Category: Cover Stories

Anticipating the strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and more that will add sweetness to your summer

By Mya Blanchard and Matt Ingersoll

listings@hippopress.com

Nothing signals the start of summer quite like fresh berries, and the time to pick is right around the corner. Despite a recent unseasonably cold snap that threatened this year’s crops, most area farms remain hopeful for a decent harvest.

According to the National Weather Service, the temperature dropped 40 degrees in the Manchester area on May 18, from a high of 68 to a record low of 28 degrees. Concord also tied its record low that night of 25 degrees, set back in 1983, data shows.

Recent conditions had the potential to devastate entire crops at places like Rossview Farm in Concord, which is gearing up for pick-your-own strawberries very soon. Owner Don Ross was able to save a majority of them thanks to his irrigation pumping system — but not without lots of work and countless hours of extra invested time.

“In 31 years of growing strawberries, it’s only the second time that I can think of turning the irrigation pump on for frost protection while it’s still light out the night before,” Ross said.

Ross said that, while the ice that forms from freezing water on a strawberry plant does act as somewhat of an insulator, it can’t be relied upon alone.

“You have to continue to add water,” he said. “As water becomes ice, it has to give off heat and has to go somewhere. … So that’s the science behind it. You’ve got to keep watering until it gets warm enough in the morning that the frost is no longer a threat.”

Sunnycrest Farm in Londonderry, which has been growing berries for the past 50 years, opens for pick-your-own strawberries on June 15. Farm manager Samanatha Fay said unusually cold temperatures far out into the spring had the potential to put this year’s crop at risk.

“We were [at] the end of our bloom so we thought we were safe, but a lot of damage set in because the temperatures dropped and they stayed for so long,” Fay said. “A lot of buds died off, unfortunately.”

Circumstances were similar at Kimball Fruit Farm, located on the Hollis town line bordering Pepperell, Mass., where some of the early blooms also took a hit. Despite the early damage, this year’s crop still seems promising.

The crops at Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis, meanwhile, also seem to be doing OK, according to fifth-generation owner Chip Hardy. They’ll also start out with pick-your-own strawberries, followed by blueberries, raspberries and blackberries as the summer draws on.

“The weather has not had an adverse effect on these crops.” Hardy said. “They all look very good.”

Due to warmer weather earlier in the season, raspberries and blueberries are even expected earlier than usual this year, Hardy said.

“It’s really convenient for the folks to come pick strawberries because by the end of June [to] early July, we’ll have strawberries and raspberries ripe at the same time, and usually by the first of July our first blueberries will be ripe too,” he said.

But the weather has had the opposite effect on crops for farms farther north. Strawberry crops could be delayed at Apple Hill Farm in Concord, due to the erratic weather patterns that area of the state has experienced, according to co-owner Diane Souther.

“Because of the spring that we’ve had, they may be a little later in June before we’re really picking solid, so I’ll say after the 25th of June,” she said.

At Rossview Farm, Ross aims to be open for strawberry picking around the second week of June, while blueberries tend to be ready shortly after the calendar turns over to July. He said that, unlike strawberries, his blueberries don’t always need irrigation to the same extent.

“The blueberries are actually [from] a bush, and strawberries are [from] a plant,” he said. “Blueberries, the way they hang, are facing the ground and so they almost have a built-in frost protection system, whereas strawberry blossoms face upright, [to] the sun.”

In Contoocook, Gould Hill Farm is perhaps best-known for its many varieties of pick-your-own apples, but will offer a small selection of other fruits and vegetables, including blueberries. Owner Tim Bassett said that if all goes well blueberries should be ready to go around July 16 to July 18, and would run into early August.

“We had a little bit of frost damage, but right now things look OK, and we’re hopeful it will be a good crop,” Bassett said.

When are they ready?
Sources: agriculture.nh.gov and extension.unh.edu

Strawberries: early to mid-June
Blueberries: early to mid-July
Raspberries: early to mid-July
Cherries: early to mid-July
Blackberries: mid to late July or early August

Varieties and when to pick

Different fruits, and their varieties, thrive in different temperatures. Strawberries are the first of the berries to bloom, usually coming in around the second week of June, the ideal time for pick-your-own being the end of the month, said David Wadleigh, owner of Kimball Fruit Farm.

“They’ll start to come out when it’s warm, but once it gets too hot they’re all done,” Wadleigh said. “They last until about the Fourth of July [or] really when it gets so hot the plants just don’t produce fruit anymore.”

It’s around this time, Fay says, that blueberries and cherries usually make an appearance, with July being the prime time for harvesting. Fay said it can be hard to lock down a specific time that’s too far in advance of when berries will be ready to harvest, as many fruits have multiple varieties that bloom at different times of the season.

“One strand … will produce earlier in the season for you, where another one comes in later just because of the different temperature qualities and how it could survive better,” Fay said.

When it comes to growing these fruits, planting different varieties is key to getting the most out of the season. At Brookdale Fruit Farm, about 10 different varieties of strawberries are grown and harvested, from a mix of early maturing ones such as Wendy and Galletta, to mid-season varieties like Dickens and Honeoye and late season varieties like Rutgers Scarlet.

At Kimball Fruit Farm, about 4,000 strawberry plants were planted — 1,000 each of four different varieties.

“You get so many varieties like that so you have a crop throughout the whole season,” Wadleigh said. “If we planted [only] one variety, we would only have strawberries for like a week because each variety is only out for a short amount of time.”

The same is true for other berries as well. Because blueberries usually last five to six weeks, five to seven varieties will need to be planted in order for the crop to last the whole season, Wadleigh said.

Raspberries, which usually arrive toward the end of June in the middle of strawberry season, tend to have a longer season than some of the other berries, so only about four varieties are needed to extend the season by multiple weeks, Wadleigh said. As for blackberries, on the other hand, only one type is grown at Kimball Fruit Farm.

“You basically keep picking them until it gets too cold and then they don’t produce for you anymore,” Wadleigh said.

While their ripening times vary, there otherwise isn’t a distinguishable difference between these varieties.

“When people come to pick, they don’t typically ask for a certain variety of strawberry,” Souther said.” They just want some that [are] red and sweet and juicy.”

Growing conditions

In addition to temperature, precipitation levels are crucial to the health and growth of crops.

“You need consistent rain,” Fay said.

Not having sufficient rain can hinder the growth and longevity of a berry’s season, as was the case last year with the raspberries at Kimball Fruit Farm.

“We had a pretty severe drought and kind of the blackberries too toward the end of the year, so it kind of shortened the raspberry season a little bit,” Wadleigh said. “We also had less raspberries out there to pick because the plant wasn’t getting one of the things that it needed.”

There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and rain is no exception.

“Berries are also really prone to mold and mildew, [which] travel by spores, and spores use heat and water as vectors to get into plants,” Wadleigh said. “So when it’s the middle of summer and the plants are all wet, it’s like a big sign saying, ‘Mold and mildew welcome here.’ So you do need water for the berries, but too much rain can also be detrimental to your crop as well.”

Too much rain can also cause root rot, inflicting harm on the plant itself, as Fay points out. As with most things, a healthy balance is best and creates the ideal conditions for the berry season.

“It’s always a nice even keel between moisture and sunshine because you need the sun to ripen the fruit and make the flowers bloom,” Fay said.

Assuming that there isn’t damage or disease that has harmed the plant, these berry plants — and trees, in the case of cherries — are perennials, meaning they will come back every year until the end of their lifespan.

“We have some raspberry plants at the farm that we had when I was younger when I started working here in high school,” said Wadleigh, who’s been working at Kimball Fruit Farm for 19 years. “Some of the cherry trees are at least 60 [years old] if not more.”

Strawberry plants may need to be replaced more often, roughly every three to five years, depending on the weather conditions they have experienced, according to Wadleigh.

There are several important measures to be taken, Fay said, to protect these plants from the elements.

“The first year of growth you want to pick off any of the fruit or the flowers that first come, because instead of them focusing on growing any fruit the first year, you want them to really focus on the roots’ support system,” she said.

It’s also important to shield the plants from cold temperatures. This can be done by covering them with hay or straw, or even covering them with water.

“The water almost acts like a blanket on top of them and it actually prevents the flowers from being damaged by the cold,” Wadleigh said. “We [have] had to do that … and it actually saved most of the early berries. … If the yellow center [of the strawberry blossoms] turns black you know that it was damaged by the cold.”

After harvest

After you’ve picked your berries, they are best kept in the refrigerator, as keeping them cool slows down the breakdown of the fruit, according to Fay. Just as the plants are prone to mold and mildew, the berries themselves are as well, Wadleigh said — for this reason, it’s also important to keep them dry.

“I always recommend, because mold and mildew use water as a vector, [not to] wash them until you’re about to eat them,” he said.

Once harvested, there are numerous ways to enjoy them.

“Strawberry shortcake is always a standby favorite,” Souther said.

She also notes that if you plan to make smoothies or frappes you can freeze the berries to throw in the blender later. Other popular recipes are pies, as Souther pointed out, and jams, custards and other desserts, according to Fay.

Berries can also be cooked down and mixed into drinks, like, for example, adding a blueberry syrup to lemonade, Wadleigh said.

While often made into or paired with desserts, berries can be included in savory meals too.

“A lot of people cook the berries down and make a sauce that they use in a savory dish,” Wadleigh said. “I’ve heard of … people cooking them down and [putting] it with different cuts of meat.”

Berry festivals
Check out these events happening in the Granite State that center around local strawberries and blueberries when in season. Do you know of one that we missed? Tell us about it at food@hippopress.com.

Join J&F Farms (124 Chester, Road, Derry) for its annual strawberry fest on Saturday, June 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Festivities will include hayrides, food trucks, a petting farm and live music, in addition to food trucks and, of course, strawberries. Visit jandffarmsnh.com.
Applecrest Farm Orchards (133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls) will hold its 16th annual strawberry festival on Saturday, June 17, and Sunday, June 18, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Enjoy pick-your-own strawberries, tractor rides and berry-inspired snacks while listening to live music. See applecrest.com.
A local tradition for more than 75 years, the Hollis Strawberry Festival returns on Sunday, June 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. on the town common (2 Monument Square, Hollis). The festival is put on by the Hollis Woman’s Club and features fresh, local strawberries and homemade biscuits, with or without hand-whipped cream and homemade ice cream, available for sale. There will also be children’s games, face-painting, craft vendors and a live performance from the Hollis Town Band. Visit holliswomansclub.org.
Celebrate the start of blueberry season at Applecrest Farm Orchards (133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls) with a blueberry festival on Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit applecrest.com.

Where to pick your own berries

Here are some farms that plan to offer fresh berries for pick-your-own throughout this upcoming season. Know of any we missed? Tell us about it at food@hippopress.com.

• Apple Hill Farm 580 Mountain Road, Concord, 224-8862, applehillfarmnh.com What: Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries When: Projected opening date is around mid to late June, according to Apple Hill Farm co-owner Diane Souther, starting with pick-your-own strawberries.

• Applecrest Farm Orchards 133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, 926-3721, applecrest.com What: Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries When: The farm stand is open daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; pick-your-own strawberries will likely be around mid-June, followed by blueberries in early July and raspberries in mid-August, according to applecrest.com.

• Berry Good Farm 234 Parker Road, Goffstown, 497-8138, find them on Facebook What: Blueberries When: pick-your-own blueberries will likely start around mid-July.

• Berrybogg Farm 650 Province Road, Strafford, 664-2100, berryboggfarm.com What: Blueberries When: Pick-your-own blueberries will likely start sometime shortly after the Fourth of July, according to the latest message from the farm’s picking hotline.

• Blueberry Bay Farm 38 Depot Road, Stratham, 580-1612, blueberrybayfarm.com What: Blueberries When: Pick-your-own blueberries expected to start on or around June 26, with peak picking season around the third week of July.

• Brookdale Fruit Farm 41 Broad St., Hollis, 465-2240, brookdalefruitfarm.com What: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries When: Pick-your-own strawberries are expected to be available around mid-to-late June, followed by blueberries and raspberries by early July and blackberries later into the summer.

• Butternut Farm 195 Meaderboro Road, Farmington, 335-4705, butternutfarm.net What: Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries When: Strawberry picking is projected to run from about June 15 through July 10, followed by raspberries from about July 1 to July 25 and blueberries from about July 15 to Aug. 31, according to Butternut Farm owner Giff Burnap.

• Carter Hill Orchard 73 Carter Hill Road, Concord, 225-2625, carterhillapples.com What: Blueberries When: Pick-your-own blueberries will likely start sometime in July, according to carterhillapples.com.

• Devriendt Farm Products 178 S. Mast St., Goffstown, 497-2793, devriendtfarm.com What: Strawberries When: Pick-your-own strawberries expected around the second or third week of June.

• Elwood Orchards 54 Elwood Road, Londonderry, 434-6017, elwoodorchards.com What: Cherries When: Pick-your-own cherries are expected to be available around July 4

• Gould Hill Farm 656 Gould Hill Farm, Contoocook, 746-3811, gouldhillfarm.com What: Blueberries When: Pick-your-own blueberries will likely start around July 16 to July 18, according to owner Tim Bassett, and is expected to run into early August.

• Grandpa’s Farm 143 Clough Hill Road, Loudon, 783-5690, grandpasfarmnh.com What: Blueberries When: Daily, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; the projected opening date is around July 10, according to grandpasfarmnh.com.

• Grounding Stone Farm 289 Maple St., Contoocook, 746-1064, groundingstonefarm.com What: Blueberries When: Projected opening date is around July 10, according to groundingstonefarm.com.

• Hackleboro Orchards 61 Orchard Road, Canterbury, 783-4248, hackleboroorchard.com What: Blueberries When: Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; pick-your-own blueberries are expected between mid-June and late August, according to hackleboroorchard.com.

• J&F Farms 108 Chester Road, Derry, 437-0535, jandffarmsnh.com What: Strawberries When: The farm will likely have pick-your-own strawberries around the second or third week of June.

• Kimball Fruit Farm Route 122, on the Hollis and Pepperell, Mass., border, 978-433-9751, kimball.farm What: Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries Expected hours: Pick-your-own strawberries are projected for the latter half of June. The farm stand is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Lavoie’s Farm 172 Nartoff Road, Hollis, 882-0072, lavoiesfarm.com What: Strawberries and blueberries When: Farm hours are daily, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• McKenzie’s Farm 71 Northeast Pond Road, Milton, 652-9400, mckenziesfarm.com What: Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries When: Strawberries are expected to be ready by the middle of June, followed by raspberries around July 4 and blueberries also in early July.

• Norland Berries 164 N. Barnstead Road, Center Barnstead, 776-2021, norlandberries.com What: Blueberries When: Berries will likely be available by early to mid-July.

• Rossview Farm 85 District 5 Road, Concord, 228-4872, rossviewfarm.com What: Strawberries and blueberries When: Strawberries are expected to be ready for pick-your-own by the second week of June, followed by blueberries around the Fourth of July, according to Rossview Farm owner Don Ross.

• Saltbox Farm 321 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham, 436-7978, find them on Facebook

What: Blueberries When: Blueberries are expected by early to mid-July.

• Smith Farm Stand 15 Smith Farm Road, Gilford, 524-7673, smithfarmstand.com What: Raspberries and blueberries When: The farm features three raspberry beds and one blueberry field, according to smithfarmstand.com. Raspberries are expected to be ready for picking around the second week of July, followed by blueberries in mid-July.

• Spring Ledge Farm 37 Main St., New London, 526-6253, springledgefarm.com What: Strawberries When: Pick-your-own strawberries expected later toward the end of June.

• Sunnycrest Farm 59 High Range Road, Londonderry, 432-7753, sunnycrestfarmnh.com What: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries When: 7 a.m. to noon, daily for pick-your-own strawberries, with an expected opening date of June 15, according to farm manager Samantha Fay. Beginning in late June or early July are cherries, followed by blueberries and raspberries by the start of July.

• Trombly Gardens 150 N. River Road, Milford, 673-0647, tromblygardens.net What: Strawberries and blueberries When: Pick-your-own strawberries are expected later in June, followed by blueberries in early July.

Recipes

Homemade strawberry rhubarb lemonade ice pops
Courtesy of Diane Souther of Apple Hill Farm in Concord (makes about 12 to 15 ice pops)

3 stalks rhubarb, chopped fine (approximately 3 cups, packed loose)
¾ cup sugar
2½ cups water
3 cups strawberries, frozen or fresh, hulled and sliced
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a large saucepan, bring the rhubarb, sugar, water and strawberries to a light boil for about three minutes, stirring to dissolve. Remove from the heat and let it sit in the pan for around 30 minutes or longer — this allows the fruit to blend together and lets it cool slightly before the next step. Place in a blender with the lemon juice and puree. Pour into ice pop molds and freeze until chilled.

Raspberry whip
Courtesy of Chip Hardy of Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis

1 pint raspberries
2 egg whites
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip the egg whites until soft, then add the sugar slowly and whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold in the vanilla. Add the raspberries and mix quickly with a beater. Refrigerate. Great for use on top of an angel food cake or pound cake.

All-berry pie
Courtesy of Chip Hardy of Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis

2 to 3 quarts any variety of berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or blackberries)
¼ cup sugar
2 premade pie crusts
1 Tablespoon butter

Mix together the berries and add the sugar. Set aside. Using an 8- or 9-inch round pie plate, place the bottom pie crust inside and add the berry mixture on top. The top pie crust should have a lattice top for the steam to come out — if using the whole top crust, make sure to poke steam holes in the crust. Melt the butter and brush onto the top crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until the crust is slightly browned. Remove from the oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Refrigerate after serving.

Strawberry buttercream frosting
Courtesy of Diane Souther of Apple Hill Farm in Concord

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1¼ cups sugar
¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
1½ cups fresh strawberries, pureed

Place whites and sugar in a double boiler cooking pot. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Whisk with a mixer on medium speed for five minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until stiff and glossy peaks form (about six minutes). Reduce the speed to medium and add butter, one piece at a time, whisking well after each addition. Switch to a paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the strawberry puree and beat until smooth (about three to five minutes). Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate (can be refrigerated for up to three days — bring to room temperature and beat on a low speed until smooth before using).

Strawberry cupcakes
Courtesy of Diane Souther of Apple Hill Farm in Concord

1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1½ cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
1¾ cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling fruit
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups milk
10 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into small diced pieces, plus more for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two and a half standard 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder and salt, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (three to four minutes), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour — beat until combined after each addition. Fold in the strawberries. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups so that each is about two-thirds full (about 2 ounces each). Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean (about 20 minutes). Transfer the pans to a wire rack to cool for five minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely on the wire racks.

Featured photo: Strawberries from Sunnycrest Farm in Londonderry. Courtesy photo.

Discover new wines as NH moves its Wine Week celebration to a sunnier season

New Hampshire Wine Week, traditionally a late January affair, has been moved to June for the first time in its nearly 20-year history. Internationally renowned winemakers will once again travel to the Granite State to participate in a week of tastings, seminars and dinners, culminating with the rebranded New England Wine Spectacular. The annual expo-style wine tasting is returning for an 18th year on Thursday, June 15, and will feature thousands of wines to taste from around the world — sometimes poured and handed out by the winemakers themselves — plus a variety of locally prepared food options for pairing.

Last held in its traditional format in January 2020, New Hampshire Wine Week transitioned to a series of virtual tastings at the height of the pandemic the following year. Rising Covid-19 numbers by early January 2022 again forced the cancellation of the event, just two weeks before it was scheduled to take place. Now anticipation for the Spectacular’s return in full force is high among winemakers and organizers.

“What we’re seeing is an anxiousness for people to congregate again. I definitely get that sense with a lot of the winemakers and the brokerage community,” said Justin Gunter, wine beverage marketing specialist for the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. “We really want to take the foundation of the event that has been built over all this time and keep increasing that visibility.”

Lorrie Piper, the NHLC’s chief marketing officer, said that despite the date changes, the plan is to keep New Hampshire Wine Week mostly in the same format as in pre-pandemic years. While the Spectacular is on that Thursday, it will be surrounded by a week’s worth of other events, from wine dinners at local restaurants to bottle signings at several of the nearly 70 Liquor & Wine Outlet stores statewide.

The NHLC regularly monitors consumer trends that sometimes influence what you may discover at these events. Wines and spirits in the ready-to-drink category, for instance, are on the rise — Piper said the sheer number of RTD products on the shelves of each store rose by about 30 percent in 2022 from 2021.

“For the RTDs, I think you’re seeing people who are going to get out this summer, and they are looking for that kind of grab-and-go, thrown in your cooler sort of thing, heading out to your picnic or whatever you’re doing outside,” she said. “We continually get presented with new concoctions and things that are brand new to the market. … I think customers are leaning toward the brands that they already know and are comfortable with, and just kind of parlaying that into these ready-to-drink options as well.”

A spectacle of wines

The premier event of New Hampshire Wine Week, the New England Wine Spectacular will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown. Since its inception, the Spectacular has become known as one of the largest wine tasting events in the country, boasting around 1,700 different products to try from regions all over the world. Attendees will also be able to meet face to face with many of the wine industry’s most well-known personalities throughout the evening, and can learn more or ask questions about their products.

“It’s really a great opportunity to get everybody together again, and to celebrate wine and everything that is,” Gunter said. “Wine enthusiasts of any level, from the very beginner who is starting to explore the world of wine … all the way to the wine aficionado, will have that opportunity to go to places they’ve never been able to go.”

Expected visitors of this year’s Spectacular hail from all over the West Coast, including in California’s Napa and Sonoma counties, as well as some European countries like France and Italy, and even below the equator in nations like Argentina. New Hampshire winemakers also join in on the fun with offerings of their own — LaBelle Winery of Amherst and Derry, Sweet Baby Vineyard of Hampstead and Zorvino Vineyards of Sandown are among those representing the Granite State.

Along with the thousands of wines, the Spectacular will have a variety of exclusive silent auction items available to bid on, and food samples from around 30 participating restaurants.

“They will primarily have … dishes on single-serve plates. It’s basically hors d’oeuvres, amuse-bouche types of servings,” Gunter said. “[The food is] not really designed to be the feature of the show, but it is designed to enhance the pairings of the two. … Most of the restaurants that are going to be supporting us are local, and so it’s an opportunity for them to present some of their fare and get their name out as well.”

The NHLC has developed an app for this year’s Spectacular that will be designed to help attendees navigate the wine purveyors. Gunter added that each table will offer a recipe submitted by the winemakers or wine representatives themselves for an item that pairs with at least one of their wines.

“From what I’ve seen, the recipes are all over the place from desserts to main courses. It really does run the gamut,” he said. “It’ll be a little bit more of an immersive experience our guests can take with them … that doesn’t just fade away over the course of the next week. … We’ve collected well over 100 recipes already and ultimately the goal is to have one at every single table.”

Proceeds from this year’s Spectacular will benefit the New Hampshire Food Bank, a program of Catholic Charities New Hampshire. According to Nancy Mellitt, the Food Bank’s director of development, the nonprofit distributed more than 16 million pounds of food statewide in 2022.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the New Hampshire Liquor Commission … [and] to be the nonprofit beneficiary,” Mellitt said. “Our primary focus is the distribution of food to more than 400 partner agencies throughout the state, so that is your food pantries, your soup kitchens, your after-school and senior programs and more. Then in addition to that, we have our outreach programs, and so this … will help support all that we encompass.”

Tastes of Tuscany

The night before the Spectacular, on Wednesday, June 14, the NHLC will host “Perfect Pairings,” a multi-course sampling of Italian foods and wines at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford. Cristina Mariani-May, the president and CEO of Banfi Wines, will be in attendance to present some of her company’s offerings, each paired with four courses and a dessert courtesy of Chef Edward Aloise of Republic Consulting. Aloise, formerly of Republic Cafe and Campo Enoteca, two award-winning eateries in downtown Manchester, will also be joined in the kitchen by Manchester Country Club executive chef Dan Henry.

Aloise’s menu for the evening will focus on recipes he has previously used at both Republic Cafe and Campo Enoteca that were influenced by his trips to Tuscany, Italy, as well as his own research into the region’s culinary traditions. Mariani-May, a third-generation winemaker, regularly splits her time between New York and the Castello Banfi vineyard estate in Montalcino, a town in southern Tuscany that has more than 7,000 acres of land she oversees. “[Aloise] created a very special menu that pairs with the wines of Banfi, and so I think it’s going to be a really amazing treat for people to be walked through the menu and the wines they are tasting, and pairing them together,” Piper said. “It’s going to be a phenomenal night.”

More happenings

If you can’t make either the Spectacular or the “Perfect Pairings” samplings, New Hampshire Wine Week is filled with dozens of other events. The multi-course wine dinners, for instance, are often attended by the winemakers themselves, the food served in a uniquely intimate setting. Piper said one of their own wines is served with each course, and they will typically go over the notes detected in that wine and the reasoning behind its food pairing.

Many winemakers will also hold bottle signings and wine tastings at various Liquor & Wine Outlet stores — most of those run for two hours and are free to walk-in visitors.

“I think you’ll find that most of the winemakers like being out in stores as much as we love having them there,” Gunter said. “They like the representation of the product and the partnership that we try to create.”

Piper said a master list of each bottle signing and wine dinner can be found online at nhwineweek.com and will continue to be updated right up until the week begins.

“We’re making it sort of the destination for Wine Week activity, so it’s one place to learn everything that they want to learn about what’s going on that week,” she said.

Meet the wine expert: Cristina Mariani-May

President and CEO, Banfi Wines, banfiwinesusa.com

Cristina Mariani-May is the third-generation proprietor of Banfi, the company founded by her grandfather, John Mariani Sr., in 1919. The globally recognized wine brand is perhaps best known for its more than 7,000-acre Castello Banfi vineyard estate in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy. Banfi’s domestic portfolio also includes Pacific Rim & Co. and Rainstorm, two Pacific Northwest-based collections of brands respectively located in Washington State and Oregon, and its ownership even extends to Natura wines, produced by Emiliana Organic Vineyards in Chile. Mariani-May joined Banfi in 1993, shortly after completing her studies at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. She is a longtime participant of New Hampshire Wine Week — you’ll find her both at this year’s Spectacular and during a special “Perfect Pairings” sampling event at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford on Wednesday, June 14, presenting Banfi’s wines alongside a thoughtfully crafted multi-course menu from award-winning chef Edward Aloise.

What will you be pouring at the New England Wine Spectacular?

We’ll be pouring our flagship, which is our Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino. [It’s made with] 100 percent sangiovese [grapes] and is one of our most beautiful wines. … We’ll be having our Gavi, [which is] called Principessa Gavia Gavi, and our Rosa Regale, which is our red sparkling dessert wine. [It’s] a little sweet. That one comes from Piedmont, Italy, and is always a hit at the show. [We will also have] our San Angelo pinot grigio, [and] our Chianti Classico Riserva, so quite a broad selection.

What makes your wines unique?

The ones we make from Italy have been developed over 40 years, really with pioneering research. We came to the area as Americans, which is very unusual. We ended up amassing 7,100 acres, so it’s one of the largest contiguous properties in all of Italy, but only one-third of it is dedicated to vineyards. The rest is a sustainable estate with agriculture. … So, what is so unique about our wines is that when we came to the area it was all virgin soil. From 1978 going forward, we paired up with the greatest oenology universities in the world — Bordeaux, Pisa, Milan, Davis — and we became a research center. We researched not only the Sangiovese grapes for brunello, but also with pinot grigio, merlot, syrah, [and] a lot of French varieties that had never existed in Italy. … So, really why Banfi Wines has done so well over time is because we have this constant, consistent and outstanding quality while also being 100 percent sustainable from when my family came to virgin land. … Because we are an experimental center, we are constantly improving and adjusting so that we can have the most outstanding quality in the most sustainable manner, vintage after vintage.

