging with the people,” Hall continued. “I was very proud to hear that it seemed to be the place to be on Saturday morning — at the farmers market,” he said.

Find a farmers market

Here are some of the area markets. If you know of a great local farmers market not listed here, let us know at [email protected].

Tuesday

• Bedford Farmers Market at Murphy’s Taproom, 323 Route 101, Bedford, on Tuesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. through Oct. 17. Market features flowers, maple, conventional produce, fish, jams, wine, fruits, baked goods, eggs, jellies, specialty foods, etc. See bedfordnhfarmersmarket.org.

Wednesday

• Canterbury Community Farmers Market at 9 Center Road on Wednesdays from 4 to 6:30 p.m. through September, rain or shine. Find vendors selling fresh produce, eggs, baked goods, cheese, milk, maple products, potted plants, meats, seafood, jams, cut flowers, herbs, crafts, etc. See canterburyfarmersmarket.com.

• Derry Homegrown Farm & Artisan Market next to Derry Feed and Supply at 1 West Broadway, Wednesdays from 3 to 7 p.m. through September. Choose from fresh produce, flowers/plants, dairy, maple, baked goods, meat, wine, ice cream, gluten-free items, jams/jellies, body care products, crafts. Events include live music and art demonstrations. See derryhomegrown.org.

• Kingston Seacoast Growers Association Across from the Kingston fire station at the intersection of Church and Main streets on Wednesdays from 2:15 to 6 p.m, through October, rain or shine. Enjoy baked goods, meat, eggs, fresh vegetables, fruits, plants, flowers. See SeacoastGrowers.org.

• Lee Cooperative Farmers Market at the Little River Park on the fourth Wednesday of every month from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. through September. Shop vegetables, fruits, bakery, lamb, pork, beef, elk, flowers, cheese, honey, syrup, canola oil, plants, crafts, soaps, fudge, music, scone overs in many flavors, sunflower oil, corn, berries, variety of breads, muffins, and pies. Find them on Facebook.

Thursday

• Loudon Farmers’ Market at 7039 School St. on Thursdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. through October. Vendors supply vegetables, fruits, flowers/plants, dairy, maple, meat, fish, prepared foods, baked goods, and crafts. Markets will feature live music. See facebook.com/loudonfarmersmarketnh.

Friday

• Francestown Community Market in the Francestown Horse Sheds at the Town Hall. Fridays from 4 to 6:30 p.m. through the end of October, rain or shine. Vendors supply vegetables, fruits, flowers/plants, dairy, maple, meat, prepared foods, baked goods, crafts, mustard, sauces, cider, beer, jams/jellies and honey. See facebook.com/francestowncommunitymarket.

Saturday

• Candia Farmers Market at the Smyth Library Grounds (55 High St.) on the third Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to noon through October. All farmers and artisans bring fresh quality produce, value-added farm products, and crafts to market. See candiafarmersmarket.org.

• Concord Farmers Market on Capitol Street on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon through the end of October. Vendors include a regular rotation of fresh produce, flowers/plants, baked goods, maple, wines, beers, meat, dairy, fish, agricultural crafts, etc. See concordfarmersmarket.com.

• Contoocook Farmers Market at the Contoocook gazebo on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon through the end of October, rain or shine. Shop fresh produce, eggs, flowers/plants, dairy, maple, baked goods, meats, herbs, weekly entertainment, etc. See facebook.com/ContoocookFarmersMarket.

• Milford Farmers Market at 300 Elm St. on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 14. Shop fresh produce, flowers/plants, maple, baked goods, meat, fish, wool, guest chefs, weekly entertainment, etc. See milfordnhfarmersmarket.com.

• New Boston Farmers Market on the corner of Route 13, 7 Meetinghouse Hill Road, on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through the end of October. Enjoy organic produce, fruits, flowers/plants, soaps, honey, teas, bakery goods, maple, chocolate, barbecue, eggs, wool products and local artisans, plus musicians, demonstrations and education. See facebook.com/NewBostonFarmersMarket.

