Category: Cover Stories

Find your farmers markets

A look at the socially distant summer market scene

You can still get your leafy greens, grass-fed meats and fresh poultry at local farmers markets this summer, but there’s no denying that the fresh-air market vibe won’t be the same, with regulations in place to promote social distancing and the cancellation of vendor demonstrations, tastings and live music.

“It has really been a shift from hanging out and socializing at the market … to just coming in and purchasing or picking up the product,” said Julie Dewdney, market manager of the Canterbury Community Farmers Market, which began on June 3.

Farmers markets have been considered essential businesses from the beginning, according to Gail McWilliam Jellie, director of agricultural development for the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food. The department has encouraged markets to stay open, both to maintain cash flow for the vendors and to provide food sources for customers. Despite that, many summer markets started late and some have canceled altogether.

Early season markets

One of the only markets in the Granite State that has remained uninterrupted during the pandemic is in Salem. The year-round market, which normally operates indoors from November through about April or May, moved outside several weeks earlier than planned, on March 15, despite temperatures barely above freezing.

“I think on that first day [we went outside] it was 37 degrees out,” board president Bonnie Wright said, “but people wanted to come and vendors wanted to come, so we kept the market going. … We’ve had to adapt a great deal and make a lot of changes as the virus situation has evolved.”

After being in the parking lot of the Mary A. Fisk Elementary School for a few weeks, the Salem Farmers Market moved back to its normal summer location at Salem Marketplace a few miles away on April 5. Since then the market has been operating at limited hours each week, on Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon only — it’s normally from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to Wright.

Moving the market outdoors in a paved parking lot, Wright said, has allowed its board members to further space out each vendor and control the flow of customers. Only 100 people are allowed into the market at a time to prevent long lines from forming. Table fees are, for the time being, waived for all vendors in an effort to help supplement the income some have lost.

“It definitely doesn’t have that farmers market feel that people are used to,” Wright said, “but we are seeing quite a bit of people … and occasionally people have to wait to get in.”

In Concord, after the cancellation of its winter market in Eagle Square on March 17 with more than a month left to go, growing uncertainty loomed over whether the city’s summer market on Capitol Street could go on. The market did miss its targeted opening date of May 2 by one week, resuming operations on May 9 with just a fraction of its vendors, but president Wayne Hall said it has exceeded his expectations since then.

“It’s been tremendous,” said Hall, who owns Rockey Ole Farm in Concord. “It’s been very, very steady, and people have been very respectful of the things we’ve been putting in place. … We are also constantly adding more new vendors as we go along.”

Hall said there is still an abundance of leafy greens available at the market, such as lettuce, kale, and Swiss chard. Next up for produce will be strawberries, coming from Apple Hill Farm, followed by blueberries later in July. Summer squash, tomatoes and cucumbers are all expected to be available soon too.

A second summer market has also debuted in Concord this year. For the first time, Cole Gardens is hosting an outdoor market in its parking lot following the conclusion of its indoor winter market in April, market manager Jane Iarussi said.

The Contoocook Farmers Market, according to manager Karin Cohen, began its summer season a couple of weeks earlier than planned, on May 23. Another year-round market, Contoocook had suspended operations indoors at Maple Street Elementary School on March 14.

“We were slated to reopen outdoors on June 6, but there were a lot of community requests for us to open [earlier], and a lot of our farmers also felt like they were ready to go,” Cohen said.

Now back at its normal summer location next to the Contoocook Railroad Museum, the market is encouraging just one member per household to visit if possible, and to leave all children and pets home. Reusable and single-use plastic bags are allowed, as long as you don’t place them on any table surfaces. Product sampling, vendor demonstrations, live music and arts and crafts vendors have all been temporarily suspended until further notice.

“We’re really trying to encourage people not to linger, just because we are such a small market,” Cohen said. “Unfortunately, it’s not the social market that we’re used to, but I think everyone so far has been happy to still be able to come out and support our local farmers.”

Jim Ramanek of Warner River Produce in Webster is a featured vendor at the Contoocook, Cole Gardens and Canterbury markets — he’ll also be joining the Franklin market on Tuesdays when it gets underway on June 23, and has started an online ordering system via harvesttomarket.com.

“We still have a few winter vegetables and we’re doing lots of mixed lettuce, radishes and baby turnips,” Ramanek said. “Spinach is on the decline because it’s just been too hot for it.”

Work Song Farm in Hopkinton, another vendor at this year’s Contoocook market, has certified organic strawberries available first-come, first-serve. According to co-owner Dan Kilrain, the farm will have them for at least the next two to three weeks.

June and beyond

The month of June has brought with it several more summer markets in the state kicking off their seasons under new guidelines. The Canterbury Community Farmers Market was able to begin on schedule, Dewdney said, after its association spent several weeks discussing what the safest practices would be for vendors and customers.

“It was really important to us that we opened up that access to good products,” she said, “so we came up with a whole set of guidelines, with help from the UNH Cooperative Extension and the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets.”

In addition to encouraging masks, all handling of products is done by the vendors until after purchases are made. The Canterbury market has also eliminated all special activities it would normally have throughout the season, and is encouraging people to limit attendance to one visitor per household.

“Our first week was really successful,” Dewdney said of the June 3 market. “We didn’t have to control the crowd level. We had one entry point and we kind of just had a steady stream.”

The Canterbury market averages about 20 vendors — and even though Dewdney said a few vendors have dropped out, the Association has been receiving interest from newcomers.

One of the returning vendors, Kathy Doherty of Sanborn Meadow Farm in Canterbury, said the market’s opening day went well and that many customers even thanked her for being there. Doherty focuses primarily on herbs and leafy greens.

