Category: Featured Content

Generous Listening

Much of what passes for public conversation these days could well be likened to a poker game where each player slaps down a card and the others try quickly to put down one of higher value. Whether the topic is immigration, gun control/rights, or abortion, the exchange soon becomes heated and the pace frantic. What is lost, quite simply, is listening.

For 25 years, there had been a space in our lives where that was not the pattern. Rather than shouting, blustering assertions, or insulting innuendos, NHPR’s The Exchange had been true to its name, a thoughtful, measured, and substantive exploration of issues and events among people with diverse and often deeply different views (NHPR discontinued the show last month).

Twenty-five years of The Exchange also brought us lighter fare about matters we didn’t know we didn’t know, such as the issues of pets along our hiking paths, developing alternatives to maple sugar syrups, and the curious doings of some of New Hampshire’s long-ago governors.

These conversations, in the truest sense of that term, were moderated by Laura Knoy, host of the program since its inception.

Whether interviewing a U.S. presidential candidate on a swing through our state or hosting a three-way exploration of substance abuse, Laura consistently modeled her program on what she herself values, generous listening. The term first used by Rachel Naomi Remen and later by Krista Tippett is “listening that is powered by curiosity.”

It is further suggested that this is “a virtue we can invite and nurture in ourselves to render it instinctive.” For anyone who had consistently tuned in to The Exchange each weekday morning, it would be clear that generous listening is instinctive with Laura.

And that is the point about what so many of us will miss. The program not only facilitated a statewide forum for the examination of issues critical to our community but also modeled behavior by which civil conversations even about profoundly contentious and divisive matters can take place.

At a time of such polarization, we need many more such exemplars of what our “better selves” could be to one another.

You can contact Steve Reno at stepreno@gmail.com.

Take a load off

The Weight Band plays drive-in show

Though named after The Band’s most iconic song, with sets featuring “Up On Cripple Creek” and other gems from their catalog, The Weight Band is a flame keeper, not a tribute act.

Guitarist and singer Jim Weider cofounded the group after Levon Helm died in 2012, but prior to that he’d assumed the role Robbie Robertson famously quit in The Last Waltz, touring with a reunited Band for 15 years, and playing on their final three studio albums, Jericho, High on the Hog and Jubilation.

Weider’s ties go deeper than that, however. In the mid-1960s, he began bumping into Band members while working at a stereo store in his hometown of Woodstock, New York. Owner Kermit Schwartz, an oddball who’d smoke two cigarettes at a time and had a constant Maalox ring around his mouth, endeared himself to musicians with a generous credit policy.

“He would just give everything out; pay later, they loved it. They would bring in their newest record and stuff they were working on and play it on the Macs and Crowns,” Weider said in a recent phone interview — the latter reference not to computers but to high-end receivers made by McIntosh and Crown Audio. “I met Levon very early on back then.”

After the seismic impact of Music From Big Pink, the Woodstock scene dissipated as The Band hit the road and Weider began his professional music career. By the mid-’80s, everyone was back. The Band had reunited in 1983 with The Cate Brothers Band backing them, but by 1985 the four founding members were considering a lineup shuffle.

Weider, who’d been in Helm’s All Star Band post-Waltz, got a call.

“Levon said, ‘Come on down, the four of us are here at The Getaway playing,’” Weider said. “I sat in with them and we did a whole night of music with the original Band. … They realized they wanted to go back to five pieces after playing with me.”

His first gig was in front of 25,000 people, opening for Crosby, Stills & Nash.

“Dallas, Texas, no rehearsal, just boom,” he said, recalling an inebriated Richard Manuel being carried onstage by two roadies. “I got to kick off all the tunes. … They all have guitar intros, because the guitar player wrote most of them. It was pretty nerve-wracking.”

When Manuel died a year later, they continued to tour; the reunion ended when Danko succumbed to a heart attack in 1999. Later, Weider was part of Helm’s band The Midnight Ramblers during their legendary run of Rambles in his hand-built Catskills barn.

“Levon was in his glory there,” Weider said. “He loved having Allen Toussaint up with us, or John Hiatt or John Prine. Everybody wanted to come and take part. … It was like a big barn dance.”

The Weight Band now includes keyboard player Brian Mitchell, Albert Rogers and Michael Bram on bass and drums, and newest member Matt Zeiner on keyboards. Along with Weider, each brings a long list of credits to the mix, including Bob Dylan, Dicky Betts, Willie Nelson, B.B. King and Al Green.

