Cover Stories – Page 2

Sunny Sips

What to drink this summer

By John Fladd
jfladd@hippopress.com

Summer provides another season, another reason for making some new sipping choices. It’s easy to fall back on drinking habits and not explore new drinks that might be right up your alley.

Emma Stetson thinks you should think about trying some new wines. She is the owner of Wine on Main in Concord and holds WSET (Wine Spirits Education Trust) Level Three certification in wine and spirits. A good place to start exploring, she said, is with rosés.

“For me,” she said, “the first thing that comes to mind for summer wines is rosé. It’s such a seasonal drink. It originated kind of in the Mediterranean, especially in France for the summers and people who are in their boats and who are looking for something with fresh acidity and very light and dry and clean and classic to enjoy even like with lunch or in the afternoon in those warm areas. It’s something very seasonal, so usually the freshest batch of rosé — which is 2024 now — you start seeing those come out around April and then they start disappearing again about September. They say it’s rosé season when the boats go in the water and when they come out of the water it ends.” (To clarify: “boats” in this case are yachts, not fishing boats.)

“Some people think that rosés are sweet,” Stetson said. ”That’s a misconception that people come to us with. I feel like white zinfandel gave rosé a bad rep because it’s a pink, sticky, sweet drink. But most rosés are dry and light and elegant, more along the lines of a white wine.”

Stetson also suggested that wine adventurers keep an open mind and think about wine cocktails.

“My husband and I traveled to Portugal last summer, and the best summer drink that we came home with is the Porto Tonic. You think of port being like a fortified, robust offering that you might enjoy like in front of the fire or something in the wintertime. But in warmer months, if you go to Portugal, everybody drinks the Porto Tonic. You start with lots of ice, tonic water, an orange slice, and then a kind of a port floater. They usually use white port, but you can use anything. We really like it with tawny port. It’s kind of like a spritz, if you will, kind of like a play on the gin and tonic or the Aperol spritz, but with port.”

Emma Stetson’s summer wine recommendations

“Mont Gravet Rosé is made just outside of Provence, France. It’s totally delicious, very light, very easy drinking and clean,” Stetson said.

“Artigiano Rosé is a rosé of Montepulciano from Italy — Montepulciano being the grape. That one’s fun. It’s still dry and relatively light in the glass, but just a little bit more flavorful. There’s like a little bit more strawberry and watermelon [flavors] for you to sink your teeth into. It’s just drinking phenomenally right now.” (750 ml, $13.99 at NH Liquor & Wine Outlets)

“Any aromatic dry white wine is great,” Stetson said. “I love vinho verde in the summertime. That is a little bit lighter in alcohol too. It’s from a region in northern Portugal. Vinho verde is the grape that the wine is named after, but it’s become synonymous with a style of wine. What they do is they stop fermentation before all of the sugar has transformed into alcohol. They’re not extremely sweet, but there is a little bit of natural sugar left behind. They are just very appealing and easy drinking in the afternoons.” (Bicudo Vinho Verde, 750 ml, is $13.99 at NH Liquor & Wine Outlets.)

Emma Round owns Unwined Wine Bar in Milford. She’s also a fan of rosés in warm weather.

“As soon as I think about the summer,” Round said, “I think about ‘porch pounders.’ I think about rosés, I think easy-drinking, light, bright, breezy wines that we can enjoy with the amazing seafood we have here in New England. For me a ‘porch pounder’ is something that’s easy-drinking, with medium to high acidity, very smooth forward — something that is better drunk alone. You don’t need food for it. You don’t need it to be complex. You want it to be easy drinking.”

An additional advantage for that type of wine, Round said, is its affordability. “Something that we have to be very conscious of currently is economics,” she said. “We are in an economic downturn, so we want to drink affordably. We want to have the best-quality products for a lower price.”

Robert Waite, owner of Averill House Vineyard in Brookline, has an out-of-the-box summer wine suggestion: wine slushies, which he serves at his vineyard during the summer. Imagine a drink of ice granules and syrup from a convenience store, but made with good-quality wine.

“We make wine slushies with a red or a white wine every day,” Waite said. “And then the customer also has the ability to have the two blended and we call that a Zebra. So that’s always kind of fun and the flavors change from week to week, depending on which type of wine we’re using.” Averill House has been using South African wines in its white slushies recently. “They are really fun,” Waite said. “And then on the red side we have a couple that work really well. One of them is an aged blueberry wine that is aged with oak. We actually make it both ways, a sweet and a dry, but the dry is what we would use in the slushy. Because what happens is when you get the ice, any sweetness that’s in the wine itself is enhanced by the ice.”

The wine slushies go extremely well with food, Waite said, but obviously not anything that takes itself too seriously. “We usually have a couple of different things to serve with them,” he said, “”but one of the fun things that we offer is a tasting board that is wine chips. They’re actually potato chips that are created specifically to enhance the flavors of wine. That’s kind of fun because you’ve got a sweet component inside the wine and then you’ve got a seasoned and salty combination with the chips.”

Krista Fisher’s summer cocktail recommendations

You’ve got company, but it’s been raining all week: “If you’re staying inside, pop a bottle of prosecco. People love that,” Fisher said. “The sound of the pop of a cork is an instant party. Whether it’s raining out or not, it’s going to put people in that mood. A great cocktail to add to that to is a French 75. That’s my go-to for a cocktail. Bubbly, lemony, a little bit of gin. You could jazz it up any way you want.”

It’s been hot and dry and you’ve been gardening: “You want something like a John Daly, like what they drink on a golf course. It has fresh iced tea, fresh lemonade, vodka and fresh mint. It’s light, and when the glass sweats, it makes you thirsty,” Fisher said.

The kids have been driving you crazy all day and they’re finally out of your hair for an hour or so: “For this, you’d better make it bold and quick, right? So a nice whiskey sour. This is a good way to use brown liquors or bourbons in a more spring or summer way. Again, fresh lemon juice, a little bit of simple [syrup], and a cherry on top.”

Wine is clearly delicious and a solid summer drinking option, but when you picture sitting on a porch on a summer evening, it’s probably beer that comes to mind. Is there a difference between summer beers and ones you might drink when it’s cold outside?

Brian Link and Camaron Carter have put a lot of thought into that.

Link and Carter are the owners of the Sunstone Brewing Co. in Londonderry and, like many microbrewers, they brew different types of beer depending on the season. This summer they’ve been thinking a lot about pineapples.

“It’s one of those things where pineapples are great this time of year,” Link said. “They are super refreshing. We kind of always make a small batch of something to test it out.” One of these test batches was called Pineapple Express, which sold out almost immediately. “It flew,” Link said. “It only lasted for about a weekend.”

Traditionally, Link said, summer beers tend to be lighter — lighter in color, lighter in flavor, and lower in alcohol. At the moment, he said, Sunstone is looking at brewing something called a Saison beer. “It’s kind of light,” he said, “with an alcohol level of about five percent. It will have some fresh ginger, lavender and coriander in it. It’s going to be a nice, light, refreshing summer beer. Another thing we’re thinking of doing is a hefeweizen [a German-style beer made mostly with wheat instead of barley], which is a nice light beer. It’s got a lot of flavor, it’ll have a lot of citrus to it, it’ll be very bright and easy to drink.”

Carter said summer is a good time for brewers and beer drinkers to explore fruit beers.

“Our next sour is going to be mai tai-inspired,” he said. “Again, there’s a little bit of pineapple, but you’ve got some cherry in there too. It’s still very light and refreshing. I think our next limited release is going to be blueberry and açaí berry, with pomegranate. We’ll have a lot of small-batch and larger-batch blueberry mix-ups going through the season. Whether it’ll be a golden ale or a hefeweizen, it’ll be a good mix.”

Brian Dobson is the owner of Bert’s Beer & Wine in Manchester. He agrees that during the summer customers look for lighter beers. “I find that typically they want a lower ABV [alcohol by volume], crisper, and easy to drink,” he said. “So a non-light beer would be like a double dry hopped IPA, right, where it’s very thick in the body, and if you drink two of them really fast you’re going to feel very full. Whereas if you drink a wheat beer you can have a couple of those and you’re going to be fine. Typically when someone comes to me and they’re like, ‘I want something light and easy for hot weather’ or ‘I want [something to drink while] I sit on the patio’, that’s what they’re looking for.”

Krista Fisher is the manager and bar manager at Local Street Eats in Nashua. She designs a slate of summer cocktails based on ingredients that are especially good and available.

“I always usually say we live in such a great area,” Fisher said. “In New Hampshire, just having all the seasons means we have all different things available to us season to season. There are a couple of staple drinks that stay on the menu year-round,” Fisher said, “but usually we try to change up just about everything the same way the kitchen would. So I think our menu has about 12 or 13 drinks on it, and I’ll probably change at least nine of them. As we go into the summer, this is the menu we’ve most been looking forward to. The fact that we can pick our own strawberries, blueberries, flowers, everything like that, right in our neighborhood really inspires the drink menu pretty hard. Fresh is always the way to go.”

Brian Dobson’s New Hampshire summer beer recommendations

White Mountain White Ale by Concord Craft Brewing: “It’s light and easy to drink. It’s got a good orange flavor, and a little coriander,” Dobson said. $3.80 per 16-ounce can at Bert’s.

“I always recommend Schilling’s beers. They’re out of Littleton, New Hampshire. They do a lot of old-world style, Pilsners and lagers, either German or Czech style,” he said. “They have dark lagers, which are roasty and malty, but still light on the tongue and crisp and refreshing. They’re fantastic.” Schilling Especial Mexican-Style Lager is $4.10 per 16-ounce can at Bert’s.
“Woodstock [The Woodstock Inn Brewery] does a Lemon Blueberry Pale Ale, which is very blueberry-y and very lemony.” $3.20 per 16-ounce can at Bert’s.
“The Sea Dog Blue Paw is kind of a classic that you can have year round; it’s light and easy to drink.” $19.95 for a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans at Bert’s.

Fisher, too, sees summer as a time for lighter drinks.

“I try to always lighten up bourbons and stuff like that,” she said, “to make them all-season. But when you think of summer, you definitely think of gins and tequilas. I mean, margaritas are the drink of the summer, right? But also lower-ABV stuff because it’s hotter out and people are maybe outside a little bit more. So that’s where spritzes will always be popular, something with a lower level of alcohol, maybe like an aperitif. So, something like prosecco that has bubbles, that you can drink by the pool but then not feel like, ‘Oh man, I can’t do anything for the rest of the day.’”

Marissa Chick, the bar manager at The Birch on Elm in Manchester, considers a classic daiquiri one of the quintessential cocktails of summer — not, she hastened to add, the frozen blender drinks that call themselves daiquiris.

“A daiquiri is pretty simple and a classic,” she said. “The only ingredients that need to be in there for it to be a daiquiri are lime, sugar and rum. Rum and summer go together like hand in hand. It’s just nice and refreshing, at least if you’re doing it the original way. So it’s supposed to be fairly tart, not too sweet, but pretty dry as well. So like a dry, tart drink.”

“When I started bartending,” Chick said, “I learned the Hemingway daiquiri first; it was Hemingway’s drink of choice — super tart and way less sweet. Iit was white rum, lime, grapefruit and maraschino liqueur. It had double the amount of rum as usual.”

One of the reasons Chick likes daiquiris so much, she said, is their adaptability. She recently won a “Daq-Off” daiquiri-making competition with a bright pink Bubble Gum Daiquiri. “I had tried to make a bubble gum drink work for a while,” she said, “I tried out a couple different variations … Once I heard about the Daq-Off happening, I thought, well, that’s a fun drink and I feel like something sweet obviously goes in the daiquiri very well. So I researched bubble gum a little bit to see what kind of flavorings go into it naturally, like cherry, pineapple, lime and mint. I used natural pineapple juice, natural cranberry juice, cherry juice, and made everything separate. I used a dark rum and [the finished drink] was a nice bright pink color. I used a charred pineapple with some pineapple fronds as garnish. So it was very summery and fun.”

Emma Round’s summer wine recommendations

“I have an incredible rosé on my list right now called Prisma from Chile,” Round said. “It’s a rosé, it is a pinot noir base. It’s very fruity. We all think of red pinot noir, but this is a rosé pinot noir. It is very bold, but it’s very easy-drinking and it’s really nice by itself. I could happily drink a bottle of it by myself.” (750 ml, $13.99 at NH Liquor & Wine Outlets)

To drink at a clam bake: “With clams and lobsters I want something with a little backbone but I also want some minerality to it. So my first reach would probably be a vinho verde or an alborinho,” Round said. According to winefolly.com, this is another Portuguese wine from the coastal area of the Iberian Peninsula, popular for its rich stone fruit flavors, a hint of salinity, and its zippy acidity. An example: Nortico Alvarinho, 750 ml, $18.99 at NH Liquor & Wine Outlets.

To drink at a backyard barbecue with burgers and hot dogs: “So, with burgers and dogs, if you want to go red. I would probably pick up a pinotage from South Africa,” Round said. “In South Africa they do things called braais. A braai is their version of grilling, barbecuing. Pinotages are a good match for them. They have a richness, a meatiness to them. And they give off notes of berries, almost like a tea flavor with some orange peel in there.” Consider Longridge Pinotage, 750 ml, $26.99 at NH Liquor & Wine Outlets.

To drink on a picnic: “I would love for someone on a picnic to pull out a crémant — a crémant de Loire, a crémant de Bourgogne, a crémant of some sort,” Round said. “It’s a sparkling wine. Usually they’re from different areas of France. They are made in the same style as Champagne, but they’re more affordable. They use different [grape] varietals. A creme de Loire usually contains like a chenin blanc, which gives it some more floral notes, and they’re just beautiful, well-made sparkling wines at a much lower price point than a Champagne, but similar quality. For me, they go beautifully with crackers and a charcuterie board. You can get a good crémant for 20 bucks.” An example: Maurice Bonnamy Cremant De Loire Brut, $18.99 at NH Liquor & Wine Outlets.

