Category: Family Fun

Family fun for whenever

Fairs and fests

• Don’t miss Londonderry’s 125th annual Old Home Days, which started Wednesday, Aug. 14, and go through Saturday, Aug. 17. There are concerts, fireworks, a parade, a 5K road race, a baby contest and children’s games. See the article in last week’s Hippo for details or visit londonderrynh.gov.

• The 125th Gilmanton Old Home Day is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. outside the Smith Meeting House (Meeting House and Governor roads, Gilmanton). Previous events have included live entertainment, a puppet show, a silent auction, an antique auto parade and an art show. Visit gilmantonnh.org/organizations/gilmanton-old-home-day for details.

• The Sunflower Bloom Festival at fields in Concord will run daily until Sunday, Aug. 18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, according to sunfoxfarm.org. The festival features live music, food vendors and more. See the article on the festival from last week’s issue of the Hippo. Admission costs $10; kids 10 and under get in free; cut your own flowers for $2 per stem.

History & machines

• Hillsborough’s History Alive event will be held Saturday, Aug. 17, and Sunday, Aug. 18, at Jones Road in Hillsborough. It will focus on historical reenactments of famous battles and daily village life from times past, and will include activities, crafts and musicians. Tickets are $10 per adult and $8 for seniors. The event is free for children 16 and under when accompanied by an adult. You can purchase a bracelet on the day of the event and it will cover both days. Cash only; credit cards are not accepted in person. Visit historyalivenh.org.

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

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, 669-4820, aviationmuseumofnh.org) hosts Planefest! Saturday, Aug. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with outdoor aviation-related activities and games, planes on display, pilots and other aviation-related professionals on hand to discuss their careers and, at 1 p.m., a cake to celebrate the Aug. 19, 1871, birthday of Orville Wright, according to a press release. The free outdoor activities are geared toward elementary school and middle school aged kids. The museum will be open (with regular admission prices) during the event.

The museum is also extending its hours as we enter the final week of summer vacation. In addition to its regular hours of Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m., the museum will also be open Wednesday, Aug. 21, and Thursday, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the museum’s Elite Flight Simulator open from 1 to 4 p.m. on those days, according to a press release. The flight simulator is open first come, first served for ages 12 and up, the release said. Admission to the museum is free for children ages 5 and under, $5 for ages 6 to 12 and $10 for ages 13 and above, the release said.

Plays and movies

​• The Palace Youth Theatre Summer Camp presents The Wizard of Oz, Youth Edition on Friday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 17, 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.

• Also at the Palace, catch the next few shows in the 2024 Bank of NH Children’s Summer Series. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. is on stage through Aug. 16, and Disney’s Little Mermaid Jr. runs Aug. 20 to Aug. 23. according to the theater’s website. Shows are Tuesday through Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday at 10 a.m. Tickets to each show cost $10 per person.

• Fathom Events has kid-friendly movies on its schedule (see fathomevents.com for local theaters). Coraline (PG, 2009) will be screening from Thursday, Aug. 15, through Thursday, Aug. 22, at select theaters, including Apple Cinemas in Hooksett and Merrimack; AMC Classic in Londonderry; Cinemark in Salem, and O’neil Cinemas in Epping.

Family fun for whenever

Screen time

• O’neil Cinemas Brickyard Square (24 Calef Highway, Epping, oneilcinemas.com) runs a summer kids series that started on Monday, June 24, with shows on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. The screening for their last week is Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (PG, 2018) on Monday, Aug. 12, and Wednesday, Aug. 14.

• On Monday, Aug. 12, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) will be screened as part of the Prescott Park Arts Festival Movie Nights in Prescott Park in Portsmouth. Suggested donation is $5 per person and there’s an 8:30 p.m. start time. Concessions will be available for sale.

• Cinemark Rockingham Park (15 Mall Road, Salem, cinemark.com) is screening kid-friendly films on Wednesdays at 10 a.m and will be screening the last installment of the series with Paddington 2 (PG, 2017) on Wednesday, Aug. 14.

Fests and fairs

• The Town of Windham Recreation Department will host a Food Truck Festival and Car Show on the grounds of Windham High School (64 London Bridge Road, Windham) on Sunday, Aug. 11. In addition to yummy eats from local food trucks, there will be music and games of cornhole. For details contact the Windham Recreation office at 965-1208 or recreation@windhamnh.gov.

