Category: Family Fun

Family fun for the weekend

Fairs and festivals

• The Humane Society for Greater Nashua is holding its annual fundraiser the Wags to Whiskers Festival on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Anheuser-Busch Brewery (221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack). The festival is billed as “New England’s largest pet dog event” and will have demonstrations by the Granite State Disc Dogs and the Merrimack Police Department K-9 Drei. There will also be dog-friendly vendors, giveaways, carnival games and prizes, adoptable dogs and puppies, and food trucks. Tickets to the festival are $12 per person, free for kids and teens ages 17 and under. For more information visit hsfn.org/wags-whiskers-festival.

• Get ready for a fun-filled day at the Granite State Fair (formerly the Rochester Fair), which opens on Thursday, Sept. 15, and runs through Sunday, Sept. 18, as well as the following week on Thursday, Sept. 22, through Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Rochester Fairgrounds (72 Lafayette Road). The fair will have midway rides, a full schedule of live music, local vendors and exhibitors, a cornhole tournament, circus performances and a delicious variety of fair food. Advance tickets are $10 per person and are available through Sept. 14. Tickets at the door are $12 per person and free for kids ages 8 and under. Visit granitestatefair.com.

• Festivities will take over the town at the Hollis Old Home Days on Friday, Sept. 16, and Saturday, Sept. 17, at Nichols Field and the adjacent Lawrence Barn (Depot Road, Hollis). There will be a town parade, midway rides, hot air balloon rides, a local artisan market, live entertainment, and a fireworks celebration on Saturday evening. The event is free. For more information visit hollisoldhomedays.org.

• Derryfest returns to MacGregor Park (East Broadway, Derry) on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free event will have live entertainment all day, ranging from games and live animal demonstrations to local crafters and vendor booths. For more information, visit derryfest.org.

• Celebrate Pelham with Pelham’s Old Home Day on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 3 Main St. A variety of activities, including a pancake breakfast, craft vendors, food trucks, a town parade, live performances, a penny sale and a cornhole tournament will be the highlights of the day. For more information visit pelhamoldhomeday.org.

• The annual Fall Equinox Festival, held by TEAM Exeter, is back for the eighth year on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Swasey Parkway. The fest will feature live music, artisan vendors, local food, children’s activities, dance performances and cultural exhibits. There is a suggested donation of $10 per person or $20 per family. For more information visit teamexeter.com.

• Celebrate the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. Dover) coming back from their week of annual maintenance with the Toddler Fest starting on Friday, Sept. 16, and running through Sunday, Oct. 2. Each day will have different themes and activities, ranging from the bubble dance party to clay nature play. Toddler Fest is included in the price for regular tickets to the museum, $12.50 per child and adult. For more information and a full schedule, visit childrens-museum.org.

Movie Night

• Go on an adventure with Shrek (PG, 2001) on Friday, Sept. 16, at dusk in Greeley Park (100 Concord St. in Nashua). This is part of Nashua’s “Pics in the Park” screenings. The movie follows ogre Shrek as he rescues the princess Fiona with the help of his friend, the donkey named Donkey. This movie is free to attend.

All about animals

• Learn all the different ways to find animals with naturalist and author Susie Spikol as she talks about her new book How to Prowl for an Owl, Make Snail Slime, and Catch a Frog Bare-Handed and 50 Other Activities to Get Wild with Animals on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 11 a.m. at The Toadstool Bookshop (12 Depot Square, Peterborough). Spikol will teach kids how to treat their backyard and neighborhood like their own nature preserve through her new book. The event is free to attend; the book costs $18 and can be purchased at toadbooks.com.

Touch a truck

• The Nashua Parks & Recreation Department is bringing back Wheels & Wings at the Nashua Airport at Boire Field (93 Perimeter Road) on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than just trucks will be at this free touch-a-truck event. There will be various fire trucks, police vehicles, planes, helicopters and electric cars on display for kids to learn about and explore. While admission is free, the local nonprofit 68 Hours of Hunger will be in attendance to collect nonperishable food donations. See “Wheels & Wings 2022” on Facebook for more details.