• Warner Area Farmers Market on the Warner Town Hall Lawn on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through the end of October. Find vegetables, baked goods, art and more. See warnerfarmersmarket.org.

Sunday

• Nashua Farmers Market (Main Street Bridge Farmers Market) on the Nashua Public Library Lot, 6 Hartshorn Ave. on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Oct. 22. Find fresh produce, meat, eggs, plants, pastries, artisan breads, honey, maple syrup, candy, ice cream, soap and crafts from a variety of vendors. See downtownnashua.org/nashuafarmersmarket.

• Salem Farmers Market at The Mall at Rockingham Park (77 Rockingham Park Blvd.) between Dick’s Sporting goods and Cinemark on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. all year. This year-round market features fresh produce, flowers/plants, dairy, maple, baked goods, meat, crafts, and live entertainment. See salemnhfarmersmarket.org.

Featured photo: Bedford Farmers Market. Courtesy of Cherilyn Bukofske.

Where to find free music in the fresh air

In Summer 2020, al fresco was the only option for fans of live music. One of the pandemic’s few silver linings, however, was mostly sunny weather for shows in parking lots and open fields during that moment of masking and social distancing.

This year, not so much; from May through a stormy Fourth of July and beyond, nature’s fury has remained relentless. To paraphrase Mick Jagger, what can a poor boy do to sing in their rock ’n’ roll band?

Even without a torrent of phone battery-draining AccuWeather alerts like we’ve had this year, seasoned New Englanders always keep an eye out for changing skies. It turns out the folks who fill the gazebos and bandstands in New Hampshire’s cities and towns all got the memo on preparing for the worst.

A quick check with a few of them revealed many well-crafted contingency plans.

For example, Bedford’s Family Concerts in the Park series began June 28 with the Dr. Harp Blues Revue Band, and predicted rain moved it indoors. Jane O’Brien is the Bedford Recreation Department’s sole full-time staffer; she runs the town pool and summer camps along with the weekly gazebo events.

“If we go inside, we go to Bedford Town Hall,” O’Brien wrote in a July 6 email. “My first concert we had inside, but the library happened to have their big room available, so we went there. We do it rain or shine, as I don’t have room to reschedule with everything going on around town.”

Belknap Mill’s biweekly Arts in the Park series happens Fridays in Laconia’s Rotary Park. It moves indoors to the mill’s historic museum for inclement weather. A performance from the Newmont Military band kicked things off on May 26; the series concludes on Sept. 8 with the ’50s-themed Rockin’ Daddios and a classic car show.

When reached by phone the morning of July 6, Belknap Mill Marketing Manager Jill Desruisseaux was in good spirits, as the series’ most recent event, a June 30 performance by the Catfish Howl Zydeco Band, had been a sunny one. “We had finally had some nice weather and a really decent turnout,” she said.

The overall season has been an even mix, Desruisseaux continued. “We’ve had four shows and only two of them have been outside. Normally in past years we’ve maybe had to move the first one inside, and then the weather has been amazing. This summer it’s a little different. Mother Nature is not in the mood to cooperate.”

Holding shows in the museum’s third-floor event space is less than ideal, but other options aren’t much better. Indoor crowds are always smaller, but rescheduling acts is too difficult.

“The Park is the perfect place to … get a little live music and continue on with your night,” Desruisseaux said. “Sometimes you feel a little more pressure to stay when you’re inside.”

Performers face their own set of challenges. A chat with a couple of bands well-acquainted with the summer music season, and a performer who also works as a booker, revealed just how difficult this year has been compared to others.

Studio Two, a Beatles tribute band that’s a mainstay of the summer outdoor concert season, has had to pare down its schedule to protect itself against last-minute, no-pay cancellations. “I know weather is unpredictable, but enough of those can cripple a tour,” founding member Stephen Murray said by phone. “After years of experience of doing this, I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way our band business can run is if the concerts that we play either have indoor venues or a rain date.”

