Category: Cover Stories

Staging homegrown productions in a challenging time

The history of community theater in New Hampshire is long and venerable. Community Players of Concord, for example, is preparing to mark its centennial in 2027, and the Majestic Theatre in Manchester is currently celebrating its 35th year. Co-founder Robert Dionne has been there since the beginning.

“We have a very faithful following … both the people that want to come and see shows as well as the people that want to be in them,” Dionne said when asked to explain Majestic’s longevity in an interview last spring. “That kind of makes it all worth it. We build off of that every single season.”

This year offers innovative productions like Cue Zero Theatre’s People Like To Be Scared: an Exploration of Fear, a “devised” work created by the company running in early October in Salem, and The Tin Woman from Nashua Theatre Guild, a play about a heart transplant recipient who decides to search for her donor.

Artistic Director Dan Pelletier described Cue Zero’s production as blending improv and therapy to write an original play. “We started rehearsals with just a concept to create a show built around fear; that was about it,” he said. “We wanted to explore what that meant … with a lot of building things, and theater exercises, to get everybody working together.”

Also unique is Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons, a two-person play from Theatre Kapow about free speech and the effects when it’s stifled. “This is a show that invites you to laugh while demanding that you think,” TK Executive Director Matt Cahoon explained. “It can just be a fun night out or a chance to grapple with difficult societal questions.”

Straight-up fun can be found in many productions, beginning with two musicals: Seussical, which has been reworked with a message of inclusion by RGC Theatre for an run at the Derry Opera House Oct. 31 through Nov. 2, and Shrek from Manchester Community Theatre, opening Oct. 17 at North End Montessori School.

More onstage mirth can be had with Milford Area Players’ production of Clue — the play, not the musical — at the Amato Center for the Arts beginning Oct. 26. Director Tom Partridge stepped away from rehearsals for the show this summer to undergo open heart surgery, but he’s back and excited for the play. Partridge’s production of Clue uses large canvas screens to quickly move between scenes.

“One of the most difficult things was staging,” Partridge said. “It’s hard to put eight rooms on stage and make it effective, but I think we’ve done a good job at it.”

New to New Hampshire is Icehouse, a comedy that opens Nov. 7 at Bedford Off Broadway. The play centers on a group of fishing buddies in a small Minnesota town who conspire to build an ice chateau, as well as their clumsy and hilarious attempts to hide the project from their wives.

“One thing that’s nice about it is that everybody pretty much has an equal part — it’s quite an ensemble show,” Icehouse director Judy Hayward said recently. Hayward, well-known as a musical director, wanted to helm a show. “Although I’m a musical theater person, I do like doing straight plays, especially comedies.”

Well-timed in light of the recent movie premiere of a sequel is Ovation Theatre Company’s staging of the musical version of Freaky Friday, opening Nov. 14 at Derry Opera House. Directed by Ovation founder Meg Gore, the musical ends the company’s calendar-based season.

“It’s one of those sleepers that people don’t know as much about, but when you do, you love it,” Gore said of the show. “The music is really good, done by the people who did Next To Normal, which is an excellent score. It’s a pop rock sort of musical that’s very funny.”

Comedy continues with The Producers. The Mel Brooks musical is one of two offerings from Actorsingers in Nashua; the other is Stephen Sondheim’s Company, opening Jan. 9. The latter show is exciting for more than its content, which helped it to win a Best Revival Tony.

“It’s the first local performance at the Nashua Center for the Arts, and I think that’s going to be amazing for us,” Christie Conticchio of Actorsingers said recently. “I think that will blossom into other partnerships … maybe we’ll do something with them every year.”

Winnipesaukee Playhouse is a professional theater company with a community theater component, along with ancillary activities like Improv Olympics and a children’s group. Local actors in its Winni Players troupe will stage a dinner theater show aboard the MV Mount Washington over a few nights beginning Oct. 1.

Mutiny on the Mount was written by Bob Montana, the original artist for the characters in the Archie comic books. The nearly sold-out show is a collaboration with the Meredith Historical Society, a member of which helped Playhouse Director of Education and Community Engagement Cory Lawson unearth the play.

“He told me, ‘We found this play he wrote for the Meredith Village Players in 1952, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool,’” Lawson said by phone recently. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, he wrote it for a contest. He won, and they did it one time. It hasn’t been done since.’”

On the heels of the popular Netflix series Wednesday is The Addams Family Musical, running Nov. 21-23 at Concord City Auditorium. Community Players of Concord President Ellen Burger wanted the show, about a daughter introducing mom and dad to her boyfriend, for its appeal to both audiences and actors.

“The plot is almost like The Birdcage, with two very different families coming together in the Addams Family mansion,” she said. “Wednesday, the daughter, has persuaded her family, ‘Please, can we just be normal for one night?’ Because unbeknownst to almost all, the two have already decided to get married.”

The season comes with both promise and challenges. While recent cuts to arts funding in the state aren’t in and of themselves hurting community theater, the ripple effects can be felt. Organizations that relied on the now-defunded New Hampshire Council on the Arts are now competing for grants and other scarce funding.

Stephanie Moll of Nashua Theatre Guild is one of eight people running an organization that stages three plays a year; NTG also did Shakespeare in the Park during the summer. Small groups like hers have thin margins to work with; breaking even on a production can be considered a success.

“It costs so much for us to rent the theater and the lights and the rights to the play, and we don’t want to sell tickets for too much,” Moll said. She worries about the crowding field for funding, as rumors swirl about cash long expected disappearing for a variety of reasons.

Every little bit helps, Moll said, adding that she’s hopeful for a celebration of one-act plays coming next February. “This year we wanted to do all local playwrights…. We found some really nice little plays to do.” As the New Hampshire Community Theatre Association recently canceled its one-act festival, it’s a welcome addition.

Their motivation to do the event is twofold.

“One, we don’t have to pay rights, so there’s a chance that we might be able to break even, or make money,” Moll said. “Secondly, there are a lot of people out there who want to write a play but can maybe just start with one act.”

Irene Cohen is President of New Hampshire Theatre Alliance, with a mission of “Celebration, Collaboration and Promotion” on behalf of the state’s community theaters. Every January, NHTA hosts a Tony-like event to celebrate outstanding works and the people that make them happen. She views the challenges ahead with both trepidation and hope.

“Each community theater is likely to come up with a variety of different solutions…. I’m a naturally optimistic person, but it is pretty discouraging lately,” Cohen said by phone recently, adding NHTA is equally impacted. “We’re going to have to be as creative as everyone else, but I believe in the strength of our community and I believe in how special we have it here in New Hampshire.”

The Lakes Region is home to Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, a recent addition led by Bryan Halperin, who co-founded Winnipesaukee Playhouse in the early 2000s. Powerhouse is the resident theatrical company for both Belknap Mill and the Colonial Theatre in Laconia.

Collaborations like the walking production Journey Through Neverland at Prescott Farm help them thrive, and funding is, fortunately, less fraught.

“We haven’t been reliant on arts grants, so for now, we’re OK,” Halperin said recently. “If the economy affected corporate giving in the area, though, that would hurt us a lot.”

They carry on for the joy of coming together as citizens who love to perform. Like Partridge, who started when he was recruited to sing in a local show, and hasn’t stopped since. “I got the bug about 37 years ago when a friend of mine was doing the Amherst PTA plays,” he said. “One thing led to another and another.”

What has Partridge gathered from his years in community theater? “You learn to have a lot of patience, you learn to do jobs,” he replied. “You learn to adapt. You learn to use the skills that people demonstrate and try to put them in a part to succeed.”

So many shows!

Here’s a listing of community theater shows, which include plays, musicals, a “devised piece” and a dinner performance that happens on a steamboat as it glides over Lake Winnipesaukee. All are the product of local companies and performers with homegrown support.

The Tin Woman
Nashua Theatre Guild (Nashua)
When: Friday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 21
Where: Court Street Theatre, 14 Court St., Nashua
Tickets: $18 and up at onthestage.tickets
Description: This “intimate and poignant play” began when playwright Sean Grennan’s sister shared a newspaper clipping about a heart transplant recipient’s search for her donor, and was further inspired by an interview with beloved children’s author Maurice Sendak.

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons
Theatre Kapow (Concord)
When: Friday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 21
Where: BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord
Tickets: $26 and up at ccanh.com
Description: Written by Sam Steiner, the play follows two people grappling with the impact on their relationship when communication is limited. At turns funny and serious, it explores what happens when free speech is stifled and humans must reach each other through actions, body language, and the spaces between words.

Journey Through Neverland
Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative (Laconia)
When: Saturday, Sept. 20, and Sunday, Sept. 21
Where: Prescott Farm, 928 White Oaks Road, Laconia
Tickets: $10 at zeffy.com
Description: A unique interactive theater adventure through Neverland. From 1-4 p.m., small groups depart every 20 minutes. Guided by a rotating cast of Peter Pans and Shadows, each experience is a one-of-a-kind event. Dressing up in favorite Neverland character regalia is encouraged.

Clue
Milford Area Players (MAP) (Milford)
When: Friday, Sept. 26, through Sunday, Oct. 5
Where: Amato Center for the Arts, 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford
Tickets: $15 and up at booktix.com
Description: Based on the hit movie about an unusual dinner party that begins with a dead host, this whodunit is played for laughs and an expectation that audiences will be at least a little familiar with the popular board game.

Mutiny on the Mount
Winni Players (Meredith)
When: Wednesday, Oct. 1, through Friday, Oct. 10
Where: MV Mount Washington, 211 Lakeside Ave., Laconia
Tickets: $70 and up at winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org
Description: A cruise and dinner show package aboard a steamboat, they play was written by Bob Montana of Archie comics fame, a native of Meredith, and is a collaboration between the Winni Players and the Meredith Historical Society.

People Like To Be Scared: An Exploration of Fear
Cue Zero Theatre Company (Itinerant)
When: Friday, Oct. 3, through Sunday, Oct. 5
Where: Arts Academy of New Hampshire, 19 Keewaydin Dr., Salem
Tickets: On sale soon at cztheatre.com
Description: An original “devised piece” built by the company around the concept of fear. The group of actors was chosen for their willingness to “be unafraid to explore this emotional state that is inside all of us, sometimes rules us, and must be defeated.”

Blithe Spirit
Stone Arch Players (Hillsborough)
When: Thursday, Oct. 9, through Saturday, Oct. 11
Where: Hillsboro-Deering Middle School, 538 W. Main St., Hillsborough
Tickets: $10 and up at zeffy.com
Description: Noël Coward’s timeless comedy about an eccentric medium who accidentally conjures the spirit of a man’s first wife, who then refuses to leave, is “an evening of wit, mystery, and supernatural hilarity.”

The Diary of Anne Frank
Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative (Laconia)
When: Friday, Oct. 10, through Sunday, Oct. 12
Where: Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia
Tickets: $21 and up at etix.com
Description: In the Pulitzer Prize winning play newly adapted to include historical details left out from the original diary, Anne Frank “emerges from history a living, lyrical, intensely gifted young girl, who confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty, wit, and determination.”

Dracula
Break A Leg Legally Productions (Dover)
When: Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 26
Where: The Strand, 20 Third St., Dover
Tickets: $20 at breakaleglegally.com
Description: 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.

Dracula Radio Show
Epping Community Theatre (Epping)
When: Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 19
Where: Epping Playhouse, 38 Ladds Lane, Epping
Tickets: $15 and up at tix.com
Description: Just in time for Halloween, the world’s most famous vampire comes to the stage in this radio play adaptation of the iconic horror movie as well as the classic original novel by Bram Stoker.

It Runs In the Family
Garrison Players (Rollinsford)
When: Friday, Oct. 17, through Saturday, Nov. 1
Where: Garrison Players Arts Center, 449 Roberts Road, Rollinsford
Tickets: $15 and up at ovationtix.com
Description: A farcical comedy set in a hospital where a doctor tries to deliver a lecture while fending off a paternity suit, an ex-wife, a daughter and other characters, all while navigating the chaos of mistaken identities, and running through doors.

Shrek the Musical
Manchester Community Theatre Players (Manchester)
When: Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 26
Where: MCTP Theatre at North End Montessori School, 698 Beech St., Manchester
Tickets: On sale soon at manchestercommunitytheatre.com
Description: Tony-winning Broadway musical about an ogre setting out to retrieve the deed to his swamp and the misadventures that ensue as he’s joined by a princess and a talking donkey.

Southern Fried Murder
Majestic Theatre (Manchester)
When: Friday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 2
Where: Majestic Theatre, 880 Page St., Manchester
Tickets: On sale soon at majestictheatre.net
Description: Before she can summon her kith and kin to dinner in a fancy restaurant to discuss her will, a wealthy family matriarch is killed with her walking stick, leaving her heirs on a treasure hunt to interpret her encrypted will. It’s the first show of the Majestic’s 35th season.

Seussical The Musical
RGC Theatre (Portsmouth)
When: Friday, Oct. 31 through Sunday, Nov. 2, (postponed from Sept. 19-21).
Where: Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry
Tickets: $28 and up at eventbrite.com
Description: 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.”

Sweeney Todd
Village Players (Wolfeboro)
When: Friday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 9
Where: Village Players Theater, 52 Glendon St., Wolfeboro
Tickets: $25 at village-players.com
Description: 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.

The Producers
Actorsingers (Nashua)
When: Friday, Nov. 7, through Sunday, Nov. 9
Where: Keefe Center for the Arts, 117 Elm St., Nashua
Tickets: $20 and up at actorsingers.org
Description: The show that took Broadway to new heights, along with its ticket prices, Mel Brooks’ musical adaptation of his cult movie concerns a scheming producer and his mousy accountant, as they set out to produce the biggest flop in history. Directed by Paul Metzger, with Music Director Keith Belanger and choreographer Becca Belanger.

Icehouse
Bedford Off Broadway (Bedford)
When: Friday, Nov. 7, through Sunday, Nov. 16
Where: Bedford Town Hall, 70 Bedford Center Road, Bedford
Tickets: $15 ($12 seniors and students) at brownpapertickets.com
Description: End-of-the-20th-century comedy about a Minnesota expat now living in Florida and lonesome for the cold air and his buddies, as they try to build an epic ice chateau and keep it a secret from their wives.

The Little Mermaid
Epping Community Theatre (Epping)
When: Friday, Nov. 7, through Sunday, Nov. 16
Where: Epping Playhouse, 38 Ladds Lane, Epping
Tickets: $15 and up at tix.com
Description: The Disney Broadway musical about a mermaid who strikes a hard bargain with an evil sea witch to pursue a handsome prince in the world above the sea, with a little help from her friends.

Reefer Madness (The Musical)
Dive In Productions (Seacoast)
When: Friday, Nov. 14, through Sunday, Nov. 23
Where: Rochester Performance & Arts Center, 30 N. Main St., Rochester
Tickets: On sale soon at diveinproductions.com
Description: Who knew the so-bad-it’s-good cult movie would rise again as a musical comedy? The plot involves an impressionable all-American high school boy falling prey to the demon weed.

Freaky Friday
Ovation Theatre Company (Londonderry)
When: Friday, Nov. 14, and Saturday, Nov. 15
Where: Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry
Tickets: On sale soon at ovationtc.com
Description: With the recent release of Freakier Friday, the timing of this musical is perfect. Body swapping, with updated cultural references, as mother and daughter learn to appreciate each other’s lives while trying to undo a magic spell.

Urinetown the Musical
Pittsfield Players (Pittsfield)
When: Friday, Nov. 14, through Saturday, Nov. 22
Where: Scenic Theater, 6 Depot St., Pittsfield
Tickets: On sale soon at pittsfieldplayers.org
Description: Tony-winning musical that satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, environmental collapse, privatization of natural resources, bureaucracy, municipal politics, and musical theater itself.

My Fair Lady
Winni Players (Meredith)
When: Wednesday, Nov. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 23
Where: Winnipesaukee Playhouse, 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith
Tickets: $14 and up at winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org
Description: In this update of Pygmalion with Tony- and Oscar-winning music, Cockney flower seller Eliza Doolittle is transformed when Professor Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can turn her into a “proper lady” in time to trick the guests at a big ball.

The Addams Family Musical
Community Players of Concord (Concord)
When: Friday, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Nov. 23
Where: Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St., Concord
Tickets: $15 and up at communityplayersofconcord.org
Description: With the popularity of the Wednesday TV series, it’s a great time to see this show, which builds on every father’s nightmare: a grown-up daughter bringing home the man she’s fallen in love with and plans to marry.

Nuncrackers
Majestic Theatre (Manchester)
When: Friday, Nov. 28, through Sunday, Nov. 30
Where: Majestic Theatre, 880 Page St., Manchester
Tickets: On sale soon at majestictheatre.net
Description: Presented as the Nunsense Christmas musical, the fictional show is presented as the first TV special taped in the Cable Access Studio built by Reverend Mother in the convent basement, with support from other Nunsense favorites.

A Christmas Carol: The Musical Ghost Story
Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative (Laconia)
When: Thursday, Dec. 11, through Sunday, Dec. 14
Where: Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia
Tickets: $18 and up at etix.com
Description: The holiday tradition is the Powerhouse’s most popular event, a musical adaption from Granite Stater Joel Mercier featuring a huge local cast.

It’s A Wonderful Life Radio Show
Epping Community Theatre (Epping)
When: Friday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 14
Where: Epping Playhouse, 38 Ladds Lane, Epping
Tickets: $15 and up at tix.com
Description: An old-time radio show of the holiday classic about a man who learns what his life is worth from a friendly angel and helps his hometown in the process.

Another Very Pittsfield Players Christmas
Pittsfield Players (Pittsfield)
When: Friday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 14
Where: Scenic Theater, 6 Depot St., Pittsfield
Tickets: On sale soon at pittsfieldplayers.org
Description: Celebrate the joy and enchantment of the holiday season with the local theater company’s unique and spectacular production.

Company
Actorsingers (Nashua)
When: Friday, Jan. 9, through Sunday, Jan. 11
Where: Nashua Center for the Performing Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua
Tickets: $20 and up at actorsingers.org
Description: A Tony winner for its recent Broadway revival, the Stephen Sondheim/George Furth musical comedy explores marriage and relationships through the eyes of a 35-year-old confirmed bachelor. The 1970 concept musical is considered a groundbreaking work.

What The Constitution Means To Me
Theatre Kapow (Concord)
When: Friday, Feb. 6, through Sunday, Feb. 15
Where: Winnipesaukee Playhouse, 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith
Tickets: On sale soon at tkapow.com
Description: A timely work from playwright Heidi Schreck, who earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate contests. She resurrects her teenage self to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives.

Featured photo: Journey through Neverland by Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative. Courtesy photo.

The unexpectedly complex world of chicken wings

Tom Trainor has some thoughts on chicken wings.

“In the high-end food world, there’s always wine and food pairings, but honestly, you could pair a chicken wing with any beer and have a great experience. So it’s really the food of the people.”

Trainor is a Director of the Northeast Barbecue Society (nebs.org), a governing body for competitive barbecue in New England and surrounding states. He said that from a competitive barbecue perspective wings are a great medium for the “People’s Choice” awards at competitions. “Because they’re so approachable,” he said, “and because they’re such a fast cook, I think — part of what makes them popular. Everybody loves wings. Most of the time, in your people’s choice categories, if you’ve got public-facing events, inevitably, they’ll just ask the teams to cook wings. They’re affordable and they’re such a blank slate. A chicken wing can really be anything you want it to be. You can go spicy, you can go savory, you can go a little bit sweet, you can go into the barbecue end of things, you can go [into flavors] like garlic parm. Sometimes you don’t even need a sauce. You could just do a dry rub. Salt and pepper wings are as good as anything.”

This is as true for home cooks as for competitive ones, he said.

“The other thing is you don’t need high-end equipment to make a good chicken wing. You can cook a good chicken wing on a $100 Weber kettle. You can find a million YouTube videos on how to cook wings in a Vortex. [A Vortex is a grilling accessory used to create convection heat in a grill, as well as hot and cool zones.] You can knock them out in an hour and they are phenomenal. At least once a month in my backyard I’m cooking wings.”

Dean Ciggaras agrees. He is a competitive barbecuer, owner of Blue Nose Pit Masters (bluenosepitmasters.com), a barbecue catering company, and one of the organizers of an upcoming barbecue competition in Henniker at the end of October.

“Wings are a very fun thing to eat,” Ciggaras said. “I think we all know that. The wings can be like almost candy, if you know how to do them right. And, you know, I think we’ll all agree that if somebody orders a six-wing appetizer, it’s never enough, right?” He compared eating chicken wings to eating crawfish in the South. “Four to five pounds of crawfish? For who? For me! It’s that kind of thing. Plus, the creativity you can do with them in fairly quick order: There are so many different flavor profiles that you can put to them — Hawaiian, Asian fusion, maple syrup, traditional Southwestern. Profiles, you name it, you can have it. Straight up salt and pepper, a little lemon zest — a really good one is to just marinate it in Greek dressing.”

According to Ciggaras, the ideal chicken wing is tender and juicy on the inside, with a crispy exterior.

“The crisp on a wing,” he said, “you can achieve it, but it’s a fine line of getting that crunch versus just getting the bite-through. You’re looking for the bite-through in a competition, not necessarily the crunch. Crunch is nice if you can achieve it, but it’s not the end of the world. The flavor profile is what you want to shine through.”

“Bite-through” is a term in competitive barbecue that refers to rendering the fat out from under the skin of the chicken wing, which allows for crisping up the skin so that each bite will be distinct and the whole skin will not come off in one piece.

Ciggaras said one way of getting that combination of textures is to cook the wings slowly to begin with: “If you slow cook them at 250 degrees and then ratchet up the [heat] — if I cook a ton of wings, I may take them off [the heat] and put them on an open fire for 20 seconds apiece just to crisp them out.”

Achieving that perfect wing texture has been a career-long challenge for Kevin Anctil, the owner of Smokin’ Spanks Barbecue (smokinspanks.com), a Litchfield-based barbecue food truck. “There are a few things that you need to get right if you’re going to have a good wing,” he said. “I mean, I’ve had fried wings. Fried wings were my favorite for a long time until I figured out how to do them on the smoker that I was able to do with the fryer. When I fry wings, I do a double fry. I fry them once at a low temp and then fry them again at a higher temp to finish. It’s all about getting a crispy skin. I think the skin is the single most important factor in the wing. And if you can’t, if that’s not right, then it can’t be a good wing.”

Anctil’s strategy is to wait until his big cuts of meat have finished cooking before starting his wings.

“That way,” he said, “when the wings go on, they’re going into a dry pit. That helps me get the skin, the crust, where I want it to be. Moisture is also the enemy of the crust.” At the same time, he said, it’s important to keep the meat juicy. “That’s where finding the balance lies,” he said.

Barbecuing is one option, but there are any number of other directions wings can go. They have a reputation, for instance, for being an ideal bar food. Billy’s Sports Bar & Grill in Manchester sells a lot of them.

