While breaking down a whole pumpkin and cooking it from scratch might sound a little overwhelming, Jason Devriendt is confident that you’ve got this. He is a farmer and one of the owners of Devriendt Farm Products in Goffstown. You just have to pick the right variety of pumpkin, he said, which probably isn’t the kind you carved for Halloween.
“Jack-o’-lantern pumpkins are a much older variety,” Devriendt said. “They kind of started it all. Nowadays, we obviously have eating pumpkins. The main difference is that the content of sugars an eating pumpkin will produce is going to be significantly higher. You can still eat jack-o’-lantern pumpkins. They’re just going to be very, very bland.”
“One of the biggest names [of eating pumpkins] is a style called cheese pumpkins. We grow a particular variety of it called Long Island Cheese and it’s a squatter, tan color squash pumpkin. They boast an even higher sugar content than even sugar pumpkins. Supposedly the flesh of those smooths out a lot more in the cooking process. It breaks down better. The average cheese pumpkins get larger than a sugar pumpkin. I’d probably say somewhere in the 10- to 15-pound range, whereas your average sugar pumpkin is going to be anywhere between three to five pounds.”
On the other hand, there is no shame in using canned pumpkin. For Amy Casella, the owner-operator of Crumbs on Cambridge in Bedford, canned pumpkin is her default ingredient. “Truthfully, I don’t break down pumpkins,” she said. “It’s just too time-consuming for me, so I’ll go after the organic canned pumpkin and I think it’s lovely. The flavor is good, the texture is good.”
Pumpkin to Drink
One of To Share Brewing’s most popular seasonal beers is something called Sophisticated Pumpkin, but co-owner and brewer Aaron Share says he had to be talked into offering it.
“When we first opened [the brewery], I was very resistant to the idea of making a pumpkin beer,” Share said. “I made pumpkin beers as a home brewer, but I just didn’t think it was something that folks would really enjoy, because it just had a lot of pumpkin. And so after a couple years of [my staff] insisting that we make a pumpkin beer I finally caved and told them that I was going to do it my way. It wasn’t going to be overly sweet. So what I did is I used our Vienna lager recipe and we add 40-something pounds of pumpkin to our mash. We add just a touch of pumpkin pie spice and we add some bourbon-soaked vanilla to it to just give it some added flavor and sophistication. So it’s a little more upscale than I would say some of the ones out there that are made with mostly sugar.”
Because even his pumpkin beer has some sweetness to it, Share suggests pairing it with other sweet foods. “I would go with something a little bit more robust in flavor. Maybe something like a pumpkin ravioli or something like that. Or even if you’re just snacking on a piece of pumpkin bread or something, I think it would stand up to that. Even something like a Boston cream pie could pair nicely with it.”
Bourbon Pumpkin Smash
This cocktail will help you ease into the holiday season. Even with a bunch of complementary flavors, the pumpkininess shines through.
2 ounces pumpkin syrup (See below. You’ll have to make it yourself, but like all syrups it is almost embarrassingly easy to make.)
2 ounces bourbon – there are several strong flavors at play here, so probably don’t use your very best bourbon for this
½ ounce orange juice
Several dashes of orange bitters – this is to offset the sweetness of the other ingredients. Use your best judgment
Ginger beer to top – not ginger ale. Ginger beer. You want the spicy bite of the good stuff.
Combine the pumpkin syrup, bourbon, orange juice and bitters in a cocktail shaker, then dry shake it (without ice) for several seconds, before adding ice and shaking it again. This is to prevent the syrup from seizing up when it hits the ice.
Strain over fresh ice in a large rocks glass, and top with a couple ounces of ginger beer.
Pumpkin Syrup
½ cup (156 g) maple syrup – the real stuff, please
⅓ cup (75 g) water
⅓ cup (75 g) pumpkin puree
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
a pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add all the ingredients but the vanilla to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for two to three minutes to make sure all the ingredients have gotten to know each other.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. (Vanilla is very volatile. It won’t explode or anything, but it evaporates easily and takes some flavor with it.)
Not for nothin’, but if you’re a pumpkin spice fan this is great in your coffee.
Pumpkin with Chocolate
Given its distinctive flavor, pumpkin pairs surprisingly well with a wide variety of other distinctive flavors — brown butter, whiskey (particularly bourbon), “warming” spices like ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper, almost every type of nut, and of course chocolate.
Brown butter pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
If you were to tell people that you were field-testing pumpkin recipes, a shocking number of them, a truly startling percentage, would try very, very hard to give you their recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
These cookies hit several of pumpkin’s sweet spots: brown sugar, chocolate, and brown butter. While theoretically there is probably a baked good somewhere that would not be improved by the use of brown butter, this is not one of them. The caramelized milk solids bring a rich, almost savory flavor that stands up to the pumpkin’s muskiness. A pinch of citric acid balances out the brown butter’s heaviness and gives these cookies a mouth-watering quality.
½ cup (1 stick) butter
¼ cup (50 g) dark sugar
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 Tablespoons (86 g) pumpkin puree
1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
¼ teaspoon salt – I like kosher salt or coarse sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon citric acid (optional – the odds of your having a bag of citric acid hanging around in your pantry are admittedly low)
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ cup (90 g) semisweet or dark chocolate chips
Brown the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Wait until it has stopped foaming, then watch it like a hawk until it turns the color of dark toast, then remove it from the heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the powdery ingredients — the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, citric acid and spices. Set it aside. Mutter “Your time will come” to it.
With a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the brown butter and the sugars until they are as combined as you can get them, about three minutes. Add the vanilla and keep beating. Add the pumpkin and keep beating until it is fluffy and looks like caramel frosting.
Turn your mixer to low, to prevent the poofing of flour, and spoon the dry ingredients into the mixture until everything is barely combined. Stir the chocolate chips in by hand. Cover the dough and chill it in your refrigerator for at least half an hour.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Flatten tablespoonfuls of the chilled dough onto the palm of your hand. Roll it into a ball, then flatten it, and place it on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Arrange six of the disks on the sheet, then bake for 12 to 13 minutes.
Let the cookies cool completely before removing them from the pan. This recipe will make between 15 and 18 cookies, so you’ll be making three batches. Remember to keep the remaining cookie dough in the fridge between batches.
Pumpkin as Soup
Because it pairs so well with sweet ingredients, it’s easy to forget how well pumpkin works in savory dishes. Perhaps the most popular savory application for pumpkin is as a soup. For super ambitious hosts, serving pumpkin soup from a hollowed out pumpkin, or individual servings in baby pumpkins, is a Show-Stopping Number. But if you have too much drama in your life already, pumpkin soup is a Tier 1 Comfort Food.
Curried Coconut Pumpkin Soup
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
¼ teaspoon chili oil (optional)
1 small or ½ large white or yellow onion, diced
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon pickled jalapenos, minced
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon garam masala or sweet curry powder
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree
1 15-ounce can of coconut milk
1 cup of broth – I like vegetable broth, but chicken or turkey broth would work well too
salt and pepper to taste
roasted pumpkin seeds and chopped cilantro for garnish
Pumpkin soup. Photo by John Fladd.
In a large saucepan, fry the onions, garlic and jalapeños in the two oils until the onions turn translucent and start to pick up a little color. You’re not looking for full caramelization here, but some light browning will bring extra flavor to the finished soup.
Stir in the garam masala and let the mixture cook for a minute or so, until your kitchen starts to smell spicy. Stir in the pumpkin and let the mixture cook for another few minutes, then add the broth and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for a few minutes.
Either transfer the soup to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree it until smooth. Season it with salt and pepper, then serve garnished with cilantro and pumpkin seeds.
Pumpkin in Bread
Pumpkin bread and its affiliates, pumpkin muffins, are fall classics.
“Once you get into this, your fall season, everybody wants pumpkin and apple,” baker Amy Casella said. One reason for pumpkin bread’s popularity, she speculated, is that it makes even novice bakers look good.
“If you’re using canned pumpkin,” she said, “it has a ton of moisture, so even if you overcook [pumpkin bread or muffins] it’s very forgiving.”
Pumpkin bread with crystalized ginger and a bourbon glaze
The conventional raisins have been replaced in this recipe by crystallized ginger — the spicy cubes that have the same texture as gummy candies. This gives the pumpkin bread pops of flavor, in contrast to raisins, which are, shall we say, more introverted in the way they present themselves. While the boozy glaze is not strictly necessary, it improves the already delicious pumpkin by at least 15 percent.
1 package (about 16 ounces) boxed yellow cake mix
2 cups (one 16-ounce can) pumpkin puree
⅓ cup (113 g) molasses
4 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg – Seriously, if you’ve never grated nutmeg yourself, you’ve been missing out. The whole nutmeg kernels never go stale (as opposed to the pre-ground version, which turns to sawdust within a month or two) and smell almost citrusy. If you don’t have a microplane grater, use the smallest side of your box grater, the one you’ve always wondered what it was for. It’s for this.
⅓ cup (38 g) chopped nuts (optional) – I like pecans for this, but if the idea of nuts in baked goods angers you, I totally understand.
⅓ cup (57 g) crystalized ginger, chopped
Bourbon glaze – see below
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Empty the cake mix into a large mixing bowl, and toss the ginger pieces in it. This will keep the ginger from clumping together. Add in the rest of the ingredients and beat the mixture for about two minutes.
Pour the batter into two greased loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how big your loaf pans are. (Check them with a toothpick at 45 minutes.) Let them cool before depanning them. Drizzle them with bourbon glaze.
You can make this recipe as muffins. Remember to use liners in your muffin tin, and check doneness at 20 minutes.
Bourbon Glaze
2 cups (227 g) powdered sugar
5 Tablespoons bourbon – again, use some that tastes good, but don’t break out the premium stuff
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon milk or half & half
a pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon melted butter – aside from being delicious, this will help the glaze set and keep it from dripping off your bread or muffins
Mix everything together, adding the butter last, then drizzle over anything that needs to be drizzled — in this case the pumpkin bread, but I can’t help thinking this would be great with grilled pork chops.
Pumpkin Contributes to Granola
If you’ve never thought much about pumpkin seeds outside of field-dressing a jack-o’-lantern, you can find the roasted, salted variety in the seed-and-nut section of your supermarket, sometimes called pepitas.
In this granola recipe, pumpkin seeds fill the role usually played by chopped nuts. Much like pumpkin, they get along with an impressive number of other ingredients. In this case the addition of soy sauce and black pepper will play off their sweet/savory nature and add complexity to the final granola.
¼ cup (37 g) poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or a mixture of both
3 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup (50 g) vegetable oil
⅓ cup (104 g) dark maple syrup, the real stuff
2 teaspoon soy sauce
¾ cup (127 g) dried, sweetened cranberries
Preheat your oven to 300°F.
Pumpkin granola. Photo by John Fladd.
In the largest bowl you have, combine the oats, seeds, sugar and spices, and toss them with your hands. Separately, mix the oil, syrup and soy sauce, then pour the mixture over the dry ingredients. Combine everything — again, with your hands. (You could theoretically use a spatula or something, but hands work better.)
Scoop the mixture onto a baking sheet, spread it out, and press it into the corners.
Bake the proto-granola for 15 minutes, then stir it up and press it back down into the pan. This time you will probably need to use a spatula or a large spoon; it will be too hot for your hands. Bake for another 15 minutes, then remove from the oven.
Let the granola cool. Hopefully there will be some clumps. Mix in the cranberries.
Ta-dah.
Pumpkin Made Fancy
Pumpkin soufflé is one of those dishes that can seem very intimidating. That also means it brings a lot of street cred if you can pull it off.
But here’s the secret: It’s easy to pull off. Just follow the instructions, one at a time. The final soufflé will be light and delicious.
½ cup (113 g) whole milk or half & half
1 Tablespoon corn starch
½ teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg – see the pumpkin bread recipe for a diatribe about this
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
a pinch of salt
2 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 cups (one 16-ounce can) pumpkin puree
1 Tablespoon orange liqueur – Grand Marnier is a classic for this, but orange curacao or even triple sec will work
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of a large orange
8 egg whites
¾ cup (150 g) white sugar
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Thoroughly butter the inside of a soufflé dish, the ceramic one with vertical ridges on the outside. Really slather the butter on. Then dust the buttered surface with white sugar. Set the dish aside.
Pumpkin souffle. Photo by John Fladd.
In a small saucepan, combine the milk or cream, the cornstarch and the spices, and bring to a simmer. It should thicken considerably. Remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Stir in the salt, brown sugar, pumpkin, orange liqueur, vanilla and orange zest. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
Using the whisk attachment on your stand or hand mixer, beat the egg whites until they reach “soft peaks.” This means they’ve turned white and are slightly thickened. Mix the sugar into the egg whites and whip on high speed, until they reach “stiff peaks.” This means, if you turn the bowl sideways or upside down, they stay put.
OK, this is the closest this recipe gets to tricky. Don’t panic. Drink a slug of the orange liqueur, if you have to.
Add about a third of the stiff egg whites to the pumpkin mixture, and stir to combine. This is just to lighten up the batter. Add half of the remaining egg whites to the pumpkin bowl and gently fold them into the mixture. This means to mix it super-gently so you don’t deflate the fluffy egg whites. (If you are nervous about this, search online for a video: “how to fold egg whites.” It’s actually very simple.) When the egg whites are folded in, do the same with the remaining egg whites.
Transfer the eggy pumpkin mixture to the soufflé dish. Put it on the middle rack in your oven and bake for 30 minutes. When it is done it will have risen above the rim of the dish and will be a golden brown color.
As soon as you take the soufflé out of the oven, take a picture of it. Within the next 10 minutes or so it will deflate and will not look as awe-inspiring. But it will still be delicious.
Mark Swasey does a lot of hiking. According to his Ascent List on peakbagger.com, he has hiked to the top of more than 1,000 mountains. According to him, the best hiking of the year is just starting.
“Fall hiking,” he said, “outside of winter, is probably my favorite time of the year to hike. Number one, it’s the weather. You tend to get these cooler, drier days in the fall. Of course, the foliage and just the various flora that we have in New Hampshire just seems to really pop this time of year.”
Ken MacGray is the author/editor of Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide: AMC’s Comprehensive Resource for New Hampshire Hiking Trails South of the White Mountains. October is his favorite time of year to hike.
“I wait for this time of year all year long,” he said. “I just prefer the cool weather over when it’s 90 degrees with high humidity. Of course, the foliage color is always fantastic l to see. This year has been a little different because it’s been so dry. But the main reason for me is basically the cooler weather.”
Whether it’s cooler weather, or beautiful views, or relief from mosquitoes or even other hikers, hiking can be at its best in the fall. The following are eight hikes Hippo readers voted as their favorites in the “Best Of 2025” poll.
Mount Monadnock
Mount Monadnock State Park, 169 Poole Road, Jaffrey, 532-8862; nhstateparks.org/find-parks-trails/monadnock-state-park
There are 37 trails to the top of Mount Monadnock, covering about 40 square miles.
From the Park’s website:
Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is a mountain in the town of Jaffrey, NH. At 3,165 feet, Mount Monadnock is nearly 1,000 feet higher than any other mountain peak within 30 miles. The park is surrounded by thousands of acres of protected highlands. Monadnock’s bare, isolated, and rocky summit provides expansive views. It is known for being featured in the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. In 1987, Mount Monadnock was designated a National Natural Landmark. The park offers year-round recreational opportunities.
Elizabeth Guguet climbs Mount Monadnock three or four times a year. She loves hiking there because of the way the mountain itself makes her feel.
“I think mountains in general attract people for that bit of intrigue and mystery that they have,” she said. “You see the summit shrouded in a cloud and then all of a sudden the light bursts through. The Native Americans that lived here, the Abenaki, ‘Monadnock’ means in their language the ‘mountain that stands alone.’ And I love that.”
Guguet likes how many trails there are on Mount Monadnock.
“I don’t think there’s an ‘easy’ way to go up,” she said. It depends on how you’re feeling. I just did the Dublin Trail and I love that trail because it’s not traveled as frequently as, say, the White Dot or the White Cross [trails]. Sometimes there’s a lot of people up there, and you can absolutely take another trail and you’ll see barely anybody.”
Mount Major-trail. Courtesy of NH State Parks.
Mount Major
Trailhead parking is just off Route 11 in the Mount Major Parking Lot, at 875 Mount Major Hwy, Alton; blog.nhstateparks.org/mt-major-family-friendly-hike
Mount Major is a small (about 1,700 feet high) and easily hikable mountain in Alton. There are two main trails to the top of the mountain, each about one and a half miles long. It only takes an hour or two to climb, even for inexperienced hikers, but has outstanding views from the summit.
Mark Swasey bases much of his hiking around “52 With a View,” a list of 52 hikes in New Hampshire that are not as ambitious as the state’s 4,000+-foot peaks but still have good views. He said the views from the top of Mount Major do not disappoint.
“Mount Major’s got one of the best views in the state,” he said. “It has a lot of bang for the buck. It’s not a long hike from the parking lot. From the summit there’s a view of the lakes and the various [mountain] ranges that are around, even into Maine. The views are expansive.”
Greg Boisvert is a guidance counselor and student advisor at Deerfield Community School. He has taken many groups of students to hike at Mount Major. He said it is an especially good hike for children.