This year’s Henniker Concert Series began on June 16. The Tuesday twilight event showcases local acts like Rebel Collective (July 25), Not Fade Away (Aug. 1) and Nick’s Other Band, a beloved hometown group that closes things out on Aug. 29. The shows are always rain or shine.

Acoustic roots band Peabody’s Coal Train was the first act to perform in Henniker this year. “They asked us to kick off the summer series and sure enough, the thunderstorms were rolling in,” guitarist Jason Teaster recalled in a phone interview. The show was relocated to the town’s community center, right behind the bandstand.

“We still had a packed crowd, but it was a more intimate show,” Teaster said, adding, “people were hungry for live music, and we fed them. It was a hat tip to the committee for having that backup plan ready.”

Guitarist Brad Myrick is both a booker and a performer. Experience has taught him to plan for outdoor shows. Back in 2016, “I had a weekend with seven concerts in three days, and I think six of the seven got rained out,” he said by phone. “I lost like two thousand bucks, which for me at the time was just … I couldn’t do it.” That lesson guides Myrick at NH Music Collective, the booking, artist development and production company he co-runs with two other partners.

Given the seemingly endless precipitation, there’s not been much discussion this year about the other side of extreme weather. Plans are needed, however, not just for rain but also for excessive heat. Every now and then Studio Two’s Fab Faux have a need to remove their vintage Beatles suit jackets.

Another problem is ensuring that expensive acoustic instruments don’t get sun-bleached. It’s one thing to be a hot guitar player, quite another to play a hot guitar.

“We’re asking outdoor venues to have tent cover,” Myrick said, recalling that at one open-air gig, “I had to keep turning out of the sunlight after every song.”

That said, rain is still top of mind for everyone trying to mount or play an outdoor show. Myrick is keeping his fingers crossed for The Sunflower Festival, an August event in Concord that will feature a bevy of NH Music Collective performers. “I think I have 16 musicians over two full weekends,” he said.

Unlike a lot of performers and town music organizations, NH Music Collective has mostly dodged the wet and wild weather thus far. “We’re lucky as a company in that we have not lost too many shows,” Myrick said. “I know a lot of musicians that have had cancellations, just by watching people on social media.”

Music outdoors

Here are some of the places you can find regular (and free!) outdoor (weather permitting) musical performances. Know of any concert series we missed? Let us know at [email protected].

Multiple days

• Concord Parks and Recreation (concordnh.gov) presents concerts on several days in multiple locations throughout the city.

On Sundays at 10 a.m., acoustic concerts will take place in White Park (in inclement weather Merrimack Lodge, which will be open from 9 a.m. to noon during concerts). Concerts include Andrew North on July 23, Hometown Eulogy on Aug. 6, Paulie Stone on Aug. 13, Steve Blunt on Sept. 10 and Ben Harris on Sept. 17.

The Nevers Band (classic orchestral) has two Tuesday night concerts at 7 p.m. left in a series played around the city: July 25 at the New Hampshire Statehouse and Aug. 8 at Kiwanis Riverfront Park (behind Everett Arena).

Thursday night concerts at 7 p.m. in Eagle Square include Freese Brothers Big Band on Aug. 3, Jah Spirit on Aug. 10 and Club Soda on Aug. 24.

The Concord Public Library also has a live performance on the schedule: David Shore’s Trunk of Funk will play on Wednesday, Aug. 16, at 6 p.m. at Prince Street at the Concord Public Library.

Sundays

• The Friends of Stark Park (550 River Road in Manchester; starkpark.com) have a series of concerts at the Stark Park Bandstand on Sundays at 2 p.m. Upcoming shows include Another Tequila Sunrise (Eagles tribute) on July 23, Love Dogs on July 30, Reminisants on Aug. 6, Swing Times Five on Aug. 13, Wolverine Jazz Band on Aug. 20 and Compaq Big Band on Aug. 27.

