Category: Featured Content

News & Notes 26/08/27

Movie theater closing

O’Neil Cinemas will be “closing our Londonderry location,” according to an Aug. 23 post on the theater’s Facebook page. The movie theater had reopened on Nov. 11, 2025, with a new bistro and upgraded screening rooms, according to a press release from the time. O’Neil Cinemas closed its Epping location on March 15, saying in a statement then: “Changing industry conditions, rising operating costs, and the significant investment required to modernize the theater made it impossible for us to continue operating the Epping location at the level of experience our guests deserve,” according to the March 12 issue of the Hippo.

In the Aug. 23 post about Londonderry, O’Neil Cinemas said: “While our chapter in Londonderry is ending, O’Neil Cinemas continues on. Our Littleton, Massachusetts theater will remain open and operating … Any O’Neil Cinemas gift cards will continue to be honored at our Littleton location. Your existing loyalty account, points, and rewards will also remain valid and can be redeemed in Littleton. Everything you’ve earned stays with you.” On Aug. 25, on the Londonderry location’s website, oneilcinemas.com/londonderry, Aug. 31 is the final day for which tickets are being sold.

Dogs for veterans

Balin Books, Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St. in Nashua, will host an author signing and fundraiser for Operation Delta Dog, an organization that rescues and trains shelter dogs to serve as companions to military veterans living with PTSD, traumatic brain injuries and military sexual trauma, on Saturday, Aug. 29, according to a press release. Trisha Blanchet, founder of Operation Delta Dog and local author of the new mystery Murder Like Magic, will discuss her book with Charlotte Troddyn, executive director of Operation Delta Dog, at 2 p.m., the release said. From 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., representatives of Operation Delta Dog will be at Balin and “a portion of all Balin Books sales throughout the day will be donated to Operation Delta Dog,’ the release said. See balinbooks.com.

Veterans expo

Harbor Care, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and presenting sponsor Eversource, will hold its 22nd Annual NH Veteran Stand Down resource and service expo for former service members and their families on Friday, Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with free lunch for veterans and free admission for veterans and military families, according to a press release. The event will take place at Eversource Energy Park, 780 N. Commercial St. in Manchester, and will feature more than 50 organizations, the release said. See harborcarenh.org.

Veterans picnic

Hudson VFW Post 5791 will host its 10th annual Veterans Appreciation Picnic, a free event for all New Hampshire veterans and their families, on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hudson VFG, 15 Bockes Road in Hudson, according to a press release. “The event is open to anyone who has served in any branch of the U.S. military. Veterans don’t have to be a member of the VFW, American Legion or any other veterans’ organization to attend,” the release said. “In addition to a catered lunch, there will be horseshoes, bocce and a corn hole tournament with prizes, plus games and activities for the kids.” Call 882-9722 with questions.

Catch Scott Kirby, Gabriel Donohue and Friends, singers, musicians and storytellers, at Avaloch Farm Music Institute, 16 Hardy Lane in Boscawen, avalochfarmmusic.org, on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 5 p.m. See the website for ticket information, with dinner with the musicians options available.

Adi Rule and Rebecca Rule celebrate their new books on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 1 p.m. at MainStreet BookEnds (16 E. Main St., Warner, mainstreetbookends.com). Adi Rule is launching her new middle-grade novel Ghost Chickens; Rebecca Rule’s latest book is the children’s picture book Who Loves Blueberries? There will be snacks and an activity for kids.

The Nashua Garden Club will host the program “Growing Shiitake Mushrooms” with Tracy Dunne of Breezy Woods Mushroom Farm in Warren on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 121 Manchester St. in Nashua, according to an email. Attendees are requested to arrive by 6:45 p.m., the email said. See nashuagardenclub.org.

What’s the buzz?

Wildflower Festival returns with a louder sound and a bigger garden

When Griff Comtois and two friends threw the first Wildflower Festival in 2023, it was three bands and a few dozen art vendors packed around the amphitheater at Milford’s Keyes Memorial Park. Four years later, the environmentally centered event is established enough that Comtois barely recalls the scramble of those early days.

“It feels a lot easier,” he said recently. “People know about us now, so that’s generally good.”

The fourth annual Wildflower Festival returns to Keyes Field Stage on Saturday, Aug. 22, running from noon to 9 p.m. This year brings a notable shift in sound, more art vendors and new education partners, and, for the first time, bands on the bill will be paid for their performances.

Every act this year hails from Massachusetts or New Hampshire, with a musical shift from the more folk- and jam-oriented acts of 2025, like headliner Nova One, toward punk, indie and shoegaze.

“There’s still some folk going on, but we switched styles a little bit,” Comtois said.

“We’ve all kind of just been really into this type of music lately, a lot more punk stuff,” he continued. “It kind of felt natural for us to gather all of our friends and the people we know within the area that play music, instead of trying to find a big name to get a draw.”

7-11 Jesus headlines, with Gollylagging, Tysk Tysk Tysk (replacing originally booked Main Era), Capo / Regime, Parachute Club, Cozy Throne, Thoughtsick, Time Eater, Milk Street, Five Feet and Star Family Singers. Returning for a third appearance is Darth Brandon; its frontman Andrew West, books much of the festival’s music.

The Wildflower Fest art market keeps growing as well. There are 60 vendors this year, up from roughly 50 in 2025. Comtois said organizers are intentionally keeping the number in that range. “It’s a good sweet spot for the amount of vendors to the amount of shoppers we have,” he said.

Expect the usual mix of stickers, prints, original paintings, brass sculptures, pottery, woodworking and crocheted items, plus what Comtois described as a strong showing of plant-inspired art and upcycled clothing this year.

“I always like to see them because I just feel like they fit the vibe of the festival,” he said.

New for 2026 is a slate of education-focused exhibitors. The Caterpillar Lab is bringing live caterpillars and butterflies for hands-on demonstrations, New Hampshire Audubon will have a table, and Queerlective is setting up a pressed-flower button-making station.

Partners underscore the festival’s growth as well, with Triangle Credit Union, Bangor Savings Bank and Fieldstone signing on this year.

“That’s a really nice part,” Comtois said. “Now that we’re more known as a running institution, it’s easier to get sponsors by showing them the things that we’ve done in the past.”

The festival’s original mission of funding pollinator habitat at Keyes Field keeps expanding. A bed of packed dirt in year one, the gazebo garden is now well established, though a few spots are still finding their footing. The meadow strip added last year has taken off: plugs once the size of a fist are now 5 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide.

This spring the group planted a redbud tree and a chokeberry, with more trees planned for fall. Groundbreaking for a planting area near the park’s volleyball courts also began recently.

“That will be cool,” Comtois said. “I think we’re going to get some plants that are 10 to 12 feet tall for that.”

Though national debates about sustainability are a concern, the festival’s ambitions will stay local for now — with an eye toward the future.

“My dream is for us to have more of a national impact,” Comtois said. “A lot of rhetoric and policies are going around now that are not good for us or the environment. I’d like to change that mindset.”

Wildflower Festival
When: Saturday, Aug. 22, noon to 9 p.m.
Where: Keyes Field Stage, Keyes Park, 45 Elm St., Milford
Tickets: Sliding scale (suggested donation $10), eventbrite.com

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Make time for Mahrajan

Middle Eastern food made for all

As it says on the website for this weekend’s Mahrajan Festival in Manchester, Mahrajan is “Arabic for a wicked good time.” The festival is also the main fundraising event for Our Lady of the Cedars church. Nikki Bullock is the coordinator for the event.

“It is a Middle Eastern food festival that takes place at our church,” she said. “It is primarily focused on the food and cultural traditions of Lebanon, which is where the Melkite Church is based. So every August we open our kitchen and our church to our local community and feed anybody who will come.”

This year’s festival will be held on three consecutive days, Bullock said, from Friday, Aug. 21, through Sunday, Aug. 23. One of the goals of the festival, she said, is to be as convenient as possible for the larger community to be able to attend.

Many countries around the Mediterranean have their own versions of the same dishes. Greek baklava is very similar to Lebanese baklawa, and falafel can vary from block to block in a Middle Eastern city, never mind across the region. Our Lady of the Cedars will present the best version of their own, Bullock said.

“We’ve got lamb kebabs and shawarma, kibbeh [a dish made with minced lamb and sometimes beef, pine nuts, and onions], falafel, and stuffed grape leaves. Those seem to always go faster each year,” she said. “Of course we’ve got traditional pastries — the fatayer [savory filled pastries] and the ghraybe [cookies that are shortbread-adjacent], and date fingers — all the things you think of when you think of Lebanese food.”

For the parishioners, the weeks of cooking leading up to the festival are as much fun as the festival itself, Bullock said.

“All the prep work really is a team effort,” she said. “You know, when you’re making the quantities that we are, you really bond as a team. We were joking this year when we were making the kibbeh — I think we made something like 30 trays of kibbeh in an hour and a half…. I don’t know if it’s a world record, but we just crushed it. [Making] the grape leaves is another huge, huge, huge production that requires lots of people. It’s thousands of grape leaves that we’re rolling. So the fact that we’re able to do that in a day, I think, really shows how invested everyone is and how much everyone enjoys each other’s company. People like to come and help and just spend time with each other.”

The volunteers who run the festival represent all age groups, Bullock said. “We’ve had a great influx of young people and young families. And then, of course, there are people like me that have been raised in this church. My mom taught me everything she knew; now I’m doing her job. We’re like a well-oiled machine.”

Bullock said the volunteers who put the Mahrajan festival together put as much thought and effort into creating a mood as they do the food.

“I think what I personally love about our festival,” she said, is that it’s very… I don’t know if ‘open and airy’ is what I want to say, but we’ve just thought a lot about the experience of people coming. So even when it’s really busy we make sure people have a good time. The tents are big and open. The music isn’t too loud. It’s a complete experience; we want to give people the best experience that we can. My favorite thing about the festival is seeing people sitting and smoking hookah and having their drinks and some pastries and being totally relaxed and enjoying each other’s company.”

Mahrajan Festival
Where: Our Lady of the Cedars Church, 140 Mitchell St,, Manchester, olocnh.org
When: Friday, Aug. 21, from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22, from noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 23, from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
More: bestfestnh.com.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Follow those butterflies!

Monarch Festival studies migration to Mexico

This year’s New Hampshire Monarch Festival will be a treat for butterfly enthusiasts.

“We’ll have science stations,” said festival coordinator Amira Provost, “and we will be doing a butterfly release and some tagging, including Monarch Watch sticker tags as well as the latest nanotags from Cellular Tracking Technologies, which they officially released last year. I’m super-excited about the data [we are collecting from these tags]! Then we have two other tags that we will feature at the festival, where we will tag the butterflies. They are Bluetooth-capable and solar-powered, so they can actually last longer than the life of the butterfly. And the information that is uploaded into the app is uploaded in real time, so you can actually track every ping on a map, where this individual butterfly is going. It is just phenomenal, the stuff scientists are learning from just these little, bitty, new nanotags. I’m working with New Hampshire Audubon to do a test tag a couple of days before the festival.”