“We go through an average of six [40-pound] cases a week right now,” said cook Chris Kamel. During football season it’s probably 10 to 12.”

The wings at Billy’s are breaded, Kamel said. “And they’re always cooked fresh. We get them fresh a couple of times a week. We have barbecue [flavored wings], buffalo, double-dip is very popular. You know, garlic parm, all kinds of different sauces.” Cooking the wings is a quick process, he said. “We take them raw and then coat them in Supreme Breader [a commercial fry coating]. It’s like a clam-fry, almost. Once they’re done, we’ll toss them in, buffalo, barbecue, whichever sauce the customer ordered.”

Because Billy’s serves so many wings, Kamel said, the process is pretty quick.

“I get phone calls that say, ‘Oh, can I pre -order 40 wings?’ I say, ‘You know, you don’t need to pre-order them, right? Just come in and get them.’ Forty wings seems like a lot to them, but for us it’s just another day.” There are other forms of wings customers can order, if they want to go in a different direction, he said. “We also offer baked Jamaican jerk wings. You can order them baked in the oven, not fried. Or you can order [the regular wings] non-breaded — that would be fried in the fryer, but with no breading.”

For Kamel, the appeal of chicken wings is that they are so good for groups of people.

“A lot of customers share them,” he said. “They’ll get like 20 at a table; it’s like a big app basket that they can all eat from. Even the people that say, ‘I don’t think I’m hungry,’ and then they realize they have room enough for a wing. People love them during games. They can eat one or two, then go back and have some more.”

Granite Tapas & Cocktail Lounge in Hooksett serves wings with sharing in mind. Co-owner Jamie Jordan admitted that the word “tapas” can be misleading.

“We don’t serve small, individual portions,” she said. “It’s more shareable items. Some people get their food and they’re like, ‘Whoa, whoa! We didn’t realize how much food we were going to get!’” Which suits wings perfectly.

Granite Tapas has embraced the versatility of wings to an unusual extreme.

“We have a buffalo[-style wing],” Jordan listed, “a honey barbecue, a garlic parmesan, a garlic buffalo, we have a honey sriracha, we have sweet chili, we have mango-habanero, we have maple-jalapeno (which comes with fresh jalapeno slices on it and local maple syrup), we have Jamaican jerk — that one we have in the dry rub or in a wet sauce — then we have teriyaki, we have citrus chipotle, we have homemade honey mustard, we have buffalo-honey mustard, which also comes with the homemade honey mustard mixed with the homemade buffalo sauce. We have gold fever, which is barbecue mixed with the homemade honey mustard. That’s where you get the gold fever from. We have garlic-buffalo-parmesan, and then we have beer-cheese and bacon, which sounds really wild, but it’s actually really good. And then we have a strawberry glaze. And then for dry rubs, it’s the Caribbean Jerk, Cajun, and Habanero.”

“Oh, and we also have Thai peanut,” she added. “I forgot that one. It’s the chef’s special.”

With so many varieties of wings on the menu, Granite Tapas par-cooks the chicken to be ready for the fryer.

“We season them, bake them and then fry them,” Jordan said. This allows the wings to be fried quickly and at a high temperature, to get that crispy skin. The restaurant’s most popular flavor of wings however, is something unexpected, she added.

“By far,” she said, “it’s the salted caramel wings. The wings are topped with the caramel sauce and then sea salt. By a huge margin, we sell more of those than anything on the menu.”

At the other extreme, Amphora Restaurant and Taverna in Derry only serves one style of wings.

“We have some amazing fig wings here,” said Nathan Piercy, one of Amphora’s cooks. “It’s an fig metexa sauce,” he said, “a thick glaze that goes over the wings after we deep-fry them. We cook them ahead of time in the oven to get them nice and crispy, we give them a nice deep fry. We cook them with some buffalo sauce on them, but there is absolutely no heat to these whatsoever. That sweetness of that thick glaze cuts all of that heat right out.”

“I don’t even think it’s on our actual physical menu,” Piercy said. “We call it a special, but it just never comes off the menu, because everyone loves them so much. If they’re gone, we have people complaining when they can’t have them.”

By contrast, the River Road Tavern in Bedford leans into the heat.

“We have what we call our regular sauce,” Joe Carey, the Tavern’s General and Kitchen Manager, said. “It’s just a regular mild buffalo sauce, which we make in house. It’s on a par with what you’d see on the basic level of most restaurants. Then we have what we call our “stupid sauce,” which is sort of intermediate. I think it’s pretty hot, but I don’t like to push the boundaries. A lot of people love [these wings] because there’s a lot of great flavor. We roast habaneros with spices, then cook the stupid sauce down for a few hours so it simmers and it really gets a nice flavor. And then it’s blended all together, so there’s no avoiding any of the seeds or anything like that. There’s no way to get away from [the heat], but it still has that nice flavor.”

“And then,” Carey said, “we go into what we call ‘the death punch,’ which is pretty brutal.”

“We make it with habanero oil,” he said. “We use vinegar, different spices and sriracha. It’s almost like a concentrated habanero puree. We have some other extracts that we put in as well. This is one of those things where a lot of folks come in, a lot of guests will say, ‘What’s the spiciest, hottest wing you have?’ And we give them that, and they say, ‘Oh, I can do it, no problem.’ And usually, within a minute or so, they’re either crying and quit or they get through it but they are asking for milk or sweating bullets. To me, that isn’t enjoyable, but I know a lot of folks love that.”

All of which is great, but invites the question: Is there a proper technique for eating chicken wings?

Alex LaChance is a food challenge enthusiast. He attempts challenges set by restaurants — Chez Vachon in Manchester, for example, which invites the brave or foolhardy to finish five pounds of poutine in under an hour. (“I believe I was the fifth person to take that down,” LaChance said.) He has a system for eating wings.

“There’s definitely a process going on in my head every time,” he said. “And it comes down to drums versus flats, two different plans of attack. With the flat, where the two bones meet, I like to rip out one of the bones. Then you can kind of daintily hold it by one end and pretty much suck the meat right off. With a drum, I’m more attacking the fattest part of it first. I’m just ripping off as much meat as I can with my teeth and going from there.”

While most restaurants refer to an order of “wings,” many places serve a combination of actual wings and tiny drumsticks. These are referred to as “flats” and “drums.”

LaChance said that while this level of planning might seem excessive to civilians, it’s worth thinking about seriously. “What’s more serious than food?” he asked. “We need water and we need air and then the next thing you literally need is food. It’s one of the most important things in life and I always think that if you don’t take it seriously you shouldn’t be in the business.”

And then there’s cooking wings yourself.

According to Kristen Chinosi, owner and Instructor at The Culinary Playground in Derry, completely drying chicken wings before cooking them is crucial to Wing Greatness.

“The key is to get those babies nice and dry before you bake them,” she said. “So if you have the forethought, put them on a cooling rack, set inside a baking sheet and leave them in the fridge uncovered overnight. The fridge is a great place to dry them out. And then, when you pull them out in preparation for baking, you pat them dry again, using a paper towel, because you’re not going to be able to crisp them up well if there’s excess moisture.” She dusts the chicken with salt, pepper and baking powder, she said, “then when I’m doing them in the oven, I do like to start at a lower temperature, around 300 degrees. And that’s going to cook some of the fat off of there. (This facilitates a good bite-through on the finished wing. See above.) Then you can crank the temperature up higher to 425 [degrees] or so for the remainder of the bake time until they’re nice and golden. And you’re baking them on that same setup where you have a cooling rack set in a baking sheet. That allows the air circulation all over, so they get nice and crispy on all sides.”

Featured Image: Chicken wings from the River Road Tavern. Photo by John Fladd

Festivals, concerts, art shows, foodie fun and more events happening this season

Fall starts now.

Sure, the calendar might give us until Sept. 22 to welcome autumn but we have definitely entered the season of fall vibes. Schools are back in session, pumpkin lattes are on the menu and apples are everywhere.

As are fall events!

Greekfests, brewfests, pumpkin fests, fall fests — you can find all happening in the next few months along with a solid lineup of theatrical productions, concerts, art shows, special film screenings and more. Did we miss an awesome fall event? Let us know at adiaz@hippopress.com. And stay tuned for our guides to Halloween happenings later in the seas

Fairs & Festivals

• First Friday Concord has three more outings in 2025 — Fridays, Sept. 5, Oct. 3 and Nov. 7, 4 to 8 p.m. The theme for Sept. 5 is “‘Fall’ in Love with Concord” featuring food trucks (Batulo’s Kitchen, Kona Ice, Teenie Weenies), yoga on the Statehouse lawn, live music from Tyler Levs in City Plaza and The Wandering Souls in Bicentennial Square and the Children’s Entrepreneur Market, according to firstfridayconcord.com. Oct. 3’s theme is “Spooky Season” and Nov. 7’s theme is “Concord Art Walk.”

• Hillsborough County Agricultural Fair, held at the New Boston 4-H Youth Center at 17 Hilldale Lane in New Boston, will run Friday, Sept. 5, through Sunday, Sept. 7, opening at noon on Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The fair features 4-H exhibits and shows as well as demos (such as K-9 demonstrations, an invasive plant identification lab, a HAM radio demonstration and more) and animal costume contests, according to the fair schedule on the fair’s website. Children’s activities run throughout the fair, as does a midway with rides and games. A Battle of the Bands will take place Friday at 4:30 p.m., and Saturday night (9 p.m.) will include fireworks. See hcafair.org.

• The family-friendly, dog-friendly Wags to Whiskers Festival held by the Humane Society for Greater Nashua will take place Saturday, Sept. 6, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Anheuser Busch, 221 DW Highway in Merrimack. The day will feature food trucks, vendors including pet product vendors, kids’ activities, dog demonstrations, a dog adoption tent with adoptable puppies and more, according to hsfn.org/wags-2025. Tickets cost $15, $10 for 65+ plus, and kids 12 and under get in for free, the website said.

• Greater Derry’s Got Talent will take place Saturday, Sept. 6, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway in Derry) with admission tickets for sale for $5, according to derryoperahouse.org/events. The event is a fundraiser for the Greater Derry Arts Council and will also sell audience vote tickets as well as concessions and raffle tickets, the website said.

• Granite State Fair will run Thursday, Sept. 11, through Sunday, Sept. 14, and Thursday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Sept. 21, at 72 Lafayette St. in Rochester. The midway of rides and games will run each day of the fair and there is a line-up of grandstand and livestock events, Circus Hollywood, a cornhole tournament and more. See granitestatefair.com for tickets and a schedule.

• 2025 Auburn Day and 32nd Annual Duck Race will take place Saturday, Sept. 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Auburn Village on Hooksett Road. The day will feature local artisans, local authors, food vendors, cookie and apple pie contests, a duck race ($5 gets you a rubber ducky-style duck to enter in the race) and blacksmithing, maple syrup making and other demonstrations, according to the website. See auburnhistorical.org/2025-auburn-day-and-duck-race.html.

• Pelham Old Home Day will take place Saturday, Sept. 13, with events starting at 7 a.m. (a pancake breakfast at Church Fellowship Hall) through 5 p.m. The day will feature a white elephant yard sale, a crafts-and-more vendor sale, food trucks, kids’ games, a 5K (10 a.m.), live performances throughout the day, a touch-a-truck, a penny sale, a quilt raffle and a grand parade (2:30 p.m.), according to pelhamoldhomeday.org, where you can find the full schedule and a list of kid events.

• Concorso Italiano, a celebration of Italian cars and food, will take place Saturday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tuscan Village in Salem. This year’s new VIP Pitt Experience offers a special party at the Veranda with food for $125 per person. See tuscanbrands.com.

• Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner will hold an Encore Powwow on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with dancing, singing, vendors and more, according to indianmuseum.org, where you can purchase tickets and which advises to bring your own chairs and umbrellas.

• Nashua Multicultural Festival will take place Sunday, Sept. 14, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Nashua Public Library. The event is described as family-friendly and will feature art, dance, music and food, according to nashuanh.gov/1237/Nashua-Multicultural-Festival.

• Toddlerfest, the annual celebration of younger kids at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in Dover, will run Friday, Sept. 19, through Friday, Oct. 3. The museum is open Wednesdays through Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., and Tuesdays and Sundays 9 a.m. to noon. “During Toddlerfest, visitors to CMNH can enjoy crafts in our art studio that will stretch those budding fine and gross motor skills. Children and their caregivers will bond over special projects and activities that embrace early literacy development. Every year we assemble a dynamic lineup of special guests that will share their expertise — explore music, art, dance, literacy, science, and more,” according to the museum. The event is part of regular admission; see childrens-museum.org.

• Granite State Comic Con will offer comic book and pop culture fun Friday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 21, with the main show running Saturday and Sunday and with Friday featuring a preview night and pre-con entertainment (Just Cos’ Wings, with cosplayers talking cosplay while eating wings, Queen City Improv and the 8-Bit Karaoke Bash con kickoff party), according to granitecon.com, where you can find tickets for individual days, for the weekend or for a VIP package. See the website for the list of scheduled guests including actors, comic creators, gaming creators, cosplay guests and more.

• Hollis Old Home Days will run Friday, Sept. 19, and Saturday, Sept. 20, with events including the town parade (10:30 a.m on Saturday), an artisan market, rides, a heritage and demonstration tent, fireworks Saturday evening, tethered hot air balloon rides on Saturday afternoon, youth art activities, a petting zoo on Saturday and more, according to hollisoldhomedays.org.

• The annual New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival will take place Friday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 21, at Loon Mountain Resort in Lincoln. The event is a celebration of Scottish culture with Scottish music, dance, food, heavy athletics, sheep dog trials and more, according to nhscot.org. See events such as stone lifting and caber toss, historical reenactments of life in the Highlands, “Try It” classes, kids’ events and more. Purchase tickets for a single day or the weekend on the website along with tickets for special musical performances and food events, such as the Cape Breton dinner and whisky master classes.

• Hooksett Old Home Day will take place Saturday, Sept. 20, and feature a parade (9 a.m.), an authors alley, craft & retail vendors, a Heritage Trolley Tour (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), an eating contest and more, according to hooksettoldhomeday.org.

• Nashua Airport’s Wheels & Wings “A Touch a Truck Event” will take place Saturday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with cars, trucks and planes to see and explore, according to the city’s SummerFun brochure at nashuanh.gov. The event will feature a horns-free hour from 1 to 2 p.m. and collect nonperishable food for End 68 Hours of Hunger, the brochure said.

• Derryfest will take place Saturday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in MacGregor Park with live performances, vendors and more, according to derryfest.org, where you can find a schedule, a booth map and a stage schedule.

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center’s annual AerospaceFest will be held Saturday, Sept. 20, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside and outside the Concord-based center. The event will feature keynote speaker Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, a retired astronaut; new planetarium show Asteroid: Mission Extreme; STEM organizations from across New England; on-site food trucks and more, according to starhop.com.

• The 5th Annual Family Fun Day hosted by the Friends of Benson Park will take place Saturday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Benson Park, 19 Kimball Hill Road in Hudson. The day will feature music, magic, a petting zoo, a visit with the Old Woman in the Shoe, games, raffles and ice cream for sale, according to friendsofbensonpark.org/family-fun-day-2025.

• The Fairy House Tour in Portsmouth will run Saturday, Sept. 20, and Sunday, Sept. 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to fairyhousetour.com, where you can purchase tickets for this display of more than 200 fairy houses on the grounds of Strawbery Banke Museum and the Governor John Langdon House. Other activities during the event include theater and ballet performances, live music and a reading of The Thing About Fairies, the website said.

• The Concord Multicultural Festival will run Sunday, Sept. 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Keach Park in Concord Heights, according to concordnhmulticulturalfestival.org. The day will feature a flag parade, live music and dance performances, artists, vendors, activities and food, including a Global Food Tour option where a NH Food Bank chef serves as a guide to cuisines from around the world, the website said. See the website closer to the events to purchase tour tickets and food vouchers for the Festival’s food vendors.

• The Deerfield Fair runs Thursday, Sept. 25, through Sunday, Sept. 28, at the fairgrounds, 34 Stage Road in Deerfield. The event features rides, live music, the Flying Wallendas high wire act, horse shows and agriculture events (including pig scrambles), magic shows, dog demonstrations and more, according to deerfieldfair.com, where you can purchase tickets.

• A Fall Fair at Joppa Hill Educational Farm in Bedford will take place Saturday, Sept. 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and feature hayrides, meet and greets with farm animals, crafts, vendors, live music, food truck, apple cider doughnuts and more, according to jhef.org, where you can purchase tickets.

• Beaver Brook Fall Festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Beaver Brook Association, 117 Ridge Road in Hollis, and feature live music, an Artisan Market, kids’ activities, live animal presentations, nature exhibits, hayrides, food trucks and more, according to an email from Beaver Brook. Admission is free. See beaverbrook.org.

• Henniker Brewing Company in Henniker will host Dysfunction Junction, a day of music, vendors and more on Saturday, Sept. 27, with doors opening at noon. The event, which is all ages (no pets), will feature music on two stages with bands slated to appear including Bonginator, Cytokine, Conforza, The Summoned, Taxicab Dismemberment, Overtime, Fabricator, Iron Gate, Smothered Sun, Arms Like Teeth and LNTRNS, according to hennikerbrewing.com, where you can find a link to purchase tickets.

• The Concord Municipal Airport will host Wings & Wheels on Sunday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring vendors associated with aviation, STEM and related fields; aircraft and other vehicles; food trucks and more, according to concordnh.gov/1713/Wings-Wheels-Event and the city’s Facebook page.

• The Harvest Moon Festival at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner will take place Sunday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to indianmuseum.org, where you can purchase tickets to the event. The day will celebrate the harvest season with Native foods, craft demonstrations, kids’ activities, storytelling, a scavenger hunt and more, the website.

• The New Hampshire Book Festival will run Friday, Oct. 3, and Saturday, Oct. 4, on South Main Street in Concord. On Friday, ticketed events will feature a children’s keynote with Tui Sutherland, author of the Wings of Fire series, and an inaugural keynote with author Walter Mosley in conversation with author Hank Phillipi Ryan, according to nhbookfestival.org. Saturday will feature a free all-day festival with book signings, panel discussions, poetry readings and more, the website said.

• Charmingfare Farm in Candia will hold its annual Pumpkin Festival Saturday, Oct. 4, and Sunday, Oct. 5, and Saturday, Oct. 11, through Monday, Oct. 13. Pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, take a tractor or horse-drawn wagon ride, meet costumed characters, enjoy a children’s corn maze, watch a juggling and comedy show and listen to live music, according to visitthefarm.com, where you can purchase tickets to a specific time during the two weekends. Oct. 11 will feature a children’s entrepreneur market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• The Autumn Craft Festival on the Lake will take place Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Mill Falls Marketplace in Meredith featuring specialty foods and more than 85 juried artisans, according to castleberryfairs.com.

• CAYA Reiki and Healing (caya-healing.square.site) has three upcoming fairs on its schedule, according to its Facebook page. The Psychic and Craft Fair will take place Saturday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Weirs Community Center in Laconia. The Pumpkin Fest Psychic and Craft Fair will take place Saturday, Oct. 11, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hooksett American Legion. And the Winter Wonderland Craft Market & Psychic Fair will also take place at the Hooksett American Legion on Saturday, Dec. 13, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Find CAYA on Facebook for updates.

• Indigenous People’s Day at Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner on Monday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. will feature free admission, a program featuring four artists discussing their works and creative process and more, according to indianmuseum.org.

• The Milford Pumpkin Festival will run Friday, Oct. 10, through Sunday, Oct. 12, at locations in downtown Milford and has in past years featured live music, food vendors, a 5K, historical walking tours, pumpkin art, kids’ activities and more, according to milfordpumpkinfestival.org, where you can check back for schedule updates for this year.

• The Warner Fall Foliage Festival will take place at locations in Warner Friday, Oct. 10, through Sunday, Oct. 12, with food trucks and vendors, craft vendors, rides and midway, oxen pulls and woodsman competitions, a 5K, a book and bake sale, parades and more, according to wfff.org, where you can see this year’s schedule and get updates.

• The New Hampshire Wool Arts Tour will run Saturday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at farms in Deering, Antrim, Bennington, Greenfield and Lyndeborough and feature demonstrations (creating yarn, weaving, knitting and more), live music, live animals, food vendors, fiber vendors, artists and crafters set up at the farms and more, according to woolartstournh.com, where you can find locations and descriptions of participating farms.

• Windham will hold its annual Harvest Fest on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Griffin Park featuring a “Horribles parade,” trick-or-treating, a bubble show, DJ Dominik and Steve Blunt, according to windham.recdesk.com.

• Goffstown’s annual Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off and Regatta will be held Saturday, Oct. 18, and Sunday, Oct. 19, featuring vendors and events in downtown Goffstown leading up to a regatta of pumpkin water craft. See goffstownmainstreet.org/pumpkin-regatta.

• The Laconia Pumpkin Festival will be held Saturday, Oct. 25, according to nhpumpkinfestival.com.

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Food festivals

• The Egyptian Food Festival at St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church in Nashua will run Friday, Sept. 5, through Sunday, Sept. 7. See page 36.

• The Hampton Beach Seafood Festival will take place Friday, Sept. 5, through Sunday, Sept. 7. See page 8.

• Glendi, the annual celebration of Greek food and culture at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral (650 Hanover St., Manchester, stgeorgenh.org/activities/glendi, 622-9113), will run Friday, Sept. 12, through Sunday, Sept. 14, and will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Enjoy food, dancing, live music (Friday and Saturday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.), vendors selling Greek items, raffles and more, according to the Cathedral’s website.

• The Manchester Brewfest will take place Saturday, Sept. 13, with general admission from 1 to 4 p.m. and a VIP admission starting at noon at Arms Park in Manchester, according to manchesterbrewfest.com, where you can purchase tickets (including a designated driver ticket) and see the lineup of brewers and food and vendors. The event, which benefits Webster House, will also feature live music, the website said.

• The Great New Hampshire Pie Festival will take place at the New Hampshire Farm Museum in Milton on Saturday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; you can enter a pie for competition or just attend to eat pie from area bakers, according to nhfarmmuseum.org.

• The Biergarten Anheuser-Busch in Merrimack will hold its Oktoberfest Friday, Sept. 26, from 6 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 27, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 28, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (The celebration is 21+ on Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m.) The event will feature German beer, food trucks, live music and more — lederhosen welcome, according to a post on The Biergarten’s Facebook page, where you can find a link for tickets (also via budweisertours.com/mmktours).

• Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 68 N. State St. in Concord, will hold its Greek Food Festival on Saturday, Sept. 27, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Try homemade Greek specialties such as lamb and chicken souvlaki, moussaka, pastichio, Greek meatballs, gyros and spanakopita and check out the pastries including baklava, pasta flora, koulourakia and more, according to an email from the church. There will be church tours at 1 and 3 p.m.

