Category: Cover Stories

Chefs describe the surprising side of maple syrup

When you think of maple syrup, you are much more likely to think of pancakes or waffles than smoked fish, but Michael Williams would like the opportunity to change that.

“Maple-smoked fish is very, very good,” Williams said. “A maple-smoked sturgeon would be mind-blowing.”

Williams, who operates Eden’s Table Farm in Dunbarton, a farm and market dedicated to high-end, locally produced foods, with his wife, Pastry Chef Addie Leader-Zavos, believes that American eaters have always looked at maple products too narrowly, particularly in New England.

“New England has always been a step behind, culinarily speaking,” he said. “I think it stems from the Puritans’ distrust of any kind of pleasure.”

Northern New England leads the nation in maple syrup production — according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA.gov), New Hampshire produced 149,000 gallons of syrup last year. (An impressive achievement, considering what a rough production year it was, although it pales in comparison to Vermont’s 3.1 million gallons.) But, until relatively recently, the region has taken a conservative approach to how maple has been used in food and drink.

In recent years, however, chefs and brewers in New England, and especially New Hampshire, have become more adventurous in their uses of syrup and have found a demand for them.

Dennis Molnar is the co-owner of Concord Craft Brewing in Concord. He said that in recent years maple-forward beers have become a regular part of his brewery’s seasonal rotation. This year he and his team have focused on Maple Bourbon Brown Ale, as opposed to last year’s Logger Lager.

“We kind of alternate,” Molnar said. “We did something a little bit different this year, but we also used maple. We [made] our brown ale and we aged it in maple bourbon barrels and added a little bit of maple syrup at the tail end to get just a touch of sweetness back into it.”

Molnar said that, compared to some other ingredients, maple syrup is fairly easy to work with. “We need to have it uncontaminated because any bacteria or wild yeast will change the character of the beer,” he said. But a simple heat-up of the syrup, or buying material that’s already pasteurized is the fix. The bourbon barrels that the beer is aged in come from a producer in Maine, he said. “Maple was already used in the bourbon,” he said, “[but it] doesn’t tend to impart much flavor to the barrel; we end up getting sort of the char and the burnt-y flavor, but it doesn’t change the alcohol content. There’s not sort of an alcohol shiver at the end or anything. So we get mostly bourbon [notes] from that, and then we add back a little bit of maple to sort of restore some of that sweetness.”

Sweetness, of course, is one of the primary characteristics of maple syrup, but Chef Keith Sarasin, chef/owner of The Farmer’s Dinner pop-up restaurant (thefarmersdinner.com) and of Aatma Curry House in Milford, says it’s maple’s musky, perfumy notes that make it such a versatile ingredient to pair with other strong flavors.

Maple Gastrique Recipe by Keith Sarasin
Ingredients
½ cup maple syrup (preferably Grade B or dark amber for deeper flavor)
½ cup apple cider vinegar (or balsamic for a richer gastrique)
1 Tablespoon shallots, finely minced (optional, for added depth)
½ teaspoon black pepper (optional, for mild spice)
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter (optional, for a silky finish)

Instructions
Reduce the Vinegar:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the vinegar.
Let it simmer until reduced by about half (5-7 minutes), concentrating the acidity.

Add the Maple Syrup:
Stir in the maple syrup and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
Allow it to reduce for another 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly.
The consistency should be similar to a thin syrup—it will continue to thicken as it cools.

Season and Finish:
Stir in the salt and black pepper.
If using, whisk in the butter for a silkier texture.
Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.

Strain (optional):
If you used shallots, strain the gastrique through a fine-mesh sieve to achieve a smoother sauce.

“It’s funny,” Sarasin said. “At Curry House we use maple in two different dishes. We actually use it in our butter chicken, which is one of our secret ingredients. We use smoked maple syrup from Ben’s Sugar Shack. We add a little bit of that just as a quick touch, kind of our signature little special thing. Maple syrup works a lot like jaggery.” Jaggery, a raw sugar used in Indian cooking, has many similarities to maple syrup, he said.

“And since we study food from the subcontinent,” Sarasin continued, “we’ve learned that it’s a beautiful replacement for jaggery. Well, you know, jaggery’s got that little, that sourness to it, that kind of earthy quality.”

“That depends on where the jaggery comes from, too,” he said. “South Indian jaggery is a lot more like that. North Indian jaggery is floral, and so it reminded me of the different grades of maple syrup, like that dark amber kind of [syrup] mimics South Indian jaggery,” he said.

The theme of Sarasin’s pop-up restaurant The Farmer’s Dinner focuses on fine-dining applications of local and seasonal ingredients, so maple is prominent in many of his white-tablecloth dishes, he said.

“I think everyone thinks of maple syrup as this sweet dessert-based thing, but one of the things that we like to do is to use it in gastriques. A gastrique is basically a kind of a sauce or a glaze, with a soured, vinegar-like property. It’s like a reduction of a sauce. So I’ll do a maple gastrique with duck quite a bit because it works so darn well together. Anytime you have fat, you need to balance it with a high level of acidity.” And maple syrup helps round out that acidity, he said.

This is a use that Chef Chris Viauld of Greenleaf Restaurant in Milford puts maple to as well.

“I just did a maple-gochujang glazed duck breast for a dinner,” he wrote in an email. Gochujang is a traditional fermented salty chili paste from Korea. “And Emilee has a maple semifreddo on the current menu at Greenleaf and has done a maple creme brulee in menus past.”

Emilee is Viaud’s wife, Emilee Viaud, the pastry chef at his restaurants, and owner of Sweet Treats by Emilee (facebook.com/EmileesSweetTreats), a bespoke baking business. She said that maple syrup pairs well with the cream in a semifreddo. “It’s a frozen dessert,” she said. “It means semi-frozen. So really all it is is whipped cream and whipped cooked eggs and sugar. And then you can add really any flavoring to that, but I like adding maple because of the sweetness and how the richness of a dark maple complements that heavy cream.” She leans toward dark grades of maple syrup. “It’s got a more intense maple flavor. Yeah, and then really when you’re cooking with maple syrup, it is just so sweet. So you really want to try and find the balance, not make a dessert that ends up being overly sweet.”

Chef Viaud likes to pair maple with contrasting flavors. “One of the ingredients that I like to pair with maple is miso,” she said. Even though it’s a surprising combination, she said, “that’s actually probably my No. 1 thing I like to pair with maple. People always think of nuts, like a walnut or a pecan maple dessert, but with miso the fermentation and the saltiness really balances well with maple. If you just make a simple sugar cookie and want to put a maple glaze on it, you just add the miso. You can cook down miso to get it more flavorful — it’s very salty, where if you cook it down a little bit it actually gets more concentrated. You can add it to glazes. You can add it to fillings. It can go well in a caramel. You could also make a miso-maple ice cream.”

Miso Caramel by Emilee Viaud
“This is good to have on hand to add to ice cream or as a glaze to pies, cookies, and with coffee.”

Ingredients
1 cup pure NH maple syrup
2 Tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon miso paste (add more for more salty taste)
1/3 cup room-temperature heavy cream

Instructions
Bring maple syrup in a medium-sized pot over medium heat to a boil. Simmer maple syrup until candy thermometer reaches 230°F.
Turn heat down to low, add room-temp butter and whisk until incorporated.
Add heavy cream and whisk until combined.
Add miso and whisk in.
Pour caramel through a fine mesh strainer and let cool at room temperature

Pastry Chef Addie Leader-Zavos of Eden’s Table Farm agrees that maple syrup’s sweetness makes it an obvious choice to use in sweet applications. She likes to use it in European dishes, where it is nontraditional and adds an unexpected complexity.

“I like to base caneles around it,” she said. “They’re a French custardy pastry made with beeswax. They aren’t very common here, but there was a war fought over them.”

The two other applications Leader-Zavos uses maple syrup for are a little more traditional. One is her Maple Sticky Buns.

“We also sell a Maple Nut Pie,” she said. “It’s like a pecan pie, but with walnuts.” Again, the earthy notes of dark maple pair well with the slightly bitter flavor of the walnuts, and the velvety texture of the syrup contrasts with the crunchiness of the nuts. “During the holidays,” she said, “I bake it as a hand pie.”

Emily Sliviak is the Marketing Manager for Ben’s Sugar Shack in Temple, one of the largest producers of maple syrup in New Hampshire. She said that while much of the maple syrup Ben’s sells is widely used in traditional ways she has seen it used more and more in recent years paired with savory dishes.

“We literally glaze all of our bacon, all of our sausage, all of that stuff with maple syrup,” Sliviak said. “So, as far as savory things go, salmon is great; we do an entree here with the maple glaze on it. And then we have rotisserie chickens here. We use a maple glaze and then we stuff the chicken with a bunch of fresh rosemary and it comes out really good. That’s one of my favorites.”

Maple’s affinity for smoke has become widely recognized in recent years by the grilling and barbecue communities. Steve Chase is the owner of Steve’s Original Sauces in Belmont. He said that while one of his sauces is spicy, with a maple background flavor, he wants to be very clear that he makes it with barbecuing in mind.

Crispy Maple Dijon Panko Crusted Salmon from Ben’s Sugar Shack
Serves 4.

4 salmon fillets, skin on
1 cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup Ben’s Maple Sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
⅓ cup butter, melted
⅓ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of Dijon or whole-grain mustard

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet, skin side down.
Combine the mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl. Combine the breadcrumbs, maple sugar, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and melted butter in another bowl.
Spread the mayo/Dijon mixture evenly on the tops of the salmon. Gently press the bread crumb mixture onto the top of the fillets, fully coating each one.
Bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. The thickness of each fillet will determine cooking time, the crust should be golden brown and the salmon should flake easily with a fork.
Serve immediately with your favorite sides.

“I’ve been teaching people for years that I’m not a hot sauce guy,” he said emphatically. “Because people come and they say, oh, they look at the name, you know, ‘SOS,’ and they think it’s hot. So I kind of just, over the years, I said, ‘OK, let me come up with something for these folks.’ So I took my sugar shack maple sauce as my base. I took that into the kitchen and redid it a little bit to make it hot for them. It created a little smoky maple. And because it’s maple, I added a little bit of cinnamon to it as well to go with it. Cinnamon is a spice that has some heat to it as well. I just used a cayenne pepper powder as my heat in that, and it just developed into just a really beautiful, like little sweet maple with the cinnamon, and then the back end gives you that nice heat hit that people love to have, and it’s just turned into just a wonderful flavor sauce that people love.”

For Chase, maple is a natural pairing for smoky flavors, which makes it well-suited for barbecued meats.

“[My sauces] have a very subtle smoky maple flavor,” he said. “It’s not overly sweet; the maple just enhances what is in the bottle. Some people really love the smoke. If you’re not able to do any smoking, you can marinate your meat, your chicken, your pork, your beef — you can marinate it in this sugar shack maple and it will give it a nice smoky flavor.”

That sounds fine for a home cook, but what about professionals? Do competition barbecuers look at maple sauces as a cheap trick and avoid it, or is it something you might actually see at a high level of smoking?

Maple Glazed Ribs from Dan DeCourcey, owner of Up in Your Grill Food Truck (493-3191, upinyourgrill.com)

Maple Glaze
1 cup NH maple syrup
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon coarse salt
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
½ Teaspoon of finely ground black pepper
½ Teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or more for extra kick)

Mix glaze ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring frequently. Turn down heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
Smoke ribs as you normally would. If you wrap the ribs during the smoking process add a half cup of glaze to the wrap as a braising liquid.
Glaze unwrapped ribs during the last 20 minutes of your cook. Enjoy!

Jayna Todisco is the head cook of the championship barbecue team A Mazie Q. She is a World Barbecue Championship competitor and the Grand Champion of the Back to BAYsics (Ironman) BBQ Competition. She said maple is her go-to special ingredient.

“In a competition environment,” Todisco said, ”maple to me lends itself with so many benefits over other sweeteners, so I use it in my injections. I use it in my sauces. I use it as a finishing sauce. It does really well. I just, I can’t sing its praises too much because to me it’s probably the one finishing glaze on most of my meats. We compete majorly, and … of my four meats three have it. I have a world champion recipe because I did win a world championship on that one alone. And when people are asking, like, ‘What is that? What makes it so well? And I’m like, ‘It really is maple syrup. It really is. Like, that’s what it is. That’s all it is.’ I just literally take a paintbrush and I paint it with maple syrup and that is it.”

Todisco said maple often takes judges by surprise.

“No one is expecting it,” she said. “And when you put it on hot meat, the way it mixes with the juices, you really can’t identify it because during the cooking process somehow it executes such a different flavor than when it starts. You can still tell it’s maple if you’re looking for it, but for the most part everybody’s like, ‘What is that?’ Because when you do barbecue, people are looking for honey or brown sugar or something like that, but no one’s expecting maple. I love it.”

Ultimately, Michael Williams of Eden’s Table Farm said, the growing use of maple in different cuisines and applications is a reflection of a sea change in the way the public thinks about its food. “Slowly,” he said, “we’re moving toward an awareness of eating locally and being more aware of where our ingredients come from. Maple definitely has a part in that.”

Maple Margarita by John Fladd
2 ounces jalapeño-infused blanco tequila – I like Tanteo
1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
½ ounce dark maple syrup

Pour the tequila, lime juice and maple syrup over ice in a cocktail shaker. Seal the shaker and shake it vigorously until you hear the ice start to break up.
If you were to ask your digital assistant to play “Tequila” by The Champs, who could blame you?
Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass, and drink while considering that while the world is a messy and suboptimal place in many ways, there are compensations.
Many bartenders will limit their use of maple syrup to a Maple Old-Fashioned, because its sweetness often overwhelms other ingredients. Tequila has enormous strength of personality, however, and is not easily overwhelmed. Maple goes exceptionally well with acidic fruits, and lime juice, as has been observed on many occasions, is everybody’s friend. This cocktail is juicy-tasting, with a residual jalapeño heat. It goes down very easily. It’s something of a constant in life that one margarita can easily become two, then a party. This margarita could usher in a relaxing weekend, or perhaps a lost one.

A look at Symphony NH as its music director prepares to pass the baton

Though it doesn’t take cues from the movie Conclave, the process of finding a successor to Roger Kalia, Music Director of Symphony NH, is similar in spirit.

“You’re really looking for someone who is the face of the organization,” search consultant Nick Adams said recently. “How they interact with a whole host of fairly disparate groups of people … you want to have a system that allows you to see that person in these different environments.”

Kalia announced his departure in early 2024. When the final notes of Aaron Copland’s American Symphony fade at his last concert on May 10 at Concord’s Capitol Center for the Arts, the maestro will have spent six years leading the state’s largest orchestra. By then, four or five potential new conductors will be finalized.

What happens next is an interesting twist on filling an outgoing leadership role. Each candidate will have an opportunity to perform for the classical music community over the course of the 2025-26 concert season. At the end, one will become Symphony NH Music Director.

Adams, who served as Operations Manager at Symphony NH from 2007 to 2014 and now heads the Boston-based Cantata Singers along with his search efforts, believes the season-long audition is the best way for a community to choose a potential conductor. They’ve considered 10 candidates thus far.

“What we were looking for is are they able to take an art form that’s hundreds of years old and program it in a way that … speaks to people who already know the language of classical music and orchestras, but also package it and involve composers and other music in a way that might bring new 21st-century audiences in.”

Symphony NH Executive Director Deanna Hoying values this long hello as a way to see how potential Music Directors will bond with the orchestra. To that end, the search committee will attend rehearsals to evaluate chemistry between them and the candidate.

“You want to know how these folks work with the musicians,” she said by phone in late February. “Are they efficient in how they use the time that they have? How do they work with our librarian? Watching how they work, how they treat people in that environment is really important, because our musicians are our most valuable asset. Many of them have been with us for decades.”

The selection process that culminated in 2019 was the result of a national search for a Music Director. Kalia lives in Evansville, Indiana, where he leads that city’s orchestra, and traveled to Nashua for his work there. The current effort is focused on finding a candidate based in the region.

“Working with a Music Director who doesn’t live here; I think one of the things they realized is the value of having them be a little bit closer is, one, you just get to see them more, and that helps a lot,” Hoying said. “People have connections to these artists.”

They began with an element of uncertainty, wondering if they could attract enough candidates, and they built safeguards into the process in case they needed to expand at some point.

“We felt like, ‘let’s start with what we actually want, which is somebody within a two-hour drive of New Hampshire,” Hoying said, adding the net would widen “if we felt that we didn’t have enough in the pool.”

Fortunately, she continued, “We had so much wealth of talent that we didn’t need to do that. What blew us all away was that we had so many incredibly talented people who are local … because you don’t know until you throw the net out what you’re going to get.”

Kalia and Hoying came to Symphony NH in the same year. After moving to Manchester from Louisville, where she worked with their orchestra, Hoying reached out to then director Mark Thayer to offer her services. She started as a grant writer in the spring. Kalia began his tenure that fall.

When the pandemic arrived, the organization turned from celebrating a new leader to wondering how it could survive.

“Roger started and didn’t even get through his first season, dear guy,” Hoying said. “In spring, it’s like, ‘Guess what? We’re going to have to pivot.’ He and I talked about pivoting a lot and we did it a lot as more information became available. We got through Covid; we did the livestream shows.”

Emerging from months of virtual programming, there were still plenty of restrictions to address.

“Everything was changing, sometimes very rapidly, and we were always having to respond,” Hoying recalled. “What’s everybody feeling now; how is this going to work? We knew there might be a percentage of our pre-Covid audience who may never come back.”

During that time, Thayer left to work for the symphony in Elgin, Illinois. He recommended Hoying, whose role had expanded into development, as his replacement. She accepted, but asked to begin as Interim Executive Director. “I wanted the board to feel like they had some agency, and to make sure they were comfortable with me,” she said. “And that I, in all honesty, was comfortable doing the job. I mean, this is a big job.”

The upcoming 2022-2023 season marking Symphony NH’s centennial year was an immediate challenge as she moved into her permanent position. “Covid really upended planning, but we were able to put together a season that really celebrated, as we called it, looking back.”

This included longtime partner organization the Nashua Choral Society performing Mozart’s Requiem with the local Nashoba Valley Chorale.“We looked to our past for inspiration,” she recalled. “We celebrated the hundredth at the brand-new Nashua Center for the Arts, which was lovely. We were one of the first shows; I think they had been open all of three weeks.”

That connection with Nashua’s newest venue became more critical with the closing of Keefe Auditorium, the site for many concerts in the past. In an interview last fall, Roger Kalia spoke of the challenges presented by losing the Keefe and its larger stage, while at the same time praising the Nashua Center.

“We had a dedicated audience at the Keefe, and that is a little bit challenging in the sense that we’re going to miss that,” he said. The new venue, Kalia added, “is acoustically really good, and close to the audience, in the sense that the seats are very close to the stage. It’s intimate music-making, and I really enjoy that.”

He went on to say that while the Keefe was the state’s largest auditorium, its 1,400 seats were sometimes hard to fill. “The Nashua Center has 700, and every seat is essentially filled. As a musician, you enjoy that, when you see a full audience sitting there.”

The relationship will continue when the Symphony NH Brass Ensemble is among the performers gathering to celebrate the center’s second anniversary on Tuesday, April 1. The Nashua Community Music School String Ensemble, Ukestra, Ruby Shabazz, Y Dance in Motion, Peacock Players and Actorsingers will also appear.

A statewide entity — the name was changed from Nashua Symphony Orchestra in 2012 — Symphony NH has expanded its reach in recent years, with multiple concerts in Concord, Derry and Manchester, in addition to Nashua’s St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church, where the annual Holiday Brass concert was held last December.

All parties in the search expressed that finding a Music Director who lives in the community comes with an underlying priority: selecting a candidate who will also be of the community. Nick Adams recalled a search committee member telling him that one of their evaluation metrics is, “Would I like to have a bagel and coffee with this person at the corner cafe? They’ll tell me about their musical selections and what inspires them. It’s an excellent way to think about it.”

Hoying concurred, saying, “there are definitely a lot of elements to this job, and Music Director is equal parts being on stage and working with the musicians and then really having that presence in the community … when they go into a local coffee shop, people know who they are.”

Part of classical music’s enduring nature comes from centuries of maestros reinterpreting important works, she continued, citing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony as an example. “Everybody brings their own take to it, so I think that’s where you want to kind of generate that interest and this level of approachability. You’ve got to be able to connect with your audiences. Otherwise … that’s where I think you miss the mark.”

Further, she continued, “What I look for in a candidate is someone that’s got a very clear vision of what an orchestra can be in the 21^st century, knowing that we do still have a lot of challenges. We are still competing with inflation and content on streaming services and all those things that keep people from coming out. What is the vision of the orchestra in the future, and how do we welcome everyone to our family, to our concerts?”

The committee hopes to choose finalists soon.