“Early in the season, it’s a lot of radishes, arugula and mixed Asian greens. That’s what I brought the first week, and I’ll diversify a bit with lettuce, broccoli, rhubarb and some varieties of kale,” Doherty said. “The spring was very cold and it seemed to delay everything … but they’re starting to catch up now. I think tomatoes will be coming a bit later than usual.”

The New Boston Farmers Market, which opened for the season on June 6, has roped off access from outside the town common, only allowing one-way entrances and exits for customers. Market co-manager Allison Vermette said the response to the changes has been positive so far.

“Most of the people who have shown up have been very thankful that we’ve been open. I think there’s been a very big push to have more local products available during this whole pandemic,” Vermette said. “It’s normally a very community-based market, so this year we do look a lot different. … We usually have different community guests come in, but that’s unfortunately been cut out for the foreseeable future. We’re also not doing our children’s market this year.”

In Milford the pandemic caused the cancellation of the town’s final two indoor winter market dates on March 14 and March 28. But on June 13 the market was able to start its summer season under new guidelines at 300 Elm St. across from the New Hampshire Antique Co-op.

“I’ve done a lot of research on how to open safely,” market manager Adrienne Colsia said. “Last year I used probably only half the parking lot, but now we’re using the whole perimeter of the lot to space everybody out. … We have one entrance, and we’re encouraging people to just grab and go and not hang around if they can. Customers are allowed to bring reusable bags.”

Colsia, who also co-owns Paradise Farm in Lyndeborough with her husband Wayne, said they will have strawberries available at the market. Other items you can expect at the market include meats like grass-fed beef, pork and lamb, poultry, fresh fish, cheeses, and leafy greens like kale, arugula and Swiss chard.

The Bedford Farmers Market, scheduled to begin on June 16, is in a new spot this year — the parking lot of the Harvest Market on Route 101 in Bedford, which closed its doors about a month ago, according to market manager Lauren Ritz. The market had previously been in the parking lot of St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church on Meetinghouse Road.

“The Diocese of Manchester … wasn’t comfortable with having us in the parking lot with the state that New Hampshire was at, at the time the decision was made,” said Ritz, who also co-owns Hoof and Feather Farm in Amherst, one of this year’s vendors. “So we actually reached out on the Bedford’s town Facebook page, and the Harvest Market offered us their parking lot.”

The market will feature 30 vendors throughout the season, some of which will rotate depending on the product availability of each. Hoof and Feather Farm is the meat vendor, featuring chicken, beef and pork, while other vendors are selling various fruits and vegetables, cheeses, honey, maple syrup and personal care products.

Newcomers include Jennifer Lee’s Bakery out of Worcester, Mass., which makes gluten-free and dairy-free baked goods; and the Bedford Sewing Battalion, which will have a table handing out free masks and accepting fabric and elastic donations. Like many of the state’s other markets, Ritz said Bedford had to cancel all planned live entertainment and demonstrations.

Merrimack’s farmers market is also expected to begin this week. According to market manager and town agricultural commission chair Bob McCabe, the Merrimack Town Council on June 11 approved the market to begin on June 17, one week after its proposed start date. That market is expected to continue through mid-October, in the parking lot of Vault Motor Storage on Daniel Webster Highway.

More markets to come

A few more summer markets in the state are expected to get going as the month winds down.

In Nashua, for example, the market will resume on June 21, continuing every Sunday through the middle of October. Due to several lane closures on either side of Main Street to accommodate outdoor dining space for restaurants, this year’s market has moved from its normal spot between Temple and Pearl streets down to the area in front of City Hall Plaza.

“We’ll be around City Hall on the Main Street side, as well as in the shaded area of the Nashua Heritage Rail Trail and [in] the surface parking lot to the rear of the building,” Great American Downtown executive director Paul Shea said. “It’s a larger area than where we normally operate … so customers will have a lot of space to move through the market while distancing.”

The Franklin Farmers Market is expected to begin on June 23 at Marceau Park on Central Street, while in Wilmot the farmers market will start on June 27 on the town green.

While the Intown Farmers Market in Manchester will not be taking place in the traditional sense, plans are in the works for a limited version of the market to return. Starting on June 25 farmers with Fresh Start Farms, a program of the Manchester-based Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success, will be at Victory Park every Thursday through August.

“It’s going to be more like a farm stand,” Intown Manchester executive director Sara Beaudry said. “We were already in the process of restructuring our farmers market … to move from Stanton Plaza back to Victory Park, but then with everything going on we teamed up with ORIS to bring the market back and to simplify it.”

Jameson Small, program manager for the New American Sustainable Agriculture Project at ORIS, said members of Fresh Start Farms are also at the Bedford, Concord, Merrimack, Milford and Salem markets. In addition to leafy greens they’ll have tomatoes, cucumbers and squash later in the summer, as well as ethnic crops, like amaranth greens and African eggplant.

Market cancellations

The pandemic has caused a few markets in New Hampshire to pull the plug on their summer seasons entirely. One of the most notable to shut down for the year is the Derry Homegrown Farm & Artisan Market, which would have begun earlier this month in downtown Derry.

The market’s board had initially announced that the season would at least be delayed before the decision was made to cancel it altogether on June 2, one day before its original opening date.

“It was a really, really difficult decision that we did not want to have to do,” market manager and board vice president Neil Wetherbee said of its cancellation.

Wetherbee said it came down to the market’s location and its board ensuring the safety of all vendors and customers. Unlike most of the other markets, which are on paved surfaces, Derry’s is on grass, eliminating the ability to make six-foot markers with chalk. He also said its unique location in the center of town, along with its proximity to the rail trail, made it difficult to mandate specific entry and exit points for visitors. Other potential locations in town were considered but its board ultimately could not find one suitable.

