NOFA-NH’s annual winter conference returns — in person!
For the first time in three years, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire will hold its annual winter conference in person. The one-day event is set to return on Saturday, Feb. 11, with a keynote speaking address, a panel discussion, an exhibitor fair and more than two dozen interactive workshops covering a variety of topics related to organic agricultural practices.
The theme of this year’s conference is “The Art of Food & Farming: Skill Sharing for a Brighter Future.” Anyone from farmers, gardeners and home growers to foodies or those interested in learning about organic practices is welcome to attend, conference coordinator Kyle Jacoby said.
One notable change to this year’s conference is its new venue: Southern New Hampshire University’s Manchester campus. The opening panel discussion and the exhibitor fair will take place at the university’s dining hall, while the workshops will be held inside the classrooms of the adjacent Robert Frost Hall. Workshops will run the gamut from growing edible native plants and distilling flowers to fermentation essentials, honey production in New Hampshire and more.
“We definitely try to reach a wide audience,” Jacoby said of the workshops. “I think that’s probably one of the more unique things about NOFA in general, is that deep down, one of the larger goals … is to just really build a food system that sustainable as a whole, and there’s a lot of pieces involved with that, from farmers and home growers [to] just interested community members that are advocates for sustainable agriculture and improved food systems.”
The pandemic hit just after the last in-person conference was held in February 2020. Since then, the event has transitioned into a series of virtual workshops, which took place in both 2021 and 2022. While all of this year’s workshops are in person, a select few of them, Jacoby said, will also be live streamed in real time for a virtual audience.
The day will begin with an hour-long panel discussion devoted to New England farms and climate change. From there, each workshop is broken up into three hour-long session blocks — from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Notable speakers will include Sarah Cox of Tuckaway Farm in Lee and Dina Wilford of the Dover-based Vida Tortilla, who will lead a joint workshop and discussion on nixtamalization, a traditional Mexican cooking method used to create masa for tortillas, chips and tamales.
“[Cox and Wilford] developed a connection because Tuckaway Farm produces corn that Vida Tortilla utilizes to make their local goods,” Jacoby said, “so it’s going to be a great collaborative workshop on how to make masa and utilizing a local indigenous variety.”
Scenes from NOFA-NH’s annual winter conference. Courtesy photos.
Troy Hall of Hall Apiaries in Plainfield is also on the schedule to talk about honey production, while naturalist, forager and author Russ Cohen will explore the dozens of native edible plant species. The New Hampshire Food Hub Network, a program of the New Hampshire Food Alliance, will hold an interactive forum of its own on the importance of food hubs.
Additional conference activities will include an ongoing Green Market Fair, featuring informational booths and products for sale from dozens of local vendors and exhibitors. The day will conclude with a 90-minute keynote address from 4 to 5:30 p.m. featuring Kristin and Mark Kimball of Essex Farm in upstate New York.
“They’ve been involved in NOFA-related things before and have definitely been to our conference in the past,” Jacoby said. “One of the things that we really gravitated toward with them was how much they train and have trained and supported new farmers.”
21st annual NOFA-NH Winter Conference When: Saturday, Feb. 11; event will begin with a kickoff panel discussion from 9 to 10 a.m.; followed by three workshop sessions from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and a keynote speaking event from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Where: Southern New Hampshire University, 2500 N. River Road, Manchester (a few of the workshops throughout the day will also take place virtually — see website for details) Cost: $90 for NOFA-NH members and $110 for non-members (includes access to all workshops throughout the day, in addition to the Green Market Fair). Online workshops are $60 for members and $75 for non-members. Access to the keynote event only is $30 for members and $40 non-members. Optional add-on lunches for children are $25. Donations are also welcome. Visit: nofanh.org/nofawinterconference
Schedule of events
Kickoff panel: 9 to 10 a.m. • Adapting New England farms to climate change
Workshop Session I: 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. • Getting involved in New Hampshire politics (also available virtually) • How to engage children in gardening (also available virtually) • Biochar and how it can improve soil health • Religious diversity on the farm • Keeping a family dairy cow • Weed management: white thread weeds • Timber framing intensive session I: mortise and tenons • Building skills to manage stress and mental health on the farm
Workshop Session II: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. • The real organic movement (also available virtually) • Making no-till work in organic systems (also available virtually) • Your farm story and how and why to tell it • Making masa and building a local grain shed • Small space gardening: thinking outside the box • New Hampshire Food Hub forum • Edible native plants you can grow or forage • Timber framing intensive session II: mortise and tenons
Workshop Session III: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. • Farmer to farmer gathering with vital communities • Increasing winter production: How to grow microgreens in a modified cold storage room (also available virtually) • Resilience farming: Farming with permaculture ethics and ecological patterns in mind • The essentials of fermentation • Propagating, grafting and layering hardwood trees and shrubs • Honey production in New Hampshire • The art and alchemy of distilling flowers and herbs • Livestock want browse: Doable methods for use of wild woody perennials
Keynote address: 4 to 5:30 p.m. • Community focused practices that helped us grow (featuring Mark and Kristin Kimball of Essex Farm in New York; also available virtually)
Featured photo: Scenes from NOFA-NH’s annual winter conference. Courtesy photos.