“Our current field of semifinalists is 10 people,” Adams said. “I tell Deanna all the time, ‘Your next music director is in this pool.’ The number of applicants that we had that are just really talented and are interested in this position is — it’s a very deep pool. I think a host of them will be really exciting for the community to see. What is most encouraging to me is I think the future is really bright.”

It’s a rich and varied list, he continued. “There’s certainly some that bring different kinds of strengths to the table, but each of them has been really able to present a compelling picture of what their music directorship would look like. So I think at this point we’re really looking at whatever the perfect fit is for the southern New Hampshire community…. There’s a lot of reasons to be excited.”

Next up for Maestro Kalia
What: “Serenade for Winds,” a unique concert that focuses on the orchestra’s wind section.
When: Saturday, March 8, 7:30 p.m., Nashua Community College (505 Amherst St., Nashua)
Tickets: $10-$40 at symphonynh.org

Kalia described the program:
“Although less common in concert halls than full symphonic orchestras with winds, today’s concert wind ensemble has a lengthy history, rooting itself in the European tradition of Harmoniemusik. Emerging in the late 18th century, Harmoniemusik was a form of chamber music written specifically for wind instruments. These ensembles, typically composed of pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns, and bassoons — the common instrumentation of the wind section for court and theater orchestras — were initially associated with the courts of European aristocracy. They provided lively outdoor entertainment or underscored formal banquets, serving as a sonic emblem of both elegance and status. Composers like Mozart and Haydn were among the first to elevate the genre, recognizing its potential beyond mere functional music.

“The growing prominence of the wind ensemble coincided with a broader interest in exploring the unique tonal palette of wind instruments. While strings dominated the symphonic repertoire, winds offered a range of colors — from the playful chirping of flutes and clarinets to the noble warmth of horns. By the early 19th century, advancements in instrument design allowed for greater technical and dynamic capabilities, inspiring composers to craft more ambitious works for winds. The wind ensemble transformed from a courtly entertainment medium to a standalone artistic force, paving the way for masterpieces such as those featured in this program.

“I would also mention that Mendelssohn was only 15 years old when he wrote his Overture for Winds. A very impressive achievement!”

Indiana wants him

Maestro Kalia talks about his final Symphony NH concerts

Roger Kalia’s tenure as Symphony NH’s Music Director draws to a close with three more concerts, the final in May. In a phone interview on Feb. 24 he talked about his final three concerts and shared memories about his time leading the orchestra, once again intimating that classical music fans may see him again.

Though he’s not participating in the search for his successor, Kalia offered his thoughts on becoming the Music Director at Symphony NH through a similar process.

For my year, they had, I think, eight or nine candidates. So it was a little bit bigger. I think it was over a year and a half rather than just one season. All the finalists conducted a concert, and then during the week we’d meet with search committee members and all sorts of community members. It’s an intense process.

“Serenade of the Winds”happens Saturday, March 8, at Nashua Community College.

There are three incredible works in this concert that really are probably the most famous pieces from the wind repertoire, I would say. When Mozart was writing these pieces, he was really kind of opening up a … I don’t want to say new genre, but a new way of writing for chamber music, and the focus was on wind instruments. The Mozart is one of the most famous works; it’s called the Gran Partita. It’s full of elegance, charm. It has a stunning slow movement, which is an adagio. It’s a seven-movement work, and we’re doing the first three movements and the finale…. We’re also doing the Dvorak Serenade for Winds, which is a joyful work that’s infused with a lot of Czech folk music, which is where he was from [and] it features, once again, all of the wind instruments of the orchestra, and really highlights the principal winds…. We’re opening the concert with a work by Felix Mendelssohn called the Overture for Winds, a very youthful, energetic piece, that really highlights his gift of melody and drama….

I feel that it’s important to highlight our wind musicians because they’re incredibly talented and it gives them more of a soloistic feature…. A lot of orchestras, I think, don’t program these works often just because … the strings aren’t playing. I think Symphony NH is unique in that, I feel especially during my tenure, we’ve done a lot with chamber works, and I call them that because they’re smaller works, it’s not a full orchestra. We did it during Covid especially.

With music from West Side Story and Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, “It’s All Overtures” on Saturday, April 19, will appeal to even casual fans of classical music.

They’re all shorter pieces, let’s say 5 to 10 minutes. We’re doing nine or 10 overtures on this program, all pretty popular ones. I mean, talk about accessible and familiar pieces. You think about Rossini, the William Tell Overture, the one made famous by the Lone Ranger, something I think everyone would know. West Side Story with Bernstein … Maestro was an Oscar-nominated movie with Bradley Cooper. Because of that, Bernstein’s music has … been in the spotlight a little bit more. I think a lot of people know the Marriage of Figaro Overture by Mozart. It’s light, it sparkles, it’s fast, virtuosic.

The concert will also feature a piece by Fanny Mendelssohn, Felix’s older sister — a rarity, a 19th-century female composer.

It’s a great work, eight to nine minutes, and it sounds a lot like early Beethoven. It’s so melodic and rich. So I’m excited to feature that work. It deserves to be heard and celebrated. She faced a lot of barriers, [but] this overture now is getting played everywhere, the Overture in C. I think it’s a hidden gem, and it’s a fun one. The orchestra is featured, especially the woodwinds. There’s some beautiful clarinet solos and oboe flute solos.

For the all-American “Rhapsody in Blue” concert on May 10, Kalia bids adieu to Symphony NH with a program featuring pianist Fei Fei.

I’ve always loved conducting the music of American composers like Gershwin and Copland. Appalachian Spring has always been one of my favorite works, but rather than do that, I wanted to do a grand, majestic work like the Symphony No. 3…. It captures the spirit of America, the optimism of our country. It culminates in the triumphant Fanfare for the Common Man. I’m a former trumpet player and this is one of the great brass works in the repertoire…. Fei Fei, I want to say this will be our fourth time collaborating on Rhapsody in Blue…. She performs it with a unique twist … she really brings out the jazz elements, and she is so exciting to watch.

On becoming Musical Director of the Terre Haute Symphony on July 1.

I’m looking forward to working with their [outgoing] music director next month on … a decades-of-pop concert [featuring acts like] Frank Sinatra; Earth, Wind & Fire; Metallica; Led Zeppelin. It’s going to be a fun show with a singer [and] not to get off track here, I grew up a huge metal fan, and I was a big Metallica fan when I was in high school, and I love conducting rock shows with an orchestra, it’s so much fun. Audiences just go crazy. It’s not your typical classical audience where they’re just sitting there. They’re up, moving around, dancing, it’s great to see. Terre Haute, as with Symphony NH, they’re open to innovative programming. So I’m looking forward to all of these different innovative programs that we’re going to be putting on, the variety of music.

Though he’s leaving, it’s not goodbye forever.

I’m still going to be in touch with everyone from Symphony NH. Even though it’s a job, I’ve made a lot of personal friendships…. Deanna, who’s been my partner the last four years since she took the job as Executive Director, she’s been great to me. We see eye to eye on programming, and she’s all about … expanding the repertoire and making it more inclusive, and being about the community and reaching new audiences. I hope to continue that in a community like Terre Haute. I know they’re open to it. They’re open to innovation and making the orchestra accessible and community engagement is the key. I think that’s going to be a big part of my tenure there.

Finally, a favorite memory.

One of my most proud moments with the orchestra was the New Hampshire Concerto that we did last year, where we collaborated with four student composers from four different universities in New Hampshire, and they created a multi-movement work that was about New Hampshire, about the topography, the geography, the history, whatever it had to do with New Hampshire. It was really special to give those kids an opportunity to work with a professional orchestra, and I’m actually hoping to bring that model to my other orchestras now because I think it was so successful. Because it celebrated not only new music, but connected with the local community, the state of New Hampshire. Which is what this is all about, community engagement. It was also an opportunity to showcase our focus on music education, giving student musicians opportunities.

Symphony NH upcoming concerts

Serenade of the Winds
Saturday, March 8, 7:30 p.m. at Nashua Community College, Judd Gregg Hall Auditorium, 505 Amherst St., Nashua
A concert dedicated to the orchestra’s wind instruments, the program includes Mendelssohn’s Overture for Winds, Op. 24 in C Major (1824), select movements from Gran Partita, Mozart’s Serenade No.10 in B-flat Major, K.361, (1781) and Dvořák’s Serenade, Op.44, B.77, D minor (1878)

Hollywood Hits
Saturday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. at Stockbridge Theatre, 22-98 Bypass 28, Derry
Sunday, March 30, 3 p.m. at Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord
Blockbuster movie themes from Gone with the Wind, The Magnificent Seven, Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, James Bond, Rocky, The Pink Panther, Moon River, Dances with Wolves, Ben Hur and more.

It’s All Overtures
Saturday, April 19, 7:30 p.m. at Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua
Well-known overtures, from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro to Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.

Rhapsody in Blue
Saturday, May 10, 7:30 p.m. at Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 South Main St., Concord,
Maestro Kalia leads his last concert, with guest pianist Fei-Fei. It’s an all-American affair with works of Aaron Copland, Florence Price and George Gershwin. The program includes Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (1924), Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement (1934) and Copland’s Symphony No. 3 (1944-46)

Illuminated Ensembles – Chamber Favorites
Sunday, May 18, 4 p.m. at Bank of New Hampshire Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord
The final concert in the Illuminated Ensembles series, with the Symphony NH Woodwind Quintet performing an evening of classical chamber music.

Compiled by Amy Diaz

[email protected]

There is no “too soon” when it comes to summer day camps.

Some summer camps begin sign-ups in the earliest days of January — often giving previous years’ campers early access to registration. (A tip for parents in their first year of day camps is to take a less-than-ideal week your first year — the week around the July 4 holiday is often one of the last to fill up — to get a foot in the door with that camp and get access to early sign-ups the next year. Another tip is to see if there is a waitlist for camps that are full — this far in advance, plans can change and spaces can open up.)

But it’s also not too late to make summer day camp plans for summer 2025. Here are some area camps offering full-day and half-day camp options that have announced their summer 2025 plans. Information comes from the organizations’ websites unless otherwise stated. Some camps may also have extended care options and counselor-in-training options for teenagers not mentioned here. Know of a camp not mentioned here? Let us know at [email protected].

General interest

• Adventure Camp Concord Parks & Recreation, concordparksandrec.com, 225-8690. In past years this camp has been open to kids in grades 3-8 and has featured day trips Mondays through Thursdays. Check back for updates on summer 2025.

• Amherst Parks & Recreation Amherst, amherstnh.myrec.com Amherst offers a classic summer day camp with Baboosic Lake Summer Camp in weeklong sessions the week of June 23-Aug. 15, with weekly, full summer and daily options as well as options for before and after care for the camps, which run 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The town also offers a two-week Teen Adventure Camp (July 14 -25) for rising 7th-9th-graders — $685 for residents, $910 for non-residents. The camp includes field trips. Amherst also offers sports camps (see sports section) as well as other subject-specific camps. A mini discovery camp for ages 4-5 runs June 23-Aug. 1, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ($230 for residents, $260 for non-residents, per week). “Minecraft Innovators with Right Brain Curriculum” for grades 2-5 runs Aug. 18-22, 9 a.m.-noon. “Art Around the World” for grades 1-5 runs July 7-10, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Wilkins Elementary School. “Creative Skill Builders,” which combines “art therapy techniques, mindfulness based strategies, yoga, nature-based experiences and therapeutic games,” for grades 1-5 runs Aug. 18-21, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Peabody Mill Environmental Center. “Girls Empowerment Summer Camp” for girls entering grades 6-8 will run Aug. 4-7, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Souhegan High School.

• Boys & Girls Club of Central and Northern New Hampshire
nhyouth.org/school-age/camp/ Summer camps are geared to kids entering grades K-8 (with some opportunities for older kids and counselors in training depending on location). Camps cost $220 per week before May 1, $245 per week after. Most camps are open 7 a.m.-6 p.m., and most run 10 weeks. Locations offering summer camps include Bradley Street Clubhouse, Christa McAuliffe School, Penacook Elementary School and Boys & Girls Club at Penacook Community Center in Concord; Maple Street School in Hopkinton; Weare Middle School in Weare; First Baptist Church in New London; Pittsfield Elementary School in Pittsfield; Simonds Elementary School in Warner; Suncook Clubhouse in Allenstown; Epsom Central School in Epsom, and Andover Elementary School in Andover. See the website for more locations — including in the Kearsarge-Sunapee Region, Lakes Region, North Country, Suncook Region and Upper Valley — and details specific to each location.

• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua 1 Positive Place, Nashua, bgcn.com/summer-camp, 883-0523 Last year the club ran weeklong sessions from late June through late August for ages K through 12th grade, with kids grouped in programs by age. Check with the website for updates on this year’s programming.

• Boys & Girls Club of the Souhegan Valley 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, svbgc.org, 672-1002. The Boys & Girls Club will hold summer camp open houses on Saturday, March 15, and Saturday, May 3, 9 a.m.-noon. The 10-week program of weeklong sessions (each with a theme) runs June 16-Aug. 22. Cost is $225 per week until March 31, $275 after. The camp takes a variety of field trips and offers swimming and outdoor play. Camp runs 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. with dropoff as early as 7 a.m. and pickup as late as 6 p.m. Camp Soughegan is open to rising K-10th-graders.

• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem 3 Geremonty Drive, Salem, salembgc.org/summercamp, 898-7709 Weeklong camps for ages 4-15 (grouped into programs by age) June 17-Aug. 22, 8:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m., with extended care options. $270 per week (plus $50 membership fee).

• Brainwave STEAM Camps 2nd Nature Academy, 10 Groton Road, Nashua, 881-4815, 2ndnatureacademy.com/brainwave Weeklong camps are offered June 23-Aug. 22. Many weeks have camps for kids as young as 6 and as old as 14. Camps are grouped by age, with themes each week; for example, June 23-27 it’s “Canvas Under the Sky: En Plein Air Canvas Painting & Drawing” for ages 10-14 and “Culinary Chemistry: Fun with Food” for ages 8-12. Each of the nine weeks has two different camp offerings. Most camps cost $460.

• Brentwood Summer Camp Brentwood Recreation Complex, 190 Route 125, Brentwood, brentwoodnh.gov Last year Brentwood offered eight weeklong sessions for grades 1-8. Check back for updates on summer 2025.

• Camp Adventure Auburn Parks & Recreation Department, auburnparksandrec.com Three weeklong camps in July (starting the week of July 14) meeting at 8:30 a.m. and returning at 4:30 p.m. with kids in grades 5-8 taking field trips around the state. Cost is $349 per week.

• Camp Carpenter 300 Blondin Road, Manchester, nhscouting.org/camp-carpenter This Scouting America camp offers programs for boys and girls in grades 1-5. Weeklong camps run the weeks of July 6-Aug. 3 with day and overnight camp options. Fees vary for Scouting members and nonmembers, sibling discounts, extended care, etc. Day camps run 8:15 a.m.-4 p.m. and include waterfront programs, archery and BB guns and more.

• Camp Foster 36 Camp Allen Road, Bedford, operated by the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester, 625-5031, mbgcnh.org/programs/summer_programs This 10-week camp, with different themes each week, runs June 23-Aug. 29 for campers entering grades 1-7. A bus takes campers from Union Street Clubhouse in Manchester to Camp Foster at 8:20 a.m. and returns at 4:15 p.m. Before (as early as 6:30 a.m.) and after (as late as 6 p.m.) care is available at the Clubhouse, including breakfast and dinner.

• Camp Kettleford 26 Camp Allen Road, Bedford, girlscoutsgwm.org This day camp of the Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains offers weeklong sessions for girls in grades K-8 and two two-week programs for girls in grades 5-8 (levels based on grade completed in 2024-25). Buses are available from some locations in surrounding towns to Kettleford. Open house Saturday, May 17, noon to 2 p.m. Sessions run June 23-Aug. 15, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., with two camps each week, one for girls grades K-3 and one for grades 4-6. Each session has a theme, such as “Tie Dye Adventure” (July 7-11, grades 4-6) and “Dinosaurs!” (Aug. 4-8, grades K-3). Cost for most one-week camps is $350; the two two-week sessions cost $675. Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains also operates Camp Seawood, a day camp in Portsmouth. It’s overnight camp is Camp Farnsworth in Vermont.

• Camp Lincoln 67 Ball Road, Kingston, 642-3361, ymcacamplincoln.org, hosted by Southern District YMCA, sdymca.org Six sessions — a one-week session June 16-20 and five two-week sessions running June 23-Aug. 22 — offer a traditional day camp experience to campers grades K-9, grouped in programs by age. On-site specialty camps for grades 4-9 offer options for a specialty focus for part of the camp day, such as Woodworking, Mountain Biking or Dungeons & Dragons. Off-site specialty camps for grades 4-9 offer field trips. Counselor in Training sessions are available for 14-year-olds and by invitation for 15-year-olds.

• Camp Lovewell 2nd Nature Academy, 10 Groton Road, Nashua, 881-4815,

camplovewell.com This outdoor adventure day camp offers nine weeklong sessions June 23-Aug. 22 with team-building activities, low ropes course, archery, arts & crafts, nature studies and orienteering, farm animal visits, swimming, kayaking, sports and field games, drama and skits, hiking and exploration and more, according to the website. Camp is for ages 6-14 and runs 9 a.m-4 p.m., with extended care 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (for extra fees).

• Camp Naticook merrimackparksandrec.org Weeklong camp sessions at Wasserman Park in Merrimack run June 23-Aug. 22 with each week themed (“Aloha Summer” is the first week) and campers participating in a variety of activities including arts & crafts, archery, boating in Naticook Lake, nature, sports & games, theater and more. Camp runs 8 a.m.-4 p.m., with extended care available as early as 7 a.m. and as late as 6 p.m. Camp is for kids who entered grades K-5 in fall 2024; 5th-graders can choose between Camp Naticook and Camp Trek. $310 per week for Merrimack residents, $360 per week for nonresidents. Additional fees for extended care. Sibling discounts available.

• Camp Otter 66 Hooker Farm Road, Salem, camp.mvymca.org/camp-otter A day camp for ages 6-13 on Captain’s Pond with “weekly themes, a swimming area for both instructional and free swim time, boating, basketball/volleyball courts, a baseball/soccer field, an archery and air rifle range, arts & crafts, ropes courses and more. Daily transportation is provided throughout the Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire,” according to the website. The camp is operated by Merrimack Valley YMCA, based in Massachusetts (mvymca.org) and runs the weeks of June 16-Aug. 29, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Camp Ponemah Hampshire Hills Athletic Club, 50 Emerson Road, Milford, 673-7123, hampshirehills.com/camp-ponemah Weeklong camps June 16-Aug. 28, with dropoff 7:30-9 a.m. and pickup 3:30-4 p.m., extended care to 5 p.m. available most weeks (not Fridays). Swim lessons available as an add-on. Camp is for grades K-7. A Little Warriors program for ages 4-5 runs seven weeks (weeks of June 23-Aug. 8), dropoff 7:30-9 a.m. and pickup at 12:30 p.m. Troop T is for grades 8-9 with weekly sessions June 16-Aug. 8 and includes field trips, ropes course, volunteer opportunities and hikes.

• Camp Trek merrimackparksandrec.org Weeklong camp sessions meet in Merrimack for grades 5-9 starting the week of June 23 and running through Aug. 22. This is a trip- and activity-based program with daily field trips (such as, during the first week, to a ninja gym, Greenfield State Park, Chunky’s Cinema, Boundless Adventures and Wallis Sands State Beach). Camp runs 8 a.m.-4 p.m., with trips departing between 8:30 and 9 a.m. and returning in the afternoon before camp ends. Extended care is available as early as 7 a.m. and as late as 6 p.m. $340 for Merrimack residents, $390 for nonresidents, extra fees for extended care; sibling discounts.

• Camp Witzel bedfordnh.myrec.com Seven-week camp of weeklong sessions based in Bedford for ages 6-13 that runs June 23-Aug. 8, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Programs are available in 5-day, 3-day and 2-day offerings. The cost for a 5-day week including Wednesday field trip is $300 for Bedford residents, $315 for non-residents, with different price tags for fewer days, before and after care and discounts for multiple children.

• Capital City Sports & Fitness 10 Garvins Road, Concord, 224-7787,

capitalcitysportsandfitness.com The Kids Summer Camp for ages 6-12 offers weeklong sessions June 23-Aug. 15, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Camps include swimming, a variety of sports (basketball, volleyball, football, soccer, futsal, dodgeball, kickball and pickleball), obstacle courses, arts & crafts, board games and more. $250 per week, discounts for multiple weeks.

• Girls, Inc. of New Hampshire 340 Varney St., Manchester, 623-1117; 27 Burke St., Nashua, 882-6256; girlsincnewhampshire.org Eight weeklong sessions of camp, June 23-Aug. 15, featuring field trips, weekly themes and more for girls ages 5+ at the Manchester and Nashua locations. Breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner are provided. Cost is $225, with sliding fee scales, financial assistance and scholarships available. There is also a Young Women’s Leadership Program for rising 7th-9th-graders.