In addition to all of those factors, Wetherbee said if the market were to take place it would have featured less than half of its regular vendors.

“We spent the last three years trying to turn this into a community event … and it really would’ve been a shell of what it has been,” he said. “A big part of discussion also was that we didn’t want to live with the responsibility if one of our vendors, especially one of our older vendors, was to get sick, or if we started to see a spike in virus cases in Derry.”

The Lee Farmers Market, which would have started on the last Thursday in May, has also canceled its season, instead “existing virtually,” according to manager Tina Sawtelle.

“We’ve sort of pivoted to becoming an online source to help local farms connect to customers, and to point people in the right direction for where to get product,” said Sawtelle, who originally started the market with her husband through the Lee Agricultural Commission. “It’s actually helped our vendors increase their CSA shares too.”

Find a market everyday
Here’s a list of summer farmers markets happening in southern New Hampshire.

Sundays
• Cole Gardens Farmers Market is from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cole Gardens (430 Loudon Road, Concord), now through October. Visit colegardens.com.
• Dover Farmers Market is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Henry Law Park (1 Washington St., Dover), now through Oct. 11. Visit seacoastgrowers.org.
• Nashua Farmers Market will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at City Hall Plaza (229 Main St.), June 21 through Oct. 18. Visit downtownnashua.org/local.
• Salem Farmers Market is from 10 a.m. to noon at Salem Marketplace (224 N. Broadway). Visit salemnhfarmersmarket.org.

Mondays
• Durham Farmers Market is from 2:15 to 6 p.m. in the parking lot of Sammy’s Market (5 Madbury Road), now through October. Visit seacoastgrowers.org.
• Fresh Chicks Local Outdoor Market is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Monadnock Community Hospital (452 Old Street Road, Peterborough), now through October. Email [email protected].

Tuesdays
• Bedford Farmers Market is from 3 to 6 p.m. in the parking lot of the former Harvest Market (209 Route 101), now through Sept. 29. Visit bedfordfarmersmarketnh.org.
• Franklin Farmers Market is from 3 to 6 p.m. at Marceau Park (Central Street), June 23 through Sept. 29. Find them on Facebook @franklinlocalmarket.
• Rochester Farmers Market is from 3 to 6 p.m. at Rochester Community Center (150 Wakefield St.). Visit rochesternhfarmersmarket.com.

Wednesdays
• Canterbury Community Farmers Market is from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Elkins Public Library (9 Center Road), now through Sept. 30. Visit canterburyfarmersmarket.com.
• Dover Farmers Market is from 2:15 to 6 p.m. in the parking lot of the Dover Chamber of Commerce (550 Central Ave), now through Oct. 7. Visit seacoastgrowers.org.
• Merrimack Farmers Market is from 3 to 6 p.m. at Vault Motor Storage (526 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack), now through Oct. 7. Visit merrimacknh.gov/farmers-market.
• Peterborough Farmers Market is from 3 to 6 p.m. on the lawn of the Peterborough Community Center (25 Elm St.). Find them on Facebook @peterboroughnhfarmersmarket.

Thursdays
• Exeter Farmers Market is from 2:15 to 6 p.m. behind the Seacoast School of Technology (30 Linden St.), now through Oct. 29. Visit seacoastgrowers.org.
• Henniker Community Market is from 4 to 7 p.m. at Henniker Community Center (57 Main St.), now through October. Find them on Facebook @hennikercommunitymarket.
• Intown Manchester’s Farmers Market will be from 3 to 6 p.m. at Victory Park (Concord and Chestnut streets, Manchester), June 25 through Aug. 27. Find them on Facebook @manchesterfood.
• Rindge Farmers Market is from 3 to 6 p.m. at West Rindge Common (Route 202 North), now through Oct. 8. Find them on Facebook @rindgefarmersandcraftersmarket.
• Wolfeboro Area Farmers Market is from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Clark Park (233 S. Main St., Wolfeboro), now through Oct. 15. Visit wolfeboroareafarmersmarket.com.

Fridays
• Francestown Community Market is from 4 to 7 p.m. across from the Francestown Police Station (15 New Boston Road). Find them on Facebook @francestowncommunitymarket.

Saturdays
• Barnstead Farmers Market is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 96 Maple St. in Center Barnstead, now through September. Visit barnsteadfarmersmarket.club.
• Concord Farmers Market is from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Capitol Street in Concord (near the Statehouse), now through October. Visit concordfarmersmarket.com.
• Contoocook Farmers Market is from 9 a.m. to noon at 896 Main St. in Contoocook. The year-round market usually moves indoors to Maple Street Elementary School (194 Main St.) beginning in early November, according to market manager Karin Cohen.
• New Boston Farmers Market is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the corner of Route 13 and Meetinghouse Hill Road, now through October (no market on Saturday, July 4). Visit newbostonfarmersmarket.webs.com.
• New Ipswich Farmers Market is from 9 a.m. to noon at the New Ipswich town offices (661 Turnpike Road). Find them on Facebook @newipswichfarmersmarket.
• Milford Farmers Market is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 300 Elm St. in Milford (across the street from the New Hampshire Antique Co-op), now through Oct. 10. Visit milfordnhfarmersmarket.com.
• Portsmouth Farmers Market is from 8 a.m. to noon at the Little Harbour School (50 Clough Drive, Portsmouth), now through Nov. 7. Visit seacoastgrowers.org.
• Warner Area Farmers Market is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the lawn of Warner Town Hall (5 E. Main St.), now through October. Visit warnerfarmersmarket.org.
• Wilmot Farmers Market will be from 9 a.m. to noon at 9 Kearsarge Valley Road in Wilmot, June 27 through Sept. 26. Visit wilmotfarmersmarket.com.