• Veterans Count Lakes Region Red, White & Brew Craft Beer and Wine Festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 27, noon to 7 p.m. at Funspot in Laconia, according to vetscount.org/events/red-white-brew, where you can purchase tickets. The event will feature craft beer, wine, food, a car show, live music from Bob Pratte Band and more, the website said.

• To Share Brewing Co., 720 Union St. in Manchester, tosharebrewing.com, will hold its seventh annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 1 to 8 p.m. to celebrate the release of its Oktoberfest Altbier, according to an email from the brewery. The day will feature drink specials, beer bratwurst, oompah music, stein holding contests and more; lederhosen and dirndls are encouraged, the email said.

• The Fall Food & Wine Festival will take place on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St. in Nashua, featuring local wineries and food vendors offering wine, cheese, chocolate and more, according to a press release. This 21+ event benefits End 68 Hours of Hunger — Nashua, a non profit that provides food for the 68-hour weekend between school meals, the release said. Tickets cost $25 for general admission, $15 for designated drivers and $35 for an extra hour of admission from 6 to 7 p.m., the release said. See tinyurl.com/3sfxvwp9 for tickets.

• Henniker Brewing Co. in Henniker will hold its Oktoberfest Friday, Oct. 3, through Monday, Oct. 6, with Oktoberfest competitions, food vendors, the taping of the Oktoberfest Marzen Cask (Saturday at 1 p.m), live music each day and more, according to hennikerbrewing.com, where you can find the schedule of the weekend’s events.

• 603 Brewery in Londonderry will hold a Fall Fest on Saturday, Oct. 4, noon to 8 p.m. featuring food trucks, live music and a DJ, local artisans, a stein holding contest, kitchen specials and more, according to 603brewery.com.

• The annual Powder Keg Beer & Chili Festival will take place in Swasey Parkway in downtown Exeter on Saturday, Oct. 4, with general admission at 1 p.m., noon for VIP ticket holders, according to powderkegbeerfest.com.

• The 2025 Mount Uncanoonuc Brewfest will take place Saturday, Oct. 11, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Mountain Base Brewery, which cohosts the 21+ event along with the Worker Bee Fund. The day will feature breweries and other beverage purveyors, food vendors, music from Catfish Howl and more, according to the tickets page, which you can find a link to via Mountain Base Brewery’s Facebook page.

• The Chocolate Expo will take place Sunday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the DoubleTree Expo Center in downtown Manchester featuring tastings and sales of chocolates and other specialty foods as well as craft beverages and more from 60 to 100 vendor booths, according to thechocolateexpo.com, where you can purchase tickets. The expo may also include demos, a Kidz Zone and more, the website said.

• The Biergarten Anheuser-Busch in Merrimack will host the Inaugural Budweiser Brewery Food Truck & Beer Festival on Saturday, Oct. 18, noon to 6 p.m. The day will feature food trucks, artisan vendors, craft beer and beverages, live music and more, according to budweisertours.com/mmktours, where you can purchase tickets.

• The New Hampshire Brewfest Craft Beer Festival will take place on Saturday, Oct. 18, with general admission at 1 p.m., noon for VIP ticket holders, at Smuttynose Brewery in Hampton, according to nhbrewfest.com, where you can purchase tickets.

• Taste of New Hampshire will be held Tuesday, Oct. 21, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord featuring entrees and desserts from local restaurants and shops, live music, samples of beverages, a silent auction and more, according to tasteofnh.com, where you can purchase tickets.

• This year’s NH 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.

• Henniker Brewing Company will hold its BBQ Fest and competition on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 2 to 8 p.m. The New England BBQ Society sanctioned event will feature competition in chicken wings and ribs, according to the ticket website, which you can reach via hennikerbrewing.com. Taste the wings to vote for a people’s choice, the website said.

• The annual Distiller’s Showcase of Premium Spirits will take place Thursday, Nov. 6, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown, according to distillersshowcase.com, where you can purchase tickets including tickets for early admission and for a room of ultrapremium products.

• The 13th Annual Fulchino Vineyards Wine and Cheese Festival will take place Saturday, Nov. 15, and Sunday, Nov. 16, at the vineyard in Hollis with tickets available for time slots on each day, according to fulchinovineyard.com. Taste wines, artisan meats, cheeses, oils, vinegars and desserts, the website said.

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Concerts

• Upcoming shows at the Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, tupelomusichall.com, include Ace Frehley performing KISS hits with Lone Wolf James opening on Sept. 4; Fortune on Sept. 5; Unforgettable Fire on Sept. 6; Tristan McIntosh performing the Linda Ronstadt Experience on Sept. 7; The Bacon Brothers on Sept. 12; Michael Schenker “My Years with UFO” with Jared James Nichols opening on Sept. 13; Sebastian Bach with Lone Wolf James opening on Sept. 17; Shaun Cassidy on Sept. 18; Guitar Monsters with Jon Butcher, Johnny A, Chris Anderson and James Montgomery on Sept. 19; Aldo Nova on Sept. 20; Cowboy Junkies on Sept. 26; John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band on Sept. 27; David Cook on Sept. 28; Little Lies: a tribute to Fleetwood Mac on Oct. 2; Kashmir: live Led Zeppelin tribute on Oct. 4; Eric Johnson: Texaphonic Tour on Oct. 5; Geoff Tate with Tomas McCarthy opening on Oct. 7; Great White with Under the Horizon opening on Oct. 9; F-J, a tribute to Foreigner and Journey, on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11; Buckcherry and Michael Monroe with Drew Cagle & The Reputation opening on Oct. 14; Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives on Oct. 16; King’s X with Shape and Sound opening on Oct. 17; Panorama and 4Play, tribute to The Cars and Boston, on Oct. 25; Tommy Emmanuel on Oct. 26; Story of a Song: ’90s Unplugged Experience on Nov. 6; Live and Let Die: the music of Paul McCartney with Tony Kishman on Nov. 8; Richie Kotzen and John 5 with Band Inc. opening Nov. 12; The Four Horsemen: tribute to Metallica on Nov. 14; Hollywood Nights: tribute to Bob Seger on Nov. 15; Glenn Miller Orchestra on Nov. 16 (two shows); Uli Jon Roth on Nov. 18; BeauSoleil with special guest Richard Thompson on Nov. 20; Anthony Gomes on Nov. 21; The British Invasion Years on Nov. 22; Adrenalize, Def Leppard tribute, Nov. 28; The Fools on Nov. 29; Chris Isaak on Dec. 2; Carbon Leaf on Dec. 6, and Thunderstruck, “America’s AC/DC,” on Dec. 12.

• LaBelle Winery,672-9898, labellewinery.com, has shows at both its Amherst (345 Route 101) and Derry (14 Route 111) locations. In Derry, shows include Outdoor Candlelight Strings Concert: Pop Hits on Sept. 4; Changes in Latitude: Jimmy Buffet Tribute on Sept. 11; Fleetwood Macked: a Fleetwood Mac tribute on Sept. 25; Bostyx: Boston and Styx tribute on Oct. 9; Draw The Line: Aerosmith tribute on Oct. 16, and Uncaged, a Zac Brown tribute, on Oct. 23.

In Amherst, shows include Mystic Highway: a tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival on Sept. 18; A Farewell to Kings: Rush tribute on Oct. 16, and Lovesexy, a Prince tribute, on Oct. 23.

• Jewel Music Venue, 61 Canal St., Manchester, 819-9336, jewelmusicvenue.com, has shows on the schedule including a night of New England doom with Churchburn, Vigil, Vacant Eyes and Conclave on Sept. 5; a Godsmack and Metallic Tribute show with Headsmack and Battery 401 on Sept. 20, and the Hachi Halloween Event with Lumasi, Okayjake, Voartyx, Nice Nadine B2B Disco Titz and Smokes Lets Go on Oct. 24.

• Concerts at the Palace Theatre,80 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org, include Stayin’ Alive, one night of the Bee Gees, on Sept. 5, Sept. 6 (two shows) and Sept. 7; Remember John Denver with Ted Vigil on Sept. 25; Celebrating Celine with Jenene Caramielo on Oct. 9; Classic Albums Live performs Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon on Oct. 10; Shadow of the ’60s: Tribute to Motown’s Super Groups on Oct. 12, and So Good: The Neil Diamond Experience on Oct. 16 & Oct. 17.

Over at the Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St. in Manchester, the schedule includes Dueling Pianos on Sept. 5; The Shadow Riders: a tribute to the Marshall Trucker Band on Sept. 12; Yesterday Once More, a tribute to the Carpenters, on Sept. 14; Jeff Kazee & GE Smith on Sept. 18; The Space Cowboy, a Steve Miller tribute, on Sept. 19; Matt Axton on Sept. 24; The Kingston Trio on Sept. 25; Jon Nolan and the Good Co. album release on Sept. 26; New Hampshire Fiddle Ensemble on Sept. 28; Brennen Leigh on Oct. 2; Jon Abrams presents The Paul Simon Project onOct. 10; YellowHouse Blues Band on Oct. 11; Tim O’Brien with Jan Fabricius on Oct. 16; The Joshua Tree: a U2 tribute on Oct. 24; Redneck Castaway Band, a Kenny Chesney tribute, on Oct. 25; Beatlejuice, a Beatles tribute band, on Nov. 2; Damn the Torpedoes, a Tom Petty concert experience, on Nov. 8; A Yacht Rock Experience with The Full Cleveland on Nov. 15; The Corvettes Doo Wop Revue on Nov. 16; Moondance, a Van Morrison tribute, on Nov. 22; Blues Brothers the Next Generation on Nov. 29, and Back in Black, an AC/DC experience, on Dec. 5.

• Upcoming shows at Terminus Underground at New Hampshire Underground, 134 Haines St. in Nashua, newhampshireunderground.org/terminusunderground, include Zombtastic Ozzmosis with Visions of Ozz (an Ozzy Osbourne tribute band) and Lords of Salem (a Rob Zombie tribute band) on Sept. 6 and the End of Summer Luau on Sept. 12 with The Spot, 217 Main St. in Nashua, with music by Under the Horizon, Dead Harrison, The Whole Loaf, 6 Minds Combined and The Healer as well as art, vendors, mocktails, food trucks and more, according to the website.

• The Range, 96 Old Turnpike Road, Mason, 878-1324, therangemason.com, will finish out its summer of concerts with Joe Samba with Will Evans on Sept. 6; Pettybreakers: a Tom Petty tribute on Sept. 13, and Neighbor and Tom Hamilton with New Pond Fondle on Sept. 26.

• Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre, 44 S. Main St. in Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com, shows include Al Jardine and The Pet Sounds Band on Sept. 7; Deer Tick featuring Gym Shorts on Sept. 10; Emerson, Lake & Palmer on Sept. 12; Jason Robert Brown & Friends on Sept. 13; A Taste of Ireland on Sept. 14; Vitamin String Quartet on Oct. 2; Toad the Wet Sprocket with KT Tunstall & Vertical Horizon on Oct. 5; Laurie Berkner Halloween Concert on Oct. 26; Dark Star Orchestra on Nov. 17; Randy Travis on Nov. 21; Beatles vs. Stones: A Musical Showdown on Dec. 11, and The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight on Dec. 13.

At the BNH Stage,16 S. Main St. in Concord, the schedule includes Best of Broadway ’60s edition on Sept. 6 (two shows); Journeyman on Sept. 7; Save Ferris with opener MEST on Sept. 11; Echoes of Floyd on Sept. 12; Mullet on Sept. 13; The Starlight Honeys on Sept. 14; Motor Booty Affair on Sept. 27; Swing Dance night with the New Hampshire Jazz Orchestra on Sept. 28 and Nov. 23; Ranger Zone Open Mic with Andrew North and the Rangers on Oct. 1, Nov. 5 and Dec. 3; Opiate (a tribute to Tool) on Oct. 4; Both Sides Now (music and lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen) on Oct. 10; Monophonics on Oct. 12; Live from Laurel Canyon on Oct. 16; Duunes on Oct. 17; Tom DiMenna on Oct. 19; Pizzastock with the New Limits, Vermillion and Sotah on Oct. 26 Mr. Aaron’s Halloween Bash on Nov. 1; Charlie Chronopoulos on Nov. 1; End of the Line on Nov. 6; Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas on Nov. 13; Mary Fahl with a band performing Dark Side of the Moon on Nov. 15; Jeremy Jordan & Age of Madness on Nov. 21; Spencer and the Walrus on Nov. 22, and Great Lake Swimmers with Abel Partridge on Dec. 10.

• Rock n Roll Meatballs, 179 Elm St., Manchester, rocknrollmeatballs.com, has upcoming shows including High N Dry; a Def Leppard experience, on Sept. 6; Emo Night Brooklyn on Sept. 13; Tantric with Lone Wolf James & Hollow Virtue on Sept. 19; Jordan Quinn and Crowned28 on Sept. 20; The Killing Devils and Westbound with Chad West on Sept. 26; The Warped Tour Band: a tribute to the music of Vans Warped Tour on Oct. 11; Bearly Dead: a Grateful Dead tribute on Oct. 18; Saving Abel on Oct. 24; Moonshine Bandits on Nov. 14, and Rotten Apple: a tribute to Alice in Chains on Nov. 22.

• Concerts at Averill House Vineyard 21 Averill Road, Brookline, 371-2296, averillhousevineyard.com, include Duquette on Sept. 7; Tom Feeley on Sept. 14; Andrea Paquin on Sept. 21; Side Effects on Sept. 28; Gus & Jean on Oct. 5; DJ Dee Kimble and D. Heywood joined by DEX on Oct. 12; Jiggery Pokery on Oct. 19, and Jae Mannion on Oct. 26.

• Fall concerts at theNashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com, include Tuba Skinny on Sept. 10; The Wallflowers on Sept. 14; Girl Named Tom on Sept. 18; Celtic Thunder on Sept. 21; Tusk on Oct. 3; The Robert Cray Band on Oct. 4; Pink Martini on Oct. 13; Phil Vassar Acoustic Duo on Oct. 25; Joanne Shaw Taylor on Nov. 1; Scott Bradlee’s Post Modern Jukebox on Nov. 7; Gaelic Storm on Nov. 15; Jim Brickman on Nov. 16; Jim Messina on Nov. 23, and The Four Tops on Dec. 6.

• Musicians for Meals, a benefit concert for Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County, will be held Saturday, Sept. 13, noon to 10 p.m., at Riley’s Place in Milford, according to a press release. Bands slated to appear include Granite Sunset, Creosote, Acoustic Beatles, Unnamed Trio, Violet Tendencies, ZeppHalen, Hot Velvet and Stone Hill Station, the release said. The event is free to attend with donations encouraged and the day featuring raffles as well as food available for purchase from Riley’s, the release said. See hcmow.org.

• Andres Institute of Art, 16 Route 13, Brookline, andresinstitute.org, will continue its 2025 Act II series of concerts with Nick Spencer & Willie J. Laws on Sept. 13; Diplomats of Funk on Oct. 5; Different Ships, Same Boat on Oct. 23; The Ballou Brothers on Nov. 15, and Compaq Big Band on Dec. 14.

• The Concord City Auditorium 2 Prince St., Concord, theaudi.org, features a lineup of concerts including “Halfway to St. Patty’s” with the Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki Trio on Sept. 17; “The Grand Ole Opry Through the Years” with Rob Azevedo on Oct. 1; Concord Coachmen Chorus “Fall Festival Show” featuring Catalyst and The NH Ukeladies on Oct. 19, and “Seasonal Bell Music” with the Granite State Ringers on Nov. 5.

• The Flying Goose, 40 Andover Road, New London, 526-6899, flyinggoose.com, has a fall concert lineup including Garnet Rogers on Sept. 18; Jon Pousette-Dart on Oct. 2; John Gorka on Oct. 8; Maia Sharp & Catie Curtis on Oct. 23; David Francey on Nov. 6; David Wilcox on Nov. 13; Freebo & Alice Howe on Nov. 20; Tom Rush on Dec. 7; Unsung Heroes Band on Dec. 11, and Harvey Reid & Joyce Andersen on Dec. 18.

• The Listening Room, Prayers of Nature Studio, 33 Howard St., Wilton, 732-3815, prayersofnature.com, has concerts on its schedule including Vampire Bird on Sept. 19 and Dylan Patrick Ward on Sept. 20.

• Mr. Aaron’s Kids Music Fest will take place Saturday, Sept. 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the State House Lawn in downtown Concord. The line-up includes Miss Alli (9:30 a.m.); Mr. Aaron Band (10:30 a.m.); Miss Julieann (11:30 a.m.); La La Squad and the Missing Piece, an interative puppet musical (12:30 p.m.); Himalayan Heritage Performing Arts Group (1:30 p.m) and Music at the Blissful (at 2:30 p.m.), according to mraaronmusic.com/kidsmusicfest.

• Dana Center at Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu, has a lineup including A Taste of Ireland on Sept. 20 and Mac McAnally on Nov. 14.

• Fulchino Vineyard, 187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis, 438-5984, fulchinovineyard.com, hosts a Sinatra Wine Pairing Dinner with Chris Jason and Joelle Righetti (the Sinatra Live Band) on Sept. 20; Frank Corso a Journey Through Italy on Sept. 28 and Jacob Tolliver on Oct. 21.

• Concerts at the Stockbridge Theatre (5 Pinkerton St., Derry, pinkertonacademy.org/stockbridge-theatre) include The Dreamboats on Sept. 27 and Neil Berg’s 50 Years of Rock And Roll Part 2 on Oct. 25.

• Concerts at SNHU Arena, 555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com, include Alabama with special guests John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band on Oct. 11, and A Day to Remember and Yellowcard with The Wonder Years and Dinosaur Pile-Up on Nov. 8.

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Art

• The Glimpse Gallery (Patriot Building, 4 Park St., Concord, theglimpsegallery.com, 892-8307) will continue its current exhibition through Tuesday, Sept. 9, featuring the art of Randy Wind, Emma Crisp, Lizzy Berube, Corey Garland, Elaine Packard, Joy Hamnqvist and Sharon Seaward, according to the website.

• “Jeanne Kunze: Color, Line and Thread” is on display at the Art Gallery at the Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St. in Nashua, nashualibrary.org, through mid-September.

• “Creativity Explored Outer Space Part II,” an exhibit featuring works by artists from the San Francisco-based Creativity Explored, which is “a celebrated nonprofit artist community and working studio where over 130 adult artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art,” is on display at Outer Space Arts, 35 Pleasant St. in Concord, outerspacearts.xyz, through Saturday, Sept. 20.

• “Old Friends, New Works” will be on display at Kimball Jenkins, 266 N. Main St. in Concord, kimballjenkins.com, through Saturday, Sept. 27 (see the website for gallery hours). There will be a public artist reception on Friday, Sept. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. Kimball Jenkins will also hold an open house on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with tours of the campus, interactive art activities, live demonstrations and performances including Alejandro’s Olde Tyme Magik Showe Presented by Andrew Pinard at 11 a.m. and musician Mr. Aaron at 2 p.m.

• Artists Carol Walser Robey, Peter Houde, Guy Riendeau, and Maxwell Irwin have their works on display at the Sandy Cleary Community Art Gallery at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com) through November, according to the Center’s Facebook page.

• The NH Audubon’s McLane Center, 84 Silk Farm Road in Concord, nhaudubon.org, presents the exhibit “Meditations in Ink” featuring nature portrayed via Asian brush painting by Bruce Iverson, with a reception Thursday, Sept. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit will be on display through Saturday, Oct. 18. The center is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Creative Ventures Gallery, 411 Nashua St. in Milford, will present Barbara Morse Art Show on Friday, Sept. 5, through Tuesday, Sept. 30, with an opening slated for Friday, Sept. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. See creativeventuresfineart.com.

• The NH Audubon’s Massabesic Center, 26 Audubon Way in Auburn, nhaudubon.org, presents the exhibit “Nature’s Palette” with paintings and photography by John A. Webster through Thursday, Oct. 30, with an artist exhibit Saturday, Sept. 6, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The center is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• League of NH Craftsmen Exhibition Gallery at League HQ, 49 S. Main St. in Concord, will open “A Change of Season” Thursday, Sept. 4, with a reception from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The exhibit will be on display through Friday, Sept. 26, with gallery hours Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• The Concord Arts Market, concordartsmarket.org, will continue its Saturday Micro Markets @ Arts Alley, which is at 20 Main St., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 6 through Sept. 27. On Saturday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. catch the Market’s Arts in the Park at Rollins Park, 33 Bow St. in Concord. The Concord Arts Market will also be at the First Friday event on Nov. 7, 4 to 8 p.m., when the theme is Art Walk, according to the website.

• Manchester City-Wide Arts Festival will run Sunday, Sept. 7, through Saturday, Sept. 13. See page 29.

• “The Art of What’s Next” continues at Art 3 Gallery (44 W. Brook St., Manchester, art3gallery.com). On Monday, Nov. 17, the gallery will open the exhibit “Shifting Light”: “With the end of daylight savings, reduced daylight hours, and the angle of the sun, there is a literal shifting of light and shadows and this changes how we perceive our familiar yet transformed environment,” according to an email from the gallery. Art 3 is open Monday through Friday from 12:30 to 4 p.m. and by appointment.

• The New Hampshire Antique Co-Op, 323 Elm St. in Milford, will hold a reception for the exhibition “The American Still Life: Two Centuries of Timeless Tradition” celebrating still life painting from the 19th century through the present day on Sunday, Sept. 7, from 1 to 3 p.m. The exhibition will be on view through Dec. 31, according to a press release. The Co-op is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. See nhantiquecoop.com.

• The Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St. in Manchester, currier.org, will continue displaying the exhibit “Paintings From Tomie dePaola” through Oct. 19. On Thursday, Sept. 18, the Art Off the Walls from 5 to 8 p.m., when admission is donation-based, will celebrate the work of Tomie dePaola with local artists who create for young people and will participate in a sketch off, according to the website. On Thursday, Oct. 9, the exhibit “Joined Together: 30 Years of the Furniture Masters” will open and feature works of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters. On Thursday, Nov. 6, the exhibit “Embellish Me: Works from the Collection of Norma Canelas Roth and William Roth” will open; the show focused on artists in Los Angeles and New York in the 1970s will celebrate “this generation of trailblazing artists who championed color, pattern, and craft techniques traditionally associated with women artists,” the website said.

• Mosaic Art Collective, 66 Hanover St., Suite 201, in Manchester, mosaicartcollective.com, will open the exhibition “Full Circle 2025” on Monday, Sept. 8, and it will run through Friday, Sept. 26, with an artist reception on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 4 to 8 p.m. The show reflects “on growth, transformation, and creative milestones,” according to the website. The gallery will present “Exquisite Corpse,” “a group exhibition inspired by the surrealist game where hidden hands shape unexpected creations,” Monday, Oct. 6, through Sunday, Nov. 2, with calling hours Saturday, Oct. 11, 4 to 8 p.m., the website said.