The energy that moved The Band’s rebirth — honoring the past, while continuing to create new music — is alive with The Weight Band. In 2018, they released World Gone Mad: eight originals, with covers of Jericho’s “Remedy” and Grateful Dead’s “Deal.” In December they completed a follow-up, due later this year or in early 2022.

Shows still feature lots of Band songs, “but now it’s to pull people in,” Weider said. “I’m just carrying on some of the music, and we’ve got our whole catalog of our own sound.”

The night always ends with the song that gives them a name, one many call the national anthem of Americana. Why does “The Weight” endure?

“People can relate to it, they can sing it, and the melody — it’s just, help your brother, take a load off,” Weider said. “It’s just a good feel song, one that everybody wants to play and sing. Robbie wrote a good one.”

The Weight Band
When: Sunday, July 11, 3 & 6 p.m.
Where: Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry
Tickets: $75 per car, $22 per person at tupelohall.com

Featured photo: The Weight Band. Courtesy photo.

The Tomorrow War

The Tomorrow War (PG-13)

Chris Pratt stars in the old-fashioned summer save-the-world popcorn movie The Tomorrow War, released on Amazon Prime Video.

Dan Forester (Pratt) is having difficulty getting ahead in his career (science something or other) but has all sorts of admiration from his wife, Emmy (Betty Gilpin), and young daughter, Muri (Ryan Kiera Armstrong). He’s in the middle of a consoling snuggle with the two of them while watching World Cup soccer when a wormhole opens up on midfield and soldiers come pouring through. They announce that they are from about 30 years in the future and are losing a war with an alien force. Come and fight with us to save humanity, they say, and, as news clips explain, the countries of the world eventually agree to a draft. The people drafted are both random and specific: They are men and women, fit and doughy, but most tend to be older — perhaps because, as Dan and fellow draftee Charlie (Sam Richardson) surmise, they will all be dead by 2052 and therefore won’t accidentally meet their older selves and cause a paradox.

When Dan is called up, it’s after nearly a year of the present sending soldiers to the future, with few returning and no sign that humanity’s prospects for winning the war are improving. He learns that draftees get very little training and not much in the way of uniforms; it’s just “here’s a gun, try not to get eaten.” The aliens, white insect/crustacean-y creatures, don’t have weapons (except for the sharp spikes that shoot out of their tentacles, hence their name “white spikes”) or even an organizing structure. They eat, people and whatever other animals cross their path, and once a week they go back to their nest-holes and rest (or, as we later learn, breed, which is why there are now so many of them). White spikes move fast and only lucky neck or abdomen shots take them out, so when Dan shows up in the future for his seven-day stint in the war, it’s clear that the outlook for humanity is bleak.

Dan, who once served in the military and did a tour of duty in Iraq (where he had a leadership role), is also a science teacher who has shared his love of science with his daughter. Charlie is also a former science professor who now works in tech research and development and makes up for his lack of military prowess with quips. Dan has a difficult relationship with his father, James (J.K. Simmons), who also has a military background and now has a shifty job fixing planes and skirting the law. I could list a few other Chekhov guns in the packed metaphorical armory of the first segment of this movie that go off in the final action set piece. There are a lot.

And that’s OK.

Like an Independence Day with a smaller budget and a lower wattage of stars, The Tomorrow War hits a lot of the familiar apocalypse action movie beats with a nice mix of shooting and explosions and humor and basically appealing characters played by actors who have more in them than this movie asks of them. It’s microwave popcorn fare, in the sense that it isn’t quite the fresh popcorn with real butter of summer blockbusters past and in the sense that you’ll be enjoying this one at home, which perhaps lowers the bar a little. If you need it, you can look for some deeper commentary about climate change and the ability of humans to come together (or not) when they really need to. But you also don’t need to dig that deep for a reason to basically enjoy this (long but forgivably so) lightweight summer movie. B-

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language and some suggestive references, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Chris McKay with a screenplay by Zach Dean, The Tomorrow War is two hours and 20 minutes long and is distributed by Paramount Pictures but somehow available on Amazon Prime Video.

The Boss Baby: Family Business (PG)

The suit-and-tie baby of the 2017 The Boss Baby returns in The Boss Baby: Family Business, a cute animated movie that isn’t quite as rich as the original version but is still family-friendly.

And by that I mean not only that it is kid-appropriate (for, I don’t know, elementary schoolers and up) but also all about family. In the first movie, Boss Baby, also named Ted (voice of Alec Baldwin), is the younger brother of Tim (voiced in this movie by James Marsden). Though appearing to be a regular goo-goo-gaa-gaa baby, Boss Baby is actually a 30 Rock’s Jack Donaghy-style corporate ladder-climber sent by his company, Baby Corp., on a mission. Tim deeply resented new baby Ted at first but eventually learned to live with him, in part by helping him with his corporate ambitions at Baby Corp., the company that is bullish on babies and tries to keep their affection rankings higher than those of, say, puppies.