2020 graduates

What they missed most, plus hopes for the future

It has been a strange end to the school year for all students, but especially seniors, many of whom missed out on fun celebrations and saying goodbye to all of their classmates. We talked to a few 2020 college and high school grads (and the mom of a kindergarten grad!) about what they missed most and what their hopes are for the future.

Alycia Ashby
Senior at Manchester School of Technology, which moved its graduation ceremony to June 20 at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. Alycia will attend Colby-Sawyer College in New London in the fall.

Ever since the fifth grade I have been working toward this moment. Walking across the stage. Grabbing my diploma. Shaking the hands of my admin and educators. Seven years later everything has changed. … I can’t help but marvel at the fact I may not walk across the stage. The Manchester School of Technology was my second home, my happy place, one that I had taken for granted. … I miss going to school. I miss my friends. I miss learning from a physical teacher teaching in the classroom. … I will never get the time back or the experience but one thing I know moving forward is I need balance. … Recent unfortunate events have allowed for many of us to find ourselves again. As we get back to our lives, I hope I can hold on to the me I have found and never take for granted my happy places.

Jessica Aviles
Jessica’s daughter, Evangeline, recently completed kindergarten at Jacques Memorial Elementary School in Milford. On May 29, Jacques hosted a special drive-through “sendoff” reverse parade to commemorate the conclusion of the school year.

Initially, our whole family was feeling uncertain about everything going on. My dad is a dialysis patient so we are used to self-quarantining when we get sick, but never expected it to be for this long. I reached out to fellow mom friends and was grateful for the constant communication from Jacques. … I expected remote learning to be like homeschooling. It was not at all! The most challenging part for Evangeline was being away from her teacher, Miss Casey, and her first set of classmates. For me, it was finding a balance of time and a schedule for her and her sister, Adalaide. [Evangeline] told me her favorite part was that I try to make learning fun, like Miss Casey. … For the fall, we plan to consider the advice of health officials along with Jacques and the state. I expect that Covid-19 will still be around, along with the usual concerns, and we will just have to take extra healthcare measures. We plan to learn and grow from this experience.

Katherine Buck
Communication and politics graduate of Saint Anselm College in Manchester, which has postponed its commencement ceremony. A livestreamed celebratory event for graduates was held on May 16.

Preparing for graduation this year has been a lot different than how I initially planned it at the beginning of the year. I remember talking with my parents trying to decide where we would want to go to celebrate after graduation and how we wanted to be with the families of my roommates one last time. … My roommates and I were looking forward to being able to take those celebratory pictures … with our diplomas in hand, like so many past. … My future plans were to enter into my career. Although this has not changed, it has become increasingly difficult during this time. I remain hopeful and vigilant in my job search and actively work to not be discouraged while looking for jobs.

Samantha Burns
Senior at Merrimack Valley High School, which will have its commencement ceremony on June 13 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. Students and their families will remain in their vehicles throughout the ceremony and will drive around the track, crossing the finish line to signify their official moment of graduation. Burns plans to attend New England College in the fall.

I have been preparing for graduation by making sure I have everything in line as far as [school] work goes, and picking out what I want to wear is a big part. Obviously, graduation is not going to go the same way I expected it to go. I am going to miss seeing the faces in the crowd as each of us walk down the aisle in our caps and gowns, but I believe that our graduation is going to be unique and one that we are all going to remember.

Julissa Castro
English graduate of Nashua Community College, which has moved its commencement to Sept. 26.

This semester was an adventure for me with online classes and working from home. I took six classes this semester so I could finish in time for graduation, which became more challenging when we switched online. … Thankfully, I have been able to manage my time and balance classes and work, and I was able to finish all of my classes with higher marks. … After graduation, I was going to spend my summer volunteering in Honduras, and then I was transferring to a four-year university to finish my bachelor’s degree. I’m attending John Cabot University in Rome. … Now, I have decided to defer for a semester so I could still be able to volunteer once the quarantine is over.

Hope Cataldo
Elementary education graduate of Rivier University in Nashua, which has postponed its commencement ceremony.

I sat down at my computer at the beginning of April and wrote my commencement speech without knowing if I’d ever give it. … I feel with every ounce of my being the desire to be back at my school, my home, with the people who mean the world to me. … At the start of the school, I was so ready to graduate. And now, all I want is to be back. … Before this pandemic began, my plans were the same as any college graduate. I was excited and ready to start my job search. I was going to live in Nashua, at Rivier, working with some of my favorite people. I was focusing my job search mainly in the Nashua area, as I have truly found a home here. Yet once the pandemic hit, that changed. … I conducted my job search in northern New Hampshire and Vermont, where I live. I accepted a job teaching fourth grade in Vermont, which I am so excited about. … I find myself upset when thinking about what could have been, so instead I focus on the positives. I am home, with a family that supports me unconditionally. We are all safe and well and doing our best to continue to be.

Shaun Collupy
Science in Business Management master’s program graduate of Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, which has postponed its commencement ceremonies, with a new date TBD.

At the beginning of the school year, I envisioned planning for graduation to consist of hugs and goodbyes to my friends, professors, and colleagues, spending last moments in my favorite places on campus, and celebration. Come April, preparation for graduation primarily consisted of ensuring my coursework items were completed on time and virtual goodbyes by way of phone calls and video conferences. What I was looking forward to most about graduating was having the opportunity to cheer on my friends and colleagues as they receive their diploma on Commencement Day. … My plans before the pandemic were, and still are, to begin my career with a Boston-based tech company. Although the initial plan was to start my journey [at the company’s headquarters], I am grateful to have committed to an employer who cares about their employees’ success and is providing me with the tools and resources I need to start my journey on time and remotely. I am excited for the physical office location to reopen and [to] have the opportunity to build relationships with my co-workers in person.

