After a successful revival year in 2022, Taco Tour returns on Thursday, May 4, and will feature its largest roster of participating vendors yet, along with two stages of live local music acts throughout the evening.
The Greater Manchester Chamber took the reins of Taco Tour last year, the first to take place since 2019.
“The crowd size was huge,” event director Cole Riel said of last year’s Taco Tour. “To have such a crowd in downtown Manchester, something we just didn’t see happening a lot since Covid, was a big win for the city and it has brought a lot of momentum for us into this year.”
Of about 1,000 of last year’s attendees surveyed by the Chamber, Riel said 73 percent reported discovering a new restaurant that had opened in the area, and 83 percent said they planned to come back to downtown Manchester in the near future. Collected data and feedback from last year’s Taco Tour among restaurants and attendees, Riel said, has aided the Chamber in making several key improvements to the event this time around.
“Everyone has to sign up to do a minimum of 1,000 tacos to be involved, which was not a parameter for participation in the past,” he said. “For most folks that we talked to, it’s between 1,500 and 2,500 tacos, and then some will continue to sell a little bit after. … So everyone now has a better sense of the scale that they will need going forward, and having that in place is going to be huge for everyone to prep.”
He added that the Chamber will also take active steps to manage long lines that form.
“There were a number of lines that kind of zig-zagged all over, and so we’ll have volunteers,” he said, adding that “end of the line” markers will be in place. “Folks can go online to sign up to volunteer and help us keep the lines organized.”
Around 90 restaurants, food trucks and other businesses have signed up to serve tacos this year. They’ll be set up all along Elm Street, which will be closed to vehicular traffic between Bridge and Granite streets. As in previous years, no price of admission is required — taco lovers are invited to simply come down to Elm Street any time during the event’s four-hour period and eat as many tacos as they can for $3 apiece.
“Attendees should expect everyone to be cash only,” Riel said. “That’s the easiest way that we found for speed of processing, and then at the same time too, obviously, cellular issues with so many people in a tight area … can always cause some hang-ups.”
Tacos won’t just be served on Elm either — eateries and other businesses will be set up along many connecting side streets, some of which will have some closures of their own.
“I’m excited for our friends who will be over on Hanover Street,” Riel said. “We have Industry East, who I’ve been told is coming from the trophy this year. Then we also have City Hall Pub, which wasn’t open when we had the event this time last year, so we’re excited to welcome them. … We also have The Potato Concept coming, and they’ll be doing a ‘PoTaco.’”
Other participants this year include bluAqua Restrobar, serving an alligator and andouille taco with steak chimichurri; The Wild Rover Pub, which will have a shepherd’s pie taco; and the newly opened Alas de Frida Mexican Restaurant & Bar, offering chipotle chicken tacos with grilled onions. Several vegan and vegetarian options are also expected — The Sleazy Vegan food truck, for instance, will serve a jackfruit taco with a mango-jalapeño salsa, while The Green Beautiful Vegan Cafe plans to have a “meaty” mushroom taco with red cabbage slaw, pickled peppers and an avocado crema, alongside a side of vegan street corn.
A downloadable map is expected to be available online at TacoTourManchester.com soon. Free shuttle buses will be making regular stops at several key points around the city, including Murphy’s Taproom, the Restoration Cafe and the Currier Museum of Art.
“That’s kind of a different path that people can take that won’t be busy,” Riel said. “It’ll be sort of like a ‘Choose your own adventure’ Taco Tour, just to help people out with planning in advance and making the map easier to understand.”
New to this year’s Taco Tour is live entertainment, including a concert stage at Veterans Memorial Park that will feature Jeffrey Gaines, Frank Viele and local rock group Best Not Broken. On a bandstand by the intersection of Bridge and Elm streets, performers will include Colleen Green, Manchester power pop band Donaher, and reggae rock group Supernothing.
Similar to last year, attendees can go to the event website to cast their vote for the best taco. The winning vendor will receive $1,000 to give to a nonprofit of their choice, in addition to a “Golden Taco” trophy. The “Most Creative Taco” will also be awarded this year — that winner will get a glass taco trophy created by StudioVerne of Manchester.
“We’ll keep voting open through Friday [May 5], … and then we’ll alert the winner sometime that weekend,” Riel said.
Taco Tour Manchester When: Thursday, May 4, 4 to 8 p.m. Where: Participating businesses stationed on Elm Street and various connecting side streets in downtown Manchester Cost: $3 per taco (cash only) Visit: tacotourmanchester.com Event is rain or shine and is dog-friendly. Elm Street will be shut down to vehicular traffic between Bridge and Granite streets for the duration of the event, as will a few side streets.
Featured photo: Downtown Manchester’s Taco Tour returns on Thursday, May 4. Photo by Ethos & Able Creative.
Symphony New Hampshire is celebrating its centennial
For a century, Symphony New Hampshire has been bringing classical music to the Granite State. On its 100th birthday, the symphony will perform a concert featuring music from the first performance in 1923 and will host a gala celebrating the landmark anniversary.
“All of this has been daunting and exciting at the same time to celebrate 100 years,” said Deanna Hoying, the executive director of the symphony. “This whole season has been about that.”
The symphony will perform Antonin Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, featuring internationally renowned cellist Amit Peled, and Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B minor ‘Unfinished,’ both of which were performed during its very first concert. The program will be rounded out with ‘On the Beautiful Blue Danube’ by J. Strauss Jr. and Johannes Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 5.
Hoying said it was important for the symphony to celebrate the music and its legacy, which was a main reason it partnered with Peled for this concert. She added that this concert is just as important to the local arts community in New Hampshire as it is to the music world.
“This is a celebration of the arts in New Hampshire … and that they’re alive and well in the state,” Hoying said. “Maybe this is the end of the first chapter [for the symphony], but we’re going to open the book, turn the page to the next chapter.”
The gala following the reception will be opened by a poem written and read especially for the event by New Hampshire’s Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary. The symphony also partnered with artist William Mitchel, who made custom prints commemorating the event. Hoying said that, due to board members’ reserving prints in advance, there will be fewer than 100 copies for the public to snatch up.
To Hoying, this event is about giving thanks to the directors of the symphony, the musicians, the patrons of the arts, and the music lovers who came before.
“One hundred years of patrons and musicians and artists that struggled to keep Symphony New Hampshire going — we owe a large debt of gratitude to all of them when they struggled and weren’t sure what would come next,” said Hoying. “We stand on their shoulders and say thank you.”
Even with the symphony standing tall now, Hoying remembers the fear during the pandemic. She and members of the symphony’s board remember worrying over the future of live music in New Hampshire. The symphony is in a much more comfortable position since the first show after the pandemic’s end in 2021, which Hoying said only inspires them to do more.
“We’re really excited for the next 100 years; that’s why we called this concert ‘Momentum,’” Hoying said. “When we started thinking about this, momentum felt right. The momentum from the last 100 years will carry us to what we look like in year 101, 105 and 110.”
Symphony NH: Momentum! 100 Year Anniversary Concert Where: Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St. When: Saturday, April 29, at 4 p.m. Price: Adult tickets start at $39, senior tickets at $34, student and youth tickets at $12 Visit: nashuacenterforthearts.com
Featured photo: Symphony NH’s full orchestra. Courtesy photo.
Plants to attract birds, bees and other pollinators
By Matt Ingersoll, Angie Sykeny and Katelyn Sahagian mingersoll@hippopress.com
A gorgeous garden isn’t just about creating the perfect landscape. Choosing the right plants helps to foster an environment where native bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and other key pollinators can thrive.
“When we say pollination, what we’re referring to is essentially the fertilization of these plants to be able to reproduce, so part of it is maintaining and increasing that genetic diversity for these plants so that they can continue to survive,” said Stephanie Sosinski, program manager for home horticulture at the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension’s Education Center in Goffstown. “Pollinators are such an important part of the greater ecosystem, and even birds who aren’t necessarily pollinators are also part of that. They eat the larvae of the insects that pollinate the plant.”
Most pollinators are not generalists. In fact, Sosinski noted that “a pretty high percentage” of them are attracted to very specific species of plants, sometimes even just by their color.
“For bees, it would be white, blue, purple and yellow flowers,” she said. “If we’re thinking about hummingbirds, they tend to be attracted to reds. … The quality of the flower will also sometimes give you a hint. The coneflower is easy for bees to land on to get the pollen.”
Pollinator-friendly plants include everything from perennials (which come back year after year) and annuals (which only live for one growing season) to herbs, shrubs and some trees, all with a wide range of blooming stages, from early spring to late fall. Choosing the right ones for your garden, Sosinski said, may come down to its overall layout.
“You definitely want to think about which plants fit the site that you have,” she said. “Look at what amount of light it gets, whether it’s full sun or partial shade, and you definitely also want to think about moisture. Is it a well-draining area, is it really sandy or is it wet more often? Those are all things to consider. … You want to give your plant the full ability to succeed, so you want to make sure you give them all the right stuff.”