Featured photo: Blueberry Daiquiri by Marissa Chick. Courtesy photo.

Summer Guide 2025

Fairs, festivals, food, fun and more events to look forward to this season

Summer is here!

OK, maybe it’s more like “summer” is here, that time between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend, when we’re all in summer mode with our sunglasses and our shorts and our iced coffees and a desire to get out and enjoy the next three-ish months. Looking for some summer fun? Here are some of the big happenings — the festivals, fairs, sporting events and more — to put on your summer calendar.

Fairs and festivals

• The annual Mill Falls Memorial Weekend Craft Festival is happening Saturday, May 24, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, May 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Monday, May 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mill Falls Marketplace (312 DW Highway, Meredith). More than 100 New England-based juried artisans will gather to sell their foods and crafts. Admission is free. Visit castleberryfairs.com.

• Celebrate Hillsborough, an event by History Alive, will take place Saturday, May 31, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Hillsborough Center. The day will feature tours, music, activities, demonstrations, student art, workshops and more focused on Hillsborough history, according to historyalivenh.org.

• MakeIt Labs will hold MakeIt Fest 2025 on Saturday, May 31, from noon to 5 p.m. at 25 Crown St. in Nashua. This free outdoor festival will bring together local craftsmen, artists, makers and makerspaces with demonstrations, exhibits and more. See makeitfest.com.

• The Northern New England Book Fair, a book and antiques fair with the New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association, will take place Sunday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Everett Arena (15 Loudon Road in Concord). Admission costs $5. Find the book fair on Facebook.

• Anheuser-Busch (221 DW Highway, Merrimack, 595-1202, budweisertours.com) will host the 2nd Annual Fire Truck Pull and Festival on Sunday, June 1, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Teams will work to pull a full-size fire truck and compete on time at this event, which will also include vendors, a car show, food and drinks for sale and more. See budweisertours.com/mmktours.

• Milford Pride 2025 will take place Sunday, June 1, from noon to 4 p.m. at Keyes Park (45 Elm St., Milford) and will feature live music, food, vendors and more. See “Milford NH PRIDE” on Facebook.

• First Fridays in downtown Concord are an event, with food trucks, live music, pop-ups and more from 4 to 8 p.m. On Friday, June 6, the theme is Beach Party with food trucks Batulo’s Kitchen, Kona Ice and Wicked Tasty and music from DJ Nazzy at City Plaza and The Wandering Souls Band in Bicentennial Square. On Friday, Aug. 1 (there’s no July event), the theme is “Dog Days” with an outdoor movie from Red River Theatres. See firstfridayconcord.com.

• The Goffstown Rotary Club’s Car Show is returning for its 11th year on Saturday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Parsons Drive in Goffstown. Check out the classic vehicles along with the food trucks and vendors. See goffstownrotary.org.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover, childrens-museum.org) will hold its annual New Hampshire Maker Fest on Saturday, June 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is a suggested donation of $5 per person. This family friendly event will showcase the all-ages engineers, arts, scientists, chefs, hobbyists and more and their inventions, experiments and projects, according to the website.

• The Windham Pride Festival will take place Sunday, June 8, from noon to 4 p.m. at Windham High School, according to a post on the Windham DEI Facebook page. This free, family-friendly event will feature live entertainment, food trucks and more, the post said.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire will hold its annual Father’s Day Weekend Fly In Barbecue on Saturday, June 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Nashua’s Boire Field, with the event taking place at Nashua Jet Aviation (Nashua Airport, 83 Perimeter Road). Pilots, especially with vintage planes and home-built aircraft, are invited to fly in, according to aviationmuseumofnh.org. The public can come to check out the planes and enjoy the meal. Tickets to the barbecue cost $30 for adults and $10 for ages 6 to 12; kids 5 and under are free, the website said. Check out the planes without the food for $10 per person, kids 5 and under are free, the website said. Purchase tickets at the website or by calling 669-4877.

• This year’s Laconia Motorcycle Week runs from Saturday, June 14, through Sunday, June 22, and will include music, vendors, contests and more around Weirs Beach in Laconia. See laconiamcweek.com.

• Plaistow’s Old Home Day returns on Saturday, June 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a parade and activities on the Town Hall green (145 Main St., Plaistow). See plaistow.com for updates.

• Wilton Main Street Association will hold its annual Summerfest on Saturday, June 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring live music on two stages, food, street vendors, a pancake breakfast, a duck drop and a fireworks display in the evening on Carnival Hill. See visitwilton.com/summerfest.

• Juneteenth New England, hosted by Black Womxn In New Hampshire Collective, will take place Saturday, June 21, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Crossway Christian Church, 33 Pine St. in Nashua, according to givebutter.com/juneteenthne. “It’s a free community celebration in downtown Nashua honoring Black American culture, history, and joy. The event will feature live performances, cultural exhibits, music, games, and more. Everything is free, including the food, thanks to the support of community members and sponsors,” according to an email from organizers.

• The Nashua Pride Festival and Parade will run Saturday, June 21, from 3 to 6 p.m. The parade will kick off at Nashua City Hall on Main Street and conclude at the festival grounds at the Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St., according to a Facebook post about the event. The festival will feature art, health information, activism, food trucks, music and more, the post said. Find “NashuaPideFestival” on Facebook for more.

• Concord’s annual Market Days Festival runs from Thursday, June 26, to Saturday, June 28, in downtown Concord from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with local vendors, live entertainment, family-friendly activities, maybe an in-festival wedding on Friday, June 27, and more. Visit marketdaysfestival.com.

• Manchester Pride 2025 will take place Saturday, June 28, with the theme “Picture Our Future.” The day will start with a parade on Elm Street at 11 a.m. headed to Veterans Park for a festival that runs from noon to 6 p.m. with entertainment, food, vendors and more, according to a Facebook post from Manchester True Collaborative about the event. See manchestertrue.org/pride-2025.

• The next New England Reptile Expo is scheduled for Sunday, June 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (700 Elm St., Manchester). The show features more than 200 vendor tables full of reptiles, pet supplies and more. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for kids ages 7 to 12 and free for kids ages 6 and under. Visit reptileexpo.com.

• The Hillsborough Summer Festival at Grimes Field (29 Preston St., Hillsborough) takes place Thursday, July 10, to Sunday, July 13, with live entertainment, carnival rides, a fireworks show on Saturday night, a 5K road race on Friday and a parade on Sunday. Festival hours are 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursday; 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday; noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free. Visit hillsborosummerfest.com.

• The Raymond Town Fair, its 50th according to the group’s Facebook page, will take place Friday, July 11, through Sunday, July 13, at the Raymond Town Common (Epping and Main streets, Raymond). It will feature live music, children’s activities, a fireworks display, games, vendors and more. See “Raymond Town Fair” on Facebook.

• The American Independence Museum (1 Governors Lane, Exeter) will hold its American Independence Festival on Saturday, July 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Exeter. The day will feature the arrival and live reading of the Declaration of Independence, historical reenactments and colonial-era artisan demonstrations as well as colonial-era games, music and dances. Visit independencemuseum.org

For the kids
Got kids to entertain over the many weeks of no school? Be sure to pick up our Kids’ Guide to Summer issue, slated to hit stands on June 12.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org) will hold its annual Classic Car Show Saturday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• The Stratham 4-H Summerfest returns on Saturday, July 19, at the Stratham Hill Park Fairgrounds (270 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature animal shows, agriculture exhibits, competitions and more. See extension.unh.edu/event/2025/07/2025-stratham-4-h-summerfest.

• Organized by the Merrimack Valley Military Vehicle Collectors Club, the Weare Rally will run Thursday, July 24, through Saturday, July 26, at Center Woods School (14 Center Road, Weare). The rally features military vehicle displays, scenic rides, demonstrations, food and more. The cost is $5 per family. See mvmvc.org.

• The Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo runs Friday, July 25, to Sunday, July 27, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (700 Elm St., Manchester). The event features tattoo artists, contests, vendors, live music, food and performances. Show hours are from 5 p.m. to midnight on Friday, from 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost in advance $20 for a weekend pass ($25 at the door), according to livefreeordietattoo.com.

• The Canterbury Fair is, as always, the last Saturday in July — Saturday, July 26, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Canterbury Center (Baptist and Center roads) with live music, demonstrations from local artisan and antique vendors, children’s activities and more. Admission is free. See canterburyfair.com.

• Find music, art, food, kids activities and more at the Nashua Summer Stroll on Saturday, July 26, from 3 to 8 p.m. in downtown Nashua. Find details and updates on the event’s Facebook page.

• Coppal House Farm (118 N. River Road in Lee; nhsunflower.com) will hold its Sunflower Festival Saturday, July 26, through Sunday, Aug. 3, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily plus sunrise hours on Sunday, July 27, from 5:30 to 7 a.m. The festival also features kid events, a craft fair, music, food and more. See the website for information on tickets and happenings on specific days.

• The Suncook Valley Rotary’s Hot Air Balloon Rally will be held Friday, Aug. 1, through Sunday, Aug. 3 at Drake Field, Barnstead Road in Pittsfield. See nhballoonrally.org for updates on this year’s schedule.

• The Belknap County Fair is set to return on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday, Aug. 3, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 174 Mile Hill Road in Belmont. Admission at the gate is $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens 65 and older, police, fire and EMS personnel, and free for kids under 10 and for military service members. Visit bcfairnh.org.

• The New Hampshire Antiques Show, hosted by the New Hampshire Antique Dealers Association, returns to the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (700 Elm St., Manchester) Thursday, Aug. 7, through Saturday, Aug. 9. Nearly 60 professional antique dealers will exhibit their collections of antique furniture, art, jewelry and more. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $15 on Thursday, and $10 on Friday and Saturday; return visits are free. Visit nhada.org.

• Hudson’s Old Home Days will take place Thursday, Aug. 7, to Sunday, Aug. 10, on the grounds of the Hill House (211 Derry Road, Hudson). There will be carnival games, live music, food, vendors, a craft fair, kids’ activities and more. Event times are Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday from 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. See hudsonoldhomedays.com.

• The Sunflower Bloom Festival will take place Saturday, Aug. 9, through Sunday, Aug. 17, at Sunfox Farm on Gully Hill Road in Concord, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m daily. Visit the farm (admission costs $12 per person, ages 10 and under are free). Also at the farm find artisan and craft vendors, live music and food trucks, according to sunfoxfarm.org/sunflowerfestival.

• Salembration!, a celebration of the 275th birthday of Salem, New Hampshire, will take place on Geremonty Drive on Saturday, Aug. 9, from noon to 5 p.m. The event will feature food trucks, craft vendors and more, according to salemnh.gov/1096/salembration, and take place in conjunction with Field of Dreams’ annual Family Fun Day.

• The Hampton Beach Comedy Festival will run Tuesday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 17; check hampton-beach-comedy-festival.weebly.com later in the summer for tickets and details on the slate of comedians each night. According to the website, founder Jimmy Dunn won’t be at this year’s festival but you can catch him Friday, Aug. 1, at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, where he will appear on a bill with Jimmy Cash.

Summer of laughs
Looking for comedy this summer? Check out the Comedy This Week listings this week and every week in the Nite section for comedy shows at venues big and small.

• Londonderry’s Old Home Days are scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 13, to Saturday, Aug. 16. See londonderrynh.gov for updates on details.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org) will hold Planefest on Saturday, Aug. 16, featuring an exhibit about the Tuskegee Airmen and the World War II-era Woman’s Army Service Pilots, known as the WASPs.

• History Alive 2025 will present a weekend of reenactments on Saturday, Aug. 16, and Sunday, Aug. 17, at Jones Road in Hillsborough. The weekend will feature reenactments of historical battles across the centuries — including Roman and Viking battles, the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I and World War II, according to historyalivenh.org. The event will also feature other historical demonstrations as well as drawing and cartooning workshops with Marek Bennett, whose works include the Freeman Colby graphic novels about a real-life New Hampshire teacher in the Civil War. See the website for details and a schedule. Tickets cost $10 per adult, $8 for seniors and are free for kids 16 and under, the website said.

• Candia’s Old Home Day will take place on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Moore Park (74 High St., Candia). The day will feature local crafters and artisans, town community booths, games, a wildlife exhibit, food and music. See candiaoldhomeday.com.

• Pembroke and Allenstown’s Old Home Day returns on Saturday, Aug. 23, starting with a parade down Main Street in Allenstown to Memorial Field (Exchange Street) in Pembroke. A fun-filled day is planned at the field, featuring two stages of live entertainment, antique cars, children’s games, a craft area, bounce houses and a fireworks display at dusk. Admission and parking are free. See pembrokeallenstownoldhomeday.org.

• The Hopkinton State Fair bills itself as a Labor Day weekend tradition happening this year from Thursday, Aug. 28, to Monday, Sept. 1, at the fairgrounds (392 Kearsarge Ave., Contoocook). There will be livestock shows, a demolition derby, carnival rides, monster trucks, live entertainment, food and more. The fair hours are 5 to 10 p.m. on Thursday; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday. See hsfair.org.

• Cruising Downtown will return to the streets of downtown Manchester for a 23rd year on Saturday, Aug. 30, organized by the Manchester Rotary Club. The day will feature cars on display, along with food, live demonstrations, local vendors and live entertainment. Admission is free for spectators. Visit cruisingdowntownmanchester.com.

• The Exeter UFO Festival returns to downtown Exeter on Saturday, Aug. 30, and Sunday, Aug. 31 — the event commemorates the anniversary of the “Incident at Exeter” (the report of a UFO sighting on Sept. 3, 1965, in nearby Kingston) with speakers, kids events and more. See exeterufofestival.org.