Because all monarch butterflies migrate to the same location in Mexico each year, this data will be invaluable, Provost said. After years of population decline, Provost said, the numbers of monarchs have gotten stronger in recent years.

“In the 1980s and ’90s the monarch population had peaked. It was really, really high, then suddenly in the late 1990s and early 2000s, all of a sudden, we saw this huge drop in population. Between illegal logging [in Mexico], pesticide use and the loss of habitat, there was a triple whammy of stuff that happened to the monarchs.” One of the most serious threats to the butterflies though, Provost said, was the loss of milkweed across North America.

“Milkweed is the only host plant for monarchs,” Provost said. “So, they lay their eggs on milkweed exclusively — any species of milkweed — and the caterpillars only eat that. There’s an international effort to create more fueling stations with nectaring flowers and milkweed. We’re going to be giving away free milkweed seeds at the festival and just bringing attention to conservation efforts and research that is going into the monarchs to help stabilize and bring up their populations.”

The Festival will have activities for kids including a craft station and a “pollinator passport,” Provost said, “so they can go around and add stickers from the different science stations and some of the vendors. And once they fill up their passports, they can go get a prize. We will also have more than 25 vendors and artisans, and we’ll have food and beverages.”

“The festival was started years ago at Petals in the Pines in Canterbury,” Provost said. “And for the last few years I had been helping them with a science station. I would talk about community science and test butterflies and take measurements of their wings and do little demonstrations. In 2024, at the end of the season, [Petals in the Pines owners] Jim and Donna Miller said that they were retiring and they asked me if I wanted to take over. So last year was the first year I ran the festival.”

Windy weather at the new location prevented many butterflies from attending, Provost said. At the Monarch Festival’s new location in Belmont, that should be less of a problem.

Butterfly fans can be exuberant in their enthusiasm, and the Monarch Festival will encourage that.

“Any attendee, of any age,” Provost said, “if they are dressed in a butterfly costume or dressed as an appropriate pollinator, will get in free.”

The 14th New Hampshire Monarch Festival
When: Saturday, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Tioga Pavilion in Belmont Village, 18 Mill St., Belmont
More: Adult tickets are $9.31 and children’s tickets are $6.11 through the festival’s website at nhmonarchfestival.com.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Starting over

Ernest Thompson talks new novel at BNH Stage

Though he’s a multi-hyphenate — Oscar-winning screenwriter, playwright, filmmaker, actor, author and songwriter — Ernest Thompson is not a tech whiz. If he were, his second novel might have arrived sooner. The New England native, well-known for On Golden Pond, began writing it 13 years ago, saving work on thumb drives.

That choice, it turned out, was a big mistake that would force Thompson back to square one.

Just before he and his wife left on a vacation, he managed to overwrite a big file with a tiny one. “You’re talking to a guy who’s a Luddite from about 1882,” he said in a Zoom interview ahead of an appearance in Concord on Aug. 26. “I didn’t pick it up for another few months, and by the time I did … the first 150 pages of the novel were gone.”

He hadn’t known about the cloud — but there was a silver lining. A newly blank screen didn’t deter Thompson, who’d famously cranked out his Academy Award-winning screenplay in three days. And as time passed, the book’s premise of disappearing from a harsh reality grew more timely.

“I rewrote it so fast,” he said. “Then I got momentum … a different kind of speed.”

That said, the finished book is 545 pages. Its multiple characters include a wealthy businessman who fakes jumping off a bridge, the cop who doggedly tracks him after he vanishes, and the damaged visionary behind the organization who gives the book its title.

“There’s a lot of saga and epic,” Thompson said. “So no, I didn’t write it in a weekend.”

The idea for Out Clause, published in May, had circled him for years.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the notion of, what if we had a choice … a chance to live a different life?” Thompson said. The disappeared all must agree to be better, and more noble, in their second acts. “If you don’t, there are consequences,” he said. “Your body will be found close to where it went missing.” The operation is led by Oxton Paris, who began it because a disfiguring facial birthmark made him a social outcast. He moves to Evador, a fictional country near the equator, and becomes a spiritual guide for similarly broken people.

“I don’t know about you, but everybody I know has got some kind of challenge,” Thompson said. “Sometimes they’re dire and sometimes they’re simple … maybe even fixable. But the idea of, wow, what if we could just step away and start over again? It’s just stayed with me.”

At the upcoming BNH Stage event, sponsored by Gibson’s Bookstore, Thompson will have an onstage conversation with Rick Ganley of New Hampshire Public Radio. He’ll sign copies of both Out Clause and his first novel, The Book of Maps, afterward. As with all of his appearances, he’ll bring his golden statue for fans to hold or take a photo.

“I never leave home without the Oscar,” he told Arcadia Adventures recently. “It’s been handled by so many people that it’s tarnished already, but I love that because it gives people a moment to hold the thing and dream the dream of what would it be like.”

The new novel isn’t the only long-gestating work of his that’s current news. A Broadway revival of On Golden Pond with Thompson in the Henry Fonda role in is the works. On the musical side, a song he wrote is on Carly Simon’s first studio album in 17 years, Comes In Waves.

Simon recorded “The Father Daughter Dance” 15 years ago, after a childhood friend connected her to Thompson.

“It was the stuff of dreams for me,” Thompson said. Joined by his musical partner Joe Deleault and guitarist Randy Roos in a Lakes Region recording studio, it was an emotional session. “She lost her dad when she was 15, so I think the song got right into her gut … you can hear her voice crack, because she teared up singing it.”

Though the Grammy-winning Rock & Roll Hall of Famer asked to do another take, Thompson adamantly refused.

“I said that we’re not, because you couldn’t fake that. It’s so extraordinary how emotional she gets singing it.” Recently his music company wanted to release the promo-only song as a single, but they didn’t want to compete with Simon’s new LP. So Thompson called Simon, who’d all but forgotten about it, and asked him to send it to her.

“She said, ‘I know I’m going to hate it,’ because that’s Carly,” he recalled. “So I wrote her an email. I said, ‘Please be kind to the singer … I think it’s amazing what she sings.’ She listened to it and wrote back immediately. She said, ‘No kindness required, I love that song.’ That’s how it found its way onto the album.”

Authors on Main: Ernest Thompson
When: Wednesday, Aug. 26, 7 p.m.
Where: BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord
Tickets: $30 includes copy of Out Clause, $15 admission only, ccanh.com

Featured photo: Ernest Thompson. Photo by Joe Klementovich.

Adventure After School

Your guide to sports, arts, music and other extracurricular happenings

A new school year means a new chance for after-school adventure.

Here are some area sports, art classes, theater programs, music lessons and more to get kids excited about the new school year. Information comes from the organizations’ websites and social media; call or go online for specifics on cost and other details. Know of an after-school activity not listed here? Let us know at adiaz@hippopress.com.

General Interest

• Beaver Brook Association (117 Ridge Road, Hollis, 465-7787, beaverbrook.org) offers two-, three- and five-day preschool options for kids ages 3 to 5 starting Sept. 7 as well as home-school programs for ages 7 through 17 starting Sept. 7. There is also an after-school adventure club for grades K-3 Tuesdays, Wednesday and Friday, according to the website.

• Boys & Girls Club of Central and Northern New Hampshire (The Bradley Street Clubhouse is at 55 Bradley St. in Concord, 224-1061; this club has other locations in Andover, Berlin, Belmont, Lisbon, Laconia, Holderness, Epsom, Hopkinton, Pittsfield, Warner, Weare, Allenstown and Bradford and operates in some Concord schools; nhyouth.org) has early learning centers for infants through pre-K at nine locations. It offers before- and after-school programs for grades K-8 (grouped by age) as well as drop-in after-school programming for high schoolers at its clubhouses in Concord, Laconia and Suncook, according to the website

• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Derry (40 E. Derry Road, Derry, 434-6695, derrybgclub.org) offers after-school programming as well as arts, health, education, leadership and sports programs, including basketball, karate and wrestling (for pre-K through eighth grade), according to the website.

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Manchester (555 Union St., Manchester, 625-5982, mbgcnh.org) offers morning and after-school programs at its Union Street Club House for grades K-12 (morning program at the club house is for grades K-8; both programs grouped by age) as well as after-school programs at Manchester’s Highland-Goffes Falls School and Jewett Street School (grades K-4) and at the Jordan Singer Youth Enrichment Center on Manchester’s West Side serving Gossler Park, Northwest and Parker-Varney schools (grades K-4), according to the website.

• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua (1 Positive Place, Nashua, 883-0523, bgcn.com) offers before-school programming for grades K-6 as well as after-school programming for grades K-2. The Clubhouse program is open for after-school programming for grades 3-5 with the Stahl Teen Center for grades 6-12. The Greater Nashua club also offers early learning day care for infants through pre-K. It also offers arts programming and athletics including teen co-ed volleyball, basketball, Pride swim team, co-ed indoor soccer (ages 12 and under) and Pride wrestling (grades K-8), the website said.

• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem (3 Geremonty Drive, Salem, 898-7709, salembgc.org) offers after-school programming for grades 1-5 from 3 to 7 p.m. and for grades 6-12 from 2:10 to 7 p.m. The club also offers a preschool for kids “3.9-5 years of age,” according to the website. The club also offers travel basketball for grades 5 & 6 and 7 & 8 and ages 18 and other (with tryouts in October or November); peewee basketball (ages 5 to 9); volleyball for grades 3-5, middle school and high school; wrestling (grades K-5), and a sports club for grades K-1, the website said.

• Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, 672-1002, svbgc.org) offers after-school programs for kids in grades 1-12 (for students from Milford, Amherst, Wilton and Mont Vernon), with before-school programming only for Milford students in grades K-5, according to the website. The club also offers arts, STEAM, theater, dance and karate and teen programs related to service, leadership and life skills, the website said.

• Concord Parks & Recreation (concordnh.gov/1984/Parks-Recreation) offers fall programming (most starting in September) for preschoolers (toddler open gym at the City Wide Community Center and nature programming such as Concord Tiny Explorers Nature Program at Batchelder Mill Trail on Sept. 9 and a Mushroom Hunt in White Park on Sept. 12); tap & ballet for ages 2-6; yoga for ages 3-5; art and baking programs for ages 8-12, 10-15 and 12-17; flag football for ages 6 to 14; rec soccer for preschool-6th grade (grouped by age), and archery for ages 7 and up, according to the website, where you can find the program to register.

• The Culinary Playground (16 Manning St., Suite 105, Derry, 339-1664, culinaryplaygroundnh.com) offers one-hour cooking classes for “mini chefs” (ages 3 to 6) as well as classes for ages 6 through teens including 90-minute weekly classes and two-hour one-time classes, according to the website.

• Franco-American Centre (100 Saint Anselm Drive, No. 1798, Manchester, 641-7114, facnh.com) offers French classes for kids ages 6 through 11, with the next session of classes running Mondays, Oct. 5 through Dec. 7, the website said. Private and semi-private French classes are also available for elementary and high school age students, the website said.

• Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains (1 Commerce Drive, Bedford, 888-474-9686, girlscoutsgwm.org) offers programs for girls in kindergarten through grade 12, focused on leadership-building, community engagement, STEM and nature. Visit their website or call to learn how to join a local troop or join as a solo Girl Scout. Troops set their own start dates, meeting days and times, and meeting locations. Information events about Girl Scouts are usually held at the beginning of the school year and throughout the year. The Girl Scouts will hold their biannual expo on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the New Hampshire Sportsplex in Bedford, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring a variety of exhibits, many STEAM-related, and learn more about Girl Scouts; see the website for tickets, which cost $10 per person.

• Girls Inc. of New Hampshire (340 Varney St., Manchester, 623-1117; 27 Burke St., Nashua, 882-6256, girlsincnh.org) offers after-school programming in Manchester and Nashua, with members arriving at centers via buses and the program open until 6 p.m., according to the website. The girls get snacks, homework time and structured programs, the website said.

• Granite YMCA (30 Mechanic St., Manchester, 623-3558; 116 Goffstown Back Road, Goffstown, 497-4663; 206 Rockingham Road, Londonderry; 437-9622; 15 N. State St., Concord, 228-9622; 35 Industrial Way, Rochester, 332-7334; 550 Peverly Hill Road, Portsmouth, 431- 2334; 35 Bartlett Ave., Somersworth, 692-2081; graniteymca.org) offers before- and after-school programming (including at off-site locations) as well as Early Learning Centers, depending on the location. Manchester, Goffstown and Concord are among the locations that offer swimming lessons for kids as young as 6 months. Goffstown and Concord also have swim teams — the Sailfish Swim Team in Concord (for ages 5 to 18 years) and the Tiger Sharks Swim Team in Goffstown (also starting at age 5), the website said. The YMCA locations also offer a variety of athletic classes for kids, depending on the location as well as STEM programs and adaptive programs, according to the brochure. The Goffstown YMCA offers classes and programs in gymnastics and ninja (including competitive gymnastics teams), indoor tennis for ages 4 to 17, climbing and martial arts, according to the website. Some locations also offer teen nights and other family programming. Brochures for the fall sessions are available on the website.

• Hampshire Hills Athletic Club (50 Emerson Road, Milford, 673-7123, hampshirehills.com) offers kids swim lessons as well as swim team prep for ages 6 to 14. Tennis programs are offered for kids as young as 3. FAST: Fun After School Times runs Monday through Friday, 3 to 5:30 p.m. (with transportation options), with two- to five-day options for grades K-5, according to the website.

• Hooksett’s Best After School & Camp (1271 Hooksett Road, Hooksett; 660-7472, hooksettsbest.com/after-school) offers before- and after-school programs for grades K-5 featuring martial arts and dance, transportation to and from school and more, according to the website. The program opens at 6:30 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, the website said.

• Krazy Kids (60 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, 228-PLAY, krazykids.com) offers an after-school program for grades K-5 with transportation from Pembroke Hill and Three River Schools, according to the website. There are three-, four- and five-day options with activities including arts and crafts, indoor and outdoor playground time, STEM projects and more, the website said.

• Kumon of Bedford (Woodbury Court, 128 S. River Road in Bedford; 370-3779, kumon.com) offers reading and math programs, according to the website.

• Kumon of Nashua (505 W. Hollis St., Nashua, 897-6194, kumon.com) offers reading and math programs, according to the website.

• Manchester Police Athletic League (409 Beech St., Manchester, 626-0211, manchesterpoliceathleticleague.org) offers adventure club (for grades K-2), aikido, cooking, indoor soccer, boxing, Girl Scouts, skateboarding, dodgeball, and leadership programs, according to the website (where you can find age specifics for each program). The fall schedule begins Sept. 3, the website said.

• Mathnasium (257 DW Highway, Nashua, 242-2004; 1 Bicentennial Drive, Manchester, 644-1234; mathnasium.com) offers math sessions for kids in grades K-12 as well as early childhood tutoring for ages 4 to 6, the website said.

• Naticook After School (merrimackparksandrec.org) offered at the Function Hall in Wasserman Park in Merrimack for one to five days a week, 2:45 to 6 p.m., for grades K-6 with bus transportation from Mastricola Elementary School, Thornton’s Ferry Elementary School, Reeds Ferry Elementary School and James Mastricola Upper Elementary School, the website said.

• Nashua Police Athletic League (52 Ash St., Nashua, 594-3733, nashuapal.com) offers after-school programming for ages 7 to 18 as well as summer and athletic programs, according to the website.

• New Morning School (23 Back River Road, Bedford, 669-3591, newmorningschools.com) offers after-school programs at schools in Bedford, Candia and Dunbarton, and before- and after-school programs at schools in Auburn, Hooksett, Manchester and Weare (a before-school-only program is available in Milford), the website said. Imagine is an on-site after-school program at New Morning’s Bedford location offering “choice-based experiences in gym, art, outdoors, academics, and literacy” for grades K-6, the website said, with transportation from Bedford elementary schools. New Morning School also offers a preschool (with a morning and a full-day option) and a full-day kindergarten, the website said.

• Scouting America New Hampshire (625-6431, nhscouting.org) is the center of information for Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts). Contact them for information about joining a local Pack. Packs and Dens set their own start dates, meeting days and times and meeting locations. Many Packs hold fall activities where potential new members can learn more about Scouting.

• The Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (vlacs.org) offers full- and part-time school options for students in elementary through high school, including offering students enrolled in a local school the opportunity to take classes not available in their school or accelerated classes.

• YMCA of Greater Nashua (24 Stadium Drive, Nashua, 882-2011; 6 Henry Clay Drive, Merrimack, 881-7778, nmymca.org) offers before-school (at Amherst Middle School and the Merrimack YMCA) care as well as after-school programming at schools in Amherst and Mont Vernon as well as at the Nashua and Merrimack YMCAs. The YMCA also offers swim lessons and swim team, dance, ninja, preschool sports, basketball, archery, soccer, flag football, tennis, volleyball, gymnastics and martial arts, according to the website. The Y also offers teen sports programs and leagues, the website said. The YMCA also offers full-day child care and early education for ages 6 weeks to kindergarten at its Merrimack facility as well as a three-hour kindergarten readiness program for ages 3 to 5 in Nashua.

Arts

• Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford, 672-2500, creativeventuresfineart.com) offers classes and workshops including sessions for adults and sessions geared to kids.

• Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester, currier.org) will have a “new, drop-in workshop series for families that offers low-cost, supportive artmaking. It is called A Day to Play: Family Workshop,” according to an email from the museum. The first one is “A Day to Play: Family Workshop” on Saturday, Oct. 17, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.; “Make masks inspired by the exhibition Florentine Baroque. $15 for adults/$5 for kids. For ages six and up; Kids must be accompanied by an adult,” the email said.

• Express It Art! (140 Melendy Road, Hudson, 438-7885, expressitarts.com) offers an after-school program for ages 7 and up, 2:30 to 6 p.m., according to the website. Express It Art also has Youth Open Art sessions for ages 7 and up and art classes (see the calendar for ages and themes), the website said.

• Hollis Artspace (30 Ash St., Hollis, 465-4300, hollisartspace.com) offers fall sessions “with classes beginning in mid-September for pre-K, homeschool, afterschool, tweens, and teens,” according to the website. Classes begin Sept. 14, the website said.

• Kimball Jenkins School of Art (266 N. Main St., Concord, 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com) offers youth and teen classes (ages 2 to 7 and 6 to 17, grouped by ages) on a variety of subjects and media in two fall sessions — Sept. 14 to Oct. 17 and Oct. 19 to Nov. 21, the website said. There will be an open house on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to the website, where you can register (the deadline for the first fall session is Aug. 31). A weekly class for grades 5 to 8 called Art Lab is also slated to return for fall, see the website for details.

• Let’s Play Music! (145 Hampstead Road, Derry, 425-7575, letsplaymusic.com) offers art classes (grouped by age) for kids ages 6 to 12 as well as classes for teens and adults. Classes have open enrollment for students to join any time there are openings in a class.

• Paint pARTy (135 N. Broadway, Salem, 898- 8800, paintpartynh.com) offers classes for kids (grouped by age) in grade 1 through high school (as well as adults).

• Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5597, 550arts.com) offers after-school class sessions of eight to 10 weeks in the fall, winter and spring, with fall classes starting the week of Sept. 28, according to the website, where you can check for updates on available classes. The center also offers one-day workshops and family workshops.

Dance

• Allegro Dance Academy (100 Factory St., Nashua, 886-7989, allegrodancenh.com) offers preschool dance classes (for ages 18 months to 6 years); recreational dance classes (for ages 6 to 18); and competitive and company teams, according to the website. Fall registration is open now, the website said.

• Ameri-kids Baton & Dance (Candia Youth Athletic Association, 27 Raymond Road, Candia, 391-2254, ameri-kids.com) has offerings including competition teams, acro, baton & dance and dance technique, according to the website.

• Bedford Dance Center (172 Route 101, Bedford, 472-5141, bedforddancecenter.com) offers classes for all ages (starting with a preschool ballet program for ages 3 to 5.5) and levels in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, tap, hip-hop and acro as well as an ensemble company, according to the website. Classes for the 2026-2027 season begin Sept. 8, the website said.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) offers preschool ballet for ages 2 and up as well as ballet classes for ages 5 through teens, grouped by age. The school also offers lyrical, jazz (ages 5 to teen), tap (ages 5 to teen) and acro (starting at age 4). Classes begin the week of Aug. 31.

• Broadway Bound Performing Arts Center (501 DW Highway, Merrimack, 429-8844, broadwayboundpac.com) offers classes in ballet, hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, tap and tumbling and it has special needs, competition and performing company classes. Kidz Kombo classes have offerings for kids age 2 to kindergarten, according to the website. Classes begin Sept. 14, the website said.

• Concord Dance Academy (26 Commercial St., Concord, 226- 0200, concorddanceacademy.com) offers a competition program for ages 5 to 18 as well as recreational classes grouped by age in tap, acro, jazz, karate, ballet, lyrical, hip-hop and Herchun Karate Kung Fu as well as contemporary (ages 13+) and pointe (age 13+, by invitation). Combo classes in ballet, tap, jazz and tumbling are available for ages 2 to 4 and ages 5 to 7 (for whom there are also karate classes). Classes start Sept. 21, the website said.

• Creative Dance Workshop of Bow (1355 Route 3A, Bow, 225-7711, nhdances.com) offers classes and teams in cheer. For dance the studio offers competition teams for ages 5 to 7, ages 8 to 12 and ages 13 to 18, the website said. Classes are offered for younger kids (starting with Tiny Dancers for ages 18 months to 3 years) up to age 6 with combo classes for ages 5 to 7 and 6 to 9, the website said. Classes for school age kids include ballet (plus pre-pointe and pointe), tap, jazz, musical theater, acro for dancers and tumbling, lyrical/contemporary and hip-hop, according to the website.

• The Dance Company (130 Route 101A, Amherst, 864-8374, thedancecompanyonline.com) offers classes in ballet, tap, lyrical, contemporary, acro, jazz and hip-hop, grouped by age, starting at age 2, as well as performance teams and Cirque Fusion (for ages 6-9 and 10-13), the website said. The school also offers adult, home school and adaptive classes, the website said. Classes begin Sept. 21.