When visiting a nursery or garden center, it’s important to understand the difference between a New England native plant and a nativar or cultivar — some are OK for pollinators and others are not, said Donna Miller, of Petals in the Pines in Canterbury.
“A nativar or a cultivar is a native plant that’s been bred for some reason,” she said. “A rule of thumb that we use is to strive for about 70 percent natives and 30 percent cultivars in your garden. … It’s OK to have cultivars, but you don’t want them to dominate your landscape.”
Cultivars are more likely to have a prettier bloom or nicer look, said Becky Stoughton, a master gardener for UNH. While the beauty is enhanced, it can take away from the benefits. Stoughton said there are coneflowers that have been cultivated to have double blossoms, but those flowers are sterile, meaning they don’t produce pollen, so they are useless to pollinators.
Stoughton said planting and cultivating plants for aesthetics alone is a habit that she and some of her gardening friends are still unlearning.
“Our dependence on plants for not just their beauty [but] for other things … we lost it for a while, we got focused on the aesthetic,” she said. “It’s not just us that has to benefit from [the plant].”
The big question becomes, when looking for pollinators, how do you recognize cultivars and nativars? Miller recommends reading the tag on the plant.
“It should have the scientific name for plants, the genus and species. It’s usually in italic print,” she said, “and following that, if there’s another name and it has single quote marks around it. If you see something that has a name like that, then you know it’s a nativar. There are some that are good for pollinators, but it’s one of those things where you’ve got to kind of do your research and know which ones are fine and which ones aren’t.”
Miller is part of the Pollinator Garden Certification Committee, a joint effort between UNH and UMaine Cooperative Extensions that encourages growers to get their gardens certified as pollinator-friendly. Gardeners can apply online through UMaine Cooperative Extension’s website.
“Most people, if they just fill it out with all the different required criteria, pass pretty easily,” Miller said. “The thing that’s significant is that it’s all straight native species, so nativars and cultivars are not included whatsoever. … Once you pass, then you can order a sign that says you’re certified, and you can put it in your garden or yard. It’s a great conversation-starter.”
Here’s a list of several pollinator-friendly plants as suggested by local gardening and horticulture experts. We’ve included details on the conditions they prefer, as well as the types of pollinators they will attract.
American cranberrybush
Viburnum trilobum
American cranberrybush. Photo by John Hixson.
Life facts: Deciduous shrub that can grow up to 8 to 12 feet tall and wide, with multiple stems
How it comes: Available as a potted shrub at local nurseries and garden centers, likely in a 1-gallon or slightly larger pot
Care: According to Amy Papineau, landscape and greenhouse horticulture field specialist for UNH Cooperative Extension, this shrub naturally grows in boggy areas but also grows nicely in gardens.
“It has nice clusters of bright, red berries that are edible. They just have a hard seed in the middle and are a bit sour,” she said.
While a great option for pollinators, the American cranberrybush is one of several viburnums vulnerable to the viburnum leaf beetle, which can be a problem pest in some landscapes.
Who likes it: Blooming in the spring, the American cranberrybush does best in medium to moist soil and full sun to part shade.
“It’s a really valuable food source for those early-season native bees, and also butterflies,” Papineau said. “Those berries also persist into the fall, so they are a good food source for birds.”
Arrowwood viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Life facts: Deciduous shrub that grows about 6 to 10 feet tall and wide, with multiple stems
How it comes: Available as a potted shrub at local nurseries and garden centers, likely in a 1-gallon or slightly larger pot
Care: According to Papineau, the arrowwood viburnum blooms in mid-summer and is very easy to care for, due to its adaptability.
“It grows in a variety of soils and full sun to part shade,” she said. “It can look really kind of tidy and nice, and in the fall it has some really nice red or yellow foliage, so it’s something that people really like to plant for that fall color.”
Who likes it: The arrowwood viburnum has large clusters of lacy white flowers that are very attractive to native bees.
“This is one that honey bees are also particularly attracted to, because it has a lot of nectar,” Papineau said. “Butterflies also really like this plant.”
Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Bergamot. Photo courtesy of Donna Miller.
Life facts: This perennial grows 4 to 5 feet tall and yields pink blossoms in July and August.
How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online.
“It can spread easily, but also can be edited if it gets too aggressive,” Miller said.
Care: Bergamot can tolerate dry soil, enjoys full to part sun and grows well in meadows and old fields, but can also find its place in a perennial back border, according to Miller. When planting, be sure to give each plant space to grow for good airflow between them.
Who likes it: Miller said bergamot’s blooms are “one of the top pollinator attractants,” and that bergamot is one of the best plant choices for bumble bees.
Black-eyed susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Life facts: This annual is a forgiving flower to beginner gardeners. The 2- to 4-foot-high plant blooms later in the season, from June to September.
How it comes: Usually, black-eyed Susans are available in pots at nurseries and garden centers.
Care: These flowers prefer full sun, six to eight hours a day, and are very durable.
Who likes it: Because of their late-season blooms, Stoughton said, black-eyed susans are popular with many different pollinators.
“It’s a nice late bloomer, which is good at that time of the year,” she said. “There’s not a lot blooming [then] and it really catches your eyes and must catch pollinators’ eyes, too.”
Blazing star
Liatris
Life facts: This perennial flowering plant grows in clustered groupings and can be 2 to 5 feet tall. It needs full sun to thrive.
How it comes: While there are a few nurseries that sell it as a potted plant, Stoughton said she hasn’t come across many that way. “It’s easy to order online,” Stoughton said. “Liatris is [received] more often that way, and you plant it as a bulb.”
Care: Like other drought-friendly plants, blazing stars need to be watered well until they are established in the garden. After it’s healthy and thriving, it can survive on very little water and maintenance.
Who likes it: Stoughton said blazing stars are enjoyed by a variety of pollinators, including different types of bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.
Common buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Common buttonbush. Photo by Lee Page.
Life facts: Deciduous shrub, can grow anywhere from 6 to 12 feet tall, with multiple stems
How it comes: Available as a potted shrub at local nurseries and garden centers, likely in a 1-gallon or slightly larger pot
Care: Papineau said the common buttonbush blooms from early to mid-summer, and thrives best when placed on a garden’s woodland border.
“It’s not something you’d put in the middle of a landscape, but it does really well kind of on the edge,” she said. “It really likes rich, moist soil. It can take shade but really needs some good soil to do well.”
Who likes it: The common buttonbush is characterized by its ball-shaped white flowers, resembling little pincushions.
“They’re a little bit smaller than a ping pong ball,” Papineau said. “Bees really love them, so lots of native bees, honey bees and also butterflies will all just cover this plant when it’s blooming.”
Coneflowers
Echinacea
Life facts: These perennial flowers are part of the daisy family and can grow up to 4 feet tall. They do best in full sunlight. “[It’s] a good reliable garden plant,” Stoughton said. “They make a nice cut flower, too.”
How it comes: These plants are most often bought at nurseries and should be planted while still small.
Care: These flowers are remarkably sturdy and don’t need much attending once they’re established. The stems do need to be cut back in the late fall, after they wither or at the first frost. These flowers are also self-seeding, so once planted, it’s possible for them to grow into a large patch.
Who likes it: Coneflowers are extremely popular with bees and butterflies because of the bright colors, and birds, especially finches, are known to use the wide seed heads as a resting spot.
Golden alexander
Zizia aurea
Golden alexander. Photo courtesy of Donna Miller.
Life facts: This perennial “brings a ray of sunshine to your garden in early summer,” Miller said. A member of the carrot family, it will grow to about 2 feet tall, with a 3- to 4-inch-wide bright yellow umbel-shaped flower that will bloom in May and June.
How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online.
“Seeds are easy to collect at the end of the season for propagating more plants,” Miller said.
Care: Miller said this “very low-maintenance and deer-resistant” plant prefers to live in average soil in part sun to part shade.
Who likes it: Black swallowtail butterflies find this one hard to resist, Miller said.
Goldenrod
Solidago
Life facts: This perennial flowering plant can grow up to 3 feet tall. It’s an aggressive spreader, but not considered an invasive species, Stoughton said, because it is native to New Hampshire.
How it comes: It can come in seeds or as a plant at nurseries.
Care: This plant needs very little watering, as it is drought-tolerant, and does best in full sunlight.
Who likes it: The plant is native and is good for all pollinators and local wildlife. Stoughton did say that it grows incredibly quickly and might need to be cut back.
Highbush blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
Life facts: Deciduous shrub, grows about 6 to 12 feet high but can be pruned to a manageable 3 to 5 feet high
How it comes: Available as a potted shrub at local nurseries and garden centers, likely in a 1-gallon or slightly larger pot
Care: According to Papineau, this is the native blueberry you’ll find growing in the woods, especially around lakes and ponds, and in local pick-your-own blueberry farms.