What are some trends you have noticed recently in the wine world?

Italian white wines that are alternatives to pinot grigio are definitely very trendy. … We have two whites that we look forward to showing. One is our Principessa Gavia Gavi, which is made from cortese grapes, and the other one that is doing so well is our La Pettegola Vermentino. … The Brunello di Montalcino, which is a classic red wine, has also not slowed down. People want heritage, they want authenticity, they want provenance, and they get that from the Brunello di Montalcino. … There’s definitely a premiumization that’s still continuing.

What do you look forward to the most about New Hampshire Wine Week?

What I like the most, really, is just the camaraderie and the joy that all the consumers get from coming to this event. … I’ve been to tastings all over the world, and sometimes you get people that just don’t really care much — they just want to drink. The difference I’ve always found in New Hampshire is that people come from all over New England, and they are really interested in learning even if they don’t know a lot about wine. And, I think that’s the most fun, is that we really resonate well with consumers.

Meet the wine expert: Tom Zack

Wine director, Zorvino Vineyards, zorvino.com

Located on 80 acres in Sandown, Zorvino Vineyards began as a hobby for founders Jim and Cheryl Zanello. They purchased the property in 2000 after retiring, planting a few wines in their new backyard. More than two decades later Zorvino Vineyards has grown to now offer around 75 types of wines and host all kinds of events from private wedding ceremonies and receptions to Sunday brunches, special multi-course dinners and more. Tom Zack has served as Zorvino’s wine director since 2005 and has been involved in many facets of the wine business, from marketing and sales to graphic and label design, event hosting and advising on wine production. Zack has also been a board member of the New Hampshire Winery Association since 2010. Earlier this year Zorvino Vineyards was named New Hampshire Winery of the Year in 2023 by the state’s Liquor Commission.

What will you be pouring at the New England Wine Spectacular?

We have seven different varietals that are in the state system. We’ll probably bring six of the seven. … One of the ones I’m touting right now is one we call Black Widowz, which is a black currant and apple blend, which is fabulous. … One of our top-selling wines for as long as I can remember is a strawberry blend. We call it Fragole Z — we use Z in everything we can — and Fragole means strawberry in Italian. We’ll be pouring that one too. We are the first ones in New Hampshire to make a peach wine and a pear wine. We’ll have those available as well.

What makes your wines unique?

When I came into the business I was already into wine and I was already a foodie. You can make wine when the grapes grow, which is in the spring in South America and in the fall up here. However, in order to keep wine rolling all the time, we really got into making fruit wines, because you can do fruit wines at all different times of the year if you have the juice. … One of the things I wanted to do is to not make sweet fruit wines. I wanted our fruit wines to be off-dry, so they would work well with all kinds of different foods. That’s a trend that we started a long time ago, and pretty much everybody up here has followed suit.

What are some trends you have noticed recently in the wine world?

One of the trends that I’ve noticed is I’m seeing a lot more 20-somethings and early 30s folks who are really getting into wine now. … I think part of that came from the pandemic. Our patio has been rocking since the pandemic … and it’s just become a crazy place to be. We typically sell it out a week in advance, when it starts getting busier in the summer. … We wanted to set some trends in the wine industry, and that’s why we created what we call the Z Wine Labs releases. What’s really cool about them is that they are meant to come out every couple of weeks and then sell out. Every year, we run through the season with a whole different list of these wines that are really kind of exciting and new — things like peanut butter and jelly, lemon lavender and honey, and a mojito wine we have that just came out. … Kudos for Z Wine Labs go to our young winemakers, Dave Sexton and Sam Breslin.

What do you look forward to the most about New Hampshire Wine Week?

The thing I look most forward to is renewing old acquaintances. I’ve been in this business for a long time now, [and] I know some of the great winemakers that have been around. I don’t get to see them, but they show up in our backyard now at this great expo. … I also love to see what new wines the New Hampshire wineries have, and to get to try them myself, so you’ll find me behind my booth but you’ll also find me chatting with some of my compatriots in the business.

Featured photo: Photo by Timothy Courtemanche.

Time to dive in to summer!

Looking for events to fill your calendar from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend? Our guide has you covered with suggestions for arts, theater, food, fairs, sporting events, music and more.

Fairs & Festivals

• The 31st annual Meredith Memorial Day Weekend Craft Festival is happening on Saturday, May 27, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, May 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Monday, May 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Mill Falls Marketplace (312 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith). New England-based artisans and craftsmen will gather to sell their crafts, ranging from jewelry, up-cycled items and pottery to pies, sauces, pickles and infused oils. Admission is free. Visit castleberryfairs.com.

• Join the Manchester Firing Line (2540 Brown Ave., Manchester) for its weekly Summer Cruise nights every Monday from 5 to 8 p.m., starting Memorial Day (Monday, May 29) and continuing through Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 4). Events will feature live music, raffles, food trucks and a People’s Choice Award winner each week for the best cars, along with The Spot To Go food truck and Cedi’s Tasty Treats. Admission is free. Visit gunsnh.com.

• The Goffstown Rotary Club’s (Parsons Drive) car show is returning for its 10th year on Saturday, June 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will include goodie bags for the first 50 registrants, along with food trucks, raffles and trophies given in 16 classes. Admission is free, and the cost to participate as a registrant is $20 per car, with all proceeds benefiting local charities. Visit goffstownrotary.org.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire’s (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) New Hampshire Maker Fest ison Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is a large-scale “show and tell,” with makers of all kinds, including artists, engineers, scientists and others showcasing their creativity. Admission is on a pay-what-you-can basis, with a suggested donation of $5 per person.

• Milford’s second annual Pride Festival is happening on Sunday, June 4, at noon, at Emerson Park (6 Mont Vernon St., Milford), and will feature live music, food and more. “See Milford NH PRIDE” on Facebook for more details.

• Market Square Day in downtown Portsmouth will return on Saturday, June 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Produced by the local nonprofit Pro Portsmouth, the festival kicks off with a 10K road race and features craft and artisan vendors, food, two live entertainment stages and more. Visit proportsmouth.org.

• It’s Children’s Day at the New Hampshire Farm Museum (1305 White Mountain Hwy., Milton; nhfarmmuseum.org) on Saturday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Try your hand at old-fashioned games and check out storytelling, blacksmithing demonstrations, tractor rides, s’mores making and more. Admission is free for children under 4, $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for children ages 4 to 17. A family pass can also be purchased for $30.

• Laconia Motorcycle Week is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The rally goes from Saturday, June 10, through Sunday, June 18, and includes motorcycle tours, live entertainment, vendors and scenic rides around Weirs Beach in Laconia. Visit laconiamcweek.com.

• Manchester Pride week kicks off on Saturday, June 10, with “Layers of Identity: A Visual Exploration” at Mosaic Art Collective in Manchester. Events continue throughout the week — including Queen City’s A Drag on June 12, Pride Karaoke on June 14, a flag raising at City Hall on June 16 — with the Pride Festival on Saturday, June 17, from 1 to 7 p.m. in Veterans Park featuring food trucks, vendors, arts, entertainment and more. See the complete line-up of events at manchestertrue.org.

• Take a trip to the coast for the 23rd Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic, happening from Thursday, June 15, to Saturday, June 17. Prizes will be awarded for the best sand sculptures, and on Saturday a fireworks display will start at 9:30 p.m. The sculptures will be lighted for nightly viewing through June 26. Visit hamptonbeach.org.

• The Somersworth International Children’s Festival will featur live music, food, wildlife encounters, a petting zoo, vendors and more on Saturday, June 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Main Street and at Noble Pines Park in Somersworth. A pre-festival celebration will be taking place that night before at Somersworth High School (11 Memorial Drive, Somersworth) on Friday, June 16, at 6 p.m. with fireworks to end the night. Visit nhfestivals.org.

• Join the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire for its annual Father’s Day weekend Fly-In BBQ, happening on Saturday, June 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Nashua’s Boire Field (83 Perimeter Road, Nashua). Attendees are welcome to enjoy a barbecue buffet lunch and get a close look at visiting aircraft on the ramp. Pilots are invited to fly in, and vintage airplanes and home-built aircrafts are especially welcome. Tickets, including the barbecue, are $30 for adults and $10 for kids ages 6 to 12. Tickets are $10 for adults and free for kids ages 12 and under without the barbecue. To purchase tickets, visit nhahs.org to access the Eventbrite link.

• Plaistow’s Old Home Day returns on Saturday, June 17, and will include local vendors on the Town Hall green (145 Main St., Plaistow), as well as a beard contest, a baby contest, raffles, entertainment booths, a parade and more. This year’s theme is “Gather on the Green.” Follow the town Old Home Day’s Facebook @plaistowoldhomeday for updates.

• Intown Concord’s 49th annual Market Days Festival runs from Thursday, June 22, to Saturday, June 24, in downtown Concord from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The event includes a wide array of local vendors, live entertainment, family-friendly activities and more. Visit marketdaysfestival.com to see the full schedule, or follow Intown Concord on Facebook @intownconcord.

• Join the Wilton Main Street Association for its annual Summerfest, happening on Saturday, June 24, starting at 10 a.m. and featuring an arts market, live music, food, street vendors, a pancake breakfast and a fireworks display in the evening. A rain date is scheduled for June 25. See visitwilton.com/summerfest.

• Don’t miss the annual Nashua Pride Festival, a free celebration of diversity, acceptance and fun focused on promoting equality. The festival is happening on Saturday, June 24, in the parking lot of the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St.), and will feature a parade that kicks off at 2 p.m. from Elm Street Middle School (117 Elm St.) and down Main Street. Visit nashuanh.gov/1217/nashua-pride-festival.

• Join the New Hampshire Farm Museum (1305 White Mountain Hwy., Milton) for Fourth on the Farm, happening on Saturday, July 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities include a tractor ride to see farm animals, as well as demonstrations, reenactments, a scavenger hunt, lawn games, lunch and strawberry shortcake, and live performances of songs from the 1700s and 1800s. Admission is free for members and children under 4, $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for children ages 4 to 17. A family pass can be purchased for $30. Visit nhfarmmuseum.org.

• The Raymond Town Fair returns for its 48th year from Friday, July 7, to Sunday, July 9, at the Raymond Town Common (Epping and Main streets, Raymond), and will feature live music, family-friendly entertainment, a children’s parade, a fireworks display and more. See “Raymond Town Fair” on Facebook to keep up to date on details as they become available.

• The next New England Reptile Expo is scheduled for Sunday, July 9, 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 $10 for adults, $5 for kids ages 7 to 12 and free for kids ages 6 and under. Visit reptileexpo.com.

• The Hillsborough Summer Festival is back again this year at Grimes Field (29 Preston St., Hillsborough) from Thursday, July 13, to Sunday, July 16, with live entertainment, carnival rides, a fireworks show on Saturday night, a 5K road race on Friday, a parade on Sunday and more. Festival hours are from 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, from 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday, from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free. Visit hillsborosummerfest.com.

• Returning to the grounds of American Independence Museum (1 Governors Lane, Exeter) for a 33rd year is the American Independence Festival, on Saturday, July 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Be transported back in time with a live reading of the Declaration of Independence, and enjoy historical reenactments and colonial artisan demonstrations, as well as colonial games, music and dances. Visit independencemuseum.org.

• After a successful inaugural year, the Stratham 4H Summerfest returns for a second year on Saturday, July 15, at the Stratham Hill Park Fairgrounds (270 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham). Attendees are welcome to join as the work of 4-H volunteers and members will be on display in the 4-H building, show rings and livestock barns from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Exhibits include shows, displays on gardening, cooking, environmental stewardship, hiking and much more. Visit extension.unh.edu/event/2023/07/stratham-4-h-summerfest.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire’s (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry) annual car show is set for Saturday, July 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and vehicles of all makes and eras are welcome. Trophies will be given out for the People’s Choice Award and the Museum Award, and the show will include a special appearance of a student-built two-seat RV-12iS light sport aircraft, completed in August 2022 by students at Manchester School of Technology. Vehicle registration is $10, or you can come as a spectator for $5 (cash only; kids ages 12 and under are free). A rain date of July 22 is planned. Visit nhahs.org.

• Organized by the Merrimack Valley Military Vehicle Collectors Club, this year’s Weare Rally will go from Thursday, July 27, to Sunday, July 30, at Center Woods School (14 Center Road, Weare). The rally features military vehicle displays, scenic rides, demonstrations, food and more. Admission is free. Visit mvmvc.org.

• Don’t miss the 15th annual Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo, happening from Friday, July 28, to Sunday, July 30, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (700 Elm St., Manchester). The event features various tattoo artists, contests, vendors, live music 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 are $15 when purchased in advance for a one-day pass ($20 at the door), $20 in advance for a two-day pass ($25 at the door), and $30 when bought in advance for a three-day pass ($30 at the door). Visit livefreeordietattoo.com.

• The annual Summer Psychic & Craft Fair returns for a 12th year to Weirs Beach Community Center (25 Lucerne Ave., Laconia) on Saturday, July 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hosted by CAYA Reiki and Healing, the event will include psychic readings, vendors and door prizes. Admission is free. See the event page on Facebook @cayahealing for more details.

• The Canterbury Fair is celebrating its 65th year — join the fun on Saturday, July 29, 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. Visit canterburyfair.com.

• The Belknap County Fair is set to return on Saturday, Aug. 5, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday, Aug. 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 174 Mile Hill Road in Belmont. The fair features live entertainment, food, exhibits and animal shows. 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 second annual Manchester International Film Festival is set for Thursday, Aug. 10, through Saturday, Aug. 12, according to palacetheatre.org/film. The deadline for film submissions recently passed, and details on this year’s showcased films are expected to be available soon. Visit the website or follow the festival’s Facebook page @manchesterfilmfestival.

• Returning to the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (700 Elm St., Manchester) from Thursday, Aug. 10, through Saturday, Aug. 12, is the 66th annual New Hampshire Antiques Show, hosted by the New Hampshire Antique Dealers Association. 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 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $15 on Thursday, and $10 on Friday and Saturday, and return visits are free. Visit nhada.org.

• Hudson’s Old Home Days return from Thursday, Aug. 10, to Sunday, Aug. 13, on the grounds of the Hill House (211 Derry Road, Hudson). There will be carnival games, live music, fireworks, food 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 hudsonchamber.com or visit their Facebook page @HudsonNHOldHomeDays for updates.

• Save the date for the Alton Bay Boat Show, returning to the Alton Town Docks on Saturday, Aug. 12, from 9 a.m. to noon, and featuring a variety of vintage boats on display. Admission is free. See the New Hampshire Boat Museum’s website at nhbm.org for more details.

• Don’t miss the Hampton Beach Children’s Festival, happening from Monday, Aug. 14, through Friday, Aug. 18. The event includes ice cream, dancing, balloons, storytelling, a magic show and a costume parade. All activities are free and open to the public. Visit hamptonbeach.org.

• Don’t miss Londonderry’s Old Home Days, set for Wednesday, Aug. 16, to Saturday, Aug. 19. More details are in the works, but the four-day event promises concerts, fireworks, a parade, a 5K road race, a baby contest, children’s games and more. See londonderrynh.gov or follow the event page on Facebook @townoflondonderryoldhomeday.

• The fifth annual History Alive event will be on Saturday, Aug. 19, and Sunday, Aug. 20, at Jones Road in Hillsborough. This year’s event will center around battle reenactments and village life experiences and will include activities, crafts, musicians and more. Tickets are $8 for adults when purchased ahead of time, and $10 on the days of the event. Kids ages 16 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. Visit historyalivenh.org.

• The New Hampshire Farm Museum (1305 White Mountain Hwy., Milton) is hosting its annual Truck and Tractor Day on Saturday, Aug. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Trucks, wagons, antique cars and tractors dating back to the mid 1900s will all be on display, and the event will also feature demonstrations on things like the two-man saw and the butter churn treadmill. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older, $6 for children ages 4 to 17, and free children under 4. A family pass is also available for $30. Visit nhfarmmuseum.org.

• The 125th Gilmanton Old Home Day is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 19, at 10 a.m. outside the Smith Meeting House (Meeting House and Governor roads, Gilmanton). Details on this year’s event are still being ironed out, but previous events have included live entertainment, a puppet show, a silent auction, an antique auto parade, an art show and more. Visit gilmantonnh.org.

• Join Field of Dreams Community Park (48 Geremonty Drive, Salem) for its annual Family Fun Day on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A wide variety of activities are planned, from circus acts and face-painting to bounce houses, photo opportunities with superheroes and princesses, food trucks, local vendors and more. Visit fieldofdreamsnh.org.

• Candia’s Old Home Day will return on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Moore Park (74 High St., Candia). The event starts with a parade after a firemen’s homemade breakfast. Local crafters and artisans, town community booths, games, a wildlife exhibit, food and music will also be featured. Visit candiaoldhomeday.com.

• Pembroke and Allenstown’s Old Home Day returns on Saturday, Aug. 26, and will kick off with a parade down Main Street in Allenstown and end at 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 “Pembroke & Allenstown Old Home Day 2023” on Facebook, or join its group page, for details.

• Don’t miss this year’s Hopkinton State Fair, a Labor Day weekend tradition happening from Thursday, Aug. 31, to Monday, Sept. 4, 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. Tickets are $9 for all fairgoers ages 3 and up on Thursday night. Day passes for Friday through Monday are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and $8 for youth ages 3 to 12. Children 35 months and under are free. Five-day passes are also available for $39. Visit hsfair.org.

• One of the largest annual car shows in the area, Cruising Downtown is scheduled to return to the streets of downtown Manchester for a 22nd year on Saturday, Sept. 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Organized by the Manchester Rotary Club, the rain-or-shine event will feature all kinds of cars on display, along with food, live demonstrations, local vendors and two stages of live entertainment. Admission is free as a spectator, and vehicle registration is $20. Visit cruisingdowntownmanchester.com.

• The Exeter UFO Festival returns to downtown Exeter on Saturday, Sept. 2, and Sunday, Sept. 3 — the event commemorates the anniversary of the “Exeter Incident” (an alleged UFO sighting on Sept. 3, 1965) by featuring in-depth talks and presentations from leading experts on UFOs, along with a variety of “intergalactic” children’s games and food, all to benefit the Exeter Area Kiwanis Club. See exeterkiwanis.com/exeter-ufo-festival.

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Food

• The town of Bennington will host a rhubarb festival from Friday, June 2, to Sunday, June 4, at Sawyer Memorial Park (Route 202) in Bennington. People can enter their own rhubarb plants and creations in a variety of contest categories, including the largest leaf, longest stalk and even a rhubarb-themed art contest. The celebration of all things rhubarb will also feature a pie contest, food trucks, vendors, live-action roleplay demonstrations, live music, petting zoos and more. Admission and parking to the festival are free. Follow the event page on Facebook @nhrhubarbfestival for more details.

• Tickets are on sale now for the High Hopes Foundation’s seventh annual New Hampshire Bacon & Beer Festival, returning to Anheuser-Busch Brewery (221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack) on Saturday, June 3, with general admission from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. and VIP admission beginning at 12:30 p.m. See page 40 for details or go to nhbaconbeer.com.

• The 97.5 WOKQ’s annual summer kick-off chowder festival, will be at Prescott Park (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth) on Saturday, June 3, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Several local eateries will serve chowders and the festival will feature live music, kid-friendly activities, ice cream and more. Tickets are $20 per person and chowders will be available until the vendors run out. Visit portsmouthnhtickets.com/events/chowder-festival-summer-kick-off-6-3-2023.

• Herb & Garden Day, presented by the New Hampshire Herbal Network, returns to the Mount Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road, Warner) on Saturday, June 3, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event features a full schedule of workshops tailored to all skills and levels, along with plant and tree identification walks, an herbal market and plant sale, food vendors, children’s activities and more. Full-access general admission is $25 in advance and $35 the day of the event. Visit nhherbalnetwork.org/herbday.

• The Friends of the Library of Windham will present their 38th annual strawberry festival and book fair on Saturday, June 3, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Windham High School (64 London Bridge Road, Windham). Homemade strawberry shortcake will be served, and the festival will have live music, raffles, local vendors, games and more. Visit flowwindham.org.

• The Taste of Downtown Nashua, presented by Great American Downtown, returns to the Gate City on Wednesday, June 7, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. More than 30 participating restaurants, shops and other local businesses will have temporary food service set up inside their establishments, where samples will be served to ticket holders. Tickets are $45 per person and include access to samples from all of the event’s participating vendors. Visit downtownnashua.org/taste.

• Join LaBelle Winery Derry (14 Route 111) for From Vine to Wine: Tasting New England’s Grape Varietals, an exclusive wine tasting class happening on Wednesday, June 7, from 6 to 7 p.m. Attendees will learn about the different types of grapes cultivated at LaBelle, as well as the overall winemaking process in New England. Mini cheese boards featuring locally sourced accompaniments will also be provided. Tickets are $40 per person and can be purchased online at labellewinery.com.

• The Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker) will host an Italian al fresco garden dinner party on Friday, June 9 — the event will begin with an Italian antipasti station and passed appetizers, followed by a three-course dinner and an Italian dessert station, along with live music from Brad Myrick and Italian wine tables hosted by Rossi Imports throughout the night. Tickets are $130 per person and include dinner and the wines. See colbyhillinn.com.

• Join the Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester) in welcoming LaBelle Winery owner and winemaker Amy LaBelle on Sunday, June 11, from 4 to 6 p.m. — she’ll be there to present and sign copies of her debut book, Wine Weddings: The Ultimate Guide to Creating the Wine-Themed Wedding of Your Dreams. Released Dec. 16, the book offers advice on planning and hosting weddings of every size and type, covering everything from choosing invitation designs and wedding favors to creating your own menu of signature drinks and wine choices. Admission is free and the event will include a wine tasting. Visit bookerymht.com.

• Online ordering for the 26th annual New Hampshire Jewish Food Festival, presented by Temple B’nai Israel (210 Court St., Laconia), opens on Sunday, June 11, and will continue through Sunday, July 9. Menu items will include savory brisket with gravy, freshly sliced corned beef, pastrami and tongue from Evan’s New York Style Deli in Marblehead, Mass., as well as sweet creamy noodle kugel and a vast assortment of other home-cooked Jewish foods. Those who place their orders online will be prompted to select a time on either Friday, July 21, or Saturday, July 22, at Temple B’nai Israel. Visit tbinh.org/food-fest-menu to view the full menu.

• Enjoy garden-themed afternoon tea with The Cozy Tea Cart on Sunday, June 11, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Gatherings at the Colonel Shepard House (29 Mont Vernon St., Milford). In addition to the fine quality teas, a variety of tea breads, sandwiches and pastries will be available. The cost is $39.95 per person and reservations are required. Visit thecozyteacart.com.

• Head to Fulchino Vineyard (187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis) for Canines Uncorked, a dog-friendly event to benefit the Humane Society for Greater Nashua on Tuesday, June 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. Registration is free and 20 percent of each glass of wine sold will benefit the Humane Society. More events are also scheduled for Aug. 15 and Oct. 10. Visit fulchinovineyard.com.

• LaBelle Winery Amherst (345 Route 101) presents A Celebration of Women Winemakers, a special four-course wine dinner happening on Wednesday, June 14, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Amy LaBelle and winemaker Lisa Evich of Simi Winery in California will be on hand to provide commentary on their philosophies and their selected pairings throughout the evening. The cost is $99 per person — purchase tickets online at labellewinery.com, where you can view the full menu.

• New Hampshire Wine Week is a June affair this year. The week will culminate with the New England Wine Spectacular on Thursday, June 15, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (700 Elm St.). The large seminar-style showcase is the premier event of the week, which has been moved to June from its traditional timeframe in January for the first time in its nearly 20-year history. The Spectacular will feature more than 1,700 wines to try, paired with all kinds of New Hampshire-sourced foods. It’s expected to be surrounded by a week’s worth of other events like wine dinners at local restaurants and tasting and sampling events at several of the Liquor & Wine Outlet stores. General-admission tickets to the Spectacular are $65 per person (21+ only), with proceeds benefiting the New Hampshire Food Bank. See nhwineweek.com.

• The next installment in The Winemaker’s Kitchen cooking class series, presented by LaBelle Winery, will be on Wednesday, June 21, from 6 to 7 p.m. in its Derry location (14 Route 111) and will highlight various Mexican recipes. Learn how to prepare everything from homemade flour tortillas to baked enchiladas, chicken and mole sauce and passionfruit seyval blanc margaritas, and collect recipe cards from the class to take home. General admission is $40 per person and tickets can be purchased online at labellewinery.com.

• Tickets are on sale for New Hampshire magazine’s annual Best of NH Party, happening on Thursday, June 22, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Flag Hill Distillery & Winery (297 N. River Road, Lee), with an additional VIP barrel tasting and tour from 5 to 6 p.m. Visit nhmagazine.com/best-of-nh.

• Get ready for the Kingston Fire Association’s fourth annual Brewfest, set to take place on Saturday, June 24, from 2 to 6 p.m. on the Plains in downtown Kingston (148 Main St.). More than 60 different beers, ciders and hard lemonade from at least 30 pourers will be available to sample at the festival, which will also include food trucks and music. Tickets are $40 per person for full access (event is 21+ only) and $10 for designated drivers, and are available online now. Donations are also being accepted to the Kingston Fire Association. Visit kingstonbrew.com.

• Join the Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker) for a Charles Smith garden barbecue on Saturday, June 24, at 6 p.m., which will feature grilled hors d’oeuvres and wine tasting tables, followed by a four-course wine pairing dinner, and live rock music in honor of “rockstar winemaker” Charles Smith. Derek Rush of Ruby Wines will serve as a guest presenter. Tickets are $130 per person. Visit colbyhillinn.com to view the full menu.

• The Hollis Strawberry Festival, presented by the Hollis Woman’s Club, returns for a 76th year to the Town Common (7 Monument Square, Hollis) on Sunday, June 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. Enjoy strawberry shortcake and other strawberry desserts while the Hollis Town Band performs. Face-painting, games and craft vendors are also part of the festival. Visit holliswomansclub.org.

• A family-friendly event featuring local food, drinks and entertainment, Farm-a-Q returns to Tuckaway Farm (36 Captain Smith Emerson Road, Lee) on Sunday, June 25, from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person, $15 for adult drink bracelets, $25 for students and seniors and free for kids under the age of 5. Proceeds support 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.

• Save the date for the annual Keep NH Brewing Festival, happening on Saturday, July 8, at the Kiwanis Waterfront Park (15 Loudon Road, Concord; behind the Douglas N. Everett Arena). General admission is from 1 to 4 p.m., with VIP admission beginning at noon. The festival is the signature fundraising event for the New Hampshire Brewers Association and features one of the largest gatherings of craft beers on tap, with more than 140 options to try and more than 50 breweries represented. Food trucks, local vendors and live music will also be featured. Tickets are $50 in advance and $55 on the day of the event ($65 for VIP ticket-holders and $20 for designated drivers over 21). All tickets will include souvenir tasting glasses, and foods are priced per item. Proceeds benefit the New Hampshire Brewers Association. Purchase your tickets online at nhbrewers.org.

• Get ready for the Great American Ribfest & Food Truck Festival, a three-day event slated to return to Anheuser-Busch Brewery (221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack) from Friday, July 21, through Sunday, July 23. In addition to eats from a wide array of barbecuers and food trucks, the outdoor festival boasts a full schedule of live performances throughout the weekend. New this year will be an expanded children’s area and a People’s Choice rib sampler. The event will begin with a concert on Friday night, followed by two days of festivities, all to take place rain or shine. Advance admission is $32.50 for adults and $14.50 for kids ages 10 to 16 for the Friday night concert; and $12 for adults and $10 for seniors over 60 and military service members for Saturday and Sunday (kids ages 16 and under get in free per paid adult). Free entry for all attendees is available on Saturday, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and on Sunday, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. See greatamericanribfest.com to purchase tickets.