Winter break (Feb. 27 through March 3 for many area schools) is coming on fast. Here are some of the camps planned to keep kids busy. Know of any vacation camps for February or April not mentioned here? Let us know at adiaz@hippopress.com.
• Action Kids at Brentwood Commons (112 Crawley Falls Road in Brentwood; brentwoodcommons.com, 642-7200) is holding a February vacation camp for kids ages 4 and older from Feb. 27 through March 3 with different themes for each day. Camp runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with an option for early or late care as well. Pricing is $85 per day, $400 for all five days, with early and late care costing $12 per day $50 per week and $15 per day $65 per week respectively.
• Young actors and actresses can participate in Bedford Youth Performing Co.’s (55 Route 101 in Bedford; bypc.org, 472-3894) winter musical camp, or the preschool February vacation camp. The musical camp will have kids acting in the classic tale of dogs to the rescue, 101 Dalmatians. At the end of the week the production will be filmed for the kids to bring home. The preschool camp will introduce toddlers and preschoolers to dance, music, performance and science through books and outdoor playtime.
• The Community Players of Concord’s Children’s Theatre Project will hold a musical theater camp to run Sunday, Feb. 26, through Friday, March 3, for kids ages 8 through 14. On Feb. 26 there will be a two-hour orientation session at the Players Studio (435 Josiah Bartlett Road in Concord), according to a press release. Monday through Friday, campers will rehearse for a performance of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Jr. which will be presented Friday evening at the Concord City Auditorium (where Friday’s day rehearsals will also take place). Tuition costs $225. Register at communityplayersofconcord.org/membership or contact director Karen Braz at k.braz@comcast.net with questions, the press release said.
• Get cooking with the Culinary Playground (16 Manning St. in Derry; culinary-playground.com, 339-1664). The cooking school is offering two types of cooking camps, a traditional cooking camp for kids ages 6 to 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and a teen baking camp for ages 12 and older from 2 to 5 p.m. One day costs $60, four days cost $240. There is limited availability for the morning sessions.
• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) is holding an in-person art camp from Feb. 27 through March 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for kids in kindergarten through grade 9. The camp, called Dreamscapes, will encourage kids to use art to express their daydreams, nighttime dreams and any dreams in between. The week of camp costs $315 for members, $350 for nonmembers. Register at currier.org.
• Girls, Inc. (administrative office at 1711 S. Willow St., Suite 5, in Manchester; 606-1705, girlsincnewhampshire.org) is hosting a February vacation campfor girls of all ages at both its Manchester (340 Varney St.; 623-1117) and Nashua (27 Burke St., 882-6256) locations, according to the website. Girls will have a chance to do activities like science experiments, arts and crafts, team-building workshops and more. Hours of the camp are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and include breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. Call to register and for pricing.
• McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Way in Manchester; mcintyreskiarea.com, 622-6159) is hosting a ski campfor kids ages 4 to 6 and 6 to 12 from Feb. 27 through March 3. Kids will learn all the fundamentals of skiing in lessons with other kids their ages. Camp time for the younger session is from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., for the older group is from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Camp prices for five days are $345 for the younger session, $370 for the older kids.
• Kids ages 6 through 12 can enjoy nature at the New Hampshire Audubon’s McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road in Concord; nhaudubon.org, 224-9909) for nature camp. Kids will learn more about local nature with hands-on activities, crafts, storytimes and more. The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Feb 27 through March 3. Registration is $65 per day.