• Don’t miss the 16th annual Hampton Beach Children’s Festival, Monday, Aug. 12, through Friday, Aug. 16. The event includes ice cream, dancing, balloons, storytelling, a magic show and a costume parade. All activities are free and open to the public. Visit hamptonbeach.org/events/ childrens-events for details as they become available.

• Hudson’s Old Home Days return Thursday, Aug. 8, to Sunday, Aug. 11, on the grounds of the Hill House (211 Derry Road, Hudson). There will be carnival games, live music, cow pie bingo, fireworks, food and more. Event times are Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday from 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. See hudsonoldhomedays.com.

Sports

• The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A minor-league affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball, are in the middle of a home series with the Erie SeaWolves, a Detroit Tigers affiliate, that runs until Sunday, Aug. 12. Highlights of the series include a Sitcom Night on Thursday, Aug. 8, and a celebration of the ’90s on Saturday, Aug. 10, where attendees who bring in Beanie Babies get in free and the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a clear fanny pack. Fireworks are scheduled for after the game on Saturday. Games Thursday through Saturday are at 6:35 p.m. and Sunday’s game is at 1:35 p.m. See milb.com/new-hampshire.

Puppets and costumes

• Mariposa Museum & World Culture Center (26 Main St., Peterborough, 924-4555, mariposamuseum.org) is a museum of art and artifacts from around the world that includes hands-on exhibits with costumes, puppets, instruments and more for children to explore. One of their current exhibitions is “Tradition and Revolution in Indian Shadow Puppetry,” put on in collaboration with the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut and curated by Rahul Koonathara, celebrating the spectacular South Indian shadow puppet traditions of Tolu, Bommalatta and Tholpavakoothu, according to their website. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for kids ages 3 through 16 but is free for members.

Family fun for whenever

Fairs

• The Belknap County Fair is set to return on Saturday, Aug. 3, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday, Aug. 4, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 174 Mile Hill Road in Belmont. The fair features live entertainment, food, exhibits and animal shows. Admission at the gate is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 65 and older, police, fire and EMS personnel, and free for kids under 10 and for military service members. Visit bcfairnh.org.

• The 2024 Sunflower Festival at Coppal House Farm (118 N. River Road, Lee, nhsunflower.com) runs daily through Sunday, Aug. 4, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. See the website for admission prices. See the blooming fields and then enjoy live music, an artisan craft fair, food and more.

Theater

• The Palace Youth Theatre Summer Camp presents Jungle Book, Kids, on Friday, Aug. 2, 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.

• Camp Encore! presents Descendants, the Musical, on Saturday, Aug. 3, and Sunday, Aug. 4, at 1 p.m. at the Wilcox Main Stage in Prescott Park (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth). Based on the popular Disney Channel Original Movies, Disney’s Descendants: The Musical is a brand-new musical with comedy, adventure, Disney characters and hit songs from the films. Tickets start at $5; reservations can be made at portsmouthnhtickets.com.

• High in a tower, surprises await as a fair maiden longs for a friend, an old crone longs for an understanding daughter, and a seagull longs for some crackers in the Impact Touring Children’s Theatre’s performance of Rapunzel on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 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.

Treats

• Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) presents a tasty and educational program, “Homemade Dairy and Non-Dairy Ice Cream,” on Saturday, Aug. 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn about how to make ice cream. This program is open to youth and adults. The cost is $15 for members and $30 for nonmembers.

Movies

• The Nashua Summer Fun program has a “Pic in the Park” scheduled for Friday, Aug. 2, at dusk when The Marvels (PG-13, 2023) will screen at the Greeley Park Bandshell (100 Concord St., Nashua). See nashuanh.gov.

• The Milford Drive-In Theater (531 Elm St., Milford) has two screens for movie screenings Wednesday through Sunday. Movies start at 8:45 p.m. with the box office opening at 7:15 p.m. but opening at 6:45 p.m.on Friday and Saturday nights, according to their website. Each screen shows two movies. Starting Friday, Aug. 2,Despicable Me 4(PG, 2024) is the opening film on Screen 2, followed by Twisters (PG-13, 2024). Tickets are $33 per car (up to six people) and $6 for each additional person. Visit milforddrivein.com or call 660-6711.