• Dance Connection Fitness & Performing Arts (8 Rockingham Road, Windham, 893-4919, danceconnectionnh.com) will start fall classes Sept. 14. The studio offers classes (depending on age) in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop and cheerdance, as well as combo classes for ages 2.5 (ballet/tap) through teen. Gymnastics classes with varying genre focuses are offered for ages 3 through 12. The studio offers all-boys tap (ages 5 to 9) and hip-hop (ages 5 to 9 and 8 to 12, grouped by age) as well as hip-hop classes for boys and girls (ages 8 to 17). There are also company classes, which meet several times a week, grouped by level, and compete and perform, the website said.

• Dance Visions Network (699 Mast Road, Manchester, 626-7654, dancevisionsnetwork.com) begins its school-year classes Sept. 14. The studio offers tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, contemporary, hip-hop (for ages 8+) and tumbling, for ages 2.5 through adult, as well as a competition team, the website said.

• The Dancing Corner (23 Main St., Nashua, 889-7658, dancingcorner.com) offers classes for kids as young as 3 years old (predance classes, which are available for ages 3 to 6, grouped by age). Classes for older kids include ballet and pointe, jazz, tap, hip-hop, lyrical and musical theater, as well as movement and fitness-based classes, the website said.

• Dimensions in Dance (84 Myrtle St., Manchester, 668-4196, dimensionsindance.com) offers Twirling Twos and Pre Ballet classes as well as classes (grouped by age and level) in acro-jazz, ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, modern, pointe, tap and more, according to the website.

• Happy Feet Dance School (25 Indian Rock Road, Windham, 434-4437, happyfeetdanceschool.biz) classes for ages 6 and up (grouped by age and skill level) include ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, contemporary and more. Classes for ages 2 to 5 include Tiny Tots, Creative Dance and Kinder Kids classes. Fancy Feet Performing Company offers the Fancy Feet Program for ages 6+ and the Fearless Feet Dance Company for ages 8+, the website said.

• Kathy Blake Dance Studios (3 Northern Blvd., Amherst, 673-3978, kathyblakedancestudios.com) offers preschool classes for ages walking to 5 (including ballet, tap and AcroDance) and performing arts classes for ages 5 to 18 that include AcroDance, ballet, jazz, musical theater jazz, hip-hop, lyrical/ contemporary, tap and tap/ballet and tap/jazz combos. There are also Rhythm Works Integrative Dance for ages 3 through teen, and competitive dance teams for ages 4 to 18, the website said.

• Londonderry Dance Academy (21 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 432-0032, londonderrydance.com) offers classes, grouped by age and level, in ballet (to students as young as 2 through teen), pointe, pre-K and kindergarten dance classes, tap and jazz (ages 5.5 and up), contemporary (ages 6 to teen), Triple Threat Prep (ages 8 to 17), hip-hop (ages 6+) and acro (ages 7+), the website said.

• Martin School of Dance (288 Route 101, Bedford, 488-2371, martinschoolofdance.com) offers programming for ages 18 months to 6 years in tap, ballet and tumbling, and for ages 5 to 8 in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap and acro. Programs for dancers aged 7+ include Commercial Division featuring classes in contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop and acro, and Academy Division, which focuses on ballet, the website said.

• Melissa Hoffman Dance Center (210 Robinson Road, Hudson, 886-7909, mhdcdance.com) offers toddler classes (for ages baby through 6 years old); recreational dance classes in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, tumble, lyric and modern; competitive dance classes, and Broadway Dance classes (ages 4 to 7 and 7.5 to 11), the website said.

• Miss Kelsey’s Dance Studio (2626 Brown Ave., Manchester, 606-2820, mkdance.com) offers acro, ballet, breakdance workshops and camps (ages 6+), lyrical/contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, musical theater and tap with preschool classes in movement and pre-dance combo classes (for ages 1.5 to 6 years old, grouped by age), the website said. Find a link to Fall 2026 offerings via the studio’s Facebook page.

• Nancy Chippendale’s Dance Studios (49 Range Road, Building 2, Suite A, Windham, 458-7730, chippswindham.com) offers recreational (ages 3 to 18) and competitive (ages 8 to 18) dance classes as well as a Babysteps program for ages 1 to 4, all grouped by age and level, the website said. Recreational classes include combos of ballet, jazz, tap and hip-hop.

• New England School of Dance (679 Mast Road, Manchester, 935-7326, newenglandschoolofdance.com) offers preschool classes (ages 3-4); classes in ballet, jazz/tap/tumble and performing company for ages 5-6; ballet, modern/contemporary, hip-hop, tap, jazz, conditioning and acro and performing company for ages 7 to 10; pre-intermediate level classes; intermediate level for ages 10 to 13 (where pointe is also offered) and advanced for 13+, according to the website, where you can find more details about the competitive performing company.

• New Hampshire Academie of Dance (1 Action Blvd., No. 4, Londonderry, 432-4041, nhadance.com) offers classes for kids as young as 12 months through 16+. Classes grouped by age and level include ballet, tap, hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, acro and aerial (offerings vary based on age) as well as competitive dance, according to the school’s 2026-2027 brochure, which you can find on its website.

• New Hampshire School of Ballet (183 Londonderry Tpke., Hooksett, 668-5330, nhschoolofballet.com) offers classes in “Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Acro, Hip-Hop, Lyrical, Modern and Acro” for “recreational and career oriented students,” according to the school’s Facebook page.

• NH Scot (nhscot.org) offers Highland Dance classes Mondays at 25 Triangle Park Drive in Concord. The next eight-week session begins Sept. 14 with a beginner and new students class (for ages 5 to 16) from 4:15 to 5 p.m.; a 16+ class 4:45 to 5:45 p.m., and competitive youth from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m., the website said.

• N-Step Dance (1134 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 642-6787, nstepdance.com) offers classes for ages 18 months and up, as well as adult classes. Subjects include ballet and pointe, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop and lyrical, according to the website. Classes start Sept. 8.

• Palace Theatres Dance Studio (most classes at Forever Emma Studios, 516 Pine St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) will begin its fall session, which runs through early November with a Nov. 8 showcase, with classes starting as early as Aug. 30, according to the website. Youth offerings include hip-hop levels 1-3 (grades 4-12), contemporary (grades 4-12) levels 1-3, intro to dance (ages 3 to 5 years), Dance Technique levels 1-4 (grades 6-12), Getting to Know Dance Theater (grades 1-2 and grades 3-5), Jazz 1-3 (grades 6-12) and Tap 1-3 (grades 6-12), according to the website, where you can register.

• Rise Dance Studio (125 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 402-2706, risedancenh.com) offers classes in pre-dance, ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern and hip-hop, according to the website.

• Scottish Arts (nhssa.org/dance) offers Highland Dance classes for kids ages 4 to 7 and then 7+. See the website for updates.

• Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater (19 Harvey Road, Bedford, 637-4398, snhdt.org) offers programs for preschool (18 months to 6 years old), youth (7 to 18 years old) and pre-professional (ages 10 to 18). Dance taught includes ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern and contemporary, the website said. An open house will be held for all ages on Wednesday, Aug. 26, and Saturday, Aug. 29, according to the website, where you can see the schedule of classes.

• Turning Pointe Center of Dance (371 Pembroke St., Pembroke, 485-8710, turningpointecenterofdance.com) offers classes, grouped by age and level, including ballet, jazz, pointe (by invitation), tap, lyrical, hip-hop and combo classes, according to the website.

• Unbound Dance Academy (237 Londonderry Tpke., Hooksett, 714-2821, unbounddanceacademy.com) offers Creative Movement (18 months to 3 years), Tumble Tots (ages 2 to 3 years), Pre Dance I (ages 3 to 4, with ballet and tap), and Pre Dance II (ages 4 to 6, with ballet and tap), according to the website. For older students, classes include ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, modern/contemporary, tap, hip-hop, musical theater and acro, the website said. The school will hold an open house with tryout classes for ages 3 to 12 on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to its Facebook page, where you can find the schedule of classes.

Gymnastics

• A2 Gym & Cheer (16B Garabedian Drive, Salem, 328-8130, a2gc.com) offers gymnastics and tumbling classes for kids ages 18 months through high school, competitive cheer, ballet & jazz dance, tumbling, Tumble Titans: Boys and competitive gymnastics programs as well as open gym opportunities, the website said.

• Core Gymnastics (185 Elm St., Milford, 554-1097, core-gymnastics.com) offers pre-school and elementary school recreational gymnastics, a gymnastics team, Hot Shots (an invite-only class for ages 3 to 6) and USAG programs, the website said.

• Flipz the Gym for Kids (Flipz Gymnastics, 14 Chenell Drive, Concord, 224-3223, flipzgymnastics.com) offers gymnastics-based fitness classes for ages 12 months to 7 years, as well as open gym and special events, according to the website.

• Gymnastics Village (13 Caldwell Drive, Amherst, 889-8092, gymnasticsvillage.com) offers preschool programs (18 months to 3 years old), after-school programs for ages 5 and up, ninja classes for ages 6 to 14, tumbling, recreational classes and girls’ and boys’ competitive gymnastics teams, the website said.

• Gym-Ken Gymnastics (184 Rockingham Road, Windham, 434-9060, gymkengymnastics.com) offers preschool classes (for kids who are walking through kindergarten), recreational classes for grades 1-8 (including a boys’ class for grades 1-3), parkour for grades 1 and above, tumbling classes for grades 1 and above and a girls’ competitive team, the website said.

• Impact Gymnastics (301 River Road, Bow, 219-0343, impact-gymnastics.com) begins its classes Aug. 31, with registration open now. Offerings include coed preschool programs (for kids who are walking through age 5), girls’ recreational gymnastics (with classes for ages 5 to 8 and 8+), a Girls Stars program (which starts at age 4), boys’ programs starting at age 5, coed home-school programs and coed special athletics programs, the website said.

• Noha’s Gymnastics Academy (200 Perimeter Road, Manchester, 518-7660; 30 Pond St., Nashua, 880-4927; ngacademy.us) offers recreational teams for walking through grade 8, as well as invitational classes for students preparing to be on a competitive team, the website said.

• Palaestra Gymnastics Academy (8 Tinkham Ave., Derry, 818-4494, pgagym.com) begins its fall session on Aug. 31 for preschool gymnastics and recreational gymnastics and tumble, the website said. The academy also has a “USAG competitive teams levels 3 through 10,” the website said.

• Phantom Gymnastics (142 Route 111, Hampstead, 329-9315, phantomgymnastics.com) has a competitive team, parkour (grouped by age for ages 4 to 13+), preschool classes (for ages 6 months through 4 years) and classes for ages 5+ as well as open gym opportunities, the website said. The school also offers CPR classes.

• Southern New Hampshire Gymnastics Academy (4 Orchard View Drive, No. 11, Londonderry, 404-6181, snhga.com) offers gymnastics classes for ages 18 months through 18 years and has a tumbling program and a competitive team, the website said. Fall registration is open.