• Monadnock Music will host its annual Progressive Garden Party, featuring multiple tastings and performances across areas of the Monadnock region, on Saturday, July 22. A botanical tour of the region, the event features unique food and drink options and live performances at each location. Tickets are $80 ($75 for Monadnock Music members). A rain date of July 29 is planned. Visit monadnockmusic.org.

• The Spicy Shark presents the second annual New England Hot Sauce Fest, returning to Smuttynose Brewing Co. (105 Towle Farm Road, Hampton) on Saturday, July 29, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will feature more than two dozen local hot sauce companies selling and offering samples of all of their spicy products, along with bounce houses, face-painting, several food trucks, a hot wing contest and four hot pepper eating contests. General-admission tickets are $11, and proceeds will benefit the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation and the Seacoast Science Center. Visit newenglandhotsaucefest.com.

• The Cozy Tea Cart has a summertime afternoon tea tasting planned for Sunday, Aug. 6, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Gatherings at the Colonel Shepard House (29 Mont Vernon St., Milford). In addition to teas, there will be tea breads, sandwiches and pastries available. Tickets are $39.95 per person and reservations are required. Visit thecozyteacart.com.

• The town of Windham’s Recreation department will host a food truck festival on the grounds of Windham High School (64 London Bridge Road, Windham) on Sunday, Aug. 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to eats from local food trucks, there will be music and games of cornhole. For more details contact the Windham Recreation office by phone at 965-1208 or by email at recreation@windhamnh.gov.

• The Great New England BBQ & Food Truck Festival returns for a seventh year to the Hampshire Dome (50 Emerson Road, Milford) on Saturday, Aug. 12, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event will feature a crafter’s booth and a kids’ zone in addition to eats from local food trucks, along with craft beer, live music, a cornhole tournament and more. Visit gnecraftartisanshows.com.

• After a successful comeback year in 2022, Gate City Brewfest will return to Holman Stadium (67 Amherst St., Nashua) on Saturday, Aug. 26, with general admission from 1 to 5 p.m. and VIP admission beginning at noon. Unique for being a family-friendly brewfest, the event also features food, live music, a cornhole tournament, children’s activities and more. General-admission tickets are $35 in advance and $50 the day of the event, while VIP tickets are $70 (limited to 200 tickets) and designated drivers and attendees under the age of 21 are $15. Proceeds benefit the Nashua Police Athletic League. See gatecitybrewfestnh.com.

• Food Truck Festivals of America presents the ninth annual Portsmouth Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival, happening at Cisco Brewers (35 Corporate Drive, Portsmouth) on Sunday, Aug. 20, with general admission from noon to 5 p.m. and VIP admission beginning at 11 a.m. In addition to food trucks, the festival features craft beer, lawn games, music and more. General admission is $10 and VIP admission is $20 (kids ages 10 and under are free). Visit foodtruckfestivalsofamerica.com/portsmouth.

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Concerts

• Louis Tomlinson is playing the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) Saturday, May 27, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

• See Live at the Fillmore, an Allman Brothers tribute band, at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry; tupelomusichall.com) on Saturday, May 27, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $37.

• Dave Mason is playing Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Sunday, May 28, at 7 p.m. Ticket prices range from $60 to $75.

• Tuesday, May 30, Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and Tommy Henriksen, also known as Hollywood Vampires, are coming to SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, snuharena.com). Show starts at 8 p.m., tickets start at $39.50.

• Hannah Ellis with Martin & Kelly are performing at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Thursday, June 1, at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $10.

• See Walker Hayes at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Friday, June 2, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $35.

• Umphry’s McGee is playing the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Friday, June 2, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $33.

• See 33 1/3 at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Saturday, June 3, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $39.

• The Dueling Pianos are performing at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Saturday, June 3, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $28.

• Stand Up Audio is playing at The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.com) on Saturday, June 3, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $29.

• Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) is having Mike Girard’s Big Swinging Thing on Saturday, June 3, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

• See Voyage,a Journey tribute band, at the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Saturday, June 3, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

• On Sunday, June 4, Air Supply is playing the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $29.

• Singer and songwriter Charlie Puth is coming to the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Wednesday, June 7, at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices start at $25.

• The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.com) is hosting Debbie Gibson on Thursday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m. Prices start at $39.

• Celebrating Billy Joel is coming to the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Thursday, June 8, at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $29 to $59.

• The Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) is having Killswitch Engaged on Friday, June 9, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $37.

• Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) is having Pat Methney Side-Eye perform on Friday, July 9, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $59.

• See The Subtronics at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Sunday, June 10, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $19.

• The Simon and Garfunkel tribute band Forever Simon & Garfunkel is performing at The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.com) on Sunday, June 10, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $29.

• See Neil Young tribute Band Broken Arrow at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Sunday, June 10, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $37.

• Sunday, June 11, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue are performing at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

• The Happy Together Tour is coming to the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Sunday, June 11, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $29.

• Kidd G is performing at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Wednesday, June 14, at 8 p.m. General admission tickets cost $28, reserved balcony seating costs $40.

• Faster Pussycat is playing Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Thursday, June 15, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $40.

• See Leonid & Friends, a Chicago tribute band, at The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.com) on Thursday, June 15, at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices start at $29.

• The Marshall Tucker Band is performing at the Chubb Theatre at Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Thursday, June 15, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $61.

• The Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) is having Russell Dickerson on Thursday, June 15, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

• On Friday, June 16, Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) is having Dueling Pianos play. Showtime is at 8 p.m., tickets cost $20.

• The Little River Band is playing the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Friday, June 16, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

• The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.com) is hosting The Buddha Blue Band on Saturday, June 17, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $29.

• See Grace Kelly at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Saturday, June 17, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $40.

• Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) is having Martin Barre perform on Saturday, July 17, at 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $45 to $60.

• The Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) is having Not Fade Away Band presents: Dead Zeppelin on Saturday, June 17, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20.

• See Toad the Wet Sprocket at Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Sunday, June 18, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $49.

• Dierks Bentley is performing at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Thursday, June 22, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $34.

• See American Idol alumnus Phillip Phillips at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, casinoballroom.com) on Thursday, June 22, at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $40 to $45.

• Eric Gales is performing at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Friday, June 23, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $40.

• Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) is having Kashmir perform on Friday, June 23, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $29.

• See Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew at the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Friday, June 23, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

• Chris Pinnella will be at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry) on Saturday, June 24, at 6 p.m. Tickets range from $40 to $45.

• See the classic rock group Trinity at The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. Manchester, palacetheatre.com) on Saturday, June 24, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $29.

• Dirty Deeds is playing the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Saturday, June 24, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $19.

• The Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) is having Cinderella’s Tom Kiefer Band on Wednesday, June 28, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $36.

• See Metal Church at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Thursday, June 29, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

• Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters are performing at The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.com) on Thursday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m. Prices start at $39.

• The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.com) is having The John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band play on Thursday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $29.

• See 3 Doors Down at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Friday, June 30, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

• On Friday, June 30, Michael Franti and Spearhead are playing the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $45.

• Tribute band Magical Mystery Doors is performing at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry) on Friday, June 30, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35.

• Badfish! A tribute to Sublime is playing the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Saturday, July 1, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $27.

• On Saturday, July 1, Chicago is playing at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $39.

• See John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band on Saturday, July 1, at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall). Showtime is at 8 p.m., tickets cost $45.

• Falling in Reverse is playing the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Sunday, July 2, at 6:30 p.m. Ticket prices begin at $25.

• Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) is having Tedeschi Trucks Band on Monday, July 3, at 7 p.m. General admission tickets cost $25.

• Sam Hunt is playing the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Friday, July 7, at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices begin at $34.75.

• The Doors tribute band Peace Frog is coming to Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Friday, July 7, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $30.

• See Barenaked Ladies at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Saturday, July 8, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $29.

• Dueling Pianos is coming to Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Saturday, July 8, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20.

• On Saturday, July 8, the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) is having Echoes of Floyd play at 8 p.m. General admission costs $31, reserved balcony seating costs $44.

• See The Allman Betts Band on Sunday, July 9, at Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com). Showtime is at 7 p.m., ticket prices start at $39.

• Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) is having LA Guns perform on Sunday, July 9, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $40.

• The Dave Matthews Band is playing the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Tuesday, July 11, and Wednesday, July 12, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $50.

• Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) is welcoming Tab Benoit to its stage on Thursday, July 13, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $29.

• The Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) is hosting Peter Frampton on Thursday, July 13, at 8 p.m. Prices start at $35.

• Bruce in the USA is playing Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Friday, July 14, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $45.

• See Counting Crows at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Friday, July 14, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $29.

• An Evening with Tom Rush accompanied by Matt Nakoa is coming to Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Friday, July 14, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $29.

• The Head and the Heart and The Revivalists will be performing at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Saturday, July 15, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $31.

• See Jake Shimabukuro on Saturday, July 15, at 8 p.m. at Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com). Tickets start at $29.

• The Kingston Trio is playing at Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Tuesday, July 18, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $52.

• On Tuesday, July 18, and Wednesday, July 19, The Music of ABBA – Direct from Sweden is coming to Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

• On Wednesday, July 19, Royal Bliss is performing at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $24.

• See Theo Von at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Thursday, July 20, at 8 p.m. Pricing starts at $39.

• The Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) is hosting Ghost Funk Orchestra at 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 20. Tickets for general admission cost $23.

• Matchbox 20 is playing the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Friday, July 21, at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices start at $80.

• See Beginnings, a Chicago tribute band, at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Friday, July 21, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $37.

• The Struts are coming to the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Friday, July 21, at 8 p.m. General admission costs $27.

• The Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) is hosting Bret Michaels on Saturday, July 22, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

• See Martin Sexton at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Saturday, July 22, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $39.

• Ruben Studdard is performing at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Saturday, July 22, at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $45 to $65.

• See Kidz Bop Kidz on Sunday, July 23, at 4 p.m. at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com). Tickets start at $29.

• The Young Dubliners are performing on Sunday, July 23, at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com). Showtime is at 8 p.m., tickets cost $36.

• See Dueling Pianos at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Friday, July 28, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $28.

• The Fab Four, a Beatles tribute band, is coming to the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Friday, July 28, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

• Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) is having Stephen Pearcy perform on Friday, July 28, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $50.

• The High Kings are performing at Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Sunday, July 30, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $39.

• See The Beach Boys on Wednesday, Aug. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com). Tickets start at $29.

• The Outlaw Music Festival is coming to the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Wednesday, Aug. 2, at 5 p.m. Tickets start at $42.

• See Foreigner on Friday, Aug. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com). Tickets start at $40.

• Pointless Culture is coming to the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Friday, Aug. 4, at 8 p.m. Tickets are not on sale yet.

• Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) is having Zach Nugent’s Dead Set perform on Friday, Aug. 4, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $30.

• The Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) is having The Chicks on Saturday, Aug. 5, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $59.

• Jelly Roll is coming to the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $60.

• See Marcus King at the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $39.

• See Incubus on Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 7:15 p.m. at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com). Tickets start at $30.

• Melissa Etheridge is coming to the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $59.

• Country music star Chris Stapleton is coming to the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) for three shows, Aug. 10 through Aug. 12, all starting at 7 p.m. Ticket prices begin at $98.

• Kick – The INXS Experience is performing at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Thursday, Aug. 10, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

• The Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) is having KC and the Sunshine Band on Saturday Aug. 12, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $29.

• Govt Mule’s “The Dark Side of the Mule” tour, a Led Zeppelin tribute, arrives on Thursday Aug. 17, at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com). Showtime is at 7 p.m., tickets start at $18.

• The Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) is having In This Moment and Motionless in White play on Friday, Aug. 18, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $29.

• See Blue Light Rain on Friday, Aug. 18, at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com). Showtime is at 8 p.m., tickets cost $24.

• The Boston Pops are performing at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Saturday, Aug. 18, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $19.

• See Cherry Cherry, a Neil Diamond tribute band, on Sunday, Aug. 19, at 8 p.m. at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com). Tickets cost $35.

• Miko Marks is performing at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Saturday, Aug. 19, at 8 p.m. Ticket prices are not listed at the time of publication.

• The Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) is having Mary Chapin Carpenter on Sunday, Aug. 20, at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices begin at $49.

• See Disturbed at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at 6 p.m. Ticket prices start at $29.

• Ann Wilson is playing the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Wednesday Aug. 23, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $24.

• See Slightly Stoopid and Sublime with Rome on Thursday, Aug. 24, at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com). Showtime is at 5 p.m., tickets start at $29.

• Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line is playing the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $65.

• The Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) is having The Smashing Pumpkins on Friday, Aug. 25, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $45.

• On Friday, Aug. 25, Gabby Barrett performs at the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

• See Hank Williams Jr. on Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com). Tickets start at $39, show starts at 7 p.m.

• Ace Frehley is coming to the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m. Ticket prices start at $49.

• Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) is having Metallica tribute band Four Horsemen on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

• See W.A.S.P. on Sunday, Aug. 27, at 8 p.m. at the Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton). Tickets start at $30.

• Rod Stewart is coming to the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com) on Monday, Aug 28, at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices begin at $50.

• The Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, casinoballroom.com) is having One Night of Queen on Friday, Sept. 1, at 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $19 to $39.

• See The Zac Brown Band on Saturday, Sept. 2, and Sunday, Sept. 3, at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, banknhpavilion.com). Both shows start at 7 p.m., ticket prices start at $64.

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Comedy

• Hypnotist Frank Santos Jr. will perform an 18-and-up comedy and hypnotism show at Chunky’s Cinema Pub (151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, chunkys.com) on Saturday, May 27, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at chunkys.com.

• Headliners Comedy Club (700 Elm St., Manchester, headlinersnh.com) will have Mark Riley on stage on Saturday, May 27, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at headlinersnh.com.

• See Marty Caproni at Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road, Manchester, chunkys.com) on Saturday, May 27, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.

• Comedian Stephanie Peters is bringing her brand of humor to Chunky’s Nashua (chunkys.com) on Saturday, May 27, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20.

• The Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd. in Hampton, casinoballroom.com) is having Sam Morril on Thursday, June 1. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and the doors open at 6 p.m. This is an 18-and-older performance. • See ImprovBoston at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester) on Friday, June 2, at 7:30 p.m. as part of its Friday Night Comedy series. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at palacetheatre.org.

• Comedian Brian Beaudoin is performing at Chunky’s Nashua (Chunkys.com) on Saturday, June 3, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.

• Chunky’s Manchester (chunkys.com) is having Johnny Pizzi take the stage on Saturday, June 3, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.

• James Dorsey is coming to Headliners Comedy Club (700 Elm St., Manchester, headlinersnh.com) on Saturday, June 3, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.

• Peter Revello is coming to Ruby Room Comedy at the Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant (909 Elm St., Manchester, shaskeenirishpub.com) on Wednesday, June 7, at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $10.

• Friday Night Comedy at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) continues with a performance from Jim Colliton with Chris D on Friday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.

• On Saturday, June 10, Dan Crohn will be telling jokes at Headliners in Manchester (headlinersnh.com). The show starts at 8:30 p.m..

• James Dorsey is going to be telling jokes at Chunky’s Nashua (chunkys.com) on Saturday, June 10, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.

• See The Prince of Mystery, a comedy and magic show by Skip Daniels at Chunky’s Manchester (chunkys.com) on Saturday, June 10, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.

• A Tribute to Robin Williams by Roger Kabler is coming to the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) on Friday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.

• See Queen City Improv at the Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com) on Friday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m. The improv group’s shows are always different, making for unique performances each time. Ticket prices range from $16 to $22.

• On Saturday, June 17, Anthony Rodia is going to be telling jokes at the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com). The show starts at 8 p.m.; doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $35.75 to $53.75.

• See Brian Beaudion at Headliners in Manchester (headlinersnh.com) on Saturday, June 17. The show starts at 8:30 p.m.; doors open at 8 p.m.

• Dan Crohn is performing at Chunky’s Nashua (chunkys.com) on Saturday, June 17, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.

• Chunky’s Manchester (chunkys.com) is having Mike Hanley on Saturday, June 17, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at chunkys.com.

• Brian Regan is performing at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) on Thursday, June 22, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $39 and can be purchased at palacetheatre.org.

• Headliners in Manchester (headlinersnh.com) will have Steve Scarfo take the stage on Saturday, June 24, at 8:30 p.m. Doors open at 8 p.m. and tickets can be purchased online at headlindersnh.com.

• See Amy Tee at Chunky’s Manchester (chunkys.com) on Saturday, June 24, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at chunckys.com.

• Skip Daniels is performing his magic and comedy show “The Prince of Mystery” on Saturday, June 24, at 8:30 p.m. at Chunky’s Nashua (chunkys.com). Tickets are $20.

• On Friday, July 7, Lenny Clark is bringing his stand-up stylings to the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). Showtime is 7:30 p.m., and tickets cost $25.

• Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St.) is putting on Glassjaw Presents: Boston’s Best Comic – A Night with Will Noonan on Saturday, July 8, at 7:30 p.m. Visit nashuacenterforthearts.com.

• Ace Aceto is bringing his comedy show to Headliners in Manchester (headlinersnh.com) on Saturday, July 8, at 8:30 p.m. The venue’s doors open at 8 p.m.

• Headliners in Manchester (headlinersnh.com) is having Mike Hanley perform on Saturday, July 15. Doors open at 8 p.m., and the show starts at 8:30 p.m.

• Chris Zito is performing at Headliners in Manchester (headlinersnh.com) on Saturday, July 22, at 8:30 p.m.

• See Robert Kelly at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Friday, July 28, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $30.

• Laugh with Amy Tee at Headliners (headlinersnh.com) on Saturday, July 29, at 8:30 p.m. The doors open at 8 p.m.

• Spend An Evening with Actor and Comedian Kevin Pollak at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Mancehster, palacetheatre.org) on Saturday, Aug. 12. Showtime is at 7:30 p.m., and ticket prices start at $39.

• The Mother of a Comedy Show is coming to Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Friday, Aug. 18, at 8 p.m. The show stars comics Kelly MacFarland, Kerri Louise and Christine Hurley. Tickets cost $32.

• Comedian Jimmy Dunn is performing on Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St, Concord, ccanh.com). Showtime is 8 p.m., with the venue opening at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale to the public on Thursday, June 1, at noon.

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Theater

• The Disney Musical Newsies opens at the Seacoast Rep (125 Bow St., Portsmouth, seacoastrep.org) on Thursday, May 25, and will run through Saturday, July 8. Shows are Thursday through Sunday, with showtimes at 2 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. that vary every day. Tickets start at $35.

• Join the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) for the musical The Lightning Thief, a show based on the popular young adult novel Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The show is on Friday, May 26, at 10 a.m. Tickets for the show cost $8.

• Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is opening on May 26 at 7:30 p.m. at The Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com). The show will run through Sunday, June 11, with shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $16.

• The Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester, majestictheatre.net) is putting on The Wild Women of Winedale, with opening night Friday, June 2, at 7 p.m. There will be additional showtimes Saturday, June 3, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 4, at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $20.

• See Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). The show opens on Friday, June 2, and runs through Sunday, June 25, with shows at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

• The Palace Youth Theatre is putting on The Music Manat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) on Wednesday, June 7, and Thursday, June 8, at 7 p.m. Ticket prices range from $12 to $15.

• See Theatre Kapow’s presentation of Tiny Beautiful Things Friday, June 9, and Saturday, June 10, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 11, at 2 p.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com). Full-price tickets cost $33.75; student tickets cost $26.75.

• The comedy Menopause: The Musicalis coming to Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Saturday, June 10, at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $32 to $69.

• Live forever at Palace Teen Apprentice Theater’s production of Fame on Tuesday, June 13, and Wednesday, June 14, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $12 to $15.

• Palace Teen Company is serving up all that jazz with Chicagoon Tuesday, June 20, and Wednesday, June 21, at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). The shows are at 7 p.m. and tickets cost $12 to $15.

• The 2023 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series at The Palace (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) begins with magician BJ Hickman Wednesday, July 5, through Friday, July 7. Children’s Series productions have shows Wednesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10. The series includes Beauty and the BeastJuly 11, through July 14; RapunzelJuly 18, through July 21; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Aug. 1 to Aug. 4; The Little Mermaid Aug. 8 to Aug. 11; Frozen KidsAug. 15 through Aug. 18, and Finding Nemo Jr. Aug. 22 through Aug. 25.

• Cabaret opens at The Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com) on Friday, July 7, at 7:30 p.m. The show will run through Sunday, July 16. Showtimes are on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $16.

• The creepy and kooky musical The Addams Familyis coming to Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Friday, July 7, and Saturday, July 8, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15.75 for students and seniors and $18.75 for adults.

• Hairis being performed at Seacoast Rep (125 Bow St., Portsmouth, seacoastrep.org). The show opens Thursday, July 13, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 27. The theater will have performances Thursday through Sunday, with curtain times at 2 and 7:30 p.m. There is one additional show on Wednesday, July. 19. Tickets start at $35.

• The Majestic Theatre is producingCatch Me If You Can at the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway). The show will open on Friday, July 14, at 7 p.m. and have additional performances on Saturday, July 15, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 16, at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $20 and can be purchased at majestictheatre.net.

• Up, up and away at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) for the Palace Youth Theatre’s version of Peter Panon Friday, July 14, at 7 p.m. Tickets begin at $12.

• See Mary Poppins Jr.at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, at 7 p.m. Tickets for the show cost $18.75 for adults, $15.75 for seniors and students.

• On Saturday, July 15, at 2 p.m., RB Productions is putting on Annie Kids at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com). The show starts at noon. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 for students.

• Head Into the Woods with RB Productions at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Friday, July 21, and Saturday, July 22, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $18.75 for adults, $15.75 for students and seniors.

• See Big Fishat The Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com) for its three-day run, starting on Friday, July 21, at 7:30 p.m. The other shows are on Saturday, July 22, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, July 23, at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $16.

• The youth performers with RB Productions are putting on Newsies Jr. at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Friday, July 28, and Saturday, July 29, at 7 p.m. Tickets to the shows start at $15.75.

• Celebrate Christmas in July with Elf Jr.by Palace Youth Theatre on Friday, July 28, and Saturday, July 29, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palace theatre.org). Tickets range from $12 to $15.

• The Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com) will have the show Private Lives open on Friday, Aug. 4, and run through Sunday, Aug. 20. The show will be on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Ticket prices start at $16.

• See Snow White by the Palace Youth Theatre at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) on Friday, Aug. 4, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $12.

• See Nunsense IIat The Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester, majestictheatre.net) opening night, Friday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. with three other shows on Saturday, Aug. 12, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 2 p.m. Tickets to the show range from $15 to $20.

• Palace Youth Theatre presents High School Musical Jr. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) on Friday, Aug. 18, and Saturday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $12.

• For three days only, Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com) will be showing performances of Masked. The show will run Friday, Aug. 25, and Saturday, Aug. 26, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 27, at 2 p.m. Ticket prices begin at $16.

• Grab some honey and see The Palace Youth Theatre’s performance of Winnie the Pooh Jr.at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) on Aug. 26 at noon. Tickets for the show start at $12.

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Art Events

• See the four artists 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. on this year’s pieces. The artists are Anna Rasinska from Poland, Parastoo Ahovan from Iran, Tanya Preminger from Israel and Jim Larson, who grew up in New Hampshire and now lives in Maine, according to nashuasculpturesymposium.org, where you can sign up to donate to or pick up a meal for the artists. The pieces, which will become part of Nashua’s townwide exhibit of sculptures, will be unveiled in their installation locations on Sunday, June 3.

• The 31st Annual Memorial Weekend Craft Festival at Mill Falls Marketplace (312 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith) will be held on Saturday, May 27, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, May 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Monday, May 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Explore a wide variety of crafts, including handmade jewelry, pottery, woodwork, textiles and more. Admission is free. Visit castleberryfairs.com.

• The Portsmouth downtown area hosts the Art ’Round Town gallery walk on the first Friday of every month from 5 to 8 p.m. (14 Market Square). Explore the art scene in this creative historical community by visiting different art galleries downtown. Visit artroundtown.org.

• The ​Concord Arts Market, an outdoor artisan and fine art market, will run one Saturday a month from June through October, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Rollins Park (33 Bow St., Concord). Market dates are June 3, July 15, Aug. 19, Sept. 16 and Oct. 21. Visit concordartsmarket.net.

• View jaw-dropping sculptures crafted on Hampton Beach at the 23rd annual Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic, happening Thursday, June 15, through Saturday, June 17, at Hampton Beach (180 Ocean Blvd.). The event includes award ceremonies and prizes for the greatest sand sculptures built. The competition is by invitation only, but the sculptures will be illuminated for viewing at night until June 26. Visit hamptonbeach.org.

• The Hampton Falls Liberty Craft Festival takes place on Saturday, July 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, July 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Hampton Falls Town Common (4 Lincoln Ave.) This event is free to the public. More than 75 juried artisans will feature their work. Discover pottery, pillow quilts, wind chimes and more. Visit castleberryfairs.com.

• The Craftsmen’s Fair, an annual nine-day outdoor craft fair hosted by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, returns to Mount Sunapee Resort (1398 Route 103, Newbury) from Saturday, Aug. 5, through Sunday, Aug. 13. There will be hundreds of craftspeople with vendor booths, plus special craft exhibitions, demonstrations, hands-on workshops and more. Call 224-3375 or visit nhcrafts.org.

• The 2nd annual Manchester Arts & Crafts Fair takes place on Saturday, Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Manchester. The event features more than 30 booths, food trucks, the Manchester City Library Bookmobile, and an interactive art wall for kids run by Unchartered Tutoring. Visit manchesterartsandcraftsfair.com.

• The Greeley Park Art Show (100 Concord St., Nashua) returns on Saturday, Aug. 19, and Sunday, Aug. 20, 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.

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Art Exhibits

• The Women’s Caucus for Arts’ New Hampshire Chapter presents the exhibit “Head’s Up: The Many Hats Women Wear” at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). The exhibit, showcasing a wide variety of works including paintings, sculptures, artist books, installations, photography, and mixed media pieces, runs through Saturday, May 27. The gallery is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.org.

• Natalia Yuresko-Belous’s exhibit at The Gallery at West Pearl Street (100 W. Pearl St., Nashua) will be on display until Tuesday, May 30. Natalia, a Ukrainian guest artist and a new member of the Hollis Arts Society, showcases her works in landscapes, still life, portraits and mural paintings. Visit hollisartssociety.org.

• The “Just Above a Whisper” exhibit, on display through May at Seacoast Artist Association (130 Water St., Exeter), showcases Lynn Krumholz’s paintings and small books, which were created using the relatively new process of oil and cold wax, resulting in a hard, durable surface with a velvety, matte finish. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Visit seacoastartist.org.

• The New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth) presents “Element,” on display throughout the month of May. The exhibit features works from member artists, exploring the connections and influences of the elements of life. The gallery is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• The exhibit “Thirteen Moons — An Abenaki Child’s Year” is on display at the Children’s Museum of NH (6 Washington St., Dover) in its Gallery 6 until the end of May. This exhibit showcases photographs, drawings, diagrams, scale models and stories that depict the daily life of a child in an Abenaki village before the arrival of Europeans. The gallery is open during the museum’s operating hours, and you can visit the gallery at no extra charge. Museum admission costs $12.50 for everyone over 12 months and $10.50 for individuals aged 65 and above. The museum is open on Sundays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon, and Wednesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Visit childrens-museum.org.

• The Gallery at 3S Artspace (319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth) presents “Somewhere Around There,” an exhibition showcasing the ink paintings of abstract landscapes by Nishiki Sugawara-Beda, on display until June 11. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Visit galleryat3s.org.