“Lots of people like to have a blueberry plant or several in their yard,” she said. “The flowers on blueberries … are like a bell-shaped flower that comes out in the late spring, early summer.”
Who likes it: The highbush blueberry, Papineau said, is a particularly valuable plant to our native bumble bees.
“You’ll see lots of very small native bees on the blueberry, but also bumble bees. It’s one of their favorite plants,” she said.
Hydrangea
Hydrangea paniculata
Life facts: Deciduous shrub that grows anywhere from 3 to 14 feet tall.
How it comes: The shrub is sold in 1- or 3-gallon planters.
Care: Stoughton said hydrangeas are easy to care for and do best in a full-sun environment.
Who likes it: What people think of as each hydrangea flower is actually made of dozens of individual blooms. This gives bees and other pollinators the perfect place to swarm and eat.
“It will be filled with several hundred pollinators when in bloom. It’s amazing,” Stoughton said of the shrub in her own garden.
Mountain mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Life facts: The distinctive silver and green foliage of this perennial “makes it a very worthy choice for a meadow or perennial border,” Miller said. It grows 3 to 5 feet tall, and its button-like white and light purple flowers bloom in July and August.
How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online.
“As with all mints, it will spread, but not as quickly as peppermint or spearmint,” Miller said. “Pick a few stems to add interesting texture and color to a flower bouquet, but leave the rest for the pollinators.”
Care: Mountain mint prefers full to part sun and succeeds in most soil types, Miller said.
Who likes it: A wide range of bees and pollinators are attracted to mountain mint, according to Miller.
New England aster
Aster novae-angliae, also known as Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
New England aster. Photo courtesy of Donna Miller.
Life facts: This perennial is “perhaps the best-known aster,” Miller said. It will grow 3 to 6 feet tall and sprout bright purple flowers.
“When you see these blooming, it’s a sure sign of fall,” Miller said.
How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online.
Care: According to Miller, New England asters prefer full sun to light shade and do well in loamy soils but will tolerate most other soil types, except for dry soils. If you want to avoid having to stake them, cut the plants back by mid-July to keep them at a more manageable height.
Who likes it:New England aster is the host plant for the pearl crescent butterfly, and is an important nectar source for bees and other pollinators as well.
“You’ll likely find monarch butterflies feeding from it, fueling up for their migration to Mexico,” Miller said.
New Jersey tea
Ceanothus americanus
Life facts: Deciduous shrub, grows fairly low to about 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide
How it comes: Available as a potted shrub at local nurseries and garden centers, likely in a 1-gallon or slightly larger pot
Care: The New Jersey tea, Papineau said, is adaptable to lots of different situations, whether it’s moist or dry soil or full sun to part shade.
“It blooms early in the season, so kind of like late spring, early summer, and it’s just a really easy plant to grow,” Papineau said.
Who likes it: New Jersey teas feature clusters of delicate white flowers, making them very attractive to all kinds of species of native bees.
“Hummingbirds will even take some nectar from these,” Papineau said. “It’s not the hummingbirds’ favorite plant, but they will eat from it. But mostly, lots of different bees, butterflies and moths all really like this plant.”
Pussy willow
Salix discolor
Pussy willow. Photo by R.W. Smith.
Life facts: Deciduous shrub, can grow up to 20 to 25 feet high with multiple stems, but can also be cut back all the way to the ground every two to three years to keep smaller
How it comes: Available as a potted shrub at local nurseries and garden centers, likely in a 1-gallon or slightly larger pot
Care: According to Papineau, pussy willows prefer moist soil and overall sunny conditions.
“This is one that doesn’t tolerate very dry soil,” she said. “Typically how it’s grown in a landscape is you let it grow for a few years and then chop it down to the ground and let it re-grow, and you can do that over and over.”
Who likes it: Pussy willows, Papineau said, grow small oval-shaped clusters of flowers with silky soft hairs on them called catkins.
“The ones with the male flowers, those catkins are bigger, and as they open up the stamens … get covered in pollen,” she said. “They open in very early spring. So this is a plant that the bees are out foraging pollen [from] right now to get their spring protein.”
Raspberry and blackberry shrubs
Rubus idaeus
Life facts: These fruit-bearing shrubs grow between 5 and 8 feet tall, with flowers showing in the late spring and fruit coming in the summer and early fall.
How it comes: They are sold as seedlings at garden centers.
Care: These bushes need to be pruned twice a year, need six to eight hours of sunlight, and need regular watering.
Who likes it: Any pollinator will use the flowers from raspberry and blackberry shrubs, Stoughton said.
“Pollinators are necessary to get the parts we like,” Stoughton added about the bushes. “There’s a nice symbiotic relationship, because we don’t get the berries unless they pollinate the flowers.”
Swamp milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Swamp milkweed. Photo courtesy of Donna Miller.
Life facts: This perennial tends to get a bad rap as it’s often associated with common milkweed, also known as asclepias syriaca.
“[Common milkweed] is often seen growing aggressively in old fields and along roadsides, and if it has found its way into your yard, it has likely spread by vigorous underground rhizomes,” Miller said.
The difference, she said, is that swamp milkweed has a fibrous root system and won’t spread like the common variety, making it “a better-behaved alternative.”
Growing 4 to 5 feet tall, swamp milkweed is “a great back border plant,” Miller said, and will sprout pink and white blossoms in July and August.
How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online.
Care: You don’t need a swamp to grow this plant, Miller said, but it does prefer moist soil, so keep it well-watered in dry spells. Plant it in full sun for best results.
Who likes it:Milkweed is best known as the monarch butterfly’s host plant — you can expect its leaves to be covered with monarch caterpillars — but its blooms will also attract all kinds of bees and other pollinators, Miller said.
White wood aster
Aster divaricatus, also known as eurybia divaricata
Life facts: This perennial grows about 1 to 2 feet in height and “is a good candidate for ground cover under trees,” Miller said.
“Covered with white daisy-like flowers with yellow to purple centers, it will offer a nice pop of color in the early fall,” she said.
How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online. After its first season, it can spread by seed and rhizomes, without being “overly aggressive,” Miller said.
Care: This particular aster is very easy to grow, according to Miller, and is adaptable to most soil types and part shade.
Who likes it: Asters, along with goldenrods, make up the largest food source for pollinators in the fall, according to Miller.
“Bees will depend on it for food when fewer flowers are available, and birds will eat the seeds in the winter,” she said.
Wild cherry tree
Prunus avium
Life facts: This deciduous tree can grow to be 105 feet tall, with a trunk 5 feet in diameter.
How it comes: Unlike most of the plants on this list, the easiest way to get access to the wild cherry tree is through the New Hampshire State Forest Nursery, Stoughton said. “Every year, in January and February, they take orders for plants and master gardeners take cuttings and divisions and prep them to be provided to the people that want them,” Stoughton said, adding that she’ll be bringing a sapling to a garden sale soon.
Care: Stoughton said wild cherry trees are some of the easiest to care for. She said that, since planting hers, she’s done practically nothing for it and it’s still thriving.
Who likes it: Stoughton said that, because the tree blooms so early in the year (hers are getting ready to bloom now), almost all pollinators like the flowers. Wild cherry trees give the pollinators a good source of food for the beginning of the season.
Wild columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Life facts: This perennial woodland flower, with a red bell shape and yellow center, will bloom in May and June and is “a great choice for the early season,” Miller said.
“The 12- to 18-inch flower stems come up out of the center of a beautiful mound of green foliage,” she said.
How it comes: Well-established potted plants, available where plants are sold, or by seed, which can be ordered online. After the plant’s first season in your garden, let the flowers dry on the stem after blooming.
“You will be able to hear the seeds rattle inside by the end of the summer,” Miller said. “They can self-sow near the mother plant, or you can cut the stem and sprinkle the seeds where you would like them to grow. This is a fun activity to do with kids.”
Care: Easy to grow, wild columbine will thrive in part sun and part shade in well-drained soils, Miller said.
Who likes it: This nectar-rich flower is a favorite among hummingbirds and long-tongued bees, according to Miller.
Deer-resistant plants While considering which pollinator-friendly plants to add to your garden, you may also be thinking about what can possibly keep the deer away. Deer-resistant plants are those that deer are known for being much less likely to eat. “The key word is ‘resistant,’ but not ‘deer-proof,’” said Stephanie Sosinski, program manager for home horticulture at the UNH Cooperative Extension’s Education Center in Goffstown. “Deer will eat just about anything if they’re hungry enough.” Despite this, Sosinski said there are several plants deer are less likely to gravitate toward, whether it’s because of their unattractive taste, texture or smell. Joe Pye weed (eutrochium purpureum), beebalm (monarda didyma) and common milkweed (asclepias syriaca), she said, are a few examples of well-known deer-resistant plants for these reasons, as is lamb’s-ear (stachys byzantina). “If you’re familiar with lamb’s-ear, it’s a very fuzzy leaf and the deer don’t really want to eat that,” Sosinski said, “but it is a pretty addition to your garden’s aesthetic. … Part of it, I would say, is all about observing what’s in your own backyard and seeing what’s growing there already and creating a balance. You can certainly plant things that they won’t go after and put those around what they would go after.”