Cordell “CJ” Drabble
Senior at John Stark Regional High School in Weare, which will hold its commencement on June 13.

I had initially planned on all my immediate family coming to graduation to see myself and my close friends they’ve watched grow with me graduate. Now I am bringing just my parents. … [I] am just fortunate we are having a graduation, period. … My future plans haven’t changed. I am still going to be attending Army basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri this July, and returning home as a New Hampshire National Guard soldier.

Emily Gamache
Senior and class vice president of Campbell High School in Litchfield, which will hold its commencement on June 12. She plans to attend the University of Rhode Island in the fall.

There are many events that I have planned in the past and at the beginning of the school year which are much different from how we have to plan events now. At the start of the school year we could hold in-person meetings [and] talk to different teachers for help while in the building. … Now, everything needs to be thought out in a certain form. We need to make sure people are six feet apart, there is no interaction between different families and friends and there is a certain number of people on the field. … I have attended different graduations in the past and there has always been a powerful energy throughout them. There are so many emotions, hugs and pictures at every graduation. I never thought much about being able to hug my friends until it is now something I am no longer able to do.

Ridge Gonzales
Senior at The Derryfield School in Manchester, which will hold an on-campus commencement ceremony with social distancing guidelines on Aug. 1.

I am looking forward to an in-class graduation in August. It has been very different from beginning to plan to graduate at the beginning of this year. For starters, I think there’s less closure with the physical spaces that students correlate with school. For me, this means I can’t even remember what room my last class was in, [and] I never got to say goodbye, knowing this is the last time I’m going to sit down at this exact library table. I was definitely looking forward to the actual graduation ceremony where everyone is dressed up all nice and there’s a multitude of pictures with family and fellow students. To me, it’s pretty magical knowing that all those people have supported you all for this one last event. … My independent senior project was originally [to] visit different workspaces of people who work in business. However, this changed into Zoom and phone calls, which is still amazing, but not as immersive as I would’ve liked. Beyond high school, I was planning to find a good summer job, but some places are not hiring or even open yet. In regards to college, I’m just hoping I can be there in person for the fall.

Trey Haynes
Senior at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, which will hold a virtual graduation ceremony on June 14, streamed via Facebook live.

I was looking forward to [having] a last day with all my teachers and friends, but it was spent in front of a computer screen. … I also looked forward to hanging out with my friends and going on trips but those will have to be postponed. I still plan on going to college, although it might be online for the first semester, which isn’t what I expected to do. I plan to major in biology at NHTI.

Samantha Jette
Communication graduate of Saint Anselm College in Manchester, which has postponed its commencement ceremony. A livestreamed celebratory event was held May 16.

The last months of senior year [are] usually filled with traditions and activities to commemorate the ending of a great four years. When Saint Anselm closed in March, that meant that a lot of these traditions that my classmates and I have looked forward to would not happen. … While it was difficult to be home knowing I was missing time with my friends that I wouldn’t get back, I am lucky to have had such great experiences at St. A’s over the years. … The pandemic has definitely made my post-grad job search more challenging. At the beginning of the year, my hope was to have a job secured after graduation. Now that graduation has come and gone, I am realizing this may be more difficult than I expected.

Morgan Kidwell
Graduate of Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, which has postponed its commencement ceremonies, with a new date TBD.

I started my senior year off by making lists of what type of career I wanted to have, … where I wanted to relocate to, … and what types of companies I was interested in working for post-graduation. I also had a mindset [of making] every moment of my senior year count, which I definitely did! I was looking forward to … [an] entire day celebrating everything that my friends and I have overcome [and] accomplished over the last four years. We all sacrificed so much, pushed ourselves, and grew into amazing young adults throughout our time at SNHU. I did not have any set plans [for after graduation]. I was still searching for jobs, mostly in Colorado, Texas and Arizona. … I have been actively applying and using connections to inquire about [job] positions, [but] with the current situation in the world, most companies … have completely halted their hiring processes until as late as October. It’s tough, but I have faith I will find the perfect marketing position for me. I am currently doing part-time remote work for my internship … as a digital marketing intern as well as creating a website and curating social media posts for a construction company.

Jillian LaBrecque
Senior at John Stark Regional High School in Weare, which will hold its commencement on June 13. She’ll be attending the University of New Hampshire in the fall.

At the beginning of the year … I expected to be preparing for graduation by performing in my last school concert … and spending this last year with my friends that would soon be going to far away schools for military training. Instead, I am now working at a supermarket and spending several hours per week on Zoom calls. … For everything I lost in connection with concerts, performances and prom, I gained in humility and understanding. I finally understood for the first time what it means to have to sacrifice something important. We sacrificed our proms and large graduation ceremonies … for public safety. … I may never get to experience what I most looked forward to, but in reality what I experienced instead will be significantly more valuable to me in the future. So for that, I am very grateful.

Anna Lapadula
Senior at The Derryfield School in Manchester, which will hold an on-campus commencement ceremony with social distancing guidelines on Aug. 1. She will attend Boston University in the fall.