• See “Celebrating the Artist Next Door,” presented by Two Villages Art Society at the Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook) through June 17. The exhibition features works by more than 30 New Hampshire artists representing various media. The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

• “Seeing Is Not Believing: Ambiguity in Photography” is on view at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) through June 25. This exhibition challenges our perception through still lifes, abstract images and manipulated photographs, heightening our sense of wonder. The museum is open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and is free for members and children under age 13. Visit currier.org or call 669-6144.

• “All My Friends Are in This Show,” curated by Yasamin Safarzadeh, is on view until July 1 at the Carolyn Jenkins & Jill C. Wilson Galleries at Kimball Jenkins (266 N. Main St., Concord). The exhibit showcases innovative artists who actively shape their communities. Gallery hours vary weekly. Visit kimballjenkins.com.

• “rest/ROOM” exhibit at the New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth) is on view until July 2. The exhibit is the first showcase in the W.C. Gallery. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “A Garden Story Photography Exhibit” at The New Hampshire Audubon’s McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord) is on view until July 5. The center is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhaudubon.org.

• Michelle Peterson, a New Hampshire Art Association artist, presents her paintings in the exhibit “Threads and Where They Lead” at the Concord Chamber of Commerce (49 S. Main St. Suite 104, Concord) through July 7. The artwork depicts strings in patterns and shapes inspired by the game of cat’s cradle. According to Peterson, the use of symbols like water bottles, rocks, birds, and hands intertwined with visible and invisible strings helps create a personal psychogeography. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit concordnhchamber.com.

• “In Full Bloom: Floral Still Life & Garden Paintings from the 19th Century to the Present” is on display at the New Hampshire Antique Co-op (323 Elm St., Milford) through Thursday, Aug. 31. The gallery is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhantiquecoop.com or call 673-8499.

• Discover “A New Scheier Medium” at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester), on view through the summer. Curated by Lorenzo Fusi, this showcase explores the connection between the renowned ceramic artists Mary and Edwin Scheier’s sculptures and tapestry work and the complexity of their artistic practice through drawings, textiles and sculptures, highlighting the relationship between cultures and the natural world. The museum is open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and is free for members and children under age 13. Visit currier.org or call 669-6144.

• “The Living Forest: UÝRA” is on display at Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) through Sept. 24. The exhibition features a comprehensive selection of photographs and videos encompassing Uýra’s entire artistic trajectory, with work from many of their past performances and recent appearances. The museum is open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and is free for members and children under age 13. Visit currier.org or call 669-6144.

• Don’t miss the “NEST” exhibition at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen), on view June 3 through Sept. 1. Juried by Pam Tarbell, this showcase features the works of New Hampshire artists exploring the literal and metaphorical dimensions of the concept of “NEST.” The gallery is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. A reception will be held on Saturday, June 3, from 1 to 3 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.org.

• “Biennial One” will be on display at the New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth) from Aug. 31 through Oct. 1. The exhibit invites artists to showcase their best work that takes creative risks and explores abstract expression, contemporary environmental and social justice issues and new media, with no specific theme. The gallery is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• Nancy Josephson’s exhibit featuring mixed media sculptures is on display at the Mariposa Museum (26 Main St., Peterborough) through October. Visit mariposamuseum.org.

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Nature

• Join Chris Martin, NH Audubon Senior Biologist, on Thursday, June 1, at 6:30 p.m. for a presentation on tracing peregrine falcons across the state. Hear stories of individual falcons and the dedicated people who monitor them. The hybrid presentation can be attended in person at the Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn, nhaudubon.org) or virtually via Zoom. Registration is required by May 31. The cost is $15.

• Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) presents an indoor educational program for adults, “A Year in the Life of the Honeybee,” on Thursday, June 1, at 7 p.m. Learn about the activities of honeybees throughout the year, similarities and differences between honeybees and other species of bees and how non-beekeepers can support the health of honeybees. The cost is $15.

• Go for a guided walk at Pickering Ponds (Pickering Road, Rochester) with the NH Audubon on Saturday, June 3, at 7 a.m. to observe nesting birds and their breeding evidence along the trails. Space is limited, and registration is required. Visit seacoastchapter.org.

• Saturday, June 3, is New Hampshire Fish and Game’s 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.

• Join NH Audubon on Saturday, June 3, at 10 a.m. at Keach Park (Newton Avenue, Concord, nhaudubon.org) for a special guided nature hike in honor of Black Birders Week. The hike, free and open to all, celebrates and supports Black appreciation of and connection with nature and will focus on bird watching and highlight all aspects of nature within the park. Registration is required.

• Join the Seacoast Science Center for the annual Piscataqua Riverfest at Strawbery Banke Museum (14 Hancock St., Portsmouth) on Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature sailing trips and tours, local food, a beer garden, live music entertainment and more. Visit seacoastsciencecenter.org.

• Discover the impact of invasive plants and learn how to manage them at the invasive plants workshop at Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) on Saturday, June 3, at 10 a.m. Led by the Belknap County Forester, the free program will provide insights into the non-native plants that disrupt the balance of local ecosystems.

• Southeast Land Trust (SELT) is hosting a National Trails Day on Saturday, June 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to celebrate the opening of the Spruce Swamp Conservation trail systems in Fremont. Explore hiking trails with forester Phil Auger, enjoy a picnic, and volunteer for trail work afterward. Visit seltnh.org to register.

• NH Audubon and NH Fish and Game will host free field training sessions on New Hampshire butterfly monitoring and conservation on Saturday, June 3, at 10 a.m. and Thursday, June 15, at 11 a.m. at the McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, nhaudubon.org). Participants will learn how to identify butterflies in various habitats and contribute to long-term data collection to monitor changes in species’ ranges. All skill levels are welcome. Space is limited, and registration is required.

• Explore the world of birds on a guided birding walk with NH Audubon and local birder Joe Mahoney at Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn, nhaudubon.org) on Saturdays, June 3 and June 17, at 8 a.m. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Binocular rental is included. The cost is $8 for NH Audubon members and $10 for non-members. Register by June 2.

• A native plant sale and spring craft fair will be held at the NH Audubon’s McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, nhaudubon.org) on Sunday, June 4, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• The Beaver Brook Association (117 Ridge Road, Hollis, beaverbrook.org) will have a 10-week adult aerobic trail walking class held every Monday from 9 to 11 a.m., from June 5 through Aug. 7. The class will include moderate- to fast-paced hikes, providing cardio exercise and outdoor exploration. The total cost is $100.

• Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) will host a workshop, “Homegrown Wellness: Making Plantain Oil to Soothe the Sting,” on Saturday, June 10, at 10 a.m. Discover the healing properties of plantain, a common weed found in lawns and fields. The cost is $25. Visit prescottfarm.org.

• Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (534 Route 3, Holderness, nhnature.org) has its annual Breeding Bird Census on Saturday, June 10. The public is invited to listen for and document the territorial songs of male birds, which indicate probable nesting. The early session, from 5:30 to 8 a.m., will cover two forested zones including Mt. Fayal while the later session, from 8 to 9:30 a.m., will cover fields, exhibit areas and Kirkwood Gardens. There is no cost to participate, but registration is required.

• Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) will host a workshop, “Wilderness Skills: Geocaching – The Nature Treasure Hunting Game,” on Saturday, June 10, at 1 p.m. The workshop is open to youth and adults and costs $15 per person.

• Join the Seacoast Science Center (570 Ocean Blvd., Rye) for World Ocean Day, Sunday, June 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature hands-on games, educational activities, naturalist-led tide pooling sessions, food trucks, a beach clean-up and a life-size inflatable whale. Visit seacoastsciencecenter.org.

• UNH Cooperative Extension will host a program on the identification and role of native and non-native shrubs as habitat for birds at Pickering Ponds trails (Pickering Road, Rochester) on Wednesday, June 14, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., and Friday, June 16, from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Participants will identify various shrub species, explore their roles as bird habitats and learn which shrubs are beneficial to encourage on their own land for the benefit of birds. Space is limited, and registration is required. Visit seacoastchapter.org.

• Patrick Tate, Wildlife Biologist at NH Fish and Game, presents a lecture, “Facts, Myths, and Tales Regarding Mountain Lions in New Hampshire,” at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (534 Route 3, Holderness) on Thursday, June 15, at 6 p.m. Learn about eastern and western mountain lions, New Hampshire sighting reports, hoaxes and misidentifications and more in relation to mountain lions in New Hampshire. Registration is required. Visit nhnature.org.

• Southeast Land Trust (SELT) is hosting a Howard Swain Memorial Forest Naturalist Tour on Thursday, June 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Deerfield. Explore Pawtuckaway State Park, plant and animal species, rocky trails, ponds and more with Kim Cote, a Natural Resources Steward and Nature-Based Educator. Visit seltnh.org to register.

• Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) will host a workshop, “Wilderness Skills: Poisonous Plants & Hazards,” on Saturday, June 17, at 1 p.m. The cost is $15.

• Pumpkin Blossom Farm (393 Pumpkin Hill Road, Warner) hosts Lavender U-Pick in its lavender fields on various dates between July 5 and July 23, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Everyone is invited to wander the fields and cut and harvest bundles of lavender. Attendees are welcome to relax and have a picnic on the lawn, walk the shaded trail and visit the baby chicks. Lavender plants, products and treats will also be for sale. Discount bundles are $15 during the weekdays and $20 on weekends. Visit pumpkinblossomfarm.com.

• Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) will hold an introductory session on mindful walking on Saturday, July 8, at 10 a.m. The session, recommended for adults, involves moderate physical demand in indoor and outdoor settings. The cost is $40.

• Head to Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) for Forest Trail Games for Kids and Adults on Saturday, July 22, from 10 a.m. to noon. The cost is $15 per person.

• Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia) will host a workshop, “Homegrown Wellness: First Aid Trail Plants,” on Saturday, July 29, at 1 p.m. Discover the power of nature’s remedies as you explore the fields and learn about the identification and uses of wild first aid plants. The workshop is open to adults and involves a moderate physical demand. The cost is $15. Visit prescottfarm.org.

• The inaugural New Hampshire Butterfly Survey will take place on Saturday, July 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the NH Audubon’s McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord). The collaborative effort between New Hampshire Audubon and New Hampshire Fish and Game is aimed at gathering long-term butterfly data in the Concord region and beyond to better understand the changing ranges of butterfly species over time and support statewide butterfly conservation efforts. Visit nhaudubon.org.

• Head to Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) for a special evening program, “Animals of New Hampshire: Fireflies Light Up the Sky,” on Saturday, July 29, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Learn about fireflies, then witness their emergence as dusk approaches. The program is recommended for adults and involves a moderate physical demand. The cost is $15.

• Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) presents an educational program, “Animals of New Hampshire: Monarch Butterflies,” on Saturday, Aug. 5, at 1 p.m. Learn about monarch butterflies; their habitat, life cycle and annual migration; and ways to contribute to conservation efforts in your own backyard. This program is open to youth and adults. The cost is $15.

• Go for a beginner wild mushroom walk at Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia) on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m. to noon. Led by experts from the New Hampshire Mushroom Co., this guided walk will take you along the farm’s scenic trails to search for, collect, identify and become familiar with the distinguishing features of different mushrooms. The cost is $30. Visit prescottfarm.org.

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Sports

• The six-time champion Nashua Silver Knights, members of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, will host their home opener at Holman Stadium (67 Amherst St., Nashua) on Saturday, May 27, against the Worcester Bravehearts, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. Their last home game will be on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 3 p.m., when they will take on the Vermont Lake Monsters, before the playoffs begin later that week. Visit nashuasilverknights.com.

• The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A minor-league affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball, play their next home game at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive, Manchester) on Tuesday, May 30, at 6:05 p.m. against the Reading Fightin Phils. That game kicks off a six-game homestand through Sunday, June 4, at 1:35 p.m. Games on Thursday, June 1, and Saturday, June 3 (a.k.a. “603 Night”), will be immediately followed by fireworks shows courtesy of Atlas Fireworks. Kids will be able to run the bases after the game on Sunday, June 4. Other events this season include a Father’s Day brunch on Sunday, June 18, at 1 p.m.; Pride Night on Wednesday, June 28; Star Wars Night with fireworks on Thursday, June 29; “Megablast Fireworks Weekend” at the games Saturday, July 1, through Monday, July 3; Manchester Chicken Tenders night on Thursday, July 27, and more. The final home game is slated for Sunday, Sept. 17. Visit nhfishercats.com.

• The Hoodkroft Open at Hoodkroft Country Club (121 E. Broadway, Derry) will feature the men’s super senior division on Thursday, June 1; the men’s senior division and the women’s division (all ages) on Friday, June 2, and the men’s division (all ages) on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4. The cost ranges from $50 to $100, depending on the chosen division, and golf carts are sold separately. Visit hoodkroftcc.com.

• Join Special Olympics New Hampshire for its 52nd annual State Summer Games, the organization’s largest competition of the year for its athletes, on Friday, June 2, and Saturday, June 3, 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 song.org.

• RelAxe Throwing (157 Gay St., Manchester) will be home to the annual Granite State Axe Tournament on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, in celebration of the venue’s fourth anniversary. Matches begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday (big ax and dual matches) and at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday (hatchets). See relaxethrowing.com.

• AG Paintball (158 Deering Center Road, Weare) is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year — join them on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, for the New Hampshire Paintball Classic, featuring 10-vs.-10 preliminary games and finals of Capture the Flag, with first, second and third-place cash prizes. Visit agpaintball.com.

• The 79th annual New Hampshire Soap Box Derby race will be held on Sunday, June 4, at 120 Broadway in Dover — check-ins begin at 7:45 a.m., with side-by-side competitions kicking off at 9:30 a.m. The Derby creates an opportunity for kids ages 7 and older to create a gravity-powered car and race it down a track in hopes of making the All-American Soap Box Derby World Championship, hosted in Akron, Ohio. Cheering on the racers is free, and parking is available at 73 Oak St. in Dover. Visit nh.soapboxderby.org.

• AmpSurf New England will hold a learn to surf clinic for people living with disabilities, as well as veterans and first responders, at Sawyers Beach (5 Perkins Road, Rye) on Saturday, June 10, from 7 a.m. to noon. Registration is $25 per surfer. Visit ampsurf.org.

• The final match of the Division 1 NHIAA Baseball Tournament will take place on Saturday, June 10, at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive, Manchester; time TBA). Visit nhiaa.org.

• The third annual Chandler’s Ball 3-on-3 Kids Basketball Tournament is happening on Saturday, June 10, from 2 to 6 p.m. at Emmett-Sheridan Park (324 Beech St., Manchester). The cost is $15 per team, and players will be divided into age groups of 10 to 12, 13 to 17 and 18 to 21 years old. Cash prizes and trophies will be awarded. Visit chandlersangels.org.

• The Milford Community Athletic Association’s annual softball and baseball Hit-a-Thon is happening on Sunday, June 11, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 26 N. River Road in Milford. Visit mcaa.us.

• Join the Milford Rotary Club to play 100 Holes of Golf in One Day on Friday, June 16, at Amherst Country Club (72 Ponemah Road, Amherst), with tee-off at 6 a.m. Play is expected to be completed by 7:30 p.m., and scoring will be based on 90 holes played continuously. Prizes will be awarded for closest to the pin and hole-in-one, if made. See golf100holes.com.

• Don’t miss the 100th annual Loudon Classic Middleweight Grand Prix, a 1.6-mile road race happening at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1122 Route 106, Loudon) on Saturday, June 17, as part of Laconia Motorcycle Week. General admission is $40 and VIP admission is $70. Visit nhms.com.

• The Franklin Animal Shelter’s fifth annual charity golf tournament is happening on Monday, June 19, at Beaver Meadow Golf Course (1 Beaver Meadow Drive, Concord), with registration beginning at 7 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Prizes will be awarded to the first- and second-place winning teams, and several contests are also planned. All proceeds will benefit the Franklin Animal Shelter. Visit franklinanimalshelter.com/golf.

• Registration is now open for this year’s New Hampshire Senior Games — the first local event, a candlepin bowling tournament, is happening at Boutwell’s Bowling Center (152 N. State St., Concord) on Friday, June 23, at 1 p.m. More events are scheduled to take place throughout July and August, covering everything from disc golf, archery, basketball and swimming to racquetball, table tennis, badminton, pickleball and more. See nhseniorgames.org.

• Dozens of high school football players from across the state will participate in the 11th annual CHaD NH East-West High School All-Star Football Game, scheduled for Friday, June 23, at 6 p.m. at the Grappone Stadium at Saint Anselm College (100 St. Anselm Drive, Manchester). General admission tickets are $15, with all proceeds benefiting Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD). Visit chadkids.org.

• NH Roller Derby (nhrollerderby.com) has double-headers scheduled for Saturday, June 24, and Saturday, Aug. 5, at the JFK Coliseum in Manchester. For more on the team and the sport, check out last week’s cover story; see hippopress.com to find the May 18 e-edition (story starts on page 10).

• Putts for Pups, a golf tournament fundraiser for Second Chance Ranch Rescue in New Boston, returns to Stonebridge Country Club (161 Gorham Pond Road, Goffstown) on Monday, June 26. Registration opens at 8 a.m., followed by a 9 a.m. shotgun start — the day will include 18 holes of golf, lunch, drinks, raffles, silent auctions, giveaways and more. Registration is $125 per person, or $450 per foursome. Visit secondchanceranchrescue.com/events/golf.

• It’s NASCAR Weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1122 Route 106, Loudon) from Friday, July 14, through Sunday, July 16 — weekend happenings include Friday Night Dirt Duels on Friday; a doubleheader on Saturday featuring the Ambetter Health 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race, followed by the Mohegan Sun 100 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race, and the Crayon 301 race on Sunday. Tickets vary in price, depending on the race. See nhms.com.

• Monte Scheinblum’s Boston Clinic is hosted at World Cup Golf Center (4 Friel Golf Road, Hudson), where the professional golfer works with players of all skill types over the course of a few days. There will be group and individual sessions from Saturday, July 15, through Monday, July 17, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Search “Boston Golf Clinic with Monte Scheinblum” on eventbrite.com.

• The Milford Community Athletic Association’s third annual golf tournament is happening on Monday, July 17, at Amherst Country Club (72 Ponemah Road, Amherst), with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. The tournament will be followed by lunch and an awards ceremony and will feature several contests. Registration is $600 per foursome. Visit mcaa.us.

• The annual Fore Paws Golf Tournament, a fundraiser for the Salem Animal Rescue League, is tentatively scheduled for Monday, Aug. 14. Visit sarlnh.org.

• The next available event in the New Hampshire Golf Association’s Stroke Play Series is on Thursday, Aug. 24, at Hoodkroft Country Club (121 E. Broadway, Derry). The cost is $70 per golfer per individual 18-hole tournament. Visit nhgolfassociation.org.

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Featured photo: Nicole “Punky” Mavrogeorge Wehry makes plans to evade Maine Roller Derby’s blockers as she skates into the fray. Photo by Todd Grzywacz.

New Hampshire’s teams lace up for roller derby season

Game time at JFK Coliseum means something different in the spring and summertime than in the winter months. Spectators still flock to the stadium seats, but they also set up lawn chairs down on the concrete of the melted ice rink.

Officials in referee jerseys with names like “Tugboat,” “Doomsday Llama” and “She-Rantula” press neon pink tape over ropes that make up the flat track. Dozens of women roller skate around in black and pink or white and blue team tank tops. Some have on yoga pants, some have on bright colored skirts, all wear heavy-duty helmets and pads.

Music blasts through loudspeakers as fans, friends and family hold up homemade signs and scream their favorite player’s name.

With the first whistle on April 29, the roller derby season has officially started for New Hampshire Roller Derby’s travel teams.

NHRD was the first flat track roller derby organization in the Granite State. Its first season was 15 years ago. The sport has gained popularity throughout the country and locally. New Hampshire has four leagues, with varying numbers of teams. NHRD has two travel teams, three home teams and one recreational team.

Jena McClary, derby name Pixie Bruiser, has been a part of NHRD since 2008. She skates for the All Stars, the highest-ranked travel team, and for the home team Nightmares on Elm Street.

“It’s taken over my whole life,” McClary said. In addition to running the team’s public relations, she met her husband through the sport, and now he coaches the All Stars, and their kids also have played and worked as officiants as well.

McClary said it’s the best way to exercise, in her opinion, and also a great way to relieve stress.

“For me, it’s an outlet,” McClary said. “It’s an outlet I enjoy and the main thing that keeps me going is the challenge of it.”

Between the first whistle and the last introduction by the emcee, the skaters on New Hampshire Roller Derby’s A and B travel teams take a brief second to set up for the first jam of the night.

McClary and three other skaters stand in formation. She and two other blockers make a triangle, with the pivot standing close by. A few feet away, the first jammer of the night, Terror Nova, crouches down behind her line, waiting for the whistle.

When it sounds, it’s a race between Nova and Maine Roller Derby’s jammer to see who will control the match. Despite pushing and bobbing and weaving, the MRD jammer breaks out of the pack first. While Nova lost lead jammer this time, the friendly bout was only just beginning.

Roller derby is a sport that takes time, and someone who plays explaining it, to understand. It can be complex and confusing, especially if you’re learning in the middle of a game, where the seven officiants are keeping track of points and penalties, coaches and teammates are shouting suggestions, fans are cheering and skates are squealing on concrete while bodies are slamming into each other.

That being said, once the rules are laid out, it becomes easy to get wrapped up in the energy.

“It’s a combination of rugby and NASCAR,” said Raven Makenzie “Smackenzie Phillips” Ladao. “Many people refer to it as like the non-sporty sport. If you don’t fit in in other sports, this is your sport.”

Ladao said the easiest way to learn the game is to watch it. She has played all three of the positions on a roller derby team: jammer, pivot and blocker. She’s favoring the blocker position the most these days.

Ladao is a long-time veteran of roller derby. She’s played in several different states, as well as in Japan, which she represented in the 2018 World Championship in Manchester, England. Now she coaches NHRD’s junior league, which her kids either play in or officiate for.

NHRD will have a sign that says, “Ask me about roller derby” with an arrow pointed down to the person holding it. Ladao was the sign-bearer at the bout against Maine.

“Many people ask, ‘Where’s the ball?’ There is no ball in the sport,” Ladao said. She pointed out the two players with helmet covers on. “The person with the star on is essentially the ball, because that’s the only person on the track who can score the points.”

She explained that they are called jammers, and they have to start behind all the other players. Once the jammers make it past everyone on the track, one will be named the lead jammer and she’ll have the power to end the match early.

Jammers have to make it through the blockers. The blockers have to stay within 10 feet of each other, and try to keep the other team’s jammer from passing. It sounds easy enough, until you learn that they can’t use their forearms to block or hold onto the opposite team, as well as a plethora of other body parts they can’t make contact with.

The only form of punishment is a penalty, basically a time-out where the player has to sit in the penalty box for 30 seconds. The box has three chairs, one for a jammer, two for everyone else. There are plenty of different penalties that derby players can commit. Even coaches can be subject to penalties, and the team’s captain would have to sit it for the coach if that was the case.

“So the most basic penalty is a track cut,” Ladao explained. “That’s where someone hits you out of the track and you have to come in behind them. They can run back … but if you’re not paying attention and you jump back on the track before them that’s going-out-of-bounds penalty. So like going out of bounds, you have to come back in behind the person who bumped you out.”

Penalties are usually sat for 30 seconds; 20 of them the player has to be seated, the last 10 they can stand up and get ready to rejoin the game. Ladao said she’s never seen it happen before, but an entire team could be penalized at the same time, between two standing members and three seated ones.

Penalties are designed to keep players safe. The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, the governing body for women’s roller derby around the world, is constantly updating its rules to make sure that players are safe.

Having clear rules makes it possible for NHRD to have players of all ages, shapes and sizes, said Emily “Blitzy Borden” Chebook, who was the captain at the bout and skates for All Stars as well as the home team Granite Skate Troopers.

“I think there’s a place for almost anybody, whether it’s on the track or not,” Chebook said. “With skating, you can be tall and wide, you can be short and lanky. It doesn’t really matter.”

Chebook has a unique history with NHRD. She saw her first derby bout at NHRD when she was in elementary school and immediately fell in love. She had wanted to play but she said there were no youth leagues back then.

She did a training session with NHRD before realizing she couldn’t commit the time to the sport. When she and her husband moved to the Midwest, she found a community because of roller derby.

“Some of the people I’ve met through derby are the sweetest teddy bears,” Chebook said.

Rachel “Jagged Little Kill” Smith, a new member of NHRD, who plays for the B travel team, The Cherry Bombs, and Nightmare on Elm Street, said that a lot of people have misconceptions about the people who play roller derby.

“I think when you roll derby, you kind of have an idea of the kind of person that plays,” Smith said. “You have a stereotype of, ‘Oh, you play derby, you must have piercings and face tattoos or live an “alternative lifestyle.”’ And we do have those people, but we have moms and nurses and accountants and grandparents.”

Smith said that the derby of the 1970s is not the derby of today, that it’s not just a bunch of women trying to hurt each other. Smith actually joined NHRD only five months ago after completing the training camp that started in September. She said that everyone on the team has been like having a second family.

“It is a little nerve-wracking to walk into this big group of people who are very close-knit,” Smith said. “We see each other two or three times a week in practice. A lot of people hang out socially outside of those times, and everybody is going to welcome you with open arms. It has been a completely incredible, welcoming community.”

Despite the players’ off-track personalities, their on-track personas were fiercely fighting to get ahead against MRD. Early in the bout, NHRD’s hard work paid off and they scored ahead in the leaderboard, and kept the pressure on for the rest of the bout. By the time the game had ended, they had won by close to 150 points.

After the game, the teams congratulated each other with high fives and cheers, as each group took a victory lap. It was as if they hadn’t spent the last hour tripping, pushing, shoving and body-checking each other.

Both teams amassed, standing and waiting for an announcer to say who won the most valuable jammer and blocker for each of the teams while the officiants counted up the final scores. Both sides cheered when the players were called forward, not caring about the rivalry they had just shared.

“People in derby are way nicer than we appear when we play,” Smith said. “We like to put on a good show for the audience. You know, be a little bit showboaty. But when it comes down to it … we’re normal people who just like to get together and sweat and push around our friends a little bit and then give each other high fives before we go home.”

Roller derby organizations and upcoming games
Granite Skate Roller Derby
Everett Arena, 15 Loudon Road, Concord, granitestaterollerderby.org
When: June 10, July 15, times to be determined.

Monadnock Roller Derby
Lee Clement Arena, 38 Grove St., Henniker, monadnockrollerderby.com
When: Saturday, Aug. 12, time to be determined.
Price: Online pre-orders are $10

New Hampshire Roller Derby
JFK Coliseum, 303 Beech St., Manchester, nhrollerderby.com
When: Saturdays, May 20, June 24, and Aug. 5, all at 4:30 p.m.
Price: $12 adults, free for children 12 and younger, veterans and NHRD veterans
How to join: Email the league at join@nhrollerderby.com for adult players. Youth skaters can sign up for the current session at nhjuniorrollerderby.com.

How to play

Rules come from the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, wftda.com:

The game of Flat Track Roller Derby is played on a flat oval track. Games are divided into two 30-minute periods. Within each period there are play sessions called jams, which last up to two minutes. There are 30 seconds between jams.

During a jam, each team has up to five skaters on the track. Four of these skaters are called blockers (together, the blockers are called the pack) and one is called a jammer. The jammer wears a helmet cover with a star on it. One of the blockers wears a helmet cover with a stripe; they are called the pivot and can be an alternate for the jammer.