• See Saw Art, a 120-square-foot exhibition space within Mosaic Art Collective at 66 Hanover St., Suite 201, in Manchester, will present “As a Bright Star Unseen” featuring works by Caleb Swann Saturday, Sept. 13, through Sunday, Sept. 28, with an opening reception Sept. 13 from 4 to 8 p.m.

• The annual Bridges and Connections International Sculpture Symposium at the Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline, andresinstitute.org, 673-7441) starts Saturday, Sept. 13, with an opening reception and a blues concert that night, according to the website, where you can check for updates on other events during the symposium including panel discussions, an artists showcase and more. The closing ceremony will be Sunday, Oct. 5, with a walking tour to the new sculptures in the spots on the trail and a concert that evening, the website said. See andresinstitute.org for a look at the artists’ past works as well as a trail map.

• Center for the Arts (centerfortheartsnh.org) will hold its Open Studios for artists in the New London area on Saturday, Oct. 11, and Sunday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. See the website for updates on participating art studios.

• Two Villages Art Society, 846 Main St. in Contoocook, twovillagesart.org, will present “Returning: Oil Paintings by Catherine H. Tuttle” Sept. 13 through Saturday, Oct. 11, with an opening reception Saturday, Sept. 13, from noon to 2 p.m. The next exhibit this fall will be “Color Vibrations: Paintings by Pamela R. Tarbell” Oct. 18 through Nov. 15, with an opening reception Saturday, Oct. 18, from noon to 2 p.m.

• Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury, shakers.org, 783-9511) will hold its annual Artisan Market on Saturday, Sept. 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free to this event featuring handcrafted arts, music and family activities, according to the website.

• Monadnock Art Open Studio Tour runs Saturday, Oct. 11, through Monday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with more than 65 participating artists in Peterborough, Dublin, Jaffrey, Sharon, Harrisville, Hancock and Marlborough. Find a map with a listing of all the artists at monadnockart.org/ monadnock-art-open-studio-tour.

• Deerfield Arts Tour takes place Saturday, Oct. 18, and Sunday, Oct. 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nearly 20 artists are slated to participate, according to deerfieldarts.com where you can find a map of the studios.

• Queerlective will present Not Afraid to Fail Fest on Friday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. at BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St. in Concord, ccanh.com. “Not Afraid to Fail Fest is a one-night variety show spotlighting folks doing something for the very first time. It’s part open mic, part talent show, part joyful mess…. Whether it’s your first poem, first drag number, first song, or first time sharing your art in public, this is the space to try it out,” according to queerlective.com.

• “Small Works/BIG IMPACT” will open on Saturday, Nov. 1, at Creative Ventures Gallery, 411 Nashua St. in Milford, creativeventuresfineart.com. The show, which is still accepting entries from artists, will run through Sunday, Dec. 21.

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Theater

• The Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org, begins its St. Mary’s Bank 2025-2026 Performing Arts Series with Dancing Queens: The Ultimate ABBA and Disco Tribute Sept. 12 through Oct. 5. Other shows in the series include The BodyguardThe Musical Oct. 24 through Nov. 16 andThe Nutcrackerperformed by Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater Nov. 20-23. Other theatrical productions at the Palace include two shows of The Vampire Circus on Oct. 11.

At the Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St. in Manchester, theatrical productions include The Edward Twins From Las Vegas present The Ultimate Variety Show featuring impersonations and impressions of celebrities of the 1970s and 1980s on Sept. 4; Archie Parish’s Parting Words, a one-man play written and performed by Ernest Thompson, on Sept. 7, andWitch Perfect, a live singing parody of Hocus Pocus, on Oct. 29.

• The Majestic Theatre, 880 Page St. in Manchester, 669-7469, majestictheatre.net, will kick off the fall season with the fundraiser The Fabulous Fifties, featuring performances by the company’s adult, teen and youth performers as well as Ted Herbert Music School faculty and students Sept. 19-20. Check the website for updates on fall shows, which will include a youthMonster Mash Cabaret on Oct. 25 and It’s a Wonderful Life, Southern Fried MurderOct. 31 through Nov. 2, a musical production, Dec. 12-14.

• The Nashua Theatre Guild will present The Tin Woman Sept. 19 through Sept. 20. See nashuatheatreguild.org for details.

• Theatrical presentations slated for the Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St. in Nashua, nashuacenterforthearts.com, include the Nashua Community Arts 2nd Annual Arts Ball “Let’s Sparkle” on Sept. 20; the Grand Kyiv Ballet presents Swan Lake on Oct. 22; the 360 Allstars, a circus-like performance featuring “BMX, basketball, breakdancing, acrobatics, drumming and more,” according to the website, on Nov. 13, and sleight-of-hand entertainer Jason LaDayne on Nov. 22.

• The Anselmian Abbey Players will present Oscar-Winning Cabaret 2025 on Sept. 26 at the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu. The Players will also present Dracula Oct. 31 through Nov. 2. The Dana Center will also host The Aaron Tolson Institute of Dance Presents: Dance Now!, described as a multi-dance company extravaganza, on Nov. 23.

• Theatre Kapow (tkapow.com) will presentLemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons, a play by Sam Steiner, described this way on Kapow’s website: “Hilarious yet poignant, the play explores what happens when we can no longer speak freely and how humans continue to communicate through actions, body language, and the spaces between words.” The play will be presented Sept. 19 through Sept. 21 at the BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St. in Concord, ccanh.com.

• The Milford Area Players will present Clueat the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company) Sept. 26 through Oct. 5, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. See milfordareaplayers.org.

• The Capitol Center for the Arts (ccanh.com) has theatrical presentations scheduled at both the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord) and the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord). At the Chubb Theatre, catch Puppy Pals Live, an action-packed comedic stunt dog show, on Sept. 28; Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, a musical based on the children’s book, in two shows on Oct. 21; L’Chaim — A Toast to Jewish Composers of Broadway on Nov. 16, and The Giveron Nov. 18. At the BNH Stage, catch the Best of Broadway ’60s Edition on Sept. 6.

• The Community Players of Concord, communityplayersofconcord.org, will present The Addams Family Musical Nov. 21 through Nov. 23 at the Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St. in Concord. See the website for tickets. The company’s Children’s Project will present Something Rotten Jr.on Oct. 17 and Oct. 18. The Players will also participate in the One-Act Play Festival hosted by the New Hampshire Community Theatre Association the weekend of Oct. 3, at the Bedford Town Hall.

• Cue Zero Theatre will present People Like to Be Scared: An Exploration of Fear, described at cztheatre.com as “an original devised piece by Cue Zero Theatre Company under the direction of Dan Pelletier,” Oct. 3 through Oct. 5 at Arts Academy of New Hampshire in Salem. See cztheatre.com for tickets.

• Theatrical offerings at the Stockbridge Theatre (5 Pinkerton St., Derry, pinkertonacademy.org/stockbridge-theatre) include Broadway’s Next Hit Musical, a show of improv, comedy and music, on Oct. 4; Doktor Kaboom!, a blend of comedy and science, on Oct. 8; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as presented by the Pinkerton Players Oct. 17 through Oct. 19, and the Magic of Bill Blagg Live on Nov. 8.

• The Manchester Community Theatre Players will present Shrek the Musicalat the MCTP Theatre at North End Montessori School (698 Beech St., Manchester) Oct. 17 through Oct. 19 and Oct. 24 through Oct. 26. See manchestercommunitytheatre.com.

• The Peacock Players will present High School Musical 2, with performers ages 6 to 14, Oct. 17 through Oct. 26 at Janice B. Streeter Theatre (14 Court St. in Nashua). The fall teen mainstage production will be CinderellaBroadway Version Nov. 14 through Nov. 23. See peacockplayers.org.

• Epping Community Theater (38 Ladds Lane, Epping, eppingtheater.org) will present the Dracula Radio Show Oct. 17 through Oct. 19. The company will also present Little MermaidNov. 7 through Nov. 16.

• Actors Cooperative Theatre will present A Clockwork Orangeat the Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway in Derry, Oct. 24 through Oct. 27. See kctnh.org/act.

• Lend Me a Theater will present the murder mystery dinner theater Deadly Dealat Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, with dinner and a show and show-only ticket options. See lendmeatheater.org for more on the show.

• The Riverbend Youth Company will present The Addams Familyat the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company) Nov. 7 through Nov. 9.

• Actorsingers will present The Producers at Keefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St., Nashua) Nov. 7 through Nov. 9. See actorsingers.org.

• Bedford Off Broadway, which holds its performances at Bedford Town Hall, 3 Meetinghouse Road in Bedford, will present Icehouse: An Ice Fishing FantasyNov. 7 through Nov. 16, according to the Facebook page, where you can find updates on the show. Also see bedfordoffbroadway.com.

• Kids Coop Theatre will present Beetlejuice Jr. Nov. 21 through Nov. 23. Auditions for the show for performers 8 to 19 years old will take place Sunday, Sept. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The KCT Studio, 232 N. Broadway in Salem. See kctnh.org for details.

• Ovation Theatre Company, 61 Harvey Road, Londonderry, ovationtc.com, will present Freaky Fridayon Nov. 14 and Nov. 15 at the Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway in Derry.

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Classical music

• Evenings at Avaloch are held in the concert barn space at Avaloch Farm Music Institute with visiting artists and ensembles of different genres from around the world who are in residence at Avaloch Farm Music Institute (16 Hardy Lane, Boscawen, avalochfarmmusic.org). The Farm has a series of Friday evening events in September at 7:30 p.m. featuring a mix of musicians and pieces with a suggested donation of $10.

The Acronym Ensemble will perform Friday, Oct. 3, at an event that also contains a pre-concert talk and a dinner (tickets with just the concert and talk are also available). The Avaloch Annual Fall Gala featuring music, food and more will take place Saturday, Oct. 18, starting at 4 p.m.

• Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St. in Concord, will hold an open house on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to noon featuring a musical instrument “petting zoo,” free demo classes, free jam sessions and more, according to ccmusicschool.org. The school’s Bach’s Lunch series of lectures and performances (which runs the first and second Thursdays of the month, October through May, from 12:10 to 1 p.m.) begins for the season on Thursday, Oct. 2, with “La Femme Vaillante: Reviving the Musical Legacy of Augusta Holmès, Part 1” featuring a lecture and performance with vocalist Melissa Elsman and pianist Kathryn Southworth, the website said. Also at the school, the Fall Fiddle Workshops and Concert will run Saturday, Oct. 4, with workshops 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a concert at 7:30 p.m.; see the website for concert tickets and workshop registration.

• The Manchester Choral Society will hold an open sing and auditions on Monday, Sept. 8, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Grace Epsicopal Church, 106 Lowell St. in Manchester, according to a press release. The Manchester Choral Society will hold concerts in December and in the spring. See mcsnh.org to register for an audition or for information.

• The New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus is holding auditions for its winter concert in September with the next audition held on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 6:30 to 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 508 Union St. in Manchester, followed by rehearsal from 7 to 9:30 p.m., according to nhgmc.com. Click on “Open Auditions” under the “Events” tab to get more details on the auditions.

• Concord Community Concert Association will open its season at the Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St. in Concord, on Friday, Sept. 12, with Bach & The Brandenburgs – Acronym Baroque Ensemble. The season continues with Spanish Brass on Oct. 24.

• Symphony New Hampshire will feature shows curated by the five musical director finalists through the 2025-2026 season. First up is finalist Tiffany Chang with “Unexpected Stories” featuring Gaetano Donizetti’s overture to Don Pasquale; Manuel de Falla’s “Nights in the Gardens of Spain,” and Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 3, according to symphonynh.org. The show will take place Saturday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the Keefe Auditorium in Nashua. On Thursday, Oct. 16, the symphony will hold its 2025 Fanfare Celebration at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua. On Thursday, Oct. 30, Symphony NH will present “Halloween Pops” at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord at 7:30 p.m.

• The Capitol Center for the Arts (ccanh.com) has classical presentations scheduled at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord) including Vitamin String Quartet on Oct. 2 and Symphony New Hampshire with Halloween Pops: A Spooky Symphony on Oct. 30.

• The Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St. in Concord, theaudi.org, will also host the Walker Lecture presentation “Classical Piano” with Mark Valenti on Oct. 29.

• Dana Center at Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, tickets.anselm.edu, will present Saeyoon Chon, an international prize-winning pianist, on Oct. 11.

• NH Philharmonic Orchestra starts its season with “History in Sound: From Ellis Island to the Russian Revolution” Saturday, Oct. 18, and Sunday, Oct. 19, at the Seifert Performing Arts Center in Salem. See nhphil.org.

• The Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St. in Manchester, palacetheatre.org, will host Candlelight: Haunted Halloween Classics in two shows on Oct. 30; the Symphony New Hampshire Jazz Quartet will present “City Nights & Blue Lights” on Nov. 6; Candlelight: featuring Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and more on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m., and Candlelight: a tribute to Coldplay and Imagine Dragons on Nov. 14 at 8:30 p.m.

• The First Church, 1 Concord St. in Nashua, will celebrate the 18th season of its First Music Concert Series starting on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 3 p.m. with “Organ Masters” featuring Denis Comtet. See first-music.org.

• The Nashua Chamber Orchestra will hold its fall concert on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. at Nashua Community College and Sunday, Nov. 23, at 3 p.m. at Milford Town Hall.

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Books

• Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord, gibsonsbookstore.com) has several author events on its schedule: Mel Allen, Yankee magazine editor, presents his story collectionHere in New England on Friday, Sept. 5, 6:30-7:30 p.m.; Sarah Stewart Taylor will talk about her new mystery novel Hunter’s Heart Ridge on Thursday, Sept. 18, 6:30-7:30 p.m.; Sy Montgomery and Matt Patterson will talk about their new picture book The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 11 a.m. to noon; Emily Prescott, a New Hampshire author, will talk about her debut novel, Henhouse, a reimagining of Pride & Prejudice, on Thursday, Sept. 25, 6:30-7:30 p.m.; fantasy author R.A. Salvatore returns for the launch day event for his newest series, The Finest Edge of Twilight, including an author talk, Q&A and signing line, on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 6:30-7:30 p.m.; romance novelist Lyla Sage will be joined on stage at the Cap Center (44 S. Main St., Concord) talking about her new novel Soul Searching in conversation with romance novelists BK Borison and Chloe Liese on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2-3:30 p.m. ($29 tickets via ccanh.com); P. Djèlí Clark will talk about his dark fantasy historical novel Ring Shout on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 6:30-7:30 p.m.; and there will be a “rockstar Horror panel” on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 6:30 p.m. featuring CJ Leede (author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture), Delilah S. Dawson (author of Star Wars: Phasma and the creator-owned comics Ladycastle and Sparrowhawk) and Clay McLeod Chapman (author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes and What Kind of Mother).

• Barnes & Noble in Manchester (1741 S. Willow St., bn.com) has upcoming author events including these: Emily Siems, a local author, will sign copies of her novel Springhaven and its sequel on Saturday, Sept. 6, from noon to 3 p.m.; Kimber St. Lawrence, a NH author, will sign copies of her YA novel Thirsty Ground on Saturday, Sept. 13, between noon and 3 p.m.; Sarah Stewart Taylor will sign copies of her mysteries Agony Hill and its new sequel, Hunter’s Heart Ridge, on Saturday, Sept. 20, from noon to 2 p.m.; local author James Manganais, a local author, will sign copies of his book Upon a Star, on Saturday, Sept. 27, from noon to 3 p.m.; Kevin Martin will sign copies of his book Big Trees of Northern New England, describing 50+ hikes, bikes or paddles to find some of the largest trees on public land in the area, on Saturday, Oct. 25, from noon to 2 p.m.

• Balin Books (375 Amherst St., Nashua, balinbooks.com) has upcoming author events: Tony Martelli will talk about his self-help guide Become Unstoppable on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 2 p.m. and author Ana Hebra Flaster will talk about her new book Property of the Revolution, the story of her family’s journey from Cuba to a quiet New Hampshire mill town, on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 6:30 p.m.

• The Seacoast LitFest will run Sunday, Sept. 7, through Wednesday, Sept. 10, at the Music Hall in Portsmouth with a book fair on Chestnut Street on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and conversations with authors Jennifer Weiner (Sept. 7), Mary Gaitskill in conversation with August Lamm (Sept. 9) and Dan Brown (Sept. 10). See themusichall.org/seacoast-litfest.

• Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester, bookerymht.com) will host author events: Chris DeFlorio will talk about his novel Called Into Darkness on Sunday, Sept. 7, 1-3 p.m.; E.H. Jacobs will talk about his novel Splintered River on Saturday, Sept. 13, 1-3 p.m.; authors Ian M. Rogers (Carcrash Parker and the Haven of Larpers) and Joshua Bresslin (Going Over) will talk about their books on Saturday, Sept. 26, 1-3 p.m., and John Turner and Jay Bouchard will launch their new book, Daddy Days: A Recipe for a Life of Adventure and Relationship with Your Family, on Saturday, Oct. 18, 1-3 p.m.

• Tessa Bailey will talk about her new romance novel, Pitcher Perfect,at Chubb Theatre at CCA (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Monday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m. All seats $29 and include a copy of Pitcher Perfect. A photo line will follow the event, in lieu of a signing line.

• New Hampshire Book and Literary Festival starts with keynote addresses Friday, Oct. 3, and continues all day Saturday, Oct. 4, at venues in Concord, with author panels, book signings and interviews. Find a full schedule at nhbookfestival.org. Walter Mosley will be the keynote author in conversation with Hank Phillippi Ryan at Chubb Theatre at CCA (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com) on Friday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. One admission and one copy of Mosley’s new book Gray Dawn $55; two admissions and one book $80. Tui Sutherland, author of the Wings of Fire series with its latest entry Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy, will be the children’s keynote speaker with an event Friday, Oct. 3, at 10:30 a.m. for $8 per person and speak at an event Saturday, Oct. 4, at 6 p.m. where tickets are $28.

• 2025 Annual Celebration of the Humanities featuring author and scholar Akhil Reed Amar in conversation with Laura Knoy about the foundations of American democracy on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. at BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com). The evening is co-hosted by NH Humanities and the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership & Public Service. Proceeds benefit NH Humanities. Tickets $40 standard, +$40 to add a copy of Born Equal: Remaking America’s Constitution. VIP tickets $166.

• Diane Wilson will talk about her novel The Seed Keeper on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2-4 p.m. at Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua). The novel is the 2025 Nashua Reads selection. Tickets are $10 plus fees via nashualibrary.org, or $15 at the door.

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Film

• In addition to the slate of current films at Red River Theatres in Concord, look for some throwback screenings including Jaws (1975) on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 4 p.m.; The Lost Boys (R, 1987) on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 6:45 p.m.; Dirty Dancing(PG-13. 1987) on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m., and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (PG, 1982) on Sunday, sept. 7, at 6:45 p.m., according to redrivertheatres.org. And on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. catch a sing-along screening of Grease(1978).

• There are still some outdoor film screenings to wrap up summer movie series.IF(PG, 2024) will screen on Friday, Sept. 5, at 8 p.m. and Mufasa: The Lion King (PG, 2024) will screen on Friday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m., both at the Auburn Safety Complex; see auburnnh.gov. Manchester will wrap up its summer movie series with Jumanji(PG, 1995) on Saturday, Sept. 20, at dusk; see the Manchester Economic Development Office’s Facebook page. A Minecraft Movie(PG, 2025) will screen Friday, Sept. 26, at dusk at the Riverfront Park in Tilton, hosted by the Hall Memorial Library (hallmemoriallibrary.org).

• The Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St. in Nashua, will screenMinions (PG, 2015) on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m. See nashuacenterforthearts.com.

• Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) will screen Stop Making Sense, the 1984 Talking Heads concert film by Jonathan Demme, on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. in the Chubb Theatre with band member Jerry Harrison hosting and giving post-screening comments and audience Q&A, according to the website.

Evil Dead in Concert will feature the 1981 film screened with a live musical ensemble performing the score on screen on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m.

Also at the Chubb Theatre, catch “John Cleese & The Holy Grail” featuring a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail(1975) followed by a Q&A with Cleese on Friday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m.

Stand By Me (R, 1986) will screen on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m., as part of the program “Stand By Me: The Film and Its Stars 40 Years Later” featuring a post-film conversation with Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and Wil Wheaton.

At the Cap Center’s BNH Stage in Concord, catch The Met: Live in HD broadcasts of The Metropolitan Opera including La Sonnambulaon Oct. 18, La Bohemeon Nov. 8, Arabellaon Nov. 22 and Andrea Chenier on Dec. 13 (all Saturdays at 1 p.m.). The BNH Stage also features the National Theatre Live Broadcast ofNext To Normal on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.

• Fathom Entertainment,fathomentertainment.com, has several screenings on its fall schedule including anniversary screenings, horror films, religious programming and The Met: Live in HD broadcasts of The Metropolitan Opera including La Sonnambulaon Oct. 18, La Bohemeon Nov. 8, Arabellaon Nov. 22 and Andrea Chenier on Dec. 13 (all Saturdays at 1 p.m. with encore screenings the following Wednesdays). Other upcoming screenings include The Sound of Music (1965) screening at area theaters Saturday, Sept. 13, through Wednesday, Sept. 17; Howl’s Moving Castle (PG, 2004) with dubbed and subtitled screenings Saturday, Sept. 20, through Wednesday, Sept. 24; the aughts Spider-Mantrilogy — Spider-Man (PG-13, 2002) Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, Spider-Man 2.1(an unrated version of the 2004 film) on Sept. 27 and Oct. 4, and Spider-Man 3 (PG-13, 2007) on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5; The Devil’s Rejects (R, 2005) on Oct. 6 and Oct. 8; Spirited Away(PG, 2001) Saturday, Oct. 18, through Wednesday, Oct. 22, with dubbed and subtitled versions; Paranorman(PG, 2012) remastered in 3D Saturday, Oct. 25, through Tuesday, Oct. 28; Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago — The Ultimate Director’s Cut on Nov. 5 and Nov. 9, and The Boy and the Heron(PG-13, 2023) Nov. 15 through Nov. 19 in dubbed and subtitled versions.

• Telluride by the Sea, the film festival held at The Music Hallin Portsmouth featuring films from Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival, will run Friday, Sept. 12, through Sunday, Sept. 14, with ticket packages available for individual films as well as full festival passes. See themusichall.org.