Arts Events

• Watch the four sculptors participating in this year’s Nashua International Sculpture Symposium at work on their pieces at Picker Artists (3 Pine St. in Nashua), where they are working Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Wednesday, May 28, according to nashuasculpturesymposium.org. The pieces, which will become part of Nashua’s townwide exhibit of sculptures, will be unveiled in their installation locations on Saturday, May 31, at 1 p.m.

• Meet the Local Authors on Saturday, May 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Manchester Craft Market (inside the Mall of New Hampshire, 1500 S. Willow St., Manchester). About a dozen writers are slated to attend this supersized book signing, according to a Facebook post on the Market’s page about the event. Signed books will be available for purchase, including children’s books, New Hampshire history books, mysteries and more. See manchestercraftmarket.com.

• After a Saturday of tap workshops, the Aaron Tolson Institute of Dance’s Grante State Tap Festival will present a National Tap Dance Day Show on Sunday, May 25, at 4 p.m. at the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu). Tickets cost $29.50.

Art on display
Find art exhibits at area galleries and museums throughout the summer in our art listings, which appear weekly in the Arts section.

• Catch the Concord Arts Market this summer — Art in the Park, featuring 65+ artists and their works in Rollins Park in Concord from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will take place Saturday, June 7; Saturday, July 12, and Saturday, Aug. 9. Concord Arts Market will also appear at the Market Days Festival Thursday, June 26, through Saturday, June 28, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Pleasant Street in Concord. See concordartsmarket.org.

• The Currier Museum of Art and the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire celebrate Juneteenth with a program called “Never Caught: The Defiant Journey of Ona Marie Judge Staines” that brings Ona’s voice to life on Thursday, June 12, at 5:30 p.m. at the museum (150 Ash St., Manchester, 669-6144, currier.org) through a dramatic reading of her 1845 interview, originally published in The Granite Freeman, featuring New Hampshire actress Sandi Clarke Kaddy as Ona Judge. Following the performance, Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge, will discuss Ona’s story. Admission is free but space is limited; reserve a spot at blackheritagetrailnh.org or by calling 570-8469.

• If you’re heading to the beach, check out the craftspeople at the 25th Annual Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic, which will run Thursday, June 12, through Saturday, June 14, with the sculptures, lit up at night, on view through Monday, June 23. There will be a fireworks display on Saturday, June 14, at 9:30 p.m. See hamptonbeach.org.

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) will hold a Juneteenth Art Off the Walls on Thursday, June 19, from 5 to 8 p.m., when admission is donation based. The evening will feature music, dance, art-making and more in partnership with the Racial Unity Team, according to an email from the museum. Other Art Off the Walls programs will be held this summer on July 17 and Aug. 21.

• The 2025 Manchester International Film Festival is set for Thursday, July 24, and Friday, July 25, at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester). For tickets and an up-to-date schedule of events, see palacetheatre.org/film.

• Uncommon Art on the Common takes place on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Main Street in downtown Goffstown. Find participating artists and more at goffstownuncommonarts.org.

• Positive Street Arts will present OBSCURE Runway Show on Sunday, Aug. 3, at 1 p.m. (rescheduled from April). The show “represents a convergence of creativity and innovation, bringing together local artists, designers, and boutiques in a spectacular showcase. … Through the fusion of art and fashion, Positive Street Art strives to create a platform where diverse creatives can collaborate and showcase their unique perspectives,” according to a Positive Street Arts post about the event. General admission tickets cost $45. See positivestreetart.org; find Positive Street Arts on Facebook for a link to purchase tickets.

• The Greeley Park Art Show (100 Concord St., Nashua) returns on Saturday, Aug. 16, and Sunday, Aug. 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. The annual outdoor juried art show hosted by Nashua Area Artists Association features a variety of artwork for sale. Visit nashuaarts.org/greeleyparkartshow.

• The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen will hold the 91st Annual Craftsmen’s Fair at Mount Sunapee Resort (1398 Route 103, Newbury) Saturday, Aug. 2, through Sunday, Aug. 10. It will feature the juried work of hundreds of members with sales booths, educational workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions. See nhcrafts.org/annual-craftsmens-fair.

• Arts Build Community will hold its Community Canvas Mural Festival Thursday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 17, in downtown Manchester, according to a press release. Participating artists and installation sites will be announced in July, the release said. The event will include 10 large-scale murals as well as artist talks, youth paint days, storytelling events, mural tours and a block party, the release said. See artsbuildcommunity.com.

Summer theater
Find information about summer theater in our May 15 issue. Go to hippopress.com and look for the issue in our digital library. The guide to summer theater starts on page 10.

Spectator Sports

• The games continue for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester. The team began a stretch of games against the Somerset Patriots this week, with games Thursday, May 22, at 6:35 p.m. (when the Cats play as Gatos Feroces de New Hampshire); Friday, May 23, at 6:35 p.m.; Saturday, May 24, at 4:05 p.m. and Sunday, May 25, at 1:35 p.m. The next stretch of games starts Tuesday, June 3, against the Altoona Curve. Regular season games continue, with the final home game on Sunday, Sept. 14. See milb.com/new-hampshire for the game schedule, tickets and promotions.

• The Nashua Silver Knights, members of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, will host their home opener at Holman Stadium (67 Amherst St., Nashua) on Wednesday, May 28, against the Worcester Bravehearts at 10:30 a.m. followed by a game Friday, May 30, at 6 p.m. against the Vermont Lake Monsters with after-game fireworks. Their last home game of the regular season will be on Friday, Aug. 9, at 6 p.m. against Vermont. See nashuasilverknights.com.

• The next home bout for NH Roller Derby at JFK Memorial Coliseum (303 Beech St. in Manchester) is Saturday, May 31, at 4 p.m. when the NH Roller Derby All-Stars take on Maine Roller Derby’s Old Port Brigade; at 6 p.m., the NH Roller Derby Cherry Bombs take on Mass Attack Roller Derby’s Bloody Bordens. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.; tickets are sold at the door: $15 for adults, $5 for veterans and NHRD vets, kids 12 and under get in for free. Future home bouts are Saturday, June 21, and Saturday, July 19. See nhrollerderby.com for updates.

• Join Special Olympics New Hampshire for its 2025 State Summer Games, the organization’s largest competition of the year for its athletes, on Friday, June 6, and Saturday, June 7, at the University of New Hampshire (105 Main St., Durham). The games include competition in athletics, bocce, equestrian, powerlifting, unified sprint triathlons and swimming. Visit sonh.org.

• Granite State Roller Derby has home bouts scheduled for Saturday, June 7, and Saturday, June 28, both at 6 p.m. and held at the Everett Arena (15 Loudon Road in Concord). See granitestaterollerderby.org.

• The 2025 New Hampshire Soap Box Derby Local Championship will be held on Sunday, June 8, at 120 Broadway in Dover — check-ins begin at 7:45 a.m., with side-by-side competitions starting at 10 a.m. Spectators can cheer on the races for free. See nh.soapboxderby.org.

• The 102nd annual Loudon Classic Middleweight Grand Prix, a 1.6-mile road race, will take place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1122 Route 106, Louon) on Saturday, June 14, as part of Laconia Motorcycle Week. See nhms.com.

• High school football players from across the state will participate in the 13th annual NH East-West High School All-Star Football Game, benefiting Dartmouth Health Children’s and the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, scheduled for Friday, June 27, at 6 p.m. at Grappone Stadium at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester). General admission tickets are $15 in advance, $20 on the day. Kids 5 and under get in for free. See chadkids.org.

• New Hampshire Muscle Cars club will be hosting its Summer Sizzler car show on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Star Speed way (176 Exeter Road in Epping). It will include burnout competitions as well as slalom competitions. See nhmusclecars.com.

Nature Events

• The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Audubon are offering a Black Birders Week 2025 Tour on Saturday, May 31, from 9 to 11 a.m. in Portsmouth. The tour will start at the Black Heritage Trail’s office and head through gardens ending at the water, according to nhaudubon.org, where you can register for a spot. Registration costs $20.

• Sunday, June 1, is World Ocean Day and the Seacoast Science Center at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye is celebrating from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with touch tanks, tide pool tours, activity stations, an inflatable whale, a beach clean-up and more, according to seacoastsciencecenter.org, where you can purchase tickets for the event.

• New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn; nhaudubon.org) will hold free Massabesic Garden Tours throughout the summer: Tuesday, June 3, at 5:30 to 7 p.m.; Saturday, June 14, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 16, 10 to 11:30 a.m., and Tuesday, Aug. 26, 5:30 to 7 p.m. RSVP online.

Summer reads
Meet your favorite authors at author readings and other events this summer. Find listings of author events, book sales and more literary fun this week and every week in the Books section.

• Saturday, June 7, is New Hampshire Fish and Game’s summer Free Fishing Day, when state residents and nonresidents are allowed to fish any inland water or saltwater in New Hampshire without a fishing license. Visit wildlife.state.nh.us.

• Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire will celebrate National Trails Day by maintaining the trails at Stonehouse Forest in Barrington on Saturday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to noon. Register to participate at seltnh.org.

• The New Hampshire Audubon will hold its annual Native Plant and Craft Sale on Saturday, June 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the McLean Center (84 Silk Farm Road in Concord). The event will also include the sale of fresh flower bouquets, a fair featuring more than 15 local artisans, the pizza-serving Greenhouse Food Truck, music from Junk Drawer, guided tours of the gardens, animal ambassadors and more. See nhaudubon.org.

• If you enjoy watching the peregrine falcons and their chicks at the Brady Sullivan Tower in downtown Manchester (you can view them in three different live streams via nhaudubon.org/education/birds-and-birding/peregrine-cam) you can learn more about them at a falcon fan meet and greet (for humans) and supply- and fund-raiser for Wings of the Dawn Rescue & Rehab on Saturday, June 21, at 10 a.m. at the Brady Sullivan Tower, according to the daily log. Keep an eye on the cams for falcon updates and to see the daily log.

• The New Hampshire Audubon Nature Challenge will run Sunday, June 22, through Saturday, June 28, when participants can help to “document the birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, flowers, trees, mosses, mushrooms, and everything that either stops at our sanctuaries or calls [the NH Audubon’s wildlife sanctuaries] home!” according to nhaudubon.org, where you can see the list of sanctuaries and get more information about how to participate.

• New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn; nhaudubon.org) will hold an Art Walk in the Garden event on Saturday, July 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a guided tour with the garden team from 1 to 2:30 p.m. (register online for the tour). The event will showcase the newly installed All Persons Trail in the Center’s gardens and sanctuary fields, according to the website. Original, local artworks will be placed through the gardens, with some piece available for purchase, the website said. Greenhouse Pizza Truck will be on site selling lunch and there will be an indoor art exhibit as well, the website said. Register on the site by July 5 for free transportation to the center from Veterans Park in Manchester.

• At the Harris Conservation Center for Conservation Education in Hancock, the SuperSanctuary Butterfly Club will hold a Butterfly Count on Saturday, July 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Register to help with the survey, whose information will be submitted to the North American Butterfly Association and the New Hampshire Butterfly Monitoring Network. See harriscenter.org.

• The New Hampshire Audubon’s McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road in Concord; nhaudubon.org) will serve as the home base for the NH Butterfly Monitoring Network Capital Region Butterfly Count on Saturday, July 26, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants can register online to receive more information about the locations in the Concord area that will be part of the count, according to the website.

Music Festivals

• The New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus spring concert series “Celebrations” will be performed at four locations: the Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church (22 Fox Run Road in Newington) on Saturday, May 31, at 7 p.m.; The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester) on Sunday, June 1, at 3 p.m.; First Baptist Church of Nashua (121 Manchester St. in Nashua) on Saturday, June 7, at 7 p.m., and the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord) on Sunday, June 8, at 3 p.m. See nhgmc.com/tickets for links to tickets at each venue.

• The Northlands Music and Arts Festival will offer three days of music this year — Friday, June 13, and Sunday, June 15, at the Cheshire Fairground in Swanzey, plus music on Thursday as fans show up at the campground. Headliners include The String Cheese Incident on Friday; Cory Wong and Moe. on Saturday, and Umphrey’s McGee and Lotus on Sunday. Food vendors will be at both the concert and the campground as will arts and craft vendors. The weekend will also feature kids’ activities, wellness activities and more. See northlandslive.com for festival, camping and parking passes as well as for the complete music lineup.

• The “Country by the Coast” Country Music Festival takes place Tuesday, July 8, through Thursday, July 10, with music and line-dancing (with Nashville Line Dance at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and 5 p.m. on Thursday) each evening. The music line-up includes Red Solo Cup (Toby Keith tribute) on July 8 at 7 p.m.; Stefanie Jasmine Band on July 9 at 7 p.m., and David J. followed by Niko Moon on July 10 starting at 7 p.m., according to hamptonbeach.org. All shows are free.

• Brews & Blues ’25 will feature music from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, including Clandestine Funk, Johnny A. & James Montgomery Band at Anheuser-Busch, (221 DW Highway, Merrimack, 595-1202, budweisertours.com). Tickets to this 21+ event cost $35.

Summer of concerts
Michael Witthaus is cooking up a big guide to summer concerts. Look for that issue in June.

• Hillfest 2025, billed as “New England’s Christian Music Festival,” will take place Saturday, July 19, from 1 to 10:30 p.m. at The Lord’s Valley, 100 Locke Road in New Ipswich. The line-up includes Jeremy Camp, We Are Messengers, Ben Fuller, Terrian, Leanna Crawford and Megan Woods. See hillfestevents.com.

• Pizzastock 9, a family community music event featuring 13 music acts on two stages as well as information on mental health, physical health and suicide prevention, will take place on Saturday, July 26, from noon to 6 p.m. at Pinkerton Academy in Derry next to the football field, according to a post on the Jason R. Flood Memorial Facebook page. The event will also feature kid activities, a teen/young adult “tailgate” game area, food trucks and of course pizza from Kendall Pond Pizza, the post said. Entrance to the event is free. See pizzastock.org or find them on Facebook.