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has announced the planned departure of Director of the Division for Children, Youth and Families Joe Ribsam on June 1 after five years of service. According to a press release, Ribsam has accepted the position of Director of Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Policy at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a nationally recognized foundation focused on the well-being of children and youth. Under Ribsam’s leadership, DCYF and the broader child welfare system have implemented several child welfare system improvements, including a children’s system of care for behavioral health; Kinship Navigator programs to support extended family and caregivers of children; a new juvenile justice assessment process that has prevented many youth from having to enter the formal justice system; community-based voluntary services that provide support to at-risk families; peer support for parents; expanded support from foster care health professionals and specialists; new evidence-based programs to increase children’s safety; the HOPE program, a voluntary foster care program that allows foster families to provide continuing support to youth ages 18 through 21 for voluntary foster care, and partnerships with housing authorities to prevent children from having to enter foster care due to a family’s housing instability. Over the past few years there has been a 25 percent decrease in the number of children placed in out-of-home care, and New Hampshire currently has the lowest combined rate of youth detention and commitment in the country. DHHS Interim Commissioner Lori Weaver will work to ensure continued support for the child welfare transformation efforts developed during Ribsam’s tenure.
Caregiver honored
Easterseals NH, VT and Farnum, Easterseals NH’s substance abuse treatment program, will honor Roberta Coutu with the Eliot Priest Founder’s Award at Farnum’s 10th Annual Spirit of Hope Event on Tuesday, May 2, at 6 p.m. at The Factory on Willow (252 Willow St., Manchester). According to a press release, Coutu, an eight-year employee of Farnum, supports individuals with substance use disorders on and off the job and helps them enter sober living. “Roberta’s commitment to Farnum and the people we serve is boundless,” Annette Escalante, Senior Vice President for Substance Use Treatment at Easterseals NH, VT and Farnum, said in the release. “She makes everyone who comes through our doors feel safe and at ease at a difficult time in their lives. We are all inspired by her connection with our clients and their families.” The public is welcome to attend the event, and tickets are available at easterseals.com/nh/get-involved/events.
Bike month
New Hampshire celebrates National Bike Month in May with a variety of events throughout the state to celebrate bikes and the people who ride them. According to a press release, this year’s schedule includes National Bike and Roll to School Day on May 3; the Chester Police Department Bike Rodeo on May 6; National Ride a Bike Day on May 7; National Bike to Work Week from May 15 through May 21; The Tour De Francestown 25/50 mile gravel rides on May 20; the New Boston Rail Trail 6-Mile Bike Event on May 21 and more. Visit bwanh.org/calendar to see the full schedule of events.
Energy week
New Hampshire Energy Week — a five-day series of events highlighting prominent energy topics and issues and bringing together leading experts to discuss energy solutions and share their knowledge — will take place Monday, May 1, through Friday, May 5. According to a newsletter, this year’s schedule includes a virtual kickoff event on Monday at 10 a.m., featuring the City of Nashua’s Energy Manager and environmental TikTok influencer Doria Brown and others live via YouTube; followed by a virtual “Investing in Resilience” panel on Tuesday at 11 a.m.; energy trivia and an electric vehicle showcase on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Smuttynose Brewery in Hampton; and a virtual energy career and resource fair on Thursday at 11 a.m.; concluding with an event at the Bank of NH Stage in Concord on Friday at 1 p.m., featuring a number of speakers discussing “Powering New Hampshire’s Energy Future.” Visit nhenergyfuture.org/nhew for details and to register for events.
Old Man
A virtual remembrance event marking 20 years since the collapse of New Hampshire’s iconic rock face known as Old Man of the Mountain will be held on Wednesday, May 3, at 11 a.m., at OldManNH.org. According to a press release, the event will feature storytelling and an opportunity for attendees to share their stories and memories of the Old Man. “People from around the world still have an emotional attachment to the Old Man,” Brian Fowler, President of The Old Man of the Mountain Legacy Fund board, said in the release. “We want to collect and share these stories during this special year, so we’re inviting folks to share their stories with us to highlight just how fondly we all remember the Old Man.” The Old Man of the Mountain Legacy Fund board has also organized The Old Man of the Mountain Scavenger Hunt Challenge, which will kick off the same day and continue through the summer in Franconia Notch State Park, concluding with a family fun day at the Old Man Plaza on Aug. 3.
One lane of the bridge that carries Route 111A in Fremont over the Exeter River will be closed for several weeks for maintenance work, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Traffic will be restricted to a single lane, with alternating travel controlled by a temporary signalized system. Real-time traffic news can be found at newengland511.org, and travelers can sign up for “My511” alerts to stay informed about incidents and construction work.
New Hampshire Roller Derby returns to the JFK Memorial Coliseum in Manchester (303 Beech St.) with its season-opening doubleheader on Saturday, April 29, at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $12 at the door, and admission is free for kids age 12 and under and veterans, according to the website. More home bouts are scheduled for Saturdays, May 20, June 24 and Aug. 5. Visit nhrollerderby.com.
The Craftworkers’ Guild’s Spring Craft Shop opens on Thursday, May 4, at the historic Kendall House in Bedford (5 Meetinghouse Road). Browse handmade items by more than 50 juried artisans and craftspeople, including seasonal decor, photography, fine art and prints, cards, gourmet treats, woodworking, fiber and fabrics, sewn and knit specialties, stained and fused glass art, mixed media, jewelry, doll clothes and more. The shop will be open through Saturday, May 13, daily, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the website. Visit thecraftworkersguild.org.
John Craigie and Langhorne Slim co-bill in Concord
Every John Craigie concert has two sides. His songs are sweet, lingering earworms, with lyricism that’s soothing, provocative and often hilarious. The latter trait is the other part of experiencing Craigie; his comedy talent has earned him comparisons to Mitch Hedberg, even though he’s a storyteller and Hedberg was an absurdist with a skill for the one-liner.
Both share a beat poet delivery. Marry that jazzy cadence to Arlo Guthrie’s breeziness and perhaps feed it an edible, and you’ll have a sense of why fans love Craigie, and the reason other musicians tend to find ways to work with him, such as Jack Johnson, Mary Chapin Carpenter and, most recently, Langhorne Slim.
The two met at last year’s Newport Folk Festival. Craigie played two sets that weekend. The second was a last-minute addition when another artist canceled their appearance. Billed as John Craigie & Friends, it consisted of Beatles songs. He’d just recorded Let It Be Lonely, the latest in a series of live Fab Four cover records; Revolver will be next.
Slim joined him for “I Dig a Pony,” and the two were quickly smitten. “We had mutual friends,” Craigie said by phone recently. “I’d never met him before, but we started talking and he agreed to do that one song with me, and it was really fun.” A short tour, stopping in Concord April 24, resulted.
“I’m really excited to have our crowds mix together and kind of bounce off each other,” Craigie continued. “He’s got a great stage presence, as you probably know. At the end of the night, we’ll do a handful of stuff together for sure…. I think the audiences really like that, because you get something that really makes the show unique.”
Layered with electric texture, Craigie’s studio albums are the opposite of his live shows. For example, “Microdose,” which leads off 2022’s Mermaid Salt, ends with a jazzy dreamscape of multiple guitars. That’s not happening when Craigie hits the stage. On tour, it’s typically just him and his instrument, which suits him fine.
“You’re still very free, and you can talk just as long as the crowd will have you, but when there’s four or five people, kinda twiddling their thumbs behind you, I’m not quite as relaxed,” he said, adding, “my audiences have never said to me, like, ‘Where’s the band?’ It seems to me that what they want is what I’ve been giving them.”
Born in Southern California, Craigie found his musical voice while attending UC Santa Cruz, a few hundred miles north. “L.A. felt very particular and precious; I didn’t feel very free to sit and play my guitar casually,” he said. In the laid-back beach town, “music felt like a much more natural thing … to sort of practice to an audience of people that was very nice, forgiving and pleasant.”
There’s a lot of religious skepticism in Craigie’s lyrics. “It’s a war of the gods … I never picked a side,” he sings at one point. “Is this the Rapture or just the first wave?” is his refrain on “Laurie Rolled Me A J,” one of the best depictions of lockdown neurosis to come out of the pandemic.
Some of this can be attributed to his attending parochial school in a milieu where “there was no way for them to shield us from anything,” he said. “A vague Christianity was how I like to call the way that the Catholics raised me.”