“It’s a relatively short hike,” Boisvert said, “with a big punch at the end. At the top you have kind of a 360-degree view. You get to see the Lakes Region. You get to see north to Mount Washington. It’s relatively close, probably the closest sizable hike for kids who live closer to the seacoast. Kids feel very successful about climbing it; they feel tired, but then at the top it’s nice and open, with lots of room for kids to run around, but also the view is really nice too.”
Andres Institute of Art
Andres Institute of Art, 106 Route 13, Brookline, 673-7441; andresinstitute.org
The Andres Institute is the largest outdoor sculpture park in New England. There are 10+ miles of trails over 140 acres, with 100+ sculptures (including new pieces added during this year’s International Bridges and Connections Sculpture Symposium, just ended in early October), representing 40+ countries. Hikes are self-guided, with docents available. According to the Institute’s website, “Trails are open every day from dawn until dusk. There is no fee to enter but donations are greatly appreciated either online or in the trailhead or studio donation boxes.”
According to Kristi St. Laurent, the president of the Andres Institute of Art, the hiking trails at the Andres Institute are designed with frequent stops in mind.
“The park is situated on a former ski area,” she said, “so there is a little bit of a vertical challenge to the hiking. But then, of course, there are the sculptures. For everyday hikers, the opportunity to stop and rest and consider the art makes the hike more doable. If you go straight to the top and back again, [it’s a hike of] about 2 miles. But there’s a whole host of other trails that you can take. And most people say it takes them probably two hours on the hill for their first visit.”
For first-time visitors, St. Laurent recommends taking the Parkway Trail.
“It’s actually the paved driveway up to the spring,” she said, “but the footing is good and you can see a lot of sculptures along the way. And from the studio it’s a short hike from there up to the summit. And from there, you can see off to Mount Monadnock, it’s just a glorious view overlooking Sculpture No. 1 from the [Institute’s] first symposium 27 years ago, The Phoenix, which is 15 feet high and 11 tons.”
“If I need a quick hit,” St. Laurent continued, “I do the Quarry Trail. There’s several sculptures along there that I like. It used to be a granite quarry, and we have something called a grout pile, with the leftover stone that they would take out of the quarry. But it goes along the base of the hill, so it doesn’t have the vertical climb that some of the other trails do.”
Pawtuckaway State Park
Pawtuckaway State Park, 128 Mountain Road, Nottingham, 895-3031; nhstateparks.org/find-parks-trails/pawtuckaway-state-park
Pawtuckaway State Park is a 5,000-acre preserve named for Pawtuckaway Lake and the Pawtuckaway Mountains. The park extends from the west shore of the lake to the west side of the mountains. According to AllTrails.com there are 29 hiking trails in the park.
Ken MacGray said the views from the hiking trails in Pawtuckaway State Park are inspiring, particularly for geology enthusiasts.
“It’s quite a unique park, actually,” he said. “It’s the remnants of an ancient volcano. So if you actually look at it on a topographic map you can see the circular shape of the mountains. It’s called a ring dike complex. There are three mountains within the park. There’s North Mountain, Middle Mountain and South Mountain. South Mountain has a fire tower on it, which is probably the most popular hike in the park.”
Veteran hiker Mark Swasey agreed that Pawtuckaway’s geology is fascinating.
“You can just imagine that at one time there was a volcanic mountain sitting there that was about the size of Mount Rainier,” Swasey said. “To walk around that is amazing. The boulders and the various rock formations that are in there are impressive. The woods themselves are unique and it is just a wonderful loop hike.”
Ken MacGray said hiking to the fire tower isn’t physically demanding but can take a while.
“It’s not terribly tough,” he said. “It’s a little bit long depending on where you start. Most people usually come in from the main state park entrance, so it’s about a 6-mile round trip if you start from there. There are shorter ways to do it. You can drive into the interior of the park and take what’s called Tower Trail up. It’s less than a half mile but it’s very steep. And that’ll just get you up to the summit.”
Pulpit Rock Trail. Photo by Brian Nolen
Pulpit Rock Conservation Area
Pulpit Rock Conservation Area, New Boston Road, Bedford, 792-1320; plcnh.org/pulpit-rock-trail
Parking:
1. Kennard Trailhead: on the south side of New Boston Road, about .2 mile west of Esther Drive, at approximately 596 New Boston Road
2. Gage’s Mill Trailhead: turn onto Pulpit Road from New Boston Road and drive .72 miles, on the right just after 144 Pulpit Road
From the Pulpit Rock website:
The Pulpit Rock Conservation Area is ‘Bedford’s Natural Treasure’ and one of the town’s best places for local hiking, bird watching, and close-to-home outdoor experiences. With a marked trails system and varied terrain, the 338-acre parcel features the gorge and ledge named ‘Pulpit Rock,’ wetlands, Pulpit Brook, a number of small picturesque waterfalls; rocky outcroppings, glacial erratics such as Indian Rock, beaver lodges, and the remnants of Gage’s Mill, along with forest and fauna. This conservation land offers more than three miles of hiking trails and other opportunities for passive recreation.
Author Ken MacGray said Pulpit Rock is another hike that does not involve a lot of climbing. “It’s kind of centered around a gorge,” he said. “The trails from the road lead into this gorge. You can do a loop and then descend down into the gorge and then come back up, then Pulpit Rock is a ledge overlooking the gorge. It’s not really big; it’s not a ton of climbing. There’s a little bit when you go down into the gorge and coming back out, but it’s nothing crazy.” He said that the attraction of the area is in the forest, the gorge, and the surrounding wetlands. “There’s no big views or anything like that there,” he said.
There are three hiking trails at Uncanoonuc, 1.2 miles, 1.6 miles and 2.6 miles in length, with a climb of between 440 and 770 feet.
From TrailSpotting.com:
The two rounded peaks of Uncanoonuc Mountains stand out above the Goffstown landscape, virtually equal in height and around 700 feet in prominence. At 1,324 feet above sea level, North Uncanoonuc Mountain is officially several feet taller than the south mountain. Though North Uncanoonuc narrowly avoided being turned into a ski area in the 1960s, some of today’s trails on the slopes are a legacy of the forest clearing performed during the abandoned development of the resort.
The two mountains in Goffstown, North and South Uncanoonuc mountains, are immediately next to each other and are similar in shape and size, but author Ken MacGray says they offer very different hiking experiences.
“South Mountain is more heavily developed at the summit,” he said. “It has a lot of communication towers and structures on top. I prefer North Mountain personally, because it doesn’t have that and it feels more natural, without the artificial buildings on top. Before I started doing the AMC Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, one of the previous editors years ago described South Mountain as ‘having the finest forest of communication towers in Southern New Hampshire.’ I always get a kick out of that. … Different people appreciate different things, though, and I can see people that would actually enjoy a hike where they’re looking at manmade objects”
Mark Swasey agreed. “I thought North [Mountain] was very nice,” he said, “and there were nice trails to the top. It really reminded me of the Wapack Range, of some of the trails that you get on North Pack and Pack Monadnock.”
Mount Kearsarge
Rollins State Park, 1066 Kearsarge Mountain Road, Warner, 456-3808
According to AllTrails.com, climbing Mount Kearsarge via Rollins and Lincoln Trail involves hiking a 1-mile loop, with a 337-foot gain in elevation:
This short trail starts from the parking lot at the end of the Rollins State Park auto road and climbs to meet the Lincoln Trail just below the summit of Mount Kearsarge. The Rollins trail is the easiest way to the summit and the total distance from the parking lot to the summit is about 0.6 mile. The trail starts as a crushed gravel path, crossing a few small bridges as it passes through the picnic area. It then ascends via easy to moderate grades as it climbs along the old route of a carriage path. It meets the Lincoln Trail, which ascends 0.1 mile to the open summit over bare ledge.
Ken MacGray said he loves Mount Kearsarge.
“I think it’s one of the nicest peaks in southern New Hampshire,” he said, “just because it’s very prominent. It has what’s called a lot of topographic prominence, meaning that it stands very high over the surrounding countryside. So that results in a lot of just really great views from the top.”
Tower Hill Pond Trails
10 Tower Hill Road, Candia
HikingProject.com describes the Tower Hill Pond Loop Trail as “a relatively easy loop trail right outside of Manchester with nice views of Tower Hill Pond. The full loop from Tower Hill Road is 4 miles. The trail is fairly flat and wide. Great for running, biking, or walking. This spot is especially nice in the autumn when you can enjoy views of the water and changing foliage. This is also a great place to walk the dog, but they must be leashed and are not allowed to swim as this is in the watershed.”
Ed Devereaux is a watershed patrol officer for the Manchester Water Works, which manages the Loop. He said it provides a convenient place for area residents to walk.
“It’s mostly local people,” he said. “There is an amount of people from Massachusetts, probably because it’s close. If you take it from the Tower Hill Pond gate, which is on Tower Hill Road … goes all the way around the pond and back … it’s 4 miles in total. It’s easy walking; it’s just the length of it that might be an issue for some people. There are a lot of side trails that can increase the length of your walk, though. A map is available on the Water Works website.”
According to Ken MacGray, the Tower Hill Pond Loop is less about wilderness hiking than it is about walking with your dog or a friend.
“It’s a pleasant walk,” he said. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it a hike myself, but it’s definitely a pleasant walk. It’s a place that’s definitely accessible to a lot of people. When I say accessible I don’t mean like ADA accessible, but it’s easy to get to. The trails are easy to walk. You can go there with your kids. It’s just an easy place to get outside.”
All Persons Trail at NH Audubon’s Massabesic Center New Hampshire Audubon recently opened a nature trail for visitors with limited mobility at its Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn, 224-9909, nhaudubon.org). Massabesic Center Director Kimmie Whiteman said the new All Persons Trail was built to provide a chance for “all persons” to enjoy being in nature.
“Our trail is 0.4 miles,” she said, “and it goes from the front of the center through several of our garden spaces. and then across a brand new boardwalk over a vernal pool area to connect with our field trails and continue down to Milne Pond, where there’s a beautiful scenic enjoyment site.”
Whiteman said October is an excellent time to enjoy the trail.
“Really, in all seasons, you get such a wide variety of habitat as you’re walking through,” she said. “But in the fall you have that pop of color from the woodland area that surrounds the fields. The pollinators are still out collecting that late season nectar. We’ve been seeing a bobcat periodically here recently, which is really neat. If you’re here at the right time of day in the morning or at dusk you might get a little glimpse of it.”
Resources for Hikers
– Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide: AMC’s Comprehensive Resource for New Hampshire Hiking Trails South of the White Mountains, featuring Mounts Monadnock and Cardigan, edited by Ken MacGray. Paperback, 320 pages. Published by Appalachian Mountain Club Books in 2021. $23.95. Available online and in bookstores and outdoor outfitters’ shops.
– New Hampshire 52 With a View Passport $19.95 through amcstore.outdoors.org. This is a concise way to log hikes on some of the state’s scenic, not necessarily strenuous, mountains. • PeakBagger.com A website where serious hikers can log a lifetime of hikes as they are accomplished.
– nhstateparks.org/find-parks-trails The list of New Hampshire state parks, including Mount Monadnock and Pawtuckaway State Park.
– Grand Monadnock Facebook Group (facebook.com/groups/557083607702443) A collection of hikers with strong opinions about Mount Monadnock.
– HikerBabes Community: Southern New Hampshire Chapter (facebook.com/groups/2587362171290164) A Facebook resource for women who hike.
– TrailSpotting.com An online resource where you can find information about specific hiking trails including location, length, changes in elevation, and level of difficulty.
Your guide to haunted attractions, downtown celebrations, scary movies, kid-friendly events and more spooky season fun
Halloween is more than just Oct. 31. For nearly the whole month of October, there are events for all ages that get in on spooky season fun. Whether you are looking for serious scares at a haunted house or community celebration at a downtown event or just another reason for the kids to wear their costumes, there are plenty of ways for everyone to get in on the Halloween excitement.
Haunted attractions
Here are season-long haunted attractions. See the websites for a look at the imagery and a sense of the scariness level. Many of the attractions strongly recommend or require advance ticket purchase (especially for nighttime entries).
• The Dark Woods at Trombly Gardens, 150 N. River Road in Milford, thedarkwoodsnh.com, is open for general admission evenings Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 1 (except for Oct. 31) and in a The Darker Woods experience with nearly no light and characters that may touch or be near you on Thursdays, Oct. 16, Oct. 23 and Oct. 30 as well as Sunday, Oct. 26. Tickets cost $25, with a $40 VIP option. Pick an entry time when purchasing tickets. “Guests take a self-guided (walking) tour through dimly lit woodlands while being met by an unusual cast of creeps and misfits,” according to the website.
• Fear Farm at Beans & Greens Farm, 245 Intervale Road, Gilford, 293-2853, beansandgreensfarm.com, runs Fridays and Saturdays in October, 7 to 10 p.m. (last entry at 9:30 p.m. People under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
• Fright Kingdom 12 Simon St. in Nashua, frightkingdom.com, features five “frightening attractions” — Apocalypse Z, Bloodmare Manor, Psycho Circus, Grim and The Abandoned — as well as a Monster Midway (with costumed characters, photo opportunities, concessions and merch sales), which operate Friday through Sunday evenings through Nov. 1. When you purchase general admission tickets (which cost $38) you pick an entry time. Tickets for Dark Ride, a “‘double level, gravity feed, pretzel style’ amusement ride from 1970 that has been lovingly restored,” are available, weather permitting, on site for $10 per person, cash only, the website said. A “Hardly Haunted” version is available on Sunday, Oct. 19, from noon to 3 p.m. for kids of all ages with an outdoor midway, face painting, a haunted house tour and more, the website said; tickets cost $10. On Friday, Nov. 7, and Saturday, Nov. 8, there is an “In the Dark — No Restrictions” version of the attractions when the event is no or low light with a single light source per group and characters may touch you, the website said. The attraction recommends parental discretion for children under 12, the website said.
• Fright Nights at the Field: Screaming Line Drive takes place at Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester, milb.com/new-hampshire/ballpark/halloween, Thursdays through Sundays, Oct. 16-19 and Oct. 23-26, as well as Wednesday, Oct. 29, through Saturday, Nov. 1. The park features two separate attractions with separate ticketing: a Haunted Stadium Tour and Save the Ballpark Escape Room. The attraction will not permit children under 12 years old, and kids 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult, the website said. The park is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 6 to 9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 10 p.m.
• Haunted Overload at DeMeritt Hill Farm, 20 Orchard Way in Lee, hauntedoverload.com, is open evenings Thursdays through Sundays through Nov. 2 as well as for Day Haunt sessions (described as actor-free and family-friendly) Fridays through Sundays through Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The attraction runs its “Frite Nite Lite” on the evenings of Thursdays, Oct. 16, and Oct. 23, featuring “[a]ll the lights, sounds, and effects without the scares!” according to the website. A Lights Out night will run in the evening on Sunday, Nov. 2. “Haunted Overload is a haunted trail that winds through a dense patch of wooded area. It has uneven ground, twists, turns, hills and valleys,” the website said.
• Hellwood’s Cursed Forest Elwood Orchards, 54 Elwood Road in Londonderry, 434-6017, elwoodorchards. com, is separate from the orchard’s corn maze and offers a haunted adventure that is “100% volunteer based and 100% of the proceeds go to charity,” specifically Manchester Girl Scouts, Future in Sight and Nashua Soup Kitchen, according to a post on Elwood’s Facebook page. Admission costs $8 per person and children under 5 get in for free, the post said. Fright Nights, which it says may “be too scary for some audiences,” run Fridays, Oct. 17, Oct. 24 and Oct. 31, from 7 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays, Oct. 18 and Oct. 25, from 6 to 10 p.m. Frite Lite, which is described as a “child-friendly/sensory-safe daytime experience,” runs Fridays, Oct. 17, Oct. 24 and Oct. 31, from 6 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays, Oct. 18 and Oct. 25, from 6 to 7 p.m., and Sundays, Oct. 19, and Oct. 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• The Salisbury Woods Haunted Barn and Trail 19 Franklin Road in Salisbury, salisburywoods.com, is open evenings Friday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 18, and Friday, Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 25 (tickets cost $20 plus fees), as well as on Friday, Oct. 31, with a Lite Fright Night (no actors) from 6 to 8 p.m. (costumes encouraged; tickets cost $10 plus fees) and on Saturday, Oct. 25, from noon to 2 p.m. for a Daytime Sneak Peek (no actors, some scares; tickets cost $10). “As you venture through our haunted trails, you’ll encounter spine-chilling scenes and terrifying creatures that will make your blood run cold,” the website said.
• Screeemfest at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, canobie.com, is open Fridays through Sundays until Nov. 1, opening at 5 p.m. on Fridays, 3 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 p.m. on Sundays. The attraction is described as delivering “family fun by day and a healthy dose of fear by night. You get TONS of rides, haunted houses, kid-friendly fun, live shows, roving monsters and much, much more,” according to the website. The park features five haunted houses — TerrorForm (a Mars outpost themed attraction labeled as new for 2025), Carnivus 2, Cargo, Pinecrest Sanitarium and Haven — with parental guidance recommended for ages 13 and under for the haunted houses, the website said. The park has static displays with haunted characters in haunted scenes around the park, the website said. There is a monster parade on Saturdays and Sundays at 5:45 p.m., and, for younger kids, a lights-on tour of a haunted house from 4 to 4:45 p.m. on Sunday (no actors, lighting and sounds turned off), the website said. See the website for a list of available rides.