• Spectrum Gymnastics (26 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 434-8388, spectrumgymnast.com) offers preschool classes for walkers through kindergarten and school-age classes for girls and boys (grades 1-5 for boys, according to the website) as well as a competitive team, according to the website.

Martial Arts

Note: most of the locations mentioned here offer classes and training for adults, sometimes in disciplines not offered for kids.

• American Dragon Shaolin Kempo (146 Londonderry Turnpike, Unit 11, Hooksett, 629-9118, americandragonnh.com) offers classes for juniors, teens and adults, the website said.

• Aqueous Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (30 Harvey Road, Bedford, 566-7775, aqueousbjj.com) offers a Little Warriors program for kids.

• ATA Martial Arts of Merrimack (707 Milford Road, Merrimack, 881-5435, atabbanh.com) offers preschool martial arts programming for ages 3.5 and up; kids classes for ages 7 to 12 and a teen program for ages 13 to 18, the website said.

• Averill’s Martial Arts Academy (3 N. Main St., Concord, 223-0300, averillsmartialarts.com) offers youth boxing.

• Balance Point Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (50 Emerson Road, Milford, 470-7136, balancepointbjj.com) offers classes for ages 4.5 to 9 years old and 10 to 12, the website said.

• Bedford Martial Arts Academy (292 Route 101, Bedford, 626-9696; Bedford Martial Arts Academy East, 273 S. River Road, Bedford; 703-2327, bedfordmartialartsacademy.com) offers programs, grouped by age, for ages 3 through 17. The academy also offers an after-school program with sessions at its Route 101 location as well as other locations in Bedford and Chester, the website said.

• Blue Wave Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (1 Progress Ave., Nashua, 321-5032, bluewavejj.com) offers kids’ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes for kids ages 3 through 12 as well as adult classes, the website said.

• Bodyworks Martial Arts Training Center (45 Chenell Drive, Concord, 225-5620, bodyworksnh.com) offers classes for kids age 4 and up as well as teen classes, the website said.

• Brazilian Top Team Londonderry (73 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 212-9258, bttlondonderry.com) offers kids classes for ages 4 t-6 and 7-16, the website said.

• Bulsajo TaeKwonDo (703-1914, bulsajotkd.com) offers classes at locations in Goffstown for ages 6 and up including a weapons class for ages 12+ (about ancient weapons), the website said.

• Central Tae Kwon Do Academy (222 Central St., Suite 8, Hudson, 882-5617, central-tkd.com) offers tae kwon do classes for kids as well as taerobics classes, according to the website.

• Checkmate Martial Arts (200 Elm St., Manchester, 666-5836, checkmateselfdefense.com) offers a kids program, according to its Facebook page.

• Chung’s Tae Kwon Do Academy (115 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 883- 2577, chungs-tkd.com) offers children’s classes for various levels, according to the website.

• Concord Karate Studio and Academy (89 Fort Eddy Road, No. 3, Concord, 224-5425, cks-nh.com) offers an after-school program with three- and five-day options, for kids kindergarten through grade 6, according to the website. Karate classes are available for ages 3 and up, with preschool, kindergarten and older kid programs as well as classes for teens and adults.

• Determined Martial Arts (Salzburg Square, 292 Route 101, Amherst, 672-3570, determinedma.com) offers classes for ages 4 and up including teen classes for ages 13+, according to the website.

• Dojo Sante (1 Winn Ave., Hudson, 467-9384, mbsdojosante.com) offers preschool and kids martial arts programming, the website said.

• Empowering Lives Martial Arts (542 Mast Road, No. 15, Goffstown, 978-414-5425, martialartsnewhampshire.com) offers martial arts classes for kids starting at age 3 as well as special abilities classes and Leadership Life Training, a by-invitation program, the website said.

• Eric Menard’s Complete Martial Arts Academy (220 Innovative Way, Suite E, Nashua, 888-0010, cma-martialarts.com) offers martial arts classes for kids (ages 5 to 9) and teens (ages 10 to 14) as well as adults for 15+, the website said.

• Full Circle Martial Arts & Fitness Center (880 Page St., Manchester, 505-0048, fullcirclemafc.com) offers programs for kids ages 4-6, a karate program for ages 5 to 13, a youth judo/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program for ages 5 to 13 and youth boxing for ages 5 to 13, according to the website.

• Gate City MMA (28 Charron Ave., Unit 8, Nashua, 722-0238, gatecitymma.com) offers kids’ MMA.

• Golden Crane Traditional Martial Arts (46 Lowell Road, No. 6, Windham, 437-2020, goldencranenh.com) offers kids’ programming for ages 5 to 6 and 6 to 11 and a teen program for ages 12 to 15, the website said.

• Granite State American Kenpo Karate (290 Derry Road, No. 5, Hudson, 598-5400, gsakenpo.com) offers kids’ programming for ages 3 to 5, 6 to 12 and teen classes for ages 13+, according to the website. The school also offers an after-school program in Hudson.

• House of the Samurai (28 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 434-2265, samurainh.com) offers youth classes for ages 4 to 12 and teen classes for 13+.

• Independent Martial Arts School (138 Lake St., Nashua, 882-6917, imasnh.com) offers classes for kids including specialty classes.

• Inner Dragon Martial Arts (77 Derry Road, Hudson, 864-8756, innerdragonma.com) offers martial arts programs for kids and an after-school program in Hudson.

• Inspired Martial Arts (58 Range Road, Windham, 893-7990, inspiredmartialartscenter.com) offers kids’ martial arts programs

• Integrity Martial Arts (114 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, 660-6921, integritymartialartsnh.com) offers classes for ages 3-5, 6-9, 10-12 and 13-17 as well as for adults and unique needs, according to the website.

• Karasu Tengu Academy (1 Chestnut St., No. 5D, Nashua, 689-4966, ktacademymma.com) offers Youth MMA Striking for ages 7 to 12 and youth Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the website said.

• Karate International of Windham (60 Rockingham Road, No. 14, Windham, 898- 5367, windhamkarate.com) offers preschool (ages 4-6), kid (ages 7-11) and teen (12 to 15) classes, according to the website.

• Kenpo Academy of Self Defense (40 Manchester Road, Derry, 437-9900, kenpo-academy.com) offers preschool classes (ages 3 to 5) as well as classes for older kids (ages 6 to 12) and teens (13 to 18), according to the website. Cardio Kickboxing is available for ages 16+, the website said.

• Leverage Jiu Jitsu (70 Pembroke Road, Concord, 738-0227, leveragebjjnh.com) has classes for kids grouped in ages 5 to 8 and 9 and up, according to the website.

• Manchester Karate Studio (371 S. Willow St., Manchester, 625-5835, manchesterkarate.com) offers karate programs for ages 4-5, 6-11 and 12+, with 14+ eligible for adult classes, the website said.

• The Martial Arts Zone (31 Auburn St., Manchester, 206-5716, themartialartszone.com) offers a youth Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program for ages 5 to 11, the website said.

• Merrimack Karate (534 DW Highway, Merrimack, 424-7458, merrimackkarate.com) offers children’s programs for ages 6 to 12 and teen & adult programs for ages 13+.

• Mindset Wrestling (185 Elm St., Milford, 721-2551, mindsetwrestling.net) offers wrestling classes for grades K-2, grades 3-5 and middle school through adult, the website said.

• Neil Stone’s Karate Academy (22 Proctor Hill Road, Hollis, 672-8933, neilstoneskarate.com) offers programs for ages 2-3, ages 3-4, ages 4-12 and 13+ as well as a young leaders program for ages 7+, the website said.

• New England Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy (30 Henniker St., Unit 9, Concord, 369-4764, nebjj.com) offers kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for ages 5-8 and ages 9-15, the website said.

• NH Kicks Taekwondo Family Fitness (90 Airport Road, Concord, 714-5472, nhkicks.com) offers family taekwondo for ages 6 and up, the website said.

• Ocasio’s True Martial Arts – Plaistow (160 Plaistow Road, No. 5, Plaistow, 382-4199, ocasiostma.com) offers kids martial arts, the website said.

• Phoenix Fire Martial Arts (79 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, 234-8665, phnixfire.com) offers classes for children through adults in Shotokan and teen through adult classes in Krav Maga.

• Polished Mirror Budo Karate (33 Indian Rock Road, Suite 3, Windham, 978-415-9658, polishedmirrorbudokarate.com) offers kids and teen martial arts programs, the website said.

• Professional Martial Arts Academy (15 E. Broadway, Derry, 434-7995, pmaderry.com; 501 DW Highway, Merrimack, 429-0008, pmamerrimack.com; 37 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, 974-2455, pmaplaistow.com) offers kids’ programs in martial arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

• Souhegan Valley Karate Club (1 Main St., Brookline, 505-6777, svkc.online) offers “Karate Kids,” a program for ages 5 to 10.

• School of Warrior Arts (122 N. Lowell Road, Windham, 781-249-7073, facebook. com/schoolofwarriorarts), described as “a Holistic and Christ-centered education through the combative, creative, performing, and healing arts,” offers programs for children and teens, according to the Facebook page and forerunnerfitness.net/sowa-about-us.

• SDSS Martial Arts of Concord (124 Hall St., Suite E, Concord, 224-3777, sdsskungfu.com) offers kids’ (grouped by ages 4-5, ages 5-7 and ages 7-11) and teens’ programs, the website said.

• Strikeback Dynamic Defense Systems (458 DW Highway, Merrimack, 262-9299, strikebackdds.com) offers classes for youth, according to its Facebook page.

• Tiger Black Belt Academy (11 Kimball Drive, Unit 121, Hooksett, 627-7744, tigerblackbeltacademy.com) offers tae kwon do for kids and Kumdo, which means “way of the sword,” according to the website.

• Tim Barchard’s Professional Martial Arts Academy (15 E. Broadway, Derry, 434- 7995, pmaderry.com) offers kids’ classes in martial arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

• Tokyo Joe’s Studios of Self Defense (85A Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 889- 4165; 20 Hammond Road, Milford, 672- 2100; tokyojoes.net) both locations offer kids’ and teens martial arts programming.

• Tokyo Joe’s Studios and Team Link NH (1338 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 641- 3444, tokyojoeshooksett.com) offers kempo karate for ages 3-6 and ages 7-12; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for ages 5 to 15 and kickboxing for ages 5 to 12, the website said.

• Triumph Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (456 W. Hollis St., Nashua, 769-3819, teamtriumphbjj.com) offers kids’ classes.

• Universal Kenpo Federation (37 Wilton Road, Milford, 547-5226, ukfkenpo.org/) offers private and group lessons.

• Valle Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (44 Nashua Road, Unit 19, Londonderry, 553-1736, vallebjj.com) offers kids’ and teens’ classes, the website said.

Music

• AB Music School (Whispering Pines Lane in Merrimack, 978-677-9244, abmusicschool.com) offers music lessons for kids starting at age 4. Instruments taught include flute/piccolo, ukulele, piano, violin and cello, according to the website.