In the years since, Ted and Tim have grown up and grown apart. (Actually, in the years since 2017, Boss Baby and Tim have had continuing adventures in a Netflix TV series called The Boss Baby: Back in Business, which has an enjoyably oddball sense of humor. For example: Boss Baby finds himself battling an outside consultant brought in to evaluate Baby Corp. managers and makes regular cracks about why you can’t trust the marketing department. In one episode, when the boys’ grandma fights with a department store over returning a blouse, she ends up unionizing the store workers. It’s weird and I recommend it.)

But now adult Tim is living in his parents’ (voiced by Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow) old house with his wife Carol (voice of Eva Longoria) and their two daughters, second-grader Tabitha (voice of Ariana Greenblatt) and baby Tina (voice of Amy Sedaris). Tabitha has recently started at a new school and seems stressed out by its expectation for advanced math and proficiency in Mandarin. Tim, a stay-at-home dad, is worried that she is growing up too fast and growing away from him, not unlike how he and Ted have grown apart. Though they were once best friends, Ted is now very busy with his executive businessman lifestyle and mostly interacts with Tim by turning down invitations to come and visit and sending overly elaborate gifts.

This can not stand, decides Tina, who is, like her uncle before her, a Baby Corp. executive. She needs both Ted and Tim to help fight a new threat: Dr. Armstrong (voice of a very Jeff Goldblum-y Jeff Goldblum), the head of the international chain of high-achievement-focused schools (including Tabitha’s). Tina and Baby Corp. are certain he has some sort of shifty plan and they need Boss Baby to help them. Thus does Tina lure Ted to the family home and then dose both Ted and Tim with special de-aging formula that temporarily turns them back to roughly Tabitha-aged Tim and Boss Baby.

The first movie used the Boss Baby conceit as a way to play out Tim’s feelings about going from only child to oldest child with a pushy infant sibling. Likewise, this movie uses it to work through various family relationships — Tim and Ted, Tim and Tabitha and maybe Tim and his own sense of self if his oldest daughter doesn’t need him as much. And it works about as well as the first movie did, but this feels less kid-focused. Though he appears in a kid’s body, Tim is really an adult person with his adult person worries and the movie is more centered on those than on executive baby humor or kid antics.

That said, the movie did seem to have enough wackiness to entertain kids — there’s a lot of silliness with a horse, we do still get some “the horror of other babies” moments with Boss Baby. Goldblum brings a nice element of weirdness to his character who is a villain but not violent or particularly mean.

I think I liked the original The Boss Baby (which doesn’t appear to be streaming anywhere but is available for rent or purchase) more than a lot of reviewers. I still like the overall universe, as presented here, even if the sequel doesn’t quite match up. B

Rated PG for rude humor, mild language and some action, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Tom McGrath with a screenplay by Michael McCullers (based on the books by Marla Frazee), The Boss Baby: Family Business is an hour and 47 minutes long and is distributed by Universal Studios in theaters and on Peacock.

The Forever Purge (R)

The Purge-supporting totalitarian government of the U.S. is threatened by an even more violent social-media-organized group in The Forever Purge.

Don’t worry if you haven’t seen or have forgotten previous Purge entries (this is No. 5 in the series). This movie sort of catches you up/reorients you in the Purge universe: The Purge is the annual 12-hour period when people can commit any crimes they want and apparently what they want is to wear menacing animal masks and go on spree killings. It went away for a while but is back now, thanks to the recent elections favoring the Purge-supporting New Founding Fathers. They were reelected because of increased crime and anti-immigration sentiment and something something The Purge will fix it.

This movie, though, isn’t really about the Purge. While we see two main sets of characters prepare for and weather the Purge, most of the story takes place in the hours after it’s over.

The wealthy cattle ranching family in rural Texas the Tuckers gathers at their large, secure home for the Purge: there’s the paterfamilias Caleb (Will Patton), his adult daughter Harper (Leven Rambin), his sullen adult son Dylan (Josh Lucas) and Dylan’s pregnant wife, Emma Kate (Cassidy Freeman). None of them seem to be on Team Purge or Team Current Administration, though Dylan has some general resentment because his father and everybody else at the ranch knows that he’s not such a great cowboy. Certainly, he’s not a great cowboy compared to Juan (Tenoch Huerta), one of the ranch workers, and this makes Dylan all jealous, which he expresses via racism.