• Granite State YMCA graniteymca.org/camps/day-camp The Granite State YMCA operates nine day camps and two overnight camps, Camp Foss for girls ages 7-15 (campfoss.org) and Camp Mi-Te-Na for boys ages 7-15 (campmitena.org). See the website for day camp offerings in Rochester and Greenland. Camps generally run weekly June 22-Aug. 22 with a pre-camp week June 18-20. Most camps run 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., with before and after care options. Most camps have new camper orientation days, camp open houses and camp family nights including the Camper of Character celebrations.

YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown (116 Goffstown Back Road) features Camp Halfmoon (232-8699; ages 6-14, broken into smaller age groups), a traditional day camp experience with weekly themes, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. There is a Summer Moon program for kids entering kindergarten. There are several specialty camps, such as Archery (ages 9-13), Baking the Basics (age 8-12), arts camps and wilderness camps. Teen Trip camp (232-8610) operates during weeks 2 to 8 and includes daily field trips for kids age 12-16. Halfmoon also has Leader in Training (ages 13-14) and Counselor In Training (age 15-16) programs. Aftercare swim lessons are also available.

The Allard Center also offers several ninja and gymnastics camps (232-8662), with offerings for kids as young as 4 and, for gymnastics, as old as 18 and as old as 14 for ninja. Tennis Academies (232-8612) are available for several weeks for kids ages 6-16. Adventure Clubs (232-8607) for ages 10-11 and 12-15 feature daily trips and activities.

Camp Mowkawogan (Beaver Meadow School, 40 Sewalls Falls Road, Concord, 228-9622, ext. 1123) Nine weeks of camp plus pre-camp week are available for ages 6-12, with a leader in training option for ages 13-14. This is a day camp experience with themed weeks and field trips.

YMCA of Downtown Manchester (30 Mechanic St., 232-8618) The summer program at this location runs all nine weeks, 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (no extended care options; swimming lessons are available as an add-on) with themed weeks for ages 6-11. Specialty camps for ages 8-12 include Junior Chef, Adventures in Art and Y World of Sports. A Teen Trip camp runs weeks 2 through 8 and features daily field trips for ages 12-16.

YMCA Day Camp of Hooksett (Hooksett Memorial School, 5 Memorial Drive, Hooksett, 623-3558) This traditional day camp runs for eight weeks (weeklong themed sessions June 23 through Aug. 15) for ages 6-10. Teen camps available for ages 11-13. Limited leader in training (ages 13-14) and counselor in training (14-16) camps are available.

Camp Pa-Gon-Ki (206 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 437-9622) Camp runs 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. with no extended care options for all nine weeks plus the pre-camp week. Pa-Gon-Ki is a traditional day camp with emphasis on the outdoors and is for ages 6-15, divided in age groups (swim lessons are available). The location also features several specialty camps with focus on arts, sports, STEAM, music and more as well as leader in training (ages 13-14) and counselor in training (14-16) camps.

Derry Voyager Camp (First Parish Church, 47 East Derry Road, Derry, 437-9622) This location offers eight weeks (June 23-Aug. 15) of STEAM camp for ages 6-11, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. with different themes each week.

Windham Explorers Camp (Windham Center School, 2 Lowell Road, 437-9622) This location offers seven weeks (June 23-Aug. 8) of STEAM camp for ages 6-11, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. with different themes each week.

• Hudson Parks & Recreation Summer Program hudsonnh.gov/recreation Summer program registration will open March 15, with early bird discounts, according to the website. Check back for updates on 2025.

• IMAGINE Camps New Morning Schools, 23 Back River Road, Bedford, 669-3591, newmorningschools.com Indoor and outdoor activities and clubs for kids ages 6-12. Camp is open 7 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays with weekly and daily options. There is a preschool camp for ages 3-6 who are independent bathroom users. Check with the website for updates regarding this summer’s offerings.

• Kidz Kamp Boys & Girls Club of Greater Manchester, Union Street Clubhouse, 555 Union St., Manchester, bgcgm.org, 625-5031 This camp is for kids entering kindergarten in fall 2025. This 10-week camp will run June 23-Aug. 29 with care available as early as 6:30 a.m. and as late as 6 p.m., dinner and breakfast included. The camp will feature age-appropriate field trips including to Camp Foster in Bedford, according to the brochure.

• Krazy Kids 60 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, krazykids.com/register-for-
summer-camp, 228-PLAY Weeklong sessions for kids in grades K-5, June 23-Aug. 22 for $235 per kid per week (there are sibling discounts as well as extra fees for extended care). The camp runs 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., extended care available at 7:30 a.m. and through 5:30 p.m. Indoor and outdoor activities plus weekly field trips.

• Manchester Police Athletic League 409 Beech St., Manchester, 626-0211,
manchesterpoliceathleticleague.org MPAL is open to kids ages 5-18 who are attending school. According to an email from the program: “MPAL’s summer program will run from Wednesday, June 18, to Friday Aug. 15. Hours will be 9 a.m. to noon, which includes breakfast and a bagged lunch, followed by our menu of athletic programs in the afternoons and evenings. We will offer 30 spots each day with a variety of programming each week that will include activities like visual and creative arts, crafting, presentations and athletics. To participate, youth must be registered with MPAL by completing a free registration form. Then, they must sign up for each day using our Sign-up Genius link that will release through our ‘Remind’ application on Wednesdays prior to each week. Find us on the web and social media to see our summer schedules as they release!”

• Manchester Parks & Recreation Fun in the Sun manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/
Programs-and-Activities Programming for Manchester residents ages 6-12 will run from July 7 through Aug. 15 and registration will open in April.

• Meeting House Montessori School 28 Logging Hill Road, Bow; meetinghouse

montessori.com, 224-0004. Summer camp will run from June 23 through Aug. 22 with summer hours from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 pm. or 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Call for details.

• Melody Pines 510 Corning Road, Manchester, melodypines.com, 669-9414 A classic summer day camp with swimming, paddle boarding, arts and crafts, sports, water games, wall ball, gaga, archery and BB guns and more, Melody Pines fills up fast — as of Feb. 15, all weekly sessions (the week of June 16 through the week of Aug. 18) were filled but waitlist for some weeks was still available.

• My Gym Children’s Fitness Center 410 S. River Road, Bedford, 668-7196, mygym.com/bedford My Gym offers programming for kids under 1 and as old as age 9. Call for updates on this summer.

• Nashua PAL Youth Safe Haven 52 Ash St., Nashua, nashuapal.com, 594-3733 According to an email from Nashua PAL: “The Nashua PAL Youth Safe Haven Summer Program is open to all youth ages 7-18 in Greater Nashua … [A]ll programs at the Youth Safe Haven are provided for free to all youth. Summer hours, the week following school closing, are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday — Friday. On Mondays, the facility is closed as youth are on an all-day field trip. Field trips are open to participating youth after a trial period as a member of the Youth Safe Haven. Regular programming includes arts and crafts, sports and activities, mentoring opportunities and outings, and much more to keep your child engaged and learning all summer long.”

• Nashua Parks & Recreation summer camp nashua.recdesk.com Registration will begin March 3; see nashua.recdesk.com/Community/Program for this summer’s details.

• North End Montessori School 698 Beech St., Manchester, northendmontessori.com, 621-9011 The North End Montessori School will offer a summer session that runs June 23 through Aug. 28 for kids ages 3 to 10. The theme will be “Medieval Times of England.”

• Outdoor Discovery Camp Peabody Mill Environmental CenterAmherst, amherstnh.myrec.com Weeklong camp sessions run June 23-Aug. 15, daily 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (extended care available) for kids in grades 1-7. Each week has a new theme, all “focused on exploring the great outdoors and encouraging an appreciation for the natural environment,” according to the website. $295 per week for Amherst residents, $345 for non-residents; daily $85 for residents, $95 for non-residents. See each week’s themes on the website.

• Stay & Play Camp Concord Parks & Recreation, concordparksandrec.com, 225-8690 In past years this camp has been open to kids in grades 1-5 with eight weeklong sessions featuring traditional camp activities at the City Wide Community Center and Keach Park. Check back for updates on summer 2025.

• Strawbery Banke Museum 14 Hancock St., Portsmouth, strawberybanke.org, [email protected] Strawbery Banke offers camps that explore history, sports, art, theater and more for ages 6-17. Camps are grouped by ages — for most camps, the groups are ages 6-8, 9-11, 10-12 and 12-17. Camps run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended care available for an additional price. Most weeklong camps cost $400 with discounts for siblings or multiple weeks; two, two-week camps sessions cost $780. Camps run the weeks of June 23 through Aug. 18; some examples of sessions include “History Alive” (three sessions offered for ages 6-8), “Time Travelers: Life on the WWII Homefront” (ages 9-11, Aug. 11-15), “Surviving the Past” (ages 10-12, July 28-Aug. 1) and “Jr. Roleplayers: New Republic (1777-1818)” (ages 12-17, July 7-18).

• Summer Playground Program From Goffstown Parks and Recreation,
goffstownnh.gov Held at Barnard Park, this eight-week program is open to Goffstown residents ages 7 (or completed first grade) through 13. Weeklong sessions June 23-Aug. 15 offer programming Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Summer Playground Program From Londonderry Parks and Recreation, www.londonderrynh.gov Camp runs Monday, June 30, through Friday, Aug. 8, full day 9 a.m.-3 p.m. with a half-day option 9 a.m.-noon or noon-4 p.m. at South Elementary School (88 South Road, Londonderry). The camp includes themed weeks, library activities, pizza Fridays and more. Fees are based on full or half day and number of children from the same household attending.

• SummerQuest at World Academy, 138 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, 888-1982,
worldacademynh.com SummerQuest Camp is a five-day camp offering sessions beginning June 16 and ending Aug. 22, as early as 6:30 a.m. through as late as 6 p.m., for kids entering grades K-4. Navigators Camp for grades 5-8 offer two-week sessions with adventure-based themes. STEAM Enrichment Camp, also grades 5-8, features weekly themes that blend art and science such as Ceramics Workshop (June 30-July 3), e-Sports Galore (July 7-11) and Introduction to Drones (July 21-25); this camp runs 9-11 a.m. with an option to join the full-day Navigator Camp.

• Teen/Tween Summer Program Boys & Girls Club of Greater Manchester, Union Street Clubhouse, 555 Union St., Manchester, bgcgm.org, 625-5031 The club is open to members entering grades 6-12 all summer long, daily noon-7 p.m. This is a drop-in program with daily activities.

• Thrive Outdoors 190 Elm St., Manchester, thriveoutdoorsnh.com, 625-6600 Last summer Thrive offered “Summer Kids” programming with weekly sessions that operated daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and had week, day and drop-in options. Check back for 2025 details.

• Voyager Camp londonderrynh.gov Camp for ages 11-15, primarily for Londonderry residents, features field trips throughout the summer. After a registration fee you can register for individual trips (costs vary) or for all the summer’s trips.

• YMCA of Greater Nashua nmymca.org The YMCA of Greater Nashua offers camps at Camp Sargent (141 Camp Sargent Road, Merrimack); Merrimack YMCA (6 Henry Clay Drive. Merrimack); Nashua YMCA (24 Stadium Drive, Nashua) and Westwood Park YMCA (90 Northwest Blvd., Nashua). Weeklong camps run June 23-Aug. 22. Prices vary based on camps. Discounts for siblings and members are available.

Camp Sargent offers traditional day camp activities such as swimming, boating, arts & crafts, hiking, games, gaga ball and more as well as specialty camps such as “Digging for Dinos,” “Farm Camp” and “Boating Camp.” Camps are available, grouped by age, for kids as young as kindergarten and as old as 9th grade; Leaders In Training programs are available for grades 9-12.

Merrimack YMCA Camp Create offers arts- and STEAM-themed camps for grades 1-6 such as “Arts of All Sorts Camp” (grades 1-6), “Broadway Kids” (grades 1-6), “Storybook Arts” (grades 1-3), “Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead” (grades 1-6) and “Junior Architects” (grade 4-6).

Nashua YMCA offers Little Investigators Camp for ages 3-5. This camp runs 10 weeks, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. with no extended care options.

Westwood Park YMCA offers sports camps (see sports section).

Academics

• Academic & College Prep Programs The Derryfield School, 2108 River Road, Manchester, derryfield.org/about/summer-programs Offerings include “Jumpstart Your College Essay” for rising 12th graders, June 23-27, 9 a.m.-noon, or July 7-11, 9 a.m. to noon, (cost is $395) and “SAT/ACT Prep” for rising 11th and 12th graders, July 28-Aug. 1, 9:15-11:45 a.m. for verbal and 12:15-2:45 p.m. for math (take either for $395 or both for $730).

• Academic Enrichment at University of New Hampshire Durham campus; unh.edu/youthprograms Academic-focused camps include “Camp Pageturner” (weeklong sessions for grades 1-5, the week of June 23 through the week of July 28, $300 for most sessions); “Writer’s Academy” (weeklong session June 23-27, grouped by age for grades 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12, and July 8-12, grouped by grades 6-8 and 9-12, 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; $325), as well as other programs specifically for teens and high school students.

• Fluency Camp at Read2Me3, 167 S. River Road, Bedford; read2me3.com, 494-3849 Two summer sessions, each running for six days over two weeks (Tuesday through Thursday) are available for students entering grades 3, 4 and 5, according to the signup form on the website.

• Health Career Exploration Camp run by Southern New Hampshire Area Health Education Center (Southern NH AHEC), Lamprey Health Care, see snhahec.org or call 224-7360 Two Health Career Exploration Camps will be offered for students in grades 9-11 interested in nursing and other health careers. The cost for each camp is $25, scholarships available. Attendees will get certified in CPR, learn how to be successful in a health care career and more, according to organizer information. One camp will run July 21-25, 9 a.m. to noon plus a full day field trip at UNH Manchester (88 Commercial St. in Manchester). Another camp will run July 28-Aug. 1, 9 a.m. to noon, at Arlington Street Community Center (36 Arlington St. in Nashua). For questions, contact Carli Hughes at [email protected].

• Nashua Community College 505 Amherst St., Nashua, nashuacc.edu/about/for-the-public/summer-camps; 578-6881 Summer camp programs for ages 12-17 at Nashua Community College includes “Early Childhood Education Camp” which runs July 22-24, and is free. (See “Aviation” and “Science” sections for additional camps.)

Art

• The Canvas Roadshow/Hammer & Stain NH 25 S. River Road, Bedford,
thecanvasroadshow.com, 913-9217Camps will run 9 a.m.-2 p.m. daily for Summer Art & Yoga, geared to ages 7-12, the weeks of July 7-11, July 21-25 and July 28-Aug.1. The week of Aug. 11-15, 9 a.m.-noon, camp is art only and geared to ages 11-16. The week of Aug. 18, 9 a.m.-noon, the camp is also art only and geared to ages 7-14.

• Children’s Museum of New Hampshire 6 Washington St., Dover,
childrens-museum.org, 742-2002Half-day camps that blend art and science in hands-on activities. All camps run 8:30-11:30 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday. Camps cost $160 for younger kids, $170 for ages 8-10 and 10-12+. Camps include “Messy Art Mini Camp” for ages 4-5, July 8-10; “Science Art Mini Camp” ages 4-5, July 15-17; “Wild & Wide Awake” ages 4-5, July 29-31; “Storybook Adventures” ages 4-5, Aug. 5-7; “Wacky Science Discovery Camp” ages 6-7, July 15-17; “Amazing Animals STEAM Discovery Camp” ages 6-7, Aug. 5-7; “3D Print It Discovery Camp for Beginners” ages 8-10, Aug. 12-14, and “Advanced 3D Print It Discover Camp” ages 10-12+, Aug. 19-21.

• Creative Ventures Gallery 411 Nashua St., Milford, creativeventuresfineart.com, 672-2500 Two camps are on the schedule: “Art In Animation” with Kristine Mancuso Aug. 11-14, 9 a.m.-noon, for ages 8-12, $125; and “Nature Escape in Art Summer Camp” with Kristine Mancuso Monday, Aug. 4,-Thursday, Aug. 7, 9 a.m.-noon, for ages 8-12, $125.

• Hollis Artspace 30 Ash St., Hollis;

hollisartspace.com, 465-4300 According to an email, Hollis Artspace will offer art mini camps as well as five-day art camps for ages 4-12 with themes including animal art, character design, tinker camp, felting camps and more. Some mini camps are in June and August but most camps are in July; check back for details on this year.

• Kimball Jenkins 266 N. Main St., Concord, kimballjenkins.com, 225-3932 Kimball Jenkins will offer three two-week themed sessions for ages 6-14 from July 7 through Aug. 15 with the themes “Art of Oz” (July 7-18), “Mixed-Media Mash-up” (July 21-Aug. 1) and “Nature’s Palette” (Aug. 4-15). Kimball Jenkins will also offer two one-week art intensives for ages 15-17 (June 23-27 and Aug. 18-22). Registration opens March 3, according to a post on the school’s Facebook page.

• Paint pARTy 135 N. Broadway, Salem, 898-8800, paintpartynh.com Paint pARTy offers four-day-a-week, half-day (9 a.m.-noon) art camps for grades 1-4 (weeks of July 7, July 21, Aug. 4) and grades 5-8 (July 14, July 28, Aug. 11). $160 per session.

• Studio 550 Community Art Center 550 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5597, 550arts.com Offerings for summer 2025 include Teen Clay Camps (for ages 10+) the weeks of June 23-27, July 7-11 and Aug. 11-15 from 2:30 to 5 p.m. and Arts Explorer Camps (for ages 8+) the weeks of July 14-18 and Aug. 4-8 from 2:30 to 5 p.m.

Aviation & space

• Aviation Museum of NH27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, aviationmuseumofnh.org, 669-4820 Flights of Discovery Summer Camp features three two-week sessions (two for ages 10-13, one for ages 14-17) that run Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and offer an in-depth look at aviation with hands-on activities, guest speakers, field trips and more. Cost is $1,300 for each two-week camp (scholarships/financial aid available). Camps for ages 10-13 run June 16-27 and July 28-Aug. 8; camp for ages 14-17 runs July 7-18.

• McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center 2 Institute Drive, Concord, starhop.com, 271-7827 Seven weeklong STEM camps with four focused on space or rockets — “Blast Off” for ages 8-11, July 7-11; “Blast Off — Payload Specialist” for ages 12-14, July 21-25; “So You Wanna Be An Astronaut” for ages 5-7, July 28-Aug. 1 and “Star Hunters” for ages 8-11, Aug. 4-8. Most camps are weeklong, run 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and cost $360.

• Nashua Community College 505 Amherst St., Nashua, nashuacc.edu/about/for-the-public/summer-camps; 578-6881 Summer camp programs at Nashua Community College include “Aviation” for grades 6-12, which looks at different careers in aviation, four days in the week of July 14. The cost is $295.

• WinnAero’s Ace Academy Laconia Airport 65 Aviation Way, Gilford, winnaero.org/register Aviation- and aerospace-related camps. Half-day camps for grades 3-5 “Elementary Aerospace Academy” cost $330 and run 8:30 a.m.-noon or 12:30-4 p.m. July 7-11 and July 14-18. Middle School Aviation Academy ($600) for grades 6-8 is July 7-11, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and includes Pilot and Air Traffic Control; Pilot and Search/Rescue & Emergency Services, and Pilot and Aerospace Engineering/Manufacturing. There is also a middle school girls-only class July 14-18. Middle School Space Academy ($600) for grades 6-8 July 14-18, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For grades 9 -12 there are three high school aviation sessions ($600) “Systems Toolkit: Orbital Mechanics, Guidance, Navigation and Control” July 7-11, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; HS Private Pilot Pre-Ground School (ages 15+), July 7-11, and “Pilot and Aerospace Engineering/Manufacturing” July 14-18, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. High School Drone/UAS Academy ($690) for grades 9-12 is July 14-18, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. High School Medical Aviation Academy ($690) for grades 9-12 is July 14-18, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Dance

• Allegro Dance Academy 100 Factory St., Nashua, 886-7989, allegrodancenh.com Summer camp July 7-Aug. 14; half-day camps with a different theme for each week, according to an email from the academy. Early bird registration opens April 1.

• Bedford Dance Center 172 Route 101, Bedford, bedforddancecenter.com, 472-5141 Offerings include classes in July and private lessons; a half-day (9 a.m.-noon) three-day camp for ages 5-8 July 29-31; a Contemporary Workshop for ages 8-13 and 12+, July 28-Aug 1, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; a Pre-Pro Workshop for ages 8-13 and 12+, Aug. 4-8, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and a Choreo Intensive, Aug. 11-14.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company 155 Route 101, Bedford, bypc.org, 472-3894 BYPC’s dance and movement summer offerings include weeklong preschool camps (running most weeks the week of June 9 through the week of July 28, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.) for ages 3-6 on subjects including science, theater, superheroes and circus. For older kids a Dance Boot Camp (ages 12+) runs June 16-20, 4:30-9 p.m.; Taste of Broadway Camp (grades 1-8) runs June 16-20 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (with an option to go select days or all week) and Acro Circus Camp (ages 8-12) runs July 28-Aug. 1, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The school also offers summer music classes. See website for pricing.