• Jeff Rapsis, presenter of silent films for which he provides live musical accompaniment, has several screenings on the schedule this fall. He’ll appear at the Flying Monkey in Plymouth, flyingmonkeynh.com, with Seven Chances(1925) starring Buster Keaton, on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m., and The Man Who Laughs (1928), an adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel, on Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. He’ll be at Wilton Town Hall Theatre (find them on Facebook) with J’Accuse (1919) on Sunday, Sept. 21, at 2 p.m.; Faust (1926) a film by F.W. Murnau, on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m., andPaths of Paradise (1925) and Hands Up!(1926) a comedy double feature, on Sunday, Nov. 30, at 2 p.m. On Friday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m., Rapsis will screen Fritz Lang’s Metropolis(1927) at the Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway in Derry, sponsored by the Derry Public Library (see derrypl.org). On Thursday, Oct. 16, at 6:30 p.m.,The Phantom of the Opera(1925) starring Lon Chaney, will screen at the Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St. in Nashua (nashualibrary.org). On Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m., Rapsis will bring live music to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), also 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 23rd annual New Hampshire Film Festival will take place Thursday, Oct. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 19, and screen independent feature films as well as programs of short films at locations throughout downtown Portsmouth, according to an email festival organizers. The festival is a qualifying festival for Academy Award hopefuls in the short film categories, which means you could see live-action, animated or documentary shorts headed to Oscar nominations, the email said. See nhfilmfestival.com for film line-ups.

A look at some of the fair food classics

Theme of most fair foods is indulgence. Fair food is supposed to be deep-fried or covered in powdered sugar. Here’s a look at some of the dishes you might encounter on this season’s midways.

Apple Crisp

Pat’s Apple Crisp and Cider Donuts (patsapplecrisp.com)

Find them at this fair: Hopkinton State Fair, Deerfield Fair

Danielle Calkins’ family has been selling fair food for a long time.

“My dad and my mother started this business back in 1984,” she said. “We’ve been in business over 40 years. … They just started with the fair circuits like Topfield, Deerfield, Hopkinton, Rochester. Now, we do fall festivals and things like that, but we’re also now a mobile food truck business so we do private events as well. The cider doughnuts have been part of the operation for about 18 years out of those 40. My father passed away in 2010 and so my brother and I took over the business. My mom is still involved. She’s Pat.”

In classic fair food tradition Pat’s makes two foods, makes them extremely well, and tries to keep up with demand on fair weekends. Calkins said apple crisp is, for her, the quintessential New England fair food.

“I definitely think it’s just that feeling that New Englanders have at that turn of the fall season,” she said. “When we start to feel those leaves change and it starts to get a little cooler in the air, I just feel like people, New Englanders specifically, they just crave the sweaters and the scarves. You watch people at the fair, right? People are kind of bundled up in the evenings. It’s a little chilly. They want something hot and they want something that is homemade that they know.”

Calkins said while fresh hot doughnuts sell more at fairs, apple crisp has a special place in her heart.

“Just because it’s that mixture between French vanilla and when it melts a little bit into the crisp and the apples, it’s something special. I just think that everything kind of aligns for that Deerfield Fair weekend at the end of September. The apples are at peak, peak perfection at that time, just before October hits, and it’s probably about 50 degrees outside; it’s the best.”

Calkins and her family are traditionalists. They stick with McIntosh apples from one particular local orchard for their crisp.

”It’s completely dependable and it cooks well without becoming mush,” she said.

Extremely Large Doughnuts

Betsy’s Country Fair Donuts (facebook.com/betsysdonuts)

Find them at this fair: Hopkinton State Fair, Deerfield Fair, Sandwich State Fair

Cider doughnuts might be traditional, but enormous frosted doughnuts the size of hubcaps are the indulgence of choice for many younger fair-goers. Fully mature couples might need to split one between themselves.

Jamie Cross is the owner of Betsy’s Country Fair Donuts.

“We’ve been doing jumbo doughnuts at New Hampshire State Fairs since my grandfather started it in 1965,” he said. “We are third and fourth generation at the moment.”

Cross said his stand sells five varieties of doughnut, all of which are yeasted and leavened.

“We do five different varieties of jumbo doughnuts,” he said. “We do maple-frosted, chocolate-frosted, cinnamon-sugared, regular-sugared, and honey-dipped. Chocolate-frosted are usually the most popular in Hopkinton, honey-dipped in Deerfield, and usually maple-frosted up in Sandwich.” These are big doughnuts. “Ours are 8 inches across,” he said.

The doughnuts sell too quickly to keep track of, Cross said.

“As far as actual doughnuts, we don’t actually count. We usually measure by 50-pound bags of flour is how we usually count the day. And I think the best Deerfield Fair we ever had was probably 10 50-pound bags of flour, so 500 pounds of flour in a day. A Deerfield Saturday is usually the busiest day of any of the fairs.”

To be ready for the midway, the dry ingredients for Cross’ doughnuts are mixed off-site.
“We mix dried powdered whole eggs, powdered milk, our shortenings, sugars and flavors. We’ll mix that in a batch. So we call it our base. So we have buckets of that. When we are at the fair, we only have to measure out a certain amount of base, water and yeast, and then you put the flour in until the dough feels a certain way. Then you let it rise, cut it, let it rise again, and then fry it. And then you dress them all up. They’re all the same doughnut, they’re just dressed differently.”

Cross notes that, surprisingly, frosted doughnuts are not at their best right out of the fryer.

“The perfect doughnut is like 15 minutes out of the fryer,” he advised. “They need to set a little bit. You don’t want them to be too hot when you add the toppings. … You don’t want them running all down your shirt. A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, do you have a hot honey-dipped?’ I’m like, ‘I do, and if that’s what you want, you can wear it; that’s fine.’

Gluten-Free Fair Food

No Pain, No Grain

Find them at this fair: Hillsborough County Fair, Deerfield Fair

Tenley Pello developed celiac disease as an adult, but she grew up loving fair food. According to her the most unfair thing about her situation is that she was able to develop a passion for wheaty, starchy foods before her body decided she couldn’t eat them.

“So I went from knowing how good fair food is to not being able to eat it,” she said. After some consideration, she realized that that feeling of injustice was also an opportunity.

“The way I kind of look at it,” she said, “is when I go to a fair I don’t want a smoothie, I don’t want to go and get a rice bowl, I don’t want a healthy option, I want typical fair junk food — and I couldn’t eat that anymore. So I wanted to kind of bring back enjoyable fair food to people who don’t really have options. Because even when you go to places that have gluten-free foods, there can still be cross-contamination; they might use the same fryer for everything, or forget to wipe a counter down.”

The thing to keep in mind, Pello said, is that “gluten-free” does not mean “healthy.” The whole principle of fair food, she said, is to be able to provide greasy, carby, indulgent food.

“Every event we work at, we sell something different,” she said. “Our fried dough definitely took us a couple of attempts to get right. We finally found a recipe that we really, really like and we settled on. A lot of people tell us that they’ve missed it, that they haven’t been able to have fried dough since they were kids.”

Pello said anything she fries is popular on the fairgrounds.

“Our Fry Bowls [huge servings of loaded french fries] seem to sell the most,” she said, “but our chicken tenders are really great …” Most of the dishes on the No Pain menu at any given event are built on a foundation of French fries. A Chicken Parm Bowl, for instance, starts with garlic-parmesan fries, topped with chicken tender bites, marinara sauce, and more parmesan cheese. Other bowls might be topped with pulled pork, Buffalo chicken, or a classic fair combination of grilled sausage, peppers, and onions. Pello said that she is particularly proud of the chicken tenders she has been able to source, which find their way into more than half of her inventions. “We’ve managed to find a distributor who can get us the best of the best,” she said. They are incredibly high-quality, and they’re halal. It is definitely a comfort food.”

Maple Cotton Candy

Ben’s Sugar Shack (bensmaplesyrup.com)

There is probably no fair food more iconic than cotton candy.

The New Hampshire twist on cotton candy is to make it out of maple sugar. Ben Fisk is the owner of Ben’s Sugar Shack.

“I’ve been making maple cotton candy at the fair since I was 15 years old,” he said. “It’s just a pure maple flavor.”

The way a cotton candy machine works, Fisk said, is that it melts sugar and spins it very quickly.

“There are heating elements in there and it just melts the sugar out there and spins it out. [The sugar] comes out into the air as a liquid and when it hits the cooler air is when it turns into the sugar fibers.” In Fisk’s experience, it’s children who like traditional bright colors. “But definitely, more adults eat the maple cotton candy,” he said. Because, in the end, maple cotton candy has such a pure maple flavor, the maple sugar can come from many different batches of syrup. “It varies, it can be dark,” he said, “but usually a dark to amber rich syrup is really good for making maple sugar.”

Smoked Turkey Legs

Michael Raffalo has seen smoked turkey legs evolve as a fair food staple over the years.

“I started doing turkey legs [at fairs] around 1996,” he remembered. They seem to have started as a niche food at renaissance fairs, and took a while to develop a following. “They weren’t popular in the beginning as they are now at a fair, but I believe most fair foods that are popping off are because of the food channels, you know, Carnival Eats, several shows like that on TV. Sausage has been a staple since before I was born. Popcorn, cotton candy, that type of thing, fried dough. But now, with these shows, people are frying everything — this and that. But the turkey legs have come around, and I’ve stayed with it through all these years.”

Raffalo and his family live in Florida but work the fair circuit throughout the summer and fall. The Deerfield Fair is an important event on his family’s calendar.

“Deerfield’s a big staple,” he said, “and it’s a family affair. This year I believe is our 60th year at that fair. It’s now turned over to my son. I’m still here a little bit to help along, but the next generation is coming along now. He’s the fourth generation on his mother’s side; it’s the same business, but he’s third generation on his father’s side. He’s a good boy.”

The turkey legs themselves are straightforward, Raffalo said.

“They are turkey. It’s just smoking and it’s an easy preparation. That’s the one good thing about them. You don’t need bread, you don’t need peppers, onions, all that. It’s just boom, here’s your meat. It’s meat on a stick.We’re into smokers, we’re into picking up wood, making sure it’s the right wood. You can just use oak, it’s fine, but if you want a little sweeter taste to the leg — I mean, it’s just like a barbecue process.”

Raffalo said that while many turkey leg vendors fry their turkey legs he and his family are committed to cooking theirs in a smoker, which requires organization and planning.

“If we were in a hurry we could get a batch out quickly in three hours for production,” he said, “But we let them go a little longer if we have time.”

A turkey leg is bigger than most first-timers expect, Raffalo said.

“They roughly range from 18 ounces to 36 ounces. Some of the legs in a box are twice the size of others, but they are all no less than 18 ounces. If you’re going to call it ‘jumbo,’ we want it to be 18 ounces or more. [A turkey leg] is a walk-around-with-a-hunk-of-meat-in-your-hand meal in itself. It’s just a big old hunk of meat and deliciousness. The flavor’s simple — simple smoke. [Customers] love it.’

Deep-Fried Oreos

Brothers Concessions

Find them at this fair: Hopkinton State Fair, Deerfield Fair

If New England fair food has a specialty, it’s almost anything deep-fried. Fried dough springs to mind immediately, of course, and then there are french fries, cottage fries, curly fries, spiral fries, corn dogs, fried clams, even fried ice cream. But the quintessential decadent fried fair food has to be the fried Oreo.

Matt Reed is one of the owners of Brothers Concessions, which specializes in fried foods.

“Fried Oreos started in about 2002,” he remembered. “I think we started doing fried Oreos in 2003. My brother and I started as soon as I got out of high school. We started with fried Twinkies, fried candy bars and funnel cakes. And then the following year we added a couple other items, but an Oreo was the biggest one that we added. It’s been one of the long-term stays that we’ve had.”

Reed said that timing is everything when it comes to eating a fried Oreo.

“You really need to let them cool a little bit,” he advised. “You’ll burn your tongue if you don’t, but they are best fresh. If you let them sit and kind of sit for too long — half an hour or so — they’ll go stale. I do know several people who have told me that they were taking them home and reheating them in the oven, but for the most part hot and fresh is the way to go.”\

The secret to a good fried Oreo is to not cheap out, Reed said.

“When we first started doing it, when we were getting our original trailer ready, we had neighborhood kids come over to try out different things. And we had done Oreos, just regular … Oreos. And then we tried Double Stuf Oreos and they were so much better! Like so much better that we’ve always used Double Stuf Oreos for probably 23 years now. And I’ve never seen any other vendors do that. … The filling in an Oreo will kind of melt into the batter a little bit, so more is better.”

“With a Twinkie,” Reed continued, “the way we do it, it’s actually got a cool taste in the middle, but the outside is nice and warm. It’s kind of like a baked Alaska type of sensation. We do fried ice cream as well.” That has to be very cold when it goes into the hot oil, he said. The concept is to have different flavors, textures and temperatures in the same treat.

Reed has seen a growing acceptance of decadent fried fair food.

“When we first started doing it, it tended to be something for a young adult crowd,” he said. “But, you know, now, I have grandparents buying fried Oreos, fried cookies, fried candy bars. Early on, parents were not as excited about serving their kids fried desserts, but over time they’ve become more of a standard fair food. They’re everywhere now.”

Three upcoming fairs

Hopkinton State Fair
Fairgrounds, 392 Kearsarge Ave., Contoocook
Dates: Thursday, Aug. 28, through Monday, Sept. 1
Hours: Thursday 5 to 10 p.m., Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Monday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There will be livestock shows, a demolition derby, carnival rides, monster trucks, live entertainment, a farmers market, and a petting zoo. Expect stunt riders, horse-pulls and, of course, fair food. Visit hsfair.org.

Hillsborough County Fair
New Boston 4-H Youth Center, 15 Hilldale Lane, New Boston
Dates: Friday, Sept. 5, through Sunday, Sept. 7
Hours: Friday noon to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Expect livestock showing, ox-pulls, carnival rides, tractor-pulls, sheep-herding demonstrations, live music, fireworks and fair food. Visit hcafair.org.

Deerfield Fair
Deerfield Fair Grounds, 34 Stage Road, Deerfield
Dates: Thursday, Sept. 25, through Sunday, Sept. 28
Hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Billing itself as “New England’s Oldest Family Fair,” the Deerfield Fair is a lot to take in. Expect horse and cattle pulls, a pig scramble, giant pumpkins, circus performers, live music, horticultural and dairy judging, sheep sheering, rides, dog shows, a women’s Fry Pan Toss, and, of course, an almost overwhelming amount of fair food. Visit deerfieldfair.com.

Featured Image: Apple crisp from Pat’s. Photo courtesy Danielle Calkins.

The many tasty uses for this green-skinned nut

Pistachios are beautiful, delicious and green. They make a pie crust shockingly good, and in the hands of an expert bartender they will make you completely rethink the whole concept of a mai tai.

And yet, until relatively recently, most of us rarely thought much about pistachios, or about the Emirate of Dubai. That changed with the craze for Dubai chocolate, which became suddenly famous about a year ago.

The Dubai craze

Made popular by Fix Dessert Chocolatier, an ultra-high-end chocolate shop in Dubai, “Dubai chocolate” is a style of dark chocolate filled with chopped filo pastry, tahini (sesame paste) and pistachios. Jaime Metzger, the manager of Granite State Candy Shoppe in Manchester, said customers started asking for it about a year ago.

“I think it was roughly last summer that it started to pop up all over the place,” Metzer said, “and it became a craze; it became a trend like all these new things, and then it kind of fizzled like trends do. But suddenly it came back again!”

The ingredient in Dubai chocolate that enthusiasts seem to have latched onto is pistachios. It might be their exotic green color, or their rich, slightly woody flavor, but it’s an element that customers feel strongly about, according to Trina Bird, the Head Baker at Lighthouse Local in Bedford. As it turns out, she said, pistachios can be a bit temperamental to work with.

“A lot of [makers] use pistachio cream,” Bird said. “Pistachio paste is all natural; it’s literally just pistachios, salt and a little bit of oil. But pistachio cream typically has sugar in it or white chocolate, which gives it a sweet creaminess. At first I was trying to make Dubai chocolate-treats with just the pistachio paste because I didn’t trust the ingredients in the ‘cream.’ But then what I figured out is I could use the paste and have our chocolate lady whip me up some white chocolate and I will drizzle a small amount of that in to promote emulsion, and that gives it what people want — they want that sweet spreadability.”

The key, under-appreciated ingredient in Dubai chocolate, Bird said, is the crushed filo dough, or kadayif. Because pistachios are pretty oily, pistachio paste has a tendency to leak out of whatever you’ve put it in. The threads of kadayif provide a matrix to help keep it in place.

Pistachio Butter
2 cups (250 g) roasted, salted pistachio nuts
1 teaspoon flavorful olive oil
Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in your food processor or blender, and blend until you break their spirit. First, the mixture will grind into a floury powder, but if you keep grinding/blending/processing it, the pistachios’ oil will start to be forced out and it will form a stiff paste. It will try to play on your emotions and pretend that it has no more to give, but if you keep working it, it will eventually break down into a runny peanut butter consistency. At this point, taste it to see if it needs more salt.
Alternatively, you could just buy some pistachio butter at the store.

Pralines and halvah

But clearly pistachios have a bigger role to play outside of Dubai chocolate. Pistachios have been grown in Iran for more than 8,000 years and are a critical part of food cultures throughout the Middle East. According to Master Chocolatier Richard Tango-Lowy, owner of Dancing Lion Chocolate in Manchester, while pistachios have a distinctive flavor, that flavor lends itself to a large number of applications.

“When you taste pistachios,” he said, “they have a fairly unique, almost like slightly woody flavor to them when you pay attention. They’re native to Iran, where some of the most interesting foods are from. Hence, it’s common in Persian food. It’s an [ingredient] that you can easily use in savory applications. We tend to sort of pigeonhole things a lot, but the reality is [that] pistachios can go in a lot of different directions. If you’re doing a fish or chicken dish with some pistachio and brown butter, or maybe some Persian lime or something, it would be really good. Or, of course, you can go in the sweet direction with it.”

“We might do a praliné,” Tango-Lowy said, “which is kind of what Dubai chocolate is, which is cooking the nuts in molten sugar to make like a brittle. You lay it out for a day or so until it completely crystallizes and it’s really nice and hard. And then you break it up and grind it to a paste, and you get this beautiful sort of caramelly, nutty [building block], and you have a lot of control of the flavors you want to bring out of it. So those sorts of techniques are actually pretty old. Pralinés go way back in France but a lot of this stuff actually does go back to Persia.”

Another classic sweet way of using pistachios, Tango-Lowy said, is in halvah, a dry, crumbly, fudge-like confection.

“We’ve been doing a lot of halvah lately,” he said. “People are used to it with sesame seeds, but it’s also very frequently made with pistachios. And there are so many different ways of making halvah, depending on where you’re talking about. You have Israeli halvah. In Iran they put flour in their halvah, which is really different — wheat flour, which completely surprised me when I learned about it. It’s a much softer thing; it’s served for dessert. You scoop it or eat it with a fork. It’s a very different take on halvah. And you have Greek halvah, which is a different thing, yet again.”

“At its most fundamental,” Tango-Lowy explained, “you’re basically toasting sesame seeds, or in this case pistachios, grinding them into a paste with whatever spices you want, then pouring over hot sugar syrup and stirring it until it crystallizes. Halvah’s pretty easy to make. But then you can do it with other nuts. We’ve made halvah with pecans and maple.”

Moka Pot’s Pistachio Sauce
1 1/4 cups (125 g) shelled, raw, unsalted pistachios
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup (190 g) whole milk or light cream, divided
4 ounces (115 g) high-quality white chocolate, chopped
2 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Boil the pistachios for three minutes, then drain them and rub them with a towel, to remove the skins. Set them aside to dry.
Combine the butter and about a third of the milk, and heat until the butter has melted. Add the chopped white chocolate and stir it until everything has come together. You can put the bowl over a pot of simmering water, or heat everything in your microwave, a few seconds at a time.
Add the pistachios, powdered sugar, salt, and the white chocolate mixture to a blender, and blend everything until it forms a paste. Add any remaining milk to the mixture, and blend it until it reaches a consistency you like. Remember that it will stiffen up as it cools, so you can probably afford to make it a little runny.

Pistachio latte

According to Angie Castro Andrade, cafe manager and co-owner of The Moka Pot in Manchester, pistachios make a staggeringly good latte.

“It gives it more of a nuttiness,” she said. “I like that creaminess to it, so when we decided to build a latte around it, I wanted to make the pistachio element myself. It turned out to be a little tricky. It’s full of oils, which doesn’t mix well with the espresso. We tried to just use the paste and it turns out that it just destroys the milk. So it’s like super hard to use just straight up.” Ultimately, she said, she and her team deconstructed the whole idea of a pistachio syrup, and broke it down to its very basic elements.

“We blanched [fresh pistachios],” she said. “Then we let them sit, and then like pulled the skin off of them. We cooked them down with white chocolate and milk and cream. It made this thick, like, almost like, chocolate sauce.” The white chocolate acted as an emulsifier, Castro Andrade said. “It was sweet, but not overbearing. “It was really, really good on its own. We were very tempted to just take it by the spoonful and eat it. But with the coffee, it was very delicious. We made a latte with it for St. Patrick’s Day because of the color. Everyone always uses mint for this sort of thing, and we wanted to go in a different direction; we called it The Nutty Irishman.”

By the scoop

For anyone over the age of 30 the word “pistachio” brings up memories of pistachio ice cream. Today it seems like an old-fashioned ice cream flavor, like rum-raisin, that probably is a bit of a food relic. You’d think that, said Victoria Riese, manager of the Puritan Backroom Restaurant in Manchester, but you’d be wrong.

“We have a couple of super-old-fashioned flavors that have had a real resurgence in popularity over the past few years,” Riese said. “Orange-pineapple is one, and pistachio is the other. At the Puritan, we make really good ice cream. But I think pistachio overall, that flavor is very in vogue right now. I think it all plays together. People are seeing more pistachio flavor out there, and they’re coming in and they’re asking for it. And our pistachio ice cream is very good.”

Pistachio is one of The Puritan’s original ice cream flavors, probably going back to when the restaurant started in 1917, Riese said. “I asked our ice cream maker, and he makes about 30 pints of it a week to sell. That’s on top of the [pistachio] ice cream we serve here at the restaurant and for takeout.”

Pistachio Ice Cream
¾ cup (180 g) pistachio butter (see page 10)
¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons (180 g) sugar
2⅔ cups (660 g) half and half
pinch of salt
⅛ teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until thoroughly combined.
If you have an ice cream maker: Chill this ice cream base for several hours, then churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
If you do not have an ice cream maker: Pour this base into a large zippered plastic bag. Lay it on its side in your freezer until it has frozen solid. Break it into chunks, then blend it in your blender. It will break down into soft-serve consistency (which is what an ice cream maker would produce). Spoon it into freezing containers, and harden it in your freezer for two hours or overnight.
This is a simple classic pistachio ice cream. How green it is will depend on the pistachios in your pistachio butter.

Other treats

According to baker Trina Bird, the taste of pistachios works extremely well in baked goods.

“It’s a very pure flavor,” Bird said. “It’s not like it’s a strong flavor, but it insists upon itself.” Because of its woody richness, it’s complemented by floral flavors like rosewater, she said. It’s a classic Middle Eastern combination. “Our baker who makes all our scones,” she said, “makes a rosewater-pistachio scone and it is so popular!”

What a baker needs to keep in mind when they bake with pistachios, Bird said, is giving the pistachios the support they need. Toasted pistachios are fine sprinkled on top of baked goods, or added inside a muffin or a scone, but if someone wants to really highlight pistachios’ flavor and color, they will probably want to use pistachio paste, which means they’ll have to face the runniness issue again.