• Spookville 1 Cheshire St. in Nashua is put together by S.C.A.R.E. NH, a nonprofit organization providing Halloween costumes to kids in need and offering free admission to its haunted house, according to scarenh.org. The Spookville attraction features volunteer actors and new themes every year, the website said. Spookville operates Friday, Oct. 17, 7 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 18, 6 to 9 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 24, 7 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 25, 6 to 9 p.m., and Friday, Oct. 31, 6 to 9 p.m. There will be two kid-friendly days: Sunday, Oct. 19, and Sunday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is also a United Way Collab Saturday, Nov. 1, from 6 to 9 p.m, “Spookville: A Decade of Darkness” with tickets for $10. At all Spookville sessions, donations are accepted.
• Spooky World Presents Nightmare New England 454 Charles Bancroft Hwy. in Litchfield, nightmarenewengland.com, is open Thursday, Oct. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 19; Thursday, Oct. 23, through Sunday, Oct. 26, and Wednesday, Oct. 29, through Saturday, Nov. 1, with entry times starting at 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays. The attraction offers “80 acres of fear” with attractions including the Haunted Hayride, Nightmare in 3D, Asylum 47 and The Colony as well as a Monster Midway featuring axe throwing, Zombie Paintball, a beer garden, psychic readings, food and games and more, the website said. Weather permitting, some Mel’s Funway Park attractions may also be open, the website said. Costumes are encouraged on Halloween night (see website for rules) and Saturday, Nov. 1, will be a Lights Out night. Purchase general admission tickets or VIP tickets online.
Night & day in the corn maze
• Beans & Greens Farm (245 Intervale Road, Gilford, 293-2853, beansandgreensfarm.com) offers entry to its corn maze daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The farm also offers hayrides and other farm activities — see the website for the different pricing packages. The farm also hosts Beans & Screams Fear Farm (see Haunted attractions).
• Beech Hill Farm and Ice Cream Barn (107 Beech Hill Road, Hopkinton, beechhillfarm.com) offers two corn mazes open from noon to dusk through Oct. 31. The cost is $7 per person (children ages 3 and under get in free) for access to both mazes, which feature puzzles and scavenger hunt-like activities to get through the maze, according to the website.
• Brookdale Fruit Farm (41 Broad St., Hollis, 465-2240, brookdalefruitfarm.com) In addition to its pick-your-own apple offerings, farm stand and more, Brookdale offers a corn maze and tractor ride on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cost is $4 per person.
• Coppal House Farm (118 N. River Road, Lee, nhcornmaze.com) presents a Monarch & Chrysalis Corn Maze this year, open Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday, Nov. 1. Admission costs $10 for ages 13+ and $8 for ages 5 to 12, 65+, military and college students with ID. The final public night maze of the season is Saturday, Oct. 25, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.; tickets cost $15 for ages 13+ and $12 for ages 5 to 12. Look for food trucks, an artisan fair and wagon rides Saturday, Oct. 18, and Sunday, Oct. 19 (wagon rides will also be available the following weekend, Oct. 25-26), the website said.
• Devriendt Farm (178 S. Mast St., Goffstown, devriendtfarm.com) opens its corn maze (and pick your own pumpkin field) on weekends, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The corn maze costs $10 for ages 14+ and $5 for ages 4 to 13, according to the website. The last day for the corn maze and PYO pumpkins will be Sunday, Oct. 26, the website said.
• Elwood Orchards (54 Elwood Road in Londonderry; 434-6017, elwoodorchards. com) has a 15-acre corn maze open daily at 9 a.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, the maze is open at night, with the last admission at 9 p.m. Admission costs $12 per person. Separate from the maze, the orchard is also hosting Hellwood’s Cursed Forest this season (see the Haunted attractions section).
• J&F Farms (124 Chester Road, Derry, jandffarmsnh.com) has a 4-acre corn maze open daily through Halloween. Admission costs $10, according to the website. You can also visit with the farm animals.
• Mack’s Apples (230 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 432-3456, macksapples.com) offers a corn maze daily along with its PYO apples and pumpkin patch, according to its Facebook page.
• Moulton Farm (18 Quarry Road, Meredith, 279-3915, moultonfarm.com) offers a full-size maze and a children’s maze, according to its website. Admission, which includes both mazes, costs $12 per person; $6 for ages 3 to 6.
• Trombly Gardens (150 N. River Road, Milford, 673-0647, tromblygardens.net) opened its corn maze Aug. 31, according to its Facebook page. The farm also sells doughnuts, fresh produce and more.
A little spooky, for kids
• Griffin Free Public Library, 22 Hooksett Road in Auburn, griffinfree.org, will host a Not So Spooky Story Walk with the book Willow’s Way on Thursday, Oct. 16, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event will feature games, candy, sensory bins and a live reading, according to the website, which says that costumes and a trick-or-treat bag are encouraged.
• The Derry Public Library, 64 E. Broadway in Derry, derrypl.org, will present One Spooky Night — Return of the Haunted Library on Thursday, Oct. 16, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Register to take a tour of the haunted library trail, costumes welcome, the website said.
• Enjoy some Spooky Science on Friday, Oct. 17, 4 to 6 p.m. at the Seacoast Science Center in Odiorne Point State Park in Rye. At 5 p.m. there will be a squid dissection. Attendees are invited to come in costume to learn about “eerie science topics such as skeletons, bioluminescence, deep sea creatures and more,” according to a Seacoast email. The event is free but register atseacoastsciencecenter.org.
• The Not-So-Spooky Spectacular will take place at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, 6 Washington St. in Dover, childrens-museum.org, on Saturday, Oct. 18, with play sessions from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Costumes are encouraged for the day, which will feature take-home crafts, science experiments, a pumpkin scavenger hunt and more, according to the website, where you can purchase advance admission for the event.
Youngsters can get an official license to fly a witch’s broomstick at the Aviation Museum of N.H. on Saturday, Oct. 18. Courtesy photo.
• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, 27 Navigator Road in Londonderry, aviationmuseumofnh.org, will be giving Broomstick Pilots Licenses to kids ages 12 and under — along with free admission to the museum — on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The day will also feature “the ghosts of past aviation pioneers, who will describe their achievements and explain basic principles of flight” and Halloween treats for licensees, according to a press release.
• Children’s Trick or Treat will take place at Charmingfare Farm, 774 High St. in Candia, visitthefarm.com, on Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 18-19 and Oct. 25-26, with entry times starting at 10 a.m. Take a horse-drawn wagon or tractor ride throughout the farm along a Halloween-themed trail to meet with characters, visit farm animals and receive candy, according to the website. Admission costs $29 per person, with add-ons for pumpkin art and pony rides. The Halloween Juggling Spectacular show featuring Jason Tardy will take place throughout the day; see the website for times.
• The Concord Public Library, concordnh.gov, will hold a Community Costume Swap on Saturday, Oct. 18, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Bookery, 844 Elm St. in Manchester, bookerymht.com, has a spooky season themed storytime with the book Creepy Sheepyand a craft on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 11:30 a.m. Reserve a spot online.
• The Harvest Fest at Griffin Park in Windham will take place Saturday, Oct. 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. and feature trick-or-treating, crafts and games, a bubble show, DJ Dominik, Steve Blunt at 3 p.m., animals and more, according to windhamnh.gov.
• Nashua will hold its annual Halloween Boo Bash on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 3 to 7 p.m. in Greeley Park, according to nashuanh.gov. The event will feature a haunted house, hay ride, trunk or treat, crafts entertainment and more, the website said.
• Trick or Treat and Take a Seat! is billed as a scare-free event at the Joppa Hill Educational Farm, 174 Joppa Hill Road in Bedford, jhef.org, on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m. Walk through the farm’s trick-or-treat path and then watch an all-ages outdoor movie, according to the website. Tickets cost $30 per family (for up to six people).
• Try your knowledge of PG spooky season movies at Family Halloween Movies trivia Saturday, Oct. 18, at 6 p.m., at Chunky’s, 707 Huse Road in Manchester, chunkys.com.
• Manchester City Library, 405 Pine St. in Manchester, manchester.lib.nh.us, will host Zombie Games on Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 3 to 5 p.m., where kids grades 1 through 6 can drop in to play zombie-themed games.
• Manchester City Library, 405 Pine St. in Manchester, manchester.lib.nh.us, will host a Halloween Party for kids ages 1 to 5 on Friday, Oct. 24, at 10 a.m. with games, stories, a scavenger hunt and a craft, according to the website, where you can register (which is required).
• Kids can trick or treat the Concord Farmers Market on Capitol Street next to the Statehouse in downtown Concord during its final market of the season on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. See concordfarmersmarket.com.
• The Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St. in Nashua, nashualibrary.org, will hold a Costume Parade on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to noon. Kids can parade through the library in costumes, collecting surprises at each department, according to the library website.
• The BWINH Collective will hold its 3rd Annual Trunk or Treat on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Manchester Community Action Coalition, 340 Granite St. in Manchester, according to bwinhsc.com. This free family-friendly event is open to all, and kids are encouraged to come in costume for trunk-or-treating and other kid-friendly activities and music, according to the website.
• The Town of Merrimack Halloween Party will take place Saturday, Oct. 25, from noon to 2 p.m. in Wasserman Park. The day will feature games, crafts, face painting, food vendors, a costume contest, community organizations and more, according to merrimackparksandrec.org.
• Hudson’s Best Trunk or Treat at the Hudson Mall, 77 Derry Road in Hudson, will take place Sunday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to noon, according to thehudsonmall.com. Register via facebook.com/innerdragonma (find it under “Events”).
• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, starhop.com, will present the Family Fright Fest celebration on Sunday, Oct. 26, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will feature hands-on Halloween science, live demonstrations, a special Halloween-themed planetarium show, a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt and more, according to a press release The event is described as all-ages and costume-friendly, the release said. Activities are included with general admission, the release said.
• The Laurie Berkner Halloween Concert will be on stage at the Chubb Theatre at the Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St. in Concord, ccanh.com, on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• Geneva —Ween Trick or Treating will take place Sunday, Oct. 26, 3 to 8 p.m. at 108 Geneva Point Road in Moutlonborough, for cabin to cabin trick or treating. See genevapoint.org.
• The Trick or Trash Community Cleanup, organized by SEE Science Center, Manchester Connects and the City of Manchester, will take place Monday, Oct. 27, from 3 to 5 p.m. Sign up to receive park meet-up locations. This 18+ event is aimed at creating “a safe environment for our kids as they head out trick-or-treating,” according to see-sciencecenter.org, where you can sign up as a group or individual.
• Cowabunga’s Indoor Playground 725 Huse Road in Manchester, cowabungas.com, has a Halloween party slated for Thursday, Oct. 30, with costumes encouraged and crafts and other activities planned.
• The Weare Public Library, 10 Paige Memorial Lane in Weare, wearepubliclibrary.com, will hold a Kids Halloween Party on Thursday, Oct. 30, 4:30 to 6 p.m. for ages 4+. “Not-too-scary stories, games, activities, and ghoulish treats. Costumes encouraged! Followed by Spooky Toons” at 6 p.m. with popcorn and prizes.
• Trick or Treat at Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St. in Concord, ccmusicschool.org, on Friday, Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the website.
Festivals & downtown fun
• Wilton’s Haunted Trail at Goss Park will run Friday, Oct. 17, 6 to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 18, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., according to visitwilton.com.
• Ghosts on the Banke at Strawbery Banke, 14 Hancock St. in Portsmouth, strawberybanke.org, will run Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 17-18 and Oct. 24-25, with arrival times beginning at 5 p.m. Billed as family-friendly, the event features outdoor trick-or-treating at the historic houses where guests can meet pirates and a fortune-teller, hear “ghostly tales” and enjoy an All Hallows Bonfire, according to the website. The evening will also feature music (Mr. Aaron is slated to perform on Oct. 25, according to.mraaronmusic.com), games and other activities, the website said. Admission costs $16 per person.
• The Animal Rescue League of NH will host the Howl-O-Ween 5K on Saturday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. at Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester. Both human and dog participants are encouraged to wear costumes, according to rescueleague.org/howloween5k, where you can register (prices vary based on age of participants and number of dogs).
• Howl-O-Ween Doggie Costume Parade will take place Saturday, Oct. 18, at 11 a.m. at Griffin Park in Windham, according to an email from the Salem Animal Rescue League which hosts the event. The parade is free and open to the public but registration in advance or from 10 to 10:45 a.m. on-site is required, the release said. Prizes will be awarded. See sarlnh.org.
• The Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off and Regatta in Goffstown will take place Saturday, Oct. 18, and Sunday, Oct. 19, with activities throughout the weekend including yard and bake sales on Saturday morning, a book sale on Saturday, a touch-a-truck on Saturday, vendor booths and a bounce house in the downtown both days, the giant pumpkin weigh-off Saturday at 11 a.m., a pumpkin cook-off contest Saturday afternoon, a Parading of the Pumpkins Saturday at 11:30 a.m., an art show both days and a pie eating contest on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Giant Pumpkin Regatta in the river will take place Sunday at 3 p.m., according to goffstownmainstreet.org/pumpkin-regatta, where you can find rules to all the contests.
• The Witch of Weston Tower returns to McIntyre Ski Area, 50 Chalet Way, Manchester, 622-6159, mcintyreskiarea.com, on Friday, Oct. 24, 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 26, noon to 6 p.m. Take a chairlift to the summit, a tractor ride along a spooky trail and visit the Witch of Weston Tower — where visitors can climb the tower stairs, according to the website, where you can purchase tickets.
• The 2025 Halloween Howl in downtown Concord will take place Friday, Oct. 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and feature trick-or-treating, a trunk-or-treat, a costume contest, games and more, according to intownconcord.org. Main Street will be closed to traffic from Centre Street and Loudon Road to Hills Avenue for the event, the website said.
• Downtown Trick or Treat in downtown Manchester will run Friday, Oct. 24, from 3 to 6 p.m. with businesses along Elm Street and in Stanton Plaza handing out candy to trick-or-treaters as well as other activities, according to the Manchester Economic Development Office’s Facebook page and manchesterproud.org.
• The Hanover Street Fall Festival is slated for Friday, Oct. 24, from 3 to 8 p.m. on Hanover Street in Manchester, coordinated by Downtown Business Collaborative and the Palace Theatre, according to the city’s economic development office.
• America’s Stonehenge, 105 Haverhill Road in Salem, stonehengeusa.com, will hold a Haunted History Lantern Tour on Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25, at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $35 and must be purchase online for this event that is recommended for age 18+, the website said. “Join local historian James Lacefield for a candlelit tour of America’s Stonehenge to encounter the ghostly remains – otherwise known as artifacts – of Salem, New Hampshire’s haunted history,” the website said. America’s Stonehenge will be open Saturday, Nov. 1, for Samhain from 9 a.m. to sunset with a drum circle from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., the website said.
• The Dover Zombie Walk featuring local dance studio zombies dancing to “Thriller” will take place Friday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. starting at Citizens Bank and headed from Bridge Street to North Main Street and onto Hanson Street to the intersection with Central Street, according to rochestermainstreet.org. Zombies can join in with volunteers in the front of the parade, the website said.
• Main Street Monster Mash Howl-o-Ween will take place Saturday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Main Street in downtown Nashua. Kids can trick-or-treat at downtown businesses and take part in costume contests — as can pets, according to a post on the Great American Downtown Facebook page. There will be a Pearl Streets Howl-o-ween Puppy Parade at 11:30 a.m. and a performance by the ActorSingers at noon, the post said. Attendees can also vote for their favorite Downtown Scarecrow.
• Rochester will hold its Downtown Trick or Treat on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kids can come dressed up and downtown businesses will hand out candy, according to rochestermainstreet.org.
• Pumpkinpalooza will take place Saturday, Oct. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Kimball Jenkins, 266 N. Main St. in Concord, kimballjenkins.com. This family-friendly all-ages celebration invites you to bring your own pumpkin to decorate before taking part in a candy scavenger hunt and a costume parade and listening to “‘A Spooky Serenade,’ a live performance by Melissa Elsman, Contralto,” according to the website, where you can register to attend (advance registration required).
• The Haunting of Wilton continues on Saturday, Oct. 25, with a costume parade at 1:30 p.m., Main Street merchants trick or treat at 2 p.m. and a performance by A Company of Witches at 2:30 p.m., according to visitwilton.com.
• Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness will hold its annual Fall New Hampshire Day on Sunday, Oct. 26, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for trail admission the day will feature “Up Close to Animals” presentations and more. Reserve a spot at nhnature.org.
• Downtown Trick or Treat on Main Street in Goffstown will take place Friday, Oct, 31, from 6 to 8 p.m., according to goffstownmainstreet.org.
• The Portsmouth Halloween Parade takes place Friday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. starting at Peirce Island by Prescott Park. See portsmouthhalloweenparade.org for the route and more parade information, including details on fundraising events and other happenings leading up to the parade such as the Pumpkin Smash on Oct. 18 and the Jumbo Circus Peanuts Halloween Bash on Oct. 27.
Halloweeny happenings
• Flag Hill Distillery & Winery in Lee, flaghill.com, will hold a horror movie trivia night on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m. Register a team of up to six people to compete; food and drink, including a themed cocktail, will be available for purchase.
• Chunky’s, 70 Huse Road in Manchester, chunkys.com, has lots of Halloween trivia on the schedule this month including Rocky Horror 18+ trivia Thursday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m.; Halloween movies 18+ trivia Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m., and horror movies 18+ trivia Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m.