• The Granite State Blues Festival will take place Saturday, Aug. 2, in Veterans Memorial Park on Elm Street in downtown Manchester from noon to 6 p.m. See granitestateblues.org for details.

• The Outlaw Music Festival will come to the Bank NH Pavillion in Gilford on Sunday, Aug. 3, at 3:45 p.m. featuring Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, Wilco, Lucinda Williams and Waylon Payne. Other Brother Darryl plays on the Hazy Little Stage at 3 p.m. See banknhpavilion.com.

• The New Hampshire Irish Festival is slated for Saturday, Aug. 23, at 5 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). The line-up on stage is scheduled to include The Spain Brothers, Ronan Tynan, Screaming Orphans, Mick McAuley and Eileen Ivers, according to the website, where tickets starting at $43 are on sale now.

Food Events

• The Friends of the Library of Windham will hold their 40th annual Strawberry Festival and Book Fair on Saturday, May 31, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Windham High School (64 London Bridge Road, Windham). The festival will feature homemade strawberry shortcake, live music, raffles, local vendors and games. The Book Fair will start with a preview day for Friends members, teachers and seniors at Nesmith Library on Wednesday, May 28, and then open to the public Thursday, May 29, from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m and Friday, May 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Saturday the book fair will move to the high school from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a $5 bag of books special from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Visit flowwindham.org.

• Tickets are on sale now for the Palace Theatre’s Kitchen Tour on Sunday, June 1. The tour will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature a self-guided tour at kitchens in Amherst, Bedford, Hollis and Manchester, with a lunch offered at Baron’s Major Brands in Manchester. Tickets cost $55 in advance, $65 on the day. See palacetheatre.org.

• Herb & Garden Day, presented by the New Hampshire Herbal Network, returns to the Mount Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road, Warner) on Saturday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event features workshops tailored to all skill levels, along with plant walks, an herbal market and plant sale, food vendors and more. Admission is $35 in advance. Visit nhherbalnetwork.org/herbday.

• The Rhubarb Festival at Sawyer Memorial Park (148 Route 202 in Bennington) will take place Saturday, June 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will feature rhubarb eats as well as food trucks, a craft fair, vendors, children’s activities, a petting zoo, a story walk, music, plants and more, according to townofbennington.com/rhubarb-festival.

• The 97.5 WOKQ Chowder Festival Summer Kick-Off takes place Saturday, June 7, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Prescott Park in Portsmouth. Tickets cost $20 per person. See prescottpark.org/event/97-5-wokq-chowder-festival-2025.

• The New Hampshire Bacon & Beer Festival will take place Saturday, June 7, 1:30 to 5 p.m. at Anheuser-Busch (221 DW Highway, Merrimack, 595-1202, budweisertours.com). This 21+ event will feature 60+ brewers as well as barbecue and bacon vendors as well as live music by The Slakas, according to nhbaconbeer.com. Attendees will get beer and bacon samples and can purchase additional items, the website said. General admission tickets cost $70.90 in advance.

• The St. Nicholas Greek Festival will return on Friday, June 20, and Saturday, June 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. both days, at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (40 Andrew Jarvis Drive, Portsmouth, 436-2733). This year’s Greek Festival will feature fresh lamb, moussaka, spanakopita (spinach pie), gyros and Greek pastry. Visit stnicholasgreekfestival.com.

• The Hollis Strawberry Festival, presented by the Hollis Woman’s Club, will bring strawberry shortcake and other strawberry treats to the Town Common (7 Monument Square, Hollis) on Sunday, June 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. Visit holliswomansclub.org.

• The NH Beer Trail Basecamp Festival on Saturday, June 28, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Tuckerman Brewing in Conway is a new event from the New Hampshire Brewers Association and a kickoff to the relaunched NH Beer Trail Guidebook, according to nhbrewers.org. The event will feature nearly 40 New Hampshire craft breweries, live music, food trucks, local vendors and more, according to the website, where you can buy general admission tickets for $50 each, VIP tickets (with a noon admission time) for $75 and designated driver tickets for $20 each.

• Farm-a-Q, a celebration of local farmers, chefs and brewers,returns to Tuckaway Farm (36 Captain Smith Emerson Road, Lee) on Sunday, June 29, from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets start at $20. The event is billed as family-friendly and supports the Heritage Harvest Project, whose mission is to promote regional heritage foods and agricultural diversity among farmers, chefs and local communities. See “Farm-a-Q” on Eventbrite to purchase tickets.

• The Spicy Shark presents the New England Hot Sauce Fest, returning to Smuttynose Brewing Co. (105 Towle Farm Road, Hampton) on Saturday, July 26, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event features local hot sauce companies selling and offering samples of their spicy products, as well as with bounce houses, food trucks and more. General admission tickets are $15 in advance; VIP tickets are $20 in advance and give you a 10 a.m. admission time. Proceeds will benefit the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation and the Seacoast Science Center, according to newenglandhotsaucefest.com.

• Southern New Hampshire Food Truck Festival will take place on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 3, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Hampshire Dome (34 Emerson Road in Milford). Tickets cost $8 each or two for $15; kids age 14 and under get in free. The fest will feature live music, craft beer and cocktails, more than 50 vendors, a whoopie pie eating contest and a kids’ zone, according to a post at facebook.com/GreatNEFoodTruckFest.

• The Mahrajan Middle Eastern Food Festival (bestfestnh.com) will take place Friday, Aug. 15, to Sunday, Aug. 17, at Our Lady of the Cedars Church (140 Mitchell St., Manchester, 623-8944, olocnh.org). Lebanese foods such as shawarma, falafel, lamb, grilled chicken and many types of pastries will be served. The fest will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday, noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

• Assumption Greek Orthodox Church (111 Island Pond Road, Manchester, 623- 2045, assumptionnh.org) will hold its 2025 Greekfest on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 24, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit the Church’s website for more information closer to the event.

Summer Stage

A look at the coming theater season

By Michael Witthaus

mwitthaus@hippopress.com

Cooperation, collaboration and interdependence are all hallmarks of New Hampshire’s theater scene, and the upcoming summer schedule exemplifies. For the second year in a row Symphony NH, the state’s biggest orchestra, will share the stage for a production at New London Barn. An independent theater company again will direct this year’s Shakespeare on the Green show Saint Anselm College, with Ballet Misha providing the choreography.

Area venues are in on the act, so to speak. Derry’s Opera House hosts multiple youth theater groups, and the Capitol Center in Concord supports an area performing arts company. Nashua’s Janice B. Streeter Theatre also opens its doors to multiple troupes.

Youngsters are a big reason for the theater season, and a good number of the listings here are performances done as part of summer camps, workshops and other efforts to get kids interested in showbiz, or get them to come out of their shells through singing and acting.

All this comes at a challenging time for the arts, as a threat to many organizations of losing longtime funding from the State of New Hampshire and the federal government is ever present.

Actorsingers

Janice B. Streeter Theatre, 14 Court St., Nashua, actorsingers.org

Teen Actorsingers performs Teen Anastasia on July 11 through July 13 (tickets, showtimes TBA). The musical takes its cues from the Disney movie. With actors ages 13-19, the group’s most recent production was Frozen Jr., which ran in April. The mainstage company recently wrapped the Legally Blonde. Actorsingers also has a Second Stage & Fringe company; its last show was 2024’s Monstersongs.

Bedford Off Broadway

Bedford Town Hall, 3 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford, bedfordoffbroadway.com

This community theater company stages three plays a year. The second of 2025 is a drama, 12 Angry Jurors, adapted by Sherman L. Sergel from Reginald Rose’s 1954 teleplay 12 Angry Men. It runs June 6 through June 15, with 7:30 p.m. shows on Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. Their final production, the northern small-town comedy Icehouse, is scheduled for November.

Bedford Youth Performing Company

155 Route 101, Bedford, bypc.org

Actors ranging in age from kindergarten through sixth grade perform Moana Jr. on May 17 and 18 at 1 p.m. at Goffstown High School (27 Wallace Road, Goffstown). The show is a musical adaptation of the Disney movie about a spirited island girl who teams up with a demigod. Together, they encounter all manner of adventure. BYPC offers arts instruction and experience for youths in Bedford and the surrounding communities.

Community Players of Concord

435 Josiah Bartlett Road, Concord, communityplayersofconcord.org

The summer Children’s Theatre Project Summer Camp, booked since mid-April, commences Aug. 3 and runs through Aug. 8, ending with a performance of Moana Jr. for family and friends and Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St., Concord.

Cue Zero Theatre Company

Arts Academy of New Hampshire, 19 Keewaydin Drive, No. 4, Salem, cztheatre.com

An arts world early adopter, Cue Zero boasts that every one of their shows “features an element of ‘new’ or ‘first time’ to it,” so it’s fitting they’re doing a musical based on the movie Amelie, its New Hampshire debut and, director Heidi Krantz believes, the initial New England production. It plays June 20 and June 21 at 7:30 p.m., and June 22 at 2 p.m.

Debrah Hernandez as Jane Seymour in Six. Courtesy photo.

Heidi Krantz, Cue Zero Theatre Company

Heidi is directing Amelie, a musical version of the movie favorite

First of all, why Amelie?

This is one of my all-time favorite shows, and I realized that the rights were available.

This is Amelie’s first New England production. What’s the background on it?

I believe it hit the Broadway stage in New York 2016 or 2017 and only had about a month of a run there. When it came to the U.K. in 2020 they did kind of an updated version of it that is more similar to the production that we’re doing. The U.S. version sounds a lot more clean-cut. I think the U.K. version brought more of a whimsical vibe, like the movie is just so whimsical. It’s crazy. It’s all over the place. And the music really captures that.

What’s your impression of the southern New Hampshire theater scene?

I really enjoy the theater community in southern New Hampshire. I do feel like there’s a lot of room for it to expand. I find that it’s a lot easier to just frequently work with the same companies, and I have had a lot of experiences with multiple companies. I’ve had that perspective, and I would just encourage people to try to branch out more. I think we’re all in it for the same purposes, the same passions, and I feel like just getting to network more is just so important, too.

Epping Community Theatre

Epping Playhouse, 38 Ladds Lane, Epping, eppingtheater.org

With performers from Epping Middle School, Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon has two narrators and several actors in a race to combine all 209 Grimm stories, from familiar ones like Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin and Sleeping Beauty to stranger, less well-known tales like Lean Lisa and The Devil’s Grandmother. Plays May 16 at 7 p.m. and May 17 and May 18 at 2 p.m. July 18 through July 20, it’s Seussical the Musical from Epping’s Main Stage company.

Kids Coop Theatre

232 N. Broadway, Salem, kctnh.org

Founded in the late ’90s by a group of parents looking to engage their kids in the performing arts, KCT offers workshops, classes and performances that revolve around the ideas “that every child has something valuable to contribute, and the experience of being part of a production can be transformative.” A cast ranging in age from 12 to 19 performs Hadestown Teen Edition Aug, 1 through Aug. 3 at Derry Opera House (25 Broadway, Derry).

Majestic Theatre

880 Page St., Manchester, majestictheatre.net

The busy company has The Emperor’s New Clothes, a musical with an eclectic score including Celtic songs, Roaring Twenties jazz and 1950s rock, May 16 through May 18. The Hart & Kaufman play George Washington Slept Here, about a couple that moves to the country with their daughter to find life more chaotic than bucolic, opens June 20. With a new Pope picked, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Webber & Rice’s follow-up to Jesus Christ Superstar; it opens July 11 at Derry Opera House. Living Together is a sophisticated comedy that won a Best Revival Tony in 2009. All shows are performed four times: Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Robert Dionne, Majestic Theatre

Robert co-founded The Majestic with Matt Morin in 1991.

What he likes about the upcoming season…

Each show brings its own benefits by coming to see it. George Washington Slept Here is a classic comedy … a big cast show. We have a lot of really great actors that have appeared on a stage over the years, and it’s very funny. Joseph is a big, flashy musical with a cast of all ages at this big opera house. Then we end the season with a smaller show at the studio theater, Living Together, another comedy, but a little more sophisticated than maybe what they saw with the previous two shows.

Why they’re able to maintain such a busy schedule.

For the most part, we have separate teams working on each show … other than myself as the through-piece, as the producer, and our Technical Director, Matt Morin, as the technical guy, all the other teams and actors on those shows are different. So that allows us to kind of, at any given time here, we might be rehearsing four or five shows that are getting ready to go up.

Living Together is a new show, while the others have been done by Majestic before. Here’s why it was chosen.

That was brought, Greg Parker, who’s directing…. A lot of times I’ll go to directors and say, hey, what are some shows that you’re interested in or passionate about? Because obviously if it’s something they want to do, it tends to be a better process of production, because they’re very well-known and within the show.

On The Majestic’s longevity, and the New Hampshire theater community.

We have a very faithful following, not only with actors but also with audience members. We have audience members that are with us all 35 years. If you don’t have that support, then, as a head of a theater, you get to the point where you kind of get sick of spinning your wheels and maybe putting your own money into all the shows. But when you get that community buy-in — we’ve been very lucky in Manchester and southern New Hampshire, the audience members, the donors and the actors and everybody helps keep our day-to-day stuff going, [and] that kind of makes it all worth it. We build off of that every single season.

Manchester Community Theatre Players

698 Beech St., Manchester, manchestercommunitytheatre.com

After successfully staging The Bridges of Madison County in late April and early May, MCTP is preparing for the fall season. Shrek the Musical will open on Oct. 17 and run for six performances. Auditions happen June 30 and July 1.