Juan and his wife Adela (Ana de la Reguera) are recent immigrants from Mexico and are aware of the weird annual festival of violence of their new home but they are determined to make it work, especially Adela. They spend Purge night hunkered down with other families in a fortified and guarded warehouse. And yet she remains optimistic about America and their future as the Purge ends and she heads back to her life. Optimistic right up to the moment when she is trapped and nearly killed by some mask-wearing loons telling her that it’s “purge ever after.” The Forever Purgers have decided one day of violence is not enough and want to continue the killing until everyone who doesn’t agree with their brand of white supremacist fascism is dead.

She and Juan and their friend (Alejandro Edda) and the Tuckers trying to find their way to safety — which is eventually identified as refuge in Mexico — makes up the bulk of this movie’s action, making it not really about some “organized chaos” day but about actual anarchy and the collapse of society.

I’ll try to separate what has always annoyed me about the Purge movies and the overall “watching a reenactment of your root canal” feel of this movie with what worked about it — and there are small elements that work.

I have always found the Purge as a concept maddening, both as public policy (how does it reduce crime and stimulate the economy? Even in a bread-and-circus sense it seems stupid) and as a story-telling device. The movies use the Purge as a sort of dippy murder fest — either thrill killing or petty revenge — without going much beyond that. There is a general “saying something about wealth inequality” sheen on these movies but they don’t really say that much; “rich people are jerks” is maybe as far as it goes.

So what works here? The movie gets its pacing right. It takes us from Juan and Adela’s backstory to Purge night to post-Purge pretty quickly. And it keeps up the energy without lingering too much on grisly violence for grisly violence’s sake.

Ana de la Reguera is a fun action heroine. We are probably with her more frequently than with any other one character and she definitely has that believable, can-do butt-kicking energy.

The movie also has some visual cleverness about juxtaposing Mexico and the chaotic U.S.; one of the final shots in particular made me think “huh, neat” for the way it referenced so many other movies.

Overall, though, The Forever Purge was a bummer, but I guess if Purge movies are your thing, this is maybe one of the better ones. C

Rated R for strong/bloody violence and language throughout, according to the MPA on filmlistings.com. Directed by Everado Gout with a screenplay by James DeMonaco, The Forever Purge is an hour and 43 minutes long and is distributed by Universal Studios, in theaters.

Featured photo: The Tomorrow War

Italian traditions

Rig A Tony’s expands to Bedford; new Windham and reopened Derry spots on the way

Lisa DeSisto was gearing up for a 20th anniversary celebration of Rig A Tony’s Italian Takeout — and had just opened a second location in Windham — when the pandemic hit, followed by a fire in May 2020 that forced the closure of the downtown Derry Rig A Tony’s.

“I wasn’t going to close during Covid because I wasn’t going to let it defeat me,” said DeSisto, who is also in her second season as owner of Clam Haven in Derry. “Then when the fire happened, it made me say, ‘OK, I have an opportunity to rebuild my restaurant. What else can we rebuild and do differently?’ It made me start to think about what was next.”

A year later, DeSisto and her team are hard at work on reopening the original Rig A Tony’s on West Broadway in Derry, and the Windham location is moving into a larger space four doors down. Both are on track to open later this year. Meanwhile, a new Rig A Tony’s in Bedford opened last month, and while a third location hadn’t been part of DeSisto’s initial plans, she couldn’t pass up the chance to purchase the space that was previously home to Table 8 Pasta.

DeSisto has teamed up with longtime industry professionals Rich Vellante and Jason Berkman, who each now serve as business associates of the company. Vellante is the former executive chef and executive vice president of restaurants for Legal Sea Foods, a role he held for two decades. His and DeSisto’s families also happen to hail from the same region of Italy.

close up of hands holding sandwich
Uncle June’s Garden sandwich. Photo courtesy of Rig A Tony’s.

“With Jason and Rich, I was [introduced] to all these elevated products that I didn’t even know existed,” DeSisto said. “I feel like they’re here helping me carry on the family legacy.”

All three Rig A Tony’s locations have the same takeout and catering menus, which are filled with new options. Appetizers include wood-grilled Tuscan wings with lemon, rosemary and Calabrian pepper sauce; a whipped feta cheese dip with roasted pepper puree, garlic and parsley; and seared broccoli rabe with white beans, garlic, red chili flakes and white wine. Notable additions to the entrees menu are beer-braised boneless short ribs with a mustard glaze and stewed vegetables, and a spit-roasted porchetta with roasted carrots and apricot pesto.