• Get that extra energy out at a three-day ninja camp at Ninja Challenge Hudson (14 Friars Dr. in Hudson; ninjahudson.com) from Tuesday, Feb. 28, to Thursday, March 2. Kids will climb, balance, jump and swing while learning different apparatuses. Camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon and costs $225.
• New Morning School (23 Back River Road in Bedford; newmorningschools.com, 669-3591) has vacation camp for kids ages 6 to 12 (kindergarteners and up) from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The camps feature themed clubs (such as basketball, Lego, art, comic books), according to the website. The cost is $75 per day or $325 per week.
• Seacoast United is hosting a February vacation soccer campat the Seacoast United Indoor Facility (10 Ferry St., Suite 105, in Concord) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a half-day option at noon as well. Kids ages 8 to 14 will learn more about their favorite sports, and run drills and practices to get even better. Camp with a half-day release costs $230, with a full-day release costs $320. Visit seacoastunited.com to register.
Bouquets for Valentine’s Day and blooming plants to brighten every day
Roses are red …
Valentine’s Day bouquets and custom floral arrangements
By Matt Ingersoll
mingersoll@hippopress.com
Bouquets are simply defined as arranged bunches of flowers, making the varieties in what you can include seemingly limitless.
“It’s a term that covers a lot of different design styles,” said Brad Harrington, floral artist and owner of Harrington Flowers in Londonderry. “An arrangement in a vase can be considered a bouquet, or you could also have a hand-wrapped bouquet.”
Business will kick into high gear for Harrington Flowers and many other local florists and flower shops on Feb. 14 — throughout the day, most will offer bouquets of roses or other flowers you can choose from, either in the form of a pre-set arrangement online or flowers you can hand-pick if you visit in person.
Jacques Flower Shop in Manchester, for instance, will be open extended hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day to accommodate its expected influx of Valentine’s Day orders.
“I would say that the actual day on Valentine’s Day is neck and neck with Mother’s Day in terms of business in the store, from people coming in and the phones ringing to the internet,” said Adam Godbout, who runs Jacques’ day-to-day operations with his sister, Aimee. “We take orders right up until 4 or 5 [p.m.] on Valentine’s Day, and get those delivered locally.”
While it can be easy to click through an order form online, Godbout said it oftentimes doesn’t compare to what you can discover when you visit a flower shop in person.
“I think there are a lot of folks that come in on Valentine’s Day just thinking they’re going to buy a dozen roses, but then they come in and they’re like, ‘Oh my God, what is this, I’ve never seen this or heard of this,’” he said. “You can come in and hand-pick whatever you want. We have lots of folks that will just go right into our cooler and just pick one of these, two of these and three of those and they’ll bring them up to us and say, ‘Can you put these together.’ … Some people just sort of leave it up to us, which is always a great choice too.”
At Apotheca Flowers in Goffstown, owner Alyssa Van Guilder will open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13, a weekday she is normally closed, to accept Valentine’s Day orders.
“It’s definitely one of the more exciting holidays for us,” Van Guilder said. “I just think it’s something exciting to look forward to, and it’s kind of almost like a light toward the end of the tunnel of winter. … I also think flowers just give us a unique opportunity to cultivate connection. Obviously, it’s definitely a holiday for lovers, but love goes well beyond that.”
Flower power
Red roses are far and away the most popular selling flower for Valentine’s Day, Godbout said.
“Whether it’s six, 12 or 24, that’s sort of the go-to for both guys and gals. I don’t know if that’s just ingrained in our culture, but that’s what they gravitate toward,” he said. “But if someone comes in and says, ‘I like the roses, but I want something more unique,’ then I may offer them some fresh-cut flowers that we have from some local New Hampshire growers. … If it’s for ladies I may recommend some pinks or purples. We have lilies and Gerber daisies that are really popular. We’ve also got some local snapdragons and calla lilies that we always run out of.”
This time of year, he added, is also prime season for bulb flowers like tulips and hyacinth.
“They remind you of spring, so it’s something different and unique as well,” he said. “I would say our roses should last between five and seven days, but obviously we offer other flowers that are going to outlast those a little bit, depending on conditions of course, so that would be your daisies, your regular lilies [and] your cala lilies.”
Each year, Harrington Flowers will arrange several preset flower designs to choose from for Valentine’s Day that go beyond a standard bouquet of red roses — one is called “There’s ‘Gnome-body’ Like You.”