• The Haunted Winnipesaukee Ghost Story Cruise by Mount Washington Cruises (211 Lakeside Ave., Laconia, 366-5531, cruisenh.com) takes place Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 16 through Oct. 25, featuring ghost stories told by live actors and desserts, according to the website. The cruise costs $60 per person. A 21+ Halloween Masquerade Ball will be held Saturday, Oct. 25, at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $73.
• Bookery, 844 Elm St. in Manchester, bookerymht.com, will host a horror book talk club on Friday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m.
• Spooky Soiree: Drag Night with Raya Sunshine will take place Friday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. at Auspicious Brew, 1 Washington St. in Dover, auspiciousbrew.com. Tickets cost $12 in advance, $15 on the day.
• Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough will celebrate Halloween with several upcoming events. On Friday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m. it’s a Pumpkin Walk, billed as family-friendly. The event is free but preregistration is suggested. The Castle in the Clouds also hosts a Graveyard History Walking Tour on Mondays, Saturdays and Thursdays through Thursday, Oct. 30. “This informative history walk will discuss the families that lived here and the funerary traditions from each time period. Along the journey, guests will also stop at cellar holes to see where the families, now buried on the property, used to live. The Graveyard Tour is a two-mile walk outdoors that includes inclines and uneven ground,” according to a press release. Registration costs $15 per person. See castleintheclouds.org.
• Bella Vita Dance Academy, 859 Hanover St. in Manchester, facebook.com/BellaVitaDance, will hold a 603 Salsa & Bachata Social: Gothic Ball Edition on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $25 in advance, $28 at the door, according to a post on the Academy’s Facebook page. The night will include a beginner salsa lesson, “Spooky hors d’oeuvres and treats,” complimentary drinks and more, the post said.
• The Friends of the Salem NH Historical Society will host their annual Salem Soul Stroll, Sunday, Oct. 19, from 3 to 5 p.m. This will be a tour of the Salem Burying Ground at The Salem Common. Meet at the Old Town Hall (310 Main St., Salem). Children under age 13 must be accompanied by an adult, according to the group’s Facebook page.
• Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St. in Concord, gibsonsbookstore.com, will host a horror panel with authors CJ Leede (Maeve Fly), Delilah S. Dawson (Star Wars: Phasma) and Clay McLeod Chapman (Ghost Eaters) on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 6:30 p.m.
• “Ghosts and Legends” with Jeff Belanger will feature a multimedia program focused on “haunts in your backyard and around the world” on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St. in Concord. Admission is free; the doors open at 7 p.m. See walkerlecture.org.
• LaBelle Winery will hold Swing, Sip and Savor: Evening Glow Golf at the Derry location (14 Route 111) on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 6 to 9 p.m. featuring a nine-hole golf scramble competition at The Links golf course (with a glass of wine) followed by light bites in the private dining room at Americus Restaurant. The cost is $89 per person. See labellewinery.com.
• Jeffrey Zygmont will perform Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” at Derry Public Library, 64 E Broadway in Derry, on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 6:30 p.m. Register at derrypl.org.
• The Rockingham Ballroom, 22 Ash Swamp Road in Newmarket, rockinballroom.club, will host Halloween line dancing with 603 Line Dance on Friday, Oct. 24, at 6:30 p.m. (when doors open; lessons start at 7 p.m.). Admission costs $15.
• Night at the BOOzeum, a 21+ Grown Up Play Date event at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, 6 Washington St. in Dover, childrens-museum.org, will take place Friday, Oct. 24, from 7 to 9 p.m. The evening will feature a Monster Mash dance party, a scavenger hunt, a craft, a cash bar and more, according to the website. Tickets cost $25 in advance, $30 at the door.
• The Buzz Brews & Boos Halloween party, a 21+ event, will take place at The Hill Bar & Grille at McIntyre Ski Area, 50 Chalet Way, Manchester, 622-6159, mcintyreskiarea.com, on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 7 to 10 p.m. featuring The Morning Buzz, an appetizer buffet, a DJ, a Halloween costume contest and more, according to the McIntyre website, where you can purchase tickets for $50 per person.
• The Rockingham Ballroom, 22 Ash Swamp Road in Newmarket, rockinballroom.club, will host a Halloween party at the Haunted Ballroom with DJ Johnny B Groovy & Soul Sister Pamela on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. Scaryoke will be at 11 p.m. Admission includes light treats and a complimentary cocktail, the website said. Admission costs $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
• Auspicious Brew, 1 Washington St. in Dover, auspiciousbrew.com, will present BOO-lesque Night with THEM Burlesque on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. Costumes are encouraged (there will be a contest), according to the website. Admission to this 21+ show costs $15 in advance, $20 on the day.
• Fitzy’s Fright Fest at 37 Maple Ave. in Newton, will operate Saturday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 26, from 6 to 9 p.m. This outdoor haunt is described as family run and family friendly, according to an email from the happening. The event is free and open to the public, donations accepted, and attendees are asked to drive slowly through the neighborhood and only park on the same side of the road as the haunt, the email said. See facebook.com/Fitzysfrightfest.
• To Share Brewing Co., 720 Union St. in Manchester, tosharebrewing.com, will hold a Dungeons & Drafts: Spooky Edition D&D event on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m. Regulars and beginners are welcome to this “special spooky one-shot campaign hosted right here at the brewery,” according to a post on the brewery’s Facebook page. Costumes are encouraged.
• Balin Books, 375 Amherst St. in Nashua, balinbooks.com, will host Horrorfest, a multi-author discussion of The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 6:30 p.m.
• Ronny LeBlanc, an author, researcher, screenwriter and television personality, will discuss his “work exploring Bigfoot, UFOs, and other paranormal phenomena” at the Exeter Public Library, 4 Chestnut St. in Exeter, Exeterpl.org, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m., according to a library email. The event is free and open to the public.
• The Weare Public Library, wearepubliclibrary.com, will host “Weare: Beyond Belief III” on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at East Weare Cemetery at 24 Buzzell Hill Road (or in the library if it’s raining). Call 529-2044 for details.
• The Pembroke Town Library, 313 Pembroke St. in Pembroke, will host Jeffrey Zygmont doing a presentation on and recitation of Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m.
• Ghost Encounters at Canterbury Shaker Village, 88 Shaker Road in Canterbury, shakers.org, will run Thursday, Oct. 30; Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1, with times at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. The 45-minute tour will discuss the growth of spiritualism as part of the Shaker religion and feature firsthand accounts of “otherworldly encounters,” according to the website. Tickets in advance cost $10 for ages 12 and under and $20 for general admission, $25 on the day.
• Tomes of Terror horror trivia will be hosted by Paloma Serena on Thursday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m., at Bookery, 844 Elm St. in Manchester, bookerymht.com.
• Double Midnight, 252 Willow St. in Manchester, dmcomics.com will host Double Spooky Draft Night on Friday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. “Players will be given a random selection of three spooky-themed Magic: the Gathering boosters, with two of their choice to draft as normal, and the third to open as-is and add to their sealed pool. Play three rounds against other players, and earn packs for each round that you win. Event entry is $20,” according to a post on the shop’s Facebook page.
• The Rochester Opera House, rochesteroperahouse.com, will present the 2nd Annual Monster Bash at the Castle on Charles on Friday, Oct. 31, from 7 to 11 p.m. at 31 Charles St. in Rochester. The 21+ night will feature a cash-only bar, a costumed dance party, a costume contest and light food, with tickets benefiting the Opera House and the youth theater programs, the website said. Tickets cost $20.
• Sunstone Brewing, 298 Rockingham Road in Londonderry, sunstonebrewing.com, will hold a Halloween party on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m. with an adult costume contest, live music from Mollicious Intent and more, according to the website.
Autumnal art
• Chunky’s, 70 Huse Road in Manchester, chunkys.com, has Halloween-themed art events on its schedule this month. On Friday, Oct. 17, at 7:15 p.m. it’s a Paint Night with “Señorita Calavera ‘Sugar Skull.’” On Friday, Oct. 24, at 7:15 p.m. it’s a Paint Night for a Haunted Pumpkin Patch. Go online to reserve a spot.
“Satanimatronics – Snake” by Max Gagnon at See Saw Art. Courtesy photo.
• Celebrate Samhain will take place Sunday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hilton Nashua, 2 Somerset Parkway in Nashua, according to facebook.com/NHSamhain. Admission costs $12, or $10 with a non-perishable food item, the page said. The day will feature presentations by prominent metaphysical authors and instructors, vendors and artisans, psychics providing readings, music and an open ritual honoring ancestors, the post said.
• The Dover Witches Market runs Sunday, Oct. 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dover City Hall Auditorium and on Central Avenue in Dover, according to groovywitch.com. Admission is free to this event, which will feature “local artisans and small businesses offering their spellbinding handcrafted merch,” the website said.
• “Haunts,” a themed exhibition of three New Hampshire based artists — Aerial Grace, Max Gagnon and Aaron Cane — will be on display at See Saw Art, 66 Hanover St., Suite 201, in Manchester, seesaw.gallery, through Oct. 26.
• A Witchy Workshop will be held at Lucky Bug Farm in Amherst by the New Hampshire Craft Club on Sunday, Oct. 26, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., according to nhcraftclub.com. Make witch bells and mini brooms; the cost is $45, the website said.
• The Center for the Arts, 428 Main St. in New London, will present Celebrating 100 Years of Edward Gorey on Sunday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Celebrate what would have been Gorey’s 100th birthday by participating in the Edward Gorey House 2025 All Ages Halloween Envelope Art Contest! Bring your drawing tools, imagination, and a stamped envelope. The CFA will provide space, inspiration, encouragement, and camaraderie,” according to a Center newsletter. The theme is “The Evil Garden” and children under 14 “must be accompanied by a semi-responsible adult,” the newsletter said. See centerfortheartsnh.org.
• “Nature’s Palette” with paintings and photography by John A. Webster that “showcases the natural beauty of New England’s change of seasons” will be on display at NH Audubon’s Massabesic Center, 26 Audubon Way in Auburn, nhaudubon.org, through Thursday, Oct. 30. The center is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• “Exquisite Corpse,” “a group exhibition inspired by the surrealist game where hidden hands shape unexpected creations,” will be on display at at Mosaic Art Collective, 66 Hanover St., Suite 201, Manchester, mosaicartcollective.com, through Sunday, Nov. 2, with “calling hours,” as the artist reception is being themed, Saturday, Oct. 11, 4 to 8 p.m., the website said. See Michael Witthaus’ story about the exhibition in the Oct. 2 issue of the Hippo; find it in the digital library at hippopress.com. The story is on page 16.
Spooky & fantastical theater
• Dracula Radio Show Epping Community Theater (38 Ladds Lane, Epping, eppingtheater.org) will present the Dracula Radio Show Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 19.
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow will be presented by the Pinkerton Players Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 19, at the Stockbridge Theatre (5 Pinkerton St., Derry, pinkertonacademy.org/stockbridge-theatre).
• Shrek the Musical will be presented by the Manchester Community Players (698 Beech St., Manchester, manchestercommunitytheatre.com) on Friday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m.
• Dracula will be presented by Break A Leg Legally Productions in Dover, breakaleglegally.com, Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 26, at The Strand, 20 Third St., Dover. Tickets cost $20 at breakaleglegally.com. This is the ninth anniversary production of the classic vampire tale performed by this local troupe, an audience favorite. Eight performances, two each day in the afternoon and evening.
• Zombie Prom Atomic Edition will be presented by RPAC Teen Mainstage at the Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St. in Rochester, rochesteroperahouse.com, on Friday, Oct. 17, at 5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 18, at 11 a.m., and Sunday, Oct. 19, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. “This girl-loves-ghoul rock and roll musical is set in the atomic 1950s at Enrico Fermi High, where the law is laid down by a zany, tyrannical principal,” according to the website. The performers are ages 11 to 18.
• The Man Who Laughs, a horror romance based on the Victor Hugo novel, will be presented by Players’ Ring Theatre, 105 Marcy St. in Portsmouth, playersring.org, Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Nov. 2, with shows Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. (except for Oct. 31, when the show starts at 9 p.m.) and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.
• The Shark Is Broken, a play about the making of the movie Jaws, will be presented by the NH Theatre Project, 959 Islington St. in Portsmouth, nhtheatreproject.org, Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Nov. 2, with stage times on Fridays at 7 p.m.; Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.
• The Winnipesaukee Playhouses’s Professional Theatre for Young Audiences program will present Winnie-the-Poohon Saturdays, Oct. 18, and Oct. 25, at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m. at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, 33 Footlight Circle in Meredith. See winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org.
• Macbeth will be presented by the Seacoast Rep, 125 Bow St. in Portsmouth, seacoastrep.org, with showtimes Thursday, Oct. 23, through Saturday, Nov. 1.
• A Clockwork Orange will be presented by Actors Cooperative Theatre at the Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway in Derry, Friday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Oct. 26. See kctnh.org/act.
• Monster Mash Cabaret, a youth production, will be on stage on Saturday, Oct. 25, the Majestic Theatre, 880 Page St. in Manchester, 669-7469, majestictheatre.net.
• Heathers The Musical Teen Edition will be presented by the Seacoast Rep Academy MainStage Sunday, Oct. 26, at 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 & 7:30 p.m., according to seacoastrep.org. The Seacoast Repertory Theatre is at 125 Bow St. in Portsmouth.
• Beetlejuice Jr. presented by the Palace Youth Theatre, with a cast of performers in grades 2 through 12, will be on stage at the Palace Theater, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester, palacetheatre.org, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, and Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m.
• Witch Perfect, a live singing parody of Hocus Pocus, will be performed on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St. in Manchester, palacetheatre.org.
• Southern Fried Murder will be presented on Friday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 2, by the Majestic Theatre, 880 Page St. in Manchester, 669-7469, majestictheatre.net.
• Dracula presented by the Anselmian Abbey Players at the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu, Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m.
• Seussical The Musical RGC Theatre of Portsmouth, facebook.com/RGCTheatre, will present the Dr. Seuss musical Friday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 2, at Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry. Tickets $28 and up at eventbrite.com. Weaving together favorite Dr. Seuss characters such as The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant and the Whos, director Geehae Moon “takes a fresh and powerful perspective: highlighting how imagination can be both a refuge and a revolutionary act for those whose voices are often silenced,” according to RGC.
• Sweeney Todd will be presented by the Village Players of Wolfeboro, village-players.com, Friday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 9, at Village Players Theater, 52 Glendon St., Wolfeboro. Tickets cost $25 at village-players.com. Stephen Sondheim’s Tony-winning adaptation of the Christopher Bond play about an unjustly exiled barber whose return to London in search of vengeance against the judge who framed him leads to an unlikely partnership with a meat pie maker, according to the website.
• Deadly Deal Lend Me a Theater will present the murder mystery dinner theater Deadly Deal at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) Saturday, Nov. 1, and Sunday, Nov. 2, with dinner and a show and show-only ticket options. See lendmeatheater.org for more on the show.
• The Addams Family young@part presented by the Palace Teen Apprentice Company, with a cast of performers ages 12 to 18, will be on stage at the Palace Theater, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester, palacetheatre.org, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m.
• The Addams Family The Riverbend Youth Company presents The Addams Family at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company) Friday, Nov. 7, through Sunday, Nov. 9.
Scary movies
From classic horror films to fall films to fantastical films (Willy Wonka + candy?), here are some of the seasonal screenings on the schedule.
• The Phantom of the Opera(1925), starring Lon Chaney, will screen with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 6:30 p.m.,at the Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St. in Nashua, nashualibrary.org.
• It (R, 2017) will screen at Chunky’s, 707 Huse Road in Manchester, chunkys.com, on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m.
• Trick ‘r Treat(R, 2007) a movie from writer/director Michael Dougherty starring Anna Paquin, Brian Cox and Dylan Baker, will screen via Fathom Events on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem (7 p.m. and 9 p.m.), the O’Neil Cinemas Brickyard Square Epping (7 p.m.) and Regal Fox Run in Newington (7:05 p.m. and 9:25 p.m.). See fathomevents.com.
• Hocus Pocus (PG, 1993) will screen outdoors at Arts Alley in Concord on Friday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m., courtesy Red River Theatres in Concord, redrivertheatres.org. Check back for details.
• Casper (PG, 1995) will screen Friday, Oct. 17, at dusk in Derryfield Park in Manchester courtesy the Manchester City Library, Manchester Public Television, the city’s Parks and Recreation, Economic Development and Mayor’s offices.
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (R, 1985) will screen Friday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m. at the Manchester True Collective Center, 72 Concord St. in Manchester, as part of the group’s Queer Cinema Club, which is free and open to everyone 18+, allies welcome, according to manchestertrue.org.
• Grow (PG, 2025) a live-action family movie about a girl who grows a giant pumpkin starring Nick Frost and Jane Horrocks, will screen via Fathom Events Oct. 17 through Oct. 23 at O’Neil Cinemas Brickyard Square in Epping. See fathomevents.com for specific days and times.
• Spirited Away (PG, 2001) will screen via Fathom Entertainment ,fathomentertainment.com, Saturday, Oct. 18, through Wednesday, Oct. 22, with dubbed and subtitled versions at O’Neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square in Epping, Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem and Regal Fox Run in Newington; see the website for specific times.