Nashua Theatre Guild

Janice B. Streeter Theater, 14 Court St., Nashua, nashuatheatreguild.org

An outdoor performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in Greeley Park, directed by Katie Sibley, happens July 26, July 27, Aug. 2 and Aug. 3 at 2 p.m. In September, The Tin Woman, written by Sean Grennan and directed by Stephen Post, will be performed daily Sept. 19 through Sept. 21.

Spamalot by Ovation Theatre Company. Courtesy photo.

New London Barn Playhouse

84 Main St., New London, nlbarn.org

With almost a century’s worth of history, this venerable venue helped launch the career of Stephen Schwartz, who worked on Godspell there while doing summer stock. Over the years, Laura Linney, Taye Diggs and Tony winner Judy Kuhn also spent time treading its boards. Recently the Barn has branched out, with live music and collaborations like Annie Get Your Gun with Symphony NH Collaboration, which opens the new season on May 30, running through June 1. The traditional Straw Hat Revue introduces this summer cast June 4 through June 8. The first musical is one of three inspired by a movie: The Bridges of Madison County, June 11 through June 22, followed by Sister Act June 25 through July 13, then Mary Poppins July 16 through Aug. 3. Perennial favorite Hairspray runs Aug. 6 through Aug. 17, then it’s The Cottage, a stage comedy, Aug. 20 through Aug. 31. The Sea & The Stars, a romantic comedy that’s part of the Barn’s Nest new works collaboration with Transport Group, runs Sept. 4 through Sept. 7.

New London Barn plus Symphony NH

Keith Coughlin, Executive Artistic Director atNew London Barn and Deanna Hoying, Executive Director of Symphony NH, talk about their organizations collaborating for the second year. A production of Annie Get Your Gun in late May and early June will again bring together 25 Symphony NH musicians and nine singers from New London Barn.

The idea, Hoying and Coughlin both said in separate interviews, grew out of regular Zoom meetings held during the dark days of the pandemic, as everyone was wondering what might come next.

Hoying: I’ve worked for a lot of arts organizations in a number of different states, and this is the tightest group I’ve ever seen. I have to give credit to the New Hampshire State Arts Council and Jeanne Lupe, who was leading it at the time [of the Zoom meetings].

Coughlin: Through these Zoom meetings, we were creating relationships with arts organizations all over New Hampshire. When we started talking about this idea, my managing director, Elliot Cunningham, said, ‘Why don’t I reach out to Deanna at Symphony New Hampshire? This sounds like a great collaboration moment.’

Hoying: So, a couple of years ago, Elliot and Keith reached out and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got kind of a crazy idea. And I said, ‘I love crazy ideas, hit me with it. What you got?’ And they said, ‘We want to do a musical and concert.’ I said, ‘I love musical theater. We love doing that stuff.’

Coughlin: We did South Pacific in concert, and it went over just wonderfully. Our audiences ate it up. So we said, could we do it again? And we’ve expanded it, a couple more performances than we did last year.

Hoying: We’re going to have a wonderful young guest conductor, Britney Alcine, leading the orchestra. Our outgoing music director, Roger Kalia, has worked with her at his Lake George Festival. He felt very confident that she could take on this role, so we’re very excited to be able to work with her.

NH Theatre Project

959 Islington St., No. 3, Portsmouth, nhtheatreproject.org

Ugly Lies the Bone, a drama about trauma and how we learn to live with it while healing, runs through May 18. Next it’s Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, directed by Kat Mail, opening June 6, with performances on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday, through June 15.

Peacock Players’ past productions. Courtesy photo.

Ovation Theatre Company

61 Harvey Road, Londonderry, ovationtc.com

Now in its sixth year, Ovation Theatre Company offers both education and entertainment, with classes and summer camps leading up to productions like the staging of Annie Jr. on May 30 and May 31. Later this summer Ovation performs The Hunchback of Notre Dame July 24 through July 26. Both shows will be held at Derry Opera House (25 Main St., Derry).

Something for everyone at Ovation

Six years ago Meg Gore traded teaching in public schools for the private sector and started Ovation Theatre Company. She teaches young actors acting skills and organizes shows, with help from her family. Daughter Katie is an ace choreographer, son Tim keeps the company website up and running, and husband Dan takes care of the business side of things.

“I do have a lot of family support,” she said. “They’re all involved, and that’s the only way that it really works.”

Gore explained that she brings an inclusive approach to Ovation, so each of her charges can shine.

“Every year with our season, we try to offer something for everyone, at least one show for everyone. So, for example, our first show of 2025 was Mousetrap. It was a play that we actually did at our studio. And that was all adults. But then we did Spamalot, which was kind of our teen show. And so that was our 13-to-19 age range. And then Annie Jr. is our show where we’re involving more of the age range from 7 to 16. And when you do different ages like that, it just offers different opportunities for different age groups. So, for example, in Annie, your 15-, 16-year-olds can play the lead because they’re the oldest and the ones with the most experience in the cast. And normally in a teen show they might not get that opportunity because in the teen show we go up to 19, and so your 17-, 18-, 19-year-olds might have those opportunities over the younger ones. We’ll always cast the best people for the roles, irrelevant of the age. But it just a lot of times will play out that way because of experience. So Annie kind of provides that younger involvement. Then our summer camps over the summer, definitely those are 7 to 13. So that’s our youngest one having opportunities to get on stage and do some stuff with those.”

Palace Theatre

61 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org

Though A Chorus Line, opening May 30 with four performances every weekend through June 22, will close out the main stage season at Manchester’s premiere downtown venue, The Palace’s Youth Theatre Program will barely take a breath before continuing. The Dungeons & Dragons-inspired She Kills Monsters on May 28 and May 29 and Anything Goes June 4 and June 5 will complete the current PYT season. On June 10 and June 11, the 12- to 18-year-old “JV” Palace Teen Apprentice Company does 13 Jr., followed June 17 and June 18 by the Palace Teen Company’s staging of Urinetown. PYT Camp (grades 2-12) shows start soon after, with James & the Giant Peach Jr. on July 2 and July 3 followed by A Year With Frog & Toad Kids July 11, Junie B. Jones Jr. July 25 and July 26, Annie Kids Aug. 1, Mean Girls Jr. Aug. 15 and Aug. 16, and a youth version of The Addams Family Aug. 22. Summer Series happen every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. as well as Friday at 10 a.m. starting with a show TBA July 8 through July 11, followed by Peter Pan Jr., Annie Jr., Madagascar Jr., Berenstain Bears On Stage, Willy Wonka Jr. and Shrek Jr. Tickets for these shows are just $10.

Palace productions

Megan Quinn is Director of Youth Programming at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. In that role she oversees the many programs offered over the summer, like PYT Camp, where young actors spend 10 days rehearsing and performing a show on the Palace Stage (three of six camps are sold out, but slots remain for James & the Giant Peach, A Year With Frog & Toad and Junie B. Jones). Young Stars Camp is geared to the youngest, 5 to 8 years old, while the others welcome grades 2-12. On hiatus is Palace Teen Company, focused on kids looking to get serious about acting or use the skill to help with their college search.

This is the time of year when it heats up for you.

Literally! Everyone’s like, after A Chorus Line, we have the summer off. I’m like, ha ha, that’s funny.

What’s the makeup of the Palace’s summer program?

The majority of the summer camp kids are probably entering second, third, fourth grade. We split them up into probably four groups, you know, and they all learn different things and come back together at different times. But there are kids who literally have never been in a theater before, up to our kids who we see all year round … it’s definitely a nice mix of all different kids. We do have older kids as well, sophomores and juniors who just want to come spend a week and do a show. It always blows my mind with these kids. We had 68 in our April vacation camp, which was Finding Nemo Kids, and they memorized an entire half-hour show in three days. It’s crazy.

How many kids wind up in a full Palace production?

I was in Margaritaville and I think there were about five or six teens in the ensemble, and for Jesus Christ Superstar I think there were three or four teens in that. Then we are going to have a lot of our teens featured in Chorus Line as cut dancers at the beginning of the show, and some of them will also do understudy roles. For these kids who want to do theater potentially in college and beyond, it looks great on their resume that they were in a professional show.

Ballet Misha and Theatre Kapow collaborated on A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Saint Anselm College. Photo by Matthew Lomanno.

Peacock Players

Janice B. Streeter Theatre, 14 Court St., Nashua, peacockplayers.org

For more than 40 years this nonprofit has brought and taught performing arts to the area’s youngsters. Weeklong camp sessions with themes like Getting Spooky and All About The Mouse start July 14. A current production of Chicago Teen Edition runs through May 18. A cast of 6- to 15-year-olds will do Beetlejuice Jr. for three nights starting July 27. On Aug. 15 Hadestown Teen Edition, performed by 13- to 19-year-olds, begins a three-show run.

Players’ Ring Theatre

105 Marcy St., Portsmouth, playersring.org

This Seacoast company, founded in 1992, is focused on new and original works by regional artists. End of the Rainbow, the current production, ends May 18. The Terrence McNally musical A Man of No Importance opens May 30 and runs Thursday through Sunday, with two shows Saturday, through June 15. The show is directed and choreographed by Ro Gavin, who also helms the summer musical Freaky Friday for the Prescott Park Arts Festival. That musical runs most Thursdays through Sundays at 7 p.m. from June 20 through Aug. 10.

Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative

401 Gilford Ave., Suite 30, Gilford, powerhousenh.org

After the two-day Play Fair on May 31 and June 1, there’s just one summer production from Powerhouse, who produced the much-lauded Tuck Everlasting last year. Elf the Musical Aug. 8 through Aug. 10 at the Colonial Theatre is a Christmas-in-August fundraiser for the Lakes Region Children’s Auction. In September, it’s Best of Broadway ’60s Edition (Sept. 6, BNH Stage) and Journey Through Neverland, an interactive theater adventure through the grounds of environmental education nonprofit Prescott Farm (Sept. 14, Sept. 20 and Sept. 21, 1 to 4 p.m., with 45-minute slots every 20 minutes).

Festivals at Powerhouse

Fifteen plays, 15 days, 15 writers and 15 directors — that’s the idea behind Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative’s annual Play Fair, happening May 31 and June 1 at Prescott Farm in Laconia. Powerhouse co-founder Bryan Halperin said recently that the idea started as a workshop during his time at Winnipesaukee Playhouse, which he helped to launch in 2004. “I think we did it four or five times there,” he said. “This is the fourth time Powerhouse has done it.”

How are festival plays selected?

For 10 weeks, beginning in January, I have a class full of students that meets once a week on Google Meets to share work. Every week they get a homework assignment with a different sort of theme or aim to practice skills. The first five weeks, they write, the last five weeks, they work on their final projects. Anyone who completes the class gets to have their play produced in the festival.

What, if any, experience do the playwrights have?

They tend to be people who have some connection to Powerhouse and want to try something new. Some people have done it every year because they love writing and they enjoy the class and they enjoy seeing their work produced.

What motivates them?

The carrot is … a lot of times you write a play and it lives in a void on the computer; it never sees the light of day. These folks, by taking the class, have the incentive that if they do the work and complete it they will actually get to see it performed. It also provides an opportunity for people to try their hand at directing because each play is directed by a different director. So it’s an opportunity for directors and actors and playwrights to essentially create a world premiere.

Do they hope to go on to greater things in the theater world?

No, because most of these people are not playwrights who are wanting to do it for a living. They’re doing it either because they just enjoy writing or for some of them, it’s the first time, and they just want to see what it’s like. Somebody this year just said, ‘I’m going to go out of my comfort zone and try this new thing.’

RB Productions Theatre Company

PO Box 67, Concord, rb-productions.com

Founded in 2003 by 18-year-old Ryan Brown, RB Productions is the youth theater company for Concord’s Capitol Center for the Arts. The troupe also performs at Concord City Auditorium. Summer shows include The Wedding Singer (July 11 and July 12), Wizard of Oz Youth Edition (July 18 and July 19), Aladdin Kids (July 19), Alice In Wonderland Jr. (July 25 and July 26) and Beetlejuice Jr. (Aug. 1 and Aug. 2).

Riverbend Youth Company

56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, svbgc.org

Affiliated with the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley, and based at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts in Milford, this troupe has Finding Nemo Jr. on May 27 and May 28, followed by The Lightning Thief – The Percy Jackson Musical for three shows beginning June 6.

Seacoast Repertory Theatre

125 Bow St., Portsmouth, seacoastrep.org

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella opens May 15 and runs through June 15, Hadestown: Teen Edition has a two-week run beginning May 28. Shrek The Musical runs for a month starting June 26, and Into The Woods opens on Aug. 7 for a run that closes Sept. 7.

Theatre Kapow

66 Hanover St., Manchester, tkapow.com

Wrapping up a season that began last September is The Best We Could, performed at BNH Stage in Concord at 7:30 p.m. on June 14 and June 15, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 15. The debut from playwright Emily Feldman is a “funny, wise” look at a road trip taken by a despondent daughter and her father to pick up a rescue dog. Feldman drew heavily from two iconic American plays, Death of a Salesman and Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Theatre Kapow’s summer schedule has just one production, but it’s big: Romeo and Juliet, part of Shakespeare on the Green at Saint Anselm College, over the last two weekends of July.

Kapow on the green

Emma Cahoon of Theatre Kapow in Concord is directing the Shakespeare on the Green production of Romeo & Juliet at Saint Anselm College, with choreography by Manchester’s Ballet Misha. It runs the weekends of July 17 through July 19 and July 24 through July 26. Tickets will be available through Saint Anselm’s Dana Center.

How did Theatre Kapow get involved with Shakespeare on the Green?

Two summers ago we did a Weekend of Macbeth and the Weekend of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. That production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream has since had many iterations. Last summer, when we remounted Midsummer again, we connected with Amy Fortier at Ballet Misha. It was Joe’s idea [Joseph Deleault, Dana Center Director] to have Theatre Kapow and Ballet Misha combine together as we’re two Manchester-based arts organizations who both have really long existing relationships with Saint Anselm. Also we have known Amy for a very long time. There’s so much overlap in the people that we work with and the people who came up training with her or work with Ballet Misha at some point. It was a collaboration just waiting to find the right thing, and then it was like Joe who kind of pushed us together to make it happen last summer.