This past fall, I was focused on getting good grades, making it through the year, and being accepted into one of my top college choices. Graduation passed my mind once, maybe twice. … By the time graduation was actually within sight, I wasn’t allowed to be near people nor leave my house for anything other than essential errands. It wasn’t until a week before the original graduation date that it hit me: I don’t get to celebrate what was supposed to be one of the most momentous days of my personal and academic career, and I definitely won’t get to experience it alongside the people that I love the most and have gone through it all with. I wanted to be able to say that I did it. That I survived 15 years of hard work and dedication to my academics in order to create the future that I wanted for myself. I wanted to be able to look at my parents from the stage with my diploma in my hand and tell them that I didn’t let their unwavering support go to waste. I know that walking across a stage seems irrelevant in the light of a burning world, but I still wish I could’ve closed this chapter of my life in the way I had planned to for 15 years. My plan was to maintain my job through the summer, volunteer at local food banks and shelters, finish moving houses, go on a short road trip with my best friend (and fellow senior) as a “last hurrah” before college. … Now … my summer is shaping up to be a lot of solitary and indoor activities.

Emma Montenero
Senior at Campbell High School in Litchfield, which will hold its 2020 commencement on June 12. She plans to attend the University of New Hampshire in the fall.

Since most of my senior activities have been canceled, this part of the year hasn’t been as exciting as it would have been. My school has put together a different version of graduation for us this year, as we need to follow state orders regarding social distancing. … We don’t have to do rehearsals, there will be no speeches … and we can’t take pictures with classmates at our ceremony. These past couple of months have really made me think about what I’m most grateful for and how much I took certain activities for granted. … My class is only 100 students and we’ve all been together since first grade. I’m grateful that we can still graduate together … even though the rest of town isn’t allowed to come and watch.

Rebecca Oswald
Senior at Campbell High School in Litchfield, which will hold its 2020 commencement on June 12. She plans to attend Sacred Heart University in Connecticut in the fall.

Under the circumstances, planning for graduation this year has been different than what I expected it to be. … I am truly so grateful that as a class we do get a live graduation, and though we don’t have a Senior Week or any of the activities that come with the last month of senior year, we do get to spend that time together and cherish those moments. … After graduation, I was going to go abroad in Europe with my grandparents and truly enjoy my summer before I go off to college in the fall. Sadly, due to the pandemic, I have had the trip to Europe canceled.

Erica Royle
Public health graduate of Rivier University in Nashua, which has postponed its commencement ceremony.

Unfortunately, my time on campus came to an abrupt end when students had to move off campus due to Covid-19. I was devastated. I never thought this was how my senior year was going to end. … Although the seniors at my school were not able to celebrate together in person, my school did an amazing job making all the seniors feel loved with virtual ways to connect during these difficult times. … The thing I was looking forward to the most was getting to walk across the stage, receive my degree and getting to celebrate with my friends and family. … Of course, it would have been amazing to celebrate that accomplishment with a graduation, but I still achieved what I set out to achieve, and that makes me happy. … It was always my goal to secure a job immediately after finishing school, and with a lot of hard work, I was able to accomplish that goal. … On May 4, I started my new job as an intensive case manager at Eliot Community Human Services.

Josh Sargent
Art and human development graduate at Plymouth State University, which has postponed its commencement ceremony.

Graduation this year didn’t go as planned. There was no preparation once Covid-19 hit. … The number one thing I was looking forward to about graduating was seeing my mother’s reaction to me walking across the stage. She deserves that piece of paper for supporting me just as much as I earned it.

Rose Speigel
Senior at The Derryfield School in Manchester, which will hold an on-campus commencement ceremony with social distancing guidelines on Aug. 1. She hopes to attend the New England College Institute of Art and Design in the fall.

I had the idea in my head that I would wrap up my schooling, finish final assignments and then graduate among my peers. Now due to Covid-19, I am not sure what day I will graduate. My school has prepared three different dates throughout this coming fall and winter to hold our commencement ceremony, and there is no determining which date, if any, it will be. … I left school on a Thursday in March assuming I’d be there that Friday, but school was canceled and now it’s June. … It felt like all these years would lead up to those special senior moments, and now it’s been cut short. … As far as I know, NECIAD will have classes on campus in the fall. However, if these plans and courses become online only, I will not attend until they are on campus again … because my intent was to work in a studio with all of the art amenities it has to offer.

Victoria Williams
Senior at Manchester School of Technology, which has moved its graduation ceremony to June 20 at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

I started off the year as senior class president and looked forward to making this senior year the best one yet. I intended for graduation to be as heartwarming and memorable as possible but now it [seems] like that really isn’t even my decision anymore. … My original plans after graduation [were] leaving the state and going to college, but with all the colleges closing, I honestly doubt that I will actually be able to. I do still intend on doing what I can to get as close to my long-term goal as possible, but I feel like it is not going to be a cake walk.

Kayleigh Zervos
Graduate of New England College in Henniker, which has postponed its commencement ceremony until Oct. 4, during Alumni Weekend.

I took extra classes so I was able to finish a semester early, allowing me to walk this May, but finish my last semester in the fall. … One of the main reasons I wanted to walk early was the fact that all my best friends and boyfriend are older than me [and are] graduating this year. It was definitely disappointing working so hard by taking extra courses for graduation to be postponed. We always have a senior week the week of graduation … so it was really sad knowing that we’ll never get to experience that together. I was really looking forward to … all of us [being] together one last time before entering the big world. My future plans were to finish my student teaching in the fall and possibly get hired at that school to work until the end of the school year. Otherwise, I would just move to Washington … to live with my boyfriend. If schools don’t open in the fall, I’m not sure whether or not I’ll be able to do student teaching with remote learning or have to wait until the next semester.

Lauren Zervos
Senior at John Stark Regional High School in Weare, which will hold its 2020 commencement on June 13. She’ll be attending the Maine College of Art in the fall.

I initially thought leading up to graduation would be extremely stressful. … Instead, the year ended so quickly I feel like it’s not real. Yesterday was March 13 in my mind. Now it’s June. Preparing for graduation has been quite different because we’ve been saying goodbye over video chat instead of … in person. I still am [attending college] but it might be a little different because of the chance that we would have to begin remotely.