Tuesdays

• Amherst’s Concerts on the Green (amherstnh.myrec.com) run on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. at the Amherst Village Green (2 Main St.). Upcoming shows include Bass Quintet on Aug. 1, Glitter and Camo on Aug. 8, and the Amherst Town Band on Aug. 15. A show on Tuesday, July 25, with the Bat Magoon Band will take place at the Baboosic Town Lake Beach (25 Broadway); $5 cover for non-Amherst residents.

• Derry Parks and Recreation’s Summer 2023 Concert Series (derrynh.org) takes place in MacGregor Park (64 E. Broadway) on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Upcoming shows are Mo Bounce (funky & danceable) on July 25, The Slakas (classic/modern rock) on Aug. 1, PizzaStock presents Second to Last Minute and the Glue Band on Aug. 8, Beatlejuice on Aug. 15, and Brandy on Aug. 22.

• Hampstead’s Meetinghouse Park Concert series (hampsteadconcerts.com), sponsored by Hampstead Cable Television, takes place Tuesdays at 6 p.m. behind Hampstead’s Town Hall (11 Main St.). Upcoming shows are Chickenshack Bluegrass Band (rock & country influenced) on July 25, Tru Diamond (Neil Diamond tribute) on Aug. 1, North River Music (Americana sound of rock, bluegrass and country) on Aug. 8, Mark209 (country) on Aug. 15, Martin and Kelly (country) on Aug 22, and Studio Two (Beatles tribute) on Aug. 29.

• Henniker’s Summer Concert Series (henniker.org) runs Tuesdays at the Angela Robinson Bandstand (57 Main St.) starting at 6:30 p.m. Food trucks and restaurants will attend the concerts to sell eats for the evening, according to a press release. Admission is free (donations accepted). Upcoming shows include Rebel Collective (Irish rock) on July 25, Not Fade Away (Grateful Dead tribute) on Aug. 1, Emily’s Garage Band (funky soul classics) on Aug. 8, Cold Chocolate (folk/funk/bluegrass) on Aug. 15, Kotoko Brass (party music with a global flair) Aug. 22, and Nick’s Other Band on Aug. 29.

• Nashua’s SummerFun (nashuanh.gov/546/summerfun) programming includes concerts at Greeley Park Bandshell (100 Concord St., Nashua). Shows are on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. The upcoming schedule includes Scenes the Band (Billy Joel tribute) on July 25, American Legion Band on Aug. 1, Tru Diamond (Neil Diamond tribute) on Aug. 8, Bel Airs (doo wop) on Aug. 15, and After Hours Big Band on Aug. 22.

• New Boston’s Concerts on the Common series (newbostonnh.gov/recreation/pages/concert-common) has three more shows on upcoming Tuesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Chairs and blankets are welcome, and the Rail Trail Grill concession stand will feature hot dogs, hamburgers, soft drinks and snacks for sale, with proceeds benefiting the New Boston Rail Trail. The town’s community church will offer a dessert table. Upcoming shows include Hickory Horned Devils (old-time, bluegrass, Americana) on July 26, Tattoo (acoustic jam band) on Aug. 8 and The Island Castaways Band (Jimmy Buffett tribute) on Aug. 22.

Wednesdays

• Bedford Parks and Recreation’s Family (bedfordnh.myrec.com) Concerts in the Park run on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in Bedford Village Common Park. Upcoming shows include Roxanne and the Voodoo Rockers on July 26, Bedford Big Band on Aug. 2 (this show starts at 6:30 p.m.), and the Manchester Community Music School on Aug. 9.

• Hampstead’s remaining concert in the Ordway Park Concert series (hampsteadconcerts.com), sponsored by Hampstead Cable Television, takes place at the Main Street-located park at Route 121 and Depot Road on Wednesday, July 26, at 6 p.m. with Key Elements (classic and soft rock covers from the 1970s and 1980s).