What prompted the switch from Midsummer to Romeo and Juliet?

I like taking texts that people feel they really know [and] doing something different with them to see if we can encourage audiences to experience that story in a new way. That’s totally what we did with Midsummer every time. It was a cast of seven, six, seven all-female presenting people…. Once we got Ballet Misha involved, that also sort of added a new medium to exploring this text that like we have all encountered a number of times in various different capacities throughout our lives. I think people have their own assumptions of what Romeo and Juliet is. I mean, I feel like everyone refers to it as the greatest love story of all time, but it’s not.

Above: The Little Mermaid Jr. by RB Productions Theatre Company. Courtesy photos.

Village Players

51 Glendon St., Wolfeboro, village-players.com

This company began in the 1930s as a fundraising tool for the Wolfeboro Garden Club. It’s had some ups and downs, but in 1978 it became The Village Players and it has been going steadily since. This season’s show is Calendar Girls, based on the English movie inspired by a true story about a group of female friends putting together an artistic nude calendar to raise money for a friend with leukemia. It plays July 25, July 26, Aug. 1 and Aug. 2 at 7:30 p.m., and Aug. 3 at 2 p.m. The Players will perform Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd on Halloween.

Winnipesaukee Playhouse

33 Footlight Circle, Meredith, winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org

Founded in 2004 by siblings Lesley Pankhurst and Bryan Halperin and their spouses Neil and Johanna (Bryan and Johanna now run Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative), the Playhouse has become a force in the state’s theater world. This summer there are productions of The Wedding Singer (June 12 through June 21), the timely POTUS (June 27 through July 5), Little Shop of Horrors (July 11 through July 19), Fully Committed (July 25 through Aug. 2) and The Woman in Black (Aug. 22 through Aug. 31).

Featured Image: A previous production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Theatre Kapow at Saint Anselm College. Photo by Matthew Lomanno.

The Kimchi Chronicles

The many uses for this Korean cuisine staple

For Susan Chung, owner of Sue’s Kimbap House, kimchi is as much a staple of everyday cooking as flour or butter.

“Kimchi is just a traditional Korean dish that was made with fermented vegetables,” said Chung, who is the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Culinary Artist in Residence and whose eatery is at Bank of NH Stage in Concord. “The most common type is made from napa cabbage. Another one is [made from] the Korean radish or daikon. Another one that probably isn’t as familiar is kimchi made with cucumbers. That’s one we’re planning to launch at our store coming up soon. But the main thing about kimchi is it’s so versatile that you can have it just as abanchan, or side dish, with just rice, a protein, or even just rice and egg. Traditionally, Korean people will eat kimchi sometimes three times a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I personally don’t, but it’s normal to do that, since even little kids start eating kimchi as early as 2 or 3 years old.”

Chung said she grew up in a non-Korean household and it was only after she married her husband that she began eating foods like kimchi on a regular basis.

“I wasn’t introduced to Korean food until I was in my 20s,” she said. “But the good thing is you can actually ease into kimchi. They have a non-spicy version, which is a watered-down one, which little kids will start off with. But also, if you’re new to the Korean palate, it’s something that you can do as well. Even if you were to try regular Korean kimchi, you can water it, rinse it with water, and then still eat it with a small amount of spice.”

jars of kimchi set on the back of a volkswagon with a license plate reading "kimchi" — **Photo courtesy of Micro Mamas.**

Because there are almost as many varieties of kimchi as there are Korean families, Chung said, finding a particular type that suits a particular eater is mostly a matter of shopping around and finding one that suits their palate.
“There’s different levels [of intensity] to it,” she said. “If it’s fresh kimchi that’s made that day, it’s not as fermented as the ones you would keep in the refrigerator for up to a month or even longer. And then there are the ones you use once they get super fermented to add to stews and kimchi fried rice. And so when I say it comes to being very versatile, I think kimchi fried rice would be something that most people would be willing to try as well because everyone loves fried rice. But if you make it mixed with the kimchi and then with the fried egg on top, it’s something that a lot of our customers have been waiting for.”

One of the reasons for kimchi’s surge in popularity over the past few years is its reported health benefits. Gloria Najecki, the produce manager at the Concord Food Co-op, said, “It has become increasingly popular because people know that it’s good for their gut and it can be made from a lot of different things so it’s varied so it’s not just cabbage. I think fermented anything is big right now. People like fermented foods because they hear it’s good for their digestive microbiome, you know, their belly and all the good gut bacteria that live there. There’s a whole ecosystem in our bellies so you want to eat varied foods to help keep them all in balance.”

For Najecki, part of eating a balanced diet centers around eating a large variety of foods.

“I’m always saying, ‘Eat the rainbow’” she said. “Eat a lot of different colors. Eat a lot of different textures. You want to have sour things, bitter things. You want to mix it all up because all of that together helps that flora in your belly. And kimchi has healthy microorganisms in it, different yeasts and positive bacteria, that sort of thing.”

Luke Mahoney is the owner of Brookford Farm in Canterbury. He grows many of the key ingredients for kimchi on his farm, and his staff makes small batches of kimchi to sell at his farm store.

“All the ingredients are grown on the farm except ginger,” he said. “The base is napa cabbage and we use leeks and carrots and daikon radish. We grow a Korean pepper, which is specifically for kimchi, and we use garlic and ginger. Daikon [radishes] grow awesome here in New England, but specifically on our farm.”

black and white image of a woman standing in room full of barrels, light streaming in from small windows — Stephanie Zydenbos, founder of Micro Mamas, Courtesy photo.

A member of Mahoney’s staff is a fermentation expert named Irina. “She moved here from Russia to be with her family about 10 years ago,” Mahoney said. “She’s been experimenting with different types of conserves and fermentations. She had a job in science in [Russia], but then when she moved here, she no longer worked in science. She didn’t have the language, so we offered her a position as our fermenter. It was kind of a dream we had, but it was still undeveloped. She dove in and got inspired and used her life experience and recipes and also whatever ingredients we had on the farm at the time. She created a wide variety of beautiful artisanal craft ferments. And the kimchi is her pride and joy.”

Stephanie Zydenbos is obsessed with fermentation, too. She is the founder of and facilitator for Micro Mamas in Henniker, a company that makes kimchi and other fermented vegetables.

“We were the very first commercial fermenters in the state,” Zydenbos said. “We learned a lot and continue to be marveled by the art of fermentation — because it is an art.”

Zydenbos said her fascination with fermentation grew from chronic health challenges.

“From adolescence through my early adulthood I had lots of different sinus problems and digestive problems,” she said. “I wasn’t an unhealthy child, but I think that the best way to say it is that I just had a less than optimal digestive system. I took a workshop on kimchi and sauerkraut and how to make our own probiotic foods. I wanted to treat my digestive symptoms naturally and I had been taking some pretty high-dollar high-quality probiotics — which I don’t recommend; anybody, stop doing that! — and I made my first batch of kimchi around the time I had my first child, because I wanted to get my children off to a good start with their digestive health. Around 2011 or 2012 I woke up in the middle of the night and I’m like, ‘Why am I not doing this for a living?’”

Zydenbos said the healthy microorganisms in fermented foods like kimchi start in the soil where the vegetables are grown.

“The microbiology of the soils are how vegetables and isolates of lactic acid bacteria are in the vegetables themselves,” she said. “We get those vegetables in their raw form right from the field.” As vegetables ferment, she explained, “the starches and the sugars break down from the vegetables. They are basically pre-digesting the starches and the sugars and [producing] lactic acid bacteria in addition to accelerating the vitamin and nutrient content of raw vegetables” As the fermentation grows more acidic, she said, it kills off most of any competing bacteria and microorganisms. “The pH becomes so low that the good microbes thrive and none of the harmful bacteria that might exist.”

Zydenbos likes to take a simple approach to eating kimchi.

“The No. 1 thing I like to do,” she said, “is to open some sour cream or hummus and throw 100 grams or so of kimchi in there. That’s it. Bam. Done. It takes chips and dip and brings it to an entirely different level.”

Because the flavor of kimchi covers a spectrum from “zesty” to “pungent” it has been welcomed by fine-dining chefs in recent years to add background flavor, texture, or even a “funky” quality to sauces and dishes. Nick Provencher is the executive chef at The Birch on Elm in Manchester. He said kimchi has found a place in his roster of ingredients.

“We have [a kimchi dish] on the menu currently,” he said, “and we always use a variety of different ferments, whether it be kimchi or to preserve seasonal vegetables, especially in the summer when there’s something like ramps we’ll ferment. We always have different kinds. Right now we have [kimchi] in a kind of a Korean-style barbecue sauce as a base that we cook down with onions, garlic, aromatics and ginger.”

“I think for the most part kimchi adds a lot of depth because it has a variety of different flavor profiles to it,” Provencher said. “It’s got a kind of bold, vinegary quality. It’s like, it’s kind of like blue cheese — it’s stinky but it’s like a good stink, you know? You have spice there, too, which can round a dish out. I think it really makes some dishes shine because of the depth [and pungency] it adds to the sauce. It’s nice too, because there’s also the level of acidity that comes from it, which cuts the fat of a pork belly, which is something we serve with it.”

Keith Sarasin is a chef, an author, and owner of The Farmer’s Dinner, a pop-up restaurant devoted to local, seasonal and sustainable dishes. He is a big fan of kimchi.

“I feel like kimchi is one of those unsung heroes that has existed in either progressive or fine dining scenes for a while,” Sarasin said. “The first thing that makes kimchi great is it’s very universal in what you can put in it. So, obviously cabbage, chilies and things of that nature. But since what we do at The Farmer’s Dinner is so rooted in farms, we’ll add a lot of different backbones to kimchi. Let’s say we have a bunch of arugula — we will gladly add some arugula into [a batch of kimchi]. Whenever we used to forage a lot back in the day, we would add dandelion greens and burdock root and all of these fun things, which give a different layer and complexity to kimchi, starting out with that bitterness. It’s a lot of fun and it reminds me a lot of balancing everything else that you have.”

Because Sarasin works so much with small, local farms, he has seen non-traditional foods like kimchi (non-traditional in New England, anyway) having an impact on what crops those farms grow.

“I feel like diversity has definitely been something that we’ve seen,” he said, “especially in the last five to 10 years. You can always find savoy cabbages and napa and all of these cabbages, but I think you’re seeing more daikons. You’re also seeing a lot more varieties of peppers that are being grown, which is really exciting for me because I love peppers. Part of the backbone of [kimchi] is you definitely need chili powder. It’s one of the really quintessential things. There’s the standard, traditional kimchi, which is out of this world, but then there’s a lot of ways to bring in food waste that typically would go in the bin, you can repurpose to really bring into a beautiful kimchi.”

“Kimchi’s not only about sustainability for us,” Sarasin said. “A lot of what we do is technique-driven, and we’ve used a lot of different techniques when it comes to utilizing kimchi. One of my favorite things to do with kimchi is instead of just serving it we do a lot of dehydration. So we dehydrate kimchi, either the whole kimchi or the brine, and spread it thin on a Silpat [a silicone baking mat] and then we let that dehydrate and grind it into a powder. We’ve used that to dust over dishes like a Wagyu tartare, a creamy soup, or even a savory custard because you get that salt, acidity and umami in one sprinkle. Kimchi lends itself to seafood unbelievably well, and we live in such a beautiful place for seafood. We’ve done kimchi sauces but we built them up with the intensity of aged kimchi. We love to ferment daikon and things of that nature and smear it over pork belly and foie gras.”

Chef Sarasin’s Kimchi Butter Sauce

Yields ~1 cup

Pairs well with seared scallops, roasted cauliflower, halibut, grilled chicken thigh, even a wild mushroom toast.

½ cup (188 g) aged kimchi, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons kimchi brine
¼ cup (55 g) white wine or dry vermouth
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 small shallot, finely minced
1 teaspoon sugar (optional, balances acidity)
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
salt to taste
optional: a splash of cream if you want a silkier mouthfeel

1. Start the reduction

In a small saucepan, add the shallots, kimchi, brine, wine and vinegar. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and reduce until almost dry; basically you want 2-3 tablespoons of liquid left. You want the acidity concentrated but not overpowering.

2. Strain (optional)

If you want a smoother sauce, strain out the solids. But I like leaving the finely chopped kimchi in there for texture and visual.

3. Mount with butter

Lower the heat to low. Whisk in the cold butter cubes one at a time, making sure each one emulsifies before adding the next. Don’t let it boil or it’ll break. If it’s too punchy, add a tiny splash of cream at the end.

4. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Depending on your kimchi, you might not need salt. Serve immediately.

Kimchi Fried Rice

Fried Rice

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup (188 g) chopped kimchi
3 cups (445 g) steamed rice
¼ cup (55 g) kimchi juice
¼ cup (55 g) water
2-3 Tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili paste)
1 teaspoon fish sauce or Maggi Seasoning
3 teaspoons (1 Tablespoon) toasted sesame oil

Garnish

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
1 mini cucumber or ⅓ normal cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into slivers
3 scallions, chopped
¼ cup (57 g) prepared seaweed salad – you can find this at the sushi counter at many supermarkets

Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat, then add the chopped kimchi, and fry for about a minute.

Add rice, kimchi juice, water, gochujang and fish sauce. Stir all the ingredients together for seven or eight minutes with a wooden spoon.