“We look at trendy things,” Harrington said. “Right now everyone loves gnomes. My wife is crazy about them, so we found these little Valentine’s Day gnomes and we just incorporated them into a Valentine’s Day-themed arrangement with stock flowers … and some pink Gerbers and peachy orange roses.”
Others include an arrangement Harrington called “Heartbreaker,” featuring a collection of fuschia roses, Gerber daisies, eucalyptus and hydrangeas; and “Bananas for You,” adorned with tulips, white hydrangea, roses and a stuffed monkey.
Apotheca, Van Guilder said, will also always sell its fair share of red roses, in addition to some early spring blooms, like anemone and ranunculus.
“We have a cooler that our customers can walk inside of, and we definitely try to curate it so that you can’t fail,” she said. “We’ve got a couple of different curated pallets that you’re able to pick your own blooms [from] if you want, and kind of create a design that speaks to you based on what we’re offering. … One element that I feel like just keeps getting more and more popular … are the dried flowers, like bunny tails and preserved ruscus.”
An ongoing impact
Like for just about every other industry, the pandemic has created all kinds of challenges for florists, from flower shortages to increased prices on goods.
“Some product is just untouchable at times,” Harrington said. “Peonies right now, their cost is about $30 for a five-stem bunch, and that’s just wholesale. I mean, it’s priced itself out, which is a shame because it’s one of the flowers that I like to have [for] Valentine’s Day, and this year I just totally cut it out.”
While he was able to keep the costs of red roses the same as last year, Harrington said they’re still up about 20 cents a stem compared to where they were pre-pandemic.
“That doesn’t seem like a lot, but we may buy probably 1,400 roses, so when you add that in and the fact that we’re getting fuel surcharges now, it’s a big increase,” he said.
In fact, ongoing inconsistencies in the supply chain have compelled Harrington Flowers to regularly offer a Designer’s Choice arrangement option, which features a bouquet of whichever types of quality flowers Harrington can obtain at a given time that he can sell at a fair price point. His Valentine’s Day offerings this year also include a themed Designer’s Choice arrangement.
“It’s an honest selection of what I can represent,” he said. “Basically, they’re flowers that I didn’t advertise, [but] if I see them in person and they look good, then I’ll buy them. … It’s definitely taken a little bit for our customer base to get used to it, but now a lot of them are ordering the Designer’s Choice, because they know that I’m going out every morning and I’m hand-selecting fresh flowers to put together that are good quality flowers.”
Van Guilder said she has especially felt the pandemic’s impacts on the wedding side of her business at Apotheca.
“We have contracts that are sometimes two years old with old pricing,” she said. “Our flowers are suddenly much more expensive, and so I think that was definitely one of the bigger challenges for us, was … how do we keep our promises to clients and provide the level of products that they’re used to, while making sure that we’re still generating a profit.”
One of their solutions, she said, was creating mockup centerpieces for clients.
“Ninety percent of the time, they can expect exactly what they’re seeing at the mockup on their wedding day,” she said. “Rather than selling specific flower varieties, we’ve had to just sell … a look and a feel, because we don’t know for sure that we’ll be able to get that specific flower like we have in the past.”
New Hampshire florists and flower shops
Here’s a list of southern New Hampshire shops and florists offering their own arrangements of roses and other flowers for Valentine’s Day.