• Boys & Girls Club of the Souhegan Valley 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, svbgc.org, 672-1002. The Boys & Girls Club has several dance camps on its summer schedule, according to a post on its Facebook page. “Defying Gravity” camp runs Aug. 4-5, 9 a.m.-noon, for ages 7-12; Hip-Hop Dance Camp runs July 14-15, 10 a.m.-noon, for boys ages 7-12; Musical Theatre Dance Camp runs July 28-29, 9 a.m.-noon, ages 13-18; and Pom/Jazz Mini-Club is July 21, 9 a.m.-noon, ages 7-12.

• Broadway Bound Performing Arts Center 501 DW Highway, Merrimack, 429-8844, broadwayboundpac.com Offerings include classes and workshops in August and camps: Musical Theatre Camp (June 30-July 18, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., for ages 6-18, with ages 14-18 welcome to apply as LITs); Kids Dance Camp (July 28-Aug. 1, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., for ages 4-11), and Intensive Dance Camp (Aug. 4-8, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.). Tuition varies based on program and discounts for multiple camps, and there are extra fees for early and late care.

• Concord Dance Academy 26 Commercial St., Concord, 226-0200,
concorddanceacademy.com Offerings include a summer intensive in June and early July (ages 5-18, call for information about placement) and Summer 2025 Dance Camp, July 28-Aug. 1, full day (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and half day (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), with early and late care available and an option to register for individual days — recreational camp for ages 4-12 and intensive camp for ages 8-13. A mini camp for ages 3-5 runs 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Kids ages 13+ can apply to be dance helpers.

• Creative Dance Workshop of Bow 1355 Route 3A, Bow, 225-7711, nhdances.com Offerings include a half-day (9 a.m.-noon) camp June 23-27 and full day (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) and half day the weeks of July 7, July 14, July 21 and July 28.

• The Dance Company 130 Route 101A, Amherst, 864-8374, www.
thedancecompanyonline.com Offerings include Camp Dance, July 7-11, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., grades 1-5; Camp Acro, Aug. 4-7, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., ages 3-6 and 7-11; Level Up, Aug. 11-15, ages 6-10 and 9-11, 9-11:30 a.m. and noon-5:30 p.m. for ages 11+, and Camp Theater, July 21-25, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (with a show on July 25), grades 1-2 (audition date June 18). The school has dance parties for ages 3-8 on some Wednesdays 10 a.m.-1 p.m. where you can register for individual days; acro and power clinics, and a variety of weekly classes in July for kids as young as new walkers through 10+.

• Dance Visions Network 699 Mast Road, Manchester, 626-7654,
dancevisionsnetwork.com The studio will offer Mini Dance Camp July 15-17, 9 a.m.-noon, for ages 3-6; Summer Dance Camp July 21-23, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., ages 7-15; DVN Summer Dance Intensive Aug. 4-8, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. for ages 9+ (with 3+ years ballet experience), and Summer Technique Classes for dancers 7+. Check the website mid-March for details, according to an email from the studio.

• Dimensions in Dance 84 Myrtle St., Manchester, 668-4196,
dimensionsindance.com A “Fairy Tale Dance Camp,” pre-ballet, is open to ages 3-6, July 21-25, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Level 1-2 Dance camp is open to grades 1-2, July 21-25, 9 a.m-2:30 p.m. Level 2-3 Dance Camp is geared to grades 2-5, July 21-25, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Level 4-5 Junior Dance Intensive for dancers with experience in grades 4-8 runs July 28-Aug. 1 and Aug. 4-8, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Summer Dance Intensive for Levels 6-Adult runs July 28-Aug. 1 and Aug. 4-8, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. for grades 7 through college. Prices vary, with discounts for sign-up before March 21.

• Happy Feet Dance School 25 Indian Rock Road, Windham, 434-4437,
happyfeetdanceschool.biz Check the website in spring for summer 2025 offerings.

• Kathy Blake Dance Studios 3 Northern Blvd., Amherst, 673-3978,
kathyblakedancestudios.com The studio will offer six-week classes for all ages (3 to adult) as well as summer dance team intensives the weeks of July 7-11 and Aug. 11-15, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. for ages 7-18. Summer fun dance and theater camps are offered for full-day (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) and half-day (9 a.m.-noon) camps: “Fairies, Unicorns & Rainbows” (July 14-18, ages 3-8); “Disney Dance Camp” (July 21-25, ages 3-8); “Animal Jam Dance Camp” (July 28-Aug. 1, ages 3-8), and “Defying Gravity” (Aug. 4-8, ages 5-7 and ages 8-13). These camps end with a mini performance for parents.

• Londonderry Dance Academy 21 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 432-0032, londonderrydance.com The academy offers a “Back to the Barre Summer Dance Intensive” Aug. 18-22, 8:45 a.m.-3 p.m. for ages 7+. The curriculum includes a variety of dance genres, with an in-studio presentation at the end of the week. Cost is $450. There is also a Creative Kidz Camp for ages 3-6.5 in two weeklong sessions — June 23-27 and Aug. 18-22 — 9-11:30 a.m., which features art, dance, music and dance theater, $150 per week.

• Melissa Hoffman Dance Center 210 Robinson Road, Hudson, 886-7909,

mhdcdance.com Check back for summer 2025 camps.

• Miss Kelsey’s Dance Studio 2626 Brown Ave., Manchester, 606-2820, mkdance.com Camps — a few full-day and some part-day — offer a variety of instructions grouped by age: ages 3-6 (Flip & Fun Camp on Aug. 1, 12:30-3:30 p.m., for example), ages 5-9 (Camp Red on Aug. 4, 9-3 p.m., for example), ages 6-11 (Villains Day on July 28, noon-5:30 p.m.) and ages 7-18 (Creative Kids Fashion Camp on July 14, 3:30-6:30 p.m.). Prices vary based on class.

• Nancy Chippendale’s Dance Studios 49 Range Road, Building No. 2, Suite A, Windham, 458-7730, chippswindham.com Summer dance camp for preschool through 1st grade will run daily, 9 a.m.-noon, the weeks of July 14 and July 21. A Little Chipp Boot Camp for grades 2-5 will run 9 a.m.-noon Aug. 4-8.

• New England School of Dance 679 Mast Road, Manchester, 935-7326

newenglandschoolofdance.com A summer intensive will run June 23-26: 9 a.m.-2 p.m for ages 6-8; 9 a.m.-3 p.m. for ages 9-11, and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. for ages 12+. Mini camps for ages 3-6 will run July 22-24 (Prince & Princess Power Camp) and Aug. 5-7 (Tiny Explorers Dance Camp); there are discounts to sign up for both camps and to sign up for camp before April 1. The school will also offer a four-week session of technique classes.

• New Hampshire Academie of Dance 1 Action Blvd., No. 4, Londonderry, 432-4041, nhadance.com Circus Intensive will be offered June 23-26 for ages 8-10. A Circus Camp will also be offered June 23-26, 1:30-6:30 p.m., for ages 6-8.

• N-Step Dance Center 1134 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 641-6787, nstepdance.com In addition to summer classes, N-Step will offer two musical theater camps (8 a.m.-4 p.m. for ages 4+), each a week long, July 7-11 and July 28-Aug. 1. There will also be weeklong intensives (some during the day and some in the evening) for dancers of different levels.

• Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater 19 Harvey Road, Bedford, 263-3803, snhdt.org Registration is currently open for Princess Camp, June 24-26 and July 8-10, 9:30-11:30 a.m. for ages 3-5, and 2-4 p.m. for ages 4-6. Check back for additional summer programs.

• Turning Pointe Center of Dance 371 Pembroke St., Pembroke, 485-8710,

turningpointecenterofdance.com The summer dance camp is June 23-27, with a session 9 a.m.-noon for ages 5-7 and another 12:30-4 p.m. for ages 9-11.

• Unbound Dance Academy 237 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, 777-0050, unbounddanceacademy.com Camp offerings include Wicked, July 7-11, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., for ages 8-17, culminating in a production on Friday at 2 p.m; Princess Camp, July 14-18, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., for ages 4-7; Intermediate/Advanced Acro Camp July 14-16, 5-6:30 p.m.; Beginner/Intermediate Acro Camp, July 21-23, 5-6 p.m., levels 1-3; Ultimate Dance Camp, July 21-25, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., for ages 8-14, and Ballet Intensive, Aug. 4-6, 9 a.m.-noon, ballet levels 3+.

Games

• Chess Wizards
bedfordnh.myrec.com Full-day (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) or half-day (9 a.m.-noon or noon-3 p.m.) camps focus on building chess skills via lessons and games for ages 6-12 the weeks of July 7 or July 21 at Bedford Town Hall. Full day camp $340; half day camp $240.

• Nashua Community College 505 Amherst St., Nashua, www.nashuacc.edu/about/for-the-public/summer-camps; 578-6881 Summer camp programs at Nashua Community College include “Table Top Role Playing Games” for rising 6th graders through rising seniors. The class runs four days the weeks of July 7, July 14, July 21 and July 28. The cost is $295.

Gymnastics

• A2 Gym & Cheer 16B Garabedian Drive, Salem, 328-8130, a2gc.com Seven weeks of summer camp open to ages 5-12 with full- and half-day options. Contact [email protected] for 2025 details.

• Gymnastics Village 13 Caldwell Drive, Amherst, 889-8092, gymnasticsvillage.com Full day (9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.) and half day (9 a.m.-noon) are available in weekly sessions from June 23 through Friday, Aug. 22. You can register for a week or with a 10-pack of days. Full- and half-day Gymnastic Camp and Ninja Camp are available to ages 6-14; a junior camp with half days is available for ages 4-5.

• Gym-Ken Gymnastics 184 Rockingham Road, Windham, 434-9060; gymkengymnastics.com Check back for information on 2025.

• Impact Gymnastics 301 River Road, Bow, 219-0343, impact-gymnastics.com Full-day camp for ages 5-13 runs 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. (early and late care options for additional fee) for $300 per week. Camp runs June 23-Aug. 15, with new themes each week.

• Noha’s Gymnastics Academy 200 Perimeter Road, Manchester, 518-7660; 30 Pond St., Nashua, 880-4927; ngacademy.us Full- and half-day (morning or afternoon) camps offered in both locations. Discounts for registrations before April 1.

• Sky High Gymnastics 185 Elm St., No. 2, Milford, 554-1097,
skyhighgym.com Full- and half-day camps offered June 16-Aug. 29, with weekly sessions each with a different theme, and dropoff that starts as early as 7:30 a.m. and ends by 5 p.m. The camp, for ages 4-12, includes indoor and outdoor play, crafts, daily gymnastics class and more.

• Southern New Hampshire Gymnastics Academy 4 Orchard View Drive, No. 11, Londonderry, 404-6181, snhga.com Full-day (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) and half-day (9 a.m.-1 p.m. or 1-5 p.m.) camps are available the weeks of June 23 and then the weeks of July 7-Aug. 18. Camps are for ages 4 and up. Prices are based on number of days, with discounts for siblings and extra fees for extended care.

• Tumble Town Gymnastics 444 E. Industrial Park Drive, No. 10, Manchester, 641-9591, tumbletownnh.com Weeklong camps are the week of July 7 through the week of Aug. 11, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Discounts available for multiple weeks.

Martial arts & ninja

• ATA Martial Arts of Merrimack 707 Milford Road, Unit 2C, Merrimack; atabbanh.com, 881-5435 Call for updates on 2025 summer camps.

• Bedford Martial Arts Academy 292 Route 101, Bedford, 626-9696,

bedfordmartialartsacademy.com Camp features field trips, dodgeball, obstacle courses, indoor and outdoor activities, playground and pool activities and more, according to the website. Contact the school for details.

• Empowering Lives Martial Arts 542 Mast Road, No. 15, Goffstown, 978-414-KICK, martialartsnewhampshire.com Summer camp featuring themed weeks with full-day, half-day and drop-in options as well as early dropoff and late pickup. Call for details.

• Granite State American Kenpo Karate 290 Derry Road, No. 5, Hudson, 598-5400,
gsakenpo.com Camp offers indoor and outdoor games, arts & crafts, field trips, park visits, outdoor play and more, according to the website. Contact the studio for details.

• Inner Dragon Martial Arts 77 Derry Road, Hudson, 864-8756, innerdragonma.com According to an email from the studio, the camp will run the entire summer, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and feature games, weekly field trips, weekly library trips, reading challenges and more. The program offers weekly, five-week and full-summer options, the email said.

• Phoenix Fire Martial Arts 79 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, 378-0420, phnixfire.com Weeklong camps June 23-Aug. 29, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily (option for early dropoff and late pickup for an additional fee). Camps will feature games, crafts, water games, free play and more, the website said. $250 per week.

• The Training Station 200 Elm St., Manchester, 505-0048, thetrainingstationnh.com Past camps have included trips to a Fisher Cats game and the Manchester Fire Department, outdoor obstacle courses and more. Call for 2025 information.

• USA Ninja Challenge Manchester 444 E. Industrial Drive, Manchester, ninjamanchesternh.com, 935-7100 USA Ninja Challenge Manchester offers weeklong sessions for ages 6-12, 9 a.m.-noon, the weeks of June 23, July 14, July 28 and Aug. 11. $225 for weeklong sessions. Call for information on clinics and workshops.

• USA Ninja Challenge Concord 14 Chenell Drive, Concord, 228-9936, ninjaconcordnh.com The Concord USA Ninja Challenge offers camps that run 9 a.m.-noon, the weeks of June 23 (teens 12+), July 7 (ages 6-8), July 14 (ages 8-12), July 21 (ages 8-12), July 28 (advanced) and Aug. 4 (ages 6-8). $250 per week.

• USA Ninja Challenge at Gymnastics Village 13 Caldwell Drive, Amherst, 889-8092, gymnasticsvillage.com Full- and half-day ninja camps are available. Full-day camps run 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. the weeks of June 23 through Aug. 18 with weeklong sessions. Half-day runs the same weeks, 9 a.m.-noon.

• USA Ninja Challenge Hudson 17 Friars Drive, Unit 18, Hudson, 417-6820, ninjahudson.com Week-long camps or by the day, 9 a.m.-noon, for ages 6-12. $250 per person (discount for members). See website for schedule.

Multimedia

• ConcordTV Video camps 170 Warren St., Concord, yourconcordtv.org Last year’s camps offered beginner and advanced video creation and editing skills geared to ages 11-15. Check back for 2025 camp info.

• Film & Audio Camp at Let’s Play Music, in Derry (145 Hampstead Road, 425-7575), Manchester (2626 Brown Ave., 218-3089) and Hudson (136 Lowell Road, 882-8940) letsplaymusic.com/summer-camps Geared to ages 10-18, Film & Audio Camp will run Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., $349. Sign up online for site- and date-specific information.

• Londonderry Triple Threat Film Camp at Londonderry Dance Academy Studios, 21 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, triplethreattheatercamp.com, 432-0032 Geared to ages 7-17, this camp will teach students how to write, direct, shoot and edit a short film. Camp is June 23-July 3, 8:45 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuition is $575.

• Media Camp at Londonderry Access TV Londonderry Access Center, 281 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 432-1147; Find them on Facebook. Media Camp (where kids learn to create short-form videos and longer TV and get experience working in a professional studio) will run July 7-18, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. for grades 5-8. Cost is $85. Call or email [email protected] to register.

• NH Audubon 26 Audubon Way, Auburn; 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord; 224-9909, nhaudubon.org “Conservation Quest Camp” from Media Power Youth will allow campers to “discover the joys of being present in nature while having fun with new friends and creating short films to share their conservation stories.” Sessions run the weeks of July 21-25 at the McLane Center in Concord and Aug. 4-8 at the Massabesic Center in Auburn.

• SEE Science Center 200 Bedford St., Manchester, see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400 SEE will offer two weeklong sessions of “Animation with LEGO Camp” for ages 8-12. Camps run Aug. 4-8 or Aug. 11-15, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. SEE also offers one weeklong camp about filmmaking, “Reel Explorers Camp,” for ages 10-14, July 14-18. The cost is $300 with discounts for members, sibling enrollments and multiple camps.

• TV & Film Camp New London Barn Playhouse, 84 Main St., New London, 526-6710, nlbarn.org/summer-camps TV & Film Camp will be held at the New London Historical Society July 21-25, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and offer hands-on experience in front of and behind the camera. The cost is $350. Camps are grouped for ages 6-8 and 9-11.

Music

• Bedford Youth Performing Company 155 Route 101, Bedford, bypc.org, 472-3894 BYPC’s summer music offerings include private lessons and Kindermusik (infant through age 7) drop-ins as well as Rock Band Camps for grades 4-6 (June 23-27, 3-8 p.m., and July 28-Aug. 1, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.), grade 7+ (July 7-11, 3-8 p.m., and Aug. 4-8, 3-8 p.m.) and grade 7+ recording camp (Aug. 11-15, 3-8 p.m.). $295 per session.

• Concord Community Music School 23 Wall St., Concord, ccmusicschool.org, 228-1196 The school will offer a variety of classes (Music & Movement for ages 4 months to 7 years, for example) and private lessons as well as a series of weeklong camps from late June to early August. Camps include Piano Dynamos Camp (June 23-27, 8:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) for ages 9-15; Summer String Camp (June 23-27, 8:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) for ages 8-15; Puppetry Arts Camp (July 7-11, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.) for grades 1-6; Summer Jam Camp (July 7-11, 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m., and July 14-18, 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.) for grades 5-12; Vibe & Vision: A Creative Adventure (July 14-18, 1-5 p.m.) for grades 5-12; Creative Arts Camp (July 21-25 and July 28-Aug.1, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.) for grades 1-6, and Spotlight Theater Arts Camp (Aug. 4-8, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.) for grades 1-6. Some camps require experience. Extended care is available for some camps. Leaders In Training spots for grades 7-9 and Counselors in Training slots for grades 10+ are available for some camps.

• Let’s Play Music locations in Derry (145 Hampstead Road, 425-7575), Manchester (2626 Brown Ave., 218-3089) and Hudson (136 Lowell Road, 882-8940) letsplaymusic.com/summer-camps Summer camp offerings include Vocal Virtuoso Camps (ages 8-13), Intro To Music & Arts Camp (ages 7-12), Ready to Rock Camp (ages 7-12) and Rock Band Camp (ages 10-16). These camps run Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and cost $349. Ready to Rock Camp for ages 4-6 run Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., and cost $249.

• Manchester Community Music School 2291 Elm St., Manchester,
mcmusicschool.org, 644-4548 The school has a variety of camps including Music Exploration, Band, Piano, and Guitar, as well as summer ensemble opportunities for musicians of all ages, according to the school. Check the website in early March for 2025 details.

• Nashua Community Music School 2 Lock St., Nashua, 881-7030, nashuacms.org The school offers summer lessons as well as summer camps for ages 4-12 and After Dark programs for teens. Full-day camps for ages 8-12 run 9 a.m.-3 p.m., cost $325 and include Broadway Week (July 7-11), Instrument Adventure (July 14-18) and Pop Star 2025 (July 21-25). Half-day camps for ages 4-7 run 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and include Latin Music Week (July 7-11), Broadway Babies (July 14-18) and Music of Africa (July 21-25). After Dark programs include Pop, Punk & Protest (July 29-31); Chamber Ensemble (Aug. 5-7); DJ Experience (Aug. 12-14) and Rock Band (Aug. 19-21 with a concert on Saturday, Aug. 23, at 2 p.m.). After Dark camps run 6:30-9 p.m., $165 for the session.

• School of Rock Nashua 225 DW Highway, Nashua, 600-7625,
schoolofrock.com Camps run 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and cost $549. Camps include Rock 101 Camp for beginners ages 7-12 (June 23-27 and July 28-Aug.1); Best of the ’90s Camp (July 7-11 and Aug. 4-8); ’80s Rock Camp (July 14-18 and Aug. 11-15), and Classic Rock Rewind Camp (July 21-25 and Aug. 18-22).

• University of New Hampshire Summer Youth Music School unh.edu/youthprograms UNH offers instruction that concentrates on an instrument or voice part with a program that concludes with a concert. The school offers Junior (for kids who have just completed grades 6-8; July 12-16) and Senior (kids who have just completed grades 9-12; July 19-27) sessions as well as a Chamber Intensive option. Junior and Senior sessions have overnight and commuter options.

• Upbeat New Hampshire Summer Festival upbeatnewhampshire.org The music education program Upbeat New Hampshire will hold a camp Monday, June 23, through Friday, June 27, 9 a.m.-noon at Nashua High School North in the Music Wing (8 Titan Way, Nashua) for string musicians in grades 3-12. The cost is $260 for regular students, $295 for advanced students and $235 for an additional sibling, with scholarships available. The camp includes daily semi-private lessons, orchestra rehearsal, music theory and more. Register online or via [email protected].