“I like to swirl it into a brownie or a blondie,” Bird said. “That way, as the base bakes super-firm; it will hold the pistachio in a sort of a matrix. That’s why [pistachio] is also a great filling for a cupcake — it’s completely surrounded by cake that keeps it from running away.”

Other drinks

Phil Mastroianni is the co-owner of Fabrizia Spirits in Salem. His company makes premium limoncello, but also pistachio liqueur.

“A lot of our customers in the North End of Boston were telling us, ‘You know, we’re getting more people that are asking for pistachio martinis. Would you consider making [a pistachio liqueur]?,’” he remembered. “And so I went into the lab and it was without a question the most challenging recipe we’ve developed. What I found out is while there’s like more or less one recipe for limoncello — lemon zest, alcohol, sugar and water — there’s no set recipe for pistachio liqueur. … At the time, I started buying some pistachios from California. We tried roasted ones. We tried fresh ones, then just dry, not roasted. And ultimately we came up with a recipe to launch a pistachio liqueur. And the only change we’ve ever made to that recipe is a couple of years in when it was doing well and we said, wait a minute, we bring our lemons in from Sicily, and Sicily is known for pistachios. We started buying our pistachios directly from one family on the backside of Mount Etna in the small town of Bronte — which is famous throughout the world but definitely in Italy — for its pistachios.”

The key to great-tasting pistachios, Mastroianni said, is toasting them.

“What people really like about pistachios,” he said, “what I’ve learned even from my own consumer standpoint is that what we like about the pistachio is as much the toasting and the taste of the charred pistachio. In our liqueur, the toasty, almost decadent pistachio flavor is, in my opinion, what really connects people’s minds with their enjoyment of our final product.”

Pistachio Pesto
½ cup (65 g) roasted, shelled, salted pistachio nuts
2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, peeled
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups (about 75 g) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup (about 25 g) fresh parsley or cilantro
¼ cup or so (about 55 g) of your favorite olive oil
¼ cup (about 15 g) of grated parmesan cheese – not the dust in the green tube

Some of the measurements above are a bit vague. One of the liberating things about making pesto is that it is very much a “handful of this” and “a pinch of that.” Do you have super-flavorful basil in your garden? You might want to add less — or more — of it. Did you forget to buy actual Parmesan cheese but find a mummified lump of cheese at the back of the refrigerator that you can grate with your food processor? Cool.
Add the pistachios, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs to your food processor or blender. (If you’re feeling really old-school, you could pound all this in a large mortar and pestle.) Mix/chop/grind it up, until it forms a paste. Drizzle in the olive oil, a little at a time. If you try to pour the whole amount in at once it will be too much for your pesto to deal with emotionally, and it will break into an oily mess. You know that hole in the lid or your blender, or the little holes in the insert for your food processor? This is what they are there for.
Mix everything until you are happy with it.
Transfer the pesto to a bowl, and mix the cheese in. If you can manage to get it to the table before it is all “tasted” away by kitchen bystanders, serve this pesto on a twisty ridged pasta that will hold onto it.

Your guide to sports, theater, music and more extracurricular excitement

Get your kid excited about the new school year by finding new activities to learn or a new team to join or level up on a favorite pastime. Here are some of the organizations offering kids after-school adventure this school year. And, for adults looking to try something new, many of these organizations and venues also offer classes and workshops for adults. For music, dance and more, also inquire about private lessons. Information comes from the organizations’ websites and social media; call or go online for specifics on cost and other details.

General interest

• Beaver Brook Association (117 Ridge Road, Hollis, 465-7787, beaverbrook.org) offers two-, three- and five-day preschool options for kids ages 3 to 5 starting Sept. 3 as well as home-school programs for ages 7 through 14 starting Sept. 9.

• Boys & Girls Club of Central and Northern New Hampshire (The Bradley Street Clubhouse is at 55 Bradley St. in Concord, 224-1061; this club has other locations in Andover, Berlin, Belmont, Lisbon, Laconia, Holderness, Epsom, Hopkinton, Pittsfield, Warner, Weare, Allenstown and Bradford and operates in some Concord schools; nhyouth.org) has early learning centers for infants through pre-K at nine locations. It offers before- and after-school programs for grades K-8 as well as drop-in after-school programming for high schoolers at its clubhouses in Concord, Laconia and Suncook, according to the website.

• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Derry (40 E. Derry Road, Derry, 434-6695, derrybgclub.org) offers after-school programming as well as arts, health, education, leadership and sports programs, including basketball, karate and wrestling (for pre-K through eighth grade), according to the website.

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Manchester (555 Union St., Manchester, 625-5031, mbgcnh.org) offers morning and after-school programs at its Union Street Club House for grades K-12 (morning program at the club house is for grades K-8) as well as morning and after-school programs at Manchester’s Gossler Park Elementary Schools, Highland-Goffes Falls School and Jewett Street School.

• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua (1 Positive Place, Nashua, 883-0523, bgcn.com) offers before-school programming (for grades K-6) as well as after-school programming for grades K-2. The Clubhouse program is open for after-school programming to grades 3-5 with the Stahl Teen Center for grades 6-12. The Greater Nashua club also offers early learning day care for infants through pre-K.

• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem (3 Geremonty Drive, Salem, 898-7709, salembgc.org) offers after-school programming for grades 1-5 from 3 to 7 p.m. and for grades 6-12 from 2:10 to 7 p.m. The club also offers a preschool for kids “3.9-5 years of age,” according to the website.

• Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, 672-1002, svbgc.org) offers after-school programs for kids in grades 1-12, with before-school programming for Milford students in grades K-5. The club also offers arts, STEAM, theater and dance.

• Concord Parks & Recreation (concordnh.gov/1984/Parks-Recreation) offers fall programming including ballet & tap (ages 2 to 6), a nature program that meets weekly in September (ages 2 to 5), arts programs (ages 6 to 12 and 8 to 16), baking (ages 8 to 12 and 10 to 15), a nature class for ages 6 to 10 and more. See the website for the brochure. Most programs begin the first or second week of September.

• The Culinary Playground (16 Manning St., Suite 105, Derry, 339-1664, culinary-playground.com) offers one-hour cooking classes for “mini chefs” (ages 3 to 6) as well as classes for ages 6 through teens (and for adults). The classes for kids ages 6+ include one-off classes of a few hours, such as Apple Cinnamon Cobbler on Saturday, Sept. 27 (with sessions for ages 6 to 10 and 10+) and six-week classes that meet once weekly for 90 minutes such as All About Baking, with sessions Sept. 8 through Oct. 13 and Oct. 20 through Nov. 24 and classes for ages 6 to 11 and 11+, according to the website.

• Daniel Webster Council Scouts SA (625-6431, nhscouting.org) is the center of information for New Hampshire Scouts (formerly the Boy Scouts of America). Contact them for information about joining a local pack. Packs and Dens set their own start dates, meeting days and times and meeting locations. Many Packs hold fall activities where potential new members can learn more about Scouting.

• Franco-American Centre (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Davison Hall, No. 1798, Manchester, 641- 7114, facnh.com) offers French classes for kids ages 6 through 11, with a fall semester running Sept. 30 through Dec. 2, the website said. Private and semi-private French classes are also available for elementary and high school age students.

• Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains (1 Commerce Drive, Bedford, 888-474-9686, girlscoutsgwm.org) offers programs for girls in kindergarten through grade 12, focused on leadership-building, community engagement, STEM and nature. Visit their website or call to learn how to join a local troop or join as a solo Girl Scout. Troops set their own start dates, meeting days and times, and meeting locations. Information events about Girl Scouts are usually held at the beginning of the school year and throughout the year.

• Girls Inc. of New Hampshire (340 Varney St., Manchester, 623-1117; 27 Burke St., Nashua, 882-6256, girlsincnh.org) offers after-school programming in Manchester and Nashua, with members arriving at centers via buses, according to the website. The girls get snacks, homework time and structured programs, the website said.

• Granite YMCA (30 Mechanic St., Manchester, 623-3558; 116 Goffstown Back Road, Goffstown, 497-4663; 206 Rockingham Road, Londonderry; 437-9622; 15 N. State St., Concord, 228-9622; 35 Industrial Way, Rochester, 332-7334; 550 Peverly Hill Road, Portsmouth, 431- 2334; 35 Bartlett Ave., Somersworth, 692-2081; graniteymca.org/child-care) offers before- and after-school programming as well as Early Learning Centers, depending on the location. Manchester, Goffstown and Concord are among the locations that offer swimming lessons for kids as young as 6 months. Goffstown and Concord also have swim teams — the Sailfish Swim Team in Concord is open to ages 6 to high school. The Tiger Sharks Swim Team in Goffstown is open to ages 5 to 19 and usually begins practice in October, the website said. The YMCA locations also offer a variety of athletic classes for kids, depending on the location. The Goffstown YMCA offers classes and programs in gymnastics and ninja, indoor tennis for ages 4 to 17, climbing and martial arts, according to the website. Some locations also offer teen nights and other family programming. Brochures for the fall sessions are available on the website.

• Hampshire Hills Athletic Club (50 Emerson Road, Milford, 673-7123, hampshirehills.com) offers kids swim lessons as well as swim team prep for ages 6 to 14. Tennis programs are offered for kids as young as 3.

• Manchester Police Athletic League (409 Beech St., Manchester, 626-0211, manchesterpoliceathleticleague.org) offers athletic and enrichment programs including aikido, boxing, baton twirling, dodgeball, girls empowerment, Girl Scouts, jiu jitsu, skateboarding and wrestling, as well as occasional cooking classes. The fall schedule will begin on Thursday, Sept. 4.

• Mathnasium (257 DW Highway, Nashua, 242-2004; 1 Bicentennial Drive, Manchester, 644-1234; mathnasium.com) offers math classes for kids in grades K-12.

• Merrimack Parks & Recreation (merrimackparksandrec.org) offers fall programming including paint and play (ages 1 to 6), little scientists (ages 3 to 6), soccer (grouped by age for ages 1 to 5) and programs for days the school is off or early release.

• Naticook After School (merrimackparksandrec.org) offered at Mastricola Elementary School, Thornton’s Ferry Elementary School, Reeds Ferry Elementary School and James Mastricola Upper Elementary School in Merrimack for one to five days a week.

• NH Audubon (including Massabesic Center, 26 Audubon Way in Auburn, 668- 2045; McLane Center, 84 Silk Farm Road in Concord, 224-9909; nhaudubon.org) offers family-friendly events as well as home-school programming.

• The Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (vlacs.org) offers full- and part-time school options for students in elementary through high school, including offering students enrolled in a local school the opportunity to take classes not available in their school or accelerated classes.

• YMCA of Greater Nashua (24 Stadium Drive, Nashua, 882-2011; 6 Henry Clay Drive, Merrimack, 881-7778, nmymca.org) offers before-school (at Amherst Middle School and the Merrimack YMCA) care as well as after-school programming at schools in Amherst and Mont Vernon as well as at the Nashua and Merrimack YMCAs. The YMCA also offers swim lessons and swim team, dance, ninja, preschool sports, basketball, archery, soccer, flag football, tennis, volleyball, gymnastics and martial arts, according to the website. The Y also offers teen sports programs and leagues, the website said. The YMCA also offers full-day child care and early education for ages 6 weeks to kindergarten at its Merrimack facility as well as a three-hour kindergarten readiness program for ages 3 to 5 in Nashua.

Arts

• Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford 672-2500, creativeventuresfineart.com) offers classes and workshops including sessions for adults and sessions geared to kids. Upcoming offerings include Painting Fun for Children and Tweens, Thursdays, Aug. 21 and Aug. 28, 4:30 to 6 p.m., for ages 8 to 12, and Friday Homeschool Art Class Fridays, Aug. 22 and Aug. 29, 1:30 to 3 p.m, for ages 6 to 18.

• Hollis Artspace (30 Ash St., Hollis, 465-4300, hollisartspace.com) offers classes and workshops such as the “Magical Maps & Dragon Eggs” (featuring illustration and clay work) on Monday, Aug. 25, 10:15 a.m. to noon, for ages 6 to 10. See the website for the fall offerings.

• Kimball Jenkins School of Art (266 N. Main St., Concord, 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com) offers youth classes and teen classes in subjects such as puppet making, knitting, drawing, water color and more in two fall sessions — Sept. 15 to Oct. 18 and Oct. 20 to Nov. 22.

• Let’s Play Music! (145 Hampstead Road, Derry, 425-7575; letsplaymusic.com) offers art classes (grouped by age) for kids ages 6 to 12 as well as classes for teens. Classes have open enrollment for students to join any time there are openings in a class.

• Paint pARTy (135 N. Broadway, Salem, 898-8800, paintpartynh.com) offers classes for kids in grade 1 through high school (as well as adults).

• Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5597, 550arts.com) offers after-school class sessions of eight to 10 weeks in the fall, winter and spring, with fall classes (starting the week of Sept. 15) on clay (with sessions for ages 9 to 12 and for teens), drawing and painting (with sessions for ages 7 to 11) and drawing and illustration (for teens, ages 10+), according to the website. The center also offers one-day workshops and family workshops.

Dance

• Allegro Dance Academy (100 Factory St., Nashua, 886-7989, allegrodancenh.com) offers preschool dance classes (for ages 18 months to 5 years); recreational dance classes (for ages 6 to 18) in ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, musical theater, hip-hop including a boys-only class, tap and tumbling), and competitive dance (for ages 6 to 18), according to website information about last year. Check back for updates on this fall.

• Ameri-kids Baton & Dance (Candia Youth Athletic Association, 27 Raymond Road, Candia, 391-2254, ameri-kids.org) has offerings this fall including competition teams, acro, baton & dance and twirlers, according to the studio’s Facebook page. Classes begin on Wednesday, Sept. 10. Email contact@ameri-kids.com.

• Bedford Dance Center (172 Route 101, Bedford, 472-5141, bedforddancecenter.com) offers classes for all ages (starting with a preschool ballet program for ages 3 to 5.5) and levels in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, tap, hip-hop and acro. Classes for the new school year begin Tuesday, Sept. 2.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) offers dance classes starting with preschool ballet for ages 2 to 5 years old. Dance offerings for school-age kids include ballet, lyrical, jazz, tap and acro. Enrollment is open now and classes begin the week of Aug. 25.

• Broadway Bound Performing Arts Center (501 DW Highway, Merrimack, 429-8844, broadwayboundpac.com) offers classes in ballet, hip-hop (including a boys-only class), jazz, lyrical, tap and tumbling and it has special needs, competition and performing company classes. Kidz Kombo classes have offerings for kids age 2 to kindergarten. Classes begin Sept. 8.

• The Cadouxdle Dance Studio (297 Derry Road, Hudson, 459-4392, thecadouxdledancestudio.com) is enrolling now for ballet classes, grouped by age, for ages 3 to 10, with a session running from September to December.

• Concord Dance Academy (26 Commercial St., Concord, 226-0200, concorddanceacademy.com) offers a competition program for ages 5 to 18 as well as recreational classes grouped by age in tap, acro, jazz, karate, ballet, lyrical and hip-hop for ages 7 to 13+. Combo classes in ballet, tap, jazz and tumbling are available for ages 2 to 4 and ages 5 to 7 (for whom there are also karate classes). Classes start Sept. 15.

• Creative Dance Workshop of Bow (1355 Route 3A, Bow, 225-7711, nhdances.com) offers classes and teams in cheer. For dance, the studio offers a competition team and classes, including classes for kids as young as 2 years old (these are combo classes, which are also available to kids up to 9 years old). Classes for school-age kids include ballet and pointe, tap, jazz, musical theater, acro, lyrical/contemporary and hip-hop. The school also offers voice lessons. Classes start the week of Sept. 15.

• The Dance Company (130 Route 101A, Amherst, 864-8374, thedancecompanyonline.com) offers classes for kids as young as 2 years old (including ballet, tap, acro, tumble and “hippity-hop”). Classes for school-age kids include jazz, ballet, tap, lyrical, hip-hop and acro, with some combination classes, as well as performance teams — all grouped by age and level.

• Dance Connection Fitness & Performing Arts (8 Rockingham Road, Windham, 893-4919, danceconnectionnh.com) will kick off fall classes Sept. 15. The studio offers classes (depending on age) in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop and cheerdance, as well as combo classes for ages 2.5 (ballet/tap) through teen. Gymnastics classes with varying genre focuses are offered for ages 3 through 12. The studio offers all-boys tap (ages 5 to 9) and hip-hop (ages 4 to 12, grouped by age) as well as hip-hop classes for boys and girls (ages 6 to 17). There are also company classes, which meet several times a week, grouped by level.

• Dance Visions Network (699 Mast Road, Manchester, 626-7654, dancevisionsnetwork.com) begins its school year classes Sept. 8. The studio offers tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, contemporary, hip-hop (for ages 8+) and tumbling for ages 2.5 through adult as well as a competition team, the website said.

• The Dancing Corner (23 Main St., Nashua, 889-7658, dancingcorner.com) offers classes for kids as young as 3 years old (pre-dance classes, which are available for ages 3 to 6, grouped by age). Classes for older kids include ballet and pointe, jazz, tap, hip-hop, lyrical, and musical theater, as well as movement and fitness-based classes. The studio also has a non-competitive dance company that performs for the community at events and at local nursing homes, the website said. Classes begin Sept. 3.

• Dimensions in Dance (84 Myrtle St., Manchester, 668-4196, dimensionsindance.com) offers Twirling Twos and Pre Ballet classes as well as classed (grouped by age and level) in acro-jazz, ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, modern, pointe, tap and more. The studio also offers a Little Artists program for ages 3 to 6 on Wednesdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m. with a mix of dance, music, art, theater and literature. Classes begin Sept. 8.

• Happy Feet Dance School (25 Indian Rock Road, Windham, 434-4437, happyfeetdanceschool.biz) ages 6 and up (grouped by age and skill level) include ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, contemporary and more. Classes for ages 2 to 5 include Tiny Tots, Creative Dance and Kinder Kids classes. Programs offering two or more classes a week and participation in the Fancy Feet Performing Company are also available. The new season begins Wednesday, Sept. 3.

• Kathy Blake Dance Studios (3 Northern Blvd., Amherst, 673-3978, kathyblakedancestudios.com) offers preschool classes for ages walking to 5 (including ballet, tap and AcroDance) and performing arts classes for ages 5 to 18 that include AcroDance, ballet, jazz, musical theater jazz, hip-hop, lyrical/contemporary, tap and tap/ballet and tap/jazz combos. There are also Rhythm Works Integrative Dance for ages 3 through teen and dance teams for ages 4 to 18.

• Londonderry Dance Academy (21 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 432-0032, londonderrydance.com) begins its new school year on Tuesday, Sept. 2, with registration open Aug. 15. The academy offers classes, grouped by age and level, in ballet (to students as young as 2 through teen), pointe, tap and jazz (ages 5.5 and up), contemporary (ages 6 to teen), Triple Threat Prep (ages 8 to 17), hip-hop (ages 6+) and acro (ages 7+).

• Martin School of Dance (288 Route 101, Bedford, 488-2371, martinschoolofdance.com) classes start Sept. 2. The school offers programming for ages 18 months to 6 years in tap, ballet and tumbling, and for ages 5 to 8 in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap and acro. Programs for dancers aged 7+ include Commercial Division featuring classes in contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop and acro, and Academy Division, which focuses on ballet.

• Melissa Hoffman Dance Center (210 Robinson Road, Hudson, 886-7909, mhdcdance.com) offers toddler classes (for ages baby through 6 years old); recreational dance classes (for ages 5 to 13+ grouped by age) in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, tumble, lyric and modern; competitive dance classes, and Broadway Dance classes (ages 4 to 12+).

• Miss Kelsey’s Dance Studio (2626 Brown Ave., Manchester, 606-2820, mkdance.com) offers classes for ages 1.5 years old through adults and begins its fall season Sept. 8. Classes include Acro, ballet, breakdance workshops and camps, lyrical/contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, musical theater and tap with preschool classes in movement and pre-dance combo classes.

• Nancy Chippendale’s Dance Studios (49 Range Road, Building 2, Suite A, Windham, 458-7730, chippswindham.com) offers recreational (ages 3 to 18) and competitive (ages 8 to 18) dance classes as well as a Babysteps program for ages 1 to 4, all grouped by age and level. Recreational classes include combos of ballet, jazz, tap and hip-hop.

• New England School of Dance (679 Mast Road, Manchester, 935-7326, newenglandschoolofdance.com) kicks off its season Sept. 8 for school-age kids’ classes. Offerings (which can vary by age and level) include ballet, pointe, tap, contemporary, jazz, tumble and theater dance. A preschool program offers a fall, winter and spring session — the fall session runs the week of Oct. 6 through the week of Nov. 11 — with classes for kids starting at 18 months through 4 years old. The school also has a competitive performing company.

• New Hampshire Academie of Dance (1 Action Blvd., No. 4, Londonderry, 432-4041, nhadance.com) offers classes for kids as young as 8 months through 16+. Classes grouped by age and level include ballet, tap, hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, acro and aerial (offerings vary based on age). The school will hold an open house on Friday, Aug. 22, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

• New Hampshire School of Ballet (183 Londonderry Tpke., Hooksett, 668-5330, nhschoolofballet.com) offers classes for ages 2½ and up; classes include ballet, jazz, tap, tumbling, lyrical, contemporary, modern and hip-hop. Classes start Sept. 8 with registration running August to September.

• NH Scot (nhscot.org)offers Highland Dance classes Mondays at 25 Triangle Park Drive in Concord. An eight-week fall session begins Oct. 6 with a beginner and new students class (for ages 5 and up) from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. and an 18+ class 5:15 to 6:15 p.m.

• N-Step Dance Center (1134 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 641-6787, nstepdance.com) offers classes grouped by age and level for ages 7+ in ballet, contemporary (for ages 10+), jazz, lyrical, musical theater, tap and tumbling (for ages 5+). Classes for younger kids include Tiny Tots (1.5 + years old), Predance (2.5+ years old) and Kindercombo (age 5+). Classes start the week of Sept. 8.

• Palace Theatres Dance Studio (most classes at Forever Emma Studios, 516 Pine St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) will begin its fall session, which runs through early November, with classes starting as early as Sept. 2. Offerings include Intro to Dance (for 3- to 5-year-olds), theater dance (for grades 1-5), hip-hop and contemporary (grades 4-12), jazz (grades 6-12), technique (grades 6-12) and tap (grades 6-12). The session culminates in a showcase on Nov. 9. The Palace will have auditions for its Palace Teen Company and Palace Teen Apprentice Company on Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 5 p.m., according to the Palace Youth Theatre Facebook page. Email MeganAlves@PalaceTheatre.org to sign up or MeganQuinn@PalaceTheatre.org with questions.