• A&A Floral58 Range Road, Windham, 952-0085, aafloralnh.com • Amelia Rose Florals704 Milford Road, Merrimack, 402-1020, ameliaroseflorals.com • Anne’s Florals & Gifts142 Lowell Road, No. 6, Hudson, 889-9903, annesfloralsgifts.com • Apotheca Flowers24C Main St., Goffstown, 497-4940, apothecaflowershoppe.com • Celeste’s Flower Barn580 Mast Road, Manchester, 623-5835, celesteflowerbarn.com • Chalifour’s Flowers46 Elm St., Manchester, 623-8844, chalifours.com • Countryside Florist4 Orchard View Drive, Londonderry, 432-4110, countrysidefloristnh.com • Cranberry Barn Flower Shop232 Park Ave., Hopkinton, 746-3963, cranberrybarnflowers.com • Crystal Orchid Florist45 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, 627-1925, crystalorchidflorist.com • Flora Bella20 River Road, Suncook, 485-7874, florabellanh.com • Flower Outlet165 Amherst St., Nashua, 883-7676, nashuafloweroutlet.com • Flowers on the Hill290 Derry Road, Suite 11, Hudson, 883-7080, flowersonthehill.net • Ford Flower Co.83 S. Broadway, Salem, 893-9955, fordflower.com • Fortin Gage Flower & Gift Shop86 W. Pearl St., Nashua, 882-3371, fortingage.com • Harrington Flowers539 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 437-4030, harringtonflowers.com • Jacques Flower Shop712 Mast Road, Manchester, 625-6153, jacquesflowers.com • Lily Flower Floral Designs161 Main St., Pembroke, 419-0677, lilyflowerfloral.com • Manchester Flower Studio388 Wilson St., Manchester, 669-6060, manchesterflowerstudio.com • Marshall’s Florist & Gifts 151 King St., Boscawen, 796-2272, marshallsflowersandgifts.business.site • Merrimack Flower Shop & Greenhouse4 Railroad Ave., Merrimack, 424-3145, merrimackflowershop.com • Nicole’s Greenhouse & Florist91 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, 228-8294, nicolesgreenhouseandflorist.com • PJ’s Flowers & Weddings176 Route 101, Unit B3, Bedford, 471-3411, pjsflowers.net • Rimmon Heights Florist150 Kelley St., Manchester, 935-9485, rimmonheightsflorist.com • Shirley’s Flowers & Sweets138 Concord St., Nashua, 595-2208, shirleysflowersandsweets.com • Ultimate Bouquet64 Freetown Road, Raymond, 244-2749, ultimatebouquet.com • Willows on Elm377 Elm St., Manchester, 606-1688, willowsflorist.com • Woodman’s Florist469 Nashua St., Milford, 673-3545, woodmansflorist.com • Works of Heart Flowers109 Main St., Wilton, 654-1065, worksofheartflowers.com
Blooms for a year
Give longer-lasting flowers with a potted houseplant
By Katelyn Sahagian
ksahagian@hippopress.com
While a dozen roses is one of the most standard Valentine’s Day gifts, fresh-cut flowers last only a week or two. Buying potted plants hasn’t always been the Valentine’s tradition, but some gardening centers and nurseries are seeing an uptick in their popularity on the holiday.
Osborne’s Farm and Garden Center in Concord. Photo by Lisa Cartier.
“[We] have seen in recent years that potted plant sales on Valentine’s Day have gone up [more] than previous years,” said Shane Robinson, owner of Sunny Valley Greenhouse and Garden Center in Amherst. “I see both sides of it, but potted plants are the gift that keeps on giving, versus fresh-cut flowers that, in two weeks, you’re either drying or throwing them away.”
When asked about plants that are good for beginners and still nice Valentine’s gifts, Robinson said he usually sees people go for orchids. He said that, despite the belief that they can be temperamental, the most common variety of the exotic bloom is fairly low-maintenance, requiring a humid and warm temperature and watering once a week.
In addition to a sweet smell, plants bring a certain feeling to the atmosphere around them, said Alexis Clark, who owns The Terracotta Room in Manchester with Nicole Rocha. She said when customers enter the shop they’ll comment on how relaxing the atmosphere is, or how fresh and clean the air feels.
“Almost all plants purify in some way,” Clark said. “Greenery is just good to have in your home. It’s life and they carry that energy.”
Clark and Rocha said that they both favor philodendrons and plants from that family due to how forgiving they can be. Clark joked that her philodendron won’t croak on her if she forgets to water it after a week.
The Terracotta Room in Manchester. Courtesy photo.
Rocha agreed, adding that even people like her, with busy schedules between work and family life, can keep them alive. She said plants add a natural comfort, especially in cities.
“You just need two plants and it’ll transform the room,” Rocha said, “and [plants] make you happy.”
Other plants recommended for beginners included the Zanzibar gem — also called the ZZ plant — and snake plants. Flowering potted plants with low maintenance requirements that Lisa Cartier, the greenhouse manager at Osborne’s Farm & Garden Center of Hooksett, recommended were African violets, flowering anthuriums and cyclamen.
“Owning plants should be a relaxing and fun hobby,” Cartier said. “A potted plant will give you years of enjoyment and memories.”