Nature & the Outdoors

• Beaver Brook Nature Camps Beaver Brook Association, 117 Ridge Road, Hollis, 465-7787, beaverbrook.org Camp registration opens Friday, March 7, at 8 a.m. (March 3 for members) Camps in past years have been weeklong, with offerings in late June and July, focused on different subjects related to nature and the outdoors for kids in grades K-6.

• Concord Parks & Recreation The Lodge at White Park, concordparksandrec.com, 225-8690 In the past, nature camps have been open to kids in grades 1-5. Check for updates on 2025.

• Joppa Hill Educational Farm 174 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford,
theeducationalfarm.org; 472-4724 The farm offers camp programs for ages 5-12 that include hiking, farm chores and more. Weeklong camp sessions run daily 9 a.m.-3 p.m. the week of June 23 and the week of July 7 through the week of Aug. 18. $375 per week, plus $50 for a 4 p.m. pickup. There are also “Farmer for a Day” options to do a one- to three-day camp 9 a.m.-2 p.m., June 30-July 2 or Aug. 25-29 ($75 per day).

• NH Audubon nhaudubon.org Camps for kids ages 5-15 are available at both the McLane Center in Concord and the Massabesic Center in Auburn the week of June 23 through the week of Aug. 18 (the week of June 30 is three days). The camps run 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and are grouped by age with ages 13-15 serving in the Leadership in Training program. The cost is $345 per week, $225 per week for Leadership in Training participants, with discounts for members. See the website for a rundown of each week’s theme.

• Upreach Therapeutic Equestrian Center 153 Paige Hill Road, Goffstown, upreachtec.org, 497-2343 “Fun on the Farm” camp is offered for ages 8+ June 23-27, 9 a.m.-noon. Students learn the basics of horse care and anatomy and take part in horse-related activities. The cost is $350.

Science & STEM

• Circuit Lab Camps via Concord Parks & Recreation, concordparksandrec.com, 225-8690 In previous years this camp has taught the basics of computer programming, electronics and circuitry. Check the website in April for 2025 offerings.

• iDTech Camps at Southern New Hampshire University, 2500 N. River Road, Manchester,idtech.com/locations Weeklong camps (with day and overnight options) are available for kids ages 7-17 on STEM subjects including video game design, BattleBots, coding, AI, digital animation and more. The price starts at $1,079. Weekly camps are offered the week of July 7 through the week of Aug. 4. Ages and weeks vary by camp subject.

• LetGoYourMind letgoyourmind.com/summer-program-locations LEGO-based STEM programming in weeklong sessions for ages 6-13 (with some locations offering programming for ages 4-5) daily 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at locations across New Hampshire. Offerings include Amherst (June 30-July 3) at Amherst Christian Church; Bedford (the weeks of June 16, June 23, June 30, July 28, Aug. 4 and Aug. 11) at Bedford Town Hall; Concord (the weeks of June 23, June 30, July 7 and Aug. 11) at Bishop Brady High School; Dover (the week of July 21) at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire; Durham (the weeks of June 23 and June 30) at Oyster River Middle School; Londonderry (the weeks of July 21 and July 28) at Southern NH Montessori Academy; Manchester (the weeks of June 23, July 28 and Aug. 4) at Derryfield School; Nashua (the weeks of July 28 and Aug. 4) at Rivier University; New London (the weeks of July 14 and July 21) at Colby-Sawyer College; Pelham the week of July 14 at St. Patrick’s Parish Center; Portsmouth (the weeks of July 7 and July 14) at Jarvis Center; Salem the week of July 7 at The Birches Academy, and Windham (weeks of July 7, July 14 and July 12) at Searles School & Chapel. Age groups offered differ by location and week.

• Manchester Community College STEM Summer Camps 1066 Front St., Manchester, mccnh.edu/summer-camps Camps for kids entering grades 6-8 include “Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs” July 14-18 and “Robotics” July 21-24. Camps run 8:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily and cost $175. “Gear Up for Success” camp is available to Manchester School District ninth-graders; see nhgearupalliance.org for details.

• McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center 2 Institute Drive, Concord, starhop.com, 271-7827 The Center offers seven weeklong STEM camps with three focused on terrestrial subjects: Earth Explorers, June 23-27, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., ages 8-11, $360; Create, Code, Conquer, June 30-July 3, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., ages 12-14, $285, and Discover the Dinosaurs, July 14-18, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m, ages 5-7, $360.

• Nashua Community College 505 Amherst St., Nashua, nashuacc.edu/ about/for-the-public/summer-camps, 578-6881 Summer camp programs for rising 6th-12th-graders at Nashua Community College include “Automotive” (4 days the weeks of July 7 and July 14; $295) and “Introduction to Digital Electronics (4 days of the week of July 14; $295).

• Seacoast Science Center 570 Ocean Blvd, Rye, seacoastsciencecenter.org, 436-8043 Seacoast Science Center offers full- and half-day camps for ages 4-5 and full-day camps (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) for kids in grades K-5, 6-8 and 9-12. Most camps are weeklong, offered June 16-Aug. 22, with high school camps offered July 14-18 and July 28-Aug. 1.

• SEE Science Center 200 Bedford St., Manchester, see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400 In addition to its filmmaking camps, SEE has five weeklong science camps: “Camp Summer Science” ages 7-13, July 14-18 or July 21-25; “FIRST PLACE Invention Camp” ages 9-14, July 21-25 or July 28-Aug. 1; “Energy Innovators Camp” ages 10-14, July 28-Aug. 1; “BioTrekker Camp” ages 11-14, July 28-Aug. 1, and “iSpy Camp” ages 8-13, Aug. 4-8 or Aug. 11-15. Camps are 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The cost is $300 with discounts for members, sibling enrollments and multiple camps.

• Southern New Hampshire Education Center 1E Commons Drive, No. 28, Londonderry, snhec.org, 818-8613 Camps offered include “Camp Invention: Discover” July 14-18, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m, for kids in grades K-6 ($300 per week; see invent.org/program-search/camp-invention/nh10/12400) and “LetGoYourMind” July 21-25 and July 28-Aug. 1, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., for kids in grades pre-K through 8 (see letgoyourmind.com)

• Top Secret Science & Math Summer Camp bedfordnh.myrec.com A weeklong session for grades K-5 at Bedford Town Hall where “kids will explore 20 weird and wacky hands-on science experiments and will make and take home all the projects,” according to the website, runs Aug. 18-22, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Cost is $320 per week.

• University of New Hampshire STEM camps at the UNH Durham campus, unh.edu/youthprograms Tech Camps for grades 5-12 on a variety of STEM subjects will run July 7-25 at the Durham campus. TechSplorers (grades 5-8), which covers a variety of STEM topics with hands-on activities, has sessions July 7-11 and July 14-18. TechVenturers (grades 8-10), in which participants focus on a single weeklong project, has sessions the weeks of July 7, July 14 and July 21 (each week has different subject offerings). TechLeaders (grades 9-12) also offers weeklong focus on a single subject (offerings vary each week) the weeks of July 14 and July 21. These camps cost $700 for the week for day camp, $1,350 for students who pick a residential option. UNH also offers the Dinah Whipple Steam Academy, which looks at STEAM subjects as well as the Black experience; the camp is free and open to students of all backgrounds, grades 5-12.

Sports

• Amherst Parks & Recreation Amherst, amherstnh.myrec.com Amherst offers summer camps for soccer (Brazilian United Soccer), cheer, sports variety camp “Move More” and softball. Dates and costs vary.

• Amherst Soccer Clubamherstsoccerclub.com Camps are planned for Aug. 4-8 (see hampshireunitedsc.com for details) and in Milford July 14-18 (see resendessocceracademy.com).

• The British Are Coming Summer Soccer Camp mnsl.org/soccer-camp-in-manchester This camp run by Manchester North Soccer League takes place July 28-Aug. 1, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in Livingston Park in Manchester offering soccer instruction for ages 5-15. The cost is $300 for full day, $160 for half day (pickup at 12:30 p.m.), with discounts for siblings.

• Caramba Soccer Skills camp locations in Concord, Nashua and Chichester; 496-3579, soccerskillscamp.org. Full- and half-day camps are offered in Nashua (July 14-18 at Mine Falls Fields) and Chichester (July 21-25 at Carpenter Fields). Full-day camp is available in Concord (July 28-Aug. 1 at Concord Christian Soccer Complex). All camps are for ages 6-14 and all locations offer full-day goalkeeping school. $255 per week for full day, $165 for half day.

• Challenger Sports Soccer Camps various NH locations; 800-878-2167, ext. 280,
challengersports.com Camps on the schedule are often connected to the town’s parks and recreation department or local soccer clubs. Ages and prices vary. Locations include Pelham (June 23-27), Weare (July 7-11), Gilford (July 7-11), Stratham (July 7-11), Northwood (July 14-18 and July 21-25), New Boston (July 14-18), Windham (July 21-25 and Aug. 4-8), Nottingham (Aug. 11-15) and Hopkinton (Aug. 18-22).

• Concord Crew Whittemore Boathouse, Concord, concordcrew.org Concord Crew rows on the Merrimack River in Concord out of the Whittemore Boathouse and offers summer programs for middle school, high school and collegiate athletes as well as adults. A program for beginner rowers and coxswains in grades 5 and up will be held with two three-week, four-day-per-week sessions — Session 1 June 16-26 and July 7-10, and Session 2 July 14-31), 4:30-6:30 p.m. The cost is $225 for Concord residents, $235 for out-of-town participants. Register via Concord Parks and Recreation at concordnh.gov. See concordcrew.org for other summer programming.

• Concord Parks & Recreation Sports Camps concordparksandrec.com, 225-8690. In past years sports camps have included soccer (for ages 6-14), TIDE Basketball, Crew and Dance. Check back in April for updates on 2025 programming.

• Conway Arena 5 Stadium Drive, Nashua, 595-2400; conwayarena.com In addition to summer skills sessions, Conway hosts summer camps the week of July 7 through the week of Aug. 18, run by different organizations. Nashua Parks & Rec camp Aug. 18-22 (9:30-3 p.m.) is for ages 7-14. Conway Arena camps are July 7-11 (9:45 a.m.-3 p.m., ages 7-14) and July 14-18 (10 a.m.-12:30 a.m., beginner hockey players). Radius Edge offers a camp July 21-25, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. A Pro Ambitions goalie camp for all ages runs July 28-July 31, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Inside Edge offers a camp for “Mites-Squirts” 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and Pee Wee Bantam 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., both Aug. 4-7. Rivier Hockey has a half-day beginner hockey camp Aug. 11-15.

• Derryfield Athletic Camps The Derryfield School, 2108 River Road, Manchester, derryfield.org/about/summer-programs Offerings include field hockey, basketball and Magic Touch Soccer Academy. Check back for 2025 details.

• Executive Health & Sports Center 1 Highlander Way, Manchester, ehsc.com/summer-camps, 668-4753 Eight themed weeklong sessions feature swimming, sports, games, outdoor play and more. Sessions are Lil’ Tikes (ages 5-6), Juniors (7-8) and Exec (9-10). Sessions start the week of June 16 and run through Aug. 8; camps run 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. daily, with dropoff 7:30-9 a.m. and pickup 3:30-5:30 p.m. The cost is $325 for members, $375 for non-members.

• Fisher Cats Baseball & Softball Camps Northeast Delta Dental Stadium 1 Line Drive, Manchester, 641-2005, nhfishercats.com Half-day camps (8:30 a.m.-noon) for ages 6-15 focus on stretching and warmups, throwing and catching, infield and outfield tips and drills, swing mechanics, pitching and base-running, according to the website. June 16-20; July 21-25 (but not July 23), and Aug. 18-22. Cost is $175 for the first and third weeks, $150 for the second week.

• Foster’s Golf Camp Dropoff and pickup location is Derryfield Park, 581 Bridge St., Manchester; 622-1553, fostersgolfcamp.com Campers travel to three different par-3 courses each week to participate in practice clinics and play nine holes of golf. Camp is for kids ages 7-16 of all abilities. Bus arrives at Derryfield Park at 7:30 a.m. and leaves at 8 a.m.; campers return at 4 p.m. Sessions are a week long and begin the week of June 16 and run through the week of Aug. 25 (no camp the week of June 30). $350 per week.

• 4 Leaf Lacrosse NH Summer Day Camp 4leaflax.org/

nh-summer-day-camp Held at Ouelette Stadium at Southern New Hampshire University in north Manchester, this camp is open to grades K-10 and will run June 23-26, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Cost is $300 early bird, $350 regular registration.

• International Mountain Climbing School 2733 White Mountain Highway, North Conway; climbimcs.com, 356-7064 “Youth Rock Climbing Day Camp” offers 1, 2, and 3 day options for ages 8-17 (split into 8-12 and 13-17 groups) that run 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The sessions run Monday through Wednesday with outdoor climbing every day (weather permitting). Sessions for ages 8-12 run the weeks of June 30, July 14, July 22-24 and Aug. 11; sessions for ages 13-17 are the weeks of July 7, July 21, July 28 and Aug. 18. Price based on number of days participating.

• Jack Perri Basketball Camps

jackperribasketballcamp.com Co-ed weeklong basketball camps for kids in grades 3-10 held at Southern New Hampshire University and run by Jack Perri, head coach of the SNHU men’s basketball team. The program also runs a high school showcase for grades 9-11 (check the website for updates). Sessions are July 7-10 and July 21-24, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Cost is $275 per week, $250 for a sibling, until March 15. Before and after camp supervision is available for additional fees.

• JT Soccer Training

info.abcsportscamps.com/jtsoccer A weeklong full-day camp at Penmen Stadium on the Southern New Hampshire University campus in north Manchester featuring soccer fundamentals, team play and more, for ages 5-14, July 7-11, with full day 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-noon on Friday, or a half-day option 9 a.m.-noon daily. SNHU College ID Day will be July 12, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., for boys ages 15+ (including junior college). Raymond Preseason Soccer Camp will be held at Cammett Fields in Raymond July 28-Aug 1, 9 a.m.-noon, for ages 7-14. Hooksett Half Day Soccer Camp will be held at Petersbrook Fields in Hooksett, July 28-Aug. 1, 9 a.m.-noon, for ages 3-14. A Goal Keeper School will be held at SNHU’s Penmen Stadium Aug. 11-15, 4-6 p.m., for ages 10-15.

• Longfellow New Hampshire Tennis & Swim Club 140 Lock St., Nashua, 883-0153, longfellownh.com Check back for information on this year’s Hammel Tennis Camp.

• NH Climbing & Fitness 10 Langdon Ave., Concord, nhclimbinggym.com/camp, 715-9171 Weeklong indoor climbing camps for ages 6-12 start the week of June 23 and run through the week of Aug. 11 (no camp the week of June 30), 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (with early dropoff and late pickup available for an extra charge if pre-arranged). NH Adventure Camp with a mix of indoor and outdoor climbing for ages 10+ runs 8 a.m.-5 p.m. those same weeks. NH Climbing & Fitness will also offer “Kids Fun Days” for ages 6-12 and an overnight camp in Maine for ages 11+; check the website for updated details on those offerings.

• NH Hoop Skills nhhoopskills.com Two weeklong (Monday-Thursday) sessions led by Karen Pinkos, head coach of the Southern New Hampshire University Women’s Basketball team, for girls in grades 2-10, at Stan Spiro Field House on the SNHU campus in Manchester. Sessions run June 23-26 and July 14-17, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Cost is $300, $345 after May 1.

• NH Hoop Skills HS Elite nhhoopskills.com Clinics for girls in grades 9-12, dates TBA in June and July. See the website or email [email protected] for information.

• NH Spartans nhspartans.com The NH Spartans have basketball camps at the Sports Barn in Hampton the weeks of June 30-July 3 (9 a.m.-3 p.m.), July 7-10 (9 a.m.-3 p.m., can do by the day or the whole session) and Aug. 11-14 (9 a.m.-3 p.m.). A July 21-24 camp is girls only, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

• NH Tomahawks nhtomahawks.com The Tomahawks have summer offerings for boys and girls ages 5-17, for all positions including goalies. Camps, divided by age and ability, run 9 a.m.-noon at Joppa Fields in Bedford June 23-26, July 7-10 and July 21-24. The cost is $205. The Tomahawks also have summer leagues and other training opportunities.

• Nike Baseball Camp ussportscamps.com/baseball/nike Held at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, the camp is run by Southern New Hampshire University’s Head Coach Scott Loiseau for ages 6-12, grouped by age and ability. Sessions run Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., July 14-17 and July 21-24.

• Nike Basketball Camps Locations in Manchester and Hampton, 800-645-3226, ussportscamps.com/basketball/nike In Manchester four weeklong sessions of the camp take place at Saint Anselm College the weeks of June 23, July 7, July 21 and July 28, running 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Fridays (half-day options run 8:30-11:30 a.m.). A camp June 30-July 3 has an overnight option as well as a day camp option that runs 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Wednesday, and 9-11:30 a.m. on Thursday). Camps are divided into 10 and under and 11+.

• Paul Hogan Basketball Camp hogan

camps.com Basketball camps held at NHTI in Concord include four-day Rip City Basketball Camps for grades 4-10, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., June 23-26, July 14-17 and July 21-24. Also at NHTI are three-day camps for point guards and post players (June 29-July 1, 8-4:30 p.m. for girls 8-17 ; July 11-13, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. the first two days and 8 a.m.-12:15 p.m. the third day, for boys 9-17 — both have overnight options). There is also a Specialty Basketball Camp (day camp with overnight option) for ages 9-18 July 27-31 — noon-4:30 p.m. on Sunday; 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. pickup Monday-Wednesday, and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursday. There are also camps in Bow (July 7-10, ages 5-9, 8-10 a.m. and ages 9-14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), Hillsborough July 14-17, ages 5-9, 8 a.m.-10 a.m. and ages 9-14, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and other area towns.

• Planet Tennis USA camps via Hollis Parks & Recreation, hollisnh.org/recreation/pages/recreation-programs; planettennisusa.us Planet Tennis USA will offer tennis camps in Hollis. Information for 2025 will be available soon, according to organizers.

• Seacoast United Soccer

seacoastunited.com Seacoast camps held in New Hampshire in Epping, Bedford, Concord, Epsom, Portsmouth, Hampton, North Hampton and Gilford. Epping camps include full-day (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) and half-day (9 a.m.-noon) camps the weeks of June 16, June 23 and July 28. Full- and half-day camps in Bedford run the weeks of June 16, July 14, July 28 and Aug. 18. Camps in Concord are full and half day the week of Aug. 4. Camp in Epsom is the week of July 7. Most camps are for ages 6 to younger teen (see website for exact ages). Epping offers 45-minute sessions for ages 3-5 the weeks of June 16 and June 23. An Advanced Training Camp runs the week of June 30, 9 a.m.-noon, for ages 10-14 in Epping as well as for club members only in Bedford and Concord. There is also a specialty Goal Keeper program in Bedford July 7-10, 6-8 p.m.

• University of New Hampshire summer sports camps unh.edu/youthprograms UNH hosts camps (both day and overnight) related to basketball (a boys and a girls camp), field hockey, football evening camp, gymnastics camp, girls ice hockey, Wildcat Hockey School, girls soccer, track and field, volleyball camp, boys soccer and girls lacrosse. See the website for details and availability.

• Westwood Park Sports Camps Westwood Park YMCA, 90 Northwest Blvd., Nashua,
nmymca.org Sports camps for kids in grades 1-12 run weekly June 23-Aug. 22, 8:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m., with pre- and post-camp care options. Camps are available that specialize in soccer, flag football, NinjaZone, basketball and a girls-only sports sampler. There are also a Dig Deep Volleyball camps for beginners in grades 4-11 (July 8-11, 9 a.m.-noon); intermediate in grades 7-12 (July 21-24, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.), and Middle School Pre-Tryout for grades 6-8 (Aug. 20-22, 9 a.m.-noon.

Theater

• Andy’s Playhouse 582 Isaac Frye Highway, Wilton, andyssummerplayhouse.org/2025season, 654-2613 For a $150 registration fee students can participate in Andy’s programming, which includes a series of Mainstage Productions that feature multi-day rehearsals followed by performances; studio series workshops, which will also culminate in a performance, and more. Some programs are age-specific. See the website for dates and details.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company 155 Route 101, Bedford, bypc.org; 472-3894 BYPC offers weekly camps for preschoolers (ages 3-6), 9 a.m.-2 p.m., the weeks of June 9 and 16 and then the weeks of July 7-July 28 (cost is $275). Week-long dance and theater classes for elementary-aged-and-older kids include Dance Boot Camp (June 16-20, 4:30-9 pm., ages 12+); Taste of Broadway Camp (week of June 16, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., grades 1-8); Frog & Toad Kids Musical Theatre Production Camp (June 23-27, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., grades 1-4); Beetlejuice Jr. Musical Theatre Projection Camp (June 23-27, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., grades 5-10); Acro Camp (July 28-Aug. 1, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., ages 8-12); 101 Dalmatians Kids Musical Theatre Production Camp (Aug. 4-8, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., grades 1-4); Shrek Jr. Musical Theatre Production Camp (Aug. 4-8, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., grades 5-10), and Triple Threat Camp (Aug. 11-15, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., grades 1-8). Full-day, week-long camps cost $325 per week. BYPC also offers weekly dance and theater classes.