“Porchetta is something you don’t see too often that we’ve introduced,” Vellante said. “It’s a highly seasoned pork that we do as a meal and on a sandwich as well. … We use fennel pollen, which gives it a more aromatic and floral flavor and smell to it.”

You’ll still find lots of Rig A Tony’s favorites on each of the menus too, from chicken or eggplant Parmesan to spaghetti and meatballs, Sicilian pan pizzas and other Italian staples. Even the pastas and the tomato sauces have received upgrades of their own.

“We chose to use the De Cecco brand pasta. They dry it in a very slow process, and also cut it with a bronze die, so what it does is it holds up a lot better and just complements the sauce,” Vellante said. “We tested a lot of different tomatoes, and what makes them taste so good is the soil. … These tomatoes that we have are actually grown at the base of Mount Vesuvius, and so it’s that volcanic soil that makes the difference.”

There are also new selections of savory salads, like pesto burrata and Sardinian couscous, and sweet treats from cannolis and Italian cookies to tiramisu and whoopie pies. Inspired by Vellante’s 2-year-old dog Barbuto, there is even a section of the takeout menu that is dedicated to man’s best friend, featuring homemade dog treats and hearty bowls, like chicken with sweet potato and peas, or beef with brown rice and carrots.

Rig A Tony’s Italian Takeout & Catering

Bedford: 254 Wallace Road (now open); current hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Derry: 38 W. Broadway (reopening; coming soon)
Windham: 13 Rockingham Road (coming soon)
Visit rigatonysitalian.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram @rigatonysitalian or call 488-2877

Featured photo: Chicken marbella. Photo courtesy of Rig A Tony’s.

The Art Roundup 21/07/08

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

Live poetry and spoken word return: After a 15-month hiatus, Slam Free or Die’s live events are back at The Stark Tavern (500 N. Commercial St., Manchester). The weekly series of open mic nights for poets and spoken-word artists takes place in the restaurant’s function room every Thursday, with doors open and sign-ups beginning at 7 p.m., and the open mic at 8 p.m. The series also features several poetry slams every month. The events are open to all ages. There is a cover charge of $3 to $5 at the door, which can be paid with cash or by Venmo. Visit facebook.com/slamfreeordie, e-mail slamfreeordie@gmail.com or call 858-3286.

Coming together with cranes: A new community art installation, “1,000 Cranes for Nashua,” will be on display in The Atrium at St. Joseph Hospital (172 Kinsley St., Nashua) starting on Thursday, July 8. It features more than 1,000 origami paper cranes created by hundreds of Nashua-area kids, adults and families since April. “We have cranes of all sizes, colors, styles and skills,” project organizer Kate Pritchard said in a press release. “When stringing them together, you get a personal sense of the hands that folded them all, which makes them feel so distinctive individually, yet so powerfully united as a whole.” An opening reception with food, drinks and music will take place at 6:30 p.m. Visit nashuasculpturesymposium.org.

Artists look at animals: “Fur & Feathers/Paws & Claws,” is on view now through Sunday, July 18, at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). The animal-themed art exhibit showcases paintings, drawings, prints, photography, jewelry and artist books by nine local artists reflecting on the world of domesticated pets and work and farm animals. “There is definitely quite an eclectic mix of styles and mediums,” gallery director Laura Morrison told the Hippo last month. Gallery hours are Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com or call 975-0015.

Kids shows all summer long: The 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series presents a series of shows at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester) with a Tuesday-through-Thursday run every week in July and August. The first show, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is on stage now through Thursday, July 8. Peter Pan will run Tuesday, July 13, through Thursday, July 15, followed by Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Showtimes are at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

All kinds of art in Prescott Park: The New Hampshire Art Association’s annual Sheafe Warehouse Exhibit and Sale is going on now through Aug. 29 at Prescott Park (105-123 Marcy St, Portsmouth). It features works in a variety of media by nearly 40 NHAA artists. “There’s a real sense of excitement on the part of our artists, who are anxious to share the new works of art they have been creating over the past year,” Renee Giffroy, NHAA Board President, said in a press release. The Exhibit and Sale is open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from noon to 7 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

Art

Exhibits

• “FRESH PERSPECTIVES” Exhibit features works by New Hampshire artists Peter Milton, ​Varujan Boghosian, Robert Hughes and others. New Hampshire Antique Co-op (323 Elm St., Milford). On view in the Co-op’s Tower Gallery now through Aug. 31. Visit nhantiquecoop.com.

