Category: Family Fun

Family fun for whenever

A fair weekend

Take the kids to the Hopkinton State Fair, a Labor Day weekend tradition happening from Thursday, Aug. 29, to Monday, Sept. 2, at the fairgrounds (392 Kearsarge Ave., Contoocook).

There will be livestock shows, a demolition derby (Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 6:30 p.m.), carnival rides, monster trucks Thursday through Saturday, live entertainment, food and more. The fair will feature multiple dog acts: “World Famous Frisbee Dogs” perform daily — Thursday at 6 p.m., Friday through Sunday at 1, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m., and Monday, 10:30 a.m., 1p.m. and 3:30 p.m. — and Dockdogs, an aquatic dog event, is also slated to perform daily. There will also be daily karaoke, wood sculpture with Ben Risney Friday through Monday at 11 a.m., 1p.m. and 4 p.m. and Axe Women Loggers of Maine Friday through Sunday at noon, 3 and 5 p.m. and Monday at noon and 3 p.m.

In addition to the livestock shows, the agricultural events include a farmers market and horse shows. Educational exhibits include the Morrell Family Farm Museum, Charmingfare Farm’s Petting Zoo (Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), a maple sugar house and a Fish and Game building, according to the website.

Fair hours are 5 to 10 p.m. on Thursday; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday. For details and ticket prices visit hsfair.org — five-day passes for ages 3 to 60 cost $39; one-day passes cost $14 for ages 13 and up, $12 for ages 60+ and 8 for ages 3 to 12. Ride credits for midway rides have an additional fee.

Animals and minerals

• Squam Lakes Natural Science Center will allow participants to watch river otters eat their lunch on Friday, Aug. 30, from 11:30 a.m. to noon, according to their website. The river otter exhibit has a public feeding every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11:30 a.m. where participants can view two playful river otters as they have an early lunch. Expert volunteers will tell participants about otter biology and ecology while serving up a tasty treat or two. River otter feeding is included in regular trail admission and pre-registration is not required, according to the website. Trail admission prices range from free to $26. Visit nature.org.

• Meet the zookeeper on Saturday, Aug. 31, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St., bookerymht.com). Zookeeper Dayle Taylor will visit the shop to talk about her new children’s book Zookeeper Day and the Baby Animal Tales.

• America’s Stonehenge (105 Haverhill Road, Salem) is a maze of human-made chambers, walls and ceremonial meeting places and is over 4,000 years old. No one knows if it was built by a Native American culture or a migrant European population, but it may be the oldest human-made construction in the United States, according to the website. Their kids’ gemstone dig is open to kids age 12 and under and included with admission. Kids will use real tools that archaeologists use in the field to dig and sift for polished gemstones and will be allowed to keep three that they find. Ages 3 and under are free and other tickets range from $10 to $18. They are open Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last admission at 4 p.m. Visit stonehengeusa.com.

Party on

Cowabunga’s indoor playground (725 Huse Road, Manchester, 935-9659) is holding its End of Summer party on Thursday, Aug. 29, from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets start at $20 per child for two hours of fun; adults and infants free with paying child. Buy tickets at cowabungas.com.

Family fun for whenever

Old Home Days

• Candia’s Old Home Day will return on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Moore Park (74 High St., Candia). The event starts with a parade after a firemen’s homemade breakfast. Local crafters and artisans, town community booths, games, a wildlife exhibit, food and music will also be featured. Visit candiaoldhomeday.com.

• Pembroke and Allenstown’s Old Home Day returns on Saturday, Aug. 24, starting with a parade down Main Street in Allenstown to Memorial Field (Exchange Street) in Pembroke. A fun-filled day is planned at the field, featuring two stages of live entertainment, antique cars, children’s games, a craft area, bounce houses and a fireworks display at dusk. Admission and parking are free. See “Pembroke & Allenstown Old Home Day 2024” on Facebook.

Celebrate summer

• Head to Field of Dreams Community Park (48 Geremonty Drive, Salem) for the park’s annual Family Fun Day on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A wide variety of activities is planned, including a petting farm, face-painting, bounce houses, food trucks, photo opportunities with superheroes and princesses, and more. Visit fieldofdreamsnh.org.

• Join Joppa Hill Educational Farm (174 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford) to enjoy the fantastic musical stylings of Mr. Aaron on Sunday, Aug. 25, at 5 p.m. at their End of Summer Bash! This will be a fun summer evening of live music, delicious food, face painting and more. The event does require registration, which is $25 per family online sales and $35 per family if purchased on site the day of the event.

• On Saturday, Aug. 24, at 2 p.m., Nashua Community Music School will be hosting Play it Forward at the Anheuser-Busch Biergarten in Merrimack to celebrate the end of summer with a family outdoor concert. Every ticket includes food from Bentley’s Famous BBQ and supports the next generation of musicians. The lineup includes the NCMS Teen Rock Band and NCMS House Band featuring 25 NCMS students and teachers, and the headlining act is rock band Aces & Eights, according to the release. They will be showcasing music and art from all NCMS Summer After Dark programs. Tickets are $40. Visit nashuacms.org.

On stage

• The 2024 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) will run Tuesday through Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and Friday at 10 a.m.Disney’s Little Mermaid Jr.will be performed through to Aug. 23; next week the season ends with Music with Miss Alli on Aug. 27 and Aug. 28, according to the theater’s website. Tickets to each show cost $10.

• The Palace Youth Theatre Summer Camp presents Willy Wonka Kidson Saturday,Aug. 24, at noon 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.

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.