New Hampshire nurseries and greenhouses
Amherst Garden Center 303 Route 101, Amherst, amherstgardencenter.com Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Bedford Fields 331 Route 101, Bedford, bedfordfields.com Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Black Forest Nursery 209 King St., Boscawen, blackforestnursery.com Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Brochu Nurseries and Landscaping 121 Commercial St., Concord, brochunursery.com Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cole Gardens 430 Loudon Road, Concord, colegardens.com Hours: Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Demers Garden Center 656 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, demersgardencenter.com Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Faulkner’s Landscaping and Nursery 1130 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, faulknersnursery.com Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The House by the Side of the Road 370 Gibbons Hwy., Wilton, housebyshop.com Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Knotted Finds 707 Milford Road, Merrimack, theknottedfinds.com Hours: Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
Lake Street Garden Center 37 Lake St., Salem, lakestreet.com Hours: Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Osborne’s Farm and Garden Center 258 Sheep Davis Road, Concord, osbornesfarm.com Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Shady Hill Greenhouse and Nursery 1 Adams Road, Londonderry, shadyhillgreenhouses.com Hours: Daily, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Springlook Farm 112 Island Pond Road, Derry, springlookfarm.com Hours: Daily, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunny Valley Greenhouse and Garden Center 42 Route 101A, Amherst, sunnyvf.com Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Manchester Historic Association has selected five honorees for its 31st Annual Historic Preservation Awards. According to a press release, the awards recognize and support the efforts of individuals, businesses and organizations that have made significant contributions to the preservation of buildings, neighborhoods, traditions and other historic resources in Manchester. The honorees include the city’s recently restored Civil War Memorial at Veterans Park for the City Landmark Award; Michael and Lynn Murphy for the Homeowner’s Award; Linda Murphy of Bare Knuckle Murphy’s Boxing for the Adaptive Reuse Award; Grace Episcopal Church’s Grace House for the Stewardship Award; and Justine “Brownie” Gengras for the Lifetime Achievement Award. An awards celebration will be held on Tuesday, May 23, at Saint Anselm College in Manchester. Visit manchesterhistoric.org.
Historic places
The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources has added three properties to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places, according to a press release. The properties include Blazing Star Grange Hall No. 71 in Danbury, built in 1911 under the leadership of the group’s first female master; the Dudley Gilman Homestead in Belmont, built by Revolutionary War veteran Corporal Dudley Gilman in circa 1785; and the Milford Town Hall and Library Annex, built in 1869 and designed by prominent Boston architect Gridley J. F. Bryant. Visit nh.gov/nhdhr to learn more about the properties.
Statewide report card
The New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System will be administered to students from March 7 through June 16 to track and evaluate educational progress in the state. According to a press release, the testing will measure English language arts and math proficiency among students in grades 3 through 8 and science proficiency among students in grades 5, 8 and 11. SAT exams will be administered to high school juniors between March 22 and April 4, depending on the district. “Assessment data allows school districts to create targeted strategies for students performing at the lower end of the achievement scale, as well as accelerated students that are highly advanced, which is vitally important in the aftermath of the pandemic,” Frank Edelblut, education commissioner, said in the release. “Understanding the data helps to improve teaching, identify supports and determine whether interventions are necessary — knowing that the needs of our students are our top priority.” The New Hampshire Department of Education has partnered with Tutor.com to provide free tutoring and test preparation services to students in grades 6 through 12. Visit tutor.com/nhed for details on how to access those services.
Leadership NH
Leadership New Hampshire is accepting applications for its intensive statewide leadership program. According to a press release, the program connects and educates a diverse cohort of emerging and established leaders in the state to increase civic engagement and strengthen communities. Over 10 months, from September 2023 to May 2024, participants will attend 12 seminar sessions across the state, exploring topics such as the justice system, education, culture and arts, government and politics, health care, the environment, and the economy. Applicants should demonstrate passionate commitment to New Hampshire’s future, accomplishment in their field, involvement in community activities and the time and energy to devote to the sessions. The application submission deadline is March 15. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance status by June. Visit leadershipnh.org or email info@leadershipnh.org.
Arts partnership
Kimball Jenkins, a community arts and cultural center in Concord, has partnered with Queerlective, a statewide group based in Manchester, as a fiscal sponsor to help the group in its mission to provide more support to New Hampshire’s diverse creative community and create inclusive and safe spaces where the arts can be used for personal and community growth. “Queerlective has been a leader in producing art happenings and events that center queer,
BIPOC and underserved communities,” Julianne Gadoury, executive director of Kimball Jenkins, said in a press release. “Kimball Jenkins is honored to serve as a fiscal sponsor, which will allow people who are part of these communities, and most closely connected, to lift up and amplify their voices and needs in the most authentic way possible.” Visit kimballjenkins.com and queerlective.com.