The two jammers start each jam behind the pack and score a point for every opposing blocker they lap, each lap. Before they can start scoring, they must get through the first pack and skate around the track before they can score points on opposing blockers.

Roller derby is a full-contact sport but skaters cannot use their heads, elbows, forearms, hands, knees, lower legs or feet to make contact with opponents. It is illegal to attack a player’s head, back, knee, lower leg or feet.

Play that is unsafe or illegal may result in a skater being penalized. Penalties are served by sitting in the penalty box for 30 seconds of jam time.

The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Derby lingo

All terms and definitions come from the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, wftda.com:

Apex jump – when a jammer jumps out of bounds but lands back in bounds to break away from the pack.

Bank track – the traditional roller derby track from the 1970s. The track is sloped inward. Only a few are used in the United States.

Blocker – one of the three positions in a derby game. Their job is to block the other team’s jammer and help their own jammer accelerate through the jam.

Bout – the name for a roller derby game.

Falling small – the ability to keep arms and legs contained when falling to avoid further injuries.

Flat track – the more common style of derby track. This one is made by taping rope down on a hard surface, indoors or outdoors.

Jam – a round of the bout. Can last up to 2 minutes, but can also be called off by the lead jammer.

Jammer – the player who scores points for the team; they wear a star helmet cover.

Lead Jammer – the jammer to break through first; they have the ability to call off the round by tapping their hips four times.

Pack – blockers and pivot must form one by being within 10 feet of each other.

Pass/earned pass – how points are tallied. A jammer can score up to four points each time they lap the other team.

Pivot – a blocker that can receive the star helmet cover and become the new jammer if needed. They wear a striped helmet cover.

Power jam – only one team’s jammer is on the track.

Star pass – where the jammer passes the star helmet cover to the pivot. If the jammer was the lead jammer at the time, they forfeit that position and the full two-minute round is played.

Track – an oval-shaped loop that derby is played on.

Safety gear

This is the gear that NHRD requires each of its players use.

• “Quad” style roller skates (inline skates are not allowed) — There are places that specialize in selling roller derby equipment, like Bruised Boutique (522 Amherst St., Nashua). Wear the skates that fit best, because improperly fitting skates can hold a player back and increase risk of injury.

• Dual certified helmet — Because while there isn’t a helmet that can prevent concussions, good helmets can help minimize injury.

• Mouth guard — The brand SISU is one that is easy to breathe through and allows the wearer to communicate with teammates.

• Hard protective shell/insert elbow pads — They should have a snug, comfortable fit, because elbow pads often last longer than other protective gear.

• Hard protective shell/insert knee pads— Get ones that are cushioned for function over fashion, because skaters land most of their falls on their knees.

• Hard protective shell/insert wrist guards — They should provide good palm and stable wrist protection, because hand and wrist injuries are fairly common due to players’ catching themselves.

Featured photo: Nicole “Punky” Mavrogeorge Wehry makes plans to evade Maine Roller Derby’s blockers as she skates into the fray. Photo by Todd Grzywacz.

A look at the salty and sweet comfort dish

Nothing says Sunday brunch quite like a warm, fluffy fresh-baked waffle, topped with a generous drizzle of sweet maple syrup, maybe some butter, and paired with — fried chicken? While it may seem like a strange combination, chicken and waffles is a beloved comfort dish not only for its marriage of sweet and savory flavors but also for its astonishing versatility. It’s increasingly becoming a popular brunch menu item across New Hampshire restaurant menus, although some have noted that it’s also commonly enjoyed for dinner.

“I feel like here people order it any time from like 8 o’clock in the morning until 2 p.m. It’s kind of that any-time-of-day sort of dish,” said Alex Horton, owner of Café la Reine, which opened its second spot in Manchester’s North End last October.

The Saint Anselm College alum opened the original Café la Reine on Elm Street downtown in 2013 before her team expanded their operations in the space long occupied by Blake’s Restaurant. With the new location came all kinds of new menu items exclusive to the space — chief among them are the chicken and waffles, which feature a house-made waffle mix and hand-breaded chicken tenders, topped with scallions and the eatery’s own hot honey. Both the waffles and the chicken are gluten-free, Horton said, making it one of their top-selling items.

But just what is it about fried chicken and waffles that makes these two indulgences work so well together? Kendra Smith of Soel Sistas, a Nashua-based food trailer and catering company, said it’s the unique balance of tastes and textures that make it shine — in particular, the crispiness and saltiness of the fried chicken with the soft, buttery flavor of the waffle and the sweetness of the dressing, be it a hot honey or a maple syrup.

“It hits all of those notes on your tongue,” said Smith, who regularly offers chicken and waffles on her trailer’s menu and attends public and private events across the Granite State.

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, many local eateries that don’t already have chicken and waffles on their regular menu are incorporating it as a brunch special this week. Here’s a closer look at some rather interesting variations of the dish and where you can get them.

From brunch to dinner

Whether it’s the type of chicken used or how the waffle batter is prepared — not to mention whatever extra ingredients are chosen to drizzle on top — chicken and waffles can take on a surprising array of different forms to exploit that sweet and savory flavor fusion.

“It’s one of my favorite dishes in general. I can’t even explain why. I just love it,” said Kimmy Labrie, executive chef of The Hills Restaurant at Milford’s Hampshire Hills Athletic Club. “If it was just plain chicken and plain waffles, then I probably wouldn’t like it, but I love to see all of the creativity that people put into it. Everywhere you go, there’s a different spin on it.”

As a brunch special for Mother’s Day, on Sunday, May 14, for instance, Labrie will serve a maple bourbon dry rubbed chicken breast, going over a sweet vanilla buttermilk waffle before that is all topped with pink peppercorn bacon and a Buffalo-infused maple syrup.

“The pink peppercorn bacon is super floral, and then you have your spiced, your sweet [and] your savory, so it kind of hits all of your taste buds there,” she said.

Labrie recalls making dinner-friendly chicken and waffles, featuring chicken tenders, a scallion waffle and a homemade maple bacon syrup, while she was a chef at Bar One near the Milford Oval several years ago.

“I was whipping bacon fat into the syrup. It was so good,” she said. “That one had tons of black pepper too. It was a good late-night snack, for sure. It soaked up all the beers.”

Smith will usually offer waffles topped with boneless fried chicken thighs, along with two sides each of maple syrup and hot sauce, although she too has tried different things, especially when collaborating with Nashua’s Lounge 38 Bar and Grill for their brunch menus.

“We’ve done a honey ginger chicken and waffle … and then a mac and cheese chicken and waffle, so it’s a waffle with mac and cheese in it,” she said. “We can do them on the trailer, but typically when we do brunches at Lounge 38 is when we’ll do the different variations, because it’s just easier to do in a regular kitchen.”

In Manchester, Backyard Brewery & Kitchen started out with offering chicken and waffles as a week-long special on its menu. But due to its steady popularity, owner Marcus Doucet said, the decision was quickly made to keep it on the menu all the time. Theirs features buttermilk fried chicken tenders atop a Belgian waffle, finished with North Country Smokehouse bacon, Sriracha-infused maple syrup and a honey mustard drizzle.

“Chicken and waffles has gone way beyond brunch food and is now most popular at dinner time,” Doucet said in an email. “You get the juicy and crunchy fried chicken on a bed of fluffy waffles, mixed with the sweet and savory bacon and the maple syrup.”

At the Copper Door Restaurant, you can get chicken and waffles one of two ways — as a brunch entree featuring a full-sized waffle topped with buttermilk fried chicken, crispy prosciutto, herbed gravy and a local maple syrup, or as an appetizer option with smaller bite-sized waffles, syrup, gravy and a Creole aioli. Its sister restaurant, CJ’s Great West Grill, meanwhile, just added its own chicken and waffles dish within the last year and a half, according to Great New Hampshire Restaurants marketing and menu development director Nicole Barreira. That one has a cornbread-sugar crunch waffle that’s topped with turkey gravy, maple Sriracha, chopped bacon and scallions, in addition to the buttermilk marinated fried chicken.

Even Buffalo chicken and waffles is a thing — you can get that anytime at The Yolk Grill in Pelham, which boasts the dish as one of its more popular offerings. Chicken and waffles Benedicts are also available, at Margaret’s Kitchen in Sanbornton, featuring two local poached eggs, a house hollandaise sauce and chives.

“As a chef, it’s so versatile. You can make it as sweet or savory as you want,” Margaret’s Kitchen owner and chef Dustin Martel said. “We’ve done a Thai-style one that uses Sriracha, Thai chilis and basil.”

An American staple

Exactly when and where someone decided to pair chicken with waffles for the first time is unclear, although at least one version of the dish appears to be a traditional meal associated with Pennsylvania Dutch fare, dating as far back as the 1600s. In his 2013 book As American as Shoofly Pie: The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine, prolific author and food historian William Woys Weaver writes that it was known for being prepared several different ways, with the most basic form featuring a chicken-based gravy served over waffles.

Perhaps one of the best-known restaurants nationwide serving the version with fried chicken we most commonly see today is Roscoe’s House of Chicken ’N Waffles. Founded in 1975, the Los Angeles-based chain, which has seven locations in that city’s metro area, is referred to by John T. Edge as “ground zero for the phenomenon” of chicken and waffles in his 2004 book Fried Chicken: An American Story.

According to information on its website, Roscoe’s House of Chicken ’N Waffles, the site of several movies and television shows, “making it a favorite for everyday diners and celebrities alike,” was founded by Herb Hudson, a native of Harlem, New York. Edge traces that origin story and arrives in New York City during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, with the opening of Wells Supper Club by Joseph T. Wells in 1938, famous for its chicken and waffles.

But Edge goes on to surmise that the dish, in some form, was likely “already ensconced in the folk repertoire” even earlier than that. Wells Supper Club stayed open until 1982, but chicken and waffles remains a popular menu item across many Harlem-area soul food restaurants.

Where to get chicken and waffles

Here’s a list of local restaurants, diners, food trailers and other businesses serving up plates of chicken and waffles — some offer it on a regular basis, while others are featuring it as a menu special ahead of Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 14). Did we miss any in the Manchester, Concord or Nashua areas that you know of? Tell us about them at food@hippopress.com.

• 110 Grill (875 Elm St., Manchester, 836-1150; 27 Trafalgar Square, Nashua, 943-7443; 110grill.com) is offering chicken and waffles as a special feature on its Mother’s Day brunch menu, featuring cornflake-crusted fried chicken served with a Belgian waffle, whipped cream and hot honey maple syrup. Brunch specials will be available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 14.

• Airport Diner (2280 Brown Ave., Manchester, 623-5040, thecman.com) offers fried chicken and waffles, featuring a house-made Belgian waffle topped with hand-breaded chicken tenders, and served with your choice of real New Hampshire maple syrup or white country gravy.

• The Alamo Texas Barbecue & Tequila Bar (99 Route 13, Brookline, 721-5500, alamobarbecue.com) offers mini fried chicken and waffles as an appetizer, topped with maple butter and Sriracha maple syrup.

• Americus Restaurant (LaBelle Winery, 14 Route 11, Derry, 672-9898, labellewinery.com) has chicken and waffles available as a brunch entree, featuring fried chicken thighs, a sweet potato waffle and five onion relish, topped with a honey ginger Demi sauce and cowboy butter.

• Ansanm (20 South St., Milford, 554-1248, ansanmnh.com) is offering its signature fried chicken and waffles during its Mother’s Day brunch buffet, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person and available online via Eventbrite.

• Backyard Brewery & Kitchen (1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-3545, backyardbrewerynh.com) has chicken and waffles as a regular menu item, featuring fried chicken tenders atop a Belgian waffle, with North Country Smokehouse bacon, Sriracha-infused maple syrup and a honey mustard drizzle.

• BluAqua Restrobar (930 Elm St., Manchester, 836-3970, bluaquarestrobar.com) offers chicken and waffles on its menu, featuring a house-made Belgian waffle with maple butter, buttermilk fried chicken topped with North Country Smokehouse bacon ends and finished with a generous drizzle of honey.

• Boards & Brews (941 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5184, boardsandbrewsnh.com) offers chicken and waffles as a main staple on its entree menu.

• Bobola’s Restaurant (9 Simon St., Nashua, 577-1086, bobolasrestaurants.com) has chicken and waffles on its breakfast menu.

• Café la Reine – North End (53 Hooksett Road, Unit 6, Manchester, 782-5367, cafelareine.com) offers chicken and waffles on its menu that feature crispy hand-breaded chicken breast, scallions and hot honey and are served with a side of house-cut fries. Café la Reine – North End is accepting reservations online for Mother’s Day weekend, according to owner Alex Horton, and also plans to open its outdoor patio for the first time since opening last fall.

• Chez Vachon (136 Kelley St., Manchester, 625-9660, chezvachon.com) has chicken and waffles as a breakfast specialty on its menu, with the option of honey sugar butter.

• CJ’s Great West Grill (782 S. Willow St., Manchester, 627-8600, cjsgreatwestgrill.com) offers chicken and waffles on its entree menu, featuring buttermilk marinated fried chicken, a corn bread-sugar crunch waffle, turkey gravy, maple Sriracha, chopped bacon and scallions.

• Copper Door Restaurant (15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677; 41 S. Broadway, Salem, 458-2033; copperdoor.com) has two ways to order chicken and waffles — you can get them as an appetizer, featuring house-made waffle bites topped with crispy chicken, Creole aioli, maple syrup, herbed gravy and crispy prosciutto, or as a brunch option with prosciutto, herbed gravy, local maple syrup and fresh fruit.

• Diz’s Cafe (860 Elm St., Manchester, 606-2532, dizscafe.com) has chicken and waffles on its breakfast menu, available on Saturdays and Sundays, from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

• Francoeur’s Cafe (488 S. Main St., Manchester, 206-5329, francoeurscafe.com) offers chicken and waffles with the option to add local New Hampshire maple syrup or habanero maple syrup.

• Frankie’s Diner (63 Route 13, Milford, 554-1359, find them on Facebook @frankiesdinermilford) offers panko-fried chicken and waffles on its breakfast menu.

• The Friendly Toast (4 Main St., Bedford, 836-6238, thefriendlytoast.com) offers chicken and waffles on its brunch menu, featuring a fluffy Belgian waffle infused with bacon, fire-roasted poblano corn and jalapeno jack cheese, layered with chicken breast and topped with hot honey, chipotle maple sour cream, pickled onions and scallions.

• The Goat Bar & Grill (50 Old Granite St., Manchester, 844-603-4628, goatnh.com) has chicken and waffles on its menu as an appetizer, featuring fried chicken tenders on a pearl sugar waffle with jalapenos and a maple Sriracha drizzle.

• The Hidden Pig (53 Main St., Nashua, 402-9640, thehiddenpig.com) has chicken and waffles as a menu specialty, topped with a sunny-side-up egg, maple-bacon butter, maple syrup and homemade gravy.

• The Hills Restaurant (Hampshire Hills Athletic Club, 50 Emerson Road, Milford, 673-7123, hampshirehills.com/the-hills-restaurant) has chicken and waffles as one of the featured options on its a la carte Mother’s Day brunch menu, available Sunday, May 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and featuring bourbon maple fried chicken, a sweet buttermilk waffle, pink peppercorn bacon and Buffalo maple syrup. Other variations on chicken and waffles are sometimes run as menu specials, according to executive chef Kimmy Labrie.

• Margaret’s Kitchen (1002 Laconia Road, Sanbornton, 729-0038, mkitchennh.com) offers a chicken and waffles Benedict, featuring crispy chicken and a house recipe waffle, two local poached eggs, house-made hollandaise and chives.

• MaryAnn’s Diner (4 Cobbetts Pond Road, Windham, 965-3066; 29 E. Broadway, Derry, 434-5785; 3 Veterans Memorial Parkway, Salem, 893-9877; 1 Craftsman Lane, Amherst; maryannsdiner.com) offers chicken and waffles on its breakfast menu. It’s available at all four locations, including the newest one, which opened in the former Joey’s Diner space earlier this year.

• Odd Fellows Brewery (124 Main St., Nashua, 521-8129, oddfellowsbrewery.com) has chicken and waffle sliders, featuring Nashville hot crispy chicken on toasted waffle biscuits, with bourbon bacon jam and a fresh pickle chip.

• Parker’s Maple Barn (1349 Brookline Road, Mason, 878-2308, parkersmaplebarn.com) offers chicken and waffles with a house maple bourbon drizzle.

• The Red Arrow Diner (112 Loudon Road, Concord, 415-0444; 137 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 552-3091; 61 Lowell Road, Manchester, 626-1118; 149 Daniel Webster Hwy., Nashua, 204-5088; redarrowdiner.com) has offered four-piece fried chicken and waffle plates as a rotating Blue Plate special at each of its locations.

• The Rollin’ Grille (therollingrille.com) is a southern New Hampshire-based food trailer that has offered chicken and waffles as a special in the past, featuring house-breaded tender chicken breast with spicy and sweet flavors and drizzled with maple syrup.

• The Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant (909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, shaskeenirishpub.com) has chicken and waffles on its Sunday brunch menu, available from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and featuring beer-battered chicken tenders, maple syrup, whipped cream and an optional maple bacon glaze.

• Soel Sistas Catering & Meal Prep (soelsistas.com, and on Facebook @soelsistasllc) is a Nashua-based food trailer and catering service that participates in several local public and private events, specializing in soul and Southern comfort food. Its chicken and waffles are available all the time, featuring Southern fried chicken thighs and a house waffle with maple syrup and hot sauce on the side, although Soel Sistas owner Kendra Smith has also dabbled in honey ginger chicken and waffles and even macaroni and cheese chicken and waffles in the past.

• Suzie’s Diner (76 Lowell Road, Hudson, 883-2741, suziesdiner.com) has chicken and waffles on its breakfast menu, with added options of either classic or hot honey maple syrup.

• Tilt’n Diner (61 Laconia Road, Tilton, 286-2204, thecman.com) offers fried chicken and waffles, featuring a house-made Belgian waffle topped with hand-breaded chicken tenders, and served with your choice of real New Hampshire maple syrup or white country gravy.

• The Yolk Grill (116 Bridge St., Pelham, 635-0992, theyolkgrill.com) offers Buffalo chicken and waffles as a menu specialty.

Featured photo: Cafe la Reine — North End. Photo by Ethos & Able Creative.

Celebrate Free Comic Book Day! Kids get their own Comic Con! Popcorn movies hit the screens!

More than just free comics

Comic shops are going all out for Free Comic Book Day

By Katelyn Sahagian

ksahagian@hippopress.com

Those who love Marvel, DC, Star Wars, graphic novels and other pop culture powerhouses should be gearing up to celebrate one of the biggest days in comic book culture: Free Comic Book Day, which returns on Saturday, May 6, at participating venues across the Granite State.

In downtown Rochester, for example, fans can find all sorts of goodies, giveaways, freebies and more across 24 shops.

“At this point, the event has become something the city is known for, and [people] know it as Rochester’s Free Comic Book Day festival,” said Ralph DiBernardo, owner of Jetpack Comics and Games.

This is the 15th year that Jetpack has partnered with the city to put on the festival. The first year, the shop had 800 customers, and the event’s popularity grew each year.

After three years of success, DiBernardo wanted to include the rest of the city for a chance to really let Rochester shine.

“I wanted my customers [to] see what else Rochester had to offer,” he said. “The Main Street Program is super supportive of our store and we got started, wrapped them into [the day] and they help us promote and turn [Free Comic Book Day] into a citywide event.”

DiBernardo said the event is family-friendly. He said it’s important to him to have the day be inclusive. Features range from special collectibles at different locations — including a special Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book cover, created especially for Jetpack Comics and Games — to a costume contest at 4 p.m.

In addition to the events, there will be a beer garden and food truck area set up. After the costume contest, DiBernardo said, visitors can close out the night with an afterparty until 11 p.m.

While Rochester has a citywide con lined up, Double Midnight Comics will have two smaller conventions at each of its locations in Manchester and Concord — both will feature local artists, vendors, writers and representatives from Kids Con New England providing activities for pint-sized comic buffs.

Co-owner Scott Proulx said this year will be bigger than ever before for the Manchester shop, inside The Factory on Willow.

“This year we’re gearing up and we have more space to work with,” he said. “Next to us, at the Factory, we rented out an event space to have artists from all over the area, and a few guest creators that are published writers and artists.”

Double Midnight will also have food trucks and a costume contest with prizes for each of the age groups.

While Double Midnight Comics in Manchester is going all out, the Concord location is a smaller affair. It will still have activities provided by Kids Con New England, but there won’t be a miniature comic convention. The shop will have an open house, with deals and discounts on a lot of their stock, as well as all of the comics that are being released for free by major companies, Proulx said.

Proulx said it was important to him, as someone who grew up reading comics, to connect with kids and younger fans. Having organizers of Kids Con New England there to supply activities not only encourages kids to read, but also reminds them that they have a community in the comic world.

“I remember growing up, I loved comics as a kid, but [they weren’t] mainstream,” Proulx said. “But now … it’s cool to see that there’s something for everybody out there.”

Free Comic Book Day
Saturday, May 6
Find more participating stores as well as a preview of some of the comics at freecomicbookday.com.
• Double Midnight Comics (252 Willow St., Manchester, 669-9636; 341 Loudon Road, Concord, 715-2683; dmcomics.com); 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Concord, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Manchester
• Jetpack Comics & Games (37 N. Main St., Rochester, 330-9363, jetpackcomics.com); 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., costume contest at 4 p.m., after party until 11 p.m.
• Merrymac Comics and Games (550 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 420-8161, merrymacgc.com); 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Getting into character

A conversation with a local cosplayer

J. Jester, a professional cosplayer based in New Hampshire, will appear at Kids Con New England, at the Douglas N. Everett Arena (15 Loudon Road, Concord) on Saturday, May 13. He will be cosplaying as Nightwing, one of the heroes in the Batman universe. Jester, who chose to go by his stage name for this interview, has been a cosplayer for eight years.

What is cosplaying?

Essentially cosplay is a word of two words: “costume” and “play.” Dressing up as someone is one thing, but a lot of cosplayers will also emanate the character. So it’s almost like a costume party plus theater.

How did you get started with it?

I got into cosplaying to become part of something bigger than myself. I was doing some soul-searching at the time and found cosplay and doing charity work through it. Some people I’ve met have gone into it looking to become well-known. Other people I know have gotten into it because they have a passion for art.

What is your favorite cosplay?

In the beginning I had, for about six years, I had … cosplayed [as] the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series. Over time, though, I retired that character. I’d have to say it would be Joker, just because of the memories I have with that costume.

What is your favorite thing about cosplaying?

My favorite part about cosplaying is just the sheer energy of interacting with kids or the people who aren’t cosplaying or even other people who are cosplaying. There are few better feelings than having kids and adults alike smile and light up seeing one of their favorite characters right in front of them. In a lot of instances, those kids truly believe you are that character.

What advice would you give someone who’s never cosplayed before but wants to try it out?

Advice I would give is to just give it a shot. My first costume was literally just a denim jacket and an Ash Ketchum T-shirt with a giant Pikachu plush. Everybody starts somewhere and you can dress up however you want. Cosplay has no real limitations outside of one’s own imagination, so I would say just go for it. The only thing that can hold you back is yourself at that point. That’s the advice somebody gave me a while back.

What is some etiquette for people meeting cosplayers?

Rule of thumb is that cosplay is not consent. You’ll actually hear or see that a lot at conventions, or at least in the community. The reason being is just because somebody is dressed as a particular character, there’s still a person behind that character. At one point, someone wanted a photo of me [as the Joker] and Harley drinking from the same drink with two different straws. And sometimes those requests will pan out. But other times it is one of those etiquette things — you wouldn’t want somebody coming up and interrupting you while you’re trying to just sit down and eat as a normal person. So it’s always good to ask.

Just for kids

Kids Con New England celebrates comic books & literacy

By Katelyn Sahagian

ksahagian@hippopress.com

With the last decade came the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the widespread acceptance of comic books, superheroes and other more niche genres of movies and reading materials.

What didn’t come with all that popularity was a lot of spaces for kids, said Emily Drouin, the creator of Kids Con New England.

“When I was tabling at events in 2013, I felt the need for there to be more kids’ activities and a family-friendly space,” Drouin said. “Lots of times at cons, not everything is for kids. You might [have] more mature and adult-themed comics. Being a kids’ creator, I wanted to gather more kids’ creators. I thought it would be fun to help and have a kids’ focus.”

Drouin, who works as an illustrator, writer and comic creator for the children’s genre, set out to build a convention that would put an emphasis on children first. She gathered together fellow children’s book writers and illustrators to build an event where kids would be at the center.

In 2016 she hosted the first Kids Con, which was extremely well-received. This year’s convention will have more than 100 vendors and creators. Some of the creators will be nationally celebrated children’s creators like Will Murray, creator of Squirrel Girl; Jeff Kline, who produced G.I. Joe and Dragon Tales; and anime and video game voice actress Christina Costello.

“It’s pretty awesome getting to meet creators up close,” Drouin said. “Now you can meet them [and] get autographs. We encourage kids to bring sketchbooks for tips and advice and to share work with others. It’s a great way to make friends too, through workshops and kids playing.”

In addition to the usual convention activities, like meet-and-greets with creators and cosplayers, the event has workshops for kids to learn everything from how to fight like a Jedi to getting started making their own comics. A local Boy Scouts troop will have an area set up for visitors to play video games and learn other outdoor activities. There will also be a few food trucks.

To Drouin, Kids Con New England is a way to encourage kids to have pride in owning the things they like, whether it’s princesses, superheroes or video games.

“It’s exciting to live out my own childhood as an adult again,” she said. “You feel like you’re a kid again when you come to these things. It’s great too for parents passing down the geekdom to their kids, and the kids living out their fantasies in the superhero world and meeting them.”

Kids Con New England
Where: Douglas N. Everett Arena, 15 Loudon Road, Concord
When: Saturday, May 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $12 for visitors ages 5 and older, $10 for seniors ages 65 and older and for veterans, and free for kids ages 5 and under
Visit: kidsconne.com

Roll the film

Local movie theaters looking forward to a strong summer

By Matt Ingersoll

mingersoll@hippopress.com

A schedule filled with major film releases in the coming months has local movie theaters optimistic that it will be a strong summer, as the industry continues to recover post-pandemic.

Global box office numbers have already bounced back in a big way so far this year, driven in part by the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie — that’s according to data from London-based film tech company Gower Street Analytics, which announced on April 23 it has increased its 2023 projections to $32 billion, up from a $29 billion estimate in December.

The announcement came on the eve of CinemaCon, an annual four-day movie theater industry convention in Las Vegas. Regional operations manager Jessica Robitaille of Apple Cinemas, which has two theaters, in Merrimack and Hooksett, attended this year’s convention.

“This summer is jam packed with a lot of really great movies that are coming out this year,” Robitaille said. “Pretty much every week this summer we’re going to have a fairly decent title … and a lot of these are strictly theatrical releases with lots of people wanting to see them. … I’ve noticed too that children’s movies do very well for us, and I think that’s because there’s not quite as many that get released in theaters as there maybe once was. In the summer, of course, we do tend to see an uptick in families on a day-to-day basis instead of just on the weekends.”

Apple Cinemas took over two of the three former Cinemagic locations in the Granite State in the summer of 2021, just months after that chain announced it was shutting them down permanently.

“We took 2022 as an opportunity to really develop [our locations in] Hooksett and Merrimack, to give them a more modernized look,” said Robitaille, who had previously worked at Cinemagic. “They’ve got full recliners now in Merrimack, and a beautiful self-serve lobby with new floors, new paint and all of that, and there’s plans as well for a bar in the future. … It’s got to be an experience these days. It can’t just be the hour-and-a-half, two hours to see a movie. People really need to feel like they are having a nice time out and getting that experience.”

