Category: Family Fun

Family fun for whenever

On stage

• The Palace Youth Theatre Summer Camp presents Newsies, Jr.on Friday, July 26, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 27, at 11 a.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org). The student actors are in grades 2 through 12. Tickets start at $12.

• Catch Rock of Ages, Youth Edition on Friday, July 26, and Saturday, July 27, at 7 p.m. at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). Set on L.A.’s famous Sunset Strip in 1987, Rock of Ages tells the story of Drew, a city boy from South Detroit, and Sherrie, a small-town girl, who have both traveled to L.A. to chase their dreams of making it big and falling in love. Tickets are $18.75 for adults, $15.75 for students and seniors.

On screen

• Downtown Summer Series Movie Nights feature screenings in Manchester’s Veterans Park (723 Elm St.). Concessions are available for purchase.Monsters, Inc.(G, 2001) will be screened on Wednesday, July 31, at dusk.

• Movie Night Mondays On the Beach at Hampton Beach feature screenings at dusk on the large screen next to the playground, weather permitting (rain date is Tuesday). Admission is free. On Monday, July 29, the film to be screened is Mummies (PG, 2023)

Insects

• Head to Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) for Fireflies Light Up the Sky on Saturday, July 27, from 7 to 8 p.m. to learn about fireflies and see them in action. This is for ages 12 and older. The cost is $15 for nonmembers.

• The second annual Capital Area New Hampshire Butterfly Survey will take place on Saturday, July 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at NH Audubon’s McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord) to gather long-term butterfly data to understand the changing ranges of butterfly species over time and support statewide conservation efforts. Visit nhaudubon.org.

Cooking

• On Wednesday, July 31, from 1 to 3 p.m. the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St.) will host an event called “Culinary Explorers: No Cook Recipes In-Person,” for those in grades K-5, according to their website. Participants will use all five senses to create a culinary masterpiece while practicing kitchen safety, working on chef vocabulary and fine motor skills, and trying new foods. There will be two “no-cook” dishes created during this program, which is billed as “vegetarian and nut-free.” Visit nashualibrary.org

Frolic in the fields

• The 2024 Sunflower Festival at Coppal House Farm (118 N. River Road, Lee, nhsunflower.com) takes place Saturday, July 27, through Sunday, Aug. 4, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (plus a special sunrise session on July 28). See the website for admission prices. Visit the blooming fields and then enjoy live music, an artisan craft fair, food and more.

Magic

• The Manchester Public Library on Thursday, July 25, from 6 to 7 p.m. will host magician BJ Hickman, who has been reviewed as “a master of the double-take and one who connects with wonderful audience rapport,” for their “Family Fare” program at the library, according to the website. Hickman is credited with being “the magician who keeps getting invited back,” and is a member of The International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) and went on to become an “Order of Merlin-Shield,” according to their website. His one-man magic show is suitable for audiences of all ages to enjoy, according to their website. In the event of rain the program will be held in the library auditorium. For more information contact Mary Gallant at 624-6550, ext. 7611, or visit manchester.lib.nh.us.

Meet the author

• Children’s author Celia Botto will visit Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester, bookerymht.com) on Saturday, July 27, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to talk about her upcoming book When Ayden Paints the Sky, illustrated by Samantha Lane Fiddy. All ages are welcome.

Family fun for whenever

Stories and stage

• There will be a Fairytale Festival in Greeley Park (100 Concord St., Nashua) Saturday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with stage acts, community vendors, caricaturists, games, books and more. There will be local stage acts, a performance featuring favorite fairy tale characters, and a character meet and greet. Visit nashua.gov.

• Join Ariel, a young mermaid princess, as she struggles to learn whether her heart belongs on land or under the sea in The Little Mermaid Jr., Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 20, at 7 p.m. at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). Tickets are $18.75 for adults, $15.75 for students and seniors.

• Camp Encore! will stage a performance of Mary Poppins Jr. Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21, at 11 a.m. at the Wilcox Main Stage in Prescott Park (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth). Tickets start at $5 and reservations can be made at portsmouthnhtickets.com

• An amateur brother-and-sister team of explorers have come across a lot of unusual things in their young lives, but nothing compares to a house made entirely out of candy, in The Impact Touring Children’s Theatre’s performance of Hansel and Gretelon Tuesday, July 23, at 10 a.m. at the BNH Stage (16 S Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). This is a free performance. Seating for this show is mostly on the open floor. Patrons are encouraged to bring blankets to sit on.

Music and movies

• In collaboration with Leach Library, the Londonderry Arts Council Concerts on the Common series (Londonderry Town Common, 265 Mammoth Road, Londonderry) presents The Mr. Aaron Band in a concert for kids on Saturday, July 20, at 1:30 p.m. Visitmraaronmusic.com. In the event of bad weather the event will take place in the Londonderry High School cafeteria (295 Mammoth Road).

• The Park Theatre in Jaffrey will hold its Kids Summer Movie-Rama with showings of six different movies throughout the summer on Tuesdays and Saturdays; all of the films are rated PG, according to their website. Tickets are $7. On Saturday, July 20, at 10 a.m. there will be a showing of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and on Tuesday, July 23, at 1:30 p.m. it’s The Smurfs (2011), according to the website. Visit theparktheatre.org/kids or call 532-8888.