• “FASHION FORWARD: AFRICANA STYLE” Exhibit showcases Black fashion and explores connections between African American and African design aesthetics from past to present. The Seacoast African American Cultural Center (located inside the Portsmouth Historical Society, 10 Middle St., Portsmouth). On view now through Sept. 1. Gallery hours are Monday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; visitors must reserve a 45-minute time slot in advance. Walk-in guests will be accommodated as space permits. Tickets cost $10 for the general public and $5 for Historical Society members and are available through eventbrite.com. Visit saacc-nh.org.

• “THE BODY IN ART: FROM THE SPIRITUAL TO THE SENSUAL” Exhibit provides a look at how artists through the ages have used the human body as a means of creative expression. On view now through Sept. 1. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• “DON GORVETT: WORKING WATERFRONTS” Exhibit features more than 60 works by the contemporary Seacoast printmaker. The Portsmouth Historical Society (10 Middle St., Portsmouth). On view now through Sept. 12. Gallery hours are daily, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $7.50 for adults and is free for kids under age 18, seniors age 70 and older and active and retired military. Admission is free for all on the first Friday of every month. Visit portsmouthhistory.org.

• “TWILIGHT OF AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM” Exhibit showcases New England painters and masters of impressionism Alice Ruggles Sohier and Frederick A. Bosley. On view now through Sept. 12. Portsmouth Historical Society (10 Middle St., Portsmouth). Gallery hours are daily, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $7.50 for adults and is free for kids under age 18, seniors age 70 and older and active and retired military. Admission is free for all on the first Friday of every month. Visit portsmouthhistory.org.

• “ROBERTO LUGO: TE TRAIGO MI LE LO LAI – I BRING YOU MY JOY” Philadelphia-based potter reimagines traditional forms and techniques with inspiration from urban graffiti and hip-hop culture, paying homage to his Puerto Rican heritage and exploring his cultural identity and its connection to family, place and legacy. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On view now through Sept. 26. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• “CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHY” Exhibit features immersive large-scale drawings by Larissa Fassler that reflect the Berlin-based artist’s observations of downtown Manchester while she was an artist-in-residence at the Currier Museum in 2019. On view now through fall. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• GALLERY ART A new collection of art by more than 20 area artists on display now in-person and online. Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford). Call 672-2500 or visit creativeventuresfineart.com.

• “TOMIE DEPAOLA AT THE CURRIER” Exhibition celebrates the illustrator’s life and legacy through a collection of his original drawings. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce present a year-round outdoor public art exhibit in Concord’s downtown featuring works by professional sculptors. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email tsink@concordnhchamber.com.

• “TENSION: PROCESS IN THE MAKING” The Surface Design Association’s (SDA) New Hampshire Group presents an exhibit featuring fiber art and textiles by New Hampshire artists. July 24 through Sept. 4. Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). Visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com or call 975-0015.

• “SUMMER HAZE” Concord artist and gallery owner Jess Barnet hosts her first group art exhibit. Gallery located in the Patriot Investment building, 4 Park St., Suite 216, Concord. On view Aug. 6 through Sept. 3. Visit jessbarnett.com.

Fairs and markets

• CONCORD ARTS MARKET Outdoor artisan and fine art market. Every third Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Now through October. Rollins Park (33 Bow St., Concord). Visit concordartsmarket.net.

• ARTS ON THE GREEN Arts and crafts fair will feature painters, potters, artisan jewelers, stained glass makers, bead workers, photographers and metal crafters. Presented by The Center for the Arts Lake Sunapee Region. Sunapee Harbor. Sat., July 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit centerfortheartsnh.org.

• CRAFTSMEN’S FAIR Nine-day craft fair featuring work by hundreds of juried League of NH Craftsmen members. Sat., Aug. 7, through Sun., Aug. 15. Mount Sunapee Resort (1398 Route 103, Newbury). Visit nhcrafts.org.

• GREELEY PARK ART SHOW Annual outdoor juried art show hosted by Nashua Area Artists Association features a variety of artwork for sale. Sat., Aug. 21, and Sun., Aug. 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 100 Concord St., Nashua. Visit nashuaareaartistsassoc.org.

Tours

• NASHUA PUBLIC ART AUDIO TOUR Self-guided audio tours of the sculptures and murals in downtown Nashua, offered via the Distrx app, which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. Each tour has 10 to 15 stops. Free and accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Available in English and Spanish. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

Workshops and classes

• GENERAL ART CLASSES In-person art classes for all levels and two-dimensional media. held with small groups of two to five students. Private classes are also available. Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester). Students are asked to wear masks in the gallery. Tuition costs $20 per group class and $28 per private class, with payment due at the beginning of the class. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com for availability.