• Amy Conley Music (102 Elm St., Milford, 249-9560, amyconleymusic.com) offers special needs classes, private lessons (piano, guitar and ukulele, for ages 6 and up) and more. A 10-week session of classes, including Ukulele Beginners (open to kids 10+ and teens as well as adults), starts on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the website said.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) offers private lessons in piano, voice, guitar and drums as well as group voice lessons (ages 7-10 and 11-13), instrument prep for ages 5 to 7 (grouped by age) and rock band ensembles for ages 10+ and ages 14+ (by audition), the website said. The school also offers the Kindermusik program for ages 0 to 7. Classes begin the week of Aug. 31.

• Bemish Green Piano Studio (188 Central St., Hudson, 235-9378, greenpiano.com) offers piano lessons weekly or twice per week, for class duration options from 30 to 90 minutes, the website said.

• Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St., Concord, 228-1196, ccmusicschool.org) offers private lessons for audio production, voice, banjo, bass, bassoon, cello, clarinet, composition, double bass, fiddle, flute, French horn, guitar, mandolin, oboe, percussion, piano, recorder, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, tuba, ukulele, viola and violin, according to the website. The school offers Music & Movement for ages 4 months to 6 years as well as Beginning Recorder Class (ages 5-8), Suzuki Violin (ages 4 and up), Piano Playscape (for ages 5-6) as well as other group classes for kids, the website said. For teens, the school offers choirs, choruses, ensembles (including a Celtic Fiddle Ensemble) and a Teen Rock Band, the website said. The school will hold its Family Music Festival, featuring demo classes and an instrument petting zoo (as well as jams, activities, live entertainment, food trucks and face painting), on Saturday, Aug. 29, from noon to 4 p.m., the website said.

• Don Sanni Guitar & Bass Lessons (108 Taylor St., Nashua, 882-7468, donsanni.com) teaches students 8 years old and up, the website said.

• Figaro Music Studios (254 N. State St., Unit G, Concord, 369-0265, figaromusicstudios.com) offers piano and guitar lessons as well as a preschool program (for ages 2 to 5) and a choir for ages 6 to 11, the website said.

• Jeanne Martin Piano Studio (38 Pearson Road, Merrimack, 493-2961, musictoenjoy.com) offers piano lessons, with programs for students ages 4 and 5 and up, the website said.

• Jimmy Mags Music Lessons (321 Laxson Ave, Manchester, 682-2550, jimmymagsmusiclessons.com) offers guitar, bass and piano lessons, according to the website.

• John Medeiros Jr. Music (498-3819, johnmedeirosjr.com) offers drum, guitar and bass lessons in southern New Hampshire, according to the website.

• Let’s Play Music! (2626 Brown Ave., Unit A2, Manchester, 218-3089; 145 Hampstead Road, Derry, 425-7575; 136 Lowell Road, Hudson, 882-8940; letsplaymusic.com) has choral groups and musical theater programs and rock bands as well as private lessons in piano, guitar & bass, stringed instruments, singing, drums, horns and reed instruments, ukulele, banjo, mandolin and accordion. Kindermusik classes are available for newborns through 4 years old and Ready to Rock classes for kids as young as 4 years old through 11.

• Lidman Music Studio (419 Amherst St., Nashua, 913-5314, lidmanmusic.com) offers lessons in viola, violin and piano, according to the website.

• Manchester Community Music School (2291 Elm St., Manchester, 644-4548, mcmusicschool.org) offers group programs, including a jazz ensemble, orchestras and choirs. Private lessons are offered in woodwind, brass, percussion, strings, voice, music theory, composition, piano, guitar, harp, ukulele, mandolin and more. Early childhood classes are also available. See the fall catalog on the website; the fall term begins Monday, Aug. 31.

• Merrimack Music Academy (1 Bryce Drive, Merrimack, merrimackmusicacademy.com, 493-9214) offers private lessons in guitar, bass, piano and voice, the website said.

• Mike Loce Music (5 Bowers Landing Drive, No. 304, Merrimack, 318-1723, mikelocemusic.com) teaches guitar, bass and ukulele to students of all ages, according to the website.

• Music Class with Mr. Aaron (mraaronmusic.com/classes). See the website for classes with Mr. Aaron, a “multi-instrumentalist performer and composer” for kids and their grown-ups. A fall session held at Concord Parks and Rec will start Wednesday, Sept. 16, the website said.

• Music Lessons By Lisa N (Concord, 781-832-2127, musicbylisan.wixsite.com) offers lessons in saxophone, clarinet, violin, piano, music theory and more and is now offering lessons at Ted Herbert Music in Manchester to ages 10+.

• Nashua Community Music School (2 Lock St., Nashua, 881-7030, nashuacms.org) offers private lessons in piano, guitar, voice, violin, cello, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone and percussion. The school also offers music therapy for all ages, a group music class, early childhood music classes and ensembles including a rock band for current students, the website said.

• NH Tunes (250 Commercial St., No. 2017, Manchester, 660-2208, nhtunes.biz) offers lessons in voice, guitar, piano, ukulele, drum, banjo/mandolin and brass, according to the website. There are also music discovery lessons (where a student can try multiple instruments) and a music production class, according to the website.

• North Main Music (28 Charron Ave., Nashua, 505-4282, northmainmusic.com) teaches students of all ages guitar, drums, piano, bass, voice, violin, saxophone, ukulele and trumpet and offers group lessons and band options, the website said.

• Palace Theatre Voice Studio (palacetheatre.org) offers vocal lessons for grades 2-12, according to the website.

• Peter Hostage Music Lessons (12 Adams Road, Londonderry, 437-2575, peterhostagemusiclessons.com) offers lessons in piano, guitar, bass guitar, voice, drums, banjo and mandolin to ages 5 and up, in person or on zoom, according to the website.

• Piano Studio of Jacqueline Morin (15 Marion St., Concord, 508-633-5534, missjackienotes.com) teaches piano to students from 4 to adult, according to the website.

• The Real School of Music (10 A St., Derry, 260-6801, therealschoolofmusic.com) offers music and voice lessons for students ages 5 and up, bands and ensembles for students ages 9 and up, Yamaha group classes for ages 3 to 7, musical theater for ages 6 to 14 and an adaptive music program, according to the website.

• School of Rock Nashua (225 DW Highway, Nashua, 600-7625, schoolofrock.com) offers music lessons in guitar, drum, singing, bass, keyboard and piano. The school also offers music programs for kids as young as 4 years old that mix individual and group learning as well as house bands, songwriting lessons (ages 12 and up) and camps and workshops. School of Rock Nashua’s House Band is slated to perform at the 8th Annual Family Fun Day in Field of Dreams park in Salem on Saturday, Aug. 22, which runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the website. The House Band and Rock 101 are slated to perform at the Tyngsboro Party by the Bridge (on Winslow Road in Tyngsborough, Mass.) on Saturday, Aug. 29; that event runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., see the website for tickets.

• Scottish Arts (nhssa.org) offers individual lessons in bagpipe and fiddle. See the website for updates.

• Strings and Things Music (339 Village St., Concord, 228-1971, stringsandthingsmusic.com) offers lessons in voice, banjo, mandolin, bass, clarinet, djembe, drums, fiddle, flute, sax, guitar, piano, trumpet and ukulele, according to the website.

• Suzuki Violin Studio (890 Valley St., Manchester, 785-1884, musiclessonsnh.com) offers lessons in violin, viola, cello, guitar, bass, mandolin and piano, according to the website.

• Ted Herbert Music School (Majestic Studio Theatre, 880 Page St., Manchester; majestictheatre.net, tedherbert.com) offers lessons in brass, drums, guitar/bass, piano/keyboard, strings, theater/dance, voice and woodwind. Instrument rentals are available. The school also holds open mic nights for musicians of all levels.

• Travis Shelby Music Lessons (370-8853, travisshelbymusic.com) offers guitar lessons on acoustic, electric and bass guitar in Exeter, Manchester, Bedford, Nashua, Merrimack, Hooksett, Concord and Derry, according to the website.

• The Voice Studio (16 Crystal Ave., Derry, 560-2495, thevoicestudione.com) teaches lessons to students of all ages in voice, piano, guitar, bass, ukulele and saxophone, according to the website.

• Weare School of Music (77 Barnard Hill Road, Weare, 206-0135, see listing on Facebook). “We teach all band instruments, strings, voice, piano, guitar, ukulele, and recorder,” according to a Facebook post in May.

Sports

• Amherst Basketball (amherstnh.gov/parks-recreation-department/pages/basketball) offers rec basketball for grades 3-9 and travel basketball for grades 5-9, as well as a Hoops Basketball program for grades 1-2, the website said. Last year, tryouts took place in October with practices beginning in December, the website said.

• Amherst Lacrosse (amherstlacrosse.com) offers competitive travel teams for boys and girls in spring in grades 1-6 as well as a development league for grades K-2, the website said.

• Amherst Soccer Club (amherstsoccerclub.com) is a developmental league offering soccer with fall and spring seasons and winter training for U3 through U10, according to the website. See Hampshire United SC (hampshireunitedsc.com) for travel teams.

• Amoskeag Rowing Club (amoskeagrowing.org) offers a youth rowing team for grades 7-12 in the fall, spring and summer with the fall practice schedule slated to begin Aug. 17.

• Auburn Soccer Club (auburnsoccerclub.org) offers a tots program for ages 3 and 4 and a development league for grades K to 1 as well as competitive soccer for ages 6 to 14, according to the club’s Facebook page and to the website, where you can find information to register for fall and spring seasons.

• Baboosic Lake Rowing Club (baboosiclakerowing.org) offers fall and spring season rowing programs for grades 8-12, with a fall season starting with pre-season training on Aug. 24, according to the website.

• Bedford Athletic Club (bedfordac.com) offers fall and spring recreational soccer (grades pre-K through 6 with coed U15 and U18 teams); an adaptive program (ages 5 to 15), and a travel program with fall and spring seasons (for U8 through U15). The fall rec season begins the first week in September but registration is open through Sept. 19, the website said.

• Bedford Basketball League (bedfordbl.com) offers winter basketball for boys and girls with recreation programs (grades 1-8) and a grades 9-12 Biddy League (a boys team and a coed team) and a travel program (for grades 3-8). Last year travel registration opened in August and tryouts took place in September, the website said.

• Bedford Cannons Youth Lacrosse (bedfordcannons.org) offers spring programs for ages 4 and up as well as grades 1-8. Indoor winter skills begins in mid-January with outdoor practices and games usually beginning in April. Look for registration to open around December.

• Bedford Crew (bedfordcrew.org) began its fall season Aug. 17 and is open to Bedford High School students. There is also a spring season and a fall “Learn to Row” session for Lurgio Middle School students.

• Bedford Little League (bedfordll.com) offers spring, summer and fall leagues, with the largest age range offered in spring teams — ages 4 through 13. Registration for spring begins in early December and registration for fall closes Aug. 31, according to the website.

• Bedford Youth Football & Cheer Bulldogs (bedfordbulldogs.org) offers football and cheer (ages pre-K through 8) with programs in the fall including flag football for younger players (coed, grades K to 2) and adaptive cheer, according to the website and the club’s Facebook page.