• Camp ENCORE! Prescott Park Arts Festival, at Prescott Park in Portsmouth with a culminating performance on Wilcox Main Stage, prescottpark.org. The Prescott Park Arts Festival runs four camp sessions for ages 6-17, June 16-Aug. 3. There are two two-week sessions for ages 7-17 (Seussical Jr. June 16-29, with public performances at 11 a.m. on the last two days; Junie B. Jones Jr. June 30-July 13, with public performances at 11 a.m. on the last two days), a one-week session for ages 6-12 (Finding Nemo Kids, July 14-20, with public performances at 11 a.m. on July 19 and July 20) and one two-week session for teens (Something Rotten! Jr. July 21-Aug. 3, with public performances at 1 p.m. on Aug. 2 & 3). All camps run 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuition for two-week sessions is $799 and the one-week session costs $399, with discounts for siblings and multiple sessions. Early care (at 8:30 a.m.) and after care (until 5 p.m.) are available for additional cost.

• Community Players of Concord 435 Josiah Bartlett Road, Concord,

communityplayersofconcord.org In past summers a weeklong camp for ages 8-14 culminated in a theatrical production. Check the website for updates on summer 2025.

• Concord Community Music School 23 Wall St., Concord, ccmusicschool.org, 228-1196 Spotlight Theater Arts Camp (Aug. 4-8, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.) for grades 1-6 is a new offering where “campers dive into scenes from a mix of exciting musicals. From belting out your favorite songs to learning choreography, you’ll explore the ins and outs of the theater world” the website said. Extended care is available as are Leaders in Training (for grades 7-9) and Counselors in Training slots (grades 10+).

• Derryfield Repertory Theatre The Derryfield School, 2108 River Road, Manchester, derryfield.org/about/summer-programs Two sessions run July 7-18 and July 21-Aug. 1 for rising 4th through 12th graders, which include a full lunch in the registration price. Workshops during the camps include improvisation, acting, singing, scriptwriting and dancing with groups assigned by age and sessions ending with a theatrical production.

• Kids Coop Theatre 232 N. Broadway, Salem, kctnh.org Kids Coop will offer camps (two-week sessions, probably) for ages 7-12, according to an email from the company. Check back with the website for updates.

• Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts 880 Page St., Manchester, majestictheatre.net, 669-7469 Majestic offers a half-day camp, “Myths & Magic” June 23-28 and “Wild West” July 14-19, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., for ages 5-7; cost is $175. Full-day camps (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) for ages 8-14 run July 7-12 (“We Are Monsters”), July 21-26 (“Press Start”) and July 28-Aug. 2 (“Sally Sells Seashells”); cost is $250. A culminating camp showcase will be held on the final Saturday of each camp.

• Merrimack Summer Stage Theater Program

merrimackparksandrec.org This summer’s production is Frozen Jr. and the camp runs Monday, July 7, through Friday, July 11, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. for ages 8-15 in Wasserman Park Theater. $285 for Merrimack residents, $295 for non-residents.

• Palace Youth Theatre Palace Theatre 80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org/pyt The Young Stars Camp for ages 5-8 feature weeklong camps, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. with performances at 1 p.m. on the final day the weeks of June 23-27 (“Broadway Bound”), July 14-18 (“Fairytale Adventure”) and Aug. 4-8 (“Under the Sea”); cost is $200. Summer camps for kids in grades 2-12 are one- or two-week-long sessions, running daily 9 a.m.-4 p.m., culminating in final performances (performance times vary based on the session). Sessions are June 23-July 3 (Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach Jr.); July 7-11 (A Year with Frog and Toad Kids); July 14-25 (Junie B. Jones The Musical Jr.); July 28-Aug. 1 (Annie Kids); Aug. 4-15 (Mean Girls Jr.), and Aug. 18-22 (The Addams Family younger@part). $599 for two-week sessions, $299 for one-week sessions.

• Peacock Players 14 Court St., Nashua; 886-7000, peacockplayers.org Open to rising 1st through 9th graders, camps run weekly starting July 14 with each session culminating in a showcase. Camps run 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (pickup window is 4-5 p.m.) and cost $350 per week. Sessions are Legendary Composers Week (July 14-18), Getting Spooky Week (July 21-25), All About the Mouse Week (July 28-Aug. 1), Rock and Roll Week (Aug. 4-8) and Hollywood Week (Aug. 11-15).

• The Rep Academy from the Seacoast Repertory Theatre, camps take place at the Rep Studios, 2800 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, seacoastrep.org/rep-academy-camps Camps include Broadway Bound, ages 7-13, June 23-July 3, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; Teen Intensive Villains Bootcamp, ages 12-18, June 23-27, 5-9 p.m.; Teen Intensive Movie Magic Bootcamp, ages 12-18, June 30-July 3, 5-9 p.m.; Storybook Adventures, ages 7-13, July 7-18, 9-3 p.m.; Teen Intensive Circus Skills Bootcamp, ages 12-18, July 14-18, 5-9 p.m.; Time Travel Theater, ages 7-13, July 21-Aug. 1, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., and Heroes and Villains, ages 7-13, Aug. 4-15, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Triple Threat Theater Camp Londonderry Dance Academy, 21 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 432-0032, triplethreattheatercamp.com The Triple Threat Theatre Camp (which has an end-of-camp theater showcase) for ages 6-17 runs July 7-25, 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m. and costs $875. A Junior Program for ages 5.5-9 has weeklong sessions the weeks of July 7, July 14 and July 21, 8:45 a.m.-3 p.m.; tuition is $325 per week.

• University of New Hampshire Theatre & Dance Stars unh.edu/youthprograms UNH camps “Twinkle Stars” July 7-11 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. for grades 1-3 ($250); “All Stars Music & Drama” July 8-11, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. for grades 3-5 p.m. ($400) and “Summer Dance Intensive” July 14-18, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. for grades 5-12 ($415).

• Winnipesaukee Playhouse Theatre Camp winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org/

summer-theatre-camp-2025.html Camps run July 7-Aug. 15, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at the New Hampton School. Weeklong camps are available for ages 5-7 and 8-11 ($300 per week) and two-week camp sessions are available for The Upper Camp for ages 12-14 ($500 per session).

Events and spots for a night out with longtime sweethearts, first dates and friends!

By John Fladd

[email protected]

Lenny Demers is frustrated at how a lot of people see martial arts.

“I hear a lot of, ‘This is going to take me a couple of months,’” he said. “They’ll say, ‘I’m going to be a black belt in a couple of months. And I’m going to be able to fight 20 guys with knives and guns coming at me.’ And I try to tell them, ‘That’s not self-defense. That’s a movie. That’s not practical. Self-defense is when you’re minding your business, someone sneaks up and grabs you by your neck, and you react really quickly, and you get out of it.’”

Demers, the owner/operator of Kenpo Academy of Self Defense in Londonderry, is a master of Shaolin kenpo karate but also teaches classes in taekwondo, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu and several martial arts weapons. Many of Kenpo Academy’s classes are geared toward children, but some of Demers’ most rewarding experiences over the years have been with adult students.

“I have a lot of adult students that I’m very proud of,” he said. “I have one kid that started with me when he was 5 years old — him and his twin sister. They became like part of my family. They’ve been with me for 25 years. He just got his sixth degree [black belt in karate]. His sister is a fourth degree. ”

Adults, he said — most adults, anyway — have an easier time wrapping their heads around the emotional aspects of karate.

“Everyone thinks karate’s all just about the anger,” he said, “punching and hitting. I say karate’s mostly about your mind, calming your mind down, keeping cool, keeping calm instead of freaking out. We talk about that a lot. Adults will take a step back a little bit, once in a while, I think, but kids don’t.”

Andrew Jefferson, owner (and instructor) of Bulsajo Kaekwondo in Goffstown, agrees that the martial arts are as much about emotional development as they are about shouting, kicking and throwing. He teaches taekwondo to students from 4 years old to 70.

“There’s a lot of character development,” Jefferson said. “You see it a lot in kids because we are giving kids extra structure and teaching them discipline and about being respectful, but you do see it just as much in teens and adults. For them it’s [rooted in] how they work really hard and overcome an obstacle and that helps them improve their self-confidence and their determination.”

“Character-building has always been part of martial arts because being a warrior or a soldier, you have to have a certain level of confidence and belief in yourself. And I think that that just carries over from old and ancient times, if you will, to modern times. And so martial arts are a great way to help people build character.”

Jefferson said adults come to taekwondo for many reasons, some philosophical and character-driven, but most come for practical reasons.

“Depending on the time of the year,” he said, “their reasoning for coming in is, ‘Well, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and now I’m getting around to doing it.’ Or sometimes, like around the new year, they’ll … want to lose some weight, or gain flexibility, or get in shape, and martial arts seems like a fun way to do it.”

“Kids are also very fun to teach,” Jefferson said, “but there’s something about adults overcoming obstacles or gaining abilities that they never thought they would that feels even better.”

Linda Murphy, the owner of Bare Knuckle Murphy’s Boxing Gymnasium and Go Ninja Circus Arts in Manchester, is something of an outlier among martial artists; she teaches mostly adults. “This studio is primarily focused on competitive fighting arts, like kickboxing and boxing — USAB-style boxing,” she said. “We have a lot of people in their 20s and 30s, but we do have older people. We have right now a man who’s in his 50s and he wants to compete in boxing. There is a Master’s Division [for older competitors] and he’s doing really well. There is a kind of a team sort of atmosphere here. It’s not like the traditional bowing, black belt; it’s more military style.”

Murphy has been involved in a variety of styles of martial arts for many years.

“I started in a Japanese style and went into a Korean style,” she said. “I got black belts in those. And then shodokan and then taekwondo. But I’ve studied a lot of different things. I taught self-defense at Dartmouth College and took wing chun, like a kung fu style, up there. I’ve studied some sabbat, some tai chi, like just different things.”

Over the years, Murphy said, the approach to martial arts in her gym has changed.

“This place started out in 1978,” she said. “It was like a lot of very traditional martial arts out in that time period; people wouldn’t hit each other.” Gradually Murphy shifted to a more full-contact approach, centered on actually winning fights, in the ring or on the street. Now her gym attracts students from many walks of life.

“We get a lot of people who have a background in sports,” she said. “They take an interest in boxing or kickboxing before and want to come in and try it. I usually know they’re going to love it because they already have an understanding of what it is like to train for a sport activity. Boxing has a lot of detail on balance, footwork, head movement, positioning of how your body needs to be, and then all the strategy and the conditioning that go with it. We also get people who have done nothing. One of our coaches, who’s so much fun, he did art and ate potato chips all through high school and then finally dared to come into boxing. He was about 26 and now he’s one of the top [boxers] in New England in the 165-pound class.”

In addition to full-contact martial arts, Murphy teaches gymnastics-based circus skills tumbling, trapeze and silks. While the students in the ring tend to be men, her circus students are generally women, she said. “That tends to be more women,” she said, “but guys are always asking if they can do it. So I’ll include them if they want. Usually the easiest sell is the guys that want to compete because they want to do whatever it takes to get better at their activity. Plus they might be a little more confident to cross over that line.”

“People find that interesting. I find it interesting.”

Jason Bryant is the owner and head instructor at Leverage Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Concord. He said that while Brazilian jiu jitsu (or BJJ) is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country it is also a very effective form of self-defense. [BJJ is] a martial art or a sport that’s grappling-based,” he explained, “so it’s very similar to wrestling. However, instead of pins we use submissions to win a match, if we’re talking competition. It’s a very hands-on physical sport that uses a lot of leverage, which is why I named my gym that. [Jiu jitsu] uses leverage techniques to overcome someone who might be able to beat you with, let’s say, strength. Classically, it would allow a smaller person to beat a larger, stronger person in a self-defense situation. So it’s a very effective self-defense.“

Bryant said one of the reasons he loves BJJ is that it is built around community values.

“I have people who come in that will never compete but they get in great shape through training here,” he said. “BJJ is great for law enforcement and first responders, which is something I’m passionate about. With law enforcement, they have to get hands-on a lot. And first responders too, which I hadn’t thought of until I opened the gym. [They might have to deal with] someone who may have overdosed or did something on some substance and they have to get hands-on with them and you’re an EMT, so you may have to know how to kind of handle a person. So it gives you the tools to handle another person physically while doing it with compassion so you don’t have to hurt someone. We don’t have strikes, so it’s not like we’re kicking and punching each other. So it’s very effective when it comes to being hands-on and controlling another person’s body and keeping both people safe.”

There is not really any one type of person who studies BJJ, Bryant said. “It’s a broad mix of people. We have a handful of police officers. We have firefighters that train here, nurses that train here; it’s a very family-oriented group in here. We have a lot of kids whose parents train here. My wife trains here. Both of my kids train here. They want an activity that can help them feel safer, gain some confidence, get in better shape, and have a lot of fun, and building this community of people.”

The prices martial arts studios charge their students varies widely, depending on the style of martial art they teach, and the intensity with which students want to train. Most will offer one or two free classes for new students to get a feel for the experience.

“We offer a two-class pass,” Lenny Demers said, “so students can come in and it costs nothing. I show them what we teach. I don’t expect them to remember everything that I’m teaching them, but I teach them about basic self-defense, defense against somebody grabbing you, defense against somebody pushing you, defense against somebody punching you. They’re not going to master it in the two classes, but in those two classes they’ll get an idea of how I teach and what I teach. I don’t change. If you don’t like me Day 1, you’re not going to like me Day 2. If you love the class Day 1, you’ll love the class Day 2, because it doesn’t change. All they need to do is wear some baggy clothes and come in with an ‘I can” attitude and have fun.”

Depending on what they want to learn and who they want to study from, many martial arts studio owners say adults should expect to pay about $150 per month for wice-weekly classes.

Andrew Jefferson agrees.

“I would say you’re going to be paying over $100 a month for at least two or three days a week,” he said. “Some schools will cost more if their overhead is greater or they have more instructors they have to pay. I would like to help be on the end of the spectrum where I’m a little cheaper for people who need that and don’t have the funds for a bigger full-time school. I’m filling a niche.”

“It’s pretty basic, a monthly, kind of monthly plan, like most fitness gyms would be,” Jason Bryant said. “I offer different tiers based on training frequency, unlimited plans so someone could come in here every single day with a class as much as they want. We mostly charge month-to-month. Some people will have a seat during a sports season and then maybe they’ll pause the membership for a couple months so they can go play or watch a sport. I don’t want finances to be a speed bump for why someone couldn’t come train in jiu jitsu.”

Ultimately, the instructors of martial arts studios say they teach for the love of their particular style and to have a chance to do it full-time. Andrew Jefferson put it like this: “This is pretty great. It’s amazing because it’s such a positive environment and we’re helping people make positive changes. Even on your most trying days you still go home with a smile because you’re doing good work. It’s a rewarding job that I really, really like and honestly I can’t imagine doing anything but teach martial arts.”

Returning to the practice

Roland Cere and Bill Big study taekwondo at Bulsajo Taekwondo in Goffstown.

They are both in their mid-60s and have come back from fairly stark physical challenges in recent years.

“I have a lot of injuries,” Big said. “I’ve got seven fused vertebrae in my neck and two more fused down below. And because of my injuries and some other things, my flexibility has been diminishing to the point where I feel like my body has been atrophied. I felt like, well, I remember I used to do tai chi as well and that helped, helped that a lot. So I decided to go back and just go easy and see if that would help with my flexibility and my pain and so on and so forth. And I have found that it has helped with those things.”

Big said that making real progress in taekwondo has meant a combination of gaining flexibility and learning to work around his physical limitations.

“I’ve been able to pick up some of those flexibility and skills and then I know that I cannot do certain other things because of all the metal in me and I find that I have to dismiss one technique, but I can focus in on a different one instead.”

Cere faced similar challenges.

“I have a steel rod with screws in my back,” he said, grimacing, “also, fusion and four back surgeries. I was told I could never walk again. This was eight years ago, and here I am walking.”

Both men studied martial arts in their youth and came back to it in the past few years. Both of them worked their way, belt by belt, to earn second degree black belts in taekwondo last fall. This came at the cost of constant, relentless practice, which has been a source of pride to both men.

“Martial arts have helped me get my self-confidence back,” Big said. “Because I was told if I moved the wrong way or fell down or this or that, I could easily be paralyzed for life, but I loved [martial arts] 20 years ago, so I said, ‘You know what? I’m just going to do it, and test it out.’ I was really scared to do anything, but slowly but surely, It has been wonderfully helpful.” He said his improvements have been as much psychological as physical. “This really gave me something to focus on and think about and it’s really helped my attitude. It’s improved my outlook in life and given me that confidence to be able to get back in there and do things.”

“And to surround yourself with wonderful people,” Cere added. “I mean, there isn’t a jerk in this whole place. Everybody is very helpful and courteous. For me, taekwondo has been a fountain of youth.”

Big added that in his experience martial arts has been a team effort. “You’ve got to get up,” he said. “You have to do the kicks, you have to do the punches, but it’s also a bit of a team player thing. Learning from others, working with them, getting feedback — I think that that really makes a great difference.” —John Fladd

What are some of the styles of martial arts that are taught in our area?

American Kenpo Karate

“Our system is based on the principles of situational awareness, stability, balance, coordination, power, flow, and timing, all teaching the maximum application of motion through following natural geometry in a ‘Universal Pattern’ and mathematics. Adults that are looking for a system that can be adapted to fit individual ability and energy levels would find our art to their liking.” —Jason Cote, Studio Operations Director, Concord Karate Studio and Academy, 89 Fort Eddy Road, 224-5425, cks-nh.com

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

“Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling sport where the mat serves as your ally, and having trustworthy training partners is essential for a safe and effective training environment. BJJ draws a wide range of individuals, such as fitness aficionados, martial arts enthusiasts, those interested in self-defense, trauma survivors, veterans, and people who appreciate the social environment of training and the camaraderie found in a dojo. Ultimately, BJJ is an inclusive sport that welcomes people of all ages, backgrounds and fitness levels.” —Tony McBee, owner and Head Instructor, New England BJJ Academy, 30 Henniker St., Concord, 369-4764, nebjj.com

Enshu Do

“Enshudo is a straightforward traditional self-defense art. There are few forms, and memorization is not a priority, but the techniques have been tested over the last half century. The class is perfectly suited for a busy person who is interested in learning self-defense but doesn’t have the time for an extensive curriculum. The atmosphere is relaxed, and training is as gentle or as intense as you and your classmates want it to be.” —Chris Marsh, owner, Independent Martial Arts School, 138 Lake St., Nashua, 882-6917, imasnh.com

Jiu Jitsu (as opposed to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu)

“Jiu jitsu as applied for self-defense is going to be more conducive regardless of your weight or your size. You’re using leverage, advantage positions against a stronger, more powerful opponent. You don’t have to be physically gifted or athletic or in any type of condition or shape to apply the skills that are highly effective for self-defense. If you’re willing to learn and put in a little bit of effort , then it becomes effective. Nothing is an overnight success.” —Christopher Koneles, owner/instructor of Martial Arts Zone, Manchester, 31 Auburn St., Manchester, 206-5716, themartialartszone.com

Judo

“[Competition] judo is the ability to off-balance your opponent and throw them to the ground with sufficient force to score a full point, and if that’s not possible, throw them to the ground and score half point and finish with a submission. Typically the people that do well [in judo] are folks who are physical and have kept themselves in relatively good shape through the years. It is not something I would recommend for somebody looking to get in shape.” —Lee Rossi, owner and Chief Instructor, Checkmate Martial Arts, 200 Elm St., Manchester, 666-5836, checkmateselfdefense.com

Krav Maga

“Krav Maga, it’s not a martial art. It’s sometimes categorized into that, but it’s more of a combat science or system of self-defense. It was formulated by a gentleman named Yimi Lichtenfeld in Israel for the Israeli military. We don’t do things like sparring or gameplay. We don’t have a gamification of violence because we don’t engage in any activity that does not lead to the immediate resolution of a situation, whether that be to have physical violence or to de-escalate or to run away. The people who come [to us] are people who are looking to defend themselves, people who are looking to not get into fights, people who want to feel a little bit more safe walking around.” —Joe Estee, IMI Krav Maga, 150 Nashua Road, Londonderry, 617-774-7188, dotokushin.com

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is an art, a martial art from Thailand, and it’s known as the art of eight limbs, so your punches, your elbows, your knees and your kicks. It originated as their military weapons and how they would defend their borders and such. And then it has eventually evolved into a sport, and it’s the national sport of Thailand. It’s an art that can be modified if you have injuries or limitations, but it’s great for physical fitness, stress relief, coordination, confidence and empowerment. It’s just a sport that everybody can do. —Laura Barchard, instructor, Professional Martial Arts Academy, 15 E. Broadway, Derry, 301-4252, pmaderry.com

Shaolin Kenpo Karate

To me, Shaolin kenpo is the most practical form of self-defense. It’s very practical, it’s very fast. You defend yourself and you get out of there. It’s not very flashy, it’s not very flowery. It’s basic self-defense. Somebody’s trying to hurt you, you defend yourself and you get out of there. Everybody works with their own ability; we have a wide variety of age range and levels. I have a lot of students that come in from other styles that they’ve stopped — ‘I made it to brown belt 10 years ago; I would love to get my black belt’ — and we help them. —Lenny Demers, owner, Kenpo Academy of Self Defense, Crossroads Mall, 123 Nashua Road, Londonderry, 437-9900, kenpo-academy.com

Shotokan Karate

Shotokan is a very traditional style of Japanese martial arts. The focus is on strong stances. We do katas, which are forms or memorized steps that have self-defense within them. Our focus is on spiritual growth as far as trying to perfect techniques, trying to build a strong body [and] a strong mind. Some of our adults started in a different style and chose shotokan because, even though it’s a strong style, we’re not full-contact, trying to beat each other up all day, so you can do it as you get older as well. —Sarah Beth Gosselin, Chief Instructor, Phoenix Fire Martial Arts, 79 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, 234-8665, phnixfire.com

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a mixture of karate and Korean martial arts like taekyeon, modernized. It emphasizes simple techniques and is easy to learn. It is very popular in the Olympics and for its dramatic kicking techniques. Taekwondo would suit any adult, especially one who is wanting to not just improve like maybe not just learn self-defense but also be able to learn how to make improvements to their well-being or to their like self-improvement. —Andrew Jefferson, Bulsajo Kaekwondo, 703-1914, bulsajotkd.com

Tai Chi Chuan

“Tai chi chuan is a low-impact training method that helps to develop one’s internal energy and external strength. Based on self-defense movements, the tai chi chuan forms are practiced as a series of movements connected in a flowing pattern and performed slowly to gain precision and deep body awareness. Adult students of any age who want a holistic approach to wellness should consider tai chi chuan as a means to remain active, promote balance control and improve their health.” —Laoshi Michael Coulon (Yang YaHua), NH Yang Chengfu Tai Chi Chuan Center, 107 Alsace St., Manchester, 623-2371, nhyangtaichi.com

Martial arts for self-defense

Many martial arts studios teach classes in self-defense geared toward women.