Plants and animals

• The Seacoast Chapter of NH Audubon hosts Birds & Butterflies of Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, July 20, at 8 a.m. Join Steve Mirick and explore the birds and butterflies of the refuge and adjacent areas, weather permitting, during a long but level walk. Participants will meet at the trailhead for the Cherry Pond Trail at 289 Airport Road in Whitefield. Registration is limited to 20 participants, according to the website. Visit seacoastchapter.org.

• Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) will hold Summer Polliwog programs for pre-K kids with an adult on different Wednesdays in July at 10 a.m. On July 24 the program is Water Up! Water Down! Water all Around!, where participants will learn about the water cycle, and on July 31 the program is Acorn Was a Little Wild, where a puppet named Stasher helps hunt for deciduous trees. Each program costs $15 for an adult and child pair; register online.

• The Stratham 4-H Summerfest returns for a third year on Saturday, July 20, at the Stratham Hill Park Fairgrounds (270 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham). The work of 4-H volunteers and members will be on display in the 4-H building, show rings and livestock barns from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Exhibits include shows and displays on gardening, cooking, environmental stewardship, hiking and much more. Visit extension.unh.edu/event/2024/07/2024-stratham-4-hsummerfest.

Family fun for whenever

Still celebrating

• The American Independence Museum (1 Governors Lane, Exeter) will hold its 34th American Independence Festival, on Saturday, July 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Be transported back in time with a live reading of the Declaration of Independence, and enjoy historical reenactments and colonial artisan demonstrations as well as colonial games, music and dances. Visit independencemuseum.org.

On stage

• CatchMadagascar — A Musical Adventure Jr., the first show of the Palace Theatres’ Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series which finishes up its run this week with shows on Thursday, July 11, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and Friday, July 12, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10 per person. Next week, the Summer Series takes on Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Jr. on Tuesday, July 16, through Thursday, July 18, with shows at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. daily as well as Friday, July 19, at 10 a.m. See the full summer schedule online.

• Many, many puppies face a great adventure in the Palace Youth Theatre Summer Camp’s presentation of 101 Dalmatians Kids, Friday July 12, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org). The student actors are in grades 2 through 12. Tickets start at $12.

• Follow magical chocolatier Willy Wonka inWilly Wonka Jr.on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, at 7 p.m. at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). Tickets are $18.75 for adults, $15.75 for students and seniors.

• The Teen Actorsingers, in arrangement with Concord Theatricals, present Nickelodeon™ The Spongebob Musical at the Janice B. Streeter Theater (14 Court St., Nashua) on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, July 14, at 2 p.m., according to their website. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for students and seniorse. Visit actorsingers.org/spongebob-2024

• Watch the adventures of father and son clownfish Marlin and Nemo as they struggle to be reunited in Finding Nemo (Kids) on Saturday, July 13, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). Tickets are $13.75 for adults, $10.75 for students and seniors.

Movies

• Catch 2019’s The Angry Birds Movie 2 on Saturday, July 13, at 10 a.m. and 2009’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on Tuesday, July 16, at 1:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 20, at 10 a.m. — the next two films on the Kids Summer Movie-Rama schedule at the Park Theatre in Jaffrey. The movies are rated PG and tickets cost $7; seetheparktheatre.org/kids or call 532-8888.

• The next movie in the Kids Series at O’neil Cinemas Brickyard Square (24 Calef Highway, Epping, oneilcinemas.com) is Jumanji: The Next Level (PG-13, 2019) on Monday, July 15, and Wednesday, July 17, at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

• Head to the coast on Monday, July 15, at dusk for a screening of The Swan Princess: Far Longer Than Forever(PG, 2023) at Movie Night Mondays on the Beach at Hampton Beach. See hamptonbeach.org/events/movies.

• The kid summer series at Cinemark Rockingham Park (15 Mall Road, Salem, cinemark.com) will feature Trolls Band Together (PG, 2023) on Wednesday, July 17, at 10 a.m.

• Next up for the Downtown Summer Series Movie Nights in Veterans Park (723 Elm St. in Manchester) is Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (PG, 1989) on Wednesday, July 17, at dusk, according to a post on the Manchester Economic Development Office Facebook page. Concessions will be available for purchase.

• Outdoor Movies in Concord with Concord Parks and Rec and Red River Theaters will screen 1995’s Jumanji (PG) on Wednesday, July 17, in Memorial Field off South Fruit Street in Concord.

Library activities

• The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua) on Monday, July 15, from noon to 1:30 p.m. will be hosting Mini Waffle Monday!, an in-person event for those in grades 6 through 12, according to their website. Participants will use NPL’s mini waffle makers to create snacks that they can top with a variety of sweet or savory toppings. Space and supplies are limited. Visit nashualibrary.org

• On Tuesday, July 16, Manchester City Library will hold bubble time, and participants will be having a Bubble Party on the side lawn of the library, Different activities occur every Tuesday and registration is requested for these programs. Call 624-6550, ext. 7628, or visit manchester.lib.nh.us.