• Bow Athletic League (bowathleticclub.com) offers programs including basketball, field hockey (grouped by age for grades K-8), soccer (grades 1-8), golf (grades 1-8), wrestling (grades 1-8; last year practice began in November), golf (grades 1-8) in the spring, lacrosse (8U to 14U for girls, 8U to 12U for boys) and baseball (ages 4 to 14) and softball (5 to 16). Registration for baseball begins in spring, the website said. The season for softball runs from mid-March to mid-July, the website said.

• Brazilian Art Soccer Training (basoccertraining.com) offers holiday and vacation camps as well as summer programming and winter training.

• Cannons Baseball Club (Manchester, facebook.com/CannonsNH, cannonsbc.com) offers baseball and softball for players age 9 through 18U as well as other opportunities throughout the year.

• Cap City Basketball (based at Capital City Sports & Fitness, Concord, capcitybasketball.com) offers AAU basketball teams for boys and girls, grades 3 through high school, during spring and fall (final fall tryouts are Aug. 25) as well as vacation camps, a winter Sunday league and more.

• Capital City Sports & Fitness (10 Garvins Falls Road, Concord, 224-7787, capitalcitysportsandfitness.com) offers swim lessons for kids and teens starting at 6 months old and martial arts for kids starting at 2 years old, according to the website. The facility is also the home to AAU basketball organizations.

• Concord Crew (concordcrew.org) offers fall, spring and summer middle school-age and high school-age programs (as well as programs for adults), according to the website. Practices take place at Bert Whittemore Boathouse, 15 Loudon Road in Concord. Fall programs start the weeks of Aug. 24 and Aug. 31, with a “Learn to Row” program in September for grades 5-8, the website said.

• Concord Youth Hockey Association and the Concord Capitals (concordyouthhockey.org) offer programs for ages 6 through 14U, as well as skills programs for ages 4 to 8, according to the website.

• Conway Arena (5 Stadium Drive, Nashua, 595-2400, conwayarena.com) offers learn to skate (ages 4 to 9) and learn to play hockey (ages 5 to 9), youth leagues, camps and clinics and more. See the website for upcoming sessions.

• Derry Diamond Athletic Association (derryll.org) offers baseball programs (ages 6 to 13, as well as Babe Ruth for ages 13 to 16) and softball (8U through juniors and seniors) in fall and spring (as well as winter and summer offerings).

• Derry Demons Football and Cheer (derrydemons.com) offers flag football (ages 5 to 8) and tackle football (8U to 11U), as well as cheer programs (for ages 4 to 10, grouped by age) in fall and winter. Registration for fall programs is in late spring into summer. Camps and clinics have also been offered.

• Derry Soccer Club’s Hawks (derrysoccerclub.org) offers a full year (fall and spring) of soccer in both rec (ages U4 to U18) and travel teams (U10 to U15), the website said.

• Derry Wolverines Youth Football and Cheer (derry-wolverines.sportngin.com) offers football for grades 5-8 and cheer for grades 6-8.

• Executive Swim Club (gomotionapp.com/team/neehsc/page/home) is a year-round competitive team with seasons September through March and April through August, the website said.

• FC Stars New Hampshire Region (starsofma.org/new-hampshire) has soccer teams for boys and girls U9-U18 with teams at a variety of skill levels, the website said.

• 4 Leaf Lacrosse (4leaflax.org) offers programming around northern New England including in Hooksett and Dover with teams, clinics and camps for boys and girls (see the website for ages, listed by graduation year).

• Futsal NH (futsalnh.com) offers futsal training and leagues as well as holiday and vacation camps, according to the website.

• Futsanity Academy (soccerskillscamp.org) offers a six-week indoor futsal program, which last year ran from November into January for boys and girls in age groups U9-11 and U12-14.

• Girls on the Run New Hampshire (girlsontherunnh.org) is offered for girls in grades 3-5 and 6-8 with a junior coach program for girls 16 to 18 years old, with registration open for a lottery for a spot on each team through Aug. 20 and then spots available when open after. See the website for locations, which set their own weekly meet-up and run schedules, or to start a team. The fall season culminates in a 5K on Nov. 14.

• Goffstown Junior Baseball (goffstownjrbaseball.com) offers baseball programs starting with Tee Ball for ages 4 to 7 and baseball divisions for ages 6 (or 5 with one year of Tee Ball) to 16, the website said. Last year registration for spring opened in early January, according to the website.

• Goffstown Screamin’ Eagles (screamineagles.com) offers competitive cheer for ages 4 to 16, according to the website.

• Granite State Kids New Hampshire Junior Team Tennis (granitestatekids.com) offers fall, spring and summer programs based in Bedford for ages 5 to 18, according to the website. Registration for the fall program is open through Aug. 31, which is the first day of play, the website said.

• Greater Manchester Colt League (manchestercoltleague.com) offers baseball in “four divisions for players ages 12-23,” according to the website.

• Granite State Volleyball Club (granitestatevolleyballclub.com), a Manchester-based organization, offered teams for U13 through U18 in the 2025-2026 school year, according to the website, where you can find tryout information.

• Hampshire United SC (hampshireunitedsc.com) offers competitive travel soccer for ages 7 to 19 with fall and spring seasons as well as winter training and camps and clinics, according to the website.

• Healthy Kids Running Series (healthykidsrunningseries.org) offers a fall running series with races on Sundays, Sept. 13 through Oct. 11, in the afternoon at locations in Amherst, Concord, Litchfield, Manchester, Nashua and Plaistow, according to the website. The series is open to kids in grades pre-K through 8 with age-appropriate events including 50- and 75-yard dashes and the 1/4-mile, the 1/2-mile and the 1-mile run, according to the website.

• Hollis-Brookline Youth Lacrosse (hblax.com) held learn-to-play sessions last year in January and indoor practice started in March, the website said.

• Hooksett Lacrosse (hooksettyouthlacrosse.com) offers lacrosse programming for U6 through U14, for boys and girls, with a spring season where indoor practices start in February and outdoor practices start, weather permitting, in April, the website said.

• Houligan Lacrosse (based in Epping, houlaganlacrosse.com) offers fall, spring and summer teams for boys and girls in grades 3-12.

• Hudson Litchfield Bears (hudsonlitchfieldbears.isportz.us) offers cheer for ages 5 to 14 (as well as adaptive cheer), tackle football for grades 2-8 and flag football for ages 5 to 7, according to the website. See facebook.com/Bears4life603 for information on registering for next fall and for winter clinics and other activities.

• Londonderry Soccer Club (londonderrysc.org) offers fall and spring recreational programs (for U3 through U18) as well as a travel program (U8 through U18). “Rec Express Fall player registration is now open! Express Opening Day will be Saturday, September 12th, with practices beginning the week of September 7th for age groups with a weeknight practice (U7 and above). The season will run through Saturday, October 31st,” the website said.

• Londonderry Wildcats (lyfs.org) offers cheer programs (ages 4-6 and 7-14), flag football and tackle football (for grades 2-6) with practices that begin in July. Check back with the website for information on next fall, summer and other programming.

• Londonderry Youth Lacrosse Association (londonderrylax.org) offers boys’ and girls’ lacrosse with teams that begin indoor practice in February, according to the website.

• Manchester Angels (maysl.org) offers a recreational spring soccer league for U4 through U19.

• Manchester Basketball League (manchesterbasketballleague.com) offers basketball programs for boys and girls ages 4 through 12+. The new season is slated to start in November, according to the website.

• Manchester Bears (manchesterbears.com) offers youth football for grades 2-8. The fall session began in late July. See facebook.com/manchester.bears for updates.

• Manchester Cal Ripken Baseball (manchestercalripken.org) offers baseball programming for boys and girls ages 4 to 12 as well as summer baseball for ages 4 to 10, according to the website. See their Facebook page for updates.

• Manchester East Soccer League (mesl.org) offers intra-league competition for ages 4 to 19 and inter-league competition for ages 12 to 19, according to the website, where fall registration is open.

• Manchester Flames, Manchester Regional Youth Hockey Association (mryha.org) offers a JB12 Skills Development Program 6U-15U, which begins Sept. 1; a recreation league that runs Sept. 11 through March 28 (register by Sept. 10); Learn to Skate and Learn to Play programs with sessions that start Sept. 11, and a travel league for ages 6U/8U through 18U, the website said.

• Manchester Girls Softball League (mgslnh.com) offers softball for ages 4 to 18. Last year, registration for the spring season started in November, according to the Facebook page, which also showed registration in November for winter clinics.

• Manchester NH Little League (manchesternhlittleleague.com) offers fall baseball for ages 6 to 13, according to facebook.com/ManchesterNHLL, where you can find links to register and updates on spring.

• Manchester North Soccer League (mnsl.org) is a coed recreational league for ages 5 to 19, and its fall season begins Aug. 29, the website said.

• Manchester Parks & Recreation (manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation) offers programs including fencing, tennis, swimming lessons (in summer), ice skating lessons September through March, Stick & Puck in West Side Arena and more.

• Manchester Soccer League (manchestersoccerleague.com) offers a fall program in partnership with the Beech Street Football Club and an elementary school recreation program in the spring, among other programing, according to the website.

• Manchester South Junior Soccer (msjsl.com) offers fall soccer (U6 through U19), spring skills and drills (ages 4 to 13) and winter indoor soccer (U6 through high school), according to the website.

• Manchester South Sabres (manchestersouthsabres.com) offers flag football for ages 5 to 8, tackle football for ages 7 to 13 and cheer for ages 5 to 16, according to the Sabres’ Facebook page. The seasons began in late July.

• Manchester Thunder (manchesterlacrosse.com) offers girls’ lacrosse for grades K-8 with training beginning in spring, the website said. Last year, registration opened in December with indoor training beginning in March, according to the group’s Facebook page.

• Meraki Volleyball (merakivolleyball.com) offers volleyball for girls in U12 through U17/18 age groups with tryouts at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford and the season running November through May, according to the website. Boys’ teams are for age groups 14U through 18U and the season runs from August to March, the website said.

• Merrimack Jr. Tomahawks (merrimackjrtomahawks.org) offers cheer (grades K-8), flag football (ages 5 to 7) and tackle football (grades 2-8). The season begins in late August, according to the Tomahawks’ Facebook page, with practices having started in early August. Registration this year began in April, according to the Facebook page.

• Merrimack Rec Soccer (myasoccer.org) offers recreational and travel teams, with soccer opportunities for ages 4 to 18, according to the website. Fall registration is open now, the website said.

• Merrimack Youth Baseball (myabaseball.com) offers a fall baseball program for ages 7 to 16 and spring programs with T-ball (ages 3 and 4) and baseball (ages 5 through 16). Last year, spring registration opened in January, according to the website and the organization’s Facebook page.

• Merrimack Youth Lacrosse (myalax.org) offers boys’ and girls’ lacrosse for grades K-8, playing in a spring season, according to the website. Last year, registration opened in November.

• Milford Community Athletic Association (mcaa.us) offers programs including baseball (for ages 5 to 15), soccer (for ages 3 to 11), basketball (for grades K-8; beginning in October) and softball (for ages 6 to 11), the website said. Registration is open for fall baseball and softball and fall soccer.