The State of Summer Camps

How day camps are adapting to new rules

Gov. Chris Sununu recently gave the green light for summer day camps to open on Monday, June 22, and summer overnight camps to open on Sunday, June 28, stating that summer camps are an “essential” service for New Hampshire families.
Many camps have shifted to a virtual format or canceled their programs altogether. Some will move forward with their traditional camps starting on or after June 22, but with new guidelines about face coverings, social distancing, handwashing, sanitizing, health checks and pick-up and drop-off procedures, even the “traditional” summer camp experience will look a little different than what camp staff, families and campers are used to.
“We are looking at a lot of modifications or adaptations of our regular camp activities so that we can continue to meet the needs of the families while also following the CDC and governor’s guidelines,” said Lisa Bernard, executive director for the Granite YMCA Greater Londonderry branch.

A difficult decision
Rob Dionne, artistic director and CEO of The Majestic Theatre in Manchester, said making a decision about Majestic’s summer theater camp has been “an agonizing process.” He and his staff ultimately decided to offer virtual programming only.
“We tried to hang on as long as we could,” he said. “We didn’t want to cancel too far in advance because things seem to be changing daily, but looking at how the governor has been reopening things, we [came to the conclusion that] having our camps the way we normally do just wasn’t realistic anymore.”
Majestic will offer two virtual camps. One will consist of three week-long sessions for children ages five through seven, with 45-minute interactive workshops on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The other will consist of four week-long sessions for children ages eight through 14, with one-hour interactive workshops held twice a day, Monday through Friday, exploring theater skills like acting, improv, music, choreography, character development, audition preparation and more.
The Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord, which traditionally holds six weeks of summer camps focused on painting, sculpting, drawing, ceramics and other artistic media, was going to start with virtual programming and consider offering in-person camps the week of July 6, but the board ultimately elected not to offer any in-person camps this summer.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision that weighed on us just about every minute of the past several months,” executive director Julianne Gadoury said. “Some of children’s best learning and joyful experiences come from summer camp. … Lasting friendships are developed. … We understand and value this. Ultimately, however, we decided that, no matter how good our [health and safety] protocols were, … there is still a risk … [and] that risk will be present in all of our lives for a long time. … For now, we decided to take a pause.”
Kimball Jenkins will have a variety of week-long virtual camps, including ones focused on theater, dance, studio arts, comic making and clay, for kids ages five through 16. Campers will have art supplies delivered to their house each week and will take part in three hour-long interactive sessions online each day providing instruction on different activities they can do with those supplies.
“For parents, this will provide some daily structure for those who are working from home or need to leave their kids at home,” Gadoury said.
The Nature of Things, a Nashua-based educational institution and child care center, is the host of three summer camps: an outdoor adventure camp called Camp Lovewell, a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) camp called Brainwave and an art camp called The Painted Turtle. President Kerry Gleeson said she believes the benefits that summer camp has for children outweigh the risks associated with the coronavirus. All three camps will run in person, with some modifications.
“We … understand the importance of children being outside and making social connections, especially at a time like this,” Gleeson said. “The public health crisis is certainly serious, but the other possible impacts on childhood development, such as psychological and emotional damages, are just as critical. It is always one of our foremost goals to ensure that we are addressing the needs of the whole child, and this is true now more than ever.”
Challenger Sports, a national soccer camp program, announced that it will offer both virtual and in-person camps, but because the in-person camps are run in partnership with community centers and organizations, they will be more limited this year than in years past.
“We have our own Covid-19 plan and restrictions, but our camps are a collaborative effort, and every organization we work with has different guidelines based on its local government,” vice president David Rush said. “Some have already told us they need to cancel camp this year, and there’s some that still have furloughed [staff], so there isn’t even anyone to talk to about camp.”
As of now, in-person Challenger soccer camps are being offered in Londonderry, Weare, Windham, New Boston, Hopkinton, Pelham and other towns and cities throughout New Hampshire, but Rush said plans are changing “on a regular basis.”
“There’s still so much uncertainty at this point,” he said. “One day we get a call saying, ‘Great news — we want to run the camp,’ and the next day we get a call saying, ‘We’re going to have to cancel.’ It’s a fluid, moving situation, but we should be able to say within the next few weeks with confidence what camps we’ll be running.”
Unfortunately, for camps like Camp Allen, a day and overnight outdoor adventure camp for children and adults with disabilities, a modified or virtual camp isn’t a viable alternative.
“When Covid-19 began to appear in the news, we started to worry,” executive director Michael Constance said. “We began to craft [health and safety] policies. … As the virus progressed, I started setting barometers as to events that would lead us to cancellation. What really made the decision was the outbreaks at two facilities that serve a similar population. I created a binder of research I collected over 30 days and presented this to the board, and the decision [to cancel] was unanimous.”

