Category: Family Fun

Family fun for whenever

Holiday lights

• LaBelle Lights, the LaBelle Winery’s lighted outdoor display at its location at 14 Route 111 in Derry, will open for the season on Friday, Nov. 14, and run through Sunday, Jan. 18, according to labellewinery.com. The walkable lights course is open most days through Jan. 4 (closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Christmas Eve) as well as Thursdays through Sundays for the first two full weeks of January. Among the special event dates and happenings at the lights, a LaBelle Lightsfest will take place on Friday, Nov. 21, featuring a tree lighting, fireworks, live performances and more, the website said. Time slots for entry this weekend start at 4:30 p.m., the website said.

On stage

• The Peacock Players’ production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderellakicks off its two-week run this weekend. The show will run Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 15, at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m. (as well as the following Friday and Saturday at 7 and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.) at the Janice B. Streeter Theatre, 14 Court St. in Nashua, according to peacockplayers.org. The show is the Fall Teen Mainstage production, with actors ages 14 through 18, the website said.

Game night

• It’s time for the KPop Demon Hunters fan in your family to shine. Chunky’s, 707 Huse Road in Manchester, is holding a family trivia night all about the Netflix film on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m. , according to chunkys.com, where you can purchase tickets.

Save the date

• Spartans Basketball, “NH’s largest AAU Basketball program” according to an email from organizers, will hold winter tryouts starting on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at Grinnell Elementary School in Derry for boys and girls in grades 3 through 8. Times are 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. for third- to sixth-graders and 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. for seventh- and eighth-graders, the email said. See nhspartans.com for more on the program and contact Chris Coates with questions at CoatesNew@hotmail.com.

Family fun for whenever

Piggie! Gerald! The pigeon!

• The Manchester City Library, 405 Pine St. in Manchester, manchester.lib.nh.us, will hold a Mo Willems Party on Friday, Nov. 7, from 3 to 4 p.m. geared at kids in preschool through grade 3, according to the website, where you can register in advance to attend. “Join Miss Amanda and Miss Karyn for crafts, games, and stories based on beloved characters Elephant & Piggie, Pigeon, Knuffle Bunny, and more,” the website said. Get in the Mo Willems spirit with print-out activities featuring his characters at pigeonpresents.com.

Musical plants

• This month’s Super Stellar Friday event at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, 2 Institute Drive in Concord, starhop.com, is “GREENWAVE: The Music of the Plants” with Aaron Jones, who is also known as Mr. Aaron, according to the center’s website. “GREENWAVE is designed as an inspirational and thought-provoking experience. Specialized equipment registers electrical impulses from living plants and converts them into musical notes and phrases,” the website said. The program starts at 7 p.m. and doors open at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, with a planetarium show and sky view with the New Hampshire Astronomical Society (weather permitting) following the presentation, according to the website, where you can purchase tickets. The program is recommended for all ages, the website said.

Altogether ooky

• Catch The Addams Family young@part, presented by the Palace Teen Apprentice Company with a cast of performers ages 12 to 18, at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester, palacetheatre.org, on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $18.

• The next day, The Addams Family will be presented by the Riverbend Youth Company at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company) Friday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 8, at 2:30 & 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 9, at 2:30 p.m. Tickets cost $15, $10 for seniors and children.

Family fun for whenever

More spooky fun

In the Oct. 16 issue of the Hippo, we presented a guide to Halloween happenings for all ages, from the extra-scary haunted houses for the 18+ crowd to kid-friendly not-so-scary events. Some events, such as corn mazes and haunted attractions, continue through Sunday, Nov. 2. Find the issue in the digital library at hippopress.com. Here are some of the happenings this weekend:

• Trick or Treat at Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St. in Concord, ccmusicschool.org, on Friday, Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the website.

• Downtown Trick or Treat on Main Street in Goffstown on Friday, Oct, 31, from 6 to 8 p.m., according to goffstownmainstreet.org.