Chunky’s Cinema Pub, with locations in Manchester, Nashua and Pelham, has similarly transformed their theaters into hubs for all kinds of special events over the last few years, from comedy nights and drag shows to scratch ticket bingo nights and even farm-to-table dinners.

“If we just think of our rooms as a room with four walls, comfortable seating and big-screen capabilities, any idea is on the table,” Chunky’s marketing director Mike Mannetta said.

Even though many of Chunky’s non-movie event ideas came out of the pandemic and will continue this summer, Mannetta said the upcoming schedule of film releases looks to be a solid one. He expects The Super Mario Bros. Movie, already out for a month, to stay on their lineup of featured films for much if not all of the summer, and also predicts the June 30 release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny as among those to perform the best.

“The inventory is getting better and better, and the quality is getting better and better also,” Mannetta said. “I think that studios are learning that cinema is still the best format for movie releases, and I mean, for Mario, you have people coming back multiple times. They’re seeing it in 2D but then they are coming back to check out how it looks in 3D.”

Caitlin Piper is the director of public relations for Cinemark Theatres, which operates 320 locations nationwide, including one next to The Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem. She said the sheer number of slated theatrical-only films has been on a steady increase year over year since 2020, with this year’s scheduled films already surpassing the overall number seen in 2022.

“It’s still about 20 percent off, roughly, from a pre-pandemic year, but we’re still feeling incredibly strong about it,” Piper said. “It’s really those production cycles that just need to catch up again. … A typical movie production cycle is about two to four years, depending on the scale of the movie, and that’s the reason why the industry is still in a bit of a transition, is because of all of those pauses in the production cycles that had to happen during Covid.”

Beginning June 19, Cinemark is bringing back its Summer Movie Clubhouse program, featuring an eight-week schedule of previously released children’s and family-friendly films for $1.50 per ticket in addition to some discounts on snacks and drinks.

“It’s all of those more fun, recent animated family films, so we’ve got Minions: The Rise of Gru, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mummies [and] The Bad Guys,” Piper said. “[They are] films that aren’t still in theaters but maybe not everyone got to see them, or they did and loved them and mom and dad are thrilled to bring them back to the theaters for a few hours to watch them again.”

O’neil Cinemas in Epping is also bringing back its summer kids’ series, which will run every Monday and Wednesday throughout July and August. That lineup of films is expected to be finalized by the end of this month, according to marketing manager Loni Dirksen.

“They are all mostly animated, some that were just in theaters within the past 12 months and then some that we had a few years ago, but all previous releases,” Dirksen said. “We get a lot of summer camps that bring a field trip group in to go see these movies, and it’s a great way to spend a rainy day in the summer to just get out of the house and still have some fun.”

The Milford Drive-In reopened for the season the weekend of April 15. It’s currently open on Fridays and Saturdays only but will expand to seven days a week by the start of the summer, said Barry Scharmett, whose family has run the venue since 1969.

“If all the movies that are coming out do the business that we think they’re going to do, then I think it’s going to be an excellent season for us,” Scharmett said. “The thing is, people are out, and they are coming out more and more, which is a great sign.”

In Concord, the independent nonprofit Red River Theatres has a full schedule of its own special screenings this summer, according to executive director Angie Lane. Their “Fan Favorites” series kicks off with a showing of Star Wars: A New Hope on Thursday, May 4, for Star Wars Day, and costumes are encouraged. It will be followed by a sing-along of Little Shop of Horrors on May 13, a quote-along of The Princess Bride on June 10 and a special “fan night” of The Big Lebowski on June 15. Beginning with a showing of 50 First Dates during Intown Concord’s Market Days Festival on June 22, Red River Theatres will also hold a series of free outdoor screenings — others on the schedule will take place at area parks, including The Explorers at Memorial Field on July 12, The Rescuers Down Under at Rollins Park on Aug. 9 and The Nightmare Before Christmas at Keach Park on Oct. 20.

Red River Theatres did receive crucial funding in 2021 from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, but continues to be open only Thursday through Sunday. Lane said the goal is to eventually get the theater back open and showing films seven days a week.

“I would say for the first time in the last three or four years we’ve actually been able to foresee a future where we’re going to be expanding operations once we are able to staff up, because that’s the other side of it, is the hiring,” Lane said. “I’m very optimistic about the future, but I’m definitely very realistic in that it’s going to take a lot of work, and a lot of investment on the part of our community to make sure that it happens.”

Visit the movie theater

Catch a movie this summer at one of these local theaters, several of which are also holding special events, exclusive kid-friendly or 21+ screenings and more.

AMC Theatres
16 Orchard View Drive, Londonderry, 434-8715; 440 Middlesex Road, Tyngsborough, Mass., 978-649-4158; amctheatres.com
One of the largest movie theater chains in the world, AMC Theatres has more than 600 locations across the country, including one in Londonderry and another just over the state line, in Tyngsborough, Mass.

Apple Cinemas
11 Executive Park Drive, Merrimack, 696-3200; 38 Cinemagic Way, Hooksett, 868-6200; applecinemas.com
Just months after Cinemagic permanently closed all its theaters in February 2021, Apple Cinemas took over the shuttered chain’s Merrimack and Hooksett locations. Both underwent renovations in 2022, and films at the Hooksett theater are also available to view in IMAX.

Chunky’s Cinema Pub
707 Huse Road, Manchester, 206-3888; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, 880-8055; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, 635-7499; chunkys.com
The local movie theater chain is unique for also featuring a full dinner menu and bar, as well as maintaining a regular schedule of events from comedy nights and drag shows to scratch ticket bingo nights, exclusive 21+ film screenings and more.

Cinemark Theatres
15 Mall Road, Salem, 890-7111, cinemark.com
Cinemark operates about 320 theaters nationwide, including one a stone’s throw away from The Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem that opened in late 2019. Beginning June 19, Cinemark will run its Summer Movie Clubhouse program, featuring an eight-week schedule of previously released children’s and family-friendly films for $1.50 per ticket. See the website for the full list of films, which includes Sonic the Hedgehog (2020, PG), The Bad Guys (2022, PG) and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022, PG), among others.

Milford Drive-In
531 Elm St., Milford, 673-4090, milforddrivein.com
Owned and operated by the Scharmett family since 1969, the Milford Drive-In is the only remaining drive-in movie theater in southern New Hampshire. The drive-in reopened for the season on April 14 and is currently open on Fridays and Saturdays only, but will be open seven days a week by the start of the summer.

O’neil Cinemas
24 Calef Hwy., Epping, 679-3529, oneilcinemas.com
O’neil Cinemas owns two movie theaters, one of which is in Epping’s Brickyard Square. On Mondays and Wednesdays in July and August, O’neil Cinemas hosts its annual summer kids series, featuring a schedule of previously released children’s and family-friendly films for $3 per ticket. According to marketing manager Loni Dirksen, that lineup of films is expected to be finalized by the end of May.

Red River Theatres
11 S. Main St., Concord, 224-4600, redrivertheatres.org
A nonprofit independent cinema, Red River Theatres opened its doors in 2007 and operates three screens in the lower level of downtown Concord’s Capital Commons. Beginning with a screening of 50 First Dates (2004, PG-13) on Thursday, June 22, during Intown Concord’s Market Days Festival, Red River Theatres will present a schedule of free outdoor movies at area parks that start at dusk. They will also hold a “Fan Favorites” series in May and June, starting with a showing of Star Wars: A New Hope (1977, PG) on Thursday, May 4, at 7 p.m., for Star Wars Day. Costumes are encouraged and prizes will be awarded for the best.

Regal Cinemas
100 Technology Drive, Hooksett; 282 Loudon Road, Concord; 45 Gosling Road, Newington; 844-462-7342, regmovies.com
Regal Cinemas operates more than 500 theaters in 42 states nationwide, according to its website — three are in the Granite State, in Hooksett, Concord and Newington.

Smitty’s Cinema
630 W. Main St., Tilton, 286-3275, smittyscinema.com
The Maine-based Smitty’s Cinema operates one New Hampshire location in Tilton, where a full dinner menu and bar are also available.

Wilton Town Hall Theatre
40 Main St., Wilton, 654-3456, wiltontownhalltheatre.com
Originally a silent movie house that also showed dramatic presentations and vaudeville productions, the Wilton Town Hall Theatre has been in operation almost every year since 1912. Several upcoming construction projects for the Wilton Town Hall make the immediate future of the theater’s programming uncertain, according to longtime owner and town native Dennis Markaverich, although he does plan to continue holding its silent film series on Sunday afternoons featuring live music from silent film accompanist (and Hippo co-founder and associate publisher) Jeff Rapsis.

From Guardians to Equalizer

A look at the summer movie schedule

By Amy Diaz

adiaz@hippopress.com

As it so often has, summer begins with Marvel.

The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, has the Friday, May 5, release slot, which has become the start of the movie’s summer season (which ends, more or less, with Labor Day weekend). The last few years, of course, have not had normal summers at the movies — almost no movies were released in the summer of 2020 and there were weeks in 2021 and even last year where in-theater-only new releases were slim pickings. This summer’s calendar has filled out with lots of franchise films and a few original-idea movies with potential. With all the usual notes about schedules (as gleaned from IMDb, along with cast details) being subject to change, here are some of the films hoping to entice you to the theater this summer:

• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5) There’s a real “last ride” vibe to the trailers, not that that means anything in this world of immortal IP but I hope that the movie puts story over franchise a bit and gives a nice sense of closure to this fun, knockabout corner of the MCU.

• Book Club: The Next Chapter (May 12) Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen return for this sequel, which you gotta respect for that foursome if nothing else.

• Fast X (May 19) Allegedly, this will be the second to last of what Wikipedia calls the series’ main installment (could we still get another Hobbs & Shaw someday? Please?). The most important facts: Jason Momoa is some kind of villain, and in the trailers his styling is delightfully bonkers. Helen Mirren returns and I love everything about her character. Rita Moreno plays Vin Diesel’s character’s grandmother and I love that Moreno is in this goofy franchise.

• The Little Mermaid (May 26) These live-action Disney situations are settling in to a real “meh” place, but the casting here — Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina — offers something. Plus, it’s Memorial Day weekend and it offers more than two hours of kid-friendly air-conditioned entertainment.

• You Hurt My Feelings (May 26) Nicole Holofcener wrote and directed this movie starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus — a chef’s kiss combination (see also Enough Said).

• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse (June 2) The Spider-verse we’re returning to here is the animated, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (and Dave Callaham)-penned version featuring Miles Morales at its center.

• Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (June 9) According to IMDb, one of the humans of this live action deal is played by Anthony Ramos and the movie is set in 1994 .

• The Flash (June 16) Look, I’m not going to lie — reading the “DCEU morphs into the DCU” stuff on Wikipedia does not make me look forward to this bit of leftover Snyderverse-ness. However. Michael Keaton does show up as an alternate-universe Batman.

• Elemental (June 16) Pixar’s latest animated feature has fun visuals, based on its trailers, that make clever use of its fire, water and earth characters.

• Asteroid City (June 23) Wes Anderson directs and Anderson and Roman Coppola wrote this movie with a packed cast (Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton) and visuals, based on the trailer, that call to mind not just Anderson’s usual jewel-box symmetry but also a mid-century postcard.

• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30) The trailer and general existence of this movie fill me with a cold dread. Starring Harrison Ford.

• Harold and the Purple Crayon (June 30) For the “air-conditioned thing do do” aspect if nothing else, I’m, always excited for a mid-summer kid movie.

• Joy Ride (July 7) Just go watch the trailer and then try to tell me that this comedy about 20-somethings on a road trip isn’t a welcome palate-cleanser from the franchise movie schedule.

• Insidious: The Red Door (July 7) According to Wikipedia this is the fifth movie in the Insidious franchise and a direct sequel to the second movie with the Lambert family (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne). Fun fact: the fourth movie was released two centuries ago in 2017.

• Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One (July 14) The pandemic-filmed Tom Cruise movie (No. 7 in this series, apparently) finally sees the light of day. I can’t personally tell one Mission Impossible from another and have no emotional connection to any of the characters (except maybe Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames) and yet I always have fun.

• Barbie (July 21) Directed and co-written by Greta Gerwig! Greta! Gerwig! Like, tell me nothing else and I’m in! The trailers, with Margot Robbie as a Barbie Prime, are pretty great too.

• Oppenheimer (July 21) In a, like, matter/anti-matter bit of movie scheduling, this Christopher Nolan movie about Robert Oppenheimer (he of the “I am become death etc.” atomic bomb development) opens the same weekend as the candy-colored Barbie.

• Haunted Mansion (July 28) The Disney ride gets another movie adaptation, written by Katie Dippold (writer of the totally fun 2016 Ghostbusters and the Sandra Bullock/Melissa McCarthy buddy cop comedy The Heat), and with a cast list that includes Rosario Dawson, LaKeith Stanfield, Owen Wilson, Winona Ryder, Tiffany Haddish, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hasan Minhaj and Danny DeVito.

• The Meg 2: The Trench (Aug. 4) Looking back at my review of the first giant-shark movie The Meg, which apparently came out in 2018 (though it feels so much longer ago than that), I was apparently disappointed that it wasn’t as dumb-fun as I’d hoped. But I feel that the ensuing everything has dramatically lowered my standards (see my review of this year’s Plane) and so I have some optimism for this movie, which once again stars Jason Statham.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Aug. 4) The Dover-born turtles get an animated outing with a fun line-up of voices: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Paul Rudd, John Cena, Maya Rudolph, Ice Cube, Hannibal Buress and Jackie Chan, among others.

• Blue Beetle (Aug. 18) Here’s a DC property I’m genuinely looking forward to. Xolo Maridueña, who does some solid goofball work on Cobra Kai, is the young adult kid person being surprise-superheroed here, with Susan Sarandon playing what the trailers suggest is the villain.

• The Equalizer 3 (Sept. 1) Director Antoine Fuqua and actor Denzel Washington reteam for Part 3 of the adventures of (movie) Robert McCall. I have enjoyed the past two outings and, should you be looking for low-impact stuff to watch at home this summer, I am also a fan of TV’s (Robin) McCall, as played by Queen Latifah in CBS’s current TV show The Equalizer.

Featured photo: from Kids Con New England 2016 by Neil Young Photography

Plants to attract birds, bees and other pollinators

By Matt Ingersoll, Angie Sykeny and Katelyn Sahagian
mingersoll@hippopress.com

A gorgeous garden isn’t just about creating the perfect landscape. Choosing the right plants helps to foster an environment where native bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and other key pollinators can thrive.

“When we say pollination, what we’re referring to is essentially the fertilization of these plants to be able to reproduce, so part of it is maintaining and increasing that genetic diversity for these plants so that they can continue to survive,” said Stephanie Sosinski, program manager for home horticulture at the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension’s Education Center in Goffstown. “Pollinators are such an important part of the greater ecosystem, and even birds who aren’t necessarily pollinators are also part of that. They eat the larvae of the insects that pollinate the plant.”

Most pollinators are not generalists. In fact, Sosinski noted that “a pretty high percentage” of them are attracted to very specific species of plants, sometimes even just by their color.

“For bees, it would be white, blue, purple and yellow flowers,” she said. “If we’re thinking about hummingbirds, they tend to be attracted to reds. … The quality of the flower will also sometimes give you a hint. The coneflower is easy for bees to land on to get the pollen.”

Pollinator-friendly plants include everything from perennials (which come back year after year) and annuals (which only live for one growing season) to herbs, shrubs and some trees, all with a wide range of blooming stages, from early spring to late fall. Choosing the right ones for your garden, Sosinski said, may come down to its overall layout.

“You definitely want to think about which plants fit the site that you have,” she said. “Look at what amount of light it gets, whether it’s full sun or partial shade, and you definitely also want to think about moisture. Is it a well-draining area, is it really sandy or is it wet more often? Those are all things to consider. … You want to give your plant the full ability to succeed, so you want to make sure you give them all the right stuff.”

When visiting a nursery or garden center, it’s important to understand the difference between a New England native plant and a nativar or cultivar — some are OK for pollinators and others are not, said Donna Miller, of Petals in the Pines in Canterbury.

“A nativar or a cultivar is a native plant that’s been bred for some reason,” she said. “A rule of thumb that we use is to strive for about 70 percent natives and 30 percent cultivars in your garden. … It’s OK to have cultivars, but you don’t want them to dominate your landscape.”

Cultivars are more likely to have a prettier bloom or nicer look, said Becky Stoughton, a master gardener for UNH. While the beauty is enhanced, it can take away from the benefits. Stoughton said there are coneflowers that have been cultivated to have double blossoms, but those flowers are sterile, meaning they don’t produce pollen, so they are useless to pollinators.

Stoughton said planting and cultivating plants for aesthetics alone is a habit that she and some of her gardening friends are still unlearning.

“Our dependence on plants for not just their beauty [but] for other things … we lost it for a while, we got focused on the aesthetic,” she said. “It’s not just us that has to benefit from [the plant].”

The big question becomes, when looking for pollinators, how do you recognize cultivars and nativars? Miller recommends reading the tag on the plant.

“It should have the scientific name for plants, the genus and species. It’s usually in italic print,” she said, “and following that, if there’s another name and it has single quote marks around it. If you see something that has a name like that, then you know it’s a nativar. There are some that are good for pollinators, but it’s one of those things where you’ve got to kind of do your research and know which ones are fine and which ones aren’t.”

Miller is part of the Pollinator Garden Certification Committee, a joint effort between UNH and UMaine Cooperative Extensions that encourages growers to get their gardens certified as pollinator-friendly. Gardeners can apply online through UMaine Cooperative Extension’s website.

“Most people, if they just fill it out with all the different required criteria, pass pretty easily,” Miller said. “The thing that’s significant is that it’s all straight native species, so nativars and cultivars are not included whatsoever. … Once you pass, then you can order a sign that says you’re certified, and you can put it in your garden or yard. It’s a great conversation-starter.”

Here’s a list of several pollinator-friendly plants as suggested by local gardening and horticulture experts. We’ve included details on the conditions they prefer, as well as the types of pollinators they will attract.

American cranberrybush

Viburnum trilobum

Life facts: Deciduous shrub that can grow up to 8 to 12 feet tall and wide, with multiple stems

How it comes: Available as a potted shrub at local nurseries and garden centers, likely in a 1-gallon or slightly larger pot

Care: According to Amy Papineau, landscape and greenhouse horticulture field specialist for UNH Cooperative Extension, this shrub naturally grows in boggy areas but also grows nicely in gardens.

“It has nice clusters of bright, red berries that are edible. They just have a hard seed in the middle and are a bit sour,” she said.

While a great option for pollinators, the American cranberrybush is one of several viburnums vulnerable to the viburnum leaf beetle, which can be a problem pest in some landscapes.

Who likes it: Blooming in the spring, the American cranberrybush does best in medium to moist soil and full sun to part shade.

“It’s a really valuable food source for those early-season native bees, and also butterflies,” Papineau said. “Those berries also persist into the fall, so they are a good food source for birds.”

Arrowwood viburnum

Viburnum dentatum

Life facts: Deciduous shrub that grows about 6 to 10 feet tall and wide, with multiple stems

How it comes: Available as a potted shrub at local nurseries and garden centers, likely in a 1-gallon or slightly larger pot

Care: According to Papineau, the arrowwood viburnum blooms in mid-summer and is very easy to care for, due to its adaptability.

“It grows in a variety of soils and full sun to part shade,” she said. “It can look really kind of tidy and nice, and in the fall it has some really nice red or yellow foliage, so it’s something that people really like to plant for that fall color.”

Who likes it: The arrowwood viburnum has large clusters of lacy white flowers that are very attractive to native bees.

“This is one that honey bees are also particularly attracted to, because it has a lot of nectar,” Papineau said. “Butterflies also really like this plant.”

Bergamot

Monarda fistulosa

Life facts: This perennial grows 4 to 5 feet tall and yields pink blossoms in July and August.

How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online.

“It can spread easily, but also can be edited if it gets too aggressive,” Miller said.

Care: Bergamot can tolerate dry soil, enjoys full to part sun and grows well in meadows and old fields, but can also find its place in a perennial back border, according to Miller. When planting, be sure to give each plant space to grow for good airflow between them.

Who likes it: Miller said bergamot’s blooms are “one of the top pollinator attractants,” and that bergamot is one of the best plant choices for bumble bees.

Black-eyed susan

Rudbeckia hirta

Life facts: This annual is a forgiving flower to beginner gardeners. The 2- to 4-foot-high plant blooms later in the season, from June to September.

How it comes: Usually, black-eyed Susans are available in pots at nurseries and garden centers.

Care: These flowers prefer full sun, six to eight hours a day, and are very durable.

Who likes it: Because of their late-season blooms, Stoughton said, black-eyed susans are popular with many different pollinators.

“It’s a nice late bloomer, which is good at that time of the year,” she said. “There’s not a lot blooming [then] and it really catches your eyes and must catch pollinators’ eyes, too.”

Blazing star

Liatris

Life facts: This perennial flowering plant grows in clustered groupings and can be 2 to 5 feet tall. It needs full sun to thrive.

How it comes: While there are a few nurseries that sell it as a potted plant, Stoughton said she hasn’t come across many that way.
“It’s easy to order online,” Stoughton said. “Liatris is [received] more often that way, and you plant it as a bulb.”

Care: Like other drought-friendly plants, blazing stars need to be watered well until they are established in the garden. After it’s healthy and thriving, it can survive on very little water and maintenance.

Who likes it: Stoughton said blazing stars are enjoyed by a variety of pollinators, including different types of bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.

Common buttonbush

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Life facts: Deciduous shrub, can grow anywhere from 6 to 12 feet tall, with multiple stems

How it comes: Available as a potted shrub at local nurseries and garden centers, likely in a 1-gallon or slightly larger pot

Care: Papineau said the common buttonbush blooms from early to mid-summer, and thrives best when placed on a garden’s woodland border.

“It’s not something you’d put in the middle of a landscape, but it does really well kind of on the edge,” she said. “It really likes rich, moist soil. It can take shade but really needs some good soil to do well.”

Who likes it: The common buttonbush is characterized by its ball-shaped white flowers, resembling little pincushions.

“They’re a little bit smaller than a ping pong ball,” Papineau said. “Bees really love them, so lots of native bees, honey bees and also butterflies will all just cover this plant when it’s blooming.”

Coneflowers

Echinacea

Life facts: These perennial flowers are part of the daisy family and can grow up to 4 feet tall. They do best in full sunlight.
“[It’s] a good reliable garden plant,” Stoughton said. “They make a nice cut flower, too.”

How it comes: These plants are most often bought at nurseries and should be planted while still small.

Care: These flowers are remarkably sturdy and don’t need much attending once they’re established. The stems do need to be cut back in the late fall, after they wither or at the first frost. These flowers are also self-seeding, so once planted, it’s possible for them to grow into a large patch.

Who likes it: Coneflowers are extremely popular with bees and butterflies because of the bright colors, and birds, especially finches, are known to use the wide seed heads as a resting spot.

Golden alexander

Zizia aurea

Life facts: This perennial “brings a ray of sunshine to your garden in early summer,” Miller said. A member of the carrot family, it will grow to about 2 feet tall, with a 3- to 4-inch-wide bright yellow umbel-shaped flower that will bloom in May and June.

How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online.

“Seeds are easy to collect at the end of the season for propagating more plants,” Miller said.

Care: Miller said this “very low-maintenance and deer-resistant” plant prefers to live in average soil in part sun to part shade.

Who likes it: Black swallowtail butterflies find this one hard to resist, Miller said.

Goldenrod

Solidago

Life facts: This perennial flowering plant can grow up to 3 feet tall. It’s an aggressive spreader, but not considered an invasive species, Stoughton said, because it is native to New Hampshire.

How it comes: It can come in seeds or as a plant at nurseries.

Care: This plant needs very little watering, as it is drought-tolerant, and does best in full sunlight.

Who likes it: The plant is native and is good for all pollinators and local wildlife. Stoughton did say that it grows incredibly quickly and might need to be cut back.

Highbush blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosum

Life facts: Deciduous shrub, grows about 6 to 12 feet high but can be pruned to a manageable 3 to 5 feet high

How it comes: Available as a potted shrub at local nurseries and garden centers, likely in a 1-gallon or slightly larger pot

Care: According to Papineau, this is the native blueberry you’ll find growing in the woods, especially around lakes and ponds, and in local pick-your-own blueberry farms.

“Lots of people like to have a blueberry plant or several in their yard,” she said. “The flowers on blueberries … are like a bell-shaped flower that comes out in the late spring, early summer.”

Who likes it: The highbush blueberry, Papineau said, is a particularly valuable plant to our native bumble bees.

“You’ll see lots of very small native bees on the blueberry, but also bumble bees. It’s one of their favorite plants,” she said.

Hydrangea

Hydrangea paniculata

Life facts: Deciduous shrub that grows anywhere from 3 to 14 feet tall.

How it comes: The shrub is sold in 1- or 3-gallon planters.

Care: Stoughton said hydrangeas are easy to care for and do best in a full-sun environment.

Who likes it: What people think of as each hydrangea flower is actually made of dozens of individual blooms. This gives bees and other pollinators the perfect place to swarm and eat.

“It will be filled with several hundred pollinators when in bloom. It’s amazing,” Stoughton said of the shrub in her own garden.

Mountain mint

Pycnanthemum muticum

Life facts: The distinctive silver and green foliage of this perennial “makes it a very worthy choice for a meadow or perennial border,” Miller said. It grows 3 to 5 feet tall, and its button-like white and light purple flowers bloom in July and August.

How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online.

“As with all mints, it will spread, but not as quickly as peppermint or spearmint,” Miller said. “Pick a few stems to add interesting texture and color to a flower bouquet, but leave the rest for the pollinators.”

Care: Mountain mint prefers full to part sun and succeeds in most soil types, Miller said.

Who likes it: A wide range of bees and pollinators are attracted to mountain mint, according to Miller.

New England aster 

Aster novae-angliae, also known as Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Life facts: This perennial is “perhaps the best-known aster,” Miller said. It will grow 3 to 6 feet tall and sprout bright purple flowers.

“When you see these blooming, it’s a sure sign of fall,” Miller said.

How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online.

Care: According to Miller, New England asters prefer full sun to light shade and do well in loamy soils but will tolerate most other soil types, except for dry soils. If you want to avoid having to stake them, cut the plants back by mid-July to keep them at a more manageable height.

Who likes it:New England aster is the host plant for the pearl crescent butterfly, and is an important nectar source for bees and other pollinators as well.

“You’ll likely find monarch butterflies feeding from it, fueling up for their migration to Mexico,” Miller said.

New Jersey tea

Ceanothus americanus

Life facts: Deciduous shrub, grows fairly low to about 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide

How it comes: Available as a potted shrub at local nurseries and garden centers, likely in a 1-gallon or slightly larger pot

Care: The New Jersey tea, Papineau said, is adaptable to lots of different situations, whether it’s moist or dry soil or full sun to part shade.

“It blooms early in the season, so kind of like late spring, early summer, and it’s just a really easy plant to grow,” Papineau said.

Who likes it: New Jersey teas feature clusters of delicate white flowers, making them very attractive to all kinds of species of native bees.

“Hummingbirds will even take some nectar from these,” Papineau said. “It’s not the hummingbirds’ favorite plant, but they will eat from it. But mostly, lots of different bees, butterflies and moths all really like this plant.”

Pussy willow

Salix discolor

Life facts: Deciduous shrub, can grow up to 20 to 25 feet high with multiple stems, but can also be cut back all the way to the ground every two to three years to keep smaller

How it comes: Available as a potted shrub at local nurseries and garden centers, likely in a 1-gallon or slightly larger pot

Care: According to Papineau, pussy willows prefer moist soil and overall sunny conditions.