New mascot
New Hampshire Technical Institute, Concord’s Community College, has introduced a new design for its mascot, Leroy the Lynx. According to a press release, the design, created by NHTI visual arts student Valerie Deforge and selected by a campus-wide vote, depicts Leroy with bold lines, fresh colors and expressive motion. “Our new design pays homage to our historical Leroy the Lynx and evolves us into the modern era of collegiate community and competition,” Amber Gavriluk, NHTI’s marketing officer, said in the release. “Leroy represents the new rallying point around which our students, faculty, and staff can feel belonging in our diverse community. And this new design offers a strong brand identity and personality that can lead us boldly into the future.” NHTI will replace previous mascot designs with the new one over the next year.
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation will host a public informational meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. at the Community Building in Loudon (29 S. Village Road) to discuss proposed improvements at the intersection of Route 106, South Village Road and Chichester Road in Loudon. According to a press release, these would include widening the road and adding signalization to the intersection. Visit nh.gov/dot/projects to learn more.
Canterbury Shaker Village, a completely preserved Shaker village established in 1792, received a nearly $110,000 matching grant award from the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program to fund construction of a new roof for its Dwelling House, a National Historic Landmark. The project is expected to begin this spring, according to a press release.
New Hampshire residents pursuing post-secondary education in medicine, nursing or social work are invited to apply for the Yarnold Scholarship. Funded by a trust established by Rollinsford couple Alice M. Yarnold and Samuel Yarnold, scholarships are awarded to 30 to 40 students each year in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, according to a press release. Interested students may call Yarnold Scholarship administrative representative Laura Ramsdell at 766-9121 to receive an application.
When Cory Gee bounds onstage, he’s almost immediately mixing with the crowd. Learning who’s married, dating for the first time, celebrating a birthday. The rapid-fire back and forth helps the veteran comic size up the audience, but it’s not a call for conversation.
He’s setting up jokes, polished over time. Like the one about why asking a baby-faced cop how he caught him while riding a Big Wheel isn’t a good way to get out of a speeding ticket, or how single men shouldn’t plan bachelor parties, and the reason a VFW hall is a better venue for such gatherings than a strip bar.
Cory Gee really doesn’t want to hear about your day, but thanks anyway.
“In today’s TikTok era, crowd work is a necessary evil,” Gee said in a recent phone interview, noting that shutting down hecklers is a reliable way to get clicks. “I love to engage with the crowd, but what is frustrating for me as a comedian is when the crowd talks to me. Does that make sense?”
Sometimes, though, Gee’s high-wire act leads to comedy gold. “A perfect joke for me is the joke I never intended to do,” he said. Like when a random crowd remark sparks the memory of a long-unfinished bit. “You just start to work it, then it all starts to fall into place … and it’s like this moment. I was not meant to figure out that joke until just now.”
Gee will appear for the first time at Headliners in Manchester on Feb. 4. He’s talked for a while with promoter Rob Steen about playing there. “I pretty much know every headliner he uses on a regular basis, and they were all saying the same thing … ‘You’d do so well in New Hampshire, those crowds would really enjoy you.’ I’m really looking forward to it.”
He began doing comedy in 2002 at Comedy Connection in Providence, Rhode Island. The decision to become a standup was an evolution. He majored in theater in college, left early to find fame in Hollywood, but only got as far as his dad’s home in Georgia, where he got work in a professional theater company.
It didn’t last past a series of grueling rehearsals for Lips Together, Teeth Apart.
“I was just tired of saying other people’s words,” Gee explained. “In comedy, everything sits on you, all of the writing is you, all of the performing is you, every movement you make on stage is solely you, [and] knowing I was in complete control was probably the moment that I realized … this is what I want to be doing.”
It ended in 2013. His employer, a well-known nonprofit, gave him an ultimatum: jokes or a job. With two sons, Gee had little choice, so he quit, cold turkey. He didn’t write a bit, go to a show, or even think about comedy for five years. Then he got an offer at a new company. It was a lateral move; commuting costs actually reduced his take-home.
His wife had only one question. “She said, ‘Can you do comedy?’ I said, ‘Yeah, they told me they don’t care what I do.’ She was like, ‘We will figure out whatever financial impact this will have; you have to get back to comedy,’” he recalled.