• The Phantom of the Opera (1925), a silent film presented with original live music by the Dylan Jack Quartet, will screen on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 8 p.m. at NH Theatre Project, 959 Islington St. in Portsmouth, nhtheatreproject.org. Tickets cost $20.
• Rocky Horror Picture Show (R, 1975) will screen at Red River Theatres in Concord, redrivertheatres.org, on Saturdays, Oct. 18, and Oct. 25, at 10 p.m. with special guests and theater provided props for a night of audience participation. The show is 18+ or 16+ with an adult, the website said.
• Faust (1926), a silent film by F.W. Murnau, will be presented with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis at Wilton Town Hall Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m.
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (R, 1984) will screen Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. at the Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St. in Rochester, rochesteroperahouse.com.
Hocus Pocus will be shown at Arts Alley in Concord.
• The Exorcist (R, 1973) will screen at Chunky’s, 707 Huse Road in Manchester, chunkys.com, on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m.
• Willy Wonka & The Chocolate FactoryTaste-Along Experience featuring a screening of the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder with an accompanying box of candy to taste during specific moments in the film, will be at the Music Hall Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut St. in Portsmouth, themusichall.org, on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $39.
• The Man Who Laughs (1923) a silent film based on the Victor Hugo novel, will screen with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. at the Flying Monkey in Plymouth, flyingmonkeynh.com.
• Paranorman (PG, 2012) the animated movie remastered in 3D will screen via Fathom Entertainment,fathomentertainment.com, Saturday, Oct. 25, through Tuesday, Oct. 28. See website for theaters and times.
• Repo: The Genetic Opera (R, 2008) plus the live performance “Cult: A Draglesque Tribute to Classic Horror Movies” and a costume party dance will take place at the BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St. in Concord, ccanh.com, on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $27.
• Rocky Horror Picture Show (R, 1974) will screen at Chunky’s, 707 Huse Road in Manchester, chunkys.com, on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 9 p.m. Props and costumes are allowed (an email will advise about which props are allowed), the website said.
• Gremlins (R, 1984) will screen Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. at the Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St. in Rochester, rochesteroperahouse.com.
• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), will screen on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m., with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis at the Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway in Derry, sponsored by the Derry Public Library (see derrypl.org). See silentfilmlivemusic.blogspot.com for more details and for screenings around the greater New England area.
• The Twilight movies will screen during the final days of October via Fathom Events. On Wednesday, Oct. 29, Twilight (PG-13, 2008) will screen at Apple Cinemas in Merrimack and Hooksett (7 p.m.); Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem (10:40 a.m.; 1:20 p.m.; 4 p.m.; 6:40 p.m.; 7 p.m., and 9:20 p.m.); O’Neil Cinemas Brickyard Square in Epping (7 p.m.) and Regal Fox Run in Newington (4 & 7 p.m.). On Thursday, Oct. 30, catch The Twilight Saga: New Moon (PG-13, 2009) at Apple Cinemas in Merrimack and Hooksett (7 p.m.); Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem (10:40 a.m.; 1:20 p.m.; 4 p.m.; 6:40 p.m.; 7 p.m., and 9:20 p.m.); O’Neil Cinemas Brickyard Square in Epping (7 p.m.) and Regal Fox Run in Newington (4 & 7 p.m.). On Friday, Oct. 31, TheTwilight Saga: Eclipse (PG-13, 2010) will screen at Apple Cinemas in Merrimack and Hooksett (7 p.m.); Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem (7 p.m.); O’Neil Cinemas Brickyard Square in Epping (7 p.m.) and Regal Fox Run in Newington (4 & 7 p.m.). On Saturday, Nov. 1, TheTwilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 (PG-13, 2011) will screen at Apple Cinemas in Merrimack and Hooksett (7 p.m.); Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem (7 p.m.); O’Neil Cinemas Brickyard Square in Epping (7 p.m.) and Regal Fox Run in Newington (4 & 7 p.m.). On Sunday, Nov. 2, TheTwilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 (PG-13, 2012) will screen at Apple Cinemas in Merrimack and Hooksett (7 p.m.); Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem (7 p.m.); O’Neil Cinemas Brickyard Square in Epping (7 p.m.) and Regal Fox Run in Newington (4 & 7 p.m.).
• Halloween (R, 1978) will screen at Chunky’s, 707 Huse Road in Manchester, chunkys.com, on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m.
• Halloween franchise double feature with Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (R, 1988) and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers(R, 1989) will screen at the Music Hall Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut St. in Portsmouth, themusichall.org, on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. Tickets for the double feature cost $5.
• The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) with Boris Karloff will screen at the Park Theatre, 19 Main St. in Jaffrey, theparktheatre.org, on Friday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m.
• House on Haunted Hill (1959) starring Vincent Price, will screen at the Park Theatre, 19 Main St. in Jaffrey, theparktheatre.org, on Friday, Oct. 31, at 7:15 p.m.
• The Corpse Bride (PG, 2005) the stop-motion animation feature co-directed by Tim Burton, will screen at the Park Theatre, 19 Main St. in Jaffrey, theparktheatre.org, on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 2 & 6:30 p.m.
• Screaming Skull (1958) will screen at the Park Theatre, 19 Main St. in Jaffrey, theparktheatre.org, on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m.
• Zombieland (R, 2009) will screen Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St. in Rochester, rochesteroperahouse.com.
Haunted music
• Loud Entertainment presents Lords of Salem (a tribute to Rob Zombie) and Sun and Steel (an Iron Maiden tribute) on Friday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. at Jewel Nightclub, 61 Canal St. in Manchester, find them on Facebook. Tickets cost $18 in advance, $25 at the door.
• Shadowlounge Gothic Rock & New Age Dance Party with DJ Drae the Undead will take place Saturday, Oct. 18, at 8 p.m. at the Terminus Underground, 134 Haines St. in Nashua, newhampshireunderground.org. The event is 21+ with a suggested $10 donation.
• Strafford Wind Symphony Halloween show will be performed Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St. in Rochester, rochesteroperahouse.com. Tickets cost $12 online, children under 12 get in free.
• Hachi’s Halloween Party with Lumasi, OkayJake, Voartyx, Smokes Lets Go and more will take place Friday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m. at Jewel Nightclub, 61 Canal St. in Manchester, find them on Facebook. Costumes are highly encouraged, according to the Facebook post, where you can find a link to tickets.
• Recycled Percussion will present three Special Halloween Shows at The Cake Theatre, 12 Veterans Square in Laconia: Saturday, Oct. 25, at 2 & 7 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m. Tickets with fees run $54 to $109; see thecaketheatre.com.
• Ritual of Samhainwith Abel Blood, Benthic Realm, Psychomanteum, Konseptikor, and Dead Harrison will take place Saturday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. at the Terminus Underground, 134 Haines St. in Nashua, newhampshireunderground.org. The event is 21+; tickets cost $15.
• Rasa String Quartet will perform their “Soundtrack to a Nightmare” Saturday, Oct. 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at The Orchard Chapel 143 Exeter Road in Hampton Falls. See thewordbarn.com.
• Candlelight: Haunted Halloween Classics at the Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St. in Manchester, palacetheatre.org, in two shows on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 6 & 8:30 p.m.
• LaBelle Winery, 345 Route 101 in Amherst, labellewinery.com, will host a Halloween Disco Party with Booty Vortex Band on Thursday, Oct. 30. Doors open at 7:15 p.m., the performance begins at 8 p.m. Disco attire is encouraged. The cost is $40 per person.
• All Hallow’s Eve: Spooky Tunes, Songs and Tales From Scotland will take place Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. at the Word Barn, 66 Newfields Road in Exeter. Tickets cost $25. See thewordbarn.com.
• Space Oddity, the Quintessential David Bowie Tribute Experience, will take place at the Music Hall Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut St. in Portsmouth, themusichall.org, on Friday, Oct. 31, at 9 p.m. Costumes encouraged, according to the website.
• Dr. Gasp and The Eeks will perform on Friday, Oct. 31, at 9 p.m. at the Press Room, 77 Daniel St. in Portsmouth. See doctorgasp.com/tour for tickets to this 21+ event.
Sweets & treats
• LaBelle Winery will hold Halloween cookie decorating classes at the Amherst location (345 Route 101) on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 9:30 a.m. to noon and at the Derry location (14 Route 111) on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 9:30 a.m. to noon. The cost for either class is $69. See labellewinery.com.
• Wine On Main (9 North Main St. in Concord, wineonmainnh.com) will hold a Halloween Wine Tasting on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 1 to 4 p.m.
•Wine On Main (9 North Main St. in Concord, wineonmainnh.com) will host a discussion and wine tasting called Haunted Histories and Ancient Estates with sessionson Tuesday, Oct. 21, and Wednesday, Oct. 22, 6:30 to 8 p.m. “This wine class focuses on some of the oldest wineries in the world in a fun and spook-tacular way,” the website said. The cost is $35 per person (21+) and includes six wines and light snacks, the website said.
• Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road, Brookline, 244-3165, averillhousevineyard.com) will present the Halloween Wine Cave Igloo Experience Wednesday, Oct. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 2, featuring a Halloween wine tasting, a charcuterie board and more. The cost for these private igloos is $100 for two guests and $39 for each additional guest, up to eight guests per igloo, the website said.
• Van Otis Chocolates, 341 Elm St. in Manchester, vanotis.com, will hold a Haunted Cabin classon Thursday, Oct. 23, at 5:30 p.m. Decorate pre-made chocolate haunted cabins with provided treats, according to the website. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Tickets cost $87.21.
• LaBelle Winery will hold Halloween Candy & Wine Pairing classes at the Derry location (14 Route 111) on Saturday, Oct. 23, at 6 to 7 p.m. and at the Amherst location (345 Route 101) on Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 6 to 7 p.m. The cost for either class is $40. See labellewinery.com.
• The Culinary Playground (16 Manning St. in Derry, culinary-playground.com) will hold a “Baked Spiderweb Donuts” class on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 10 a.m. to noon (for ages 6 to 10) and 1 to 3 p.m. (for ages 10+). The cost is $45 per person.
• This year’s New Hampshire PoutineFest is the PoutineFest Spooktacular on Saturday, Oct. 25, starting at 11:30 a.m. at the Biergarten Anheuser-Busch in Merrimack. See poutinefest.com/ newhampshire for ticket information.
• Monster Mash Drag Bash, an 18+ event featuring a themed drag brunch and cocktails, will take place Sunday, Oct. 26, at the Flying Monkey in Plymouth, flyingmonkeynh.com. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. (the brunch buffet runs to 1:30 p.m.); the show begins at 1 p.m. The day will also feature a costume contest. See the website for ticket options.
• LaBelle Winery, 345 Route 101 in Amherst, labellewinery.com, will host two Harry Potter-inspired meals on Sunday, Oct. 26. At 11 a.m. it’s Morning at Hogwarts: A Potter Inspired Cocktail Brunch featuring four courses paired with cocktails for $65. At 6:30 p.m it’s Evening at Hogwarts: A Potter Inspired Wine Dinner, where a four-course meal is paired with LaBelle wines (and, for the dessert, a Butterbeer Cocktail). The cost is $85.
• Celebrate the change of seasons at the Oktoberfest + Ski & Snowboard Sale on Sunday, Nov. 2, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Pats Peak in Henniker. Buy and sell new and used equipment; see patspeak.com for details. The Oktoberfest will feature German food offerings available for purchase, a Sam Adams German beer garden, a magic show with Marko Master Magician and Hypnotist, live music by the Bavarian Brothers Band, kids activities, axe throwing and more, the website said.
• Flag Hill Distillery & Winery in Lee, flaghill.com, will hold a Boo Brunch on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 11 a.m. The cost is $69 per person and includes a farm-to-table brunch and a build your own mimosas bar, according to a winery newsletter. Costumes are encouraged.
And other ways to help keep the local arts scene afloat
Arts and cultural leaders from throughout the state recently gathered for the first annual Creative Culture Summit at the BNH Stage in Concord, a meetup organized in response to a devastating year that saw arts funding in the state all but wiped out. But it was a day to plan, not lament, said Sal Prizio, who runs the Capitol Center, leads advocacy group Arts4NH, and was a driving force behind the event.
“We got our butts kicked in May and June by this stuff. We didn’t get anything we asked for, and they more or less ignored us,” Prizio said one week after the conference. “So you have two choices. You can either wallow in sorrow and say ‘woe is me,’ or you get back in the ring.”
Arts4NH believes a bigger tent means greater chances for success, so a call went out to groups that are part of the creative economy but often aren’t included in discussions about the arts. This included craft brewers, librarians and a nonprofit devoted to recruiting and retaining young talent, Stay Work Play NH.
“What I do know matters to people is a sense of not feeling alone anymore,” Prizio said. “The argument I keep making to elected officials is that all of us in the creative economy, not just the arts but humanities, tourism, the brewers, you name it … is what makes New Hampshire uniquely New Hampshire.”
The energy shown at the Creative Culture Summit will, he hopes, mean a bigger megaphone to lobby with.
“We’re always operating at the margins just to get through the day, and there’s never enough time for collective action,” he said. “But we matter. We represent billions of dollars’ worth of revenue … hundreds of thousands of people in this state. You need to start listening to us.”
Michael Haley Golden, Executive Director of NH Humanities and a summit keynote speaker, said, “These feel like dark times, because things are hard. We must change the narrative … build a bridge between the arts and humanities. All kinds of areas that we don’t think of as exactly our work need to be exactly our work.”
In his opening remarks at the summit, Prizio was succinct. “Don’t try to change the world, change your world,” he said.
When she’s not preparing for a Theatre Kapow production — the next is What The Constitution Means To Me in February — Carey Cahoon, Arts4NH board member and a panel leader at the Creative Economy Summit, tries to experience as much of the local arts scene as she can. Here’s how she thinks individuals can make a difference: “There are so many different ways that folks can participate. You can go see a show, or a museum. But also think about your local library… go online or stop by and see what they have coming up — there’s undoubtedly a free program that you can participate in… We’re also entering the holiday craft fair season … call a friend and say, hey, there’s an awesome craft fair downtown. Do you want to go? Or, hey, there’s an open mic night at the bar we like to go to, let’s go see what’s up with local music. Or a slam poetry night. There are all these things that we don’t necessarily think of because you have to buy a ticket, reserve in advance. No, you don’t. There’s all kinds of things all around you … right in your backyard. And share what you’re doing. Talk about it.”
To that end, here are some ways for individuals to make a difference to the creative economy, from small acts like letter writing to grander gestures, like turning your apartment lobby into an art gallery.
Ways To Support The Creative Economy In Its Time Of Need
Donations help, large or small
The annual Mural Festival in Manchester was set for August, but it had to be postponed when a major donor pulled out. That’s not the only financial challenge the beloved event faces as it plans (hopefully) to return in the spring. Festival organizer James Chase said tariffs caused cans of spray paint historically ordered from a supplier in Canada to jump in cost. It’s all an uphill battle. “In order for the spring festival to really mirror the impact that we’ve had in the past, I’m still trying to raise $30,000 in the next eight months to be able to support artist pay stipend and raise funds, so financial support directly would help make this vision a reality,” he said. Any amount helps — go to artsbuildcommunity.com/donate.
Arts Build Community mural. Courtesy photo.
Chase’s organization is called Arts Build Community, and it lives the name as it seeks ways to bolster the local scene on a budget. In 2010, when empty storefronts dotted the downtown, he began asking proprietors to use them for art shows. The first event, called the Big Takeover, was supposed to last one day, but the response pushed it out. “We had 300 pieces of art by 100 different artists,” Chase said. “That was my way of seeing how art can have that transformative aspect.”
Chase urges folks to get involved. They can join ABC’s mailing list for early notice about their pop-up shows. “We have a drift gallery where we have a U-Haul that shows up at events unexpected. So you kind of have to be in the know to get a preview of where it’s going to be,” he said.
Attend an event
Get festivein the Lake Sunapee region at the Hay Day Fall Festival with live music, local vendors, old-timey games, wagon rides, food, fun activities for kids, and a strolling performance from magician Andrew Pinard. Before moving to magic full-time, Pinard had first-hand experience running an arts organization as the founder of Concord’s Hatbox Theatre. Following that venue’s closure, he ran the Claremont Opera House for two years, along with AVA Gallery in Lebanon.
The Hay Day festival will be held at the John Hay Estate at The Fells, 456 Route 103A, Newbury, on Sunday, Oct. 12, starting at 11 a.m.
Buy local
At the Manchester Craft Market, located in the Mall of New Hampshire (manchestercraftmarket.com), more than 250 sellers have consignment space in the store, even including regional writers, who have a book nook featuring a bevy of new titles. There’s an online component as well. Artisans “hand make all of their items,” MCM owner Jess Moores said. “I don’t let anyone bring in imported things or resell stuff, and no antiques. All handmade in New England.” For those looking to get craftier, there are classes, in things like weaving and illustration.
Find fine art
At the League of NH Craftsmen Gallery in Concord. Juried member works include ceramics, handblown glass, jewelry, prints, textiles, woodwork and more. Entry-level cost is surprisingly low, though demand can be high for items like the annual Christmas ornament, a pewter moose named Theodore. The League hosts a weeklong fair every August that showcases the best of the region’s creators. Many arts lovers plan the summer around the event. The gallery is at 36 N. Main St. in Concord, nhcrafts.org.