• The Londonderry Arts Council’s (londonderryartscouncil.org) Concerts on the Common series takes place on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, most will take place inside the cafeteria of Londonderry High School (295 Mammoth Road). Upcoming shows include The Linda Ronstadt Experience with Tristan McIntosh on July 26, Delta Generators (blues) Aug. 2, Foreigners Journey (tribute to Foreigner and Journey) on Aug. 9, and Studio Two Beatles Tribute on Aug. 16.

• Merrimack’s Summer Concert Series (merrimackparksandrec.org) will host weekly concerts at Abbie Griffin Park (6 Baboosic Lake Road, Merrimack) on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. Upcoming shows include Marc Berger & Ride (country folk) on July 26, The Twangtown Paramours (Americana, folk and blues) on Aug. 2, The Slakas (classic/modern rock) on Aug. 9, Will Parker Children’s Concert on Aug. 16 (concert from 6 to 7 p.m.) and Crescendo’s Gate (rock) on Aug 23.

• Milford Recreation (milford.nh.gov) holds its Sounds on the Souhegan concert series on Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Emerson Park. In the event of rain, concerts will be moved inside to the Town Hall auditorium. Upcoming shows include Cover Story (top 40) on July 26, Shana Stack Band (country/Southern rock) on Aug. 2, The Bel Airs (’50s and ’60s) on Aug. 9, Sheepdip Band (classic rock tribute) on Aug. 16, Bedford Big Band (this concert takes place at the Stage at Keyes Memorial Park) on Aug. 23, and Studio Two Beatles Tribute (rock ’n’ roll) at Aug. 30 (also at the Stage at Keyes Memorial Park).

• Pelham Community Spirit’s Summer Concerts (pelhamcommunityspirit.org) on the Village Green in front of the town’s public library will take place on three upcoming Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.: The Casuals on July 26, 4EverFab (Beatles tribute) on Aug. 9 (evening will also include a Cruise Night, $5 car registration), and Standard Tuning on Aug. 26.

Thursdays

• Auburn Parks & Recreation “Rock This Town” Summer Concert Series takes place at the Circle of Fun Playground (1 Bunker Hill Road in Auburn) on two upcoming Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.: Off Duty Angels on July 20 and Emily’s Garage Band on Aug. 17.

• Raymond’s Summer Concert Series (raymondnh.gov/programsforeveryone) runs Thursdays at 6 p.m. at the Raymond Town Common. Upcoming shows include The Singing Trooper Daniel M. Clark on July 20; Keith Belanger (piano bar sing-along) on July 27; a “surprise night” on Aug. 3; Kitchen Party on Aug. 10, and EP Rock (Elvis Prestley tribute) on Aug. 17.

• Salem’s summer concert series at Field of Dreams Community Park (48 Geremonty Drive, Salem; fieldofdreamsnh.org) runs on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. except for Fridays, July 21, and July 28. Admission is free and open to the public and chairs and blankets are welcome. Upcoming shows include 4EverFab (Beatles tribute) on July 21, Salem Boyz on July 28, North River Music (Americana sound of rock, bluegrass and country) on Aug. 3, Something Else on Aug. 10, and B-Street Bombers on Aug. 17.

Friday

• Manchester (manchesternh.gov) has two upcoming concerts at Veterans Park in the city’s downtown on Elm Street on two Fridays at 6:30 p.m. Food trucks will be available to purchase food from. Marc Berger and the band Ride will perform on July 21. Roots of Creation will perform on Aug. 11.

Daily

• Hampton Beach has a nightly Sea Shell stage series (hamptonbeach.org) with performances from 7 to 8 p.m. and 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. most nights. Performances are weather-dependent. Upcoming shows include Caroline Gray (country) on Thursday, July 20; Maddi Ryan (country pop) on Friday, July 21; The Shakerz Band (’60s through ’90s rock) on Saturday, July 22, and The Bel Airs (doo wop and vintage rock ’n’ roll) on Sunday, July 23. On Sunday, Aug. 13, catch the Polka Festival from 3 to 9 p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 19, a Reggae Fest runs from 3 to 9 p.m. The shows continue through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4, when GemsTones (’50s music) finish up the season.