He’s ever grateful for the boost. After shows, she helps him deconstruct and decompress. “I took it for granted the first time,” he said. “It has definitely added a wrinkle to our relationship from a support standpoint. Not that it wasn’t there before; I just I didn’t realize how important it was.”
Gee returns the favor by co-hosting a podcast with her. Ready, Set, Disney offers tips for visiting the theme parks. It helps that the manic stage prowler is already a big fan of Disney World. “If you’ve seen my act, you know I can’t stand still,” he said. “So the idea of a vacation in which I sit on a beach and just kinda throw my feet up would not work for me. When we go to Disney, I’m constantly moving.”
Cory Gee When: Saturday, Feb. 4, 8:30 p.m. Where: Headliners Comedy Club, 700 Elm St., Manchester Tickets: $20 at headlinersnh.com
The women of a rural fundamentalist community must decide to stay or leave in Women Talking, a captivating exercise of storytelling through conversation directed by Sarah Polley and based on the novel by Miriam Toews.
After years of the women of the colony, as they call their settlement, waking up to find themselves bruised and bleeding, the rapists who had been drugging and violently assaulting female community members (ranging in age from little girls to their grandmothers) have been arrested. They are imprisoned in the nearby town and all the men of the colony have gone to bail them out. The leaders have told the women that when the men — rapists included — return, the women must forgive them. The alternative is to be cast out — of the colony, of the religion, of the eternal kingdom of God.
Before the men return, the women all decide to vote on what to do. Their options, as laid out with sketches for these women and girls who have never been allowed to learn to read and write, are to do nothing, to stay and fight or to go. “Do nothing” is a first-round loser but “stay and fight” and “go” are in a dead heat with a smaller committee of women being tasked with discussing the two options and deciding for all the women of the town.
All of the women are angry, a deep full-body anger. Salome (Claire Foy), mother of a 4-year-old girl who had recently been attacked, attempted to kill the accused men and vows that she will finish the job if she stays. Ona (Rooney Mara), pregnant from her attack, has some elaborate ideas about what a post-colony egalitarian community could look like but her ideas sound very pie-in-the-sky to Mariche (Jessie Buckley), who is stuck in an abusive marriage. Mariche is so rage-filled that she’s sort of firing indiscriminately at the other women and girls gathered in the barn, as likely to yell at a woman having a panic attack or wonder about whether really all the accused men are guilty as she is to rail against the injustice of what’s been done to them all.
At the beginning of the movie, a title card describes the story as a product of “female imagination,” which I think you can kind of take how you want in this movie written and directed by a woman based on a book by a woman and performed almost entirely by women — the only two non-female characters with significant roles are August (Ben Whishaw), the school teacher asked to take minutes of the meeting, and Melvin (August Winter), a young trans man who was also attacked. The discussion spreads out to all the edges of dealing with gender violence and with the general oppression under which the women have lived their lives. They come from a place of very strong core faith and an organization of their lives around God and it’s from that point of view that they argue about the right decision, what their duty is in terms of forgiveness, their duty to keep their children safe, their place in the community and what they deserve as humans. They worry about their sons — how do they keep them from becoming these kinds of men. In some ways it is a very stagy discussion and I feel like you have to decide to go with the conceit of what’s happening — what and how these women are arguing, August’s role as meeting note taker, the way we learn everybody’s stories. I could see this movie not working for some people (I read some commentary on Jezebel that seemed to suggest the staginess got in the way of the writer’s really enjoying it). But for me, this sort of bottle-episode thought-experiment worked — and was boosted by some extremely strong acting talent. Not only is Foy absolutely magnetic throughout, Mara gives what could be a drippy character some roundness and humanity. Judith Ivey and Sheila McCarthy, playing the mothers of Ona and Mariche respectively, are also great, showing us how these two people who haven’t been given much can use the tools that they have to fight for themselves and their children. And, for all that it dives in to some awful places, Women Talking is filled with some lovely imagery of the farmland where these women live and shot with faded colors that help to put you in this alternate reality.
Women Talking received Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay, both well deserved but I would have added more — a few supporting actress nods, definitely a directing nomination — to that list. A
Rated PG-13 for mature content including sexual assault, bloody images, and some strong language, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Sarah Polley, who also wrote the screenplay from the novel by Miriam Toews,Women Talking is an hour and 44 minutes long and is distributed in theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures.