Sign up
Bang for buck comes with the purchase of a membership card from one of the four member Manchester Museums in the NH Museum Alliance: the Millyard Museum, the Currier Museum of Art, the SEE Science Center and the Aviation Museum of N.H. Members of any one of these museums can show their membership card at any of the others and receive half-price admission for up to four visitors. Visit manchestermuseums.org.
Appreciate architecture
The Kalil House. Courtesy photo.
The Currier is the only museum in the country to steward not one but two Frank Lloyd Wright houses. Both are open to the public for guided tours. The Zimmerman House was commissioned by Isadore and Lucille Zimmerman in 1949 and embodies Wright’s Usonian architectural concepts. The Kalil House is one of only seven easily constructed “automatic” homes and was recently added to the National Registry of Historic Places. Go to currier.org/frank-lloyd-wright to book a tour.
Turn a quiet night riotous
Comic Jody Sloane hosts Warner Comedy Underground every third Thursday in the downstairs room of Reed’s North restaurant in the bucolic town. Recently, a happy crowd enjoyed Kenny Rogerson and Rob Steen along with a buffet dinner. On Oct. 23 national headliner Rafi Gonzalez stops by (6:30 p.m. dinner, 8 p.m. show, simpletix.com), with support from Sloane and regional favorite Matt Barry. These nights help boost the local economy and mirth meter in a myriad of ways. For bonus points, folks can organize one in their town.
New comics get their start at places like the Laugh Attic open mic held every Thursday night at Strange Brew Tavern in Manchester. Show your support for these hopefuls by turning out. Equally important is enjoying a beverage and some food while you’re laughing. Ditto if you’re waiting for your three- to five- minute time slot. As one of the comics who launched the now eight-year-old get-together explained a while back, “Open mics exist to bring in people in the hopes that they buy something. That means you should support the venue even if that means only ordering a soda and giving the bartender a few bucks.” Strange Brew Tavern is at 88 Market St., Manchester; the Thursday Night Laugh Attic starts at 9 p.m. (8:15 signup).
Jam at an open mic
KC’s Rib Shack (837 Second St., Manchester, ribshack.net) has a popular open mic happening every Tuesday that also offers an extended set from a local performer. Pembroke City Limits (134 Main St., Pembroke, pembrokecitylimits.com) has an event every month on the first Wednesday hosted by Sharon McKinney. The village venue is a solid supporter of local music, with many original performers playing there, and owner Rob Azevedo is a tireless advocate for independent artists.
Want poetry, man?
Head over to Stark Brewing in Manchester for the weekly Slam Free or Die poetry open mic and slam on Thursday night at 8 p.m. in the venue’s back function room. Open mics are held at every event, while poetry slams are several times a month, with a $3-$5 sliding scale cover charge. In September the venerable event, which began at the Bridge Street Café before moving over to the Mill District, celebrated 20 years. Nationally known poets have been known to stop by for what’s usually an uplifting experience. Visit slamfreeordie.org.
Andrew Pinard on arts support at the state level, slashed to $150K/year “It’s been a struggle. I spent 13 hours one day at the Statehouse alone for the SB2 budget hearings, and it was a punch in the gut for most of us in the state. [Legislators would say,] ‘We’d really like to support this’ and then vote the opposite way to destroy the level of arts funding. An argument can be made, ‘oh, no, we support and we saved arts funding in New Hampshire,’ but $150,000 a year barely covers the cost of one employee … and losing the arts funding, meaning the matching funds at the federal level, has a significant impact, more so in rural and outlying communities [that] rely on getting 10, 12 or 15 thousand dollars a year.”
Give a vote of confidence
One of the talking points often heard from opponents of public funding for the arts is that it’s “a want, not a need.” Keith Coughlin, Executive Director at New London Barn Playhouse, finds that short-sighted.
“We are enriching our communities all over the state with what we’re able to offer,” he said. “We are driving the economy and tourism, and we’re also just making our state better, right? We talk about attracting and keeping young people, attracting employees to hospitals or the colleges…. They’re being driven by what their community has to offer them. If we’re not supporting the arts and culture, we’re just taking that away from our communities.”
New London Barn contributes in ways that aren’t as high-profile as, say, their summer stage series but are no less vital. Take for example the Caregiver Play Project, inspired by a program that gave caregivers the skills to work with dementia patients using improv. It’s grown into a production set to have a staged reading in the spring.
Unfortunately, earlier this year, the Barn received word that it lost its Improv for Caregivers funding, which put the effort in jeopardy. Fortunately, an avenue to appeal was available, and in August they received word that it was a success, though Coughlin noted, “we haven’t seen it yet officially.”
Coughlin had this to say about how individuals can help: “Participate in a way that shows this is an important fabric of the communities we live in.” That can mean giving money, or volunteering. “Support may be big or it may be small, but it very much impacts an organization, even like the Barn. We often say that ticket sales cover approximately 60 percent of our operating costs and the rest comes from donations and support, votes of confidence from our community that say, ‘We believe in what it is you’re doing and we want you to thrive.’”
Events ahead at New London Barn include a screening of Rocky Horry Picture Show on Halloween night, a night of comedy Friday, Nov. 7, starring Jim McCue of Boston Comedy Festival fame, along with Ryan Gartley and Greg Boggis, and an evening of folk tales with storyteller Simon Brooks on Nov. 14. Tickets are available at nlbarn.org/fleming.
A bit far-flung but definitely worth the trip is a performance of Romeo & Juliet by Amplified Arts in Plainfield, on Dec. 8 and Dec. 9 (tickets $10 and up at eventbrite.com). The reason it’s a good idea to go is that it’s happening in the tiny hamlet’s Town Hall, which has a three-dimensional stage backdrop that was painted by Maxfield Parrish in 1916, and restored during the 1990s following a vigorous fundraising effort.
Find art everywhere
Art galleries exist everywhere, even when they aren’t explicitly given that name. The halls of hospitals and the lobbies of apartment buildings are frequently filled with paintings, sculpture and the like. So here’s a thought for art activists: If there’s a space that could use some spice, advocate for a transformation.
Joni Taube of Art 3 Gallery in Manchester has contracted with institutional clients for more than four decades, and filled their walls with art by mostly regional creators.
“Art is the final thing,” Taube said. “When someone’s doing a space, it’s the art that warms it up and makes it a home or makes it a place of business where people want to come into. I go in as a consultant to help them figure out what’s the best way to, one, give exposure for artists, but also to make their space aesthetically the way they want it to be.”
Art 3 Gallery, at 44 W. Brook St. in Manchester, is open weekday afternoons from 12:30 to 4 p.m. A new show, “Shifting Lights,” will open in early November. The name was chosen because it “sort of suggests both the physical beauty of light and motion and the broader human experience of change, perception, transformation,” Taube said.
Gallery at the Block, located on Elm Street in Manchester in the lobby of the Bedford Block Apartments, takes the idea of using a semi-public space to bring attention to local artists and foster community. Recently, the gallery held an Urban Art Exhibit and invited a DJ to perform. “Through exhibitions and community gatherings, we aim to support creative expression, spark meaningful conversations, and promote the cultural vitality of our neighborhood and beyond,” they write on their website, galleryattheblock.com.
Talk to artists
The art world doesn’t have to be daunting. Glimpse Gallery, next to the Statehouse in Concord, is a friendly, warm space run by Meme Exum that hosts bimonthly shows. The next is Oct. 11 and features works from Mark Ruddy, Justin Smulski, Darren Taylor, Kevin Kintner, Sharon Boisvert, Benjamin Archibald and Robyn Whitney Fairclough. Glimpse offers good entry-level prices for novice collectors, but that’s not why Exum wants folks to come to an opening.
Banjo at Mosaic Gallery. Courtesy photo.
“Some people think, ‘I have to buy if I’m going to support the arts,’ but that’s not the case,” she said. With Glimpse, you’re supporting a community. Talking to the artist about their art is lifting them up and giving them an opportunity in itself. So it’s not, ‘Oh, just buy art.’ Come to the opening. Spend time with us. That’s all it is. And then if you want to buy art, that would be awesome.”
Galleries can also be great places to learn. Mosaic Art Collective, located next to the Palace Theatre in Manchester, hosts shows like the Halloween-themed “Exquisite Corpse” exhibition opening Oct. 11, but also offers classes in things like working in watercolors, acrylic painting, and art instruction for home-schoolers, all led by Mosaic staff members.
Walk around
Another good way to experience and support art is by taking it to the streets. Manchester offers a couple of art walks. One, launched recently by Mosaic Art Collective owner Liz Pieroni, focuses mainly around the theatre district. MHT Art Walk is more far-flung, with almost 40 locations stretching from the Factory on Willow to the Currier. For the latter, there’s an online map at orbitgroup.com/art-walk. Finally, a mural tour led by Arts Builds Community can be booked on their website.
Speaking of murals, Positive Street Arts in Nashua received kudos at the Creative Economy Summit for its work using urban art “to build strong communities through educational workshops, community events, and artistic services.”
The organization has an online store offering framed versions of their street creations, along with swag, and a Zeffy donation page. Those thinking big can commission a mural. Positive Street Arts has helpfully placed a price calculator on its web page, positivestreetart.org.
Have a beer and some art
Learn what your favorite craft brewery is doing to support the arts. This can include booking indie musicians, holding comedy nights, hanging works on walls for artists to sell or, in the case of To Share Brewing in Manchester, offering the premises to arts groups.
“To Share holds our artist talk when we do the mural festival,” James Chase said. “They’re so supportive, and they have a gallery right there too.”
Kate Saunders, Director, League of NH Craftsmen, talks about its early role in economic growth “A lot of people don’t know that the League was formed as we were coming out of the Great Depression, and the League actually worked with the state. It was one of the first programs that was created to be a stimulus to help the state reemerge out of a really difficult financial time. So it was actually in partnership with that state support. It’s a different era now, but it’s a legacy that’s 92 years old.”
Look at the library
Walking the walk is Symphony New Hampshire, which has a number of outreach programs in addition to the classical music performances it offers in Nashua at Keefe Auditorium and the city’s Center for the Arts, the BNH Stage in Concord and Manchester’s Rex Theatre. Symphony NH’s Executive Director Deanna Hoying sees local libraries as vital touchstones.
“Not every city or town has an opera house or a theater, but they almost always have libraries as cultural gathering places because they do a lot of programming,” she said. “Symphony New Hampshire has done performances for small ensembles for the Nashua Public Library, and we provide discounts for library patrons across the state.”
Hoying also considers the New Hampshire defunding of the arts as short-sighted.
“I think it is an uninformed statement when they say it’s a want, not a need, because they obviously are missing the economic part of this, and we have certainly presented all that,” she said. “I think there’s still … this idea of arts being charities, that we’re not businesses. This is not unique to arts; I think nonprofits in general often are looked at in some way as second-class citizens. We’re businesses. We employ people. We pay the taxes. We provide services.”
She was encouraged by the unity on display at the Creative Economy Summit, and hopes that it helps send a message about why the arts matter that may not be top of mind, but critical in a time of social divisiveness.
“I think people forget that our arts spaces are probably one of the last places that are open to everyone. We are not political. If we’re celebrating, we’re laughing, we’re crying, we’re feeling, we’re doing all these things together as a community. I think that often is lost…. We need even more to be able to have opportunities to do something together that we can all agree on.”
Hoying continued, “Finding these ways to still keep our community together are even more important when we know there are a lot of forces out there that are trying to pull us apart. And so arts spaces, whether it’s your local theater, opera house, museum, even going to see your kids play at their band concert … all those things are bringing us together because it is that neutral thing we’ve all decided is important enough that we’re going to get up off the couch and go do it.”
Featured photo: “Sassy Sarah Vaughan” by Darren Taylor, on display now at the Glimpse Gallery in Concord.
If you imagine a library as a building full of books, you’re not wrong. But 21st-century libraries have evolved with the changing needs of their communities.
“We serve as a community center for Auburn,” said Dan Szczesny, the Director of the Griffin Free Public Library. “For seniors, families, kids and whatever, we are ground zero for coming to talk about the town or seeing people that you haven’t seen, or that sort of thing.”
Caroline Pynes, the Director of the Chichester Town Library, explained the role a modern library plays for children and teens.
“I think a lot of kids don’t really understand what a resource the library is,” Pynes said. “I think it’s only [when] they grow up and get older that they realize what an asset it is for each community to have a public library and that we offer more than just books. We offer museum passes. You can ask us different questions, and we’ll try to find the answer for you. In some ways, we’re almost better than the internet.”
Here are some more reasons to love your library.
1. There are even more books to borrow than you see on the shelves. Tanya Ricker, the Director of the Whipple Free Library in New Boston, said that while it might take longer to get a book from another library, you will still get most books you request. “The current state of interlibrary loans,” she said, “is that we are still getting them. There is funding for it. However, unfortunately, they are very short-staffed at the State Library, and because there is a hiring freeze, we are not getting as many van deliveries as we have in the past. But other than that, it’s still business as usual right now, which is fortunate.”
You might be able to browse another library on your own.
Erin Matlin is the Director of the Leach Public Library in Londonderry. She said that, like many local libraries across the state, hers belongs to an association that allows patrons to check out books from other libraries.
“We are part of the GMILCS Consortium,” Matlin said. “That [gives] us access to a number of other libraries in the area. We share their catalog, so if we wanted to request a book from Derry, for example, one of our patrons could do that. They could either pick it up in Derry or have it sent here. When we joined, we were told by the consortium that it increased our patrons’ access to a collection by 1.4 million items.”
GMILCS includes libraries in Amherst, Bedford, Derry, Goffstown, Hooksett, Hudson, Londonderry, Manchester, Merrimack, Milford, Salem, Windham and New England College.
What are you reading? I am personally reading a book by Neil Shusterman called All Better Now. It’s a young adult book and it takes place in post-Covid world. There’s a new virus that has been getting people sick and it’s a very interesting book as this virus has interesting consequences. Neil Shusterman is a pretty big author in the young adult publishing world, so it’s a fun book. —Dori Eisenstat, Teen Librarian, Manchester City Library
2. You can browse from a bike. There are two E-Bike Bookmobiles in Concord.
“When the weather is on our side, we go to local parks and people can check out books, return books, sign up for a library card,” said Jennifer Needham, Archivist, Reference, and Outreach Coordinator for Concord Public Library. “It’s a great way to promote the library.”
3. The books can come to you. Many area libraries will deliver books by mail or in person.
“We deliver books and other materials to clients who are homebound, “ said Dianne Hathaway, Director of the Goffstown Public Library. “For example, I deliver to a client who makes her own requests. She places her own requests online and I just really swap things with her. I never see her. But then we have another client who’s been with us for many years and the staff member who delivers to her sits and chats with her. Sometimes it’s about more than just books; it’s socialization as well.“
4. You can download digital books. Virtually all libraries provide access to digital content. Libby/Overdrive and Cloud Library allow library patrons to download e-books and audiobooks online as does Hoopla, which also offers e-books and comics. Search through a library’s catalog in person or online, and if a specific library doesn’t have a particular title the catalog will note if it is available for download from the State Library.
5. There are many ways to listen to stories. If a library patron wants to listen to a particular audiobook, many libraries lend out Playaways, small digital devices preloaded with a specific book including kids’ books.
“Playaways are good for people who don’t have a smartphone or might not have access to high-speed internet,” said Jennifer McCormack, Director of the Nashua Public Library, “Or they just want a simple plug-and-play. You just stick your headphones in, press the play button, and now you’re listening to an audiobook.”
What are you reading? Currently I’m reading Perestroika in Paris. It’s a book told from the point of view of a horse. It’s a little different. It’s by Jane Smiley, who wrote A Map of the World. I’m enjoying that right now. —Sarah Leonardi, Assistant Director, Amherst Town Library
6. The library can be your emergency office. Most area public libraries offer photocopiers, computers and internet access, including wi-fi. Sarah Leonardi is the assistant director of the Amherst Town Library. She said this includes technology you might not expect.
“We do still have a fax machine,” she said, “because people still are using that. There are still some industries, [such as ] legal or medical, that require a fax, so we certainly offer that as a service.” People can use the library’s printer, she said, even from their own devices. “They can also print from mobile devices like their phone or their laptop, using another third-party service that we coordinate with called Princh. [They] can also send a print job from home and come to pick it up here.”
Many patrons depend on their library for a wi-fi connection, Juliana Gallo said. She is the Youth Services Librarian at the Baker Free Library in Bow. “We actually just updated our Internet and wi-fi just a couple of weeks ago so the signal is strong now throughout the building and even reaches into our parking lot, so we sometimes have people using it before we’re open or after we’re closed.”
7. You can experiment with a 3D printer. Some area libraries also have 3D printers that allow patrons to create plastic reproductions of physical objects. “We have a 3D printer in the children’s department,” said Jennifer Needham from the Concord Public Library. “If you go to our website, there’s actually a link that families can go to with a list of predetermined objects that can be printed, and they choose one. And then it’s free with a library card. Then the next time that family is in we hand over their 3D object.” Some libraries may have 3D printing fees, such as the 20-cents-per-gram cost at the Bedford Library.
8. Librarians will help you figure out technology. Local libraries are a good resource for people confused by technology. Natalie Lapointe is the Technical Services Librarian, at the Whipple Free Library in New Boston. “I basically help anybody who needs assistance,” she said. “That could be anybody elderly; it could be a 6-year-old on the computers here in the library; It could be someone who’s just trying to make a PowerPoint. I provide that service, judgment-free, here at the library.” She said that older patrons often look for guidance navigating some of the new technological challenges of modern living. “A lot of them just want to know the best practices for navigating a smartphone, or deciphering scams and spam messages.”