“This is one that doesn’t tolerate very dry soil,” she said. “Typically how it’s grown in a landscape is you let it grow for a few years and then chop it down to the ground and let it re-grow, and you can do that over and over.”

Who likes it: Pussy willows, Papineau said, grow small oval-shaped clusters of flowers with silky soft hairs on them called catkins.

“The ones with the male flowers, those catkins are bigger, and as they open up the stamens … get covered in pollen,” she said. “They open in very early spring. So this is a plant that the bees are out foraging pollen [from] right now to get their spring protein.”

Raspberry and blackberry shrubs

Rubus idaeus

Life facts: These fruit-bearing shrubs grow between 5 and 8 feet tall, with flowers showing in the late spring and fruit coming in the summer and early fall.

How it comes: They are sold as seedlings at garden centers.

Care: These bushes need to be pruned twice a year, need six to eight hours of sunlight, and need regular watering.

Who likes it: Any pollinator will use the flowers from raspberry and blackberry shrubs, Stoughton said.

“Pollinators are necessary to get the parts we like,” Stoughton added about the bushes. “There’s a nice symbiotic relationship, because we don’t get the berries unless they pollinate the flowers.”

Swamp milkweed

Asclepias incarnata

Life facts: This perennial tends to get a bad rap as it’s often associated with common milkweed, also known as asclepias syriaca.

“[Common milkweed] is often seen growing aggressively in old fields and along roadsides, and if it has found its way into your yard, it has likely spread by vigorous underground rhizomes,” Miller said.

The difference, she said, is that swamp milkweed has a fibrous root system and won’t spread like the common variety, making it “a better-behaved alternative.”

Growing 4 to 5 feet tall, swamp milkweed is “a great back border plant,” Miller said, and will sprout pink and white blossoms in July and August.

How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online.

Care: You don’t need a swamp to grow this plant, Miller said, but it does prefer moist soil, so keep it well-watered in dry spells. Plant it in full sun for best results.

Who likes it:Milkweed is best known as the monarch butterfly’s host plant — you can expect its leaves to be covered with monarch caterpillars — but its blooms will also attract all kinds of bees and other pollinators, Miller said.

White wood aster

Aster divaricatus, also known as eurybia divaricata

Life facts: This perennial grows about 1 to 2 feet in height and “is a good candidate for ground cover under trees,” Miller said.

“Covered with white daisy-like flowers with yellow to purple centers, it will offer a nice pop of color in the early fall,” she said.

How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online. After its first season, it can spread by seed and rhizomes, without being “overly aggressive,” Miller said.

Care: This particular aster is very easy to grow, according to Miller, and is adaptable to most soil types and part shade.

Who likes it: Asters, along with goldenrods, make up the largest food source for pollinators in the fall, according to Miller.

“Bees will depend on it for food when fewer flowers are available, and birds will eat the seeds in the winter,” she said.

Wild cherry tree

Prunus avium

Life facts: This deciduous tree can grow to be 105 feet tall, with a trunk 5 feet in diameter.

How it comes: Unlike most of the plants on this list, the easiest way to get access to the wild cherry tree is through the New Hampshire State Forest Nursery, Stoughton said.
“Every year, in January and February, they take orders for plants and master gardeners take cuttings and divisions and prep them to be provided to the people that want them,” Stoughton said, adding that she’ll be bringing a sapling to a garden sale soon.

Care: Stoughton said wild cherry trees are some of the easiest to care for. She said that, since planting hers, she’s done practically nothing for it and it’s still thriving.

Who likes it: Stoughton said that, because the tree blooms so early in the year (hers are getting ready to bloom now), almost all pollinators like the flowers. Wild cherry trees give the pollinators a good source of food for the beginning of the season.

Wild columbine

Aquilegia canadensis

Life facts: This perennial woodland flower, with a red bell shape and yellow center, will bloom in May and June and is “a great choice for the early season,” Miller said.

“The 12- to 18-inch flower stems come up out of the center of a beautiful mound of green foliage,” she said.

How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online. After the plant’s first season in your garden, let the flowers dry on the stem after blooming.

“You will be able to hear the seeds rattle inside by the end of the summer,” Miller said. “They can self-sow near the mother plant, or you can cut the stem and sprinkle the seeds where you would like them to grow. This is a fun activity to do with kids.”

Care: Easy to grow, wild columbine will thrive in part sun and part shade in well-drained soils, Miller said.

Who likes it: This nectar-rich flower is a favorite among hummingbirds and long-tongued bees, according to Miller.

Deer-resistant plants
While considering which pollinator-friendly plants to add to your garden, you may also be thinking about what can possibly keep the deer away. Deer-resistant plants are those that deer are known for being much less likely to eat.
“The key word is ‘resistant,’ but not ‘deer-proof,’” said Stephanie Sosinski, program manager for home horticulture at the UNH Cooperative Extension’s Education Center in Goffstown. “Deer will eat just about anything if they’re hungry enough.”
Despite this, Sosinski said there are several plants deer are less likely to gravitate toward, whether it’s because of their unattractive taste, texture or smell. Joe Pye weed (eutrochium purpureum), beebalm (monarda didyma) and common milkweed (asclepias syriaca), she said, are a few examples of well-known deer-resistant plants for these reasons, as is lamb’s-ear (stachys byzantina).
“If you’re familiar with lamb’s-ear, it’s a very fuzzy leaf and the deer don’t really want to eat that,” Sosinski said, “but it is a pretty addition to your garden’s aesthetic. … Part of it, I would say, is all about observing what’s in your own backyard and seeing what’s growing there already and creating a balance. You can certainly plant things that they won’t go after and put those around what they would go after.”

Featured photo: courtesy photo.

How to hook in to solar power and other renewable energy sources

Plus Where to check out electric cars

By Mya Blanchard
listings@hippopress.com

Tyler Costa hasn’t had regular electric billssince 2021. Instead, he has lease payments of less than $150 a monththanks to solar panels installed on the roof of his Nashua home.

“I decided to get solar panels as I believe in renewable energy sources and wanted to reduce my carbon footprint,” Costa said.

While production is reduced during the winter months, any accumulated snow on the roof comes off fairly easily due to the dark, slippery surface of the panels, which warm up faster than shingles.
“Lucky for me, I produce more than I consume, and the money I make comes back to me to make up [for] the small differences during the winter months,” Costa said.

This past year, utility costs skyrocketed to all-time highs in New Hampshire. This increase was in part due to our reliance on natural gas.

“In New England we rely heavily on natural gas to generate electricity,” said William Hinkle, media relations manager for Eversource, New Hampshire’s largest utility. “When the price of natural gas changes, we also see significant impacts to electric supply prices through New England, and that’s what we saw last year.”

One way to combat this is through the use of renewable energy sources.

What is renewable energy?

According to Rebecca Beaulieu, communications director and an organizer of 350 New Hampshire, renewable energy is defined as energy that is able to be harnessed continuously.

“Specifically, we mean clean renewable energy,” she said. “Ones where they’re not generating large amounts of waste or putting carbon dioxide, methane or other harmful chemicals into the air.”

Examples of such sources include solar and hydropower, and wind, biomass and geothermal energy.

“New Hampshire … is really far behind on renewable energy production,” Beaulieu said of New Hampshire compared to other New England states.

According to the New Hampshire Department of Energy, more than half of the energy generated in the state comes from nuclear power. In 2021, renewable energy sources accounted for 16 percent of our in-state electricity generation, compared to Maine at 72 percent, and Vermont at nearly 100 percent, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. (More than half of Vermont’s power comes from out of state, with the largest share coming from hydroelectric power, much of which is generated in Canada, according to the EIA.)

One of the most accessible forms of renewable energy for homeowners is solar power.

Around the sun

Solar power is sunlight converted by technology such as solar panels into electricity, as explained by the U.S. Department of Energy.

While it may have only accounted for 1 percent of the state’s total net generation, according to the EIA, Beaulieu points out that “most of New Hampshire’s solar energy production right now comes from households having solar panels on their roofs.”

Getting solar panels installed on your house is a three- to four-month process with dozens of steps, only four of which the customer is involved in. The first step is contacting a solar installation company and working out a house’s needs and space for solar panels.

“We very specifically design a system to that customer’s usage and that customer’s house and the angles on the roof and the position it sits facing the sun,” said Mark Robichaud, founder of Merrimack Solar, a solar panel installation company that services New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Next is a site survey. Trained engineers come to your home and assess whether or not your house can support a solar system by looking at the condition of the roof, the structure and the electrical system to see if it is susceptible to damage.

The third step is getting approval from your town. Not only are towns usually happy to approve of solar panel installation, but having solar panels installed on your house can increase your home’s value.

“The data bears out that houses with solar installed on them are making 4.1 percent more in sale and selling 16 percent faster than houses that do not have solar,” Robichaud said.

Lastly, before the installation process can begin, the customer needs to obtain permission from their utility company. This involves the company installing the solar panels writing up details along with a computer-aided design drawing to send over to the utility company.

“The utility makes that final determination of whether or not we can move forward,” Robichaud said.

Overall pricing, Robichaud said, comes down to the size and power of the system. He said a general rule of thumb is about $4 per watt, meaning a 5-kilowatt system runs about $20,000.

When going through Merrimack Solar, you can finance your solar system or agree to a power purchase agreement, where the customer doesn’t pay for installation, but for the electricity, at a lower price.

“If you go … ownership overall, you’re saving upward of $40,000 over your lifetime by going solar, because once a solar system is paid for, you don’t pay for electricity anymore in most cases,” Robichaud said. “We effectively become your power company.”

According to Robichaud, 95 percent of Merrimack Solar’s panels are made from recyclable material and are designed to last 40 years.

“Instead of using gas, coal and oil and falling victim to whatever they’re charging for those, you’re taking something that’s free, the sun, and converting it into electricity onsite and using it at your house,” Robichaud said. “You go from having no control over what you’re paying for your electricity to having complete control.”

Other renewable energy sources

Besides solar, other common forms of renewable energy include hydropower, wind power, biomass and geothermal energy.

Hydropower takes the energy from falling water and converts it into electricity via a generator. This energy source was responsible for 7 percent of New Hampshire’s total net generation in 2021, according to the EIA.

The Boscawen-based Granite State Hydropower Association has 50 small power plants across 35 towns in New Hampshire.

“If you look at some of the states with a high percentage of hydropower … they have some of the cheapest rates in the nation,” Association president Bob King said. “Hydropower … has no fuel cost, so it is not susceptible to the incredible increase in natural gas prices that is felt in the wallets of every ratepayer in New Hampshire.”

Not only is hydropower emissions-free, but it also helps clean out bodies of water in the process by sifting out debris and trash as the water flows through a screen.

A turbine converts the kinetic energy of falling water into mechanical energy, which is then converted into electricity by a generator. For every 100 units of falling water kinetic energy, King said this produces about 80 to 90 units of electricity.

“It’s clean, it’s simple, it’s efficient,” he said.

When it comes to wind energy, EIA data shows that it made up 3 percent of New Hampshire’s in-state electricity generation. That could rise in the future with the Gulf of Maine wind farm, a project that New Hampshire is part of a task force for. According to the Gulf of Maine Association, this “sea within a sea” covers 36,000 square miles of ocean and has 7,500 miles of coastlines, bordering New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and parts of Canada.

“There are areas that have been designated in the Gulf of Maine and will continue to be refined for renewable energy and for offshore wind,” said Rob Werner, the state director for the League of Conservation Voters.

The Gulf of Maine receives some of the most powerful and consistent winds in the world, according to the Natural Resources Council of Maine. To best capture this power, the wind turbines, which would be positioned on floating platforms, will likely be positioned 25 to 50 miles from the coast. Harnessing the wind energy from the Gulf of Maine has the potential to serve not only Maine but New Hampshire and Massachusetts, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Biomass is defined as fuel that comes from organic materials like wood and wood processing waste, agricultural crops and waste, sewage and animal manure. Converting such materials into energy prevents greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere during decomposition, according to the U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Wood seems to account for most of New Hampshire’s biomass, according to the EIA, which reports that it accounted for 6 percent of the state’s total net electricity generation in 2021. Eighty-six percent of this came from the forest industry. The use of biomass is important to the forest industry as well as to landowners, said Jasen Stock, the director of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association, as it gives another purpose to trees that are unsuitable for lumber.

“We have trees and we have a need to do forest management and so biomass is a great fit for managing land and at the same time making some renewable power,” Stock said. “You don’t get much more homegrown than that.”

Geothermal energy uses the heat flowing from the interior to the surface of the Earth. Wells are drilled into the earth to capture steam and hot water that can be used for electricity as well as heating and cooling.

In New Hampshire, the most commonly used type of geothermal system is referred to as an “open-loop” system, according to the state Department of Environmental Services. Groundwater is pumped out of the well and circulated through the building’s heat pump, where heat is extracted from or transferred into the water. That water is then re-injected either into the same well or a separate well dedicated to re-injection.

Used less frequently, according to the department, is what’s called a “closed-loop” system, by which an antifreeze solution or refrigerant is circulated through an installed pipe in the drilled well.

The carbon dioxide emissions from geothermal energy are just one-sixth the amount from natural gas power plants, according to the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. Despite the high upfront costs, this energy source is cost-effective, can operate in high capacity and is not affected by or dependent on weather.

Closer to a renewable future

While New Hampshire may be behind its New England neighbors, the state is taking steps to catch up. The state’s Renewable Energy fund projects that by 2025, 25.3 percent of the state’s electricity will come from renewable energy sources.

“We do have the technology that we need to move to renewable energy and prioritize our communities over [the] fossil fuel industry,” Beaulieu said.

One recent example Beaulieu mentioned is a 3.3-megawatt solar array in Manchester, unveiled last year at a former Dunbarton Road landfill. According to a press release from Boston-based Kearsarge Energy, which has partnered with the City of Manchester to complete the project, the electricity produced by the more than 8,000 solar modules is enough to power hundreds of homes annually across the Queen City.

In December, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig announced that the city exceeded its initial projections for electricity produced from the array by 15 percent, generating about 4.37 million kilowatt hours of energy.

Beaulieu says that with solar and wind energy getting cheaper, the transition to renewable energy is becoming more feasible economically.

The environment has the ability to restore itself, she said, if we begin to take better care of it.

“There are a lot of individual people and businesses and legislatures moving this work forward,” Beaulieu said.

Local solar installation companies
Here’s a list of southern New Hampshire-based companies that work to install solar panels on residential and commercial buildings.

• 603 Solar (24 Charter St., Exeter, 570-2607, 603solar.com)
• Granite State Solar (15 Ryan Road, Bow, 369-4318, granitestatesolar.com)
• Merrimack Solar (12 Madison Lane, Merrimack, 978-645-1261, merrimacksolar.com)
• New England Solar Pros (60 Blossom St., Nashua, 318-3232, nesolarllc.com)
• Seventh Gen Solar (814 Route 3A, Bow, 731-4777, seventhgensolar.com)
• Sundial Solar (78 Mountain Road, Concord, 961-0045, sundialsolarnh.com)
• Sunenergy Solutions (75 Gilcreast Road, Londonderry, 844-427-6527, sunenergysolutionsllc.com)
• Sunup Solar (Auburn, 860-2509, sunupsolarnh.com)

Plug-in rides

Electric vehicle showcases for Earth Day and beyond

By Matt Ingersoll
mingersoll@hippopress.com

Jon Gundersen grew tired of making constant trips to the gas station during his long commutes to and from work. In 2011, he purchased his first electric car — a plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt — and he hasn’t looked back.

“I’ve been driving electric vehicles ever since,” he said. “My wife has a gas vehicle, so I’ve still pumped gas, but sometimes I’ll go several months before I visit a gas station now.”

Today, Gundersen is a member of the New England Electric Auto Association and volunteers with Drive Electric NH, a coalition promoting the adoption of electric vehicles in the Granite State. He has been involved in several EV showcases across southern New Hampshire, which offer opportunities for attendees to meet owners and ask questions about their cars.

One such showcase is happening at the Nashua Public Library on Saturday, April 22, as part of the city’s inaugural Sustainability Fair and Earth Day Celebration.

Electric vehicles are on the rise in New Hampshire and nationally. According to a June 2022 report from the Edison Electric Institute, more than 26 million EVs are expected to be on U.S. roads by the year 2030 — that’s up from the projected 18.7 million in its 2018 report. More than 65 different EV models are on the market today, and the EEI projects that number will grow to nearly 140 by 2024.

In the Granite State, there are more than 180 public EV charging stations statewide, according to Drive Electric NH, from the Massachusetts border stretching all the way up to the Great North Woods town of Colebrook.

The obvious perk to driving an electric vehicle, Gundersen said, is not having to pump gas. Instead, he has his own 220-volt charger in his home that, when plugged into the car’s port overnight, fills its energy to capacity. Most EVs on the market, he said, can last anywhere between 250 and 350 miles on a full battery.

“Although electricity has gone up over the years, it’s still not too bad. For me, at least, it’s been pretty consistent,” Gundersen said. “When I first got an EV, it was costing me $30 a month in electricity, but at that time I was spending $300 a month on gas. So that was a huge difference … and even today it’s still a little over a third of the cost of driving with gas, for my car anyways. It would be like buying a car that’s like 80 miles to a gallon.”

Another one of Gundersen’s favorite things about EVs is their ability to generate instant torque.

“In an EV, the acceleration from zero to 60 [miles per hour], or even from 30 to 60, is incredibly quick,” he said. “You touch the gas [pedal] and you can feel yourself push back in the seat, it takes off that fast. There’s no waiting for a transmission to shift. It’s instantaneous. … I like being able to step on the gas and instantly pass a truck on the highway or whatever.”

Then there’s a featured mechanism called regenerative braking, which feeds energy back into the car’s battery simply by using its brakes.

“What happens is that when you take your foot off the gas, the electric motor acts sort of like a generator,” Gundersen said. “It’s generating power in a different way, creating a force that helps slow down the car … [and] while you’re slowing down the car is gaining energy in its battery.”

Gundersen will be at the Nashua Sustainability Fair on April 22 with the EV he currently drives, a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt. His will be among at least eight registered models that will be on display in the library parking lot during the event, which will also feature local vendors, an electric yard equipment showcase, games, crafts, food trucks, raffle prizes, a bike repair clinic and a fashion show at noon.

“Some of the EV owners have owned one for years, and some of them are brand new to owning one, even maybe just within the last few months,” Gundersen said. “Some of them will offer test drives, so they can take you around the block or just on a short little trip so that you can get a feel for what driving an electric car is like.”

Where to go check out electric vehicles

Source: driveelectricearthday.org

Nashua Sustainability Fair & Earth Day Celebration
When: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Nashua Public Library parking lot, 6 Hartshorn Ave., Nashua
Cost: Free admission
Visit: nashualibrary.org/attend/sustainability-fair
Co-sponsored by the City of Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services and the Nashua Public Library, this free community event will bring together dozens of local exhibitors to celebrate Earth Day, including nonprofits working in different areas of sustainability like clean energy, farming and environmental justice. There will also be an electric vehicle showcase with more than half a dozen makes and models, whose owners may offer test drives or rides at their discretion, plus an electric yard equipment showcase, games, crafts, food trucks, raffle prizes, a bike repair clinic and a thrift fashion show at noon.

Gilmanton Earth Day Celebration
When: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Gilmanton Year Round Library, 1385 Route 140, Gilmanton
Cost: Free admission
Visit: gyrla.org
In partnership with the Gilmanton Energy Committee, the Gilmanton Year Round Library, New Hampshire Sierra Club, Univix Power Solutions and the New Hampshire Electric Co-op, this free event will feature an electric vehicle showcase, solar panel and energy storage tours at the library, and a 2 p.m. all-ages hike on the nearby trails.

Durham Earth Day Celebration and EV Showcase
When: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: 66 Main St., Durham
Cost: Free admission
Visit: ci.durham.nh.us
The town of Durham’s annual Earth Day celebration will feature a showcase of more than 15 electric vehicles by local owners, including some of the latest models. Some may even offer test drives or rides to attendees. There will also be displays supporting sustainable agriculture, plus information on home energy improvements and rebates, and details promoting composting as a means to reduce landfill waste.

Drive Electric Expo at the Monadnock Earth Day Festival
When: Saturday, April 22, noon to 4 p.m.
Where: Whitney Brothers parking area (adjacent to the Monadnock Food Co-op), 93 Railroad St., Keene
Cost: Free admission
Visit: monadnockfood.coop
The Drive Electric Expo is happening as part of the Earth Day festival hosted by the Monadnock Food Co-op, the future site of southwestern New Hampshire’s first public electric vehicle fast chargers. Attendees will have the chance to see more than a dozen EVs, representing several different automakers and ranging from sub-compact cars to sedans, SUVs and trucks. Vehicle owners will be on hand to share their knowledge and enthusiasm and answer questions. Many also offer test drives and rides. A series of five-minute mini-talks is scheduled throughout the afternoon, covering everything from home and public charging to long road trips with an EV, electric police vehicles and financial incentives to reduce EV costs. There will also be informational literature to pick up and a free drawing for a chance to win prizes.

Lowell Drives Electric
When: Saturday, April 29, noon to 4 p.m.
Where: Heritage Farm Ice Cream, 163 Pawtucket Blvd., Lowell, Mass.
Cost: Free admission
Visit: facebook.com/lowelldriveselectric
Just over the state line in Lowell, Mass., Heritage Farm Ice Cream on Pawtucket Boulevard will be the site of an electric vehicle showcase with more than two dozen makes and models to check out. Vehicle owners will be on hand to answer questions from attendees about their experiences, and some may offer to take their cars for test drives.

Featured photo: Photo courtesy of Merrimack Solar.

Great spots for hiking – as picked by Hippo readers

We asked, you voted, and now it’s time to hit the trails.

Among the more than 100 other “Bests” in this year’s Readers’ Poll, we asked you to name the best hiking spot in southern New Hampshire. The answers we received were diverse and included everywhere from moderately challenging mountain hikes to flatter, nature walk-type experiences.

What follows are key details from the top 10 highest voted hiking spots, in order, as shared by city and town planners, state and town park personnel, trail guidebook authors and local hiking aficionados. Trail terrain, interesting features and points of interest are all included. We even threw in the closest local ice cream shop to each, for afterward when you make that next trip outdoors.

For those trails listed within New Hampshire’s state parks system, reservations are highly recommended, especially during peak season, as visitors will be turned away if the parks are full.

Looking for your next new favorite hiking spot? Read on for some ideas as voted by readers.

1. Mount Monadnock

169 Poole Road, Jaffrey, 532-8862, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/monadnock-state-park

Scaling 3,165 feet at its summit, Mount Monadnock is one of the most frequently hiked mountains in the Northeast. The mountain, located within Mount Monadnock State Park in the towns of Jaffrey and Dublin, was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1987.

Kimball Rexford of Goffstown, a freelance web developer and avid hiker who runs TrailsNH.com, said he finds Mount Monadnock to almost always be “neck and neck” with Mount Washington in terms of the most frequently searched trails. Mount Monadnock State Park is also a popular camping destination, especially during peak season.

About the trails: The park’s main headquarters are accessed at the end of Poole Road in Jaffrey, which is also where the two most commonly hiked trails to the summit start — the White Dot trail and the White Cross trail. Rexford said he recommends ascending the mountain using the White Dot trail and descending using the White Cross trail. The loop is about 4 miles long round-trip, or roughly three to four hours of steady hiking.

“It’s kind of classic New England hiking,” Rexford said. “I think going up the White Dot is a little easier, because it’s a little bit steeper in some spots. So when you get to those little steep sections, it’s easier to use your hands, whereas going downhill you’ve got to sit on your butt.”

Closest ice cream: Station 16 Ice Cream (31 Peterborough St., Jaffrey, find them on Facebook) is about 4 miles away from Mount Monadnock State Park’s headquarters and is scheduled to open for the season on April 14, offering multiple flavors of hard ice cream and soft serve.

Points of interest: Mount Monadnock is known for its barren, isolated summit, which features stunning panoramic views on clear days.

“You can see the skyline of Boston, and on really, really clear days, mainly in the wintertime, you can see Mount Washington from the summit,” said Tara Blaney, South Regional Supervisor for New Hampshire State Parks.

Off another popular access point called the Old Toll Road is the site of the Halfway House, where Blaney said a hotel once stood dating back to the 1800s.

“There’s no longer a building up there, but there is a sign of some kind … and people carve their initials in rocks, but at that location and all over the summit,” she said.

2. Mount Major

875 Mt. Major Hwy. (Route 11), Alton Bay, forestsociety.org/mtmajor

Mount Major reaches an elevation of 1,786 feet. It’s located on the far eastern edge of the Belknap Range and is known for its panoramic views of Lake Winnipesaukee.

“It’s a destination that seems to get a lot of new users every year,” said Matt Scaccia, recreation and community relations manager for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, which has conserved several parcels of land on the mountain. “While Mount Major is a consistent favorite among more experienced hikers, it is also a common gateway for people looking to try their hand at exploring the outdoors. For some hikers we hear it is the first time they have climbed a mountain.”

About the trails: There are several trails that lead to the summit, and the main access point is the signed parking lot on Route 11 in Alton.

Trailheads include the Main trail and the Boulder Loop trail, with round-trip hike options ranging between 3 and 3.4 miles, depending on which routes you choose.

“Personally, I typically take the Main trail, then follow the Brook trail, which is a somewhat gentler approach, but it’s slightly longer,” Scaccia said. “The Main trail is pretty steep in some sections near the summit, especially if you’re hiking down from the top.”

Closest ice cream: Drive for just 4 miles south down Route 11 and you’ll come across Stillwells Ice Cream of Alton Bay (18 Mt. Major Hwy., 875-0200, stillwellsicecream.com), open seasonally and serving multiple flavors of Richardson’s Ice Cream, of Middleton, Mass.

Points of interest: Mount Major’s primary attraction is its view of the southern end of Lake Winnipesaukee from the summit. But another interesting feature is the remains of a stone hut known as “Phippen’s Hut,” named after the late former owner, George Phippen.

“It was originally a resting shelter, and there’s a stone outline of where it was,” Scaccia said. “Evidently, the roof blew off in the 1920s, but visitors still enjoy exploring its remains when they are at the summit. In terms of man-made features, that’s the main one hikers associate with the mountain.”

3. Mine Falls Park

Whipple Street, Nashua, 589-3370, nashuanh.gov

Located in the heart of Nashua, this 325-acre park is bordered on the north by the Nashua River and on the south by the city’s Mill Pond and canal system. It’s filled with forests, wetlands and open fields, and includes a total of seven access points, one of which also features a boat launch.

“Where Nashua is a city, it’s like a hidden gem where you can leave the city and go into the woods,” said Pam Anderson, a member of the volunteer-run Mine Falls Park Advisory Committee. “You’re right in the woods, but you’re only a few steps away from being in the city. Even if you’re at work and you want to take a break for lunch, you can go and take a little walk, or you could be there for a long time.”

About the trails: All seven access points lead to interconnecting trails of varying distance and terrain within the park that are color-coded. Some are paved, while others are dirt paths.

“All of them intertwine,” Anderson said. “We have a couple of Boy Scout troops that have even made the markers so that you can follow them. … You can take some that are only a mile [to] a mile and a half. Some go a little bit farther. You can do the whole entire trip [across the park] and it would be about 5 miles, or you could take two routes that connect.”

Closest ice cream: Roughly 4 miles to the north and east of Mine Falls Park is The Big 1 Ice Cream Stand (185 Concord St., Nashua, thebig1icecream.com), which opened for the season on Feb. 25 and serves dozens of flavors of Richardson’s Ice Cream, of Middleton, Mass.