The ’90s milieu offered a weird melting pot of belief and non-belief systems, Craigie continued.
“Kids at that time were going through this born-again thing, so I was meeting hardcore Christians, getting that sort of window … meeting Mormons, people like that,” he said, “All that coming together gave me an understanding, while the society I was in was also heavily rejecting Christianity. I think it was a combination of all that stuff.”
Langhorne Slim & John Craigie When: Monday, April 24, 8 p.m. Where: Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord Tickets: $30.75 and $53.75 and up at ccanh.com
Featured photo: John Craigie. Photo by Keith Berson.
Dracula’s familiar would like to reevaluate his toxic work situation in Renfield, a gore-filled and yet very cute comedy.
Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), he of the bug-eating and the “yes, master”-ing, is sick of working for Dracula (Nicolas Cage), a total diva of a boss who makes Renfield bring him people to eat. And, much in the manner of Miranda Priestly demanding very specific coffee from Starbucks, Dracula can be picky about the quality of the humans he’s offered. Dracula is also sort of low on funds after centuries of having to make getaways when his bloodlust is found out, so Renfield has to take care of an injured and slowly recovering Dracula in an abandoned hospital in New Orleans. And to procure these people for which he is shown little appreciation, he has to eat bugs, which give him a shot of Dracula strength.
Perhaps it’s good that Renfield has found a support group for people who are also in toxic relationships. He can listen to other people talk about how hard it is to stand up to the people who have power over them — and he can go find those bullies and drag them to Dracula, which makes Renfield feel like all his murder isn’t, you know, all bad.
But a complainy Dracula sends Renfield out to find a better group of people for his boss to eat — nuns or cheerleaders or something, Dracula says, with much the same energy of a louche aging rock star demanding a better class of groupies. Renfield heads to a club to do just that but ends up in the middle of a gangland hit. Tedward Lobo (Ben Schwartz — just 100 percent doing Jean-Ralphio from Parks and Recreation), son of Lobos gang head Bellafrancesca Lobo (Shohreh Aghdashloo), is there with a bunch of goons to kill Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), a police officer who is determined to bring down the Lobos (who killed her police officer father). Rebecca doesn’t blink when Tedward holds a gun to her head, instantly dazzling Renfield with her strength and bravery. Thusly he finds a bug to eat and helps her defeat the Lobos. Of course the Lobos don’t love this, so they go looking for Renfield just as Renfield starts to make a serious attempt to break away from Dracula, getting his own studio apartment and buying some pastel sweaters from Macy’s.
Renfield is good-naturedly silly — a good-naturedly silly movie where sometimes dudes get their arms torn off. It keeps the vampire lore to a minimum, goes easy on the quippiness (it’s there but it’s not wall to wall) and offers plenty of opportunities for Nicolas Cage to just take center stage and do his thing. And does he! He dives in with enthusiasm and fully commits to every increasingly hammy bit of Dracula-ness. I’ll bet those spiky teeth he has to wear were unpleasant to have in his mouth but he really does make every moment count with his open-mouth hisses and big vampire smiles. Everything about him, from the increasingly slicked back hair to his specific style of imperious whining, is just note-perfect. B-
Rated R for bloody violence, some gore, language throughout and some drug use, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Chris McKay with a screenplay by Ryan Ridley, Renfield is a brisk hour and 33 minutes long and distributed by Universal Studios.
The Pope’s Exorcist (R)
Russell Crowe eagerly tucks into the plate of spicy meat-ah-balls that is his Italian accent in The Pope’s Exorcist, which is based on the real life of the Rev. Gabriele Amorth — have fun with that Wikipedia page.
Crowe’s accent is great in the sense that he seems to be having a great time with it. I mean, does it have a stagey quaility that reinforces my theory that this movie is a low-key comedy? Sure, but the kid with the veiny skin and the devil voice is pretty standard-issue possession movie stuff, why not have a little fun with it.
The Rev. Gabriele Amorth (Crowe) is a noted exorcist in the Catholic Church. He is also, as we witness in his opening exorcism, a guy who appreciates that sometimes what people need isn’t an exorcism but to believe they’re getting an exorcism. As he explains to a skeptical panel of Vatican dudes later, 98 percent of his cases need doctors or therapists. The other two percent are E-vil, much in the style of the Paramount + TV show Evil, which is a giddy delight particularly if you’ve ever spent any time in CCD as a kid.
Meanwhile, it’s the latter half of the 1980s and a widowed mom, Julia (Alex Essoe), moves with her two kids — angry teenager Amy (Laurel Marsden) and traumatized little brother Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) — to a castle/former abbey in Spain that is her late husband’s sole asset of value. The plan is to renovate and flip this property to raise some cash to take back to the U.S. Neither kid is happy about moving to Spain — not Amy, who flips her mom the bird when she’s not ignoring her, and not Henry, who has been silent since he saw his father killed in a car accident. Very quickly, though, they figure out that this ancient church structure in Spain is not a particularly happy place to have moved (once you see it you’ll think that it would have been more shocking if an ancient evil didn’t dwell in its crumbling walls). Naturally, one of the children is quickly possessed and, because it’s more disturbing for younger kids to say sassy things to priests in a deep voice, Henry is the child who wins the demon lottery.
Eventually, Gabriele is sent by the pope (Franco Nero) to Spain to investigate Henry’s situation. There, Gabriele teams up with the Rev. Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto), who was told during his initial evaluation of the demon-Henry that he’s the “wrong priest.” It seems that whatever evil entity that has possessed Henry has a plan that involves Gabriele.
As I said, this movie has a strong ribbon of goofiness that runs throughout — from Crowe’s accent to Gabriele’s little Ferrari scooter to the vein-y stage-blood-heavy representation of the demon to Gabriele’s own jokiness. Some of this comedy is intentional, is what I’m saying. The rest of it — eh, I don’t think the movie minds if you find some of its lore cornball, particularly with the very “episode one” way that it ends. The idea that your child would be in the grip of something no one can diagnose and that is clearly killing him is terrifying. But this movie doesn’t really lean much on that, even though it is probably the chilling element of the movie, and as a result the movie isn’t really scary as much as it’s a kind of non-scary gothic horror that at times almost tips into camp. That said, this movie also isn’t quite as goofy as I would have wanted either, which I say as someone who, again, loves the cheeky Evil.
The Pope’s Exorcist doesn’t do anything you haven’t seen before but it lets Crowe’s Gabriele have just enough lightness to make it a basically entertaining endeavor. B-
Rated R for violent content, language, sexual references and some nudity, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Julius Avery with a screenplay by Michael Petroni and Evan Spiliotopoulos, The Pope’s Exorcist is an hour and 43 minutes long and distributed in theaters by Columbia Pictures.
Derry native Joey McCarran fondly remembers Romano’s Pizzeria, a town institution for nearly two decades. After several years spent on the West Coast post-college, McCarran and his wife, Lauren, are now back in his hometown — they’re known as “Jo and Lo,” and they’ve just opened a new restaurant together in the same storefront he used to frequent growing up.
The couple’s own experiences traveling across the country and returning home, McCarran said, inspired the name of their new eatery: The Ricochet. Gourmet pizza pies, calzones and hot subs are among the stars of the menu, which also features appetizers, salads, craft beers and cocktails.
“We like to say that the whole thing about this place and what we tried to do here is that it’s a feeling,” he said. “You’re going to ricochet off the walls here but at the end of the day you’ll end up where you’re supposed to, and that’s kind of what we were thinking we did. … We were here, there and everywhere. We hadn’t really planned on moving back to New Hampshire, but I grew up here, my family is still around, and I wanted our daughters to be able to come back.”
The couple took over the space last July and have been hard at work ever since on renovations and menu development. Ricky Alback, who McCarran said had been an employee at Romano’s at the time of the ownership change, has stayed on to serve as The Ricochet’s head chef.
“Ricky and I, we’ve been working tirelessly over here, just to make sure that we have something that we really like and that we can share with everybody,” he said. “It’s been fun to hear all of the feedback. Some days everybody orders all of our sandwiches, and we’re like, ‘Wow, I guess we were a sub shop today!’ … Then we might have a pizza day, and all of the pizzas will be gone.”
McCarran also recently started a company called Little Wild, which aims to provide locally grown hydroponic produce for area restaurants and other wholesale customers.
“I’ve got an investment down at a farm in Haverhill, Massachusetts, that’s going to [have] 30,000 square feet of hydroponic produce production,” he said. “All that produce will be coming to The Ricochet. … The idea is that … a restaurant like ours can really benefit from a local supplier that is consistent and can keep delivering, so customers will want to come back.”
The Ricochet boasts a unique aesthetic McCarran likened to a zen garden, with low lighting and plenty of vibrant plants. While it has been somewhat heavy on the takeout clientele at least to start, he said he has steadily noticed a surge in the volume of dine-in customers as of late.