• Rise Dance Studio (125 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 402-2706, risedancenh.com) offers classes to ages 3 to 18, by age and level, in pre-dance, ballet, jazz, contemporary and hip-hop. Classes start Sept. 8.

• Scottish Arts (nhssa.org/dance) offers Highland Dance classes for kids as young as 4. See the website for updates.

• Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater (19 Harvey Road, Bedford, 637-4398, snhdt.org) offers programs for preschool (18 months to 6 years old), youth (7 to 18 years old) and pre-professional (ages 10 to 18). Dance taught includes ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern and contemporary. Auditions for the Nutcracker and the school’s student company will be held Friday, Aug. 22, and Saturday, Aug. 23.

• Turning Pointe Center of Dance (371 Pembroke St., Pembroke, 485-8710, turningpointecenterofdance.com) offers classes, which start in September, for ages 3+ as well as private lessons. Classes, grouped by age and level, include ballet, jazz, pointe (by invitation), tap, lyrical, hip-hop and combo classes.

• Unbound Dance Academy (237 Londonderry Tpke., Hooksett, 714-2821, unbounddanceacademy.com) kicks off the new season Sept. 15. “All ages and abilities welcome,” says the website for Unbound Dance, which has classes in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, contemporary, lyrical, musical theater, hip-hop and acro. The school will hold an open house with tryout classes for ages 3 to 12 on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to its Facebook page.

Gymnastics

• A2 Gym & Cheer (16B Garabedian Drive, Salem, 328-8130, a2gc.com) kicks off fall classes on Sept. 2. The school offers gymnastics and tumbling classes for kids aged 18 months through high school as well as competitive programs and open gym opportunities.

• Flipz the Gym for Kids (Flipz Gymnastics, 14 Chenell Drive, Concord, 224-3223, flipzgymnastics.com) offers classes, grouped by age, for kids ages 1 to 7. An Intro to Gymnastics class for ages 5 to 7 has two fall sessions — Sept. 3 through Oct. 8 and Oct. 15 through Nov. 19.

• Gymnastics Village (13 Caldwell Drive, Amherst, 889-8092, gymnasticsvillage.com) starts its school year Aug. 27. The school offers preschool programs (18 months to 3 years old), after-school programs for ages 5 and up, ninja classes for ages 6 to 14 and girls’ and boys’ competitive gymnastics teams.

• Gym-Ken Gymnastics (184 Rockingham Road, Windham, 434-9060, gymkengymnastics.com) begins its session Aug. 24, according to its calendar. Offerings include preschool classes (for kids who are walking through kindergarten), recreational classes for grades 1-8 (including a boys class for grades 1-3), parkour for grades 1 and above, tumbling classes for grades 1 and above and a girls’ competitive team.

• Impact Gymnastics (301 River Road, Bow, 219-0343, impact-gymnastics.com) begins its classes Sept. 2. Offerings include coed preschool programs (for kids who are walking through age 5), girls’ recreational gymnastics (with classes for ages 5 to 8 and 8+), a Girls Stars program (which starts at age 4), boys’ programs starting at ages 5, coed home-school programs and coed special athletics programs.

• Noha’s Gymnastics Academy (200 Perimeter Road, Manchester, 518-7660; 30 Pond St., Nashua, 880-4927; ngacademy.us) offers recreational classes in both cities with classes for kids who are walking through grade 8 as well as competitive teams for girls and boys.

• Palaestra Gymnastics Academy (8 Tinkham Ave., Derry, 818-4494, pgagym.com) runs its fall session for preschool classes, recreational gymnastics and tumbling Sept. 8 through Dec. 6. The academy also has a competitive team.

• Phantom Gymnastics (142 Route 111, Hampstead, 329-9315, phantomgymnastics.com) has a competitive team, parkour (grouped by age for ages 4 to 13+), preschool classes (for ages 6 months through 4 years) and classes for ages 5+ as well as open gym opportunities. The school also offers CPR classes.

• Sky High Gymnastics (185 Elm St., Milford, 554-1097, skyhighgym.com) offers after-school programs (the school is a Milford Schools bus stop, according to the website) as well as classes (grouped by age) for ages infant through 18. Classes include cheer and tumbling, tumbling and gymnastics. There are also open play opportunities.

• Southern New Hampshire Gymnastics Academy (4 Orchard View Drive, No. 11, Londonderry, 404-6181, snhga.com) offers gymnastics classes for ages 18 months through 18 years and has a tumbling program and a competitive team.

• Spectrum Gymnastics (26 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 434-8388, spectrumgymnast.com) offers preschool classes for walkers through kindergarten and school-age classes for girls and boys (grades 1 to 5 for boys, according to the website) as well as a competitive team.

• Tumble Town Gymnastics (444 E. Industrial Park Drive, No. 10, Manchester, 641-9591, tumbletownnh.com) begins its school year Sept. 2. The school offers recreational classes for ages 4 and up as well as pre-team and competitive team programs.

Martial Arts

Note: most of the locations mentioned here offer classes and training for adults, sometimes in disciplines not offered for kids.

• American Dragon Shaolin Kempo (146 Londonderry Turnpike, Unit 11, Hooksett, 629-9118, americandragonnh.com) offers classes for juniors, teens and adults.

• Aqueous Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (30 Harvey Road, Bedford, 566-7775, aqueousbjj.com) offers a Little Warriors program for kids.

• ATA Martial Arts of Merrimack (707 Milford Road, Merrimack, 881-5435, atabbanh.com) offers kids’ classes starting at 3.5 years old.

• Averill’s Martial Arts Academy (3 N. Main St., Concord, 223-0300, averillsmartialarts.com) offers youth boxing.

• Balance Point Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (50 Emerson Road, Milford, 470-7136, balancepointbjj.com) offers classes for ages 4 to 13.

• Bedford Martial Arts Academy (292 Route 101, Bedford, 626-9696; Bedford Martial Arts Academy East, 273 S. River Road, Bedford; 703-2327, bedfordmartialartsacademy.com) offers programs for ages 3 through 17. The academy also offers an after-school program with sessions at its Route 101 location as well as other locations in Bedford, Chester, Peterborough and Windham.

• Blue Wave Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (1 Progress Ave., Nashua, 321-5032, bluewavejj.com) offers kids’ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes for kids ages 3 through teen.

• Bodyworks Martial Arts Training Center (45 Chenell Drive, Concord, 225-5620, bodyworksnh.com) offers classes for kids age 4 and up.

• Brazilian Top Team Londonderry (73 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 212-9258, bttlondonderry.com) offers kids classes for ages 4 to 6 and 7 to 16.

• Bulsajo TaeKwonDo (703-1914, bulsajotkd.com) offers classes at locations in Goffstown for ages 6 and up.

• Capital City Tae Kwon Do (78 Fisherville Road, Concord, 227-0555, capitalcitytkd.com) offers tae kwon do for ages 6 to 12.

• Central Tae Kwon Do Academy (222 Central St., Suite 8, Hudson, 882-5617, central-tkd.com) offers children’s tae kwon do classes as well as taerobics classes.

• Checkmate Martial Arts (200 Elm St., Manchester, 666-5836, checkmateselfdefense.com) offers kids and teen karate classes (starting at age 4), youth boxing and youth Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

• Chung’s Tae Kwon Do Academy (115 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 883- 2577, chungs-tkd.com) offers children’s classes for various levels.

• Concord Karate Studio and Academy (89 Fort Eddy Road, No. 3, Concord, 224-5425, cks-nh.com) offers an after-school program with three- and five-day options, for kids kindergarten through grade 8. Karate classes are available for ages 3 and up, with preschool, kindergarten and older kid programs as well as classes for teens and adults.

• Determined Martial Arts (Salzburg Square, 292 Route 101, Amherst, 672-3570, determinedma.com) offers classes for ages 4 and up including teen classes for ages 13+.

• Dojo Sante (1 Winn Ave., Hudson, 467-9384, mbsdojosante.com) offers kids’ programming starting with age 3.

• Empowering Lives Martial Arts (542 Mast Road, No. 15, Goffstown, 978-414-5425, martialartsnewhampshire.com) offers martial arts classes for kids starting at age 4 as well as special abilities classes and Leadership Life Training, a by-invitation program for juniors and teens.

• Eric Menard’s Complete Martial Arts Academy (220 Innovative Way, Suite E, Nashua, 888-0010, cma-martialarts.com) offers martial arts classes for kids and teens.

• Gate City MMA (28 Charron Ave., Unit 8, Nashua, 722-0238, gatecitymma.com) offers kids’ MMA.

• Golden Crane Traditional Martial Arts (46 Lowell Road, No. 6, Windham, 437-2020, goldencranenh.com) offers kids’ programming starting with age 5 as well as a teen program for ages 12 to 15.

• Granite State American Kenpo Karate (290 Derry Road, No. 5, Hudson, 598-5400, gsakenpo.com) offers kids’ programming starting at age 3 as well as teen classes for ages 13+. The school also offers an after-school program in Hudson.

• House of the Samurai (28 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 434-2265, samurainh.com) offers youth classes for ages 4 to 12 and teen classes for 13+.

• Independent Martial Arts School (138 Lake St., Nashua, 882-6917, imasnh.com) offers classes for kids including specialty classes.

• Inner Dragon Martial Arts (77 Derry Road, Hudson, 864-8756, innerdragonma.com) offers martial arts programs for kids and an after-school program in Hudson.

• Inspired Martial Arts (58 Range Road, Windham, 893-7990, inspiredmartialartscenter.com) offers kids’ martial arts programs.

• Karasu Tengu Academy (1 Chestnut St., No. 5D, Nashua, 689-4966, ktacademymma.com) offers Youth MMA Striking for ages 7 to 12 and youth Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

• Karate International of Windham (60 Rockingham Road, No. 14, Windham, 898-5367, windhamkarate.com) offers preschool (starting at age 4), kid and teen classes.

• Kenpo Academy of Self Defense (40 Manchester Road, Derry, 437-9900, kenpo-academy.com) offers programs for kids starting at 3 years old as well as classes for older kids, tweens and teens. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing are available for ages 16+.

• Leverage Jiu Jitsu (70 Pembroke Road, Concord, 738-0227, leveragebjjnh.com) has classes for kids starting at age 5.

• Manchester Karate Studio (371 S. Willow St., Manchester, 625-5835, manchesterkarate.com) offers karate programs for ages 3+ divided by age, including a teen class for 13+ (ages 14+ are eligible for adult classes).

• The Martial Arts Zone (31 Auburn St., Manchester, 206-5716, themartialartszone.com) offers a youth Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program for ages 5 to 11.

• Meikyo Dojo (292 Derry Road, Hudson, 415-9658, meikyodojo.com) offers kids’ and teens’ martial arts programs.

• Merrimack Karate (534 DW Highway, Merrimack, 424-7458, merrimackkarate.com) offers children’s programs for ages 6 to 12 and teen & adult programs for ages 13+.

• Mindset Wrestling (185 Elm St., Milford, 721-2551, mindsetwrestling.net) offers wrestling classes for grades K-5 and for grade 6 and up.

• Neil Stone’s Karate Academy (22 Proctor Hill Road, Hollis, 672-8933, neilstoneskarate.com) offers programs for kids as young as 2 through teen and adult. The school also has home-school programming and more.

• New England Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy (30 Henniker St., Unit 9, Concord, 369-4764, nebjj.com) offers kids programs starting at age 5.

• NH Kicks Taekwondo Family Fitness (90 Airport Road, Concord, 714-5472, nhkicks.com) offers programs for ages 5 to 12 and teens and up.

• Ocasio’s True Martial Arts – Plaistow (160 Plaistow Road, No. 5, Plaistow, 382-4199, ocasiostma.com) offers children’s classes starting at age 3.

• Phoenix Fire Martial Arts (79 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, 234-8665, phnixfire.com) offers classes for children through adults in Shotokan and teen through adult classes in Krav Maga.

• Professional Martial Arts Academy (15 E. Broadway, Derry, 434-7995, pmaderry.com; 501 DW Highway, Merrimack, 429-0008, pmamerrimack.com; 37 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, 974-2455, pmaplaistow.com) offers kids’ programs in karate and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

• Souhegan Valley Karate Club (1 Main St., Brookline, 505-6777, svkc.online) offers “Karate Kids,” a program for ages 5 to 10.

• School of Warrior Arts (122 N. Lowell Road, Windham, 781-249-7073, facebook.com/schoolofwarriorarts), described as “a Holistic and Christ-centered education through the combative, creative, performing, and healing arts,” offers programs for children and teens.

• SDSS Martial Arts of Concord (124 Hall St., Suite E, Concord, 224-3777, sdsskungfu.com) offers kids’ (starting at age 4) and teens’ programs.

• Strikeback Dynamic Defense Systems (458 DW Highway, Merrimack, 262-9299, strikebackdds.com) offers youth and teen programs.

• Tiger Black Belt Academy (11 Kimball Drive, Unit 121, Hooksett, 627-7744, tigerblackbeltacademy.com) offers tae kwon do for kids starting at ages 3.5 through teens. The school also offers Kumdo, which means “way of the sword,” according to the website.

• Tim Barchard’s Professional Martial Arts Academy (15 E. Broadway, Derry, 434-7995, pmaderry.com) offers kids’ classes in martial arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

• Tokyo Joe’s Studios of Self Defense (85A Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 889-4165; 20 Hammond Road, Milford, 672-2100; tokyojoes.net) both locations offer kids’ martial arts programming.

• Tokyo Joe’s Studios and Team Link NH (1338 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 641-3444, tokyojoeshooksett.com) youth programs include karate (ages 3 to 12), Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (ages 5 to 15) and kickboxing (ages 5 to 15).

• The Training Station (200 Elm St., Manchester, 505-0048, thetrainingstationnh.com) offers programs for kids starting at age 4 running through teen classes (ages 12 to 14), with ages 15+ eligible for adult classes.

• Triumph Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (456 W. Hollis St., Nashua, 769-3819, teamtriumphbjj.com) offers kids’ classes.

• Universal Kenpo Federation (37 Wilton Road, Milford, 547-5226, facebook.com/UniversalKenpoFederation) offers private and group lessons.

• USA Ninja Challenge (locations at Gymnastics Village, 13 Caldwell Drive, Amherst, 889-8902, gymnasticsvillage.com; Flipz Gymnastics, 14 Chenell Drive, Concord, 224-3223, ninjaconcordnh.com; 17 Friars Drive, Unit 18, Hudson, 417-6820, ninjahudson.com; and 444 E. Industrial Park Drive, Manchester, 935-7100, ninjamanchesternh.com) offers classes for boys and girls age 2.5 through 17. Manchester, Concord and Hudson offer ninja teams for ages 6 up.

• Valle Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (44 Nashua Road, Unit 19, Londonderry, 553-1736, vallebjj.com) offers kids’ and teens’ classes.

• World Class Martial Arts (25 Nashua Road, Unit D3, Londonderry, 845-6115, londonderrymartialarts.com) offers classes for ages 3+.

Music

• AB Music School (4 Faxon Ave., Nashua, 978-677-9244, abmusicschool.com) offers music lessons for kids starting at age 4. Instruments taught include flute/piccolo, clarinet, ukulele, piano, violin, cello, oboe, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, viola and banjo, according to the website. The school also teaches music theory.

• Amy Conley Music (102 Elm St., Milford, 249-9560, amyconleymusic.com) offers early childhood classes, special needs classes, ukulele classes and more.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) offers music starting as young as the Kindermusik program with offerings for infants to 1 year old. Instrument prep classes are available for kids 5 to 7 years old. For older kids (age depending on instrument), BYPC has private lessons in piano and keyboard, guitar, drums and percussion and voice (group voice lessons are also available). BYPC also has rock band ensembles for kids 10+ and 14+ (by invitation). Classes and lessons begin the week of Aug. 25.

• Bemish Green Piano Studio (188 Central St., Hudson, 235-9378, greenpiano.com) offers piano lessons. “Students are ready for lessons when they can recognize their letters and numbers and focus for at least a 30-minute lesson,” the website said.

• Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St., Concord, 228-1196, ccmusicschool.org) offers private lessons for voice, banjo, bass, bassoon, cello, clarinet, composition, double bass, fiddle, flute, French horn, guitar, mandolin, oboe, percussion, piano, recorder, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, tuba, ukulele, viola and violin. There are also group classes and ensembles for kids and teens (including, for teens, folk, rock and jazz bands). The school will hold an open house on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to noon.

• Don Sanni Guitar & Bass Lessons (108 Taylor St., Nashua, 882-7468, donsanni.com) teaches students 8 years old and up.

• Eric Dupont Drum Instruction (809-9575, ericdupontdrums.com) teaches drummers of all ages.

• Figaro Music Studios (254 N. State St., Unit G, Concord, 369-0265, figaromusicstudios.com) offers piano and guitar lessons as well as a preschool program (for ages 3 to 5) and a choir for ages 6 to 11.

• Jeanne Martin Piano Studio (38 Pearson Road, Merrimack, 493-2961, musictoenjoy.com) offers piano lessons.

• Jimmy Mags Music Lessons (321 Laxson Ave, Manchester, 682-2550, jimmymagsmusiclessons.com) offers guitar, bass and piano lessons.

• John Medeiros Jr. Music (498-3819, johnmedeirosjr.com) offers drum, guitar and bass lessons.

• Let’s Play Music! (2626 Brown Ave., Unit A2, Manchester, 218-3089; 145 Hampstead Road, Derry, 425-7575; 136 Lowell Road, Hudson, 882-8940; letsplaymusic.com) has choral groups and musical theater programs and rock bands as well as private lessons in piano, guitar & bass, stringed instruments, singing, drums, horns and reed instruments, ukulele, banjo, mandolin and accordion. Kindermusik classes are available for newborns through 4 years old and Ready to Rock classes for kids as young as 4 years old through teens.

• Lidman Music Studio (419 Amherst St., Nashua, 913-5314, lidmanmusic.com) offers lessons in viola, violin and piano.

• Manchester Community Music School (2291 Elm St., Manchester, 644-4548, mcmusicschool.org) offers group programs, including a jazz ensemble, orchestras and choirs. Private lessons are offered in woodwind, brass, percussion, strings, voice, music theory, composition, piano, guitar, harp, ukulele, mandolin and more. Early childhood classes are also available. See the fall catalog on the website; classes begin in early September.

• Manchester Music Mill (329 Elm St., Manchester, 623-8022, manchestermusicmill.com) See mmmlessons.com for the lessons-related landing page. Lessons include guitar, bass, drums, saxophone, clarinet, flute, trumpet, trombone, piano and voice.

• Melody Music Studios (277-3289, melodymusicstudios.com) teaches lessons in piano, voice, guitar, drums, string instruments and woodwind and brass instruments.

• Merrimack Music Academy (1 Bryce Drive, Merrimack, merrimackmusicacademy.com, 493-9214) offers private lessons on guitar, bass, piano and voice.

• Mike Loce Music (5 Bowers Landing Drive, No. 304, Merrimack, 318-1723, mikelocemusic.com) teaches guitar, bass and ukulele to students of all ages.

• Music Class with Mr. Aaron (mraaronmusic.com/classes). See the website for classes with Mr. Aaron, a “multi-instrumentalist performer and composer” for kids and their grown-ups.

• Music Lessons By Lisa N (Concord, 781-832-2127, musicbylisan.wixsite.com) offers lessons in saxophone, clarinet, violin, piano, music theory and more and is now offering lessons at Ted Herbert Music in Manchester to ages 10+.

• Music Workshop of Concord (64 Dunklee St., Concord, 226-0690, musicworkshopofconcord.com) offers early childhood music classes (ages 2 to 6) and group and private piano lessons.

• Nashua Community Music School (2 Lock St., Nashua, 881-7030, nashuacms.org) offers private lessons in piano, guitar, voice, violin, cello, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone and percussion. The school also offers music therapy for all ages, a group music class and ensembles including a rock band for current students. The school’s family-friendly fundraising event, Play It Forward, which will feature the Teen Rock Band as the opening act (headliner is Big D and the Kids Table), will take place Saturday, Aug. 23, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Anheuser-Busch Biergarten in Merrimack. Tickets cost $40 (kids under 5 get in free).

• New Song Piano Studio (Derry, newsongpianostudio.com) offers piano lessons.

• NH Tunes (250 Commercial St., No. 2017, Manchester, 660-2208, nhtunes.biz) offers lessons in voice, guitar, piano, ukulele, drum, banjo/mandolin and band instruments. There are also music discovery lessons (where a student can try multiple instruments) and music production.

• North Main Music (28 Charron Ave., Nashua, 505-4282, northmainmusic.com) teaches students of all ages guitar, drums, piano, bass, voice, violin, saxophone, ukulele and trumpet.

• Palace Theatre Voice Studio (palacetheatre.org) offers vocal coaching for grades 2-12 and piano lessons for grades 1-12.

• Peter Hostage Music Lessons (12 Adams Road, Londonderry, 437-2575, peterhostagemusiclessons.com) offers lessons in piano, guitar, bass guitar, voice, drums, banjo and mandolin.

• Piano Studio of Jacqueline Morin (15 Marion St., Concord, 508-633-5534, missjackienotes.com) teaches piano to students from 4 to adult.

• The Real School of Music (10 A St., Derry, 260-6801, therealschoolofmusic.com) offers music lessons for students ages 5 and up, bands and ensembles for students 9 and up, Yamaha group classes for ages 3 to 7, musical theater for ages 7 to 14 and an adaptive music program.

• School of Rock Nashua (225 DW Highway, Nashua, 600-7625, schoolofrock.com) offers music lessons in guitar, drum, singing, bass, keyboard and piano. The school also offers music programs for kids as young as 4 years old that mix individual and group learning as well as house bands, songwriting lessons (ages 12 and up) and camps and workshops. Catch the Summer 2025 Season Finale at Spyglass Brewing in Nashua on Sunday, Aug. 24, from 2 to 5 p.m. with performances by an adult band, the Rock 101 band (ages 8 to 13) and a Performance Group band (ages 8 to 18).

• Scottish Arts (nhssa.org) offers individual lessons in bagpipe and fiddle. See the website for updates.

• Strings and Things Music (339 Village St., Concord, 228-1971, stringsandthingsmusic.com) offers lessons in voice, banjo, mandolin, bass, clarinet, djembe, drums, fiddle, flute, sax, guitar, piano, trumpet and ukulele, according to the website.

• Suzuki Violin Studio (890 Valley St., Manchester, 785-1884, musiclessonsnh.com) offers lessons in violin, viola, cello, guitar, bass and piano.

• Ted Herbert Music School (Majestic Studio Theatre, 880 Page St., Manchester; majestictheatre.net, tedherbert.com) offers lessons in brass, drums, guitar/bass, piano/keyboard, strings, theater/dance, voice and woodwind. Instrument rentals are available. The school also holds open mic nights for musicians of all levels.

• Travis Shelby Music Lessons (370-8853, travisshelbymusic.com) offers guitar lessons to all ages, skill levels and genre interests in Exeter, Manchester, Bedford, Nashua, Merrimack, Hooksett, Concord and Derry, according to the website.