Family fun for the weekend

Free Saturday

• Take a free trip to the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) this Saturday, Sept. 10, when, as with the second Saturday of every month, New Hampshire residents get free admission to the museum. (Normally, admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for 65+, $10 for students and $5 for ages 13 to 17; children 12 and under get in for free.)

• Enjoy a free movie under the stars in Concord. The movie Encanto (PG, 2021), the Disney animated musical famous for not wanting to talk about Bruno (no no no), will screen Saturday, Sept. 10, at Keach Park, 20 Canterbury Road in Concord, as part of a joint effort between Red River Theatres and the Concord Multicultural Festival. The screening starts at sunset (about 7 p.m.); bring a blanket and some snacks.

• Benson Park Family Fun Day, which will be held at the Benson Park Ampitheatre (Benson Park is on Kimball Hill Road in Hudson), will run Saturday, Sept. 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This free community event will feature games, a raffle, a coloring booth and performances such as a concert from “Let’s Play Music” (featuring local youth talent) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; a Wildlife Encounters live animal education program from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., and magic with Jim Leach from 2:45 to 3:15 p.m. See friendsofbensonpark.org for more about the event (the website recommends bringing a picnic and lawn chairs) and about the park, where the Friends of Benson Park are currently operating the seasonal store Friday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Rockin’ kids

• The student performers of the Palace Youth Theatre will present Rock of Ages: Youth Editionat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 10, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for children and are available for purchase online.

Time with nature

• Kids can learn more about the butterflies on the move at “Buds & Blooms: The Magic of Monarch Migration” on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10 to 11 a.m. at the New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn; nhaudubon.org, 668-2045). The session, which requires parental supervision and is suited for children ages 4 to 12, will explain the monarch butterfly’s journey south from New Hampshire to northern Mexico, according to the website. The event is free but pre-registration is required to reserve a spot.

Family fun for the weekend

Movie night

• The final Movies in the Park from Merrimack’s Parks & Recreation takes place Saturday, Sept. 3, at dusk (about 7:30 p.m.) in Wasserman Park. The screening of Sing 2 (PG, 2021) is free for Merrimack residents and nonresidents, according to merrimackparksandrec.org.

Weekend at the museum

• At the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002), Sunday, Sept. 4, is the last day the museum will be open before its annual maintenance period, according to the website. Until then, head to the museum for play windows of either 9 a.m. to noon (through Sept. 4) or 1 to 4 p.m. (through Saturday, Sept. 3). Buy admission for a specific time period in advance for $12.50 for adults and everyone over 12 months old and $10.50 for seniors age 65+. The museum will reopen on Friday, Sept. 16, with Toddlerfest, its annual week of activities and events geared toward the littles. See the schedule of events, including the Saturday, Sept. 17, performance by musician Steve Blunt, on the museum’s website.

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) has been open daily during the summer and is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Sunday, Sept. 4. Reserve admission for an arrival time (between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. or 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.); admission costs $12 for adults, $11 for students and seniors and $9 for kids ages 3 to 12; kids up to age 2 get in free. Planetarium shows, which take place hourly from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m., cost an additional $5 per person. After Labor Day, regular admission is available Friday through Sunday. And save the date for AerospaceFest on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. This outdoor event is free and features hands-on science activities, live music from Mr. Aaron and more.

• The SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) is also open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last admission at 3 p.m.) on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, through Monday, Sept. 5. The center will close for annual renovations Tuesday, Sept. 6, through Friday, Sept. 16. Admission costs $10 for ages 3 and up. The center’s website recommends reserving a spot.

• Another museum open this weekend is the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; nhahs.org, 669-4820), whose hours are Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 for age 13 and over, and $5 for 65+, veterans and active military and kids ages 6 to 12. Kids ages 5 and under get in free and there is a family maximum of $30, according to the website.

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) will be open Monday, Sept. 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — though normally closed Mondays, the museum is open on some holiday Mondays. Admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for 65+, $10 for students and $5 for ages 13 to 17; children under 13 get in for free. Or stroll the galleries for free on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. as part of Art After Work (the weekly series offering free admission, live music and exhibit tours).