• DRAWING & PAINTING CLASSES Art House Studios, 66 Hanover St., Suite 202, Manchester. Classes include Drawing Fundamentals, Painting in Acrylic, Drawing: Observation to Abstraction, Exploring Mixed Media, and Figure Drawing. Class sizes are limited to six students. Visit arthousestudios.org.

Theater

Auditions

• HEATHERS THE MUSICAL Presented by Cue Zero Theatre Company. Auditions held Tues., July 27. Granite State Arts Academy, 19 Keewaydin Drive, Salem. Performers must be age 18+. Signups for a time slot in advance are required. Visit cztheatre.com.

Shows

• SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS The 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series presents. Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester). Wed., July 7, and Thurs., July 8, 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Visit palacetheatre.org.

• SLEUTH The Winnipesaukee Playhouse presents. 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith. Now through July 17, with showtimes Tuesday through Saturday, at 7:30 p.m., plus a matinee on Thursday, July 8, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 to $37. Visit winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org.

•​ PIPPIN The Seacoast Repertory Theatre PAPA Jr. presents. Virtual and in person at 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through July 18. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

• YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN Prescott Park Arts Festival (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth). July 9 through Aug. 15, with shows daily at 7 p.m. More information is TBA. Visit prescottpark.org.

• PETER PAN The 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series presents. Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester). Tues., July 13, through Thurs., July 15, 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Visit palacetheatre.org.

• DANI GIRL The Winnipesaukee Playhouse presents. 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith. July 14 through July 31, with showtimes Tuesday through Saturday, at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $29 to $39. Visit winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org.

•​ ‘TIL BETH DO US PART The Majestic Theatre presents. Virtual and in person at Majestic Studio Theatre, 880 Page St., Manchester. July 16 through July 25, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Visit majestictheatre.net or call 669-7469.

• WIZARD OF OZ The 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series presents. Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester). Tues., July 20, through Thurs., July 22, 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Visit palacetheatre.org.

•​ CABARET The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. July 22 through Sept. 5. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

• THE LITTLE MERMAID The 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series presents. Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester). Tues., July 27, through Thurs., July 29, 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Visit palacetheatre.org.

Just Fore Fun

Mini golf can be your date night family outing or relaxing way to hit the links

If you’re looking for something to do that’s active and fun for the whole family and gets you out of the house this summer, it’s hard to go wrong with mini golf.

“You don’t have to be a certain age, you don’t have to be in shape, none of that,” said Michael Accomando, owner of Mel’s Funway Park in Litchfield. “Husbands, wives, kids, parents, boyfriends, girlfriends — anyone can go out and play mini golf and enjoy it.”

Mini golf course at Mel’s Funway Park. Courtesy photo.

Mel’s features two 18-hole mini golf courses, an easy one geared toward families and young children, and one that is a bit more competitive.

“You don’t want to put the little ones out on a super challenging course, because you want them to have fun,” Accomando said, “but then you have the high school kids and the date nights and the families [without young children], and they want something that is challenging so they can get bragging rights after they beat someone.”

LaBelle Winery, which is headquartered in Amherst, purchased the property that was formerly Brookstone Event Center in Derry in December. In addition to its event spaces, a restaurant facility and a nine-hole executive golf course, the grounds included a mini golf course.

“It’s a great activity to get the kids away from their screens and to get outside in the fresh air and the sunshine,” said LaBelle Winery owner Amy LaBelle.

The course, called Mini Links, was designed by COST of Wisconsin, the same designers who do work for Disney World. It features 18 multi-level holes with sand traps, rock formations and a waterfall.

“It’s not like a get-the-ball-in-the-clown-mouth kind of mini golf,” LaBelle said. “It’s a beautiful, landscaped, upscale mini golf course.”

The holes vary in difficulty, making the course suitable for players of all ages.

“There are definitely easy holes that are totally geared toward a beginner, and then there are a couple others that are more challenging that even I find difficult,” LaBelle said, “so it’s a good mix. There’s a little bit of something for everybody.”

Over the last two years, Mel’s has been making big improvements to its mini golf courses, like installing new carpeting throughout and redesigning or expanding more than half of the holes.

“For some, we made the green different, or we added some new rock formations and more things in the middle for you to putt around,” Accomando said.

On the trickiest hole at Mel’s, known as “the granite hole,” players must putt the ball into a hole that is drilled into the middle of a slab of granite. It has gotten the park many repeat and regular visitors, Accomando said, who are determined to master the hole.