Points of interest: Mine Falls Park features a variety of amenities. In addition to the boat launch off Riverside Street, there is a sports complex that can be easily accessed from the Whipple Street entrance, which has six soccer fields and a softball field.

There is also a historic gatehouse by the Riverside Street entrance, which was constructed in 1886 as part of the park’s canal system, a brochure from the city’s Parks & Recreation Department shows. In 2009 it received the New Hampshire Preservation Achievement award.

4. Uncanoonuc Mountains

300 Mountain Road, Goffstown, goffstowntrails.com/pdf/Uncanoonuc-Trails-2017.pdf

The Uncanoonucs are a pair of small peaks in Goffstown — the North peak, at an elevation of 1,324 feet, is the highest point in the town, while the South peak rises to 1,321 feet.

About the trails: Both peaks have a series of interconnecting trails with multiple access points that reach the summits. Among the most popular routes on either of the Uncanoonucs, Rexford said, is the White Dot trail on the North peak.

“A lot of people will just go up and back White Dot,” he said. “[The trail] is steep … but the view from the top is just fantastic. … It’s a pretty straightforward hike that gives you a great view of Manchester down into the valley, and it won’t take you all day. For me, it’s the perfect after-work hike.”

Of the two, Rexford said the North peak offers more of a natural, outdoor experience. The South peak, meanwhile, is known for having several radio and television broadcasting towers, and was also once home to a ski lift in the middle part of the 20th century.

Both peaks share some trailheads in common, while others are devoted to either one or the other.

“If you’re coming from Goffstown Village, you’ll take a left onto Mountain Road and the White Dot trail is the first one that you come to,” Rexford said.

Closest ice cream: Less than 3 miles to the north of the Uncanoonucs is Devriendt Farm (178 S. Mast Road, Goffstown, 497-2793, devriendtfarm.com), which is due to open sometime later this month or in early May, serving more than two dozen flavors of ice cream.

Points of interest: A few minutes up the White Dot trail is a unique cave-like structure.

“A granite slab slid and created a big overhanging,” Rexford said. “You can look underneath it, and it kind of looks like a little cave, which is interesting.”

The Incline trail, on the South peak, is accessed from Mountain Base Road.

“On the east side of the South peak, there is a foundation from an old hotel, a small hotel that was built in the early ’30s,” said Rick Silverberg, leadership training coordinator and past chair of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s New Hampshire chapter. “In that area, there’s a rather unique view over toward the river and the Mill buildings in downtown Manchester. … Some of the folks that I went up there with originally, 40 years ago, told me that when you look from that position, it doesn’t look a whole lot different now than it did back when the Mills were still operating.”

5. Pulpit Rock Conservation Area

New Boston Road, Bedford, plcnh.org/pulpit-rock-trails

Owned by the Town of Bedford, the 338-acre Pulpit Rock Conservation Area features 10 marked trails totalling more than 3 miles. The main access point and parking lot are on New Boston Road.

About the trails: Rexford said the Kennard trail is a mostly flat, easy-going route that is among the Pulpit Rock Conservation Area’s most frequently used trails.

“The trail starts out across a swamp. It’s quite pretty,” he said. “It’s kind of an elevated, wooden trail for a little bit through the swamp, and it’s just a flat, very pretty hike.”

Travel south on the Kennard trail for just over half a mile before it branches off into several other trails. One of those, the Pulpit Brook Trail, eventually connects at the other end through Amherst to the Joppa Hill Conservation Area. The eponymous Pulpit Rock is near the center of where several of the trails interconnect.

Closest ice cream: The Inside Scoop (260 Wallace Road, Bedford, 471-7009, theinsidescoopnh.com) is roughly 6 miles east of the conservation area and serves more than 30 flavors of Richardson’s Ice Cream, of Middleton, Mass.

Points of interest: Other than Pulpit Rock itself, there is a small ravine just off to the south.

“It’s a little rugged to get down to, but it’s neat to see,” said Ken MacGray of Concord, an avid hiker and Appalachian Mountain Club guidebook author. “This time of year, it’s actually probably pretty neat with all the snow melt, because there’s a little waterfall that flows down to the ravine.”

The best way to view the Pulpit is from its base, accessed from the Ravine Trail. The Ravine Trail, which is damp most of the year, also follows Pulpit Brook through other interesting rock formations, according to Kathleen Ports, associate planner for the Town of Bedford.

6. Pack Monadnock

Miller State Park, 13 Miller Park Road, Peterborough, 924-3672, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/miller-state-park

Established in 1891, Miller State Park is the oldest state park in New Hampshire, according to Blaney — it was dedicated in memory of Gen. James Miller, a Peterborough native who fought in the Battle of Lundy’s Lane in the War of 1812. The park is also home to Pack Monadnock, the highest point in Hillsborough County at 2,290 feet.

A paved 1.3-mile-long auto road leading to Pack Monadnock’s summit, accessed from Route 101 in Peterborough, is open to cars. Reservations are available online and are especially recommended during peak season.

About the trails: Three main hiking trails all lead to the summit of Pack Monadnock, Blaney said — two of them start right at the base of the auto road.

“The trail on the east side of the mountain is the Marion Davis trail, and then the trail on the west side is the Wapack trail,” she said. “The Wapack trail is a 21.5-mile long-distance trail. It starts down at Mount Watatic in Ashburnham, [Mass.], and then it stops at North Pack Monadnock, which is in Greenfield, so it goes over lots of little small mountains.”

Closest ice cream: Drive west of Pack Monadnock on Route 101 for about 5 miles to reach Ava Marie Handmade Chocolates & Ice Cream (43 Grove St., Peterborough, 924-5993, avamariechocolates.com), which scoops around 20 flavors of ice cream year-round and up to 40 flavors during peak season in the summer months.

Points of interest: Like from Mount Monadnock, Blaney said Boston’s skyline is visible from Pack Monadnock’s summit. On crystal clear days you can even climb to the top of the fire tower on the summit for a 360-degree view of Mount Washington.
There is also the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory, part of a joint effort with New Hampshire Audubon and the Harris Center for Conservation Education, which is staffed daily from Sept. 1 through mid-November.

“It’s really just a platform and an area where people can go and observe different raptors, because in the fall they are migrating and always flying over this area,” Blaney said. “The Harris Center and Audubon folks come out and they do raptor counts, just to keep monitoring the populations of the birds. Lots of people come out to that, and you can learn to identify the different birds and ask questions, so that’s kind of a cool thing.”

7. Marjory Swope Park Trails

Long Pond Road, Concord, concordnh.gov

Marjory Swope Park is dedicated to the memory of the late Concord environmentalist Marjory Mason Swope — her husband, John Swope, gifted the land for the 77-acre park for the city. It’s open year-round for activities like hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

About the trails: The trail system within Marjory Swope Park consists of a 1.5-mile-long loop trail that is accessed from Long Pond Road.

“This is one of our more popular trails,” Concord assistant city planner Beth Fenstermacher said of the park’s main loop trail. “It’s got a little bit of terrain, but it’s pretty easy for most people. There are some sections that are a little steep, but they are short, so we find that most people can navigate it pretty easily.”

While the loop is a popular route by itself, there are also a few other connecting trails throughout. One connects to the Winant Park trail system to the east, while a connecting trail in the other direction eventually brings you to the area of Carter Hill Orchard. Two trails also lead to the summit of the 712-foot Jerry Hill.

Closest ice cream: Just under 5 miles to the north of Marjory Swope Park is Frekey’s Dairy Freeze (74 Fisherville Road, Concord, 228-5443, frekeysdairyfreeze.com), which recently celebrated the grand opening of its 40th season in business on April 1. The stand serves more than two dozen flavors of Gifford’s ice cream.

Points of interest: Marjory Swope Park’s main loop trail has several vista points, including of the southwestern part of the state from the summit of Jerry Hill. One of the other most notable vista points features views of Penacook Lake, the city’s drinking water reservoir.

“We maintain it so that that view remains open all the time. … You can get off the path and look out over the water,” Fenstermacher said. “It’s a really nice spot. We’ve done yoga hikes and book club meetings up there.”

8. Oak Hill Trails

Shaker Road, Concord, concordnh.gov

The Oak Hill trail network features several interconnecting routes — Fenstermacher said its main access point is on Shaker Road, but there are other small parking areas on Oak Hill and Hot Hole Pond roads.

About the trails: Unlike at Marjory Swope Park, where the trails are only identified by color, Fenstermacher said the trails within the Oak Hill network are all named. Most of them are under 1 mile long by themselves, but many pick up at the ends of other connecting trails.

“A lot of people pick their favorite loop and that seems to be the one that they always do, so you can make a series of 2-mile loops or 3-mile loops and it’s all within the same trail system,” she said. “You could do 7 miles out there easily if you start at the main parking lot.”

Closest ice cream: Head to Arnie’s Place (164 Loudon Road, Concord, 228-3225, arniesplace.com), which is roughly 5 miles to the south of the Oak Hill trail network. The shop reopened for the season on April 1 and offers dozens of flavors of homemade ice cream.

Points of interest: The longest standalone trail in the Oak Hill network is the 2-mile-long Tower trail, which runs east just over the town line into Loudon and features a fire tower at the end.

“It’s a straight shot and then you can go and climb up the fire tower,” Fenstermacher said. “It’s nice if you want to be out there for a couple of hours. It’s kind of like a destination point for people.”

Silverberg said he especially likes to hike the 0.8-mile-long Luti trail, which can be accessed from the parking lot on Oak Hill Road.

“It goes up pretty quickly through several old homestead sites that are on the side of the hill,” he said, “and you can see the old stone walls and the foundations from the old cellar holes from where the houses were. They are all houses that were built in the 1700s, originally, long since gone.”

9. Pawtuckaway State Park

7 Pawtuckaway Road, Nottingham, 895-3031, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/pawtuckaway-state-park

At right around 5,500 acres, this is one of the largest state parks in New Hampshire. There are lots of opportunities for hiking on Pawtuckaway’s many trails, and there is also an onsite campground, a boat launch and a large family beach on the park’s lake.

About the trails: Blaney said Pawtuckaway State Park is home to a series of three peaks — the north mountain is the tallest, at about 1,011 feet, while the south mountain comes in at 908 feet and the middle mountain at 800 feet.

“The trails to get to these summits are relatively short, and I would consider them very easy,” she said. “The south mountain has a fire tower on it, which is cool. So again, that has a couple of view points and then if you climb up the fire tower you can see all around you. … [The] middle mountain has a nice outlook in one direction looking north, and then the north mountain actually has the least views.”

The park’s Mountain trail, she said, begins at a sign to the left just past Mountain Pond. Another popular trail is called the Fundy trail, which begins across the road from the entrance to the group picnic and camping areas and borders Burnham’s Marsh.

“It goes along a really large marsh area, so there’s a good chance to see lots of wildlife that you might encounter in a marsh,” Blaney said.

Closest ice cream: Head south of Pawtuckaway State Park for about 3 to 4 miles to reach Stillwells One Stop Ice Cream Shop (63 Route 27, Raymond, 895-1100, stillwellsicecream.com), open year round and serving multiple flavors of Richardson’s Ice Cream, of Middleton, Mass.

Points of interest: One of the best-known features at Pawtuckaway State Park is its large boulder field.

“It’s a pretty big area full of glacial erratics, which are big boulders dropped from when the glaciers retreated [during] the Ice Age,” Blaney said. “There’s little caves that have formed from the moving rocks, so that’s a super-popular location as well.”

10. Welch-Dickey Loop Trail

Orris Road, Thornton, fs.usda.gov/recarea/whitemountain/recarea/?recid=74773

On the southern edge of the White Mountain National Forest, in the town of Thornton, the Welch-Dickey trail is a single ledgy 4.4-mile-long loop around the twin peaks of Mount Welch and Mount Dickey.

“It’s kind of one of the best half-day hikes in the Whites, and it’s definitely one of the best bang-for-your-buck type hikes, because you’re out on open ledges for a lot of the hike, and they’ve got fantastic views,” MacGray said. “It’s all kind of one mountain mass, but there are two named summits. … It’s also a great place for a sunrise or a sunset hike.”

About the trail: The trailhead and main parking area for Welch-Dickey are at Orris Road in Thornton. Rexford said it’s common for most hikers to complete the loop counterclockwise.

“It will be very gradual until you get to your first ledge, which is kind of a big, flat ledge, and then you’ll come up from the back side and look down into the ravine to the road, going into Waterville [Valley],” he said. “It basically feels like you’re going from ledge to ledge, and they are maybe five to 10 minutes apart. It’s an absolutely beautiful hike.”

Although it won’t take you all day to complete, MaccGray said he does consider Welch-Dickey to be a moderately challenging hike.

“There are some potentially difficult sections where there are steep granite slabs,” he said, “but they usually aren’t an issue unless things are wet or icy. That’s the only time you’d really need to use any caution.”

Closest ice cream: Roughly 15 miles southwest of the Welch-Dickey trailhead is M ’n M Scoops (67 Main St., Plymouth, 536-4850, mnmscoops.com), offering a variety of flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet and more.

Points of interest: While the summit of Mount Dickey is wooded, one of the most dominant vista points is from the summit of Mount Welch, MacGray said, where you can see many of the peaks in the White Mountains, including the 4,802-foot Mount Moosilauke to the northwest.

Featured photo: A sunrise hike on Mount Major. Photo by Emily Lord and courtesy of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests

Performers hit the stage at the newly opened Nashua Center for the Arts

After two years of building, 10 years of planning and more than 20 years of dreaming, the Nashua Center for the Arts has finally opened its doors.

“This is going to make a huge difference for our community, for Nashua, for many, many years to come,” said Mayor Jim Donchess at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, April 1. “Over the decades, people will become very appreciative of everything that was done by all the people here that made this project possible.”

Donors, board members, patrons of the arts, politicians and their families and friends attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. The front rows of the theater held people who had helped organize and plan the theater over the decades, all of whom got recognition from either Richard Lannan, the president of Nashua Community Arts, Mayor Donchess, Sarah Stewart, the commissioner for the department of natural and cultural resources, or Pete Lally, the president of Spectacle Live, the venue management company for the center.

Donchess read letters written by Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Annie Kuster. Stewart applauded the ability to have a place like the center built, and described how it would change the scene of arts in the Gate City and the state as a whole.

“I love that you’re so excited about the impact this place will make in Nashua, but I’m here to tell you you’re impacting the entire state,” Stewart said. She said that the center will be held in the same regard as the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, the New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud competition, and the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth, which was recently named an Academy Award qualifying event. “What you’re doing here is going to be amazing for the state of art in New Hampshire and beyond. You’re going to be the shining star of what the future looks like for arts in Nashua.”

The private ribbon cutting ceremony was followed by a sold-out show featuring a variety of local talent. New Hampshire performers from the ActorSingers, Safe Haven Ballet, Akwabba Ensemble, Peacock Players, Symphony NH and more graced the stage for the first time, but not the last.

“One of the things we’re trying to establish early on is that this isn’t a venue where you just expect one type of genre or show,” Lally said. “Lots of places get pigeonholed with the type of shows they do. We worked very hard to make sure we’re doing a little bit of everything.”

In addition to national touring acts, like Boz Scaggs, Steve Hofstetter and Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, Spectacle has put an emphasis on making sure that the theater is going to be home to local performers. Safe Haven Ballet’s “Beauty and the Beast” is performing one of its three shows at the theater, and Symphony NH will have its 100-year anniversary show there.

“[Nashua Center for the Arts] isn’t replacing anything in Nashua; it’s adding to it,” Lally said. “It’s also adding to an arts infrastructure and scene downtown.”

Decades in the making

While the steering committee first started holding meetings, public hearings and workshops for this project in 2016, the idea for a citywide theater had already been around for years. The initial proposal for a performing arts center was in the 2000 city’s master plan.

More proposals followed in 2003, 2010 and 2014 before the committee brought in Webb Management Services to see how viable a theater would be for the downtown area and if it would be well-received by other local business owners.

Typically, Webb will determine that cities contacting them don’t have the demand needed to support a theater. Lannan and the rest of the steering committee had hoped the organization would find them in the small percentage of cities in which a theater would thrive.

“The original study from Webb design, I asked the same question, ‘What … percentage of the studies you do actually end up happening?’” Lannan said. “They said that the vast majority of theaters don’t happen. When ours came back, they told us, ‘You’re not going to do a Verizon center or SNHU Arena, but Nashua is clamoring for this.’”

The study suggested a 750-seat theater would be optimal for the area. Instead of settling for just a traditional theater, the steering committee decided to make the orchestra seats fully removable. After folding down the chairs, an operator can push a button and create an empty area in a matter of minutes.

The theater also has two sets of stairs and an elevator, multiple bathrooms on all four stories, and two lobbies that double as concession stands. There is a set-up and prep area for caterers, an outdoor balcony overlooking Main Street, and an art gallery.

Lannan said the board wanted to do something special, something that would be completely unique to the center. Having the ability to turn a theater into a standing-room-only venue or into a 50-table banquet hall would bring variety for theater-goers and performers.

Judith Carlson, a key member of the Nashua Arts Commission and Nashua Community Arts and a member of the center’s steering committee, said that for every meeting, Spectacle Live sent either a representative or its president, Pete Lally, to attend.

“One of the most beautiful things about this, Pete Lally or one of his staff were at every one of the planning committee meetings, not only selecting architect and construction,” Carlson said. “We had goals from Day 1 to make this a place … where both audiences and performers would want to come back to again and again.”

Lannan and Carlson both said that having Lally or one of his people present was a game-changer when it came to planning out the design of the theater. Lannan said that having a person who knows the performance industry helped them come up with having all the amenities performers were looking for. Carlson said that it showed, to her, the devotion Spectacle Live put into the project.

Lally said he had been involved with planning the theater for approximately five or six years, and that it was exciting to work from the ground up. His company runs the Colonial Theatre in Laconia and The Flying Monkey Movie House & Performance Center in Plymouth, both of which opened early in the 20th century.

“The Colonial Theatre … opened in 1914, other buildings [we operate] have long history and chapters, but to be at the design phase has been unique,” Lally said. “From meeting the architects and engineers and designers, it’s been nice to be able to talk to those who were designing [the center]. It resulted in a unique building, one that the area will be happy with.”

More than theater

While the theater’s main draw will be live performances, there will be much more for people to enjoy when it comes to the arts.

“Nashua wanted to serve all kinds of art needs, including performance, and the gallery is part of that,” said Carol Robey, the chairwoman of the gallery. “To have community gallery space … people can see what kind of work artists are doing and give [the artists] an opportunity to sell.”

One major part of the new center will be the Sandy Cleary Gallery, a space for up to a dozen two-dimensional art pieces. The art shows will be staged in three-month rotations after an annual call for art.

April through June will usually be a slot for the students of Nashua’s public schools. This year the schools will begin their shows in May. The April show will be honoring the life of Meri Goyette, a longtime patron of Nashua’s, and New Hampshire’s, art scene.

“She was the queen of arts,” said Carlson. She said that, in addition to organizing art events and supporting local artists, Goyette was a founder of the International Sculpture Symposium, and on the board of directors for the Hunt Memorial Building. “For more than 50 years, she was the inspiration and facilitator for arts in Nashua.”

Carlson said it only felt right to have someone like Goyette, who advocated for years for an artistic home base in Nashua, be the subject of the first arts show in the gallery.

Because of Goyette’s friendship with artists, many painted or photographed her portrait. Robey said those paintings were in storage until now. She added that the portraits were less traditional pieces, some having bright colors and unique compositions that made them more exciting. Goyette’s vibrant personality is skillfully captured in the portraits and photographs hanging on the burnt orange walls. Glimpses of the joyful woman can be seen in the photograph of her dressed as Mrs. Claus. The side of her that was an avid art lover is shown in abstract artworks, including an impressionist-style portrait and a mirrored portrait in a graphic pointillism style.

All of the artwork is facing a window overlooking West Pearl Street, a strategic design to show the artwork more than just during operational hours, Robey said. In addition to having artist plaques with information inside the center, on the window outside the gallery there will be a QR code for passersby so they can read the information during off hours.

The gallery isn’t the only space where visual art will be appreciated, Robey said. She and other members of the art selection committee hope to have artists teach classes in part of the older building.

Carlson said that, with the gallery added in, the Nashua Center for the Arts isn’t just a destination for live music and performances; it’s a place where all art can find a home within the city.

While the center took years to be completed, Lally said it will be a part of Nashua for years to come. He said that having a space like the Center for the Arts will bring new opportunities for artists and arts lovers in Nashua.

“So many cities and towns we’re in touch with have the dream of a space like this; 99 percent never get there,” Lally said. “For Nashua to have pulled this off, it’s a real testament to all the work that’s made it happen, and it’s just about time to open the doors.”

Nashua Center for the Arts
Where: 201 Main St. in Nashua
Contact: 800-657-8874, nashuacenterforthearts.com
Parking: See the website for a map and listing of area parking lots. There are also two-hour-limit and no-time-limit street parking spaces within walking distance of the center.

First on stage

Q&A with Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken

The two American Idol alums are touring the country together in honor of the 20th anniversary of their appearances on the show. Studdard was declared the winner during Season 2 of the singing competition in 2003, with Aiken coming in second place by just 134,000 votes out of more than 24 million cast, the closest winning vote margin in American Idol history. Their second stop on their tour, Ruben and Clay: Twenty Years, One Night, is the Nashua Center for the Arts on Thursday, April 13. When they talked to The Hippo, neither had realized that their show was the first non-ceremonial performance scheduled to take place at the new venue.

You guys are the first touring act performing at the Nashua Center of the Arts.

CA (Clay Aiken): That’s cool. Wow. We are going to inaugurate that hell out of that thing.

So now that you guys know that, how does that feel knowing that you’re going to be the first people to really christen that stage?

RS (Ruben Studdard): After such a long, illustrious career, [he laughs] I have inaugurated several theaters.

CA: Have you?

RS: No. [still laughing]

CA: Well, I was about to say, I don’t think I’ve ever done that. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a theater for the first time. Well, you know what, if you’re going to do it, you do it right, Nashua, and you’ve done it right.

What’s it like going on tour together again 20 years after American Idol?

RS: It’s great. I mean, I’m excited to just spend time with my friend. I had such a great time when we were together planning and putting together the show. It’s so funny to see people’s reaction when they see us together, like at a restaurant. ’Cause of course, I mean like, what’s the odds of you walking into your local Italian restaurant and Clay and Ruben are just sitting there chumming it up?

CA: It’s kinda like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon hanging out together, right?

RS: Absolutely. That’s what it’s like.

Going off that, how did you become friends on [Idol] in the middle of a competition like that?

CA: It was a competition, but I think there were plenty of times throughout the show when I forgot it was a competition. Idol is not like Survivor, where you have to get someone else kicked off in order to be successful. I wanted to make sure I made it till Week 6 when my mom told me she was coming. I certainly never saw myself as being competitive. We both were on the same number of episodes; we both made it all the way to the end and I just never felt competitive against Ruben.

What can attendees expect for the performance at the Nashua Center for the Arts?

RS: To have a good time. You know, at the end of the day, everybody knows we can sing. The question is, can we entertain people for an hour and a half, two hours? And I think the thing that we’re putting together, the stories that we have, the music that we’re going to share, is going to be fun.

CA: It’s going to be an incredible opportunity to reminisce. You know, just the way we’re talking about the show ourselves, Idol was to our great fortune…. Nostalgia is big right now or has been big for a minute or two. People love the Roseanne reboot and the Will & Grace reboot and the Night Court reboot. I think we as a country are looking for things that are safe and fun that we know make us happy, and Idol made a lot of people happy in 2003.

For the performers

The creators of the center wanted to make the venue as luxurious for performers as it’s set to be for patrons.

“We’re really good about taking feedback,” said Jake Crumb, the facilities manager set up by Spectacle Live to run Nashua Center for the Arts. “When [performers and crew] arrive…they’re looking for a place that is somewhat comfortable and gives them amenities. We’ve taken [that] to heart and given them all the amenities they’d expect to have.”

The center worked with ICON Architecture and OTJ Architects for theater design, Fisher Dachs Associates for theater planning and equipment, Acentech for audiovisual and acoustic design, and Rist Frost Shumway for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, civil engineering and lighting design.

The state-of-the-art light system has LED theatrical lighting and 28 linesight rigging systems. The sound system is by Meyer Sound Laboratories and will have headset and handheld microphones. The center also houses audiovisual equipment for movies, film festivals and presentations, and a Yamaha C6X grand piano for performances.

The stage is approximately 30 feet deep from downstage to upstage and is 60 feet across from wing to wing.

There are many perks for performers and their crews off the stage, as well. The loading dock leads directly to the main stage area for easy access for setting up and taking down shows. There are two dressing rooms designed for stars, community dressing rooms, a lounge room, and a separate room for the crew. There are showers, a kitchenette with a refrigerator and microwave, and a washer and dryer.

See a show

Here are some of the shows on the schedule for the Nashua Center for the Arts. Buy tickets and get updates at nashuacenterforthearts.com.

• Ruben and Clay: Twenty Years, One Night (Thursday, April 13, 8 p.m.; Ticket price range: $49 to $89)

• Suzanne Vega – An Intimate Evening of Songs and Stories (Saturday, April 15, 8 p.m.; $49 to $195)

• Dopapod (Thursday, April 20, 8 p.m.; $24)

• Girl Named Tom (Friday, April 21, 8 p.m.; $29 to $69)

• Safe Haven Ballet Presents: Beauty and the Beast (Saturday, April 22, 4:30 p.m.; $40 to $45)

• Symphony NH: Momentum! 100 Year Anniversary Concert (Saturday, April 29, 4 p.m.; $12 to $52)

• Champions of Magic (Thursday, May 4, 7:30 p.m.; $39 to $69)

• Gimme Gimme Disco (Friday, May 5, 8:30 p.m.; $19 to $24)

• Broadway Rave (Saturday, May 6, 8:30 p.m.; $19 to $24)

• Boz Scaggs (Thursday, May 11, 8 p.m.; $79 to $279)

• BoDeans (Friday, May 12, 8 p.m.; $29 to $49)

• Recycled Percussion (Saturday, May 13, 3 and 7 p.m.; $39.50 to $49.50)

• Emo Night Brooklyn (Saturday, May 20, 8:30 p.m.; $19 to $24)

• Celebrating Billy Joel: America’s Piano Man (Thursday, June 8, 8 p.m.; $29 to $59)

• Pat Metheny Side-Eye (Friday, June 9, 8 p.m.; $59 to $99)

• Menopause the Musical (Saturday, June 10; 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; $31.30 to $69)

• Grace Kelly (Saturday, June 17, 8 p.m.; $25 to $60)

• Toad the Wet Sprocket (Sunday, June 18, 7 p.m.; $49 to $179)

• Kashmir (Led Zeppelin tribute) (Friday, June 23, 8 p.m.; $29 to $59)

• Tab Benoit (Thursday, July 13, 8 p.m.; $29 to $69)

• An Evening with Tom Rush accompanied by Matt Nakoa (Friday, July 14, 8 p.m.; $29 to $69)

• Jake Shimabukuro (Saturday, July 15, 8 p.m.; $29 to $69)

• The High Kings (Sunday, July 30, 7 p.m.; $39 to $69)

• Jesse Cook (Saturday, Aug. 5, 8 p.m.; $39 to $69)

• Mary Chapin Carpenter (Sunday, Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m.; $49 to $89)

• Ace Frehley (Saturday, Aug. 26, 8 p.m.; $49 to $79)

• Tusk (Fleetwood Mac tribute) (Friday, Oct. 6, 8 p.m.; $29 to $49)

• Steve Hofstetter (Saturday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m.; $29 to $104)

• The Sixties Show (Sunday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m.; $29 to $59)