What are you reading? What am I reading right now? I actually am reading Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. It’s like a dystopian sci-fi kind of novel but it was written back in the ’90s and she projected what life was going to be like in 2025, so I thought I should read it this year and see how accurate she was. It’s been interesting so far. —Juliana Gallo, Youth Services Librarian, Baker Free Library in Bow
9. Toddlers (and their parents) can make friends. Universally, libraries are a tremendous resource for people with young children. Many local libraries hold special events — like touch-a-truck events where small children can interact with actual fire trucks and police cars — as well as regularly scheduled events like storytimes or play groups. Karen Metcalf, the Head of Children’s Services at the Weare Public Library, said her library’s Baby and Toddler Playgroup was originally started to help mothers of young children make friends.
“We get moms, we have some dads, we have nannies and babysitters and grandparents,” Metcalf said. “It runs once a week and it’s for an hour and a half. It’s very much a drop -in program, so they can come and go with what fits their schedule. And there’s a staff member there, and we chat and highlight books and other things the library is doing, but the majority of it is just a chance for the kids to play and the adults to get to know each other and create a community.”
10. And puppets will tell you stories. Just about every library conducts story times for young children, where staff members or volunteers from the community read short, engaging books to groups of rapt toddlers and preschoolers, but the staff at the Bedford Public Library takes it a step further. Emily Sennott is the Head of Children’s Services there.
“We’ve been running Puppet Story Time since last September,” Sennott said. “We take the best picture books we can find that will work with puppets and we read a book and we act out the story with puppets.”
11. You can read the news from 100 years ago. One of the greatest and most under-used resources at some libraries is their microfilm collections of historical newspapers.
“Oh, my god — the car ads!” said Jennifer Needham from the Concord Public Library. “Or just like seeing what businesses existed in the area during that time, it was pretty cool.” Just try reading the storyline in a comic strip from long ago, she said, and it will be almost impossible not to get sucked in. Hundred-year-old newspapers are a solid way to research a family tree or the history of a property or local political conditions. “We make sure that all staff is trained on how to [operate] the microfilm machines,” Needham said. “So if someone comes in and they’ve never used it, we take the time. We show them how to load the microfilm and how to open the software and how to print if they did want to print an article.”
What are you reading? I just finished The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson, which I really loved. It is a fantasy book, but also a bit of a mystery and a lot of like court intrigue as well, so I was very into that. That was a good one. —Emily Sennott, Children’s Librarian, Bedford Public Library
12. There are book clubs for everyone’s favorite genres. Bonny John, the Director of the Boscawen Public Library, said the group she is part of meets once a month.
“As the Director, I choose a book and we get enough copies through our library loan system and then we sit on that Tuesday, we just discuss the book and what we thought about it And it’s usually a pretty good discussion because not everybody usually likes the book, which is awesome and the way I like it, because I’d rather have a real discussion.”
Library book groups can be centered around reading current best-sellers or be more niche. The Elkins Public Library in Canterbury hosts The Old Man Boring Book Club, said Director Rachel Baker.
This is for fans of local and military history and, as the group’s name suggests, is largely made up of older men.
“There were some older gentlemen in town who would come in and say, ‘Do you have the history of Dover 1863-1864? I heard that it’s a great book.’ We also have a Murder, Mayhem and Adventure book group.”
“Book clubs are kind of a library’s bread and butter,” agreed Michelle Sprague, the Adult Services Librarian at the Wadleigh Memorial Library in Milford. “[Ours] range on topics from history, reading about racism — that’s nonfiction and fiction — and our evening and morning book groups, who meet often for just fun new novels. We also have a cookbook club. The members bake or cook recipes out of a new cookbook every month or a theme every month and they bring the dishes in to share. They also talk about the writing but it’s mostly about eating the food.”
You can also check on starting your own book club. At the Bedford Public Library, for example, cardholders can start their own discussion group and the library will help track down up to 10 copies of your book for group members, according to the website.
What are you reading? What is on my desk right now is actually Amanda Grappone Osmer’s The Founding. She wrote a book about the Grappone Automotive Group and she’s presenting here in October, so I’m reading that in preparation for her appearance. —Rachel Baker, Director, Elkins Public library in Canterbury.
13. The whole city can be your book club. In Concord and Nashua, the idea of a book discussion group has been expanded to include each of the cities.
“This year’s [Concord Reads] book was Where You’ll Find Me,” said Jennifer Needham from the Concord Public Library. “What we do every year is we choose a book, we order a number of copies, we have a display as soon as you walk in the library for the public to check out, and then that month leading up to the author coming to speak we’ll have both children’s and adult programming that is thematically related to that Concord Reads. The last event is when the author comes, and for the past few years we’ve held that event at the Bank of New Hampshire stage. It’s so well-attended.”
Jennifer McCormack, Director of the Nashua Public Library, said the organizers of Nashua Reads try to pick a book by a well-known author to come speak about their work.
“They tend to be, I want to say, bigger-name authors,” McCormack said. Some of the authors who have come to speak at the library include Sarah Blake (The Gilded Hour), David Grann (Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI), and Stephen Puleo (Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919).
14. The clubs aren’t just for books. “We have clubs for all different ages,” said the Director of the Merrimack Public Library, Yvette Couser. “For example, we’ve had a group of people who like to knit or crochet do any kind of hand stitching — right now. It’s usually yarn-work. They come in on Thursday afternoons and they have one of our meeting rooms for two hours and they visit with each other and work on their projects and it’s just lovely. We also have a crew of teenage boys coming after school. [One of the boys] found out that we have games, video games, and consoles, and decided to bring his friends down to the library, borrow a console, bring it into our meeting room, check out some games, hook it up to the TV in there and play.”
Clubs meeting at area libraries span a huge range of activities, from mahjong to a ukulele support group. The Bedford Public Library hosts a Pokemon Club. In Boscawen, there are yoga classes. Children can read to a dog at the Manchester City Library and their parents can learn how to write a resume and interview for a job.
What are you reading? Oh my gosh I’m reading a book called Isola, by Allegra Goodman. I’m reading it from my book discussion group. It’s set in, I believe, the 1700s. And the main character has a guardian because she was orphaned as a small child. Her guardian takes her on one of his ships and they’re sailing to what turned into Canada and she ends up falling in love with the guardian’s secretary and that’s where I’m at right now. Something’s going to happen; I know it! —Dianne Hathaway, Director, Goffstown Public Library
15. You can watch an earthquake in real time. The Merrimack Public Library has a working seismograph on site. “Our seismograph is connected to an international network of seismographs,” said Library Director Yvette Couser. “The idea [is to have it] in a public space so that we could encourage people in our community to become interested in this level of science and become basically citizen scientists, and watch how the tectonic plates are moving in New England.”
16. You can apply for a passport. “We fill the same duties that most places people would go to a post office for, so we can fill that same role,” said Juliana Gallo from the Baker Free Library in Bow. “It’s a pretty hassle-free process, as long as people bring all the documentation they need.”
17. Or get a document notarized. Many librarians are Notary Publics. “The Brookline Public Library provides limited notary services at no cost to residents of Brookline and Brookline Public Library card holders,” said Stephanie Seales, the Library Assistant for Circulation and Inter-Library Loans. “I’m actually one of them. “We don’t [notarize] anything with real estate, though; that’s long and very complex.”
18. You can learn about a new culture. One of many activities held by the Nashua Public Library is something called Passport to the World, said Library Director Jennifer McCormack. “It’s an event series that we host about every quarter. We feature food from a local restaurant or vendor. We have music. We’ve had some great performers, dancers and other performers.” She said that she and her staff try to choose cultures that are representative of part of Nashua’s diverse population. “For instance,” she said, “Puerto Rico was one. We did a Ukraine Night. We’ve done China, Quebec and El Salvador. We started with Paris in January of 2024. Another really fun one was the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
What are you reading? Right now, our reading group is reading The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. It’s been on the bestseller lists for months. It’s been pretty popular. —Bonny John, Director, Boscawen Public Library
19. You can explore new music on CD — and borrow a CD player. The Bedford Public Library has a collection of more than 2,700 music CDs from all genres. It’s an opportunity for patrons to explore new music, said Head of Information Services Patricia Kline-Millard — or to do a deep dive into one type, like classical or jazz.
“We just bought a two-CD set that was a live recording of [experimental jazz composer] Sun Ra. A wonderful thing about the library is that we do still have this physical format, especially for music that is harder to find online,” she said. “And we do have a CD player that we circulate, because a lot of people don’t own those anymore.”
20. You can take home a painting. The Manchester City Library has a collection of framed paintings and prints that patrons can take home and hang on their walls. “You can check out any of the framed artwork,” said Dori Eisenstat, the Library’s Teen Librarian. “You can keep it for up to eight weeks. There aren’t any renewals on them but you can bring it home, use it in any way you want, and bring it back in eight weeks.”
21. You can go to a film festival. The Nashua Public Library sponsors a Tiny Film Festival each year. “Our ceremony is approximately the same time as the Oscars,” said Library Director Jennifer McCormack, “so we usually take submissions in February, and then we have a screening of all the submissions early in March. Anybody from any age group can submit, and we judge by age group, so there’s little kids and teens and adults. It’s a one-minute film, on any topic that you want — it just needs to be suitable for public screening. It’s just a blast to do.” One of this year’s winners was The Case of the Missing Pizza. “The movie A Little Worm for the little kids was just so creative,” she said.
22. Or have a movie night of obscure movies at home. For film buffs, many libraries own subscriptions to services like Kanopy, Hoopla or IndieFlix, which allow patrons to stream movies and TV shows, some of which are hard to find elsewhere.
“You can stream films right from home,” said Nashua Library’s Jennifer McCormack. “You can put an app on your TV or on your device. It lets you watch a lot of independent films that are from smaller film houses. There’s also Kanopy Kids, so there’s kids’ content on there.”
What are you reading? Right now I am reading a book by Kent Haruf, who is an author who has passed away, but he writes books set in rural eastern Colorado. His most well-known one is Plainsong. But the one I’m reading now is actually the first one he wrote, but it wasn’t the first one he published. It’s called The Tie that Binds. I love the roughness of first books. I just think I love that they’re not so polished. —Stephanie Seales, Library Assistant, Circulation and Inter-Library Loans at Brookline Public Library
23. You can plant a garden. Many area libraries maintain a Seed Library, where patrons can share seeds.
“It is basically seeds from plants of all types,” said Stephanie Seales at the Brookline Public Library. “People can come in and take whatever it is that they would like to plant and try to grow and then we also take donations after the growing season if someone knows how to save seeds. We’ve had classes here on how to save and preserve seeds. They can bring back seeds and put them in the library for the following growing season.”
“We actually have a donation envelope,” said Patricia Kline-Millard in Bedford, “that they put the seeds into that ask for information about the plants. ‘How easy was it to grow? How hard was it to grow? How big will it get?’”
24. You can get help writing your novel. As well as nurturing readers, some area libraries help writers develop their skills. The Boscawen Public Library holds a monthly Writers’ Group, said Director Bonny John.
“Sometimes there’s a theme,” she said, “but most of the time it’s just freestyle. We have some people who write poetry. Some people write about personal experiences, and some people just like to write stories. One of our group members two years ago actually had a book published about her experiences and the group was instrumental in helping her to do that, so it was pretty exciting for us.”
Each year, the Derry Public Library hosts the Derry Author Fest. “That’s only in the spring,” said Reference Librarian Erin Robinson. “It’s a full day for writers who are interested in learning the trade and the craft and how to get published. We have a full day of MFA-style [Master of Fine Arts] workshops. It’s free and open to the public.”
25. You can go on a grown-up field trip. Some libraries organize field trips for adults to visit the sorts of places they didn’t pay attention to when they were in school.
“We take a group of adults and we go off site, off campus from the library, to kind of explore [those places] a little bit more,” said Sarah Ballard, Adult Services Librarian for the Hollis Social Library. “We recently went to a local schoolhouse, we went to a restored cooper shed in town, and we went to the Nashua fish hatchery. And what’s fun about those trips is we usually try to partner with somebody who works there or somebody who knows something about those specific experiences and tell us about the history and we learn a little bit about what they do, what the history is, and we get kind of a one-hour education just as if you were a kid, but we’re kind of spending the day as adults learning about these things.”
“We had a field trip recently to the Meadow Ledge Farm in Loudon,” said Caroline Pynes, Director of the Chichester Town Library. “We did some apple picking and did a little tour of the orchard on a wagon. And we also had a cider demonstration, we had some cider after the cider demonstration, and then we had some of their apple cider doughnuts. People had a really great time and we ended up with a lot of apples that we took home.”
What are you reading? I’m reading a book called My Best Friend’s Honeymoon. It’s a new rom-com by Meryl Wilsner. It’s about a woman who had her marriage fall apart at the last minute at the altar, and she goes on her honeymoon with her best friend, who’s also a woman who’s been in love with her for a long time. There’s laughs and love. It seems like it’s coming together for a happy ending. —Michelle Sprague, Adult Services Librarian, Wadleigh Memorial Library in Milford
26. You can check out museum passes. Almost all area libraries have passes available for patrons to visit museums for free or at a reduced rate, including sites such as the SEE Science Center and the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester; the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire in Londonderry; the New England Aquarium, the Boston Children’s Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Children’s Museum in Dover. The Rodgers Library in Hudson, for example, also offers tickets to the Nashua Silver Knights games, passes for New Hampshire State Parks, discounts for New Hampshire Philharmonic performances and passes to the Salem [Mass.] Witch Museum (though not in October), according to the website.
27. You can borrow a pipe wrench or a set of bocce balls. More and more local libraries have a “Library of Things” that patrons can check out tools or equipment from.
“Maybe they only need to use something once,” said Tanya Ricker, the Director of the Whipple Free Library in New Boston. “They don’t need to go out and purchase it, or they want to test something before they decide to buy it, or it’s a matter of convenience. For instance, we have snowshoes. So say you have some family visiting and you all want to go snowshoeing. You don’t have to go buy extra snowshoes, you could use ours. We have a KitchenAid Mixer. Not everybody can afford a $500 KitchenAid mixer, but you can borrow it and make a fancy cake for your kid’s birthday. We have two wheelchairs that we also have available. We’ve got an external CD drive for your computer because most computers don’t come with them anymore. For us, it’s just trying to sort of figure out what our community needs and wants and be able to provide them with the opportunity to have those things.”
“We have board games, telescopes, and a paper shredder,” said Jennifer McCormack, Director of the Nashua Public Library. “We have one of those devices that you can check the code in your car if your check-engine light comes on. It’s a way to try things that maybe you think you might want to have, like a ring light [for filming videos] or a metal detector. We have a podcast microphone too, in the Teen Room.”
“We are lending out portable wi-fi hot-spots,” said Dianne Hathaway, Director of the Goffstown Public Library. “They allow folks to have internet access at home; it gives them that ability either for work or school. We’re circulating an XBox console. We’re circulating a page magnifier for someone who has low vision. We also have a pair of colorblind sunglasses that we’re lending. They’re very expensive so it gives people with colorblind issues the ability to try them out before they spend money.
What are you reading? So I found the Booker Long List — the books that had been on the long list for the Booker Prize. And I’m going down the list and reading those. The list isn’t as long as I thought it was going to be. I had a patron when I worked at the Nashua Public Library who was reading all of the Pulitzer Prize books. That prize started in the ’40s and she was reading every one that was awarded. I had another coworker who for one year her annual New Year’s resolution was to read one book from each one of the Dewey series. So like the Dewey’s arranged by zeros or 100s or 200s or 300s. And she wanted to read one book from each of the 100s in Dewey. Anyway, the book that I’m reading right now is called Universality. It’s by Natasha Brown. —Kersten Matera, Director, Maxfield Public Library in Loudon
28. You can also borrow a room. Need a place to host a community meeting? Rodgers Library in Hudson, for example, has a Community Room that can accommodate up to 60 people for not-for-profit groups, according to its website. For smaller groups, two study rooms are available, one that can be reserved in advance and another that is first come first served, the website said. Or if you just need some peace and quiet for yourself, Rodgers has study carrels available. Many libraries have a version of these offerings; see websites for information on reservations.
29. You can score a new puzzle, research your ancestors or find other new hobbies or adventures. Many libraries hold puzzle swaps, or crafting swaps where people can exchange crafting supplies. There are exercise classes for seniors. Many libraries hold genealogy classes and maintain special collections of documents to help people research their family trees. There are crafting classes, and movie screenings. There are first aid classes. There are escape rooms for children, teens and adults. There are groups for playing bridge, or cribbage, or Scrabble, or Dungeons & Dragons. There are chess clubs, and Lego groups for children and adults. Check out the “events” section of your library’s website for yet another reason to visit.