“The ball moves a heck of a lot differently on granite than it does on the outdoor carpet, so you really have to think about how you want to do it,” he said, adding that, even for him, it usually takes five tries or so to get the ball in the hole. “People love to come back to that one.”

It comes as no surprise that the new Mini Links course has been popular with families, LaBelle said, but a unique feature of the course has made it also very popular with grown-ups:

“You can have a glass of wine on the mini golf course, so you see a lot of adults finding their way over there, too,” she said, adding that Mini Links will start hosting adult mini golf tournaments in August, with prizes including wine prizes.

For Mel’s, Accomando said, being open late (until 10 p.m. on weekdays, 11 p.m. on weekends) has been a big draw for adults as a date night or after-dinner activity.

“We always get a rush right around 9 or 9:30 [p.m.],” he said. “People love it, because you can work all day, go home, have dinner, and still have time to go out and play a round of mini golf and enjoy yourself.”

Another reason mini golf is so universally appealing, Accomando said, is that it can be as infrequent and casual or as structured and competitive as a player wants to make it. Most people do it as a one-time or occasional outing with family or friends; others play for fun on a weekly or monthly basis; but about 20 percent of the players Accomando sees at Mel’s take the game “extremely seriously,” he said.

“It’s amazing how much some people really get into it,” he said. “There are even people who come and ask for a certain color ball because they say it brings them luck.”

Atmosphere is just as important to the mini golf experience as the activity itself, Accomando said. The courses at Mel’s are filled with rock formations, bridges, caves, fountains and a large waterfall, measuring around 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide, that sends water cascading throughout the park.

“It’s everything together — the sights, the sounds, the colors, the water rushing all around you — that makes it a whole experience,” he said. “It’s an escape for people to get away from some of the reality of their work day and what is going on in their lives.”

Check out this list of family fun parks and country clubs for your next round of miniature golf. All outdoor times are weather permitting — be sure to contact each park directly for the most up-to-date information.

Chuckster’s Family Fun Park
9 Bailey Road, Chichester, 798-3555; 53 Hackett Hill Road, Hooksett, 210-1415; chucksters.com
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 9 p.m.
Cost: Chichester rates are $9 per round of mini golf and $5 for ages 5 and under. Hooksett rates are $9.50 per round on one of the two courses and $6 for ages 5 and under. You can also play the second course on the same day for an additional $6.50.
What makes it unique: Each Chuckster’s park claims to have the “world’s longest mini-golf hole,” as one of the featured holes, at just over 200 feet long. Both parks are also completely different from each other, with not a single hole duplicated.

Funspot
579 Endicott St. N., Laconia, 366-4377, funspotnh.com
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Cost: $5 per person
What makes it unique: This self-service indoor mini golf course features refurbished ornaments of New Hampshire landmarks.

Legends Golf & Family Recreation
18 Legends Drive, Hooksett, 627-0099, legendsgolfnh.com
Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $8 for adults, $6 for kids ages 12 and under, and $3 for replays
What makes it unique: With natural rock ledges, running streams and a waterfall, Legends is known for having among the more challenging mini golf courses in the area.

Mammoth Green Driving Range & Mini Golf
135 Nashua Road, Londonderry, 432-4653, mammothgreendrivingrange.business.site
Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Cost: $7 per person and free for kids ages 3 and under
What makes it unique: Holes are of varying difficulty, with a driving range also directly adjacent to the course if you want to further test your skills.

Mel’s Funway Park
454 Charles Bancroft Hwy., Litchfield, 424-2292, melsfunwaypark.com
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Cost: $10.50 for adults, $8.50 for kids ages 4 to 12 and free for kids ages 3 and under
What makes it unique: Mel’s features two separate 18-hole mini golf courses to choose from, each with features like waterfalls and bridges. The property also has other attractions like go-carts, batting cages, bumper boats, laser tag and an arcade.

Mini Links at LaBelle Winery
14 Route 111, Derry, 672-9898, labellewinery.com
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Cost: $8 per person
What makes it unique: Southern New Hampshire’s newest miniature golf course, the Mini Links at LaBelle Winery in Derry opened in May. There are opportunities for birthday parties and other personalized outings at the course, as well as Junior Golf Camp for players ages 8 to 14 that is underway.

Ponemah Green Family Golf Center
55 Ponemah Road, Amherst, 673-9908, playamherst.com
Hours: Daily, 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Cost: $9 for adults and $6 for kids ages 8 and under
What makes it unique: This newly renovated mini golf course has plenty of obstacles, as well as opportunities for birthday parties and other gatherings.

Featured photo: Chucksters. Courtesy photo.

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