Pizzas, McCarran said, feature a thin crust reminiscent of a southeastern Connecticut style.
“My wife is actually from the Mystic area, and so we really like that style of pizza,” he said. “We do a small and a large, and then any of our pizzas can also be a calzone.”
Among the several fan favorite pies out of the gate have been the El Jefe, featuring local pulled pork, barbecue sauce, red onions, pineapple and bacon; the Reaper, a spicier pizza with ghost pepper cheese, chorizo and hot honey; and the Figgy P, which has fig jam, Gorgonzola cheese, fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced prosciutto and a balsamic drizzle.
Subs feature rolls McCarran picks up fresh every day at Tripoli Bakery, just over the state line in northern Massachusetts. Many of the tried and true classics are represented, from a house meatball sub with marinara and provolone cheese, to a BLT, a chicken Parm and a steak bomb.
Salads, meanwhile, start with a garden or romaine base before they can be built in all kinds of different ways with proteins, toppings and dressings. There’s also a modest selection of made-to-order appetizers, like onion rings, crispy cut fries, chicken tenders and wings.
The Ricochet is also fast becoming known for its beverage program, which includes a rotating lineup of craft beers and creative cocktails. McCarran has even partnered Ali and Rob Leleszi of Rockingham Brewing Co. to brew a house Mexican-style cerveza, which he calls “the perfect pizza beer.” It’s available on tap now and will soon come canned when the second batch is ready.
“The beer is called Cerveza de Lechuza, and Lechuza was the beach [where] we would be pretty much every day when we lived out in Malibu,” McCarran said. “It directly translates to ‘owl beer,’ and so that’s how we always talk about it. Like, ‘Hey, come sit with us and have an owl.’”
Despite its small space, The Ricochet features a small stage in the corner of its lounge space for live performances. McCarran is also working on adding outdoor seating at the end of the plaza.
The Ricochet Where: 35 Manchester Road, Suite 10, Derry Hours: Tuesday, 4 to 8 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 8 p.m., Friday, noon to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. More info: Visit ricochet.pizza, find them on Facebook @thericochetderry and on Instagram @lovethericochet, or call 434-6500
Featured photo: Photos by Annie Hardester, on Instagram @annie.the.baker
Local printing company celebrates creativity of craft beer labels
On Thursday, April 20, printing company Amherst Label in Milford will display the art of the beer can label with a showcase called “Canvas,” featuring artwork from 18 craft beers brewed in New England and New York.
“We’re always about shelf appeal and asking, ‘How do you tell your story,’” said Amherst Label’s president, Nye Hornor. “These breweries have knocked it out of the park.”
Hornor and his team will welcome 150 guests at the opening show. At the time of reporting, approximately half of the slots had been filled for the opening.
The plan is to have the artwork on display for a year, Hornor said. He hopes to either have private showings for small groups or have another larger gathering later in 2023 to continue celebrating the artwork.
This is not the first art show Amherst Labels has hosted, Hornor said. For the company’s 40th anniversary it hosted professional artists. A few years later, before the pandemic, it held small shows of artwork by employees and their family members.
With this year being Amherst Label’s 45th anniversary, Hornor wanted to do something special.
“We have a passion for breweries,” he said, noting that labels tell a story. “Breweries make a story on their can and we have put it in a gallery.”
Hornor and Ruth Sterling, who is the marketing manager at Amherst Labels, reached out to their clients and had them choose the 18 label designs that would be featured in the show. Five of those designs come from New Hampshire breweries, including a design from Nashua’s Rambling House Food and Gathering and one from Concord’s Feathered Friend Brewing.
The artwork is set up with a 11- by 14-inch print of the artwork on the can, the can itself, and a quote from the artist telling the story behind the design. Visitors can scan a QR code to see more information about each of the artists and the art on display.
In addition to looking at the cans, visitors will be able to taste the beers that are displayed, have some tasty snacks and take a tour of the printing facilities.
While the show highlights the artists who design the cans, Hornor said it was important to recognize all the skill and effort that go into making each beer look perfect.
“Press men are artists,” said Hornor. “We have artists in house that work on artwork on a daily basis to … match up what the artwork is meant to look like and have it at the end of the press as art.”
Canvas Where: Amherst Label, 15 Westchester Drive, Milford When: Thursday, April 20, from 2 to 6 p.m. More info and to RSVP: www.amherstlabel.com/canvas-rsvp
Featured photo: The label for Formation 3 by Feathered Friend. Photoshop image by Tucker Jadczak.
How to hook in to solar power and other renewable energy sources
Plus Where to check out electric cars
By Mya Blanchard listings@hippopress.com
Tyler Costa hasn’t had regular electric billssince 2021. Instead, he has lease payments of less than $150 a monththanks to solar panels installed on the roof of his Nashua home.
“I decided to get solar panels as I believe in renewable energy sources and wanted to reduce my carbon footprint,” Costa said.
While production is reduced during the winter months, any accumulated snow on the roof comes off fairly easily due to the dark, slippery surface of the panels, which warm up faster than shingles. “Lucky for me, I produce more than I consume, and the money I make comes back to me to make up [for] the small differences during the winter months,” Costa said.
This past year, utility costs skyrocketed to all-time highs in New Hampshire. This increase was in part due to our reliance on natural gas.
“In New England we rely heavily on natural gas to generate electricity,” said William Hinkle, media relations manager for Eversource, New Hampshire’s largest utility. “When the price of natural gas changes, we also see significant impacts to electric supply prices through New England, and that’s what we saw last year.”
One way to combat this is through the use of renewable energy sources.
What is renewable energy?
According to Rebecca Beaulieu, communications director and an organizer of 350 New Hampshire, renewable energy is defined as energy that is able to be harnessed continuously.
“Specifically, we mean clean renewable energy,” she said. “Ones where they’re not generating large amounts of waste or putting carbon dioxide, methane or other harmful chemicals into the air.”
Examples of such sources include solar and hydropower, and wind, biomass and geothermal energy.
“New Hampshire … is really far behind on renewable energy production,” Beaulieu said of New Hampshire compared to other New England states.
According to the New Hampshire Department of Energy, more than half of the energy generated in the state comes from nuclear power. In 2021, renewable energy sources accounted for 16 percent of our in-state electricity generation, compared to Maine at 72 percent, and Vermont at nearly 100 percent, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. (More than half of Vermont’s power comes from out of state, with the largest share coming from hydroelectric power, much of which is generated in Canada, according to the EIA.)
One of the most accessible forms of renewable energy for homeowners is solar power.
Around the sun
Solar power is sunlight converted by technology such as solar panels into electricity, as explained by the U.S. Department of Energy.
While it may have only accounted for 1 percent of the state’s total net generation, according to the EIA, Beaulieu points out that “most of New Hampshire’s solar energy production right now comes from households having solar panels on their roofs.”
Getting solar panels installed on your house is a three- to four-month process with dozens of steps, only four of which the customer is involved in. The first step is contacting a solar installation company and working out a house’s needs and space for solar panels.
“We very specifically design a system to that customer’s usage and that customer’s house and the angles on the roof and the position it sits facing the sun,” said Mark Robichaud, founder of Merrimack Solar, a solar panel installation company that services New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Next is a site survey. Trained engineers come to your home and assess whether or not your house can support a solar system by looking at the condition of the roof, the structure and the electrical system to see if it is susceptible to damage.
The third step is getting approval from your town. Not only are towns usually happy to approve of solar panel installation, but having solar panels installed on your house can increase your home’s value.
“The data bears out that houses with solar installed on them are making 4.1 percent more in sale and selling 16 percent faster than houses that do not have solar,” Robichaud said.
Lastly, before the installation process can begin, the customer needs to obtain permission from their utility company. This involves the company installing the solar panels writing up details along with a computer-aided design drawing to send over to the utility company.
“The utility makes that final determination of whether or not we can move forward,” Robichaud said.
Overall pricing, Robichaud said, comes down to the size and power of the system. He said a general rule of thumb is about $4 per watt, meaning a 5-kilowatt system runs about $20,000.
When going through Merrimack Solar, you can finance your solar system or agree to a power purchase agreement, where the customer doesn’t pay for installation, but for the electricity, at a lower price.
“If you go … ownership overall, you’re saving upward of $40,000 over your lifetime by going solar, because once a solar system is paid for, you don’t pay for electricity anymore in most cases,” Robichaud said. “We effectively become your power company.”
According to Robichaud, 95 percent of Merrimack Solar’s panels are made from recyclable material and are designed to last 40 years.
“Instead of using gas, coal and oil and falling victim to whatever they’re charging for those, you’re taking something that’s free, the sun, and converting it into electricity onsite and using it at your house,” Robichaud said. “You go from having no control over what you’re paying for your electricity to having complete control.”
Other renewable energy sources
Besides solar, other common forms of renewable energy include hydropower, wind power, biomass and geothermal energy.