Your local libraries
Allenstown Public Library 59 Main St., Allenstown, 485-7651, allenstownlibrary.org
Amherst Town Library 14 Main St., Amherst, 673-2288, amherstlibrary.org
Bedford Public Library 3 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford, 472-2300, bedfordnhlibrary.org
Boscawen Public Library 116 N. Main St., Boscawen, 753-8576, boscawenpubliclibrary.org
Baker Free Library 509 South St., Bow, 224-7113, bowbakerfreelibrary.org
Brookline Public Library 16 Main St., Brookline, 673-3330, brooklinelibrarynh.org
Chichester Town Library 161 Main St., Chichester, 798-5613, chichesternh.org/town-library
Concord Public Library 45 Green St., Concord, 225-8670, concordnh.gov/1983/Library
Derry Public Library 64 E Broadway, Derry, 432-6140, derrypl.org
Dunbarton Public Library 1004 School St., Dunbarton, 774-3546, dunbartonlibrary.org
Elkins Public Library 9 Center Road, Canterbury, 783-4386, elkinspubliclibrary.org
George H. & Ella M. Rodgers Memorial Library 194 Derry Road, Hudson, 886-6030, rodgerslibrary.org
Goffstown Public Library 2 High St., Goffstown, 497-2102, goffstownlibrary.com
Griffin Free Public Library 22 Hooksett Road, Auburn, 483-5374, griffinfree.org
Hollis Social Library 2 Monument Square, Hollis, 465-7721, hollislibrary.org
Hooksett Library 31 Mount Saint Mary’s Way, Hooksett, 485-6092, hooksettlibrary.org
Hopkinton and Contoocook Town Library 61 Houston Drive, Contoocook, 746-3663, hopkintontownlibrary.org
Leach Public Library 276 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 432-1132, londonderrynh.gov/leach-library
Manchester City Library 405 Pine St., Manchester, 624-6550, and West Branch Library, 76 N. Main St., 624-6560; manchesterlibrary.org
Maxfield Public Library 8 Route 129, Loudon, 798-5153, maxfieldlibrary.org
Merrimack Public Library 470 DW Highway, Merrimack, 424-5021, merrimack.aspendiscovery.org
Nashua Public Library 2 Court St., Nashua, 589-4600, nashualibrary.org
caramel-covered, candy-coated, chocolatey taste of fall on a stick
By John Fladd
jfladd@hippopress.com
The end of September is the height of apple season and most of us have fond memories of eating caramel apples as children. Now apple-on-a-stick desserts are being served at birthday parties, Halloween gatherings, and even weddings, as whimsical place settings with more elaborate decorations and multiple layers of sweet coating and toppings.
What goes into a truly great caramel or candy apple or chocolate-covered apple?
Caramel Apple Key to Greatness #1 – Be choosy with your apples
The key to a great caramel apple, according to Jeffrey Bart, owner of Granite State Candy Shoppe (13 Warren St., Concord, 225-2591; 832 Elm St., Manchester, 218-3885, granitestatecandyshoppe.com), is choosing the right apple.
“We don’t use Granny Smiths,” he said. “We use other apples that tend to be a little on the sweeter side. That will change throughout the season depending on what’s freshest and most available. So we’ve used everything from Zestars and then Honeycrisp later in the season when they’re available.” Because Granite State’s caramel apples are a seasonal offering, he said, it’s important to choose apples that are perfectly ripe and at their best.
Linda Comrie disagrees. Not about the importance of choosing the right apple — that’s very important, she said, but her preference is for Granny Smiths. Comrie owns Sweet Dreams Confections (553-6347, facebook.com/sweetdreamsconfections01), a homestead bakery in Derry. She, too, only makes caramel apples during fall months.
“I try to always source with local ingredients, first of all,” Comrie said. “So I’m thankful now that apple season is in season. I go to local orchards,” she said, “and I use Granny Smith apples. The tartness of the green apple, this Granny Smith apple, really accents any caramel or chocolate or whatever candies you’re going to add to your caramel apple in the final product. When you have a sweeter apple, it can sometimes be too much. And also it’s the firm construction of the apple, which makes it much more conducive because you do have to boil your apples before you coat them.”
Boiling apples briefly, she explained, is a way to make certain the skins make good contact with the caramel, especially if they are supermarket apples.
“There is always a coating,” she said. “You can go directly to an apple orchard, but if you buy from the grocery store, there’s like a little bit of a film on them, there’s a wax on them, and you have to remove the wax.” Even if the apples don’t have a layer of wax, she said, boiling them briefly removes any natural oils that might be on the skin. “You’re making sure that you can get a good adhesion with your caramel. And you want it to stick to the apple.”
Leah Boudreault, owner of Sugar and Slice NH (facebook.com/Sugarandslicenh) in Milford, uses a different method.
“Some people say to boil them in hot water,” Boudreault said. “I don’t do that. I will usually rinse them really well in really hot water and then I will give them a light wipe with some vinegar. That gets rid of all of that heavy waxy coating and it makes all of the toppings stick to it much better.”
Boudreault, too, uses apples that are as crunchy as possible.
“I like apples that aren’t going to get soft and mushy,” she said. “I like Honeycrisps; that’s one of my favorite apples. I like Pink Ladies. And then if I have to I’ll use a McIntosh.”
Sweet Dreams. Courtesy photo.
Paul Cornell, co-owner of Chocolate Moose (184 N. Broadway, Salem, 893-2225), is another fan of Granny Smiths. He makes caramel apples year-round, and the tart, green apples are almost always available, but that is the least of his reasons for using them.
“The Granny Smith apple is core,” he said. “It’s a little bit more tart, a little bit crispier, a little bit hardier, and that offsets that sweetness from the toppings. You’ve got to have a crisp apple. We’ve tried other apples. We’ve had people come in and say, ‘I want to try a Matsu apple. I want to try a Red Delicious apple.’ They’re too soft. We’ll do it, but once we do it, they’re like, ‘OK, OK, back to the Granny Smith.’ For the most part, I think our organic Granny Smiths are just what has to do with all the oohs and ahhs that we get from the apples.”
For Chris Guerrette, owner of Lickee’s and Chewy’s Candy and Creamery (53 Washington St., Dover, 343-1799, lickeesnchewys.com), the need for perfect apples rises to a whole other level. He starts by picking them himself.
“We only use fresh apples that we pick ourselves every single week from the orchard,” Guerrette said. “We use a local orchard in Milton, and we’ve been working with the family orchard for eight or nine years. And we only use Honeycrisp apples once they’re ready. They’re nice and firm and they have the perfect flavor to go with our caramel. The earlier that you get them in their lifespan, the better. And the thing is, as compared to, say, a store-bought, maybe those green apples that tend to be pretty firm, these have a better flavor to them [that contrasts] with the caramel. It’s a more natural sweetness and tartness, just a nice balance. We start with the best ingredients, like the nice, super-fresh apples I picked this morning, and they’re literally being dipped right now.”
Using the freshest possible apples can lead to a hectic apple season, Guerrette said. “We literally will go out as a team once a week and pick the apples in the mornings. And then we have a big event every year where we have to make about 1,500 apples in one week for Apple Harvest Day here in Dover. And then we’ll spend the next six days making a batch a day every day for five or six, eight days. So they’ll be ready. My poor chocolatiers all had blisters by the end of that, last year.”
Dover’s Apple Harvest Day 2025 festival will take place Saturday, Oct. 4, rain or shine, on Central Street in Dover from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will feature a 5K road race, more than 100 vendors, and a not insignificant number of apples. Visit appleharvestday.com.
Caramel Apple Key to Greatness #2 – Make your own caramel, and don’t be stingy with it
The next step to making a great caramel or candy apple is coating it with caramel or candy. This represents two different directions an apple can go in. Candy apples are coated with a thin layer of hardened sugar, usually bright red in color, hence the color name “candy-apple red.” This provides a brittle crunchyness to contrast with the crisp juiciness of the apple beneath. This is the approach Leah Boudreault from Sugar and Slice takes.
“I make everything,” Boudreault said. “For instance, last year I had a really big apple order for somebody’s wedding and I did caramel apples, I did candy apples, I did chocolate-dipped apples. So I can do pretty much everything, with any topping.” But her standard go-to, she said, is a classic red candy coating: “It’s basically sugar, water, corn syrup and food dye. So it’s just really sweet.” The first time she used a candy coating on apples, she said, was for an event that was themed around the Pixar movie The Incredibles and needed a bright red color. “I took it on knowing very little about candy apples. Once I did that, I saw how easy it was. And I have been doing them every year since.” The candy coating provides a substrate to work on, she said, like painting with a layer of primer before adding the top coat.
More common is a caramel coating. Universally, the caramel apple-makers interviewed for this story emphasized how important it is to make their own caramel.
“We use a caramel that I developed for close to two years,” Chris Guerrette from Lickee’s and Chewy’s said. “It took two years of minor tweaks and changes until it became this perfect. And that’s cooked in a big copper kettle for several hours. So it’s nice and dark, and it’s got a lot of great flavors, some like special fall flavors in it. It’s not this kind of old, sticky caramel. It doesn’t stick to your teeth as much as it used to when I was a kid.”
According to Paul Cornell from Chocolate Moose, the only way to improve on a good caramel coating is to use more caramel.
“A caramel apple is a caramel apple,” Cornell said, “but if you bite into a caramel apple at any state fair, they’re thin. There’s just really not that much caramel on it. You bite into ours, you’re up to your gums in caramel before you get to that apple. And that’s what we want. I think that puts us above the rest of anybody that’s kind of competing in this field.”
“The caramel itself,” Cornell said, “a homemade caramel, just makes a world of difference when you’re making these apples. It’s got the right texture, it’s got the right thickness. Homemade caramel, made the right way, the right texture, the right sweetness, and the thickness, of course, is key.”
Reni Mylonas, owner of Agape Cakes and Confections (59 Route 27, Raymond, 244-2265, agapecandc.com) agrees.
“We use a nice thick layer of caramel,” she said, “so you’re getting a good caramel-to-apple ratio.” She said that one of the appeals of a good caramel apple is the contrast in textures between the chewiness of the caramel, and the crispness of the apple. “The contrast of an apple to the type of caramel that we use, is just a really good combination that we really enjoy.”
Maria Marini is the chocolatier at Lighthouse Local (21 Kilton Road, Bedford, 716-6983, lighthouse-local.com). According to her, making caramel for apples involves the constant scrutiny of several temperatures simultaneously. Bringing the caramel to the right temperature can be tricky — a difference of just a few degrees can result in a weak, runny texture or a pull-your-teeth-out consistency with undertones of burnt sugar.
Lighthouse Local. Photo by John Fladd.
“We have a copper pan,” Marini said. “It distributes the heat evenly, but copper pots come in different thicknesses, and the thinner the pot the darker the caramel gets. Once the caramel is at a certain temperature, I dip all the apples in it.” Because she adds a coat of chocolate to most of Lighthouse Local’s caramel apples — “about three quarters of them,” she said — there is an extra level of complexity. “It takes two hours [for the caramel] just to really get cool enough that if I add the chocolate to it, it’s not going to change the temperature of the chocolate, because chocolate has to be tempered too, which means it has to be at a certain temperature. If this isn’t cooled down enough, and I use the chocolate while the caramel’s still warm, it can make the chocolate bloom, which means you get white spots.
On top of that, she said, if she wants to roll the chocolate-covered caramel apple in toppings, the chocolate has to be at just the right temperature — cool enough to adhere to the caramel but still tacky enough for toppings to stick to it. “I have to do it while it’s still wet,” she said.
The caramel dipping process is not without risks. Emily Lewis is a production manager at Van Otis Chocolates (341 Elm St., Manchester, 627-1611, vanotis.com) and teaches caramel apple decorating workshops. Her students decorate apples that have already been dipped in caramel, she said, to keep civilians from burning themselves.
“We cook our caramel up to 242 degrees Fahrenheit,” Lewis said, adding that proper dipping technique is a must. “When we’re dipping [apples] in the caramel, the only technique is that the stick has to be all the way into the apple. Otherwise, you’ll lose your apple into the caramel. And we like to call the actual dipping ‘milking the cow.’ We dip two apples at a time, so it almost looks like you’re milking a cow, as you’re shaking them up and down.” It’s easier on your wrists, she said, if you hold the apples upside down by their sticks, like daggers. After being covered with caramel, all of Van Otis’ apples receive a coating of white, milk or dark chocolate.
Caramel Apple Key to Greatness #3 – It’s almost impossible to go overboard with toppings
In theory, an apple-dipper could stop at this point. You’ve got your apple. You’ve got your candy or caramel coating. It is, by definition, a candy or caramel apple. Paul Cornell from Chocolate Moose said that only the most die-hard of caramel apple purists ask for this stripped-down version.
“We make 30 different kinds,” Cornell said. “We make a plain Jane version. We use that apple for big events — weddings, anniversaries, birthday parties — 300 of them at a time.” He said that customers might order that apple for financial reasons, but most customers want some sort of topping on top of the caramel.
“I’d say we have five, maybe six [toppings] that are the staples of our apples,” Cornell said. “That’s a pecan, that’s an M&M, a Reese’s, a Heath Bar, apple pie — and all of these have different ingredients on it. But our customers have built our apple base. As time has gone on (and we’ve been doing this for 30 years), people would come in and say, ‘Could you put this on this apple?’ It’s as wild as gummy bears. It’s ‘Can you do almonds and coconut? Almond Joy?’ Then there’s different chocolates — milk, white and dark. So you can mix it up. I would say we’ve probably made anywhere between 20 and 30 different kinds at one time.”
Reni Mylonas from Agape Cakes has had a similar experience. “We do some that are just the plain ones,” she said, ”but then we almost always add additional things to it. Sometimes we add rainbow sprinkles to them or chocolate sprinkles or a chocolate drizzle or some type of candy like an M&M. We’ve done a Twix [version] in the past or a KitKat, something that’s just a little bit more decadent.” She said that her shop does not sell chocolate-dipped apples. The concentration is on one perfect layer of caramel. “We add chocolate toppings, like sprinkles,” she said, “or swirls of chocolate across the surface, but we don’t cover them completely.”
“Our signature [apple], I think,” Chris Guerrette from Lickee’s and Chewy’s said, “and the one that is the most popular, is a white chocolate cinnamon pecan apple. It’s based on a recipe for cinnamon-roasted pecans that my mom developed when I was a kid. We use that recipe, then grind those up. We put the caramel on [the apple], then we dip it in … chocolate — an extremely high-quality, gourmet white chocolate. And then the last step is rolling that in the cinnamon-roasted pecans.”
Coatings and decorations can get more elaborate from there, Guerrette said.
“We decorate a lot of [the apples] with some really extravagant chocolate decorations. We actually create animals and creatures out of these, like teddy bears and elephants and fun things like that.” He said the apples he sells fall into three basic categories. “It’s about 30/50/20,” he said. “Probably 30 percent are plain caramel, or caramel with extra toppings. Another 50 percent have [a coating of] chocolate, and another 20 percent are our super-fancy ones with a lot of decorations or shaped like creatures and stuff like that.”
Van Otis apples. Photo by John Fladd.
Jeff Bart at Granite State Candy is excited about premiering a new caramel apple this year.
“It’s our Dubai Caramel Apple,” Bart said. “We make a special pistachio filling. It’s a blending of chocolate and pistachio paste that we’re using in our Dubai bars. Then we’re using the kataifi [shredded philo dough] in the center, so it has that crunch. Then we are dipping it in milk chocolate afterward. There’s all kinds of different textures and flavors, and they all come together.” According to the staff at Granite State Candy’s Manchester store, while a few of the apples they sell are plain caramel, or caramel with toppings, the large majority of their apples are covered with a layer of chocolate.
Unlike many other caramel apple makers, Linda Comrie from Sweet Dreams Confections doesn’t cover the caramel layer with an additional layer of chocolate. She will, however, drizzle the caramel with chocolate once it is firm, she said. If a customer orders a chocolate-covered apple, she’ll make it, even without a caramel layer, if that’s what the customer wants.
“You have to be mindful of what chocolate you use, though,” she said. “You can’t use a chocolate chip, for instance. If you melt your chocolate chips, it’s not going to work the same. You’ll want to use something like a bark, if you will, like an almond bark. Or even like Ghirardelli makes a melting wafer, but it’s actual chocolate opposed to something that might be more of a candy. I’ve done both, but I do find, for me, that using the caramel base is a much better process.”
“People like a little bit of a variation,” said Leah Boudreault of Sugar and Slice NH. She uses colored fondant to add elaborate details to her apples. (Her candy coating makes an excellent base for this).
“A lot of times my customers will come to me and they’ll already have a photo in mind. They’ll send me inspiration photos — ‘Hey, can you recreate this? Or can you do something similar?’ And if they don’t come to me with like an inspo photo, I’ll ask them questions like, do you have a theme? Do you have favorite colors? And then from there if I need help with designs I usually use Google, and I will look at some inspiration myself.”
Caramel Apple Key to Greatness #4 – Be prepared for hugeness
As you might imagine, a caramel apple can get out of control if you don’t exercise some restraint, which is antithetical to the whole idea of caramel apples. If you start with a good-sized apple, then cover it with a generous amount of caramel, then add a host of toppings, before you know it, it has gotten much bigger than you anticipated.
“There’s such a variety of apples, size-wise,” Paul Cornell said. “You can get a 56-count apple, which is as big as a softball when you get it. You get into the bigger ones, people love them because once you put all the stuff on it it’s as big as a basketball. I mean, it gets huge.”
“They tend to be pretty large” said Chris Guerrette from Lickee’s and Chewy’s. “One of these apples that when we’re done with it — with the chocolate and the decorations on it — can be about a pound and a half. They’re kind of a meal you can share with other people.”