According to master chef Roy Choi, the best part of any fried rice is the carmelized, crispy bits from the bottom of the pan. In a Facebook video he advises turning the heat all the way up and letting the rice cook for another minute or two to crisp up the rice. “The thing about this rice, as you see, is we take it to the edge. You feel like you’re going to fall off. You feel like this thing’s going to burn. You take it so far that you think that you can’t take it any farther, that you’re almost scared that it’s going to collapse and be ruined.” Be fearless, in other words.

After a minute or so of cooking at high heat, stir the rice to see if you’ve achieved any crusty bits. If your courage holds out, you might want to blast the rice for another minute or so to recrisp the stirred rice.

Plate the rocket-hot rice in a serving bowl, then drizzle it with sesame oil, and garnish it with the sesame seeds, cucumber slivers, scallions, and seaweed salad.

Kimchi Tacos (plant-based)

Chelsea Mackler is the cheese manager at Whole Foods Supermarket in Bedford. She is not vegan herself, but her wife is. She said that a year or two ago, when her wife was having a rough week, she made kimchi tacos for her, which were extremely well-received. This is a riff on those tacos:

½ cup (114 g) vegan sour cream – I like one from Forager Project; it has a really good flavor
¼ cup (64 g) tahini (sesame paste)
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
4 to 6 ounces (100 to 175 g) shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup (164 g) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper
¼ cup (55 g) water
4 six-inch flour tortillas
1 cup (164 g) kimchi

soft taco tortillas — Kimchi Tacos. Photo by John Fladd.

In a smallish bowl, combine the vegan sour cream and tahini. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the sesame oil over medium heat, then fry the chickpeas until lightly browned, seven minutes or so. Add the mushrooms and water, then cook, covered, until the shiitakes soften and take on a little color, maybe five minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Toast the tortillas in any sesame oil remaining in the pan, about a minute on each side. Keep an eye on them; you’re not looking to make them crispy, just to give them a little color and to cook off their floury taste.

Assemble the tacos. Put 1 to 1½ tablespoons of kimchi at the bottom of each taco, topped with ¼ of the shiitake/chickpea mixture. Top with a tablespoon or so of the tahini sauce.

These are extraordinarily good tacos — not just vegan tacos, but excellent tacos, period. The chickpeas give a little extra savoriness and texture to the mushrooms. The kimchi gives spiciness and flavor but also some essential crunch. Sesame and kimchi pair really well together, so the creamy tahini sauce is just about perfect.

This will make four tacos, which sounds like enough for two people, but the slower eater might end up having to fight to defend their second taco. Plan on four of these guys as a single serving, and adjust the recipe accordingly.

Korean Dirty Martini

Dry vermouth
2 ounces botanical gin – I used Malfi Rosa, a grapefruit-forward gin, and I was very pleased with it
½ ounce of kimchi juice – the flavor and assertiveness of this will depend on the kimchi you have on hand, so be prepared to embrace your first martini of the batch, then adjust how much takes you to where you want to be; half an ounce is a good starting point

Hardware:

A mixing glass – NOT a cocktail shaker. When making a for-real, actual martini, please stir it rather than shake it. It really does make a difference.
A long-handled spoon for stirring – not surprisingly, a bar spoon is perfect for this.
Ice
A stemmed martini glass – martinis are at their best skull-shrinkingly cold, and holding the glass by the stem keeps the heat of your hands from warming yours up.
A cocktail strainer.

Chill your martini glass by either filling it with crushed ice or putting it in your freezer for 10 minutes or so.

martini glass on counter filled with orange colored cocktail, surrounded by ingredients — Korean Dirty Martini. Photo by John Fladd.

Fill your mixing glass half full with ice and pour an ounce or so of vermouth over it. Stir to coat the ice cubes with the vermouth, then strain away any excess. This is what is called a “dry martini”; it retains just enough vermouth to subtly flavor the drink. There is a version called a “perfect” martini, which uses equal amounts of vermouth and gin. Because the kimchi element will probably be a new experience for you, start with a dry martini and adjust from there.

Pour the gin and kimchi juice into the mixing glass and stir gently but thoroughly, then strain the orange liquor into your chilled martini glass.

If you are a dirty martini enthusiast, this will be right up your alley. It is spicy and sour, with a stiff alcoholic backbone that lets you know you are drinking a grownup cocktail. If you haven’t been a fan of dirty martinis up till now, this might convert you.

Adventures in Movies

O’Neil Cinemas returns to Londonderry and we check in with Red River Theatres in Concord PLUS A look at the summer movie schedule

As summer movie season begins, we take a look at a few local theaters. O’Neil Cinemas expands — and returns — to Londonderry. We also check in with Red River Theatres, which is now the only movie theater in Concord. And we take a look at the summer movie schedule. Grab some popcorn and get ready to go to the movies.

O’Neil Cinemas returns to Londonderry: The newly refurbished theater will include a full service bar

By Zachary Lewis

zlewis@hippopres.com

The brand new O’Neil Cinemas in Londonderry is expected to hold its grand reopening July 1.

O’Neil Cinemas is family-run and also has a theater in Epping, as well as one in Littleton, Mass.

Dan O’Neil spoke to the Hippo about the grand reopening and how this family business, led by his father, Dan O’Neil Sr., has been in the movies for decades.

“I’ve been in this business since I was a kid, helping out my brother in the business. Tim O’Neil. He’s also in the business. He’s years younger than me. We did everything. I was a projectionist. We cleaned the restrooms, sold concessions, things like that. So after college, we got in the business,” Dan O’Neil said.

According to a recent press release, O’Neil Cinemas was founded in 1982 and was operated by the O’Neil family before leasing the Londonderry facility (at 16 Orchard View Dr.) to AMC Theaters in 2014.

“We have a legacy of about 40 years in New Hampshire,” Dan O’Neil said. “So we leased this theater in Londonderry for 10 years to AMC. We own the real estate in the building. They decided after 10 years — it was a 10-year term — that they would not renew. And we thought the Londonderry market was a great market. It’s a wide open market, it’s a growing market and we’re very, very positive about the industry going forward. So we decided to invest in this location.”

They had built an eight-screen theater in Littleton, Mass., which is a model for what they are bringing into Londonderry. (O’Neil Cinemas also operates a theater at Brickyard Square, 24 Calef Highway in Epping. See oneilcinemas.com.)

“We got into the food and beverage business in that theater. It has a lounge. It has a full-service bar. So that’s kind of our model going forward now, is to bring in upgraded amenities, making it more of an experience for people to come out of the house. We have a full kitchen. We sell good food,” O’Neil said.

They’ve made a lot of fun changes.

“So currently, before we started renovation, it was a 10-screen complex. The new renovation will have nine screens. And we’re renovating one of the auditoriums into what we call the Backstage Lounge. It will be a full-service bar plus a lounge atmosphere. And we’ll have a full kitchen in the complex where we’ll sell upscale food and beverage. So you can get a meal before the movie, or after the movie, or a drink, a crafted cocktail,” O’Neil said.

“We also will be delivering directly to your seat,” he said. “So if you want to order through an app, you’ll be able to get it to your seat. If you’re buying tickets and you want to order your food, you can ahead of time. When you get to the theater, you scan your ticket in, it will fire that food to the kitchen, so you won’t have to stand in any lines. You can just go directly to the seat, and it will be delivered to you.”

Image and sound are priorities for O’Neil cinemas.

“Two of the auditoriums in this complex are premium large-format auditoriums. We call them the Grand DLX. At the premium large-format auditorium, they’re all state-of-the-art laser projection, Dolby Atmos sound, which are a 64-speaker surround sound system. It’s advanced object-based audio technology, so the speakers are strategically placed throughout the theater. You have overhead speakers for three-dimensional sound. It’s basically a precise sound positioning capability so that if a helicopter’s flying over your head, it’ll feel like you can hear the helicopter above you. And it’s more of an immersive experience,” O’Neil said.

Moviegoers in the Grand DLX auditoriums will experience ‘Buttkicker’ heated recliners with swivel tables that will synchronize vibrations with the film’s soundtrack.

“We’ll have one auditorium that has D-box motion seats,” he said. Luxury D-Box Motion seats use haptic technology, according to the press release. “Those seats actually move and synchronize to the soundtrack or the action on the screen. So it physically engages the viewers by creating synchronized movements to the action on the screen.”

Moviegoers will be able to opt out or control how much of the feel they get. “You could turn it off. You can lower the sensation so it’s not as high of a movement. Or you can go full blast with that thing,” O’Neil said.

No matter the theater, the seats will be comfy.

“The rest of the auditoriums will have full reclining heated seats. We’re really trying to make this a first-class viewing experience. The brightness on the screen will be fantastic.”

Londonderry will have revival screenings of cinema classics, and more than films will be screened.

“We can actually now with the digital technology, as long as we have licensing rights, we can stream live events, like currently we’re doing UFC fights down in our Littleton and Epping locations. We showed the Metropolitan Opera live from New York. So you can actually come to our theater if you’re into the opera, Metropolitan Opera, and view it live,” O’Neil said.

Movies have always held a special place for Dan O’Neil.

“I was about seven years old in ’77, so I was a big Star Wars fan. That movie was incredible to me…. We actually opened the theater in Londonderry during 1983 after construction and the first movie we showed was Return of the Jedi. I just remember the line going down the middle of the parking lot. Of course, back then we didn’t have reserved seating. But yeah, it was a fantastic experience being in the pack. You know, those movies were always sold out. And just being in there and experiencing it with other kids and people was amazing,” he said.

He mentioned why he believes people still get excited to go out to the movies. “I think we’re communal creatures, and we like storytelling, and when you can do it with other people it just adds to the emotion of it. That’s what makes memories in my mind is the emotions you feel with other people. I think that’s why after 100 years, the business is still around.”

There will be a community open house at some point before the grand reopening in July.

“We’re shooting for July 1, and that’s right before the Fourth of July weekend and there’s supposed to be some … big movies opening, Jurassic World being one of them, so we’re trying to hit that for a big grand opening,” O’Neil said. “I think that once the community sees what we can offer for out-of-home entertainment, I think it’s going to be a real positive thing for the community.”

The city’s theater: Red River is Concord’s only movie house

By Zachary Lewis

zlewis@hippopress.com

Red River Theatres is a community hub in Concord.

“We work as a full-time movie theater; we also are mission-based,” said Angie Lane, Red River’s Executive Director.

“We serve by providing space to other nonprofits to show films that speak to their mission. We do some of our own programming based off things that we believe that our community wants. It could be sometimes that we show a documentary, but it could also be a sing-along or a Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The venue’s concessions include local sweets from Granite State Candy and local beer and wine, Lane said.

Lane and her crew are still coming back from Covid closures.

“For us, coming out of Covid, we were closed for over a year,” she said. “It’s funny, because people are like, ‘Oh, you’re still talking about Covid,’ but ultimately we’re still feeling the impact of that. We’re working to get back up to full speed.”

“I can be honest and say we’re not even fully staffed to where we were pre-Covid, so we have a very tiny team in the background managing everything, and this year we’ll be turning 18, so there’s so many things that are kind of like intersecting at the same point for us,” she said.

Now that Red River is the only movie theater in Concord, it has access to more films, including more mainstream movies and kids’ films like Snow White.

“With the closure of Regal and just the way that movie distribution has changed so much, especially in post-Covid world, we have been able to actually acquire those films. So for a very long time there were a lot of barriers for us to bring in films like that. It’s not that we are necessarily saying, ‘Like, OK, we’re going to expand to this,’ it’s just that we never quite had the availability that we do now. So we are excited to be able to offer a diversity of film that’s a little wider than we have before. You can’t please everyone, and so of course some people want more straight what they believe are independent films and don’t love it when we show Snow White. But what’s lovely is we’re able to bring in new people to Red River,” Lane said.

There are other obstacles to overcome with film selection.

“To be a working movie theater in this time and reality is really challenging. So we’re excited to be able to show a wider variety of films, but the reality is that distributors are just not producing as many films as they did pre-Covid…. So a lot of times we do consciously choose and curate the films based on what we believe align with who we are as a movie theater. On the other hand, sometimes there’s a limited amount of movies that we can choose from, so we try to do our best to pick the films we feel that our audiences want to see and hopefully expand our audiences at the same time.”

Lane described how an independent movie theater chooses a film for screening.

“… [W]e work with a film broker who manages the bookings for hundreds of different cinemas similar to Red River. Then we internally, as the team, also talk about what’s being offered to us. These films are what we would consider ‘first run’ and we sell the tickets and we do just a straight ticket split. For our own programming we book them as one-offs and we pay either a fee or a ticket split or both. … ,” Lane said.

For new films, typically 50 to 60 percent of ticket sales head back to the movie distributor, so theaters need people in the seats to keep bringing magic to the community.

“We book out films on pretty short notice, so maybe a month out,” Lane said.

“We’re excited to get the new upcoming Wes Anderson movie The Phoenician Scheme, and … No Other Land, which is the Oscar-winning documentary that has not really been getting as high distribution,” she said.

Red River also gets support from memberships. “You can become a member and you can get benefits,” Lane said. It costs $65 for an individual membership and there are other options as well. Membership fees helped keep Red River afloat during Covid. “A lot of people during Covid still kept their membership going…” Lane said.

Look for some outdoor screenings this summer. “We are planning on doing our free outdoor movies with Parks and Rec, and we’ll probably do some other partnered outdoor movies,” Lane said. This summer’s titles are not decided yet.

Lane reflected on Red River’s role in Concord, saying, “We’re about to turn 18, and we’ve become a vital, valued community organization. We show movies, but we also provide … a space for [people] so they can rent this theater for their own movies. We work a lot with different partner organizations to bring different programming….”

“I think now more than ever a lot of people want something, not necessarily to escape to … But I think that people really want to engage in different ideas or other realities and kind of dream about something that can be different and better,” Lane said.

Red River Theatres is at 11 S. Main St. in Concord. See redrivertheatres.org.

Summer of movies! Remakes, sequels, Marvel and more summer movies

Compiled by Amy Diaz

adiaz@hippopress.com

Another first Friday in May, another Marvel movie.