Hydropower takes the energy from falling water and converts it into electricity via a generator. This energy source was responsible for 7 percent of New Hampshire’s total net generation in 2021, according to the EIA.
The Boscawen-based Granite State Hydropower Association has 50 small power plants across 35 towns in New Hampshire.
“If you look at some of the states with a high percentage of hydropower … they have some of the cheapest rates in the nation,” Association president Bob King said. “Hydropower … has no fuel cost, so it is not susceptible to the incredible increase in natural gas prices that is felt in the wallets of every ratepayer in New Hampshire.”
Not only is hydropower emissions-free, but it also helps clean out bodies of water in the process by sifting out debris and trash as the water flows through a screen.
A turbine converts the kinetic energy of falling water into mechanical energy, which is then converted into electricity by a generator. For every 100 units of falling water kinetic energy, King said this produces about 80 to 90 units of electricity.
“It’s clean, it’s simple, it’s efficient,” he said.
When it comes to wind energy, EIA data shows that it made up 3 percent of New Hampshire’s in-state electricity generation. That could rise in the future with the Gulf of Maine wind farm, a project that New Hampshire is part of a task force for. According to the Gulf of Maine Association, this “sea within a sea” covers 36,000 square miles of ocean and has 7,500 miles of coastlines, bordering New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and parts of Canada.
“There are areas that have been designated in the Gulf of Maine and will continue to be refined for renewable energy and for offshore wind,” said Rob Werner, the state director for the League of Conservation Voters.
The Gulf of Maine receives some of the most powerful and consistent winds in the world, according to the Natural Resources Council of Maine. To best capture this power, the wind turbines, which would be positioned on floating platforms, will likely be positioned 25 to 50 miles from the coast. Harnessing the wind energy from the Gulf of Maine has the potential to serve not only Maine but New Hampshire and Massachusetts, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Biomass is defined as fuel that comes from organic materials like wood and wood processing waste, agricultural crops and waste, sewage and animal manure. Converting such materials into energy prevents greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere during decomposition, according to the U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Wood seems to account for most of New Hampshire’s biomass, according to the EIA, which reports that it accounted for 6 percent of the state’s total net electricity generation in 2021. Eighty-six percent of this came from the forest industry. The use of biomass is important to the forest industry as well as to landowners, said Jasen Stock, the director of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association, as it gives another purpose to trees that are unsuitable for lumber.
“We have trees and we have a need to do forest management and so biomass is a great fit for managing land and at the same time making some renewable power,” Stock said. “You don’t get much more homegrown than that.”
Geothermal energy uses the heat flowing from the interior to the surface of the Earth. Wells are drilled into the earth to capture steam and hot water that can be used for electricity as well as heating and cooling.
In New Hampshire, the most commonly used type of geothermal system is referred to as an “open-loop” system, according to the state Department of Environmental Services. Groundwater is pumped out of the well and circulated through the building’s heat pump, where heat is extracted from or transferred into the water. That water is then re-injected either into the same well or a separate well dedicated to re-injection.
Used less frequently, according to the department, is what’s called a “closed-loop” system, by which an antifreeze solution or refrigerant is circulated through an installed pipe in the drilled well.
The carbon dioxide emissions from geothermal energy are just one-sixth the amount from natural gas power plants, according to the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. Despite the high upfront costs, this energy source is cost-effective, can operate in high capacity and is not affected by or dependent on weather.
Closer to a renewable future
While New Hampshire may be behind its New England neighbors, the state is taking steps to catch up. The state’s Renewable Energy fund projects that by 2025, 25.3 percent of the state’s electricity will come from renewable energy sources.
“We do have the technology that we need to move to renewable energy and prioritize our communities over [the] fossil fuel industry,” Beaulieu said.
One recent example Beaulieu mentioned is a 3.3-megawatt solar array in Manchester, unveiled last year at a former Dunbarton Road landfill. According to a press release from Boston-based Kearsarge Energy, which has partnered with the City of Manchester to complete the project, the electricity produced by the more than 8,000 solar modules is enough to power hundreds of homes annually across the Queen City.
In December, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig announced that the city exceeded its initial projections for electricity produced from the array by 15 percent, generating about 4.37 million kilowatt hours of energy.
Beaulieu says that with solar and wind energy getting cheaper, the transition to renewable energy is becoming more feasible economically.
The environment has the ability to restore itself, she said, if we begin to take better care of it.
“There are a lot of individual people and businesses and legislatures moving this work forward,” Beaulieu said.
Local solar installation companies Here’s a list of southern New Hampshire-based companies that work to install solar panels on residential and commercial buildings.
• 603 Solar (24 Charter St., Exeter, 570-2607, 603solar.com) • Granite State Solar (15 Ryan Road, Bow, 369-4318, granitestatesolar.com) • Merrimack Solar (12 Madison Lane, Merrimack, 978-645-1261, merrimacksolar.com) • New England Solar Pros (60 Blossom St., Nashua, 318-3232, nesolarllc.com) • Seventh Gen Solar (814 Route 3A, Bow, 731-4777, seventhgensolar.com) • Sundial Solar (78 Mountain Road, Concord, 961-0045, sundialsolarnh.com) • Sunenergy Solutions (75 Gilcreast Road, Londonderry, 844-427-6527, sunenergysolutionsllc.com) • Sunup Solar (Auburn, 860-2509, sunupsolarnh.com)
Plug-in rides
Electric vehicle showcases for Earth Day and beyond
By Matt Ingersoll mingersoll@hippopress.com
Jon Gundersen grew tired of making constant trips to the gas station during his long commutes to and from work. In 2011, he purchased his first electric car — a plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt — and he hasn’t looked back.
“I’ve been driving electric vehicles ever since,” he said. “My wife has a gas vehicle, so I’ve still pumped gas, but sometimes I’ll go several months before I visit a gas station now.”
Rivian R1T. Photo by Jon Gundersen.
Today, Gundersen is a member of the New England Electric Auto Association and volunteers with Drive Electric NH, a coalition promoting the adoption of electric vehicles in the Granite State. He has been involved in several EV showcases across southern New Hampshire, which offer opportunities for attendees to meet owners and ask questions about their cars.
One such showcase is happening at the Nashua Public Library on Saturday, April 22, as part of the city’s inaugural Sustainability Fair and Earth Day Celebration.
Electric vehicles are on the rise in New Hampshire and nationally. According to a June 2022 report from the Edison Electric Institute, more than 26 million EVs are expected to be on U.S. roads by the year 2030 — that’s up from the projected 18.7 million in its 2018 report. More than 65 different EV models are on the market today, and the EEI projects that number will grow to nearly 140 by 2024.
In the Granite State, there are more than 180 public EV charging stations statewide, according to Drive Electric NH, from the Massachusetts border stretching all the way up to the Great North Woods town of Colebrook.
The obvious perk to driving an electric vehicle, Gundersen said, is not having to pump gas. Instead, he has his own 220-volt charger in his home that, when plugged into the car’s port overnight, fills its energy to capacity. Most EVs on the market, he said, can last anywhere between 250 and 350 miles on a full battery.
“Although electricity has gone up over the years, it’s still not too bad. For me, at least, it’s been pretty consistent,” Gundersen said. “When I first got an EV, it was costing me $30 a month in electricity, but at that time I was spending $300 a month on gas. So that was a huge difference … and even today it’s still a little over a third of the cost of driving with gas, for my car anyways. It would be like buying a car that’s like 80 miles to a gallon.”
Another one of Gundersen’s favorite things about EVs is their ability to generate instant torque.
“In an EV, the acceleration from zero to 60 [miles per hour], or even from 30 to 60, is incredibly quick,” he said. “You touch the gas [pedal] and you can feel yourself push back in the seat, it takes off that fast. There’s no waiting for a transmission to shift. It’s instantaneous. … I like being able to step on the gas and instantly pass a truck on the highway or whatever.”
Then there’s a featured mechanism called regenerative braking, which feeds energy back into the car’s battery simply by using its brakes.
“What happens is that when you take your foot off the gas, the electric motor acts sort of like a generator,” Gundersen said. “It’s generating power in a different way, creating a force that helps slow down the car … [and] while you’re slowing down the car is gaining energy in its battery.”
Gundersen will be at the Nashua Sustainability Fair on April 22 with the EV he currently drives, a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt. His will be among at least eight registered models that will be on display in the library parking lot during the event, which will also feature local vendors, an electric yard equipment showcase, games, crafts, food trucks, raffle prizes, a bike repair clinic and a fashion show at noon.
“Some of the EV owners have owned one for years, and some of them are brand new to owning one, even maybe just within the last few months,” Gundersen said. “Some of them will offer test drives, so they can take you around the block or just on a short little trip so that you can get a feel for what driving an electric car is like.”