Maddie Pratte is in charge of the Women Empowered Program (WEP) at Manchester Karate Studio (371 S. Willow St., Manchester, 625-5835, manchesterkarate.com). She said her program is designed to provide practical solutions to common dangers many women face.

“Our classes are for women only,” Pratte said. “The program addresses 20 physical threat scenarios and 20 possible solutions to them. Because typically in most physical conflicts men are generally physically bigger and stronger, we provide women with strategies that don’t depend on physical strength.”

As with other areas of martial arts, Pratte said much of the WEP training is psychological.

“Self-defense for women isn’t just about punching and kicking,” she said. “It has just as much to do with risk assessment and setting boundaries.” Because many women are socialized to please other people, she said, it can be hard for them to be assertive in the face of aggression.

Linda Murphy, the owner and operator of Bare Knuckle Murphy’s Boxing Gym (163 Lake Ave, Manchester, 623-6066, bareknucklemurphy.com) agrees.

“When I teach women self-defense,” Murphy said, “I like to do a variety of things. We talk a lot about boundary-setting, knowing about how to set boundaries, and verbal assertiveness, which is the midpoint between being aggressive and being passive. I like to give set words and have people practice them.”

“I think culturally we might be either too aggressive or maybe passive altogether,” Murphy said. “I coach a lot of guys, so I see it in both, but women have some different issues — self-defense when it comes to, like, dating violence or sexual assault. Women have to set a boundary in that regard, which can be hard if you want to be liked or, you know, it’s just like a difficult thing to navigate. So I think having words to help with that. And then also I like to do educating on the type of people that might be more likely to not listen to a boundary when you set it and realize that those people [are people you] can be more aware of, or keep a distance from, or maybe realize that’s not a person to date.” —John Fladd

Find a studio

Many martial arts studios offer classes or workshops in self-defense for women, but they don’t always display information about them clearly on their websites or social media.

If you have children who study at a particular school or you are looking for classes near where you live, call any studio and ask if they have any programs specifically for women.

If you find yourself in a dangerous relationship, the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence has a 24/7 statewide helpline to get in touch with a caring and trained advocate at 866-644-3574.

Featured Image: Lenny Demers of Kenpo Academy of Self Defense in Londonderry (courtesy photo).

Events and spots for a night out with longtime sweethearts, first dates and friends!

Compiled by Amy Diaz
[email protected]

Planning a first date, a date night with a longtime sweetheart or just a “let’s do something different” outing with a friend? Here are some ideas for places to spend time together. (Most information comes from the locations’ websites or social media pages. Call or otherwise get in touch to check on specific days before heading out.)

Dinner and a movie

Dinner and a movie is a classic outing but there are ways to give it a little extra oomph.

At Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord; redrivertheatres.org) offers a dinner-and-a-movie package: $40 gets you two regular movie passes plus a $25 gift card to Concord restaurants Revival Kitchen & Bar, Hermanos or Dos Amigos.

At Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road in Manchester; chunkys.com) and Smitty’s Cinema (630 W. Main St. in Tilton; smittyscinema.com) you can order dinner while you watch your movie. Both theaters also offer non-movie-based events. Smitty’s GameLab offers arcade games and axe-throwing and the cinema hosts comedy nights — next up is a Boston Comedy Festival show on Friday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. (tickets cost $20). At Chunky’s, offerings include Thursday night trivia weekly at 7:30 p.m.; scratch ticket (Friday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m.) and theater candy (Sunday, Feb. 23, at 1 p.m.) bingo; Feud Gone Wild (Friday, Feb. 21, at 8:30 p.m.); Paint Night (next up is Valentine’s Day paint night on Friday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m.) and regular comedy shows (catch Frank Santorelli on Friday, Feb. 14, and Saturday, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m.).

The Flying Monkey (38 S. Main St. in Plymouth; flyingmonkeynh.com) has two movies most weeks on the February and March schedule including a G or PG movie on Wednesdays and a movie on Thursdays. On Thursday, Feb. 13, catch 2024’s Wicked at 6 p.m.; on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. catch The Lego Batman Movie. The Flying Monkey has a movie night dinner menu as well as a selection of beer, wine and cocktails.

At O’neil Cinemas Brickyard Square (24 Calef Highway in Epping; oneilcinemas.com) you can get a glass of chardonnay with your bucket of popcorn and enjoy a production from The Metropolitan Opera, which are broadcast live and in encore screenings to theaters including O’neil. Next up is Fidelio, Beethoven’s only opera, which is broadcast live on Saturday, March 15, at 1 p.m. (with an encore screening on Wednesday, March 19, at 1 p.m.).

Find other theaters screening the Met Opera as well as other theatrical productions, anniversary screenings of older films, concerts and more via Fathom Events. Starting with 2001’sHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on Thursday, Feb. 13, Fathom has upcoming screenings of the first four Harry Potter films Thursday, Feb. 13, through Sunday, Feb. 16, and Thursday, Feb. 20, through Sunday, Feb. 23.

Like a movie, but live

A theatrical production checks that same box of a shared experience and a story you can discuss over drinks afterward. Some shows on the schedule in the next few weeks:

• The Community Players of Concord (communityplayersofconcord.org) will present The Gods of Comedy Friday, Feb. 14, through Sunday, Feb. 16, at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord). Tickets cost $20, $18 for 65+.

• The Majestic Studio Theatre (880 Page St. in Manchester; majestictheatre.net) presents the Neil Simon comedy The Last of the Red Hot Lovers Friday, Feb. 14, through Sunday, Feb. 16. Tickets cost $15 to $20.

• The Nashua Theatre Guild (nashuatheatreguild.org) will present An Evening of One-Acts at the Court Street Theatre (14 Court St. in Nashua) Friday, Feb. 21, through Sunday, Feb. 23. Tickets cost $20; $18 for 65+.

• Theatre Kapow’s Every Brilliant Thing spent a weekend at the BNH Stage in Concord and is now headed for the Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith Friday, Feb. 21, through Sunday. Feb. 23, where tickets cost $25 to $30. See Michael Witthaus’ story about the production on page 14 of the Feb. 6 issue of the Hippo (which you can find in the digital library at hippopress.com).

• Cue Zero Theatre (cztheatre.com) will present The Wild Party, a musical set in the 1920s, Friday, Feb. 28, through Sunday, March 2, at the Arts Academy of New Hampshire (19 Keewaydin Drive in Salem). Tickets cost $20.

• Escape to Margaritaville, a musical comedy featuring Jimmy Buffett classics, is the next multi-week theatrical production at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org), running Friday, Feb. 28, through Sunday, March 23. Tickets cost $39 through $53.

• Bedford Off Broadway (bedfordoffbroadway.com) will present the comedy Boeing Boeing on the weekends Friday, March 7, through Sunday, March 16, at the Bedford Town Hall (70 Bedford Center Road in Bedford). Tickets cost $15, $12 for seniors.

Go dancing

Whether you have been dancing together for years or you are looking to try out something new, there are several dance-related events, many of which will teach you the basics before you hit the floor in earnest.

Looking to learn how to swing dance? Henniker Brewing Co. (173 Centervale Road in Henniker; hennikerbrewing.com) will hold a Valentine’s Sip and Swing on Friday, Feb. 14, at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $30 per couple, which includes two beverages and a lesson in dancing from The Hidden Door Studio, according to a post on Henniker Brewing’s website. (Other fun at Henniker Brewing? Thursday night trivia weekly at 6 p.m. and Wednesday night weekly disc golf putting in their factory at 5:30 p.m., through March 26, as well as live music and more.)

Rockingham Ballroom (22 Ash Swamp Road in Newmarket; rockinballroom.club) will host a Valentine’s Day Dance Party with the New Legacy Swing Band on Friday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $25 in advance, $30 on the day. The evening will start with a dance lesson at 7:15 p.m. followed by the band at 8 p.m. The event is BYOB with a light menu and beverages available for purchase.

The New Hampshire Jazz Orchestra will play the Valentine’s Swing Dance on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. at Murphy’s Taproom & Carriage House in Bedford. Get the dance lesson at 6:30 p.m. and be ready when the band plays starting at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $33.85. See nhjazzorchestra.com/upcoming.

In March, you can head to the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) for Swing Dance Night featuring New Hampshire Jazz Orchestra on Saturday, March 22, at 6:30 p.m. (for a dance lesson; the band starts at 7 p.m.). Tickets cost $30.75.

Paper Moon Dance Studio (33 Depot St. in Merrimack; papermoondance.com) will hold a Mardi Gras Social Dance on Saturday, March 8, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Call 943-1106 for details on this event and the studio’s other offerings.

For something a little spicier, check out the It Takes Two To Tango Workshop from Royal Palace Dance Studio (5 N. Main St. in Concord; royalpalacedance.com) on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. The cost is $45 per person and no experience is required. Royal Palace Dance Studio, which also has a Manchester location, offers private lessons and group classes in a variety of dance styles including swing, ballroom, salsa and more.

Or heat things up with salsa dancing. Bella Vita Dance Academy (Eastside Plaza, 859 Hanover St. in Manchester; bellavitadance.com) will hold its 603 Salsa & Bachata Social: Valentine’s Day Edition on Friday, Feb. 14, with a lesson at 8 p.m. and a dance from 9 p.m. to midnight. Tickets cost $20 for solo admission and $35 for a couple, plus fees.

Feeling a little bit country? Most Sunday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. 603 Line Dance (603linedance.com) brings country line dancing, with a lesson, to Bonfire (950 Elm St. in Manchester; bonfiremanch.com).

603 Line Dance also brings line dancing to The Goat (50 Old Granite St. in Manchester; goatnh.com/manchester/calendar) on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 to 10 p.m.

603 Line Dance will also bring country to the Lakeport Opera House (781 Union Ave. in Laconia; lakeportopera.com) for Cozy & Country Line Dance Night on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15.

Line Dance with Ginger has Saturday socials slated for Feb. 22, March 1 and March 22 at the Old Town Hall in Bedford at 7 p.m. The cost is $10 and includes a quick lesson. See linedancemax.com.

Country fans can also head to the Freddie and the Freeloaders Country Band and 603 Line Dance on Saturday, March 8, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 and include line dance lessons, which will kick off the evening with Kim Carpentino from 603 Line Dance, followed by guided line dancing during band breaks, according to the Rockingham Ballroom website, where you can find other upcoming country line dance events.

Or check out one of the many DJed dance parties on a theme on the schedule at area venues. Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St. in Nashua; nashuacenterforthearts.com) will host a Gimme Gimme Disco ABBA-themed disco dance party on Friday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m.; tickets cost $21 to $24, plus fees. The Lakeport Opera House in Laconia will host a Taylor Swift Inspired Dance Party on Saturday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m.; tickets cost $20.

Get physical

Dance isn’t the only active outing idea.

Remix Skate & Event Center (725 Huse Road in Manchester; skateremix.com) offers another way to enjoy music and movement. The all-ages Friday Night Roller Remix runs from 8 to 11 p.m.; the cost is $20 for a two-hour skate, $30 for a three-hour skate. On Saturday, Feb. 15, from 9 to 11:30 p.m. it’s Heartbreak Night: Music of Taylor & Friends for 18+; tickets cost $20. On Saturday, Feb. 22, from 9 to 11:30 p.m. it’s Laraland Roller Disco Presents: Millennial Mixtape with DJ Diedre Dagata; event is $20, 18+. On Saturday, March 1, from 9 to 11: 30 p.m., it’s March into the ’90s with Shawn Caliber & DJ Myth; the event costs $20 per person and is 18+.

More fun on skates? The Everett Arena in Concord (15 Loudon Road) has public ice skating Sundays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with $6 admission, $6 skate rentals. See concordnh.gov or find the arena on Facebook. Public ice skating at the JFK Memorial Coliseum (303 Beech St. in Manchester) is available most Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., as well as some Monday and Wednesday mornings, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m., all through the end of March. See the schedule at manchesternh.gov. Skate rentals cost $5.

Another new challenge you could try together: Indoor climbing. NH Climbing & Fitness (10 Langdon Ave. in Concord; nhclimbinggym.com) offers a trial package for beginners for $50 which includes an introduction to climbing class, rentals and more. Vertical Dreams (250 Commercial St., Manchester, 625-6919, 25 E. Otterson St., Nashua, 943-7571; verticaldreams. com) offers a beginner lesson package for $40. See the websites for hours and additional information.

SkyVenture New Hampshire (100 Adventure Way in Nashua; skyventurenh.com) also offers rock climbing ($20 per person) as well as indoor skydiving, surfing and fishpipe. The “Surf, Pipe, Fly & Climb” package costs $130, and you can inquire about individual activities.

Or, just break stuff together. Rage Cage NH (37 E. Hollis St. in Nashua; ragecagenh.com) offers a two-person smash room for one hour for $120 ($60 per person). Or book a Glow Paint Splatter Experience (with a canvas that’s yours to keep) for $25 per person. Or do both for $80 per person.

The Break Room (843 Hanover St. in Manchester; thebreakroomnh.com) offers 10-minute (Lunch Break, $25 per person), 20-minute (Case of the Mondays, $40 per person) and 30-minute (Rage Quit, $50 per person) breaking sessions.

Fun and games

Enjoy a challenge together with dates that focus on a game or puzzle.

At a brewery, bar or restaurant somewhere there is trivia most nights of the week. Make it a multi-couple date (teams seem to consist of between four and eight players), join another team or compete as a team of two, depending on the rules of each location. Find a listing of trivia nights most weeks in our Nite section.

Or play a game with just your partner. Escape rooms provide puzzles usually based on a theme — Heist of the Moon Diamond, for example, at 102 Escape in Londonderry — and are booked usually for about an hour. Check the websites of the escape rooms for booking procedures. Area escape rooms include:

• 102 Escape 123 Nashua Road, Unit 32, in Londonderry; 102escape.com

• Break Free Escape Games 10 Main St. in Nashua; breakfreeescapegames.com

• Escape Room Concord 240 Airport Road in Concord; escaperoomconcordnh.com

• Granite State Escape 795 Elm St. in Manchester; escapenh.com

• Key To Escape 3 Bud Way, Unit 21, in Nashua; keytoescape.com

• LOK’d! Room Escape 1500 S. Willow St. in Manchester; lokdrocks.com

Compete one-on-one at Boards & Brews (941 Elm St. in Manchester; boardsandbrewsnh.com), where you can choose from their more than 2,000 games (reserve a table for $5 per person) and order from their menu, which includes starters, salads and sandwiches, entrees and desserts.

Or try bowling. Boutwell’s Bowling Center (152 N. State St., Concord; boutwellsbowl.com) is open Sundays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Mondays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursdays 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

King Bowling Lanes (751 Mast Road, Manchester; kinglanes.com) is open for public bowling Sunday, 1 to 6 p.m.; Monday, 3 to 9 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 1 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 1 to 10 p.m.

Lakeside Lanes (2171 Candia Road in Manchester; lakesidelanes.com) has open bowling Sunday, noon to 9 p.m.; Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.

Leda Lanes (340 Amherst St., Nashua, ledalanes.com) is open Monday, noon to 10 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday, noon to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Merrimack Ten Pin (698 DW Highway in Merrimack, merrimacktenpin.com), which also has an arcade, opens every day at 10 a.m. See the website for the breakdown of hours, cost and lane availability.

Strikers East Bowling Center & Function Room (4 Essex Drive in Raymond, strikerseast.com), which also has an arcade with 20+ games, is open to public bowling Tuesdays 5 to 9 p.m.; Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday, 2 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Yankee Lanes (216 Maple St. in Manchester; yankeelanesentertainment.com) is open Sundays from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to midnight.

Or throw an axe. These area axe-throwing locations, as well as Block Party Social, whose offerings include axe-throwing, offer food and drinks so you can make a night of it. Axe Play (142 Lowell Road in Nashua; axe-play.com) is open Monday from 4 to 9 p.m.; Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m.; Friday from 4 to 10 p.m.; Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.

Axl’s Throw House (4 Bud Way in Nashua; axelsthrowhouse.com) is open Wednesday and Thursday at 5 p.m. (until 9 and 9:30 p.m., respectively); Friday from 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. Axl’s also hosts Thursday night karaoke and occasional comedy shows.

Block Party Social (51 Zapora Drive in Hooksett; blockpartysocial.com) offers axe-throwing as one of its attractions, which include arcade games, laser tag, rope course and zip line, cornhole and billiards, Krazy Darts and climbing walls.

Par 28 (23 South Broadway in Salem; par28.com) offers axe-throwing as well as indoor golf simulators and is open Monday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

RelAxe Throwing (157 Gay St. in Manchester, relaxethrowing.com), which also offers splatter paint, is offering Valentine’s specials for prebooked axe-throwing time (one hour for two people is $40) or splatter paint time (one hour of splatter paint for two people is $35 or $45, depending on the paint) or both ($75 to $85 for two people) or axe-throwing and knife throwing (two people, one hour, $65).

The Rugged Axe (377 S. Willow St. in Manchester, theruggedaxe.com) offers 20 percent off for February Thursday theme nights booked in advance including for Galentine’s Day (Feb. 13), Date Night (Feb. 20) and National Kahlua Day (Feb. 27).

Cheap dates

You can have a good time without breaking the bank. Here are a few date ideas that are free (or, you know, with transportation and perhaps a pre- or post-date meal, have a free element).

The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) offers free admission for New Hampshire residents on the second Saturday of each month. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Extend the date by using that money you’ve saved to eat at the museum’s Winter Garden Cafe, which is open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The museum is also kicking off a new “Art off the Walls” evening event series on the third Thursday of each month, starting with Thursday, Feb. 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. when admission is free, the band Pickleback Jack will perform and gallerist Bill Stelling will discuss the 1980s New York City art world, inspired by the Jean-Michel Basquiat and Ouattara Watts exhibit, according to the museum’s Facebook page.

First Fridays also offer a good walk-around outing without a specific admission charge. The Center for the Arts in New London hosts that town’s First Friday Gallery Stroll — the next event is slated for Friday, March 7, which will feature a program at the Tracy Memorial Library from 6:30 to 8 p.m. called “Fierce Females: Women in Art.” See centerfortheartsnh.org.