Except everything about movies is so much weirder than in, say, 2017 when the summer movie season kicked off with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. But there are definitely promising films on the schedule — a new Wes Anderson movie, a new Celine Song movie, a new Ari Aster, and Kristen Scott Thomas is directing a movie. Here, with guidance from IMDb on dates and casts, are some of the movies slated for release in theaters this summer.

Thunderbolts Can Marvel’s quippy Suicide Squad-y gang get us all excited about Marvel again? The first trailer at least had me hopeful. (May 2)

Fight or Flight Josh Hartnett is an assassin on, as the trailer says, a plane full of killers. (May 9)

Friendship Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd make casual male friendships super weird in this movie whose trailer gives dark comedy vibes. (May 9)

Juliet & Romeo It’s a musical, Rebel Wilson plays Juliet’s mother. (May 9)

Final Destination: Bloodlines LOL to these people in the trailer enjoying a backyard barbecue unaware that they’re in a Final Destination movie. (May 16)

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning These movies are all about Tom Cruise doing crazy stunts and we in the audience thinking “wheeee!” So, in that spirit, I’m excited about The Final Reckoning, I enjoy saying “wheeee!” to a motorcycle jumping onto a moving train or whatever. Also, Angela Bassett is here. (May 23)

Karate Kid: Legends Jackie Chan reprises his role from 2010’s The Karate Kid and Ralph Macchio, fresh off the All Valley over on the Netflix series Cobra Kai (watch it!), is Sensei Daniel LaRusso. (May 30)

The Phoenician Scheme The trailer for Wes Anderson’s latest is exactly what you’d expect with its studied symmetry and its retro, tactile settings and its familiar roster of players: Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeffrey Wright and Benicio Del Toro. (June 6)

Ballerina “From the world of John Wick” might be all you need to know about this movie starring Ana de Armas and bringing back many Wick Universe faves (Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, the late great Lance Reddick and Keanu Reeves himself). (June 6)

I Don’t Understand You Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells have promising chemistry and comedy chops in the trailer about a couple in rural Italy who are awaiting the birth of their baby and maybe also accidentally do a little murder. (June 6)

Materialists Writer director Celine Song (of Past Lives) offers this movie, billed as a rom-com, starring Dakota Johnson as a matchmaker, with Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal. (June 13)

28 Years Later There’s no discharge in the war. The eerie trailer for this third movie in the series that started with 2002’s 28 Days Later was probably the first trailer I saw that got me excited for a 2025 movie. Director and co-writer Danny Boyle is back along with co-writer Alex Garland for more zombie terrors. (June 20)

Elio The Disney Pixar movie I feel like I’ve been watching trailers for for years is slated for summer release. Elio is a human boy who accidentally is labeled as the leader of “uh, Earth” by visiting aliens. (June 20)

F1 Brad Pitt is a retired Formula One racer mentoring a rookie played by Damson Idris — which kinda feels like a plot to one of the Cars movies. The trailer suggests that this one is hoping for your IMAX dollars with its “you are there” driving scenes. (June 27)

M3gan 2.0 There’s a lotta “slay, b—-” energy in this movie’s trailer. Maybe a little too self-aware but I guess in this movie environment we take our cheap, silly thrills where we can get them. (June 27)

Jurassic World: Rebirth This franchise reboot does at least offer a trailer with fun Indiana Jones adventure-y vibes, what with the sneaking back to an island for dino DNA. (July 2)

Superman I mean, he gets to have his dog in this one so that’s nice. Director James Gunn and Superman David Corenswet give the Man of Steel another go. (July 11)

Smurfs Apparently this is a new Smurfs, not related to the 2010s Smurfs movies. “Rihanna is Smurfette”; also promising is the cast that includes John Goodman, Natasha Lyonne, Nick Offerman, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Amy Sedaris and Billie Lourd. (July 18)

Eddington Ari Aster (of Hereditary and Midsommar) writes and directs this movie about a New Mexico town during the pandemic — are we, like, ready for that? The trailer stressed me out, in a good way I think. Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Austin Butler star. (July 18)

I Know What You Did Last Summer New kids, new summer but Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. also return, which feels fun. (July 18)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps This Fantastic is, according to Wikipedia, the beginning of the MCU’s Phase Six. The Tomorrowland look is fun, at least. (July 25)

The Naked Gun I am in for this Liam Neeson-fronted remake (I guess he’s supposed to be the Leslie Nielsen character’s son). The trailer has that promising “stupid fun” vibe. (Aug. 1)

The Bad Guys 2 The animated book-to-movie series gets its second feature installment about Bad Guy animals turned Good Guys but roped, as IMDb says, back into one last Bad Guy job. Unlike some of the direct-to-streaming specials, we get the original voices: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina and Anthony Ramos. (Aug. 1)

Freakier Friday Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan return as a mother and daughter who once body-swapped to learn valuable lessons — and now it happens again with two extra kids in the mix: Lohan’s character’s daughter (Julia Butters) and stepdaughter-to-be (Sophia Hammons). The trailer made me kinda hopeful? (Aug. 8)

My Mother’s Wedding Kristen Scott Thomas directed and co-wrote this movie where she also stars as the mother of three adult daughters (one of whom is Scarlett Johansson) gathering for the mother’s wedding. According to Wikipedia the film had a 2023 premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. (Aug. 8)

Nobody 2 The 2021 “what if John Wick but suburban dad Bob Odenkirk” action movie gets a sequel. (Aug. 15)

The Roses Billed as a remake of 1989’s The War of the Roses, this comedy stars Olivia Coleman and Benedict Cumberbatch — both of whom appear skilled with the dark comedy in the movie’s trailer — along with Allison Janney, Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg. (Aug. 29)

The Toxic Avenger Wikipedia describes this movie as a reboot of a film series that started in 1984 and had sequels and Marvel comic books and played some film festivals in 2023 before it languished for a while without a distributor due to gore. And it stars Kevin Bacon, Peter Dinklage and Elijah Wood. Trailers look gross and fun. (Aug. 29)

Caught StealingBased on the book of the same name by Charlie Huston, this Darren Aronofsky-directed movie Has A Cast — D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Reservation Dogs’ Bear), Vincent D’Onofrio, Regina King, Bad Bunny, Matt Smith, Zoe Kravitz, Liev Schreiber and Austin Butler. The plot description says it’s set in 1990s New York City — OK, I’m in. (Aug. 29)

10 Easy Plants

Veggies, flowers and trees for a low-effort gardening season

Alright, if one more person tells me they’re not a gardener because they don’t have a ”green thumb,” I’ll scream.

Anyone can grow veggies and flowers, and even plant a tree. Let’s look at 10 plants that will grow for you, regardless of your previous experiences. Just remember, the plants you start will need your attention daily until they have established a good root system and can get enough water in dry times. But if you can brush your hair and teeth daily before going to work, you can visit your seedlings every evening and give them a drink of water if they need it. Once established, they won’t need so much attention.

1. ‘Sungold’ cherry tomatoes

This is a fantastic producer of one of the best-tasting tomatoes in existence. Buy plants from your local nursery. Like all veggies, it needs six hours of daily sunshine or more, average to good soil, and a little water when first planted and in times of drought. It is a big, tall plant, so plant it with a metal cage around it to hold it up, the biggest you can find, preferably 54 inches tall. One plant can easily produce 100 to 200 tomatoes over a long season. I’d suggest two plants minimum, as they taste so good you will eat many on the way to the kitchen. Plant 24 to 36 inches apart. They are relatively disease-free.

2. ‘Bolero’ carrots

This is the gold standard of carrots. Tasty, productive. Its only flaw is that the seeds are tiny so people end up planting them too close together, and then not thinning them by the Fourth of July as they should. One solution? Buy pelleted seeds. They are coated in clay so they are the size of BBs and easy to plant where you want them. Plant in full sun and an inch apart, then thin to 2 inches. Improve your soil with compost — one bag will do for an average seed packet. Carrots need plenty of nitrogen, so add a little organic fertilizer, too. Water daily until the carrots come up, and then weekly in dry times.

a variety of carrots of different sizes and colors laying in the grass — Carrots need to be planted by seed directly in the soil. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Although carrots come in many colors, I like the taste of conventional orange ones best. They certainly have more beta carotene than yellow or white ones. I had great luck with purple carrots last summer — they grew straight and gorgeous, but I found them a bit stringy. All carrots are a great source of vitamins B, C and K and potassium, fiber and antioxidants. Let your kids eat them right out of the ground, just wiped clean or sprayed with the hose.

3. ‘Black-seeded Simpson’ lettuce

close up of lettuce plant in ground, green leaves with red edges — Replant lettuce regularly to have salad all summer. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Another workhorse readily available in six-packs from your local garden center. Much easier to buy small plants than to start seed. Full sun or light shade, decent soil. Pick leaves for sandwiches as they grow, or wait until they are full-sized and harvest the entire head of lettuce. If you buy seed, you can replant more lettuce every two or three weeks all summer. Be sure to thin out — lettuce seeds are small and it’s easy to plant seeds too close together.

Lettuce comes in many colors and textures. Your vegetable garden will come alive if you plant reds and greens or frizzy leaves and smooth leaves in patterns. Alternate them, planting seedlings 6 inches apart. Think of your garden as a painting, the plants as the colors and shapes that please your eyes.

4. Bush beans

Plant seeds in average soil in full sun after soil warms and there is no chance of frost. Bean seeds are big, easy to plant. Plant seeds 2 inches apart, thin to 4 inches. Rows 8 inches apart. Bush beans come in three colors: green, yellow and purple. The yellow ones have a distinct taste, but the green and purple taste the same to me. Purple beans turn a tepid gray when cooked, so serve them raw in salads when having guests. All freeze well.

Pole beans are easy to grow, too. ‘Kentucky Wonder’ is an old favorite. There is some extra work in growing pole beans: You have to build a trellis or cut some poles for a tripod they can climb. The rewards can be big: So long as you keep picking pole beans, they will keep or producing more beans. Not so for bush beans — they produce for three weeks and are done.

5. Verbenas

tall flowering plants with small purple flowers growing along the side of a wooden structure — Verbena bonariensis is loved by monarchs in the fall. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

These are annual flowers that bloom all summer. There are many named varieties sold as plants ready to bloom at garden centers, all good. “Superbenas” are hybrids that are worth the extra price. They take hot and dry better than many annuals.

My favorite verbena is unusual: Brazilian verbena (Verbena bonariensis) is 4 to 6 feet tall on thin strong stems that need no staking. Monarchs love them for their pollen and nectar in late summer.

6. Marigolds

Marigolds come in a dozen sizes and colors — or more. They are a classic flower that loves hot, sunny places but will take some shade. They are quite fragrant. Great in containers or in the ground. Buy plants in six-packs to have plenty. Some people plant marigolds around their tomatoes to keep away insect pests. I’m not convinced that they really do that, but the color is a nice addition to the vegetable garden.

7. ‘Prairie Sun’ Black-eyed Susan

two large yellow flowers with long petals, in summer garden along paved walkway, seen from above — Prairie Sun. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

These flowers are a perennial that keep on blooming from July to Halloween. In Zone 4 or colder it is not fully hardy, so I buy some every year. Some survive my winters, some do not. It’s a great cut flower. Likes sun, but will take some shade. It isn’t really a black-eyed Susan, as the center eye is green. Another really hardy black-eyed Susan is called ‘Goldsturm.’ It blooms nicely, year after year, in late summer.

8. Catmint

bushy flowering plant with small light purple flowers climbing up the stems, planted in garden — Catmint. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Catmint (Nepeta faassenii) is a perennial that loves hot, dry locations. It has light blue flowers that bloom for a long time. Not to be confused with catnip; your cat will leave it alone — and so will bugs. Bees and hummingbirds like it, but deer and rabbits don’t. ‘Walkers Low’ is a good one, 24 to 30 inches tall and wide.

9. Fothergilla

close, overhead photo of leafy bush with roundish leaves, brightly colored in reds, yellows, and purples — Fothergilla in October. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

This is a native shrub that blooms early in the season with white bottlebrush flowers. Its best season, however, is fall. It has great fall foliage with red, orange, yellow and purple leaves all on the same bush. Relatively slow growing, doesn’t require annual pruning. But that also means buy the biggest plants you can find. It takes time to get to full size — about 6 feet tall and wide.

10. Oaks of all sorts

small oak tree with red leaves on branches — Oaks are pretty for us and food for caterpillars and wildlife. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

These are the best trees for supporting pollinators as their caterpillars feed on the leaves. Caterpillars feed our baby birds, providing about 90 percent of their diet or more. Doug Tallamy, a Ph.D. entomologist in Pennsylvania, determined that a clutch of chickadees consumes between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars from hatching to fledging. If we don’t provide enough native plants like oaks, we won’t have food for our baby birds. You can help.

The pin oak (Quercus palustris) is one of the most used trees in the Northeast: it is fast growing and tolerant of pollution, compacted soils, road salt. A small one will grow 12 to 15 feet in five to seven years.

Think about planting an oak in the middle of your lawn as a specimen tree. It will attract birds, pollinators, and the acorns will feed wildlife. You don’t have to buy a seedling. In the spring look under an oak tree and try to find an acorn on the ground that has sprouted. Plant it where you want a majestic tree. Water weekly the first summer. Oaks are some of our most long-lived trees. I saw one in Pennsylvania at a Quaker meeting house that was said to be 300 years old.

Over the past 55 years I have planted more than 100 kinds of trees and shrubs in my 2-acre yard, and probably even more kinds of flowers. I eat veggies from my garden all year as I freeze and store them. Not everything works 100 percent of the time for me, but plants have evolved to succeed. So try planting some this summer. In the ground, in a pot or in a window box. You’ll be pleased and proud when your efforts succeed. I know I am.

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