• Spookville, 1 Cheshire St. in Nashua, is put together by S.C.A.R.E. NH, a nonprofit organization providing Halloween costumes to kids in need and offering free admission to its haunted house, according to scarenh.org. The Spookville attraction features volunteer actors and new themes every year, the website said. Spookville operates Friday, Oct. 31, 6 to 9 p.m. There is also a United Way Collab Saturday, Nov. 1, from 6 to 9 p.m, “Spookville: A Decade of Darkness,” with tickets for $10. At all Spookville sessions, donations are accepted.

• The Corpse Bride (PG, 2005) the stop-motion animation feature co-directed by Tim Burton, will screen at the Park Theatre, 19 Main St. in Jaffrey, theparktheatre.org, on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 2 and 6:30 p.m.

On stage

• Seussical The Musical presented by RGC Theatre of Portsmouth, facebook.com/RGCTheatre, Friday, Oct. 31 through Sunday, Nov. 2, at Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry. Tickets $28 and up at eventbrite.com.

• The Addams Family young@part presented by the Palace Teen Apprentice Company, with a cast of performers ages 12 to 18, will be on stage at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester, palacetheatre.org, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m.

Family fun for whenever

Spooky season fun

In the Oct. 16 issue of the Hippo, we presented a guide to Halloween happenings for all ages, from the extra-scary haunted houses for the 18+ crowd to kid-friendly not-so-scary events. Find the issue in the digital library at hippopress.com. Here are some of the family fun happenings this weekend:

• Downtown Trick or Treat in downtown Manchester will run Friday, Oct. 24, from 3 to 6 p.m. with businesses along Elm Street and in Stanton Plaza handing out candy to trick-or-treaters as well as other activities, according to the Manchester Economic Development Office’s Facebook page and manchesterproud.org.

• The 2025 Halloween Howl in downtown Concord will take place Friday, Oct. 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and feature trick-or-treating, a trunk-or-treat, a costume contest, games and more, according to intownconcord.org. Main Street will be closed to traffic from Centre Street and Loudon Road to Hills Avenue for the event, the website said.

• Kids can trick-or-treat the Concord Farmers Market on Capitol Street next to the Statehouse in downtown Concord during its final market of the season on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. See concordfarmersmarket.com.

• The Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St. in Nashua, nashualibrary.org, will hold a Costume Parade on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to noon. Kids can parade through the library in costumes, collecting surprises at each department, according to the library website.

• Children’s Trick or Treat will take place at Charmingfare Farm, 774 High St. in Candia, visitthefarm.com, on Saturday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 26, with entry times starting at 10 a.m. Take a horse-drawn wagon or tractor ride throughout the farm along a Halloween-themed trail to meet with characters, visit farm animals and receive candy, according to the website. Admission costs $29 per person, with add-ons for pumpkin art and pony rides. The Halloween Juggling Spectacular show featuring Jason Tardy will take place throughout the day; see the website for times.

• Main Street Monster Mash Howl-o-Ween will take place Saturday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Main Street in downtown Nashua. Kids can trick-or-treat at downtown businesses and take part in costume contests — as can pets, according to a post on the Great American Downtown Facebook page. There will be a Pearl Streets Howl-o-ween Puppy Parade at 11:30 a.m. and a performance by the ActorSingers at noon, the post said.

• The Town of Merrimack Halloween Party will take place Saturday, Oct. 25, from noon to 2 p.m. in Wasserman Park. The day will feature games, crafts, face painting, food vendors, a costume contest, community organizations and more, according to merrimackparksandrec.org.

• Pumpkinpalooza will take place Saturday, Oct. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Kimball Jenkins, 266 N. Main St. in Concord, kimballjenkins.com. This family-friendly all-ages celebration invites you to bring your own pumpkin to decorate before taking part in a candy scavenger hunt and a costume parade and listening to “‘A Spooky Serenade,’ a live performance by Melissa Elsman, Contralto,” according to the website, where you can register to attend (advance registration required).

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, starhop.com, will present the Family Fright Fest celebration on Sunday, Oct. 26, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will feature hands-on Halloween science, live demonstrations, a special Halloween-themed planetarium show, a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt and more, according to a press release. The event is described as all-ages and costume-friendly, the release said. Activities are included with general admission, the release said.