Where to go check out electric vehicles
Source: driveelectricearthday.org
Nashua Sustainability Fair & Earth Day Celebration When: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Where: Nashua Public Library parking lot, 6 Hartshorn Ave., Nashua Cost: Free admission Visit: nashualibrary.org/attend/sustainability-fair Co-sponsored by the City of Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services and the Nashua Public Library, this free community event will bring together dozens of local exhibitors to celebrate Earth Day, including nonprofits working in different areas of sustainability like clean energy, farming and environmental justice. There will also be an electric vehicle showcase with more than half a dozen makes and models, whose owners may offer test drives or rides at their discretion, plus an electric yard equipment showcase, games, crafts, food trucks, raffle prizes, a bike repair clinic and a thrift fashion show at noon.
Gilmanton Earth Day Celebration When: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Where: Gilmanton Year Round Library, 1385 Route 140, Gilmanton Cost: Free admission Visit: gyrla.org In partnership with the Gilmanton Energy Committee, the Gilmanton Year Round Library, New Hampshire Sierra Club, Univix Power Solutions and the New Hampshire Electric Co-op, this free event will feature an electric vehicle showcase, solar panel and energy storage tours at the library, and a 2 p.m. all-ages hike on the nearby trails.
Durham Earth Day Celebration and EV Showcase When: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Where: 66 Main St., Durham Cost: Free admission Visit: ci.durham.nh.us The town of Durham’s annual Earth Day celebration will feature a showcase of more than 15 electric vehicles by local owners, including some of the latest models. Some may even offer test drives or rides to attendees. There will also be displays supporting sustainable agriculture, plus information on home energy improvements and rebates, and details promoting composting as a means to reduce landfill waste.
Drive Electric Expo at the Monadnock Earth Day Festival When: Saturday, April 22, noon to 4 p.m. Where: Whitney Brothers parking area (adjacent to the Monadnock Food Co-op), 93 Railroad St., Keene Cost: Free admission Visit: monadnockfood.coop The Drive Electric Expo is happening as part of the Earth Day festival hosted by the Monadnock Food Co-op, the future site of southwestern New Hampshire’s first public electric vehicle fast chargers. Attendees will have the chance to see more than a dozen EVs, representing several different automakers and ranging from sub-compact cars to sedans, SUVs and trucks. Vehicle owners will be on hand to share their knowledge and enthusiasm and answer questions. Many also offer test drives and rides. A series of five-minute mini-talks is scheduled throughout the afternoon, covering everything from home and public charging to long road trips with an EV, electric police vehicles and financial incentives to reduce EV costs. There will also be informational literature to pick up and a free drawing for a chance to win prizes.
Lowell Drives Electric When: Saturday, April 29, noon to 4 p.m. Where: Heritage Farm Ice Cream, 163 Pawtucket Blvd., Lowell, Mass. Cost: Free admission Visit: facebook.com/lowelldriveselectric Just over the state line in Lowell, Mass., Heritage Farm Ice Cream on Pawtucket Boulevard will be the site of an electric vehicle showcase with more than two dozen makes and models to check out. Vehicle owners will be on hand to answer questions from attendees about their experiences, and some may offer to take their cars for test drives.
Featured photo: Photo courtesy of Merrimack Solar.
New England College will be relocating its Institute of Art and Design program from Manchester to its main campus in Henniker starting in the fall of 2023. According to a community update from NEC President Wayne Lesperance posted on the college’s website, the consolidation is part of the school’s efforts to create a more integrated campus community and to offer students greater access to the resources available on its main campus. “Covid-19 depressed participation in the arts and arts education nationally,” Lesperance said in the update. “Unfortunately, NEC was not immune to this downward trend. With this move to unify our academic offerings in Henniker, NEC re-doubles its commitment to its art and design students and faculty, and the arts generally, by dedicating facilities and creating new opportunities in a welcoming setting.” NEC’s Institute of Art and Design is the successor to the New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA), which merged with the college several years ago. A new “Art Village” on the Henniker campus will provide dedicated spaces for art and design students to work and collaborate, as well as a new theater in NEC’s Putnam Center for the Performing Arts for students studying performing arts. NEC will continue to hold events at its galleries and assembly space at French Hall in Manchester, according to the update.
Bio-pest control
The University of New Hampshire’s team of New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station scientists has published research in Environmental Entomology on the role of annual insectary plants as habitats for syrphid flies. According to a press release, the team studied flowering plants grown to attract, feed and shelter syrphids, also known as hover or flower flies, which are known to act as biological pest controls, consuming large numbers of common pests, like aphids. The research revealed that sweet alyssum, a low-growing cool-season annual in the Brassicaceae plant family, as well as buckwheat, dill and cilantro attracted and maintained significant numbers of syrphid flies. “We’ll use this information as a springboard to study the behavior and life histories of the key players in our vegetable agroecosystems, which will lead to better landscape management techniques and more sustainable pest management down the line,” Anna Wallingford, NHAES scientist, research assistant professor in UNH’s agriculture, nutrition and food systems department and co-author of the published article, said in the release. The team is considering further study to investigate if and how native perennial plants could be used to attract syrphids.
Autism Acceptance month
Applied ABC, an ABA autism therapy company in Manchester, invites the public to its Autism Acceptance month celebration at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Minor League Baseball team, on Saturday, April 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. The free event will feature booths set up across the stadium and field as well as ABA games and activities that promote social, cognitive and motor skills in children with autism, according to an email from the organizer. Visit appliedabc.com or call 403-3741 to learn more.
New Chair
Greater Nashua Mental Health has named James Jordan its new Chairman of the Board of Directors. According to a press release, Jordan has been a New Hampshire resident for more than 25 years and has decades of business experience, including having worked for Verizon Communications for 31 years before starting his own telecommunications consulting business. He currently runs Adaptive Techniques & Concepts, a consulting firm for large to mid-size companies across the country.
Drug take-back
The DEA’s bi-annual National Drug Take Back Day is happening on Saturday, April 22. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., New Hampshire town and city police departments will be hosting collection sites across the state for people to drop off their unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications, which can pose public safety risks such as accidental poisoning, overdoses and abuse when not properly discarded. The DEA will accept pills, patches and vaping devices and cartridges, but not liquids, needles, sharps or devices with lithium batteries. For a collection site locator to find a drop-off point near you, visit dea.gov/takebackday.
Looking for lead
The Nashua Regional Planning Commission and the Loon Preservation Committee are calling for anglers in the Nashua Region to check their tackle boxes for illegal lead tackle and dispose of it responsibly at the Household Hazardous Waste Event on Saturday, April 22, from 8 a.m. to noon, at 25 Crown St., in Nashua. The use of small lead tackle has been banned in New Hampshire due to its negative impact on the threatened loon population; according to a press release, lead tackle ingestion is the primary cause of documented adult loon deaths and accounted for 38.5 percent of documented adult loon deaths in the state between 1989 and 2022. There are a number of tests that can be done to identify tackle that is made of lead: according to Harry Vogel, LPC’s Senior Biologist and Executive Director, “When rubbed on paper, lead will leave a gray mark. Lead is soft, so lead tackle can be easily dented with a fingernail or with pliers.” If in doubt, consider the age of the tackle, Vogel added; tackle bought in 2010 or before is likely to be made of lead. The Household Hazardous Waste Event is open to residents of Amherst, Brookline, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, Merrimack, Milford, Mont Vernon, Nashua, Pelham, and Windham, with a fee of $15 per vehicle. Find a list of accepted items at nashuarpc.org/hhw. Additionally, LPC and the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game are offering a Lead Tackle Buyback Program in which anglers who turn in one ounce or more of illegal lead tackle at participating local tackle shops can receive a $10 voucher for that shop. For a list of participating shops, visit loonsafe.org.
Road work is underway on Interstate 393 between Concord and Chichester, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation announced, which includes ramps for exits 1, 2 and 3 and will require intermittent lane closures this summer. The work is part of a $500,000 sign replacement expected to be complete by mid-October. Real-time traffic news can be found at newengland511.org, and travelers can sign up for “My511” alerts to stay informed about incidents and construction work.
Manchester Community College (1066 Front St.) is holding an open House on Thursday, April 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. Prospective students are invited to visit the campus, meet with faculty and staff, and learn about financial aid and transfer opportunities with the New Hampshire Dual Admission Program. Attendees are encouraged to bring their transcripts to have previous credits evaluated for transfer. Visit mccnh.edu/admissions/openhouse or call 206-8000.
United Way of Greater Nashua is inviting people to dispose of their unwanted electronics at its e-recycling event, United w(E)-Recycle, Friday, April 21, through Sunday, April 23, at its location at 20 Broad St. in Nashua, with drop-off times Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. According to a press release, proceeds support the Greater Nashua School Supply Pantry. Email info@unitedwaynashua.org or visit unitedwaynashua.org for a list of accepted items and suggested donation amounts for their disposal.