When the warm weather returns so will Intown Concord’s “First Fridays” events, which usually feature a seasonal theme, stores open until 8 p.m. and food trucks. The first First Friday is slated for Friday, May 2. See intownconcord.org.

Get classical music concerts for free via local community music schools that offer regular programming open to the public.

At the Manchester Community Music School (2291 Elm St. in Manchester; mcmusicschool.org), you can attend faculty performances for free with preregistration. On Thursday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m., see “The Flute: At Play.”

Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St. in Concord; ccmusicschool.org) offers a Bach’s Lunch series on some Thursdays from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. Next up, “Love Heals” on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 12:10 with the Hodes Family and Kent Allyn, and “Making Magic with Ken Burns” on Thursday, Feb. 20, featuring pianist Jaqueline Schwab, who has played in Burns’ documentaries.

Walker Lectures, some of which include musical performances, are free at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord; theaudi.org). Up next is “A Walk for Sunshine: Lessons from the Appalachian Trail with Jeff Alt” on Wednesday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m. The NH Ukeladies will perform at a Walker Lecture on Wednesday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m. See walkerlecture.org.

The William H. Gile Community Concert Series presents free musical performances via the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Next up is Yes Indeed! featuring Metta Quintet plus special guests “celebrating the great American blues tradition,” according to the website, where you can reserve seats for the event.

Make stuff

In addition to looking at art together, you can also make art together.

You’re Fired, which has locations in Bedford (25 S. River Road), Concord (133 London Road) and Salem (264 North Broadway; all at yourefirednh.com), is a walk-in studio where you can pick from a wide selection of ceramic items to paint.

At The Canvas Roadshow (25 S. River Road in Bedford; thecanvasroadshow.com), pick a project from the calendar — upcoming events with openings as of last week include Resin Art Ocean Wave on Saturday, Feb. 15, 6 p.m. and 3D Liquid Glass Art on Friday, Feb. 21, at 6:30 p.m. with prices varying based on project. (For example, a Cozy Knit Blanket project on Tuesday, March 4, at 6:30 p.m. costs $85.)

Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St. in Manchester; 550arts.com) offers one-day workshops including Date Night in the Pottery Studio, a “one-hour crash course on the pottery wheel” where each person gets a pottery wheel and can make a creation. The cost is $35 per person. About one date night is offered per month; the next one up is Saturday, March 29, at 6 p.m.

Art Alley Cats (46 N. Main St. in Concord; artalleycats.com) offers a variety of weekly and month events and workshops, including its own First Friday Art Market (at DIY Craft and Thrift, also at 46 N. Main St. from 4 to 8 p.m.). Weekly events include Let’s Get Sketchy Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m., when you can drop in and learn basic drawing skills, and Watercolor Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. that include guided watercolor tutorials. Both have a suggested donation of $15 per person.

Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St. in Milford; creativeventuresfineart.com) offers one-day workshops such as “Springtime Quilling Workshop” on Saturday, March 8, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. ($35 per person).

Make food

Or make and explore food together.

LaBelle Winery offers craft-, art- and food-related events at both its Amherst (345 Route 101) and Derry (14 Route 111) locations (see labellewinery.com). Upcoming food events that aren’t yet labeled as sold out include Decorate Focaccia Bread in Amherst on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. ($50 per person) and Wine Blending in Derry on Wednesday, March 5, at 6 p.m. ($40 per person).

Vine 32 Wine & Graze Bar (25 S. River Road in Bedford; vinethirtytwo.com) offers wine and also charcuterie board workshops. On Thursday, Feb. 13, for example, a Galentine’s Day Charcuterie Workshop will allow you to construct a board of meats and cheeses and more (with a wooden board to take home) and let you build your own bouquet at a flower bar; the cost is $103.22.

The Culinary Playground (16 Manning St. in Derry; culinary-playground.com) has a line-up of Date Night Couples Cooking classes for $165 per couple, BYOB. Upcoming classes include Vegetarian Dining with classes at 6:30 p.m. on April 4 & 5 and April 11 & 12 and Cinco De Mayo with classes at 6:30 p.m. on May 2 & 3 and May 9 & 10. See the menus on the website.

At Dancing Lion Chocolate (917 Elm St. in Manchester; dancinglion.us), classes focus on chocolate and croissants. A Thursday, May 8, hands-on class teaching croissant-making costs $135 per person and you can take home what you make. The “Down & Dirty Truffles” class on Thursday, June 12, will include making chocolate ganache, tempering chocolate and making truffles, according to the website ($135 per person).

Enjoy music together

Though you probably won’t be heading to a big concert for a first date, ticketed shows — which we list every week in our Concert listings — make a good treat for a friend or longtime significant other whose musical taste you are acquainted with. For example, Ladysmith Black Mambazo will play the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College in Manchester (tickets.anselm.edu) on Friday, Feb. 14, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $45.

At the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry; tupelomusichall.com) you’ll find a menu of flatbreads, sandwiches, snacks, desserts and more as well as the line up of music and comedy. On Thursday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. catch Dueling Pianos (tickets cost $22). Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Catch an up-and-comer in the local and regional music scene at the smaller venues in the area. Michael Witthaus looked at a few in the Jan. 16 issue of the Hippo (which you can find in our digital library at hippopress.com; see page 10). For example, catch Low Lily, a Vermont-based American roots band, on Sunday, March 2, at 6 p.m. at the Andres Institute of Art in Brookline (andresinstitute.org).

Enjoy music and a local beer or music and a meal with the gigs listed in our Music This Week, which runs each week in our Nite section. Here you can find performances at area bars, breweries and restaurants — as well as upcoming karaoke nights, another date idea for the musically inclined.

Laugh

As with music, comedy offers you the opportunity to go big, keep it casual or fall somewhere in between with your outing.

Get weekly laughs at spots like Strange Brew Tavern (88 Market St. in Manchester; strangebrewtavern.net), which holds its weekly Laugh Attic comedy open mic every Thursday at 9 p.m., and at Shaskeen (909 Elm St. in Manchester), which hosts Ruby Room Comedy every Wednesday at 9 p.m. — next up is Alex Giampapa with Casey Watson and Avery Quinn on Feb. 19.

Or check out Headliners’ line-up of comedy most weekends at Chunky’s in Manchester (chunkys.com) as well as at Headliners Comedy Club at DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown, where next up is Kyle Crawford on Friday, Feb. 14, and Saturday, Feb. 15, at 8:30 p.m. (tickets cost $20 plus fees), and other locations around the state. See headlinersnh.com for the schedule and to purchase tickets.

Many Fridays you can also find comedy at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). The upcoming schedule includes New York Comedy Night on Friday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. with Tom Daddario and Chris Roach (tickets cost $39).

The Tupelo Music Hall in Derry (tupelomusichall.com) also offers a monthly Tupelo Night of Comedy — next up on Friday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m. featuring Harrison Stebbins, JJ Jones and Andrea Henry (tickets cost $25).

Find these and other comedy shows, including nationally touring comedians like Nikki Glaser (Wednesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. at the Cap Center in Concord) and Sebastian Maniscalco (Thursday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the SNHU Arena, 555 Elm St. in Manchester; snhuarena.com) in our Comedy This Week listings, which run each week in the Nite section.

Featured Image: Courtesy photo.

Make tasty things tastier with a chocolate coating

By John Fladd

[email protected]

There is something you need to understand about chocolate-covered strawberries.

They are ephemeral. They need to be eaten immediately.

They are also very romantic, so it’s tempting to hold on to them, and savor the gesture, but Paige Quish says don’t do it. Quish is the manager of Van Otis Chocolates in Manchester, and she knows and understands chocolate-covered strawberries on a bone-deep, almost spiritual level.

Van Otis goes through a lot of strawberries around Valentine’s Day. “Hundreds of pounds of strawberries,” Quish said. “Hundreds. Of. Pounds. Every pound is about nine to 12 berries, so I mean we’re talking a lot of strawberries.”

She said the clock starts ticking as soon as a berry is coated with chocolate.

“Freshness is definitely really important,” she said. “Chocolate-covered strawberries are best enjoyed within 24 hours. Some people don’t know that, but chocolate is dry, believe it or not — there’s no water involved with it — and then once it touches any kind of strawberry or fruit that has a watery base with a lot of moisture to it, the shelf life immediately starts to expire on it.” That’s why a two-day-old chocolate strawberry in your refrigerator might start looking sad and tired, she said. The fruit dries quickly in contact with the chocolate, and shrinks, so its chocolate coat doesn’t fit it anymore and it looks dejected.

There are many chocolate-giving holidays throughout the year, Quish said, but Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest.

“We do a lot of molding for our Christmas season and Easter,” she said, “you know, the bunnies and all that. But dipped fruit specifically? I’d say that strawberries are definitely the top seller for Valentine’s.”

A large portion of everything Van Otis makes is covered with chocolate.

“We cover almost everything in chocolate,” Quish said. “Anything that you see that has the chocolate coating on it goes through our enrobing system. All of our creams, our jellies — anything that you see like that — our liquor cordials, those are all fully enrobed. Orange peels and dipped cherries, just about everything.” All the chocolate enrobing is done on-site, she said. “A lot of people refer to it like the I Love Lucy episode, when they’re putting stuff on [the conveyer belt], but it’s basically a chocolate waterfall. There’s one part of the machine that coats the bottom of everything, and then there’s the top part that gets fully drenched and enrobed, and then it goes through the drying tunnel.”

One trend that began several years ago and is still gaining momentum, Quish said, is covering something salty with chocolate, for a salty/sweet contrast.

Chocolate-covered pretzels and potato chips have become increasingly popular.

“We try to think outside the box of things that would be delicious in chocolate,” she said. Chocolate-covered bacon has become a go-to gift for men. “Super Bowl, Father’s Day — those things are usually really popular for the chocolate-covered bacon.”

A good rule of thumb, she said, is that if something is delicious on its own, it will probably be even better coated in chocolate. “We have our Oreos. We take those and we’ll enrobe them, and animal crackers are something new that we started last year. We have gummy worms and gummy bears [that we cover with chocolate].”

Surprisingly, Quish said, chewy gummy candies actually hold onto a chocolate coating pretty well. It seems as if it would crumble and fall off while it’s being eaten, but she said that’s not the case.

“As soon as that chocolate dries and sets, it’s on there,” she said. “It’s fully coated. And it’s so good! We have people who say they’ve tried chocolate-covered gummy bears elsewhere and they’re obsessed with ours. They always say that it doesn’t compare. We have a really skilled production team so they definitely have their magic that they apply to all the goodies. Swedish Fish is another one of them.”

Jeffrey Bart’s family has owned and run the Granite State Candy Shoppes, which has shops in Concord and Manchester, for almost 100 years. He said the most popular candy his stores sell is also one of the simplest.

“Our most popular item that we make and sell are dark chocolate nonpareils,” he said. “Some people might call them snow caps; it’s a small round of chocolate with white nonpareil seeds on them.” But after that, he said, customers will go for anything coated in chocolate.

“Peanut butter cups,” Bart said. “We make a lot of peanut butter cups. And our third is our butter crunch — a toffee dipped in chocolate and then sprinkled with roasted chopped nuts, almonds. They are very, very popular. We make those constantly, all the time.”

He said that his staff too, struggles to keep up with the demand for chocolate-covered strawberries at this time of the year.

“People still come to us and they want to buy a traditional heart-shaped box with assorted chocolates, but we advise ordering strawberries in advance if at all possible. We make them available on the 13th and the 14th, only. We [make] a huge variety of different berries. We make straight-dipped [berries] in dark, milk, and white chocolate. And then we have a huge array of what we call “Fancy Dipped Berries”; they’re dipped in chocolate, and then we’ll roll them in decoratifs, and then we’ll hand decorate them with chocolate drizzle and do another large assortment of other types of fancy decorations for the berries, too.”

Bart, too, advises customers not to wait too long to consume the berries.

“It’s best if you can consume them within 24 hours,” he said. “If you’re going to keep them for a little bit, we recommend refrigerating them, but when you want to enjoy them we recommend taking them out and letting them sit on the counter or sit out for a short period of time — 20 minutes, a half an hour, maybe an hour — so they warm up a little bit, and they’ll taste better that way.”

Another classic and popular item at Granite State Candy are chocolate-covered cherries.

“We use cordial cherries,” Bart said. “It’s a whole cherry with a liquid center. We have those available in milk and dark chocolate.” But some of the treats are less traditional. “We sell a lot of chocolate-dipped Twinkies,” he said. “That’s a fun, crazy little item that we do that is very popular. We’ve been doing it for a number of years now, so that’s a great item. We also coat orange peel, ginger — candied ginger — in chocolate, and that’s very popular. And another unique … item is something called the Jordan Cracker. It’s an oblong-shaped baked, sugarless cracker that we coat in chocolate and people love them.”

Jim Pasquill is the store manager for Sweetz & More in the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester. He says there is a strong, consistent demand for any type of gummy candy covered in chocolate.

“Anything like Haribo gummy bears, even something like Juju cinnamon bears, we have those covered in chocolate,” he said. “The chocolate-covered cinnamon bears don’t always sell as well. I think it might be because the mixture of chocolate and cinnamon isn’t a favorite mix. However, we pretty much have the same brands on our theater box wall. It’s called Money Bears. It’s the same thing. It’s just packaged differently and it’s cheaper. And that also tends to be as hot as the chocolate-covered gummy bears on our pouch wall. It’s the same thing. Customers keep on coming in here asking us if we have them. Unfortunately, we don’t because they sell too fast.”

Pasquill said it is hard to keep this type of candy in stock.

“We try to get at least get 16 to 24 pouches in at a time,” he said, “because that can usually only last us a couple days — maybe a week. It’s a steady pace on the milk chocolate covered gummy bears but we do try and make sure we have a large quantity on our shelves.” He said he tries to keep just enough in stock, so that there is a constant turnover and the candy stays fresh.

Pasquill himself doesn’t necessarily go for outrageous combinations of chocolate and candies. “Me, I’m like a traditional guy,” he said. “I like nuts — cashews, almonds, peanuts — something with a solid crunch. I’m not really for the crazy Swedish fish, the gummy bears, but I can see why it sells. Now, I won’t necessarily say that they are healthy, but we do have chocolate-covered raisins, and we do have chocolate-covered cranberries. That can be somewhat healthy because we do have dark chocolate, and I know dark chocolate is more healthy than milk.”

In Salem, a lot of The Chocolate Moose’s customers would agree with Pasquill’s preference for chocolate-covered nuts. According to owner Nancy Cornell, “what we have to make every day is the turtles.” She pointed to a long display case filled with different varieties of turtles, in all sizes, and with all different types of nuts. “This whole line all the way down is all turtles. We have mini turtles, in milk and dark chocolate, pecans and cashews, and then the larger ones, the same thing, and then there’s almonds, macadamia, and then there are Oreo turtles. The Oreo turtles have no nuts in them.”

Chocolate-covered candy apples are another big seller for Cornell.

“Today,” she said, “we’ve been selling apples. It’s mid-morning and we’ve only got one left. But at Christmas we usually start at 2:30 in the morning making the candy apples. Even now, my husband is up at 3 o’clock at night and he does apples galore. Another thing that’s popular is our peanut butter cups. People come from Boston and so on to come up and get our peanut butter cups.”

Cornell said fruit works really well dipped in chocolate. “This” she said, pointing, “is candied orange peel, and I have grapefruit peels too, but we’re sold out of them right now. To get that bitter taste away, you have to boil them three or four times, then dry them out for days, with sugar. And then we dip them. Same with the ginger. Ginger is hot, so when you put it in chocolate it doesn’t quite have that hotness to it. Orange peels, we mostly cover in dark [chocolate]; that seems to be what most people want. And we have dried apricots, too.”

She said that an old-fashioned favorite has been coming back into fashion recently. “Marzipan went through a period of time where people didn’t want it,” Cornell said, “and I would have it, and then I’d have to throw it away. But now it’s back again. People go in cycles, and they actually ask for it now.”

Some things never go out of style, though. “Oreos dipped in chocolate and graham crackers dipped are big,” she said. “They’ve been that way for years.I don’t think that’s ever going to change.”

DIY a chocolate coating

Buying chocolate-covered delicious things is an excellent way to express your affection, but there is always the homemade approach. Coating snacks in chocolate yourself (a) might impress the type of person that is impressed by this sort of thing, and (b) allows for a level of customization.

Making a chocolate-covered snack isn’t complicated — at least in theory. You only need two ingredients: a snack and some chocolate. It’s the details that can get a little finicky, such as what type of chocolate you use.

Richard Tango-Lowy is a master chocolatier and the owner of Dancing Lion Chocolate in Manchester. He said it’s not enough that a chocolate is delicious; if you’re going to coat something with it, you need to read the label.

“There are a lot of chocolates,” he said, “especially chocolate chips, that have ingredients that don’t lend themselves to [coating things]. You’re looking for three ingredients: cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar. Plus milk powder if it’s a milk chocolate.”

He said to stay away from anything labeled as “chocolate-style baking chips.”

Laura Wither, the chocolate maker for Loon Chocolate in Manchester, agrees. “There are additives in many [chocolates] that might or might not help you coat things — palm oil, and coconut oil, and things like that,” she said. She pointed out that Loon Chocolate doesn’t use them.

She also pointed out that it helps to be thoughtful about what kind of snack you’re covering with chocolate.

“I would say that you want to look for complementary flavors,” she said. “For example, we have a chocolate that leans towards the fruity side and I love it with pineapple. Contrasting can also be good. A lot of it is just taste testing, which is the fun part of the job here.”

If you want to coat a piece of fruit with chocolate, she said, it has to be patted as dry as possible.

“Chocolate and water are generally not good friends,” she said. “There are some exceptions but for the most part if we were covering fruit it would be dried fruit. I know people do chocolate-dipped strawberries, but generally when you do that, a lot of times, you’re using a coating chocolate.”

One fiddly part of melting chocolate at home is something called tempering. This is a process to make a chocolate shiny and give it a good snap when you break it or bite into it. It doesn’t change the flavor of a chocolate; it is a way of aligning the crystal structure of a batch of chocolate to bring out its best characteristics. On baking competition shows, judges will call out a contestant about how well or poorly tempered their chocolate is.

The accepted procedure that many home confectioners use to temper their chocolate involves manipulating its temperature:

Step 1 – Heat the chocolate in a double boiler, or in your microwave a few seconds at a time, until it reaches a temperature of 115°F.

Step 2 – Remove it from heat, and stir it until the temperature drops to 81°F. Most home chocolate-temperers will hurry the process by stirring unmelted chocolate into it. (I’ve used frozen chocolate to do this and have been reasonably pleased with the results.)

Step 3 – Raise the temperature of the chocolate again, to 92°F.

Step 4 – Start dipping.

If you think this seems like a difficult way to spend a morning, Richard Tango-Lowy agrees with you.

“You’re not going to do it at home unless you know what you’re doing,” he said. “Tempering is just one of those things that’s inherently complicated. You’ll never learn how to temper by watching videos. Most of them are just dead wrong.” To learn to temper chocolate at a professional level, he said, takes years of practice, and specialized techniques. Fortunately, there is a work-around, he said.

“If you don’t know how to temper, use chocolate that you like, one that is already tempered. Melt it extremely gently in the microwave — just mostly melt it, you’ll end up with a reasonably passable temper to put on your strawberries and things.” He advised melting the chocolate, a little at a time, until only a third or so of the chocolate remains solid, then to stir it until the chunks melt away.

Once you have your chocolate melted, and delicious snack food standing by, it’s time to start covering things with chocolate. You can use chopsticks, tweezers or a fork to dip your snack and roll it around to cover it, or use a spoon to gently blanket it with melted chocolate. Coat the snacks, and put them on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat to cool and harden. In the photo below, I have coated Flamin’ Hot Cheetos with a 53 percent dark chocolate. I learned the hard way that they are delicious coated in white chocolate but can’t be swished around in it. The white chocolate will turn pink and look like peppermint, which it emphatically is not. I had the best luck laying each Cheeto on the surface of the melted white chocolate, then spooning it over the Cheeto. — John Fladdk trails.

Things to cover with chocolate

Easily made and stored for a week or so:
Pretzels — especially peanut butter-filled ones
Crystalized ginger
Dried blueberries, spooned into clusters
Candied orange slices
Banana chips
Any nuts — perhaps something unusual, like pistachios or shelled sunflower seeds
Other candies like licorice bites or gummies
Corn chips
Spicy snacks — Flamin’ Hot Cheetos work very well
Cookies — especially store-bought crunchy ones like Oreos or Vienna fingers
Animal crackers
Marzipan
Espresso beans, especially dusted with lemon or lime zest

Easily made but must be eaten immediately:
Strawberries
Mango cubes
Fresh mint leaves
Avocado slices
Jalapeno slices
Cream cheese and lemon zest, or goat cheese

Featured Image: Courtesy photo.