• My Gym Bedford (410 S. River Road, Bedford, 668-7196, mygym.com/bedford) offers classes for infants starting at 3 months old through preschool with a few classes for older kids (up to 10 years old, according to the website) including dance, ninja training and gymnastics (ages vary by classes), according to the website.

• My Gym Londonderry (30 Main St., Londonderry, 818-4107, mygym.com/londonderry) offers classes for infants starting at 3 months old through just under 6 years old (5 years and 11 months, according to the website), including, for the older part of that age range, gymnastics and ninja jr.

• Nashua Blast Lacrosse (nashualacrosse.com) offers a Little Stix program (ages 4 to 6) as well as boys’ and girls’ teams for 8U through 14U, with spring registration available in January last season (as well as clinics and skills and drills programs), according to the website.

• Nashua Cal Ripken Baseball (nashuacalripken.org) offers spring baseball for ages 7 to 12 as well as T-ball (age 4 to 8) in the spring and Babe Ruth Fall Baseball for ages 13 to 16, according to the website.

• Nashua Parks & Recreation (nashua.recdesk.com) offers Biddy Basketball for ages 7 to 15 (register by Sept. 30 for the November through March season) and Fall Babe Ruth Baseball (ages 13 to 16; registration for the fall closes Aug. 30) and Softball (ages 7 to 14; register now for the fall season, which runs in September and October), according to nashuanh.gov.

• Nashua Police Athletic League (52 Ash St., Nashua, 594-3733, nashuapal.com) offers athletic programs including basketball (ages 7 to 18, year-round), boxing (ages 11+), cheerleading (ages 3-14, fall and winter), cross-country, football (ages 4 to 14, fall and winter), street hockey (middle school) and track and field (ages 7 to 18, spring), according to the website.

• New England Crusaders (necrusaders.com) offers girls’ basketball programming throughout New England, including in New Hampshire, and has offered elementary school, middle school and high school programs. See the website for contact information related to the program you’re interested in.

• NE Inferno Baseball (noreastersbaseball.com) operates in regional facilities including in Nashua (3 Progress Ave.) with programs starting at U8/9, depending on location.

• New England Storm (new-england-storm.com) offers AAU basketball for boys and girls in grades 3-12 (varying by season) with fall, spring and summer programming. Last year, tryouts for spring took place in early January. Last year there was also a winter program for girls in grades 6-8.

• NH Climbing and Fitness (10 Langdon Ave., Concord, 715-9171, nhclimbinggym.com) has climbing classes for ages 3 through 5, ages 6 through 8 and ages 9+ and clubs and teams for ages 8 through 19, according to the website, where you can register for an open house on Sunday, Aug. 30, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• New Hampshire Junior Roller Derby (nhjrd.com, facebook.com/NHJrRollerDerby) teaches roller derby to any gender ages 8-17. See the website for updates on upcoming sessions.

• New Hampshire Prospects Basketball Club (cannonsbc.com/nhp-basketball), which is Manchester based and year-round, “is Prospects Athletics’ premier travel basketball program for athletes ages 10U–18U who are driven to compete, develop their skills, and reach their full potential on and off the court,” according to the website.

• New Hampshire Mountain Kings Hockey (Tri-Town Arena, 311 W. River Road, Hooksett, mountainkingshockey.com) offers youth hockey (starting with teams for kids under 8 years old), Academy hockey and other options for teens, skating lessons, figure skating and more, according to the website.

• New Hampshire Spartans Youth Basketball (nhspartans.com) offers AAU basketball with programming during all seasons and teams on the Seacoast and in Derry. Tryouts for fall are going on now; see the website for times and locations. Contact Chris Coates at CoatesNew@hotmail.com with questions, according to an email.

• New Hampshire Sportsplex (68 Technology Drive, Bedford, 641-1313, nhsportsplex.com) offers youth flag football (grouped by ages) for ages 5 through high school (the next session starts in October); youth recreational soccer in five age groups (next session starts in October); youth 3 x 3 basketball (in summer), softball and a Lil Athlete series of offerings (such as Lil Laxers and Lil Dribblers) to introduce younger kids to specific sports. See the website for the seasons for these sports. The Sportsplex is also the indoor home to sports clubs, such as the NH Tomahawks Lacrosse, New England Phantoms Flag Football and more.

• New Hampshire Tomahawks Lacrosse (nhtomahawks.com) offers fall, spring and summer lacrosse teams for boys and girls and indoor winter leagues (for town teams and free agents) as well as clinics, some for kids as young as 3 years old.

• North Manchester Hooksett Baseball (nmhll.com) offers spring T-ball, adaptive challenger divisions and baseball, with programs for ages 4 through 16, as well as fall programming, the website said.

• One Dream Basketball (based at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford; onedreambasketball.com) has boys’ and girls’ basketball teams for grades 3 to 12. Tryouts for the fall teams take place Saturday, Aug. 22, for girls (see the website for time by age) and Sunday, Aug. 23, at 10 a.m. makeup tryouts for boys and girls, according to the website. One Dream has teams in the fall and in the spring, with tryouts for both sessions.

• Phantoms Flag Football (nhsportsplex.com/phantoms-flag-football.html) operates out of the NH Sportsplex in Bedford and offers teams in the 8U, 10U and 12U age divisions. See facebook.com/nhsportsplex for updates on upcoming seasons.

• Plex Softball Club (based at NH Sportsplex in Bedford; plexsoftballclub.com) offers an indoor Friday Night Softball League for U12 through U18. Outdoor teams play in the spring and the club offers other training opportunities.

• Queen City F.C. (qcfcnh.com) is a nonprofit organization offering competitive soccer in Manchester for boys and girls, according to the website.

• Queen City Flag Football (queencityflag.com) offers flag football for ages 4 through 11+, grouped by age, with fall programs (registering now through Aug. 29) and spring programs including a girls-only division offered in spring, the website said. Games are played at Livingston Park in Manchester.

• Rivals Elite Basketball (rivalselite.com) offers boys’ and girls’ AAU basketball programs in New Hampshire with boys’ tryouts (grades 8-10) taking place at the Manchester Ballers’ Association in Manchester on Aug. 23 and Aug. 30 and girls’ tryouts (for grades 3-12, grouped by age) at the Plaistow YMCA on Aug. 30, according to the website.

• Seacoast United Soccer Club (seacoastunited.com) offers soccer programs for boys and girls ages 4 to 18 with teams at various skill levels and year-round programs, as well as camps, according to the website. Seacoast United has programs including in Concord, Bedford and Epping, according to the website.

• Summit Field Hockey (summitfieldhockey.com) offers indoor and outdoor field hockey, with an indoor travel team and academy and outdoor fall, spring and summer season as well as clinics and more. The fall season starts Sept. 13 at New England College with registration open now for grades K-8, the website said. The indoor season starts Sept. 20 at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford and registration is now open (for ages U10 to U19), the website said.

• Vertical Dreams (250 Commercial St., Manchester, 625-6919, verticaldreams.com) has offered youth climbing teams and climbing clubs. Check the website or Facebook page for updates.

• Weare Athletic Club (weareathleticclub.com) offers flag and tackle football, soccer, softball, lacrosse, field hockey, cheer, baseball and basketball. See the website for information about seasons and registration.

• Wrestling Rebels (Boys & Girls Club of Greater Derry, 40 E. Derry Road, Derry, 434-6695, derrybgclub.org/team-page) is a youth wrestling club for boys and girls K through eighth grade. See the club’s Facebook page for updates.

• USA Ninja Challenge (locations at Gymnastics Village, 13 Caldwell Drive, Amherst, 889-8902, gymnasticsvillage.com; Flipz Gymnastics, 14 Chenell Drive, Concord, 224-3223, ninjaconcordnh.com; 17 Friars Drive, Unit 18, Hudson, 417-6820, ninjahudson.com; and 444 E. Industrial Park Drive, Manchester, 935-7100, ninjamanchesternh.com) offers classes for boys and girls age 2.5 through 17. Manchester, Concord and Hudson offer ninja teams for ages 6 and up, as well as summer and holiday camps, according to the website.

Theater

• Actorsingers (219 Lake St., Nashua, actorsingers.org) offers teen and youth productions, as well as adult productions. See the website for upcoming audition information.

• Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) offers performance and acting classes, grouped by age, for ages 4 through 12+, as well as musical theater and performance by-invitation classes. An acting and improv class is available for ages 13+. BYPC also has productions kids can join including a production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for grades 1-6, a March musical for grades 7-12 and a musical for grades K-6. Classes begin the week of Aug. 31.

• Broadway Bound Performing Arts Center (501 DW Highway, Merrimack, 429-8844, broadwayboundpac.com) offers classes in musical theater and theater arts. Classes start the week of Sept. 14.

• The Community Players of Concord (communityplayersofconcord.org; Players Studio is at 435 Josiah Barlett Road in Concord) offer winter and summer vacation camps and workshops as well as audition opportunities through their Children’s Theatre Project.

• The Dance Company (130 Route 101A, Amherst, 864-8374, thedancecompanyonline.com) offers musical theater jazz classes for ages 6 and up as well as teen musical theater jazz for ages 12+. The school also offers “Bravo Ensemble” for ages 4 to 7 and “Encore Ensemble” for ages 8 to 12 as well as a kids’ production for a November show for grades K-8, according to the website. There is also a spring production for grades K-12. Classes begin Sept. 21.

• Kids Coop Theatre (46 E. Derry Road, Derry, kctnh.org) is open to kids ages 8 to 19. Check their website and Facebook page for upcoming productions and audition dates. The Little Mermaid Jr. will be presented in November.

• The Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts (880 Page St., Manchester, 669-7469, majestictheatre.net) provides performing opportunities in community theater productions and workshops year-round. See the website for audition updates.

• Palace Academy and Palace Youth Theatre (688-5588, palacetheatre.org). The Palace Academy offers classes, starting the week of Sept. 1, for grades K-12 (grouped by age) in acting and, for ages 8 to 18 in improv at Forever Emma Studios, 516 Pine St. in Manchester. The Palace Youth Theatre offers six mainstage productions (starting with School of Rock The Musical in September) during the 2026-2027 school year, as well as three plays (the first is The Giver in October) and two small cast musicals (Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in December and Hadestown Teen Edition in April 2027), according to the website, where you can find audition information.

• Peacock Players (14 Court St., Nashua, 886-7000, peacockplayers.org) offers vacation week camps as well as productions for youth (ages 6-14), teens (ages 14-18), crossover (ages 6-18) and all ages. Upcoming productions include the youth mainstage production of Between the Lines Jr. (auditions Aug. 19 & 21; production Oct. 9-18) and teen mainstage production Once Upon a One More Time (auditions Aug. 23 & 24; production Nov. 13-22). Peacock Players also features private lessons in voice, piano and music theory and acting and monologue coaching.

• Riverbend Youth Company (Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley, The Amato Center for the Performing Arts, 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company) presents mainstage plays and musicals with performers ages 6 through 18. Visit the Company’s website for news of upcoming auditions and productions. Upcoming shows include Seussical The Musical (auditions in early November for grades 3-12 for a February production) and Honk! Jr. The Musical (auditions in February for grades 3-10 for a May production).

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