• The Voice Studio (16 Crystal Ave., Derry, 560-2495, thevoicestudione.com) teaches lessons to students of all ages in voice, piano, guitar, bass, ukulele and saxophone. Twice per year the Studio holds a recording camp

• Weare School of Music (77 Barnard Hill Road, Weare, 206-0135, see listing on Facebook). “We teach all band instruments, strings, voice, piano, guitar, ukulele, and recorder. We also offer try-it lessons so you can figure out what instrument you might like to play,” according to a May Facebook post.

• Zagaria Vocal Academy Manchester-Hooksett (954-418-9730, musicandvoicelessonsmanchesternh.com) offers lessons in piano and trumpet.

Sports

• Amoskeag Rowing Club (amoskeagrowing.org) offers a youth rowing team for grades 7-12 with the fall practice schedule to begin Aug. 18.

• Baboosic Lake Rowing Club (baboosiclakerowing.org) offers a junior rowing program for high school students. According to the website and the club’s Facebook page, the spring season begins in March with registration open in February.

• Bedford Athletic Club (bedfordac.com) offers fall and spring recreational soccer (grades pre-K through 6); an adaptive program (ages 5 to 15), and a travel program with fall and spring seasons (for U8 through U15). The fall season begins in late August but registration is open through Sept. 28.

• Bedford Basketball League (bedfordbl.com) offers winter basketball for boys and girls with recreation programs (grades 1-8 plus a grades 9-12 Biddy League) and a travel program (for grades 3-8).

• Bedford Cannons Youth Lacrosse (bedfordcannons.org) offers spring programs for ages 4 and up as well as grades 1-8. Indoor winter skills begins in mid-January with outdoor practices and games usually beginning in April. Look for registration to open around December.

• Bedford Crew (bedfordcrew.org) begins its fall season Aug. 18 and is open to Bedford High School students. There is also a spring season and a fall “Learn to Row” session for Lurgio Middle School students.

• Bedford Little League (bedfordll.com) offers spring, summer and fall leagues, with the largest age range offered in spring teams — ages 4 through 13. Registration for spring begins in early December and registration for fall closed in mid-August.

• Bedford Youth Football & Cheer Bulldogs (bedfordbulldogs.org) offers football and cheer for ages 5 to 15 with programs in the fall (registration for fall 2026 will be in the spring) with programs including flag football for younger players and adaptive cheer.

• Bow Athletic League (bowathleticclub.com) offers programs including basketball, field hockey (grouped by age for grades K-8), soccer (grades 1-8, register now for fall soccer), golf (grades 1-8), wrestling (grades 1-8; last year practice began in November), lacrosse (8U to 14U for girls, 8U to 12U for boys) and baseball (ages 4 to 14) and softball (8U to 16U).

• Brazilian Art Soccer Training (basoccertraining.com) offers holiday and vacation camps as well as summer programming.

• Cannons Baseball Club (Manchester, facebook.com/CannonsNH) offers fall baseball and softball for players age 9 through 18U as well as other opportunities throughout the year.

• Cap City Basketball (based at Capital City Sports & Fitness in Concord; capcitybasketball.com) offers AAU basketball teams for boys and girls, grades 3 through high school, during spring and fall as well as vacation camps, a winter Sunday league and more.

• Capital City Sports & Fitness (10 Garvins Falls Road in Concord; 224-7787, capitalcitysportsandfitness.com) offers swim lessons for kids and teens starting at 6 months old. The facility is also the home for Cap City Basketball, Futsanity Academy and Skyhawks Sports.

• Concord Crew (concordcrew.org) offers fall, spring and summer youth and middle school programs, according to the website. Practices take place at Bert Wittemore Bouthouse, 15 Loudon Road in Concord.

• Concord Parks & Recreation (concordnh.gov/1984/Parks-Recreation) offers fall programming including preschool open gym (with sessions Sept. 16-Oct. 21 and Oct. 28-Dec. 9); yoga for parents and babies, preschoolers and preteens; tennis; flag football (for ages 6 to 14, starting Sept. 7); recreational soccer for preschool through 6th grade; fall archery (ages 7+) and more. See the website for the brochure. Most programs begin the first or second week of September.

• Concord Soccer Association (concordsoccer.com) offers fall and spring soccer for kids born in 2021 through U18 and U19 for girls (U19 boys will be available in spring). Opening day for the fall season will be Sept. 6. There are also travel teams for boys (birth year 2017 through 2009) and girls (birth year 2017 through 2014 plus 2007). There is also a winter futsal program.

• Concord Youth Hockey Association and the Concord Capitals (leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=cyha1) offers a youth program for birth years 2020 through 2014 and then the Capitals travel team for ages 9 to 11. There are also learn to skate/learn hockey programs for ages 4 to 9. Registration is open now for the 2025-2026 school year.

• Conway Arena (5 Stadium Drive, Nashua, 595-2400, conwayarena.com) offers learn to skate (ages 3 to 9) and learn to play hockey (ages 5 to 9), youth leagues, camps and clinics and more.

• Derry Diamond Athletic Association (derryll.org) offers baseball programs (ages 6 to 15) and softball (8U and up) in fall and spring (as well as winter and summer offerings). Registration is open now; waitlists and late fees begin on Aug. 21, the website said.

• Derry Demons Football and Cheer (derrydemons.com) offers flag football (ages 5 to 8), tackle football (ages 8 to 12) and cheer (grades K-5). Registration for fall programs is in late spring into summer. Camps and clinics have also been offered.

• Derry Soccer Club’s Hawks (derrysoccerclub.org) offers a full year (fall and spring) of soccer with practices for 2025-2026 slated to begin on Sept. 2 for U4 through U18. Registration is open now.

• Derry Wolverines Youth Football and Cheer (derry-wolverines.sportngin.com) offers football for grades 7-8 and cheer for grades 6-8, with registration opening in March for the following year.

• Executive Swim Club (gomotionapp.com/team/neehsc/page/home) is a year-round competitive team with seasons September through March and April through August. Registration is open now.

• FC Stars New Hampshire Region (starsofma.org/new-hampshire) has soccer teams for boys and girls (birth year 2007/2008 through 2016).

• 4 Leaf Lacrosse (4leaflax.org) offers programming around northern New England including in Hooksett and Dover. Supplemental tryouts for the boys’ travel team will be held at the NH Sportsdome in Hooksett on Sunday, Sept. 14. Goalie training will be offered in Hooksett Sundays, January through February, for grades 3-12 (grouped by age). See the website for other offerings.

• Futsal NH (futsalnh.com) offers futsal training and leagues, which last year ran from December to mid March.

• Futsanity Academy (based at Capital City Sports & Fitness in Concord; soccerskillscamp.org) offers an indoor futsal program, which last year ran from November into February for boys and girls in age groups U8-10, U11-12 and U13/14 and ninth-graders.

• Girls on the Run New Hampshire (137 Water St., No. 3, Exeter, 778-1389, girlsontherunnh.org) is offered for girls in grades 3-5 and 6-8 with a junior coach program for girls 16 to 18 years old. Registration for the lottery for a spot on a team opened Aug. 6 for spots first come, first served. See the website for locations, which set their own weekly meet-up and run schedules, or to start a team. The fall season culminates in a 5K on Nov. 15.

• Goffstown Junior Baseball (goffstownjrbaseball.com) offers baseball programs starting at age 4. Last year registration for spring opened Jan. 1.

• Goffstown Screamin’ Eagles ( goffstownscreamineagles.isportz.us) offers competitive cheer for ages 5 to 15. There are also camp and clinic opportunities.

• Granite State Kids New Hampshire Junior Team Tennis (granitestatekids.com) offers a fall tennis program for ages 5 through 11+ in Bedford as well as spring and summer programs. The fall session begins Monday, Sept. 1.

• Greater Manchester Colt League (manchestercoltleague.com) is registering now for the fall league. The program serves players ages 12 through 23.

• Healthy Kids Running Series (healthykidsrunningseries.org) offers a fall running series with races on Sundays, Sept. 14 through Oct. 12, in the afternoon at locations in Amherst, Manchester and Nashua, according to the website. The series is open to kids in grades pre-K through 8 with age-appropriate events including 50- and 75-yard dashes and the 1/4-mile, the 1/2-mile and the 1-mile run, according to the website. The cost is $16.90 for a single-day walk-up on race day or $48.70 for the whole series, the website said.

• Houligan Lacrosse (based in Epping, houlaganlacrosse.com) offers fall, spring and summer teams for boys and girls in grades 1-12.

• Hudson Litchfield Bears (hudsonlitchfieldyouthfootballandcheer.sportngin.com) offers cheer for ages 5 to 14, tackle football for ages 6 to 13 and flag football for ages 5 to 7. Registration for the fall season has already taken place; practices usually begin in August.

• Londonderry Soccer Club (londonderrysc.org) offers fall and spring recreational programs (for U3 through U18) as well as a travel program (U8 through U18).

• Londonderry Wildcats (lyfs.org) offers cheer programs (ages 5 to 14), flag football (grades K-2) and tackle football (for grades 2-6) with practices that begin in July. Check back with the website for information on next fall, summer and other programming.

• Manchester Angels (maysl.org) offers a recreational spring soccer league for U4 through U19.

• Manchester Basketball League (manchesterbasketballleague.com) offers basketball programs for boys and girls ages 4 through 12 (13+ for boys). The new season begins in October.

• Manchester Bears (manchesterbears.com) offers youth football for grades 2-8. The fall session began on Aug. 11.

• Manchester Cal Ripken Baseball (manchestercalripken.org) offers baseball programming for boys and girls ages 4 to 12. Registration for spring baseball began in January last year, according to the organization’s Facebook page.

• Manchester Central Little League (sports.bluesombrero.com/manchestercentral) offers baseball, including T-ball for ages 4 to 8, for spring.

• Manchester East Soccer League (mesl.org) offers intra-league competition for ages 4 to 18 and inter-league competition for ages 12 to 18, according to the website. Register for the fall season through Aug. 31.

• Manchester Girls Softball League (mgslnh.com) offers softball for ages 4 to 18. Last year, registration for the spring season started in November, according to the Facebook page, which also showed registration in November for winter clinics.

• Manchester NH Little League (manchesternhlittleleague.com) offers spring baseball as well as clinics and other programming before the season.

• Manchester North Soccer League (mnsl.org) is a recreational league for ages 5 to 19.

• Manchester Parks & Recreation (manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Programs-and-Activities) offers programs including fencing, tennis, swimming lessons (in summer), ice skating lessons September through March, Stick & Puck in West Side Arena and more.

• Manchester Regional Youth Hockey Association (mryha.org) offers hockey travel teams for U6/U8 through U18, recreational leagues for 6U through 15U (a 24-week program that starts in late September), learn to skate and learn to play hockey programs (with the first session starting Sept. 19), a girls’ high school boot camp (Sept. 8 through Nov. 26) and skills programs for 6U through 15U (also starting Sept. 8).

• Manchester Soccer League (manchestersoccerleague.com) offers a fall program in partnership with the Beech Street Football Club for ages 4 to 15.

• Manchester South Junior Soccer (msjsl.com/manchestersouthsoccer) offers fall soccer (U6 through U19), spring skills and drills (ages 4 to 13) and winter indoor soccer (U6 through high school). The fall season starts Aug. 23.

• Manchester South Sabres (manchestersouthsabres.com) offers flag football for ages 5 to 7, tackle football for ages 8 to 13 and cheer for ages 5 to 14. The first day of practice was July 28.

• Manchester Thunder (manchesterlacrosse.com) offers girls’ lacrosse for grades K-8. Last year, registration opened in December with indoor training beginning in March and April.

• Meraki Volleyball (merakivolleyball.com) offers volleyball for girls in U12 through U17/18 age groups with tryouts at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford starting in early October and the season beginning in November. Boys’ teams are for age groups 14U through 18U and practices for boys begin Aug. 18. There are also boys’ and girls’ training programs.

• Merrimack Jr. Tomahawks (merrimackjrtomahawks.org) offers cheer (grades K-8), flag football (ages 5 to 7) and tackle football (grades 2-8). Practices begin in August.

• Merrimack Youth Baseball (myabaseball.com) offers seasonal programs for T-ball (ages 3 and 4) and baseball (ages 5 through 16). Last year, spring registration opened in February.

• Milford Community Athletic Association (mcaa.us) offers programs including baseball (for ages 5 to 15), soccer (for ages 3 to 11), basketball (for grades K-8) and softball (for ages 6 to 11). Fall soccer registration is open through Aug. 17 with the season set to begin in early September, according to the association’s Facebook page, where you can find a link to register. Fall baseball and softball registrations are also open.

• My Gym Bedford (410 S. River Road, Bedford, 668-7196, mygym.com/bedford) offers classes for infants starting at 3 months old through preschool with a few classes for older kids (up to 10 years old, according to the website) including ninja training and gymnastics.

• My Gym Londonderry (30 Main St., Londonderry, 818-4107, mygym.com/londonderry) offers classes for infants starting at 3 months old through just under 6 years old (5 years and 11 months, according to the website), including, for the older part of that age range, gymnastics and ninja jr.

• Nashua Blast Lacrosse (nashualacrosse.com) offers a Little Stix program (ages 4 to 6) as well as boys’ and girls’ teams for 8U through 14U.

• Nashua Cal Ripken Baseball (nashuacalripken.org) offers fall baseball for ages 4 to 12 as well as baseball and T-ball in the spring.

• Nashua Parks & Recreation (nashua.recdesk.com) offers Biddy Basketball for ages 7 to 15 (last year’s registration was in September for the winter season) and Fall Babe Ruth Baseball (ages 13 to 16) and Softball (ages 7 to 14) with a spring season that starts in April (registration for that begins in February).

• Nashua Police Athletic League (52 Ash St. in Nashua, 594-3733, nashuapal.com) offers programs including boxing (ages 11+), cross-country, Storm Football & Spirit (ages 5 to 15, flag football for ages 5 to 7 and cheer for ages 5 to 14), street hockey and track and field (last school year’s program started in April).

• NE Inferno Baseball (noreastersbaseball.com) operates in regional facilities including in Nashua (3 Progress Ave.) with programs starting at U8/9, depending on location.

• New England Crusaders (necrusaders.com) offers coed basketball skills programs for ages 3 to 8 and girls’ basketball teams for grades 4 through high school (there is also a girls’ training program for grades 6-8 that last year started in December). Tryouts for the spring teams were held in January last year. Tryouts for fall are Aug. 13 and Aug. 20 at the Presentation of Mary, 182 Lowell Road in Hudson: 6 to 7:15 p.m. for grades 4-7 and 7:15 to 8:30 for grades 8-11.

• New England Storm (new-england-storm.com) offers AAU basketball for boys and girls in grades 3-12 (varying by season) with fall, spring and summer programming. Last year, tryouts for spring took place in early January. Last year there was also a winter program for girls in grades 6-8.

• NH Climbing and Fitness (10 Langdon Ave., Concord, 715-9171, nhclimbinggym.com) has climbing classes for ages 3 through 5, 6 through 8 and 9+. Clubs and teams are available for ages 8 through 19.

• New Hampshire Mountain Kings Hockey (Tri-Town Arena, 311 W. River Road, Hooksett, mountainkingshockey.com) offers youth hockey (starting with teams for kids under 8 years old), Academy hockey and other options for teens, skating lessons (starting Sept. 8), figure skating and more. The hockey season runs September through March with tryouts usually in March and April, according to a brochure on the website.

• New Hampshire Junior Roller Derby (nhjrd.com; facebook.com/NHJrRollerDerby) teaches roller derby to any gender ages 8-17.

• New Hampshire Spartans Youth Basketball (nhspartans.com) offers AAU basketball with programming during all seasons and teams on the Seacoast and in Derry. Tryouts for fall will be Saturday, Aug. 23, at Pickup USA Gym in Manchester for boys and girls in grades 3 through high school. Times are 10 to 11 a.m. for boys and girls in grades 3-6, and 11 a.m. to noon for boys and girls in seventh grade through high school. Contact Chris Coates at CoatesNew@hotmail.com with questions, according to an email.

• New Hampshire Sportsplex (68 Technology Drive, Bedford, 641-1313, nhsportsplex.com) offers youth flag football (grouped by ages) for ages 5 through high school; youth recreational soccer in five age groups; youth 3 x 3 basketball, softball and a Lil Athlete series of offerings (such as Lil Laxers and Lil Dribblers) to introduce younger kids to specific sports. See the website for the seasons for these sports. The Sportsplex is also the indoor home to sports clubs, such as the NH Tomahawks Lacrosse, New England Phantoms Flag Football and more.

• New Hampshire Tomahawks Lacrosse (nhtomahawks.com) offers fall, spring and summer lacrosse teams for boys and girls, graduation year 2037 and older, and indoor winter leagues as well as clinics, some for kids as young as 3 years old.

• North Manchester Hooksett Baseball (nmhll.com) offers spring T-ball, adaptive challenger divisions and baseball, with programs for ages 4 through 16.

• One Dream Basketball (based at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford; onedreambasketball.com) has boys’ basketball teams for grades 3 to varsity and girls’ basketball teams for grades 5 through varsity. Tryouts for the fall teams take place Saturday, Aug. 16, for boys grades 3-8 and Sunday, Aug. 17, for girls teams and for boys grades 9-11, according to the Facebook page, where you can find the times for each grade. One Dream has teams in the fall and in the spring, with tryouts for both sessions (look for spring tryouts to take place in January).

• Phantoms Flag Football (nhsportsplex.com/phantoms-flag-football.html) operates out of the NH Sportsplex in Bedford and offers teams in the 8U, 10U and 12U age divisions. Its most recent season ran April through August with tryouts starting in the end of March; see the website or the NH Sportplex Facebook page for updates.

• Plex Softball Club (based at NH Sportsplex in Bedford; plexsoftballclub.com) offers an indoor Friday Night Softball League for U12 through U18 with games that start in late December. Outdoor teams play in the spring and the club offers other training opportunities.

• Queen City F.C. (qcfcnh.com) is a nonprofit organization offering competitive soccer in Manchester. Find them on Facebook for information about tryouts.

• Queen City Flag Football (queencityflag.com) offers flag football for ages 4 through 12+, with fall programs (registering now) and spring programs including a girls-only division offered in spring.

• Rivals Elite Basketball (rivalselite.com) offers boys’ and girls’ AAU basketball programs in New Hampshire for grades 3-12. Tryouts take place Aug. 12 through Sept. 2 — see the website for dates and times according to age — at Essex Sports Center in Middleton, Mass. (some boys’ tryouts will take place in Manchester) though practices for the Lady Rivals will take place at Salem High School in Salem, N.H.

• Summit Field Hockey (summitfieldhockey.com) offers indoor and outdoor field hockey, with an indoor travel team and academy and outdoor fall, spring and summer season as well as clinics and more. The fall season starts Sept. 7 with registration open now for grades K-8.

• Vertical Dreams (250 Commercial St., Manchester, 625-6919; 25 E. Otterson St., Nashua, 943-7571; verticaldreams.com) has offered youth climbing teams and climbing clubs at both locations. Check back for updates.

• The Volley Llamas Volleyball Club (volleyllamas-nh.com) offers teams for teenagers, grouped by age, with practices twice a week. Tryouts are Saturday, Aug. 16, and Sunday, Aug. 17, from 4 to 6 p.m. for ages 12 to 15 and from 6 to 8 p.m. for ages 16 to 18, all at Capital City Sports & Fitness in Concord.

• Weare Athletic Club (weareathleticclub.com) offers flag and tackle football, soccer, softball, lacrosse, field hockey, cheer, baseball and basketball. See the website for information about seasons and registration.

• Wrestling Rebels (Boys & Girls Club of Greater Derry, 40 E. Derry Road, Derry, 434-6695, derrybgclub.org/team-page) is a youth wrestling club for boys and girls K through eighth grade. The wrestling season usually starts in October with an information night early in the month, based on Facebook posts from last year.

Theater

• Actorsingers (219 Lake St., Nashua, 889-9691, actorsingers.org) community theater group holds auditions for Teen Actorsingers productions in spring.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) offers performance and acting classes, grouped by age, for ages 4 through 12+, as well as musical theater and performance by-invitation classes. An acting and improv class is available for ages 13+. BYPC also has productions kids can join including a production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for grades 1-6, a March musical for grades 7-12 and a spring musical for grades K-6. Classes begin the week of Aug. 25.

• Broadway Bound Performing Arts Center (501 DW Highway, Merrimack, 429-8844, broadwayboundpac.com) offers classes in musical theater and theater arts. Classes start the week of Sept. 8.

• The Community Players of Concord (communityplayersofconcord.org) offer winter and summer vacation camps and workshops as well as audition opportunities through their Children’s Theatre Project.

• The Dance Company (130 Route 101A, Amherst, 864-8374, thedancecompanyonline.com) offers theater classes for ages 4 to 18 with ensembles grouped by age as well as an all-ages home-school ensemble and a by-audition troupe. The Dance Company also has theatrical productions with shows for kids, grouped by age with 30-minute or one-hour productions, in grades K-12.

• Kids Coop Theatre (46 E. Derry Road, Derry, kctnh.org) is open to kids ages 8 to 19. Check their website for upcoming productions and audition dates. Beetlejuice Jr. will be performed Nov. 21-23 at the Derry Opera House with auditions to take place in late August or early September (check the website for updates on auditions and for fall workshops).

• The Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts (880 Page St., Manchester, 669-7469, majestictheatre.net) provides performing opportunities in community theater productions and workshops year-round. Upcoming shows include Monster Mash Cabaret on Oc.t 25 (for ages 10 to 17), It’s A Wonderful Life Dec. 12-14 (for all ages), Seussical Jr. Jan. 23-25 (ages 8 to 16), High School Musical Jr. March 27-29 (ages 8 to 16), and Legally Blonde May 8-10 (ages 13 to 18). See the website for audition updates.

• Palace Academy and Palace Youth Theatre (688-5588, palacetheatre.org) The Acting Studio offers “diverse range of courses year-round, including Improv and Acting Games, Scene Study, Mini Camps, and much more,” according to the website. The Palace Youth Theatre holds auditions for grades 2-12 for productions throughout the year (see the upcoming schedule at palacetheatre.org/youth-theatre-in-manchester-palace-youth-theatre/pyt-season). The next auditions will be for an October production of Beetlejuice Jr. the week of Sept. 15.

• Peacock Players (14 Court St., Nashua, 886-7000, peacockplayers.org) offers vacation week camps as well as productions for youth (ages 6-14), teens (ages 14-18), crossover (ages 6-18) and all ages. Peacock Players also features private lessons in voice, piano and music theory and acting and monologue coaching.

• Riverbend Youth Company (Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley, The Amato Center for the Performing Arts, 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company) presents mainstage plays and musicals with performers ages 6 through 18. Visit the Company’s website for news of upcoming auditions and productions.