Health and safety
In-person summer camps will look very different to campers and parents this year as the camps have made significant modifications and implemented numerous health and safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. One of the biggest modifications is separating campers into small, isolated groups.
“Campers and staff will be divided into groups of 10 that will serve as their cohort for the summer,” said Emily O’Rourke, communications director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central New Hampshire, which serves the greater Concord area and Lakes Region. “We will be spreading cohorts throughout our facilities and may be using additional facilities. Interaction with others will be limited.”
The Challenger soccer camps will follow a similar model.
“Kids will be split into groups of ten, each with their own coach, and will be spread out on different sides of the field,” Rush said. “They won’t come together for opening or closing ceremonies; they won’t have lunch together; they will never interact with the other groups at camp.”
Camps that have a spacious facility or multiple facilities, like the Boys & Girls Clubs and The Merrimack Parks & Recreation Department’s Camp Naticook, are at an advantage because they can accommodate more groups of campers while keeping them at a safe distance from each other.
“We are fortunate here that we have such a large facility with a lot of buildings to operate out of,” Merrimack Parks & Recreation director Matthew Casparius said. “Some of my counterparts in other communities aren’t able to provide camp this summer because they simply don’t have the space that they would need to meet the guidelines.”
Even with smaller group sizes, camps have eliminated field trips to reduce the risk of community transmission of Covid-19, and they have modified their activities to include those that are more conducive to social distancing, like hands-on projects that campers can do independently and outdoor recreation. Camp Naticook, for example, has terminated activities like archery, playground time, contact sports and boating activities, which would involve campers being close to other campers and staff members, or sharing and touching the same equipment and surfaces.
“We’re looking at non-contact … games and nontraditional camp activities,” Casparius said. “We are still hoping to have a complement of sports and games, nature exploration, arts and crafts and drama games.”
Parents and campers will also need to familiarize themselves with long lists of new health and safety precautions. Universal guidelines require camp staff to wear face masks, wash their hands frequently and sanitize common areas and items after every use. There will be a zero-tolerance policy for campers or staff showing any symptoms of illness. Most camps have also added additional protocols of their own. Boys & Girls Clubs camps, for example, will conduct health checks at the door every day and sanitize all personal items that the campers bring with them; and Challenger soccer camps will stagger drop-off and pick-up times in 15-minute intervals to prevent large groups of parents and campers congregating in one area.

A devastating impact
For some summer camps and families seeking summer camps, the challenges created by Covid-19 are insurmountable.
“[Summer camp] is one of our most popular offerings of the year and brings in a lot of income for the theater,” Dionne said. “We’re losing a lot of money, and the longer this [pandemic] goes on, the scarier it gets, and the harder it gets just to maintain the bare essential [business costs].”
LetGoYourMind, a STEM program that planned to host camps in Amherst, Bedford, Concord, Londonderry, Manchester, Windham, Salem, Nashua, Pelham and other towns and cities throughout New Hampshire, had more than 700 families registered before it decided to cancel its traditional camps and go the virtual route. According to owner Jim Harvey, the cancellation has resulted in the program losing 90 percent of its revenue and put the program in a very difficult position:
“To get [the camp] up and running, throughout the year we … budget funds for insurance, rentals and staff … [and] purchasing new Legos, robots, computers, software and other such equipment,” Harvey said. “This is all paid for in advance. … Thank goodness we were able to secure a SBA [Small Business Association] loan to return the funds to the [registered] families.”
Most camps offering virtual programs as an alternative to their traditional summer camps are doing it not for the money — the mitigation of financial loss that the virtual programs provide is negligible — but as a way to stay connected with campers and families.
“We’re still looking at a 75 to 85 percent loss of income, even with the virtual programs, so it’s not like money is what’s driving us.” Dionne said. “This is a service to our families. Our No. 1 goal right now is making sure kids still have an opportunity to do music and theater this summer.”
In-person camps are suffering a significant loss of revenue as well, since social distancing restrictions have made it harder for them to accommodate their usual number of campers.
“Due to space limitations and increased staff-to-child ratio, we do not have as many openings as usual,” O’Rourke said. “Having fewer campers definitely impacts the bottom line and, for one thing means we can’t hire as many part-time staff as we usually do.”
With camps like the Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCA camps, which are primarily used as a means of summer-long child care, the space limitations affect not only the camp, but the families seeking child care, as well.
“All our camps currently are on waitlists,” O’Rourke said. “This makes it difficult for caregivers who need to get back to work, as their options may be more limited now.”
“We will be functioning at a smaller capacity because of having to split the campers into groups,” Bernard added. “We are attempting to get creative by looking for offsite locations and other spaces so that we are able to serve as many kids as we can.”
Some camp officials report that families might not yet feel comfortable sending their children to camp.
“Since the pandemic hit, people have been more cautious, and rightly so,” Rush said, “We’ve had very few new registrations since then.”
Pre-Covid-19, Challenger Sports averaged around 60,000 campers throughout the U.S. every summer, and around 2,500 in New Hampshire. This year, the program is looking at around 10,000 campers nationwide, with only 300 registered in New Hampshire so far.
“You don’t need to be a wizard with a calculator to see … that [Covid-19] had decimated us,” Rush said. “We’ve been able to weather [the financial loss] up until now because we received government aid, but the harsh reality is, that money is about the run out, and we will have to start borrowing money from the banks. It will take us, and every other camp company, two to three years to recover, because we aren’t making money this year, and next year we’ll be paying down our debt.”
Casparius noted that not only will Camp Naticook have fewer campers this summer but it will also need to hire and pay more staff since the campers will be divided into numerous small groups.
“The camp will probably lose money this summer,” he said.
Camp Naticook’s motivation for hosting summer camp this year is the same as that of The Majestic Theatre: to provide a service for campers and families.
“We are doing it because we know that families do need child care in order to go back to work themselves and kids need a sense of normalcy throughout all of this,” Casparius said. “They need to see their friends after being cooped up at home for the last few months, which they can only get at camp.”
Many camp directors said that if there is a silver lining to be found within the crippling impact Covid-19 has had on the summer camp business it’s the encouragement felt from the outpouring of support they have received from the community.
“We got a big reminder of how important camp is in people’s lives,” Constance said, “The letters and calls we have received have moved me to tears. Some families have even donated the tuition they paid to insure that we can continue what we do. I have always talked about camp being a family, and this situation has certainly reminded me of this fact.”

Photo courtesy of Camp Lovewell.

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